Salad Nicoise: Sunday, June 22, 2025
The explosive flavors of the French classic, Nicoise Salad, make for a great meal to share with friends and family. The meal is best when allowed to chill, so I’ve presented it on Sunday when you may have extra time to prepare this dish. This salad is a perfect warm weather meal that takes advantage of seasonal green beans and new potatoes. You may choose to cook a 12 oz. piece of fresh tuna on the barbecue, but you can also simply use canned light tuna.
Caesar Salad with Sliced Chicken: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
The first time I experienced a Caesar Salad was at the famous Brown Derby restaurant in LA. I was young, newly married and naive. It turned out to be the only thing on the menu my wife and I could afford.
When the waiter wheeled the cart to our table to prepare the salads, he grabbed the egg at speed with a flourish and cracked it with one hand. Nothing happened. The kitchen had sent him a hardboiled egg. He smiled through gritted teeth and hissed at the busboy to fetch him a raw egg for the dressing. The show was worth the price.
You won’t have the same problem with this version since it utilizes a wonderful eggless Caesar dressing. Enjoy!
Italian Greens: Thursday, June 5, 2025
Dark leafy greens, like chard, grow everywhere in the world so it’s no surprise that chard has been part of the Italian diet for centuries. Italians lovingly call them “biete da costa” (greens from the coast).
Tonight, we’ll serve chard over orzo with Marinara Sauce and speak of them “dolcemente a con amore.”
Baked Wild Salmon, Chard /Mango Salsa and Grilled Polenta, Sunday, May 18, 2025
Baked wild salmon with chard will grace your table tonight, accompanied by a tropical mango salsa over toasty grilled polenta. There are bound to be praises sung in honor of this heavenly combination.
Plan to make the polenta mid-afternoon and chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Greens and Roasted Potato Crisps: Monday, May 12, 2025
Tonight, sauteéd greens with a Mediterranean accent are featured on your dinner plate. Chard is the green varietal used in this recipe, but beet greens mixed with a little kale works well too.
Crispy potato rounds provide a hearty structure to this flavor profile. The greens are presented with sliced Chickenless Tenders and served with cool and tangy tzatziki sauce. A dusting of feta cheese finishes the plate. Zito!
Chef’s Salad Thursday, May 1, 2025
You’re “Puttin’ on the Ritz” tonight. In the 1940s, Chef Louis Diat, chef of the Ritz Carlton in New York City, created this salad for customers requesting a light, off-menu dinner salad. He probably got his inspiration from the 17th century cold-cut-laden family-style salad plate called Salmagundi.
Today, chef’s salad is easily recognizable and something we can get our heads (and appetites) around. Hard-boiled egg, cold cuts and crisp fresh salad ingredients make up these individual dinner salads.