The Frugal Foodie Cookbook (5 page)
cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar, as needed
Combine greens, romaine, Gorgonzola, and blueberries on a large platter. Toast walnuts at 350°F for about 3 minutes, until they are a light golden brown and aromatic, watching them to make sure they do not burn. To make dressing, pulse blueberries in food processor about 10 seconds; whisk together with oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper. If blueberries are not very sweet, add sugar as needed. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.
Citrus Avocado Salad
price
$15
servings
6
price per serving
$2.50
W
e don’t know whether we’re more seduced by the taste or the beauty of this gorgeous salad contained within an orange cup. The salad stars bright and refreshing Asian-inspired flavors, and we use an easy technique to turn orange peels into exotic bowls for a breathtaking presentation. Once you have the technique down, use the orange cups for serving fruit salad or sorbet.
3 large navel oranges
2 Hass avocados, cubed
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
½ cup cashews, preferably unsalted
DRESSING:
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Place an orange on table with navel facing you. Insert a knife into top on diagonal; make similar inserts in zigzag formation around fruit. Separate the halves; carefully remove fruit from peel. Cut orange sections into bite-sized pieces; place in bowl. Repeat for other oranges. Add avocados and scallions; whisk together dressing ingredients and add until salad is very lightly covered. Add cashews; spoon salad back into empty orange halves. Serve.
Cranberry-Apple-Walnut Salad
price
$20
servings
4
price per serving
$5
T
his is one of our favorite salads to serve during the winter because the red cranberries and green apples are so festive and seasonal. It’s also extremely easy to multiply the recipe for crowds, so it’s perfect and easy for holiday potlucks and parties. Though the salad is tart on its own, the sweet dressing balances out the dish.
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped into ½-inch cubes
½ cup walnuts, lightly toasted
½ cup dried cranberries
3 ounces feta cheese
DRESSING:
½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, apple, walnuts, and cranberries. Crumble feta cheese over top. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper; dress and toss salad just before serving.
Garden Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing
price
$8
servings
4
price per serving
$2
T
his herb-filled dressing brings a basic garden salad up a few notches Adjust the herbs in the dressing to highlight your favorites, and feel free to add any other seasonal vegetables for a crisply fresh dish.
2 heads romaine, chopped
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced
DRESSING:
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh green onion
½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. For dressing, finely chop dill, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, and green onion. Combine herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, and mustard in a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix ingredients; add salt and pepper. Dress and toss salad just before serving.
Grape and Walnut Salad
price
$12
servings
4
price per serving
$3
T
his is a great salad that is both cheap and filling—no meat is needed! The creamy dressing paired with the avocados is luxuriously smooth, but the grapes and walnuts balance the salad out with a little tang and crunch.
9 ounces mixed greens
3 bunches red grapes, halved
2 cups walnuts, toasted
2 Haas avocados, cut into 1" pieces
DRESSING:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl and divide among plates. Whisk together dressing ingredients and dress each plate before serving.
Sunset Tomato Salad
price
$8
servings
4
price per serving
$2
N
o matter how excited we are for fall produce when September arrives, we always pay homage to the sweet succulence of summer vegetables with a final tomato salad. Tomatoes are beautiful and inexpensive in early fall, and it’s easy to find them cheaply at the farmer’s market.
2 large yellow tomatoes, chopped into 1" cubes
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, chopped into 1" cubes
¼ tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh or dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces spring mix lettuce
Mix chopped tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Divide lettuce evenly among plates and top with tomato mixture.
Peanut-Lime Mexican Medley
price
$24
servings
6
price per serving
$4
W
e love to make this salad for large group dinners because people go crazy over the unexpected combination of the two dressings. The dressings don’t work independently as salad dressings, but add them separately to your salad and mix all of the ingredients together for an eye-popping explosion of the contrasting lime and peanut flavors.
2 heads romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1 tomato, cut into ½" pieces
1 green pepper, cut into ½" pieces
1 cup canned black beans, drained
1 cup cooked corn, drained
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
½ cup Cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups tortilla chips
SESAM E DRESSING:
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup hot water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
LIME DRESSING:
½ cup lime juice
4 teaspoons honey mustard
¼ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, tomato, green pepper, black beans, corn, and onion. Make salad dressings separately in individual bowls by combining ingredients with a whisk. Dress salad first with sesame dressing, followed by lime dressing. Top with cheese and serve with tortilla chips crumbled on top.
Perfect Poached-Egg Frisée Salad
price
$8
servings
4
price per serving
$2
W
henever we go out for brunch, Alanna is torn between the brunch and lunch menus. So if there’s ever a salad available with breakfast ingredients like eggs or smoked salmon, she’s sure to order it. This salad is a creation of that desire—to eat a morning dish that is not too heavy but that still features classic breakfast flavors.
3 slices French bread, cut into 1½" cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 strips bacon
1 shallot, chopped
4 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups frisée lettuce, torn into pieces
4 eggs
To make croutons, toss bread cubes with olive oil and garlic; toast lightly in a toaster oven or in the oven at 325°F for 10 minutes and set aside. Cook bacon in heavy pan until crispy, about 8 minutes; remove and drain on paper towels. When cooled, chop and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in pan; add chopped shallot and 4 tablespoons vinegar to deglaze pan. Add sugar, salt, and pepper; set aside as dressing. Arrange lettuce on 4 plates with bacon and croutons. Gently boil 2 quarts water in large saucepan with 2 tablespoons vinegar; add eggs and poach 3–5 minutes, until done. Top each salad with a poached egg and dressing.
Veggie Chopped Salad
price
$12
servings
4
price per serving
$3
A
lanna’s family has a habit of eating a salad obsessively for months, then ditching it for another. Many of the salad recipes in this book are adaptations of those recipes, including this crunchy, textured vegetable symphony, which her family ate every night for a summer. Some vegetables can be substituted depending on preferences, but we recommend keeping the hearts of palm and chickpeas as staples.