Kyle’s Kitchen
By the time you read this, daylight savings time will have already happened which, aside from all the flowers and trees blooming, is the first sign of spring for me. It’s time for some spring salads.
This first one, oddly, comes from the very Midwestern website Taste of Home, and it has both a jalapeno and a serrano pepper in it. Normally they will call a recipe “spicy” because there is a quarter teaspoon of black pepper in. Adjust to your family’s heat tolerance.
Shrimp Avocado Salad 1 pound peeled and deveined cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced 2 tbsp minced cilantro 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp adobo seasoning 3 medium ripe avocados, peeled and cubed Butter lettuce leaves Lime wedges Place first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Mix lime juice, vinegar, oil and adobo seasoning; stir into shrimp mixture. Refrigerate, covered, to allow flavors to blend, about 1 hour.
To serve, gently stir in avocados. Serve over lettuce or in lettuce leaves. Serve with lime wedges. —kwc— This next one is a carrot salad, but not the one with mayonnaise and raisins, which I also like. This one has more of a vinaigrette- type dressing. And no raisins. You can buy pre-julienned carrots at the grocery store to make this even easier.
Carrot Salad
1 tbsp white wine vinegar ½ tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp sugar or maple syrup 1/2 tsp kosher salt 3 tbsp olive oil 1 pound carrots, julienned (3 cups) 2 green onions 3 tbsp chopped parsley In a medium bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar or maple syrup, and kosher salt. Gradually mix in the olive oil.
Julienne the carrots using a julienne peeler, with the grating blade on a food processor, or using the large grate holes of a box grater (this will do but the pieces aren’t as pretty).
Thinly slice the green onions. Finely chop the parsley.
Add all the vegetables to the bowl with the dressing and stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. —kwc— And how about a salad with some fruit?
Fruit and Vegetable Salad
2 medium cucumbers 8 ounces strawberries 8 ounces grapes 1 small red bell pepper 8 to 10 basil leaves (cut into strips) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 lime 1/2 tsp salt 2 to 3 tsp sunflower seeds Romaine lettuce leaves Chop the cucumber, strawberries, grapes, and red bell pepper into bite sized chunks.
Slice the basil leaves. Juice the lime. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, olive oil, and salt.
Place the chopped fruits, vegetables, and basil in a large bowl. Add the sunflower seeds.
Pour the dressing into the bowl and toss to combine everything thoroughly.
Spoon the salad onto romaine lettuce leaves for a fresh, pretty presentation.
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