Herbed Salmon Croquettes

My in-laws gave me a gift certificate for my birthday and so over the Holiday break, I took the kids to Barnes & Noble to look at books. I picked up a giant stack of cookbooks, novels, and magazines and parked it in the kids section. Luckily for me, my kids like to look at books as much as I do. We spent a few hours there, but I waited to use my gift certificate, so I could think about what I wanted to get.

Before we went to the bookstore I was thinking about dinner and what I could make. I really needed to go get groceries, but decided to use what I had on hand to make dinner instead. I was thinking about making some sort of salmon patty because I had 2 pouches of salmon in my pantry. While at the bookstore I saw this recipe for Herbed Salmon Croquettes. My past experiences with Ellie Krieger's recipes gave me confidence and I knew they would be fabulous. I have her 2 other books and love them. I had everything on hand and I felt confident that I would be able to find the recipe online. Thankfully, I was able to look inside this book on Amazon and get the recipe.

These Salmon Croquettes were fabulous. My kids loved them. I just served them over a big salad of mixed greens and we devoured them. I wanted to try one of the sauces that Ellie recommend in her book to go with them, but didn't have the ingredients on hand. To my satisfaction the croquettes were flavorful enough to not need any sauce. I was so happy with this recipe and how it turned out, that I went back to the bookstore and used my gift certificate to get this cookbook (and maybe a Lego StarWars book for my son, since we were on a date :D )

Herbed Salmon Croquettes adapted from Comfort Food Fix by Ellie Krieger
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 5-ounce pouches skinless, boneless salmon, drained of any excess water
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 celery stalk, very finely diced
2 large egg whites
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
olive oil cooking spray

Put the bread in a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed. There should be about 1 3/4 cups of crumbs.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the bread crumbs, the onion mixture, salmon, mustard, celery, egg whites, parsley, dill, salt and pepper, mixing well to combine. Form into eight 2 1/2-inch patties and gently press each patty in the remaining 3/4 cup bread crumbs.

Heat the remaining 4 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the croquettes until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Spray the tops with oil spray, flip.. and cook 3 minutes more, or until browned and warmed through.

BLT (Bacon, Lemon & Tomato) Quinoa Salad and Lemon-Cornmeal Cookies

This recipe popped up on facebook the other day and I figured it would be a good meal for dinner on a Monday night. I happened to have everything on hand that I needed for the recipe and that made it a lot less stressful to get dinner on the table.

My dad loves a good BLT sandwich and he grows tomatoes in his garden, so BLT's were always a lunch staple of his in the summer. I personally didn't really like bacon or mayo (I still don't) back then, so I always just watched my dad put these sandwiches together and remember hearing about how good they were.

This salad is really good and the interesting thing is that it really tastes like a BLT. Somehow, the combination of the ingredients, makes you feel like you are eating a sandwich. I know that is crazy, but it's true. In this salad, the lettuce has been switched out to lemon, which adds a brightness to the salad, in color and flavor. I added black beans for fun and roasted some broccoli in the oven to round out our dinner.

That same night we still had lots of lemons and the kids wanted me to make a quick cookie. I found this one on myrecipes and decided it would be easy to throw them together at the last minute. My kids really liked these. They reminded us of these Cornmeal Lime Cookies in taste and texture.

Here is the recipe for BLT Quinoa Salad
* I cooked my quinoa in chicken broth to add more flavor
* I added drained, rinsed black beans
* I tossed my salad with a little bit of olive oil, along with the lemon juice and vinegar

Here is the recipe for Lemon-Cornmeal Cookies
* I added the juice of 1 lemon to the cookie dough, after mixing in the flour mixture

Recipes from The Help Book Club Meeting

I'm guessing that a large number of people out there have read The Help. And maybe you have also seen the movie. My sister bought me a copy of the book over a year ago and I read it from front to back in a little less than 6 hours. It was a great read and a very enjoyable book.

