TUNA SALAD WITH WALNUTS & CRANBERRIES ON APPLE SLICES

July 7, 2024 Julie Sanchez

This is currently my new favorite weekend lunch. It’s super easy to prepare and satisfying with the crunchiness of the tart apple combined with the walnuts and cranberries. And what goes best with apples and walnuts… my personal favorite…cheddar cheese. I added a slice for added protein and yuminess!

Solid White Albacore Tuna packed in olive oil is my fav… it is simply more moist. I always use avocado oil mayo since it is made with a healthy oil. You can substitute pecans for walnuts. Broccoli Sprouts are great since they pack a punch healthwise. Organic Honeycrisp apples are my apple of choice. By the way, I always store my nuts and cranberries in the freezer… they stay much fresher that way.

Drain the tuna, add to a mixing bowl and break up with a fork.

Cut the celery into strips and then mince.

Chop up the walnuts.

Cranberries pack a punch, so I prefer to chop them so you get just a hint of sweet tartness.

Combine everything, add salt to taste and mix thoroughly. If you used tuna packed in water you will need more mayo or olive oil for moistness. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Slice off the top of the apple, then slice into about 3/8” thick slices. Use a teaspoon to carefully go around core and remove. It is too difficult to remove core with a knife… you will end up splitting the apple ring.

You really do not have to cut the cheese in rounds… but I like pretty food.

You can use a ice cream scoop or a spoon to mound the tuna on the apple. Serve 2 Slices per person.

Top with micro greens or sprouts.

TUNA SALAD WITH WALNUTS & CRANBERRIES ON APPLE SLICES RECIPE

Serves: 3-4 People
Prep Time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cans solid white tuna packed in oil
1/2 cup celery, chopped (roughly 2 stalks)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (or pecans)
1/4 cup cranberries, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise ( I prefer avocado oil mayo)
salt to taste
2 apples, sliced thickly (1 apple for 2 people)
cheddar cheese slices, 2 per person
sprouts or micro greens

PREPARATION

Drain tuna (If it is packed in oil…drain in trash not sink) and place in medium bowl. Break up tuna with a fork.
Cut celery into strips and then dice. Add to the tuna.
Cut up the walnuts and add to tuna.
Cut up the cranberries and add to tuna.
Add mayo and salt to taste. If using tuna packed in water you will need to add a splash of olive oil or more mayo to the mixture.
Slice the top off the apple and slice into 3/8” slices.
Add your cheese of choice on top of sliced apple.
Add tuna and top with sprouts and micro greens.
Serve 2 slices of apple topped tuna per person.

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EASY SALAD FOR CHICKEN MILANESE

June 5, 2019 Julie Sanchez

A simple salad to serve with your chicken milanese. It is designed to be quick and easy. Use whatever ingredients you have available.

You can really use any lettuce you like. If you do not have fresh basil, then simply leave it off. Buf makes amazing buffalo mozzarella balls, available at Whole Foods. This is all meant to be simple and easy. So use what you have on hand.

Place the arugula in a medium bowl.

I have discovered that cutting the arugula brings out the flavor. I recommend keeping scissors in your kitchen drawer, so use them to roughly cut the arugula.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the salad.

Tear up the mozzarella balls with your hands and place in the salad.

Tear off basil leaves, stack on top of each other and use scissors to cut into slivers. Add to the salad.

Squeeze a half of a lemon into the salad, sprinkle on a splash of olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

EASY SALAD FOR CHICKEN MILANESE RECIPE

Serves: 2 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 large handfuls of arugula
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 buffalo mozzarella balls, torn into pieces
4 basil leaves, cut into slivers
1/2 lemon, juiced
splash of olive oil

preparation

Place the arugula in a bowl and roughly cut with scissors or a knife.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the salad.
Tear up 4 mozzarella balls with your hands and add to the salad.
Stack 4 -5 basil leaves on top of each other. Cut into slivers and scatter on the salad.
Squeeze 1/2 lemon on to the salad. Splash the olive oil on the salad and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

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SHRIMP SALAD WITH LEMON AND DILL

July 1, 2018 Julie Sanchez

Shrimp salad with lemon and dill is so refreshing and perfect for hot summer days. I love that you can make this salad in advance and just pull it out of the fridge and place it on an avocado half or a bed of arugula and you have a beautiful delicious meal. This is one of our go to meals on Friday nights, when we play golf till 7:30, make a grapefruit martini, pull dinner out of the fridge, and begin to enjoy the weekend.

