Salads Archives - Pinch of Yum

Avocado Cucumber Grapefruit Salad

May 3, 2013

avocado salad

Oh my. This is fresh and pretty.

How can a salad with soft pinks and light greens and the most cooling, refreshing flavors not make you feel like the most beautiful thing alive?

Apparently avocados, cucumbers, grapefruit (or gorgeously pink pomelo for us here in Asia), smoked almonds, fresh chives and mint, and a honey vinaigrette can make it happen with just one bite. Magic, for sure.

Just to be clear, this is not an I’m-really-hungry dinner salad. I do love those salads (currently reminiscing about the Chopped Thai Chicken Salad) but this is not one of them.

avocado salad

No, this is a refreshing salad for Mother’s Day, brunches, tea parties, and hot hot hot summer days. Speaking of Mother’s Day, I can’t believe I’m ahead of schedule and posting a holiday recipe suggestion. This is weird. Usually I find out a week later that it was something like Cinco de Mayo and I should have been making guacamole and taquitos and salsa verde all week. Err, hey. That’s now.

Good thing I have a million avocados sitting in my kitchen right now because there’s still time for guacamole before the clock strikes May 5, right?

Another good thing: paying $1.25 for 7 gorgeous avocados. I have gone for many months without them because they haven’t been in season, but now that they’re back in season, they’re REALLY back in season. Thank you, Philippines.

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

April 22, 2013

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

A salad. Say what? Yes, a salad.

This is like the 2nd salad I’ve made in the last year. The Philippines is out to get me in the salad department. Conventional wisdom says: it’s hot, make a salad. But reality says, where are the bags of pre-washed baby spinach? and what is this mysterious green thing called again, and how do you peel it? and where is my salad spinner when I need it? and how can I get the fan to blow on ME without blowing my lettuce everywhere? and we’re out of bleach again? Yep. Sound the alarms. I hate it as much as you do, but we eat bleached raw vegetables. We stopped bleaching for a while, I got sick from, uh, something, and we went back to following the bleaching orders.

An Edible Mosaic Cookbook Giveaway

November 26, 2012

Raise your hand if you love Middle Eastern cookbooks!

An Edible Mosaic

What’s that? You don’t have any Middle Eastern cookbooks? I didn’t either, actually, until I got my hands on a copy of An Edible Mosaic – a cookbook written by Faith Gorsky from An Edible Mosaic blog that features traditional Middle Eastern recipes like hummus, falafel, and chicken shawarma. Are you drooling yet?

[Read more...]

posted in: Giveaway, Healthy, Salads, Vegetarian 179 Comments

Honey Chicken Salad with Grapes and Feta

October 24, 2012

Chicken Salad

WHY have I waited this long to make a chicken salad in the Philippines? Sometimes I’m really late to the game. And sometimes is like, all the time.

This salad is my life right now. The textures, the flavors, and the perfect amount of light, sweet honey lemon vinaigrette…

Sigh.

Asian Chicken Salad with Sesame Chili Vinaigrette

August 31, 2012

That one time I put Sesame Chili Vinaigrette on every food I ate ever? Best thing ever.

But can I tell you what’s actually consuming my mind right now?

It’s that I hate bad lunches. Today I ate this horrible tasting, horribly colored, overpriced boxed lentil soup from a health food store. Don’t feel bad for me – it was an American-brand-name-impulse-buy after a few too many scoops of ice cream.

Hey, did I already mention both of my lunch oranges were also devoid of any juice? Crispy oranges are not something that bring out the best in me.

Roasted Corn and Basil Stuffed Tomatoes

July 24, 2012

Stuffed Tomatoes

I love tomatoes.

Stuffed with roasted corn, basil, and cheese? I ate all 6 of them.

So I was really sad to find out that the tomatoes that I’ve been buying in the grocery store are not fairly harvested. In fact, tomato fields in the US have been called “ground zero” for modern-day slavery.

