Southern Salad {Sweet Pea Salad}

We eat a lot of salads down here.

 

Potlucks, BBQs, family gatherings.
Salads are always on the table.

Southern salads are more about fruit and Jello and macaroni and mayonnaise than lettuce and tomato.

I'm not big on Jello salads.
It's taken me a while to like mayo based salads too.

Sweet Pea Salad isn't something I grew up eating, but it is very popular here in Cajun country.

Since it deals with mayonnaise, I didn't think I would like it.  But a little old Cajun lady insisted I try it at a potluck supper.  (She made it.)
Now it's one of the first things I pick as a side for a plate lunch.

For the dressing, I took a tip from my late grandmother-in-law (another little old Cajun lady).  When she made potato salad, she mashed the hard boiled egg yolk into the mayonnaise and mustard to create a thick, creamy dressing.

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Sweet Pea Salad

1 (15 oz) can Petit Pois, drained
3 hard boiled eggs
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp Tony's Creole Seasoning
1 1/2-2 tsp sugar
heaping 1/4 cup Blue Plate mayonnaise

Place drained petit pois in a large salad bowl.

Cut the hard boiled eggs in half.  Pop the yolks out of each half and place in a small bowl.  Mash with a fork.  Add the onion, Tony's, and sugar to the mashed egg yolk and stir.  Stir in the mayonnaise to make a dressing.

Dice the hard boiled eggs (mins the yolk) and toss with the peas.  Fold in the dressing.

Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.


More Salads...

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Winter Fruit Salad

Since it's January, I guess I'm supposed to be all resolutions and healthy food and big changes and crap.

But the truth is I'm really all:
when's it gettin' to warming up so I can chunk some greasy burgers on the grill?
(and top them with cheese)

Forget change and new beginnings.  I always, always crave salty, greasy, full fat, cheesy foods in the winter.

Lucky for my cholesterol and blood pressure, winter means lots of citrus in South Louisiana.
Usually in the form of sweet, juicy satsumas.

A lot of fruit salads have condensed milk or marshmallow fluff or marshmallows or pudding or cool whip.  I'm not knocking that (remember the big greasy, cheesy burger mentioned above?).

But this fruit salad is on the healthier side.

Which means I can parade it around in January and act like I'm all resolutions and and healthy food and crap.

When I'm secretly thinking about serving it on the side of greasy, cheesy hamburgers.

The dressing is simple and made with satsuma juice, honey, and cinnamon.  And that's it.

Then I use whatever fruit is available.  Most often satsumas, apples, and bananas.  Sometimes pears.  Sometimes maraschino cherries for color and because The Boy loves them.

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Winter Fruit Salad

4 medium to large satsumas or tangerines--1 for juice, 3 separated into segments
1 Tbsp honey
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, cubed
1 banana, sliced

Juice 1 satsuma into the bowl you plan to use for serving.  Whisk in honey and 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon, depending on how strong of a cinnamon flavor you like.  Toss the prepared apple, banana, and satsumas in the dressing.  The satsuma juice will help keep the banana and apple from browning.  Let sit about 20 minutes, refrigerated. Toss again before serving.

 More satsumas...

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Crispy Honey Mustard Bacon Salad {IHCC's new chef--Donna Hay}

It's not often that I can consider a salad a meal.
And by often, I mean, well, mostly never.

Nothing against salad.  I like salad.  We have salad in some form regularly throughout the week.
But salad is served before the meal.  Not as the meal.

As was the case here.

And that was a bit of a mistake because Crispy Honey Mustard Bacon Salad from Donna Hay is filling and interesting enough to stand on its own.

It's the bacon.  And the beans.  Together, unexpectedly, in a salad.

Review:
I like homemade honey mustard dressing and make it often.  Donna Hay's version includes water instead of my usual apple cider or white wine vinegar.  The water worked...nice to know incase I'm out of vinegar.  I did season the dressing with black pepper.

The original recipe calls for arugula, which can't be found here.  I used spinach--my favorite vegetable.  I also added shaved carrot for some extra crunch and color.

I thought the salad was good.  The bacon and honey mustard pairing was especially good, making for a sweet, salty, tangy, crispy dish.  The Husband also liked it.  The Boy remarked that the beans were cold and he left them in the bottom of his bowl.
But don't worry.  He was able to find every speck of bacon.


There's a new chef in town.  I Heart Cooking Clubs is now cooking the recipes of Donna Hay.  See the IHCC site for more details.


The original recipe can be found HERE.


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My version:
Crispy Honey Mustard Bacon Salad
adapted from Donna Hay

for the dressing:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon water
2-3 grinds black pepper

for the salad:
7 slices hickory smoked bacon
approx. 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 carrot, peeled and shaved with a vegetable peeler
1 (14 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 heaping Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cups fresh spinach leaves


Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy.  Drain on paper towels then break into pieces.  Toss the tomatoes, carrot, beans, parsley, and spinach together in a large bowl.  Pour in about half of the dressing and toss again.  Serve the salad on 2-3 plates for dinner portions or 4 plates for side salads.  Divide the bacon among the plates and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

IHCC August Potluck {Cucumber Salad w/ Smashed Garlic & Ginger}

Around here, there's hardly a potluck to be found without a cucumber salad.  Especially this time of year.  Sometimes they're super tart from vinegar.  Sometimes they're more on the sweet side with sugar added.  Personally, I like cucumber salad on the tart side.  With lots of black pepper.

Cucumber Salad w/ Smashed Garlic & Ginger from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty is like no cucumber salad I've had before.  The rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and sesame seeds made me think of Asian flavors--like an Asian style slaw.

I forgot what we ate with them (it's been a while), but pairing these cucumbers with a spicy dish would be a good move.

I Heart Cooking Clubs is hosting its monthly potluck.  Recipes from our current chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, or any past IHCC chef are welcome.

 
   

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Cucumber Salad with Smashed Garlic and Ginger
adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Dressing:
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp salad oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Salad:
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 medium cucumbers
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Toss in the sliced onion and set aside for about 30 minutes.  Place the ginger and garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with the salt.  Mince the garlic and ginger, allowing the salt to help break them down, but not into a paste.  Scrape the garlic, ginger, and salt into the dressing bowl and stir.  Cut the cucumbers lengthways in half, then cut each half into thin half moons. Add the cucumber, most of the sesame seeds (save a few pinches for garnish), and the parsley to the bowl.  Mix everything and taste for salt.  Let sit 10-15 minutes.  Sprinkle the reserved sesame seeds over the top and serve.