I prefer to buy larger shrimp, about 16-20 shrimp in a pound, since peeling and cleaning them can be time consuming. I also like to buy wild caught, not farm raised shrimp. Primal Kitchen's avocado mayo is my new go to mayo. You also need fresh dill; dried dill will not pack the same punch in this recipe.

You need a microplane for zesting in this recipe. You can also use the microplane for Parmesan shavings in other recipes, so it is worth investing in one.

Measure out 2/3 cup of mayo in a large rimmed bowl since zesting can be messy. Zest your 2 lemons, turning the lemon as you zest to make sure you do not get the bitter white pith in your zest.

Cut your lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Measure 2 tablespoons lemon juice into the mayo mixture. Put the remaining juice and lemon halves into a large pot that you will boil the shrimp in. Fill the pot half up with water and bring to a boil.

Pick the dill off the larger branches.

Chop the dill finely, add 3 tablespoons to the mayo mixture.

Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground pepper to the mayo mixture and stir till smooth.

Prepare a ice bath for your shrimp with a large bowl filled with ice and cold tap water. Once your water is boiling add your shrimp. Set your timer or stopwatch on your phone for 4 minutes. Keep fire on high. The boiling should resume, but even if it does not, you can tell when the shrimp are done when 1 or 2 shrimp float to the top of the water. So do not overcrowd the shrimp in a small pot; use a large pot. Remove your cooked shrimp with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath.

The ice bath keeps the shrimp from overcooking and they're easier to peel when they are cool.

Drain the shrimp and then peel them.

Cut down the top of each shrimp to clean the yucky brown poo from the shrimp. You may have to run the shrimp under water to clean it well.

Once cleaned, place the shrimp in paper towels and dry thoroughly so the mayo mixture can adhere to the shrimp.

Cut the shrimp into small pieces and add to a medium sized bowl.

Slice the celery straight across the grain as thinly as possible.

Add the celery to the shrimp mixture. Add half the mayo mixture and stir till combined. Keep adding mayo till you achieve the consistency you desire. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

For an easy appetizer you can use this shrimp salad to fill store bought phyllo cups. Garnish with a piece of dill.

Summer in a bowl!

SHRIMP SALAD WITH LEMON AND DILL RECIPE

Serves: 5 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds of shrimp
2/3 cup of mayonnaise
zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery, 2-3 stalks
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Measure out 2/3 cup of mayonnaise into a medium bowl.
Zest the 2 lemons into the bowl with the mayonnaise. Be careful to keep turning the lemon as you zest so you only get the yellow zest and not the bitter white pith of the lemon.
Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a separate small bowl. Put 2 tablespoons juice into the mayo mixture.
Put the remaining juice and lemon halves into a large pot of water in order to boil the shrimp.
Pick the dill off the big stems and chop finely.
Add the dill, salt, and freshly ground pepper to the mayo mixture and stir till smooth.
Turn the large pot of water and lemons on high heat.
In a large bowl add ice and cold tap water for an ice bath for the shrimp.
Once the water is boiling add the shrimp.
Set your timer or stopwatch on your phone for 4 minutes. The water should come back to a boil. You know the shrimp are done when 1 or 2 shrimp start to float to the top.
With a slotted spoon, place the shrimp in the ice bath.
Drain the shrimp and peel.
Devein the shrimp and wash again and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Pull out a larger bowl to add the shrimp to as you cut them into smaller pieces.
Thinly slice the celery and add to the shrimp.
Add half the mayo mixture and combine. Keep adding more mayo till you achieve your desired consistency.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

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MODERN WALDORF SALAD

July 20, 2017 Julie Sanchez

Traditional Waldorf Salad is made with apples, walnuts, celery, grapes, and raisins all tossed in a mayonnaise dressing. It's a salad I associate with Fall and Thanksgiving. My version is served on bibb or butter lettuce and is delicious any time of year. Its pretty, it can be prepped in advance and its crunch and tartness is addictive. Often I will make this salad, and add some rotisserie chicken on top for dinner. It would be equally yummy as a first course, or a beautiful salad presented on a large platter for a group.