Even today, in 2012, the workers who pick our grocery store tomatoes – mostly immigrants from Guatemala, Mexico, and Haiti – are being forced or tricked into working in Florida tomato fields under extremely poor working conditions.

Asian Chicken Salad

May 23, 2012

salad2 copy

One of my strengths as a teacher is the impromptu game.

And since you asked, one such game that I often pull out of my back pocket is called Password.

Here are the rules: you get one word clues that will help you guess the “password”. I think I might have stolen that from a real game, but I’m still considering it mine, and impromptu, especially since I’m going to make impromptu use of it right now. Ready? Good luck.

Bacon and Brussel Sprout Salad

May 16, 2012

brussel sprout salad

I’m sneaking bites of brussel sprout salad from the fridge every 3 minutes. I think that means I’m a grown up now.

Brussel sprouts in and of themselves are kind of fun, but really, how fun are shaved brussel sprouts? This salad is full of fun things. Like using a nifty mandoline, making your house smell like bacon, and whisking emulsions. Just try saying that. Emuuuulsion.

[Read more...]

posted in: Salads, Superfoods 86 Comments

Honey Walnut Power Salad

April 27, 2012

Honey Walnut Power Salad

Almonds and a Diet Coke. That was my sad lunch today.

As someone who feels that lunch is one of the highlights of the day (sandwiched between chocolate snacks and bedtime), having a bad lunch is more than just a little depressing.

To all you out there who can just “forget” to eat lunch, I can’t sympathize. To forget to eat lunch would be like forgetting about that big pile of miscellaneous garage sale stuff sitting in our living room. AS IF.

Tex-Mex Taco Salad

January 13, 2012

Tex-Mex Taco Salad

Remember when I made this dip?

Remember how I had to buy Velveeta cheese for it?

Remember how there’s still a block of Velveeta bigger than my head sitting in the fridge?

Well not anymore it’s not.
[Read more...]

posted in: Gluten Free, Meat and Chicken, Quick and Easy, Salads 32 Comments

Creamy Baked Corn

December 21, 2011

Creamy Baked Corn

This Creamy Baked Corn is tagged as “Vegetarian” and “Salad”, which makes me a complete liar. Don’t tell Santa.

Vegetarian? Possibly.

Salad? Oh my word. Not even close. And I mean that in the most delicious way possible.

Spicy-Sweet Squash Bowl

December 12, 2011

Spicy-Sweet Squash Bowl There is about to be a party in your mouth.

Toasted pecans, fresh spinach, cool cilantro, brown sugar, curry, cinnamon, and white bean hummus. What in the world are you supposed to call all that amazingness?

Spicy-Sweet Quinoa Squash Bowl, according to my Overdosed Sugar brain.

Harvest Salad with Maple Dressing

October 28, 2011

harvest salad How do you eat all your favorite fall foods in just one healthy and awesomely easy meal?

Answer: Make a sweetpotato-kielbasa-apple-onion-bacon-and-everything-fall-delicious salad. And call it a Harvest Salad. That’s the kinda harvest I’m talking about. [Read more...]

posted in: Gluten Free, Lightened Up, Salads, Superfoods 23 Comments

Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad

September 5, 2011

Did you know that red Thai chili peppers at the farmer’s market are only sold by the hundreds?

Not kidding.

And yes, I’m still talking about the farmer’s market.

So what do you do when you only need one? Just one little itty bitty red Thai chili? [Read more...]

posted in: Meat and Chicken, Pasta, Salads, Superfoods 39 Comments

Mango Chicken Salad

August 26, 2011

P90X.

Have you heard of it? No?

Come to this house and you will hear about it. Possibly every other sentence this week has started with “P90X…”

And now’s the part where I smirk and tell you that it’s not actually me that’s doing the P90X exercise program and you think I’m a little bit lazy. And I think so, too. [Read more...]

posted in: Gluten Free, Lightened Up, Main Dishes, Meat and Chicken, Quick and Easy, Salads 16 Comments