Salad Days are here again

It's been a while... yes, I have been busier than ever in Cupcake world, growing my business BiteSize Baking. Fear not, my family have not been starved of all other forms of nourishment during this time, but it has been difficult to find the time to try out new recipes. Recently though, the advent of consistently hot and sunny weather has been motivation to try out some main-dish salad recipes to fuel our summer adventures. Two such recipes were on the menu this week and are definitely worth sharing. Both are a meal in themselves, particularly if, like me, you put an overflowing bowl of bread in the middle of the table to satisfy growing teenage boys, ravenous preteens who refuse to eat lunch, and (somewhat less fortunately), bread-addicted adults trying to cut down on carb consumption.

Apart from some prep work (which can be seriously cut down if, like me, you buy ready cooked bacon, edamame and hard-boiled eggs. Without Trader Joe's, my life would be so much harder!), they are also the kind of salads you can just throw together in a big bowl, toss and serve, which is, quite frankly, all most people want to do on a warm summer evening, when there is a nice wine chilling, and a comfy sofa waiting under an umbrella while the sun goes down.

For those of you planning on a season of main-dish salads, I'm adapting the recipe index on this site (see page listed on the right hand side of the page, or click here), so that there is a section of Main-dish salads, each linking to the relevant blog entry. Live long and salad lots :-)




Chicken and Edamame Couscous Salad
Serves 4 as a main dish
Adapted from Cooking Light

2/3 cup uncooked wholewheat couscous
3/4 cup cooked shelled edamame (if you can't find these fresh (Trader Joes!), then buy frozen and cook, then cool)
3 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 cups shredded skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries
3 TBSP dry roasted sunflower seeds

1) Cook couscous in water according to directions
2) Fluff couscous with a fork, and transfer to a large bowl to cool
3) Combine orange juice, olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper with a whisk.
4) Stir edamame, chicken, spinach, parsley, green onions and cranberries into couscous. Add dressing and toss to combine.
5) Sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds to serve.





Kale and Smoked Turkey Cobb Salad
Serves 4 as main dish
Adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine

8 slices cooked crispy bacon, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
2 TBSO white wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 bunches Lacinato (Dino) kale, stemmed and thinly sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
1/4 pound deli smoked turkey, chopped
2 avocados, diced
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
ground black pepper

1) In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, shallot, vinegar and mustard. Add sliced kale and mix thoroughly together so that the kale is coated. Leave for at least 30 minutes for the kale to become tender.
2) Add turkey, bacon, eggs and avocado to the bowl and toss together.
3) Sprinkle with cheese and ground black pepper to serve.