Salad | onedadskitchen

With Michelle’s birthday this weekend, I have a lot of planning, prep work and regular work to do so I’ll be posting some great links for Thanksgiving ideas from some popular websites, such as this one:

It’s never too early to start planning out your Thanksgiving menu and Saveur magazine has you covered with lots of great recipes, tips, menus you can make, techniques to help you and videos to watch to help you with everything from gravy to carving the turkey to leftovers. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on November 7, 2014 in Cooking, Cooking Tips, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Gravy, Holidays, Leftovers, Potatoes, Poultry, Salad, Side Dishes, Turkey, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: Saveur, Saveur magazine, Saveur Thanksgiving recipes and tips, techniques to help with Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving ideas, Thanksgiving menu, Thanksgiving menus, Thanksgiving tips and recipes

A Crowd Favorite to Go With Anything – Broccoli Slaw

31 Oct

I know for many it may not seem like a coleslaw time of year and it might be something you only consider to be a summertime dish to go with your picnics and cookouts, but I like to have coleslaw just about any time of the year and I am always trying all different kinds. Coleslaw is a pretty versatile side dish that can go great with hamburgers and hot dogs for sure, but I really like it with all types of pork and chicken dishes. I often make it when we are just going to have sandwiches for dinner as an easy side dish. As I said I try to do different things with it, using different cabbage or changing up the dressing so it has mayonnaise or without mayo for more of vinaigrette style, but I also really like to try broccoli slaw now and then. Broccoli slaw is basically shredded broccoli and carrots and cabbage mixed together to get a unique flavor. You very often see it in the produce section of your store by the other bagged coleslaw options, though you could certainly make your own mix if you like. Last time I was at the store I decided to pick up a bag and give this recipe a try from Add a Pinch for a very simple broccoli slaw.

Broccoli Slaw

2 (12-ounce) bags of broccoli slaw

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Pour the broccoli slaw into a large bowl and add the chopped red onion. In a 2-cup measuring cup, add the mayonnaise or yogurt, the apple cider vinegar, the sugar and the lime juice. Whisk the ingredients together with a fork or whisk and then pour about half of the dressing over the broccoli slaw in the bowl. Toss the slaw together to make sure it has all become well-dressed. Add any additional dressing as may be needed. Season the slaw with salt and pepper to taste and mix the slaw together well. Add the chopped parsley as a garnish, if using, and serve the slaw with any remaining dressing on the side.

You can easily make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for a couple of days if you are planning to use it for a party or to take to someone’s home as part of a meal or a buffet. It goes really well with any type of sandwiches and I first served it with the steak sandwiches that we made recently and it was perfect. We have also used it for a side dish to go with lunches for the week and it goes really well with dishes like spare ribs or pulled pork, where you can put it right on the pulled pork sandwich as a topping. It is definitely easy and gives you a nice alternative to traditional coleslaw recipes.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, have a happy and safe Halloween and enjoy your meal (and your candy too!).

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Posted by MikeG on October 31, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Lunch, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: Add a Pinch, broccoli slaw, broccoli slaw recipe, easy broccoli slaw, homemade broccoli slaw

Eat and Enjoy Herbed Chicken with Zesty Potato Salad

28 Oct

I’ve been working pretty hard the last few days and I haven’t had much time to blog so I will try to get to it early today so I can get a recipe up. I have made a bunch of different things over the last few weeks that I hope to get up here, including some different chicken dishes that give you a little something different to do with a tasty and more inexpensive option for your meal. To me chicken thighs are the best part of the chicken and even more versatile than the famous boneless chicken breast. You get much more flavor from the thighs and you can buy them boneless and skinless if you choose, though you get even more flavor from the boned version and you can easily remove the skin and bones on your own if you life and chicken thighs are very affordable. Most of the time I get them for about 99 cents a pound so you can do really well with them. This particular recipe I tried, from Williams-Sonoma. is a simple herbed chicken thigh recipe that you can do in the slow cooker with a warm zesty potato salad as a nice side dish.

Herbed Chicken with Zesty Potato Salad

3 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 fresh thyme sprigs

2 fresh oregano sprigs

3 bay leaves

1/3 cup white wine

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1/3 cup chicken broth

For the Zesty Potato Salad:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

20 small red potatoes

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

For the chicken, pat the chicken thighs dry and season them generously all over with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. When the oil is hot, working in batches to avoid crowding in the pan, add the chicken, skin side down, and sear until the chicken pieces are a golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not turn the chicken. Transfer the chicken to paper towels briefly to drain then transfer the chicken thighs to the slow cooker.