Our local Book Club recently discussed this book and I was hosting, so I was in charge of the refreshments. I am not a Southerner and I don't claim to know how to cook like one, but I chose recipes that were "traditional" Southern recipes and used them to help with our evening. I tried to choose food that had at least been mentioned in the book and most of these were also shown in the movie.


Chocolate Pie was an absolute must. I found a recipe from the author online and used that. It was one that her maid, Demetrie used to make for her. The recipe stated that you could use a graham cracker crust or a pie crust, so I made both. I used Dorie's recipe for the pie crust because it is the easiest and best one I have ever made. This filling reminded me of a mild chocolate pudding. I topped both of them with sweetened whipped cream.

These cheese crackers are originally from the Lee Brothers and I have made them before, but in a different shape.
A basic chicken salad that I served in little phyllo cups and also with crackers.
I made a caramel cake, but as you can see from the plate it is on, it was a messy experience, and I wasn't really sure if I was going to share these recipes or not, so I didn't get a great picture of it. Fun frosting. Very fun. (I have an alternate caramel frosting recipe linked up below if the original one scares you).

And of course, deviled eggs.

It was a great night!

Here is the recipe for Demetrie's Chocolate Pie


Here is the recipe for Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans
* I used nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
* I used fat free mayo

Here is the recipe for Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs
*I used fat free mayo

Here is the recipe for Caramel Cake
and here is an optional quick Caramel Frosting

Here is the recipe for Cheese Crackers
* I used all white whole wheat flour

Dorie Greenspan's Good for Almost Anything pie crust

for a 9-inch single crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 T) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 1/2 T very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening care cut into the flour. Don’t overdo the mixing — what you’re aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 tablespoons of the water — add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn’t look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl and onto a work surface.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. (If your ingredients were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge.)

To roll out the dough: Have a buttered 9-inch pie plate at hand.
You can roll the dough out on a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. (I usually roll this dough out on the floured counter.) If you’re working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic or cover frequently so that it doesn’t roll into the dough and form creases.

If you’ve got time, slide the rolled-out dough into the fridge for about 20 mins to rest and firm up.

Fit the dough into the pie plate and, using a pair of scissors, cut the excess dough to a 1/4- to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge. Alternatively, you can finish the crust by pressing it with the tines of a fork.

To partially or fully bake: Refrigerate the crust while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Better the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil, fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust and fill with dried beans or rice or pie weights. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 25 mins. Carefully remove the foil and weights and, if the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, return the pie plate to the oven and bake for about 8 minutes more, or until the crust is very lightly colored. To fully bake the crust, bake until golden brown, about another 10 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

Mini Cheeseburger Salad with Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette

I first made this salad a few years ago and it was an absolute hit. I made it for my family, made it for potluck dinners, made it for company, and shared the recipe with friends. It takes everything that is delicious about a cheeseburger and makes it even more delicious.

You make little burgers, along with a delicious mustard vinaigrette and they are layered on a bed of romaine, cherry tomatoes (I still have some growing in my garden!), and sliced dill pickles. My whole family loves this one, even me.

Here is the recipe for Mini Cheeseburger Salad with Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette
* I used mild cheddar to top my mini cheeseburgers
* I used ground sirloin for the burgers

Thai Summer Slaw

This Thai Summer Slaw from Cooking Light is summer perfection. It combines napa cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, bell peppers, carrots, radishes, jalapeno, and green onions in a light, slightly spicy dressing. It is crunchy, flavorful and completely delicious.

I was planning on making this for a potluck dinner that we were going to attend, but I forgot to buy a lime. I debated going ahead and making it with lemon juice instead, but I decided to wait, buy the lime and follow the recipe. I'm glad I waited! I don't think lemon would have given the dressing the right flavor.

The day I was planning on making this for dinner, I prepped all the veggies (the photo above) and the dressing and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to serve it. Cutting all the veggies took a little bit of time, but getting that out of the way earlier in the day really made this a fast and easy dish to serve. I grilled some tuna steaks to serve along with it and it was a really great dinner.