You can substitute dried cranberries for the sour cherries if you prefer. I like to buy chopped walnuts, because they are less expensive than whole walnuts, plus I do not have to chop them. My favorite apples are Pink Lady or Honeycrisp, organic of course!

My husband loves bibb lettuce, and so do I since it it so tender. You simply cut off the root ball and rinse the lettuce.

After you have washed the lettuce, place it on a couple of paper towels. I do this for two reasons. One, I want the lettuce to be dry in order for the dressing to adhere. Second, I like to prep lettuce in advance. This method as you see below, works great since you simply roll up the paper towel and place in the fridge till you are ready to use it.

Gently roll up the paper towel and place in the the fridge.

Squeeze your lemon and place the juice in a bowl. You will place your apple slices in the lemon juice as you slice them to keep them from turning brown. Plus it adds a nice tartness to the apples.

Stand the apple up and slice down the right and left side avoiding the core.

Then slice down the top and bottom smaller portions of the apple, again avoiding the core. Discard the core. Place all apple sections face down on the cutting board. You probable only need 1/2 to 3/4 of your apple, so go ahead and munch on the remains.

Slice the apple as thin possible. The peeling looks pretty and it will not bother you when your eating it since the apple is so thinly sliced.

Place the apple slices in the lemon juice and gently toss to coat.

Cut both ends off the celery. Slice the celery as thin as possible. Tear off the leaves of the stalk and break into small pieces to garnish the salad.

Slice your grapes in half.

All your ingredients are ready for you to create a beautiful salad.

My balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect dressing for this salad.

Enjoy!

MODERN WALDORF SALAD RECIPE

Serves: 2 people
Prep Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

bibb lettuce, (also known as butter or Boston lettuce)
1 lemon, juiced
1 apple, sliced thinly
1 stalk of celery, sliced thinly
1/3 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup dried sour cherries (or dried cranberries)
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

PREPARATION

Cut off the roots of the bibb lettuce and wash lettuce. Place on paper towels, gently roll up paper towels and place lettuce in fridge.
Squeeze the lemon juice into a medium sized bowl.
Stand your apple up, cut down the right and left side avoiding the core (see photos above). Then cut down the 2 remaining thinner sides. Place all the 4 cuts face down and thinly slice apples.
Put the apples in the lemon juice and gently toss to coat to prevent them turning brown.
Cut the 2 ends off your celery. Save the leaves and break into tiny pieces to garnish your salad. Thinly slice the celery.
Slice your grapes in half.
Gently tear your lettuce and place on your plates. Arrange all the other ingredients, ending with the celery leaves.

Note: This salad would be awesome with my Balsamic Vinaigrette, which is on my blog here.

Note: If you top my Modern Waldorf Salad with rotisserie chicken, you would have a delicious one plate meal.

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FARRO SALAD

August 6, 2016 Julie Sanchez

This refreshing farro salad is my idea of the perfect side dish for summer. Lately I have been making farro salad along with chicken or shrimp salad on the weekends. When we come in from playing golf the last thing we want is a hot meal. The combination of cucumbers, tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, green onions, fresh dill and fresh mozzarella is truly addictive.

Whenever I taste cucumbers with vinegar, I am reminded of my grandmother. She had a farm in Kentucky, and at every dinner she always added a plate of cucumbers marinating in vinegar on her table...along side the salt and pepper. The taste combination brings back happy childhood memories.