Add the onion, garlic, thyme and oregano and bay leaves to the same frying pan used for the chicken and saute everything over medium-high heat until the vegetables are just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and the white wine vinegar and stir the pan to scrape up and browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of black pepper, then pour the contents of the frying pan over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook in the low setting for 4 hours until the chicken is very tender.

About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, make the potato salad. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, shallot, red wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until it has emulsified. Set the dressing aside.

Quarter the red potatoes and place them in a large saucepan with salted water to cover. Bring the potatoes to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl, drizzle the potatoes with about 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette and toss to coat the potatoes. Taste the potato salad and more of the remaining vinaigrette if desired. Let the potato salad cool slightly, then add the cherry tomatoes and oregano. Toss the salad to combine everything.

When the chicken is done, transfer the chicken to a plate and keep it warm. Remove and discard the bay leaves and the thyme and oregano sprigs. Let the braising liquid stand for a few minutes then skim off the fat with a large spoon. Divide the chicken thighs among warm individual plates and drizzle the chicken with some of the braising liquid. Mound the potato salad alongside the chicken and serve.

It is a very easy meal to put together thanks to the slow cooker and you end up with very tender chicken that has great flavor from the braising liquid. It pairs very nicely with the zesty potato salad, which has some nice zing from the mustard and red wine vinegar and the tomatoes add a nice touch to the salad. The chicken was even better the next day as a leftover for lunch when the flavors had a chance to meld even more.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 28, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Potatoes, Poultry, Salad, Slow Cooker Meals

Tags: chicken thighs, herbed chicken in the slow cooker, herbed chicken with zesty potato salad, potato salad, slow cooker herbed chicken, williams-sonoma, zesty potato salad

Hold On to Summer with Tropical Slaw with Sweet and Sour Dressing

03 Sep

Even though everyone is back to work today and the kids are back to school this week around here, the weather has actually been a lot hotter the last few days than it has been all summer long. That makes you want to hold on to summer just a little bit longer and keep making some of those summer favorites that may not heat up the house and kitchen. Around here we have been having cold dinners the last few nights, including a sandwich night yesterday where I made some homemade potato salad and tried out a new coleslaw recipe that I found. This one is a very simple and refreshing recipe from Bobby Flay for a tropical slaw with a sweet and sour dressing so you can stay away from the typical mayo slaws and get something a little different to go with your meal.

Tropical Slaw with Sweet and Sour Dressing

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large, ripe mango, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded

3 green onions, green and pale green parts only, thinly sliced

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Combine the apple cider vinegar, canola or vegetable oil, sugar and the kosher salt and black pepper (to taste) in a bowl and whisk the ingredients until the sugar has dissolved.

Combine the pineapple, mango and red cabbage in a large bowl. Season them with salt and pepper to taste; add the dressing to the fruit and cabbage and toss everything to coat it well with the dressing. Add the green onions and the cilantro and toss the ingredients again. Cover the slaw and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before serving.

This is a very simple and refreshing alternative to traditional coleslaw recipes. You get great flavor from the pineapple and it seems to go very well with the red cabbage, green onions and cilantro. The dressing is light but adds just the right flavor and acidity to the slaw itself. I didn’t have any mango on hand when I made this salad so it is not in the one I did and I think it still turned out fine, though a nice, ripe mango in there would add even more to the dish. I also used pre-packaged shredded red cabbage instead of shredding it myself to save myself a step. This side dish would work really well with just about any type of sandwich meal and I think it would go really well with a pork dish like pulled pork or even just to have with sausages, hamburgers or hot dogs. I’ll definitely make this one again.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on September 3, 2014 in Cooking, Dressings, Fruit, Lunch, Salad, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: Bobby Flay, coleslaw recipe, coleslaw recipes, red cabbage, sweet and sour dressing, tropical cole slaw with sweet and sour dressing, tropical slaw

31 Great Labor Day Grilling Recipes | Kitchen Daily

31 Aug

31 Great Labor Day Grilling Recipes | Kitchen Daily.

Planning on doing some grilling on Labor Day but what to go beyond the usual hamburgers and hot dogs? Kitchen Daily has put together 31 great grilling recipes for you that cover everything from your appetizers and main courses to side dishes and dessert so you can grill every part of your meal and make the most of that last unofficial day of summer. Check out the recipes and find one to try this weekend!