Here is the recipe for Thai Summer Slaw
* I only added a 3/4 tsp of sugar to the dressing

Mini Key Lime Pies and a Great Summer Lunch Menu

A couple of months ago I was asked to cater a luncheon for the Department Head of one of the schools at UGA. When I started planning my menu, I decided what dessert I wanted to make first and then planned the rest of the menu around that. I saw these adorable Mini Key Lime Pies and I knew they would be the perfect summer treat and a great way to end any summer lunch.
The main dish was this delicious salad which I have made many times before and since this event. It is one of the best tasting salads and I love the cute presentation of each individual serving in mason jars.


I can't ever go wrong with the simple roasted shrimp that my family loves, so I added that to the menu as well.
The last thing I made was this wonderful Red Lentil dip that is served with pita chips. I remember when I first made it a couple years ago and it is seriously one of the best dips ever invented.
The luncheon was an overwhelming success and I got wonderful, positive feedback. It was so much fun to organize, put together and present this meal. I love making delicious food and sharing it with other people.

Here is the recipe for Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-eyed Peas from epicurious (I made it exactly as the recipes states this time) and here is my adaptation when I made it last time

Here is the basic recipe for the Roasted Shrimp, this time I added a little Greek Seasoning to the shrimp and roasted them at 450 degrees for 7 minutes

Here is the recipe for Garlicky Red Lentil Dal with my changes, originally from Cooking Light

Here is the recipe for Mini Key Lime Pies as seen on Plum Pie
* I doubled the recipe for the crust and made 8 mini pies
*I made a sweetened whipped cream topping, but not with rum- just vanilla and powdered sugar

Summer Pea, Watermelon and Farro Salad

This summer, I've had the opportunity to reconnect with a dear friend from my freshman year of college. She and her husband + 5 kids are living nearby for the summer and we have been getting our kids together weekly for swimming, sleepovers and tons of fun. Our kids have never met before this summer, but they have become fast friends. It has been an absolute blast.

Last week, we were throwing together dinner for the kids- we ended up making sprinkle pancakes, steamed broccoli, corn on the cob, turkey sausage, and watermelon- and I had torn out this recipe from the most recent issue of Cooking Light. I had all the ingredients, so I decided to make a little something special for the adults. This recipe was under the 5 ingredient section of the magazine and took about 30 minutes to throw together.

For the amount of time it took and the small number of ingredients it contains, I would have to say it is pretty good. I added some olive oil just because I felt it needed a little something and next time I will add some fresh lemon juice. It was almost too sweet for me, with the peas and the watermelon, I would have liked some feta or something to cut the sweetness. I prefer my salads to be on the savory side, but it was enjoyed by all of us and a nice change for a quick summer meal.

Here is the recipe for Summer Pea, Watermelon, and Farro Salad from
Cooking Light August 2011

* I added a little bit of olive oil to the salad and I think lemon juice would be a great addition too
*I used shaved Parmesan cheese

Shaved Fennel Salad

Fennel is something that I am really beginning to love. I avoided it for many years because I knew that it had anise/black licorice flavor, but when I first tried it raw in a salad last year, I discovered that it is really delicious, and that the anise flavor is not very pronounced.

When my brother and sister were here we needed a quick salad to enjoy after church. This one fit the bill. Lots of yummy veggies and flavors and the only prep work is slicing a few things.
I added more arugula than the recipe called for, to make sure that this salad would last a couple of days.

It is delicious that day it is made, but it is so good a few days later. I topped it with some canned tuna a few days after my siblings went home and my kids loved it that way. I have made this salad 3 times in the past few weeks because it is so great in the summer time.


Here is the recipe for Shaved Fennel Salad from 101 Cookbooks
* I added some thinly sliced celery
* I used almonds instead of pine nuts
* I didn't measure my lemon juice or olive oil- I just adjusted it by taste
* I added more arugula than called for

Fresh Corn Tomato Salad

I made this because I had 10 ears of fresh corn on the cob in the fridge and I also had cups and cups of grape tomatoes from the garden. I had seen a corn and tomato salad somewhere, but couldn't find it again, so I just searched until I found one that sounded as good.

