#ewew makes Salads but not Salad Dressings

One of my favourite meals to have is a salad....but not any salad though.  I'm not a big fan of raw salads, at least not 100% raw.  I used to rely on triple washed mixed salad leaves straight out of a packet for my salads but that was before I discovered the deliciousness of roasted or chargrilled vegetables (and for that, I have phonghongbakes to thank).

Since learning how to make grilled vegetables, I'd much prefer to eat my own cooked salads nowadays...or a salad combination of cooked and raw ingredients is fine too (we don't want to be grazing like a goat according to choiyen.com)....lol!

As much as I like to make and eat salads, I don't make my own salad dressings.  Why would I when I can conveniently pour or squeeze out my favoured dressings direct from a bottle...and that dressing is none other than Kewpie dressing, of course.

But if I did make my own salad dressing, it'll probably be the simplest one with olive oil, lemon juice, honey and a little bit of crushed garlic.  Even before I started buying bottled dressings, I would buy those dressings in small packets or get a salad which comes with a packet of dressing inside.  Now that I eat salads more often and prefer my own cooked salads than raw salad leaves, obviously getting bottled dressings make more sense.

The first Kewpie dressing I tried was Kewpie's Roasted Sesame Dressing.  The first time I had it, I really liked it a lot.  Then the overly robust flavours of the roasted sesame got to me and I couldn't bring myself to finish the last bottle I got.

So, I moved on to Kewpie's Thousand Island Dressing.  Now I've always loved Thousand Island dressing as it's the one I'm always drawn to when I find myself at the salad counters of buffets even when there were loads of other dressings I could choose from.

Thousand Island has always been my no. 1 favourite dressing and Kewpie's Thousand Island Dressing is light and tangy and not too sourish or too sweet.

I'm all for anything that's tangy and zesty as I find the dressing stimulates my appetite especially on days when I don't have much of an appetite.

Then I saw this Hellman's Smoky Thousand Island Dressing advertisement on Astro.  Since I love Thousand Island dressing, I thought why not try a different brand.

Hellman's Smoky Thousand Island Dressing has a much thicker consistency than Kewpie's and also a more robust and punchy flavour.  Because of this, you can afford to put less dressing otherwise it can be a little cloying if you put too much.

And because this one is smoky Thousand Island, I did get that light smoky taste which differentiates it from Kewpie's.  It's not as light as Kewpie's and I also find it a little sweeter, so go easy on the amount.

One day when I was browsing through the supermarket, I noticed a new roasted sesame dressing, Kewpie's Roasted Sesame Dressing with Yuzu Taste.  This must be their new take on their regular roasted sesame dressing which now comes with yuzu flavour.

After finding Kewpie's Roasted Sesame Dressing too salty for my taste buds (I suppose you could add some honey to balance out the saltiness), I'm glad to say it is now back in favour with me but only the one that says Kewpie's Roasted Sesame Dressing with Yuzu Taste.

That fruity, light tartness of yuzu (I find) cuts through the saltiness of the roasted sesame which makes it appetite inducing and that much more welcoming in taste.

Besides my 'go to' favourite trio of salad dressings, I also have a trio of seasonings that I must have in my pantry at all times and these staples are McCormick's Black Peppercorn Grinder, Sea Salt Grinder and Garlic Pepper Seasoning Grinder (grinder versions only...hehe).

Before they had the grinder version, I used to buy ground black pepper to sprinkle on my mushroom soup or any other types of soup before realising that the black pepper was too fine.  Then I changed to coarse black pepper and found it to be more fragrant and you can actually taste the black pepper coz it's coarse.  Of course they also sold whole black peppercorns which was wonderful coz nothing beats freshly cracked black pepper but it was inconvenient to have to put it into a grinder of our own.

So, when whole peppercorns came packaged together with an all-in grinder, it was ingenious!  The smell of freshly cracked black pepper is just different...and I love the sound of pepper being grinded like it's so authentic...lol.  There's even a setting (three actually) as to how fine you want your black pepper, so you can have it really fine or coarse as you wish.  I've not bought any other bottle ever since.  Yes, I pay a little bit more for this convenience but it's so worth it.  Forget about those bottles of ground black pepper, coarse black pepper or whole black peppercorns....just get this everything-in-one (with grinder function) will suffice! ^_~

The same goes for the sea salt grinder which I like to use this for my western cooking coz it's not as salty as table salt (which I use for Chinese cooking) + it just sounds that much more genuine when you grind it out from a bottle! :D  That way your family or guests also get to tweak the food to the level of saltiness they desire.

The final bottle is just a combination of black pepper, sea salt and garlic (+ red & green bell peppers) that I like to use to season almost anything and everything.  I use them as seasonings for meats, potatoes and vegetables....I sometimes even sprinkle them on fries and fresh salads! ;)

When it comes to the protein component of any salad, nothing beats a freshly roasted, tender and juicy chicken leg.  Of course you'll need to shred or tear out the meat from the chicken leg.