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Posted by MikeG on August 31, 2014 in Appetizers, Beef, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Fruit, Grilling, Lamb, Pizza, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Salad, Sandwiches, Seafood, Side Dishes, Snacks, Vegetables

Tags: 31 great labor day grilling recipes, ideas for grilling on labor day, Kitchen Daily, Kitchen Daily 31 great Labor Day grilling recipes, labor day grilling recipes, Labor Day recipes

Loving the Cold Lentil Salad with Cucumbers and Olives

19 Aug

Lentils are one of my favorites when it comes to beans. They are so versatile and add such great taste and texture to a wide variety of dishes. Of course, lentil soup is always a good choice, but I also like to make lentil salads. Lentil salad is a great summertime dish because you can serve them warm, room temperature or cold and they still taste great. I came across this recipe from The Kitchn not that long ago for a simple cold lentil salad with cucumbers and olives to give it a bit of a Mediterranean flair. you can make this one pretty quickly and it goes well with all kinds of dishes.

Cold Lentil Salad with Cucumbers and Olives

2 cups lentils

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 bay leaves

1/2 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 medium cucumbers, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 cup ricotta or feta cheese (optional)

Combine the lentils, smashed garlic and the bay leaves in a large pot and cover the ingredients with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are just tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the water and remove the smashed garlic cloves and the bay leaves and discard them. Refrigerate the lentils until they are cold, at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.

While the lentils are chilling, make the vinaigrette for the salad. In a small bowl, whisk together the whole grain mustard, the salt and the sherry vinegar. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking the mixture constantly as you add the oil, until the dressing has emulsified.

Combine the chilled lentils, the cucumbers, the Kalamata olives and the mint in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the lentil salad and toss everything to evenly coat all of the ingredients. Dot the top of the salad with ricotta or feta cheese, if using, just before you serve the salad.

That’s all there is to this salad and it tastes great. I love the mix of the cucumbers, olives and lentils and the vinaigrette has great flavor to it thanks to the mustard and the sherry vinegar. I have found that the salad actually gets better in flavor over a couple of days, though if you are going to add the mint to it you should add just enough to what you are serving so it does not go limp when you store it and lose some of its flavor. I did not use the cheese on my salad as I didn’t have either kind on hand, but I think the feta would add a nice touch to the overall flavor of the dish.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 19, 2014 in Beans, Cooking, Salad, Side Dishes

Tags: cold lentil salad, cold lentil salad with cucumbers and olives, Kalamata olives, lentil salad, lentils, The Kitchn

12 Make-Ahead Burger Toppings – Photo Gallery | SAVEUR

16 Aug

12 Make-Ahead Burger Toppings – Photo Gallery | SAVEUR.

There are fewer things better than having a great burger right off the grill. The flavor you get from grilling your burger is unlike any other method and I could eat them all day long myself, but having some great condiments to go on your burger makes things even better. If you want to go beyond the typical store-bought items and try some things of your own, Saveur Magazine has put together 12 great burger toppings that you can make ahead and have ready for your next barbecue, outdoor party or just to enjoy for yourself. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on August 16, 2014 in Beef, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dressings, Grilling, Lunch, Picnic Fare, Salad, Sauce, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: 12 make-ahead burger toppings, homemade burger toppings, make-ahead burger toppings, Saveur magazine, Saveur Magazine burger toppings

Make This Simple Summer Side – Black Bean Salad with Mango, Cilantro and Lime

11 Aug

Summer meals, whether you are cooking them out on the grill, in the kitchen or not cooking at all and trying to keep things cool and light, call for some easy side dishes that taste great. Sure coleslaw and potato salad are always great standbys, but I have found myself recently trying to make more use of different beans in my main dishes and side dishes. Beans are a great source of fiber and protein and can go really well with a lot of the summer vegetables and fruit that you find available right now. I came across this really easy recipe from the Cooking Channel for a black bean salad with mango, cilantro and lime and it sounded so easy and refreshing that I just knew I had to give it a try one night.

Black Bean Salad with Mango, Cilantro and Lime

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 small ripe mango, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, cut into a small dice

1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced

1 small red onion, cut into a small dice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

In a small mixing bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, the lime juice, the honey and the ground cumin. Slowly whisk in the canola or vegetable oil until it is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the diced mango, diced bell pepper, black beans, minced jalapeno pepper and the diced red onion together in a large bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the ingredients and toss everything together until it is combined. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish the dish with the cilantro and serve.

