i never enjoy salad. usually, i just force my way through it bite by bite while i daydream about all the good snacks I’m going to eat later when i’m alone. my point here is that if I’m recommending a salad on here, it’s probably a pretty good salad.
this is another one of my mother-in-law’s recipes. i don’t know where she got the recipe, but I’ve been scarfing it down at her house for as long as i’ve been with my husband.
i think the key to this salad is that it’s simple, so there aren’t a lot of ingredients to pick through and contend with, and it makes a great side dish because it has vegetables AND rice. it would probably even make a good main dish, if you eat enough of it.
i usually serve this with some grilled or pan-fried chicken thighs, but yesterday was sunday and i wanted to make a big dinner, so we had it with this amazing mushroom lasagna.
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Judy's Spinach and Rice Salad
A great accompaniment to meat or hearty pasta dishes. Comes together quickly and easily and (I know it's unbelievable) it actually tastes great!
1bunchgreen onionssliced, some greens and some whites
Instructions
cook rice according to package directions.
while the rice is cooking, combine olive oil, white wine vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper, and turmeric. shake or whisk the combination together until fully combined. add to rice once rice is fully cooked (rice will be a bit wet and oily).
combine spinach, green onions, and rice mixture. the rice acts as a dressing for the spinach leaves; a few will wilt a little- that's ok.
serve! works great as an accompaniment for hearty pasta dishes or meaty main courses.
I made up this recipe with some random stuff I had around the house. The result was so good that we ate too much and didn’t have enough leftovers for lunch the next day.
You can pretty much always make a great stir fry with a combination of some meat, a chili garlic/soy sauce, and some form of noodles or rice. Beyond those three things, you can pretty much put any kind of veggies you want in it.
I use an equal part chili garlic sauce because we like it spicy, but you could always cut back on it if you want a milder dish.
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Bok Choy and Basil Rice Noodles
Spicy stir fry with bok choy, basil, chicken, and rice noodles.
Set the rice noodles to soak in a pot of cold water set on the stove for ten minutes.
While the rice noodles soak, thinly slice and dice the chicken breast. Place chicken breast in a bowl, and pour 1/3 of soy sauce over it, stirring to make sure all chicken pieces are coated. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Once rice noodles have soaked for ten minutes, turn on the heat, and bring the water to a rolling boil. Boil for about ten minutes.
Heat olive oil in a large wok or skillet. Cook chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
While chicken is cooking, whisk together the chili garlic sauce, oyster sauce, and remaining soy sauce. Add to pan with chicken and reduce heat to low.
By this time, the rice noodles should have soaked for at least ten minutes. While the chicken simmers on low, bring the rice noodles to a boil and cook at a rolling boil for 10 minutes.
Drain rice noodles, add to pan with chicken and sauce and stir to combine.
Move the wok from the heat and stir in bok choy and basil. Keep stirring it until the bok choy wilts into the dish.
In honor of the Oscars this weekend, here’s an onion dip recipe that’s worthy of an Oscars viewing get-together or for snacking out all on your onion.
I’m a big fan of the classic onion dip my mom always makes: sour cream and a packet of Lipton’s onion soup mix. Lately I’ve taken to subbing greek yogurt for the sour cream to make it just a slight bit healthier (it helps offset the bags and bags of chips I eat, at least).
This recipe goes even further and uses greek yogurt, fresh green onions, and carmelized onions from scratch. I like this with Ruffles, or any potato chips with ridges, or…well, really with any potatoes for that matter. You could also serve this as a dip for fresh veggies, if you’re one of those people.
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Onion Dip from Scratch
Onion dip from scratch that's great for a party or for snacking out all on your own!
Slice root ends off onions, cut onions in half, peel off outer layer, and then slice onions from root to tip, about 1/2 inch thick.
Breaking up the onions into silvers with your hands, add to a large saucepan or skillet (make sure it has a tight fitting lid) along with the water, vegetable oil, and 3/4 tsp of the salt.
Bring the onion mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes longer, until most of the water has evaporated.
Remove cover, and increase heat to high to evaporate any remaining water. Using a spoon, press the onion to the bottom and sides of pan, allowing it to brown. Stirring the onion mixture frequently, cook over medium-high heat (be careful not to let the onions burn) until onions are soft and fairly brown, about 10 minutes longer.
Transfer onions to a cutting board to cool. While onions cool, combine greek yogurt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt.
Finely mince the green onion. I like to use some of the green part and also some of the white part for more onion-y flavor. Add the minced onion to the greek yogurt mixture and mix well.
When carmelized onions have cooled, roughly chop with a large knife. Some people like bigger chunks of onion than others, so follow your heart.
Add chopped carmelized onion to greek yogurt mixture and mix well to combine. This dip tastes better after it's been in the fridge for awhile so, if you're making this for a party, I recommend making it the day before. A warning, though: this stuff is pretty good.
Good luck not eating it all before the party starts!
