Classic (Vegetarian) Cobb Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

•          1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•          1/4 cup red wine vinegar
•          1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
•          1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
•          1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire
•          1/4 teaspoon of sugar
•          1 clove garlic, minced
•          Salt & pepper

Salad Ingredients:

•          1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
•          2 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled
•          6 strips of veggie bac’n, cooked and chopped
•          2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•          1 large tomatoes, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•          1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

To make the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blender. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

To make the salad, arrange the ingredients neatly on top of the lettuce in rows either on a large platter or bowl.

To serve, drizzle the salad with the dressing and season with salt and pepper.

Fresh Grapefruit Salad

Chef Link prepares a delicious, simple salad with grapefruit, red onion and mint.

Ingredients

• 1  perfect seasonal grapefruit
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt
• 1 small red onion , sliced very thin
• 1/2 tablespoon(s) good extra virgin olive oil
• 6  mint leaves, torn

Instructions:

With a sharp knife slice the skin away from the grapefruit leaving it whole and skinless. Slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and remove the seeds. Lay the slices slightly overlapping on a plate and sprinkle on the sea salt, followed by the onions. Distribute the sliced onion and drizzle the olive oil on top. Finish with the torn mint leaves.

Cooking Winter Greens

I was listening to NPR this morning and was inspired by the segment they had on farming and cooking winter greens. As soon as it stops raining, I am going to work on my garden and definitely start planting more winter greens like rainbow chard, mustard greens and kale.

The key to cooking greens they said is to allow them to keep their crunch, wilted greens aren't as tasty and don't retain the vitamins as they do when raw. Here is a simple recipe they discussed on the segment, you can also find it on the NPR site.

Maggie Starbard/NPRWilted Hardy Greens With Garlic
Ingredients:

• 1 pound of mixed baby greens (kale, swiss chard, mustard greens)
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic

Wash the greens and drain in a colander, leaving some moisture on the leaves. Heat a saute pan large enough to accommodate all of the greens over medium heat. Add oil, then the chopped garlic. Saute until softened, about 1 minute, stirring often to prevent the garlic from burning - don't let the garlic get brown. Add the greens. Toss and saute them until they are wilted. Season with salt and pepper. If too dry, add more liquid.

For more on farming winter greens, check out NPR's "Old-Time Methods Yield Spring Greens All Winter"

Golden Globe Dinner

I think I am going to make this upscale pizza and salad on Sunday before I sit down to enjoy the Golden Globes. The recipes are courtesy of Food & Wine magazine. I ordered the magazine for a $1 an issue and got two free recipe book downloads - one Italian and one Grilling. These two recipes are from the Italian download. They both look easy yet definitely tasty.

Fennel and Aged Pecorino Salad
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 large fennel bulbs (2 pounds) - halved, cored and very thinly sliced, fronds reserved
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 5 ounces aged pecorino, shaved (2 cups)

Instructions: In a large bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar and the olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Add the sliced fennel, scallions, parsley leaves and shaved pecorino and toss the salad
gently. Transfer the salad to plates, garnish with the fennel fronds and serve right away.

Artichoke-and-Fontina Pizzas
Ingredients:

• 16 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small dried chile pepper
• Salt
• Cornmeal, for dusting
• Two 8-ounce balls of store-bought pizza dough
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated imported Fontina cheese
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions: In a medium bowl, combine the artichoke hearts with 1 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice,
garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and chile pepper. Season with salt. Cover and refrigerate the
artichokes overnight or for up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Dust a work surface with cornmeal and roll out each piece of pizza
dough to a 10-inch round. Transfer to baking sheets. Drizzle the rounds with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the dough looks dry and bubbles appear
on the surface. Remove from the oven. Chop the artichokes into bite-size pieces; drain them on paper towels. Sprinkle the Fontina over the pizzas; distribute the artichokes over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper; return the pizzas to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are browned.

Start the New Year Off Right

Lettuce, Avocado and Sunflower Seed Salad

Yields: 6 serving(s) - Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup(s) olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon(s) minced garlic
• 2 small head bibb lettuce; torn into bite-size pieces
• 1/3 cup(s) sunflower seeds; (about 2 ounces)
• 2 avocados peeled; pitted, sliced

Directions

• Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and garlic in small salt and pepper.
• Combine lettuce and sunflower seeds in bowl; toss with enough dressing to coat.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Top with avocado slices.
• Pass remaining dressing separately.

Find more Fast and Delicious Recipes at http://www.mangerati.com/