I loved he freshness of this salad with the vinaigrette. The lime juice really made it all pop together, but to me the mixof the black beans, jalapeno, red onion and the mango are what really make this work. You get such a great medley of flavors with the freshness of the mango combined with the bite of the onion and the jalapeno that it all seems to go really well together. This salad works well as a side dish to just about any type of chicken, pork or beef dish and could even stand on its own as a vegetarian meal if you wanted it to. I served it as a side to some pulled pork tacos I made (which I ill be posting the recipe for tomorrow) and it was fantastic on the side or right on the tacos themselves. I think it would also work great with quesadillas or burritos.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 11, 2014 in Beans, Cooking, Picnic Fare, Produce, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Tags: black bean salad, black bean salad with mango cilantro and lime, black beans, Cooking Channel, side dishes, vegetarian dishes

Pick This Pickleback Slaw as a Side Dish for Summer

19 Jun

There are so many different variations of coleslaw that it seems you can try it in just about any manner with any kind of ingredient. As long as it has some form of cabbage in it, slaw seems to be fair game today. For me, I love to have a slaw that is crispy and wet and soggy and full of mayonnaise. Don’t get me wrong – I like a coleslaw that uses mayo but I don’t want the vegetables swimming in it. It takes away from the flavors of the cabbage and other vegetables and it isn’t very practical as a summer side dish if you use a lot of mayo and can’t leave the dish out for a bit on a table. This particular recipe I picked up from the New York Times and Sam Sifton and it makes use of an item that you probably throw away most of the time – pickle juice.

Pickleback Slaw

1 small head green cabbage

1 small head red cabbage

2 carrots, peeled and grated

2 apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons juice from a pickle jar or pickle relish jar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 teaspoons hot sauce

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Cut the green and red cabbages in half and remove the core from each of the sides. Cut each half of cabbage in half again and slice each quarter of cabbage into very thin ribbons. Mix the red and green cabbages with the grated carrots and sliced apples in a large, non-reactive bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, pickle juice,Dijon mustard, cider vinegar,hot sauce, kosher salt and black pepper until well blended.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss the cabbage well to coat it. Season the slaw with salt and pepper to taste. The coleslaw may be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until you are ready to serve it. Toss the coleslaw again before serving.

Alternatively to slicing the heads of cabbage and grating the carrots yourself you could just as easily use a bag of coleslaw mix that already has all of this done for you. Choose some apples that have good flavor to them and you get even a little bit more taste into the slaw. This slaw has just the right bite to it from the pickle juice and the hot sauce and I loved the way it all mixed with the cabbages and apples. It only seemed to get better after a day or two in the fridge as well, making a great side dish for all kinds of burgers, hot dogs, ribs, sandwiches and more. of all of the coleslaw dishes I have made recently, this one seems to be one of the best choices and I have made it a couple of times since I tried the original.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 19, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: coleslaw recipe, coleslaw using pickle juice, new york times, pickle juice, pickleback slaw, Sam Sifton pickleback slaw

Wow the Crowd with This Zesty Potato Salad

13 Jun

Summer side dishes can seem limited at times and you might get tired of having the same old options of potato, coleslaw, salad, baked beans and the like. Everyone once in a while you just want to try to spice things up a little bit and try some new twists on old favorites so you can experience some new flavors and get ideas for future meals. Potato salad is one of those things that every family seems to have a basic recipe that they fall back on and pass down from person to person. I know I have made the same potato salad for years and was looking for a new way to spice things up a little bit and add some great flavor to this dish when I was making burgers the other night. I came upon this recipe in searching the Internet from a blog called Pass the Sushi and saw a posting for whiskey burgers and zesty potato salad. I decided to give both a try, and I am posting the zesty potato salad recipe first for you to take a look at.

Zesty Potato Salad

2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

3 cloves garlic, smashed

Kosher salt

6 slices bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

Place the potatoes and the smashed garlic in a large stock pot. Fill the pot with water to about 2 inches above the potatoes and generously salt the water with the kosher salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the red onion, diced celery and the red wine vinegar. Season the mixture with salt to taste.

Drain the cooked potatoes from the stock pot and transfer them to a large bowl. Remove the garlic and throw it away. Add the bacon mixture to the hot potatoes and toss the mixture with the potatoes until the potatoes are well coated. Gently fold in the mayonnaise and the Dijon mustard until they are blended well into the potato salad. Refrigerate the potato salad until it is cold and serve.

To me, this is very close to have a colder version of German potato salad with the mix of the bacon, onions and vinegar with the potatoes, but you also get the flavors of the Dijon mustard and the mayonnaise added to it as well for some extra tang. The potato salad was very good, but it got even better the longer it sat in the refrigerator. We had some again with lunch the next day and it tasted even better than the first time. I really liked this recipe and I will definitely be using it again for barbecues or summer parties, though it does need to be refrigerated because of the mayonnaise so you need to be careful about leaving it out.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!