If I don't make roasted chicken, a protein of grilled or pan-fried chicken tenderloin will do just as well too for me.  Some salads are so good on its own, I don't even need a dressing...lol.

The other protein I like to use are sauteed large, juicy, charred prawns but I don't know if that qualifies as a prawn salad....or a prawn dish?  Kekeke!

Of course, bacon is another excellent choice as a protein.

And when you really don't have any protein in your fridge, even potatoes and hard-boiled eggs will do fine too.

For the vegetable component, it's quite obvious (from the photos of my salads) that I tend to use the same few ones which I think work really well in a salad of roasted vegetables and they include broccoli, cauliflower, red & green capsicum (all colours but red is my ultimate favourite because of the sweetness it brings), onions, cherry tomatoes and fresh button mushrooms.

And the best thing is, roasted vegetable salads keep really well as leftovers.  If kept in the fridge, you just need to reheat it in the toaster oven and it'll be as good as new.

When I get tired of cooking, tired of eating my own cooking or don't know what to cook, a salad is what I'd fall back on all the time.  Not only is it easy to make, it's nutritious, it's healthy and it keeps well as leftovers. It's great as a main meal or a side dish to your main meal. ^o^

#ewew cooks Pasta Salad with Tri-Coloured Conchiglie

I always try to incorporate salads into my diet when eating at home as it's one of the easier meals to prepare (that's why I don't usually order salads when I'm eating out) whilst keeping your kitchen oil-free with the least amount of cleaning up to do.

But, as much as I like to eat salads (for health reasons), eating fresh leaves can sometimes be challenging to digest in large amounts.  I'm sure many share the same sentiment.  As someone would say...she doesn't want to feel like she's 'grazing like a goat....mehhhhhh'! ;D

So, I took inspiration from the many salads made by a blog I stalk follow and combined aspects of it to come up with my version of Pasta Salad with Tri-Coloured Conchiglie.

Ingredients:

5 chicken fillets

2 strips of bacon (flavoured with smoked paprika)

8 fresh button mushrooms

8 cherry tomatoes (I used 4 red & 4 yellow ones)

1 small head of broccoli
1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1/2 a Japanese cucumber

1/2 cup pasta
And what....no vinaigrette? ;)

Preparation:

Season the chicken fillets with salt, freshly cracked black pepper and smoked paprika.

Deseed and slice the red and yellow bell peppers into strips.  Slice the button mushrooms thickly.  Cut the broccoli into small florets, slice into rounds half a Japanese cucumber and cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.

I saw these tri-coloured conchiglie (or seashell-shaped) pasta, made with durum wheat semolina with egg, tomato and spinach extract (yellow, red and green pasta), on the shelves of Mercato and thought they looked really colourful and cute.  You can use other types of pasta like elbow macaroni, fusilli (spiral-shaped), orecchiette (ear-shaped), farfalle (bow ties) or penne.

Method:

Pan-fry the seasoned chicken fillets in some olive oil until well browned.

Sauteed the button mushrooms (the portion shown here is only half) and season with salt and black pepper.

Boil the pasta according to packet instructions (10 - 12 minutes) in salted boiling water.  Drain well (as the shells tend to hold water within them).

Season the broccoli and bell peppers with olive oil, salt and black pepper and bake at 200°C for 30 minutes (both trays went in the same time).  The broccoli might need a slightly shorter time, so take them out first once they're charred nicely.  To be honest, I've never liked broccoli.  If I find them in a stir-fry vegetable dish with cauliflower, I'd always eat the cauliflower instead of the broccoli.  But since being shown how good roasted broccoli can be, I'm a fan and makes it regularly now.

After that, it's just a matter of tossing everything together.  Here, I used only half of the cooked ingredients and kept the other half for my salad next day.

Here's my Pasta Salad with Tri-Coloured Conchiglie :)

The best thing was, when I tasted the salad ingredients together, there was enough flavour and it didn't even need any salad dressing...and that's because I seasoned every layer of the ingredients during cooking (other than the cucumber and tomatoes).  I also made full use of the olive oil left from frying the chicken fillets and juices released from the mushrooms as a dressing for my salad.  You can make a light vinaigrette if you want (but I didn't need it).

The key to a good salad is to choose a range of vegetables with different textures, flavours and colours.  You get the crunchy texture from the cucumbers, the smoky, charred flavour from the broccoli, the sweetness from the bell peppers, the juiciness from the cherry tomatoes (and peppers), the earthy flavour and juicy texture of the mushrooms and a slight heat from the peppers and paprika (in the bacon). ^.^  And you've got the proteins in there as well from the chicken and some 'naughty' bacon (just one slice only what!).

The different colours of green, red, yellow and brown from the vegetables, mushrooms and tri-coloured pasta makes the salad beautifully presented and visually appealing to eat.

The addition of a carb (the conchiglie) made this salad more filling than just fresh greens and I was able to fend of feelings of hunger for quite a while.  It stores really well too and convenient to reheat in my oven toaster without compromising the vegetables and meat.  I only left out the mushrooms and pasta, so when I had it again the next day, all I needed to do was to cook these two items and add on the cucumber and tomatoes.