The best thing about this salad is that you don't have to cook anything. The corn is just cut off the cob and combined with the other ingredients.
My husband loved this salad. He had three servings. Of course, he didn't have any tomatoes in his servings, but he really loved the rest of the salad. It was fresh and delicious.


Here is the recipe for Fresh Corn Tomato Salad
* I didn't add as much salt as called for, only 1 teaspoon
* I used red wine vinegar
* I tossed in some arugula
* I didn't have enough basil to use as much as called for, I used about 1/2 of the amount

Chicken and Zucchini Salad

I have decided that zucchini is quite delicious raw. I don't know why I never realized this before, but having so much zucchini to use has really made me appreciate the many ways it can be delicious.

This salad was something I threw together quickly on a weekday afternoon for lunch before we went for our daily swimming adventure. My son thought that the zucchini was cucumbers and when he tasted them, he didn't revolt! I guess that they passed for cucumbers even though he knew they weren't. The raw factor added that crunch that he was looking for.

We all really liked this one. I was surprised by how much we liked it. I loved the freshness the little bits of fresh mint added and the pecans were a fun little crunchy item as well.

Here is the recipe for Chicken and Zucchini Salad
* I used less oil than the recipe called for
* I used a spinach & arugula mix for the greens
* I used less pecans than called for

Cucumber and Celery Salad with Tuna

This was the second salad I made with my daughters when we were discovering more about salad. I chose this salad because it didn't contain lettuce or greens of any kind, so we talked about how many different choices there are when it comes to making salad. We threw this together quickly, on a Sunday afternoon, right as we walked in the door from church and it was ready it just a few minutes.

My daughter measure the ingredients for the dressing and stirred it all together. She loves to chop, so she did that too.

I would have preferred that this salad contained less sugar in the dressing, but that is probably because I don't really care for sweet dressings.

We decided to serve this salad on top of some red leaf lettuce leaves from our garden. It was very good and quite refreshing.

Cucumber and Celery Salad with Tuna
Everyday Food, June 2011

2	teaspoons poppy seeds
3	Tablespoons rice vinegar
1	Tablespoon sugar
2	Tablespoons olive oil
2	cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch moons (6 cups)
3	celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, inner leaves reserved
2	cans (5 ounces each) solid white tuna in water, drained and flaked coarse salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, stir together poppy seeds, vinegar, sugar, and oil. Add cucumbers, celery, and tuna; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with celery leaves and serve immediately (or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day).

"Cooking School"- Chopped Steak Salad

My daughter picked salad for our next "Cooking School" experience. We decided to make at least 2 kinds of salad. This was the first one we picked because it was a main dish salad that had lettuce as a main component. I also thought it would be fun to make a homemade Italian dressing since I prefer homemade dressings to bottled ones.

Also, please notice that I made a salad that contains beef. We cooked a flank steak. I am amazed. And it was easy. And it was tasty.

My daughter helped chop, rinse, cut and prepare the dressing. This was a great one to make together because there were lots of steps that she could help with.

This salad was fairly easy and perfect for a main dish salad. I don't think it would have been as good without the homemade dressing, but that is obviously just my opinion. Fresh herbs really made this dressing delicious.

Here is the recipe for Chopped Steak Salad from Real Simple Magazine
* I cooked the flank steak for a few more minutes than the recipe called for


Here is the recipe for Homemade Italian Dressing using Fresh Herbs
* I used fresh Italian Parsley, Basil, and Thyme
*I only used olive oil
*I didn't measure my vinegar or oil- just mixed it until it looked right

Spicy Cucumber and Blueberry Salad

I know it really isn't "technically" summer yet, but guess what- at my house, it is. When you are dealing with mid 90's, no school, swimming, sun and fun- that is summer.

I' m all about the fresh and quick salads right now. I saw this in a magazine and decided it would be a fun twist on 2 of our favorite ingredients- blueberries and cucumbers. Plus, I love spicy, so this was a fun one to try.

