The Frugal Kitchen: Bibb, Beet and Feta Salad

Here's another salad I concocted the other day and it was a big hit with the hubby.  The beets should be prepared in advance, so they can be cool when you add them to the salad.

INGREDIENTS

4 beets
1/4 cup pine nuts
bibb lettuce (butter lettuce)
feta cheese, crumbled
6 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, finely diced
1 tsp. fresh oregano, diced (substitute 1/4 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. white sugar

BEETS

Cut the tops and root end off of four medium sized beets.  Place in a pan lined with foil.  Bake uncovered in a 350 Fahrenheit oven for one hour.  Remove and let cool.  Remove the skin with your fingers; it will pull right off.  Cut into slices.  The beets will have shrunken considerably.  By cooking them this way you have concentrated the sugars and beet flavor.  They almost taste like candied beets.

PINE NUTS

Add a handful of pine nuts to a dry cast iron pan.  Roast over medium heat until they begin to lightly brown.  Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool.

DRESSING

On cutting board sprinkle salt over diced garlic; use the side of your knife or the back of the spoon to macerate the garlic into a paste.  Add to bowl, then add oil, vinegar, oregano, pepper and sugar.  Whisk until combined.

In a bowl combine other ingredients with the dressing and toss.  I garnished each salad with a pepperoncini (greek pepper), but it is optional.  Enjoy!

God bless,
Pam

The Frugal Kitchen: Bibb and Blue Cheese Salad

We recently ate at Macaroni Grill and I had the Bibb and Blue salad.  It was so good I decided to recreate it as a vegetarian meal at home.

Bibb lettuce is one of my favorite lettuces for salads.  It has an almost meaty texture that gives it a very satisfying tooth feel.

First pickle some onions a few hours before serving the salad:

1 red or sweet (Vidalia) onion
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsps. white sugar
2 tsps. red wine vinegar

Finely slice onion into rings.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.  Make extra to use as a condiment on sandwiches.  Really good!


The salad:

1 head bibb lettuce
blue cheese, crumbled
walnuts, fair sized pieces
pickled onions
ranch or buttermilk salad dressing

Rip the salad into easy to eat pieces.  Add blue cheese, walnut pieces and salad dressing.  Toss ingredients until the lettuce is covered with the dressing.  Serve with a garnish of pickled onions.

This salad is more of a meal than a side salad.  Delicious!

God bless,
Pam