Favorite Brunch and Lunch Salad Recipes
A Tropical Chicken Salad, Tuna Tahini and Pear and Goat Cheese Salad
May 13, 2009
Not excited by a one-note meal? These three salads are great served at a summer brunch or luncheon, offering the guests a nice choice of flavors and texture. Add crusty loaves of fresh bread and butter, making this an easy meal to prepare and serve.
For an extra pop of flavor, make citrus butter the night before and serve with the fresh bread. Small open-faced fruit tarts would be a perfect ending to this light and delicious feast, perfect for a summer gathering.
Tropical Cashew Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 tsp curry powder
- 1 can chunk pineapple, drained (20 oz can)
- 2 large bananas, sliced
- 1 can mandarin oranges, drained (11 oz can)
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut
- 3/4 cup salted cashews
- salad greens for lining the serving plate
Directions:
- Place cooked chicken and celery in a bowl. Combine curry powder and mayonnaise; add to chicken and celery and mix together well.
- Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Just before serving, add pineapple, bananas, oranges and coconut; toss gently.
- Serve on salad greens. Sprinkle with nuts.
Serves: 4-6
Tuna Tahini Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 can of tuna, drained ( 6 oz)
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (8 oz)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley (fresh, if possible)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 2 Tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1-2 tsp lime juice
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, place tuna, chickpeas, parsley and salt & pepper. Stir together lightly. Set aside.
- In small bowl, whisk together yogurt, Tahini, lime juice, garlic and cumin. After well blended, add the yogurt mixture to the tuna mixture and stir gently till all is well mixed together.
- Cover and place in fridge for 30 minutes before serving so flavors have time to set. Serve with crackers or fresh bread.
Serves: 4
Pear and Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe pears
- lemon juice for tossing
- about 6 oz of mixed salad greens
- 6 oz of goat cheese
- 1/2 cup of hazelnuts, toasted and chopped finely*
*see below for how to toast hazelnuts
Directions:
- Peel, core and slice the pears and place in lemon juice.
- Place salad leaves in large bowl, placing pears on top in pinwheel design. Crumble cheese and sprinkle it over the salad along with the hazelnuts. Whisk salad dressing for final time and pour over the salad; serve immediately.
Pear and Goat Cheese Salad Dressing
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp hazelnut oil
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- To make the dressing, whisk together the two oils, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
How to Toast Hazelnuts
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On clean baking sheet, spread out shelled hazelnuts in single layer.
- Place in oven on middle rack and bake for 10 - 15 minutes. The skin of the hazelnuts will darken slightly and blister. After a few minutes of steaming, rub nuts with paper towel to remove most of the skins as possible.
How To Make Citrus Butter
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 orange
- 1 lime
Directions:
- Soften butter and then slice in long slices with knife. Let stand at room temperature till softened.
- Grate peel of orange and lime, measuring out 3/4 tsp of orange peel and 1/4 tsp of lime peel.
- Juice orange and set aside 2 Tblsp.
- Combine butter, peels, juice in electric mixer, beat until well blended.
- Spoon butter into bowl or crock with a top. Store in fridge overnight and up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.
Serve the Tropical Cashew Chicken Salad and Tuna Tahini salads on lettuce. Serve the green Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with its own dressing. Pair with fresh French bread and Citrus Butter. Enjoy the tropical feel of this summer luncheon.
For a No-Bake dessert recipe or a Strawberry Shortcake idea, enjoy these articles.
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