Colorful, light and easy. I really couldn't ask for anything more on a hot summer day.

Spicy Cucumber and Blueberry Salad from Everyday with Rachael Ray
2 lbs. english cucumbers, halved lengthwise
salt
1 large jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs discarded, finely chopped
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbls olive oil
1 pint blueberries
1 cup cilantro leaves

1. Thinly slice the cucumbers into half-moons, about 1/8-inch thick; season with salt.
2. In a large bowl, combine the jalapeno, lime juice, garlic and cumin; whisk in the olive oil. Add the cucumbers, blueberries, and cilantro and toss to coat.

Green and White Bean Salad with Tuna

I love eating fresh salads all year round, but they just seem to fit in with the weather better right now. We have enjoyed a couple of months of beautiful weather and after a pretty hot week last week, this week it seems that the weather has decided to cool down quite a bit. This type of weather makes me want to load up on fresh fruits and veggies and to make lots of cool salads.

This salad has a double dose of beans- green beans and cannellini beans, which loads up this salad with lots of fiber and protein. It also has sliced pepperoncini, which I have really grown to love in the past couple of months. They give this salad a nice little zing. This was a quick dinner that I threw together the other night, after we got home from a baseball game. I'm actually eating the leftovers for breakfast right now. :D


Green and White Bean Salad with Tuna from Everyday Food
3/4 pd green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbls white wine vinegar
2 Tbls olive oil
1 can (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 can (5 oz) solid white tuna, packed in water, drained and broken into pieces
1/4 cup thinly sliced pepperoncini (about 9)

1. In a medium pot of boiling salt water, cook green beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse under cool water to stop cooking, and pat dry.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add green beans, cannelini beans, onion, tuna, and pepperoncini and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing

I took my Mom to the airport yesterday afternoon. She has spent the last 3 weeks here with us and it was a blast. My Dad was here for one of the weeks and I really enjoyed their visit.

While they were here we had a Easter dinner a week early with our family members that live nearby. I came across this salad and figured it would be a good side dish for our dinner.

We don't eat lots of potatoes, but when we do, I like to roast them in the oven. I have never thought of putting roasted potatoes in a green salad, so I was intrigued by that concept.

My Mom and I worked together to get this salad ready and we were in a rush. We didn't measure the lettuce and potatoes exactly. I think this made it so the dressing was spread a little too thin, although the salad was still tasty, I think the flavor would have been better if we had been more careful in our measurements. I didn't get a pretty picture of this salad either because we rushed off to the dinner and I had to snap a quick photo so I could share it here. Go ahead and check out the recipe below and you will find better pictures and a little bit more information about this fun salad.


Here is the recipe for Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing from Perry's Plate
* My only mistake here was not being accurate when measuring the amount of potatoes and lettuce that I used. I think it would have been more flavorful if I had used the appropriate amounts.

Lindsey's ABC Salad

Now that we've got all of those baked goods out of the way, that leaves room to talk about this delicious salad that I found over at one of my favorite blogs- Cafe Johnsonia.

It is called ABC Salad. It contains Baby salad greens-(to which I added some arugula), avocado, almonds, dried apricots, buckwheat, chickpeas and I figured while I was at it, I might as well top it off with some blueberry vinegar.

I've been trying to get more salads and veggies in my diet and eating a nice big salad for lunch is one easy way to do that. My only problem is that sometimes I get bored with salad. Especially if it always seems to contain the exact same ingredients.
That is what I loved about this salad the most- it had lots of fun flavors and textures, combining ingredients that I never would have thought to mix. And it's vegan.

So give it a try because it is delicious.

Here is the recipe for ABC Salad
*She has much prettier pictures and more details about this delicious salad

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club- Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette with homemade Blueberry Vinegar

Jerry picked our theme- 100 Miles of Flavor-for this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.
We were each to choose a recipe that showcased a local ingredient, something that could be found within 100 miles of where we live.
Here is how the menu turned out- the local ingredients are in parentheses.

