Azoresgal~Life on an Island

 This salad is packed with so much yummy goodness! Salad greens, apples, feta cheese, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and a scrumptious dressing!  It´s a show stopping combination, of sweet, tart, salty, crunchy and it’s delicious.  It is super simple to make, yes even the candied pecans, and presentation wise, it´s beautiful! My family and friends love it, and I promise yours will too ! 6 ounces baby spinach ( I used mixed greens, arugula, bib lettuce, romaine ) 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped ( I added candied pecans, walnuts would be great too) 2 Granny Smith Apples, chopped ( I sliced mine, pears would work too) ½ cup crumbled Feta Cheese ¾ cup dried cranberries  Poppyseed Dressing ⅓ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup  milk ( I used skim milk) 3 Tablespoons Sugar 4 teaspoons cider vinegar 2 teaspoons poppyseeds In a large bowl, toss baby spinach, pecans, apples, feta cheese, and cranberries. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, m...

Springtime is in full force here, and you can really see it in the vegetable garden. The spring onions and the rhubarb are growing tall, the new potatoes will be ready to harvest soon. The cabbages are looking lovely, and the pumpkins are already showing signs of a good crop to come in the autum. Snow peas are ready for picking, and so is the lettuce and the arugula. Amazing how the garden is all fresh and new again. We are already eating plenty of salad around here, because everything tends to grow at the same time. Now the wonderful Mr.G, bless his heart, will eat his salad, with just olive oil and vinegar if need be. Uhhmm, me not so much, I need a dressing, drizzled all over my rabbit food  salad. Enter this quick, and delicous sweet balsamic vinaigrette, it is better than anything you can buy pre-bottled. It is tangy and sweet and will add extraordinary flavor to the simplest of salads. Trust me, you will want to eat salad for lunch and dinner, that can´t be a bad t...

This salad is easy to make and has a wonderful fresh flavor. It is a great salad to bring to BBQ's or parties, and great as an quick meal. Serve two or serve twenty, just by adding more or less orzo and veggies. Grill up some chicken  or shrimp and add it to the salad to make it a one dish meal. We are still enjoying summer, so after a day at the beach, this salad hits the spot, quick and delicious ! 2 cups dry orzo, cooked in salted water and drained 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes ½ cup finely diced purple onion 3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill / 1 tsp dry  ½ cup sliced black olives 1 cup crumbled feta Cook pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking chop vegetables and dill. Toss all ingredients together. Toss with  as much dressing as you like. Dressing: ¼ cup red wine vinegar Juice of one lemon Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste 4 Tbsp of  honey ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil Put all ingredients in a salad dressing bottl...

Please tell me I am not the only one dreaming of summer? Anyone ? Sitting out on the patio, the kids in the pool, Mr.G grilling some steaks, and in the garden lots of fresh yumminess growing ! I was craving something fresh with summertime flavors. This salad hit the spot ! It is a super fast and easy meal with no cooking required! It looks and tastes like a million bucks. The creamy richness of avocado pairs perfectly with the sweet flavor of the shrimp. This salad gets a kick from fresh lime juice which gives it plenty of extra tang and the cilantro adds some freshness. I added some jalapenos, only because I had them, next time I would be tempted to add some corn, and maybe some mango. If you are tired of winter, like me, you won't regret making this salad, while your at it make some Margaritas too ! 500grams cooked shrimp; chopped 1 medium tomato; diced 2 Avocado; diced 1small red onion; chopped 2 small limes; juiced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon cila...

This is a favorite summer time salad.  Ok the bacon really helps make it a favorite summer salad ! The cranberries add some sweetness along with the saltiness of the bacon. The crunch of fresh broccoli  and the nuts and seeds, just makes it a winner ! I would say the most important part here is the bacon    the dressing, the rest is really a mix and match of what you might have on hand, at the momment ! SALAD: 2 heads fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite-size flowerets ½ cup chopped green onions or red onion or white ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins or grapes 1 cup slivered almonds or walnuts or sunflower seeds ( or combination) ½ – 1 cup crumbled bacon  (about 200g diced, fried and drained) DRESSING: 1 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons white vinegar ⅓ cup sugar ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Add broccoli,  bacon, onions, cranberries, nuts and seeds to a large bowl.  Next, make the dressing by mixing mayonnaise, vineg...

 Making homemade salad dressings is so easy, we almost always have the ingredients in the kitchen to make them. Which means, it's not a bummer if the grocery store doesn't have the bottle of dressing you like...uhhhm if you happen to live on an island like me. Alright even if you can easliy buy it..why not just try it out..its really quite nice to know exactly what is going into the dressing ! Catalina Dressing 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup onion, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder) 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup canola oil salt and pepper, to taste Place first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender (or use a handheld blender) and process until smooth. Add the oil in a steady stream with the machine running until the mixture comes together. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

DELICIOUS! Sweet, tangy and crisp. A very satisfying salad. So very easy to make, and oh so versatile. Everytime I make this salad, someone always asks for the recipe. It is fantastic for BBQ's and picnics, there is no mayo involved, so no worries about spoilage. You can add in any other veggies and nuts you like. Carrots, snow peas, almonds. Want to make it a complete meal, add in grilled chicken breast, or shrimp. You cannot mess this up. Win, win everytime ! I will be honest I almost always double the dressing, but have left it as a single dose. So as not to scare anyone, adding more dressing will be up to you ! 1 small head cabbage or 1 (16 ounce) bags coleslaw mix 3 green onions, sliced diagonally 2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, with seasoning packet 1 small red pepper finely diced 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons white vinegar 1 packet seasoning mix Thinly slice the cabbage, add into a large bowl. Next add in the sliced ...

This dressing is tasty and pretty,  it's summer in a jar. It is worth making for when you’re in the need of something light and refreshing. Like now in the middle of winter, when summer still seems so far away. Whip up a batch in the blender, store it in your fridge and enjoy it during the week, on your salads. Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing 1 Lemon,( the grated rind and the juice) 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste) 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil 1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds Sea or Kosher Salt to taste 1. Whisk lemon peel, lemon juice, mayonnaise, sugar and mustard together in a medium bowl or pulse together using a food processor/ or use blender 2. Slowly whisk in olive oil or continuously run food processor/ or the blender while drizzling in. 3. Stir in poppy seeds and season to taste with salt. Keep refrigerated. Serve over your favorite salad greens. xo,Diana