This salad is great for a main meal (portions made are enough for two filling meals).  Add on a sunny side-up egg (with runny yolk, of course) to make it even more decadent and filling.

I have to say this is the best salad I've put together so far solely because of the choice and combination of ingredients with each component giving a different texture and flavour to the salad. ^o^  This is my favourite (cooked) salad todate (and I can see myself making this regularly from now on)...and, best of all, I don't have to 'graze like a cow'! :P

Serves two (as a main meal) or 4 - 5 (as a side of vegetables to your main dish)

#ewew makes Strawberry Salad with Vinegary Dressing

Continuing with my 'redemption' week (or weeks) of eating healthier (post Chinese New Year) and my new found love for Korean strawberries, I resort to salads once again.

I was inspired by phonghong's strawberry salad to make my slightly healthier version of Strawberry Salad with Vinegary Dressing (minus the roasted oinks...hehe!) since I had some strawberries left from my earlier Rainbow Fruit Salad.

Choosing lean chicken as the protein for your salads is, of course, a much healthier alternative than any other meat.  I like to use chicken fillets as I find them more tender and less dry than chicken breasts.  I've been calling them chicken fillets coz that's what the supermarket's packaging says but I recently found out that they're actually called tenderloin.  It's the part of the chicken that's attached to the breast.  Nowadays, when I buy chicken breasts (for Cookie), I would remove the 'precious' tenderloin and save them for my salads...hehe! ;)

I also like to add mushrooms, especially large brown button mushrooms, as they offer juiciness and a meaty flavour to the salad.  Just make sure you slice them thickly coz there's nothing worse than thinly sliced mushrooms that offer no bite in a salad (you're not making a mushroom omelette, yo)! ;P

Pan-fry them both (four chicken tenderloins + 4 large button mushrooms) in olive oil, seasoned with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, until the tenderloins are well-browned and the mushrooms are soft.

Then add the sliced chicken tenderloin and cooked mushrooms to the mixed greens (I used half a packet of pre-washed leaves), strawberries (five, hulled and sliced) and a handful of blueberries (also leftover from the fruit salad I made earlier).

For the vinaigrette, I used a combination of olive oil, honey, garlic and red wine vinegar....yes, red wine vinegar!  I finally got myself a bottle....a cheap one first just to see if I like it before investing more in a better quality one later.  Now that I have red wine vinegar, I probably don't even need lemons anymore since it provides the same level of acidity required.  This allows me to make salad dressings with ease, in fact any time of the day since lemons are not always available in my pantry.

The classic proportion of oil to vinegar is 3:1 (and that's pretty much what everyone says)...but I think you can use any proportion.  It all depends on the olive oil and vinegar you use...some vinegars may be overpowering and tart while some oils can be robust or bland.  So, you need to taste, taste, taste to get your flavours right.

For the brand of olive oil and red wine vinegar I'm using, I went with the following measurements for the vinaigrette...4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, 2 cloves of finely minced or mashed garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper.

Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar, close the lid and shake vigorously for best results.  The acidic nature in the vinegar lets it emulsifies smoothly with the oil to form a well incorporated dressing (without having to blitz it in a blender and having to wash yet another gadget).

The leftover dressing can be stored away in the fridge for use later.  Hmmm, I've not quite decided yet if I like the taste of red wine vinegar maybe because this one was a little sharp (coz it's cheap...haha!).  Also, use extra virgin olive oil (if you have) for salad dressings.  I usually buy only one bottle of olive oil, one that I can use for cooking as well (of western dishes) since it's quite expensive, so I have to sacrifice a bit on the taste (when making salad dressings).

This easy-to-put-together Strawberry Salad with Vinegary Dressing is sufficient for one (as a meal replacement) or two (as a side salad to a main dish).  I do like that the taste of red wine vinegar in the dressing is not as acidic as lemon juice (perhaps a good quality one will taste more fruity)...still it adds flavour to the otherwise bland salad and made it more appetising.

As  much as I'd like to eat salads as a healthier alternative, I do feel (at times) they're hard to ingest (especially if you've had it too regularly).  That's why I loved how the addition of strawberries (and blueberries) gave the salad a fresher and juicier mouthfeel making it easier to take in and digest.

Since including juicy berries in my salads and realising how delicious they can be in a salad (apart from making the salad easier to eat as well), I've been adding other juicy/sweet fruits (like mangoes, watermelon, pears, pineapple, kiwifruit, etc.) to my salads all the time now.

You can vary your protein and vegetables.  Another time I had some red bell peppers and sausages, so I pan-fried them and added those to my salad with juicy berries and mushrooms.  I can get quite a good charring on the bell peppers with my Chefology non-stick frying pan (coz it can sear at a very high heat) and it gets done in mere minutes.

It makes for a nice and very filling salad =)

For those of you who find it hard to eat just greens on its own but still want to eat salads for a healthier meal alternative, try adding some fruits and you'll be liking your salads a lot more! ^_~