Jerry - Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce- (local beef and wine)

Sandi - Peas and Orzo with Pesto - (peas, basil and Southern pecans )

Mary Ann - Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette (Blueberry Vinegar) (local blueberries and honey)

Jamie - Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp (Gulf of Mexico Seafood)

Roz - Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Marscapone Cheese-(local rice)

Val - Fallen Chocolate Cake with Cherry Red Wine Sauce - (local cherries and wine)

For my local ingredients I decided to use blueberries and honey. I found this great recipe for blueberry vinegar that is used in a fabulous vinaigrette and it was the perfect fit.

I decided to use blueberries that I picked from my husband's grandmother bush last summer, that I had frozen to make the blueberry vinegar. (She lives about 7 minutes from us, so that is pretty local). I read the reviews on the recipe and someone else had mentioned that they used frozen blueberries to make the vinegar and it worked out fine.

Making the blueberry vinegar was really easy. I just combined a couple of ingredients on the stovetop and let the mixture sit, and then strained the vinegar. I let the vinegar sit overnight and then made the salad and vinaigrette the next day.

The salad is very simple. Baby arugula-I also threw in some spinach, red onion, blueberries and then a quick vinaigrette, which contains the blueberry vinegar, a little honey, dijon mustard, and olive oil. So simple and so delicious.
I had leftover blueberry vinegar and we have been drizzling it on all sorts of things. The other night we had salmon, quinoa, broccoli and cauliflower and I thought we could drizzle the vinegar over the salmon. My daughter liked it so much that she drizzled blueberry vinegar over everything on her plate. The rest of the family followed suit.

This was a great salad and it was really fun to learn how easy it is to make flavored vinegar.
Check out the rest of this great local menu above.


Here is the recipe for Blueberry Vinegar

Here is the recipe for Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette
* I added baby spinach to the salad
*I omitted the frisee because I couldn't find it anywhere

Pickled Grapes

No, this is not some sort of April Fool's Day joke- These things are real.

A couple of weeks ago, my 22 year old brother excitedly told me about a salad he tried at The Wild Grape Bistro in Salt Lake City, that contained Pickled Grapes. He said that they were A-mazing! and found a recipe that he wanted us to try when he came to visit me. He was here last week and one of the first things we did was make Pickled Grapes.
Making the pickled grapes was really easy. You combine vinegar, brown and white sugar, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, and whole cloves (I used ground since I didn't have any whole) and bring that mixture to a boil. Then you add chopped crystallized ginger and diced jalapenos. Next, the grapes are added to the spicy, vinegar-y bath to take an overnight soak.

That was the hardest part for my brother- leaving these grapes alone overnight so they could soak in all the spices and flavor.
He said that at The Wild Grape, there was a small hole in each grape, made with a toothpick or something, that helped the grapes suck up some of the spices and flavor from the vinegar mix. We didn't do that to the grapes, but next time I think I will, to help them pack even more of a punch.

The day that the grapes were ready we made a nice big salad for lunch. It was one of those hodge-podge, anything goes salads, where we just chopped things up and added them to the mix.
We used a base of baby spinach, spring greens and baby arugula. Then we added chopped bell peppers, chopped cucumbers and the pickled grapes. Next some poached chicken and roasted pepitas. We topped it off with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Goodness gracious! What a tasty salad. These things are spicy sweet, tart and vinegar-y, earthy from the spices. What a mix.

We had them on another salad the next day and the day my brother flew back home, he took a large plastic bag of these little guys to snack on, while on his travels through the airport and on his flights. I was wishing that I had more than a few leftover because I really wanted to experiment a little bit more with them- maybe turning them into some sort of salsa or in a different type of salad or something.

I guess that is a good excuse to make more!

Just a little note- my brother and I both thought that the red pickled grapes were more delicious than the green ones, but I am still glad we tried some of both.

Recipe for Pickled Grapes
* I used mostly red grapes, but green too
* I didn't have whole cloves, so I added about 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves to the vinegar/spice mixture
* I removed some of the seeds from jalapeno, but left the ribs when I diced them