Make sure you buy fresh mozzarella; it's more tender and softer than traditional mozzarella. I like Whole Foods' Italian Farro since the package is exactly 1 1/2 cups of dried farro, which is the exact amount you need (I did this on purpose), and it only takes 15 minutes to cook. The package says 10 minutes, but the farro is not tender enough in just 10 minutes; it needs 15 minutes. I have discovered that there are so many different cooking times for farro, so if you do not buy this brand then cook the farro according to the package directions. I also like hothouse cucumbers (also known as a seedless or English cucumber) more than traditional cucumbers because the seeds are smaller and you do not have to peel the hothouse variety; the peeling is thin.

Farro is a grain from ancient Rome that has a nutty flavor similar to barley or brown rice. Farro contains more fiber than rice or quinoa, it is also high in protein and supplies 10 different vitamins and minerals...it is a super grain.

The proper grain to water ratio is 1 to 3 for farro. The brand I buy only takes 15 minutes to cook. Some brands and recipes call for cooking farro 30 minutes and soaking it overnight. After much research, I have discovered there is a wide range of farros and cooking techniques. Once it is cooked you have to drain the excess water. The photo above is the farro after it has cooked. It seems odd to me to measure the water and then drain it, but when I cooked it like pasta and just threw an unmeasured amount of water the outcome was not successful.

Once the farro has cooked, you must drain the excess water. I drain it into a strainer and place the strainer on top of the pan to slowly drain and cool off a bit.

Once the farro has drained, put the farro in a bowl and add the dressing while it is warm. As this point you can let the farro cool on the counter (about 30 minutes) or you can speed up the process by placing it in the fridge to cool.

You will only need half of the hothouse cucumber. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut the 2 long halves again to make 4 long strips, then slice into thin triangles. If you buy a regular cucumber you need to peel it first.

You need a bunch of dill. I used this whole package for this recipe. When it is chopped its about 2-3 tablespoons worth.

Pick the dill off the heavy stems. Gather into a mound and chop finely.

Simply slice the tomatoes in half. I buy cherry tomatoes every week, wash them, and put in pretty bowl on my kitchen counter. We use them all week so many things, and munch on them with hummus.

I always like to peel off the outermost layer of green onion. Then wash your onion, cut off both ends and chop finely.

The fresh mozzarella can be cut into slices, then strips, then diced into small cubes.

The colors look so fresh and pretty to me. Summer in a bowl!

FARRO SALAD RECIPE

Serves: 6 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups raw farro
4 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hothouse cucumber slices, 1/2 of a hothouse cucumber
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup green onions (4 stalks) sliced thinly
1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

PREPARATION

Cook farro according to directions on package. If you purchased the brand in the above photo, then bring the water and farro to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium or medium low (you want it to simmer) cover, and set timer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, drain the farro to get rid of any remaining water.
Place in farro in a mixing bowl, and set aside to cool.
Make your dressing in a small cereal bowl. Combine lemon juice, apple cider vinegar (shake the bottle first, all the healthy sediment is at the bottom of the jar) olive oil, garlic and salt. Stir or whisk to combine.
Pour over the warm farro and stir to combine. Set aside to cool off, or place in the fridge to speed things up. It will take 30 minutes for it to cool on the counter.
Wash the hothouse cucumber. If you are not using a hothouse cucumber, then you need to peel your cucumber. You will only use half the hothouse cucumber, so chop the cucumber in half. Then slice the cucumber down the center long ways. Then cut the 2 strips again lengthwise to make 4 strips. Thinly chop the long strips into thin triangles. Place in a medium bowl.
Pick the dill sprigs off the stems of dill. Bunch together and finely chop. Add to the cucumber mixture.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Add to the cucumber mixture.
Peel off the outermost layer of each stem of the green onions, wash the onions, cut off both ends and then thinly slice. Add them to the cucumber mixture.
Cut the mozzarella into slices. Then cut the slices into strips and finally into small cubes. Add to the cucumber mixture.
After the farro has cooled ( about 30 minutes) you can add the cucumber mixture to the farro. You do not want to cook the cucumber or melt the cheese with warm farro. Taste for saltiness, and add additional salt if needed.
Place in the fridge in a airtight container. It is actually better after a couple of hours once the flavors have melded together.

Note: This refreshing salad would be delicious served with grilled fish or chicken. It also would be great with chicken salad (you could take your lunch to work every day with the leftovers).

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