Spin & Toss Tableside Arugula, Persian Cucumber & Heirloon Tomatoes & Walnut Salad
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Number of Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 bag of Arugula Salad from Trader Joe's1 cello box of Persian Cucumbers from Trader Joe's1 or 2 large Beefsteak Tomato or 1 cello box of Trader Joe's Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes (or 1 cello box of Trader Joe's Heirloom Tomatoes...experiment/use what's in your pantry!)1 cup Walnut Pieces1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil & 2 tbsp. Vinegar (Red Wine, Baslamic, Garlic Flavored Rice Wine Vinegar....again, experiment/use what's in your pantry!)Dash each of Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to tasteNote: You can add Plain Low or No Fat Yogurt (I prefer Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt!) and a dash of Tobasco or other Hot Sauce, and maybe a bit of Honey or Sugar to taste...and you can substitute Lemon Juice or Lime (or both!) for the vinegar and make this more of a Mediterranian Flav-ah! Also, you can make this same dressing in a Honey/Mustard Version for other salads by adding Honey and Mustard (again, use the mustard you have on hand or prefer to keep it simple!) to the vinegarette. You can also up the spice/heat, by adding crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste. EXPERIMENT!
In the bottom of a large, deep salad making bowl (I use one from a stainless steel set I have that has deep sides, which makes for no mess/flying ingredients when spinning/tossing!) place olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix together with a salad fork until well whipped.
LEAVE THE SALAD DRESSING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE STAINLESS SALAD BOWL AND YOU WILL BUILD THE REST OF THE SALAD ON TOP OF IT. THEN, RIGHT BEFORE SERVICE, YOU WILL SPIN THE BOWL AND TOSS THE SALAD TABLESIDE!!! WHOOT!!! WHOOT!!!
Note: if you are making another version of the dressing, then add in the Plain Greek Yogurt and/or Lemon Juice (instead of the vinegar), maybe a shot of Tobasco Sauce or a pinch of Crushed Red Pepper or Cayenne Pepper or do the Honey Mustard version...be creative!
Wash, drain and then slice up the Persian Cukes and Tomatoes into complimentary sizes and set aside...
If your chopped or Walnut Pieces are not chopped up small enough to compliment your salad ideals, then go ahead and give them a few wacks and set them aside now...
Open bag of Arugula, Baby Spinach Greens, Mixed Baby Greens or any combination of the above, and place the desired amount of greens lightly on top of the dressing in the stainless bowl.
Place the Tomatoes lightly on top of the greens and arrange pleasingly to the eye.
Sprinkle the Walnut pieces about in an eye pleasing manner too.
You can save this step for tableside (right before you spin and toss), or you can go ahead and give a few grinds of the Black Pepper and maybe sprinkle a tiny bit of Sea Salt (or grind some from a Sea Salt Grinder if you have one of these ingenius devices...I got mine at guess where? Of course: Trader Joe's!
Cover Completed Salad with plastic wrap or a dinner plate and place in fridge until service...
Note: Salad keeps well this way for a day or you can make it the day before, but no more than that!!! It's probably best to make it the day of the meal...but this prep method makes it versitle...
When it's time for the meal, remove salad from fridge and take off cover right before you place it tableside. Get your big salad tongs or salad serving fork/spoon set out and give the bowl a nice flick of the wrist to get it spinning (this might take practice and for sure, you want to use the stainless deep salad bowl for this manuever!) and then toss the salad, making sure to dig deep and get all the salad coated with the dressing! You can then serve it on small salad plates and do it yourself or pass the sea salt and pepper grinders around to your guests as a final tableside flair.
Have fun and Eat Your Greens!!!!
Number of Servings: 6
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JAYBIRDNM.
LEAVE THE SALAD DRESSING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE STAINLESS SALAD BOWL AND YOU WILL BUILD THE REST OF THE SALAD ON TOP OF IT. THEN, RIGHT BEFORE SERVICE, YOU WILL SPIN THE BOWL AND TOSS THE SALAD TABLESIDE!!! WHOOT!!! WHOOT!!!
Note: if you are making another version of the dressing, then add in the Plain Greek Yogurt and/or Lemon Juice (instead of the vinegar), maybe a shot of Tobasco Sauce or a pinch of Crushed Red Pepper or Cayenne Pepper or do the Honey Mustard version...be creative!
Wash, drain and then slice up the Persian Cukes and Tomatoes into complimentary sizes and set aside...
If your chopped or Walnut Pieces are not chopped up small enough to compliment your salad ideals, then go ahead and give them a few wacks and set them aside now...
Open bag of Arugula, Baby Spinach Greens, Mixed Baby Greens or any combination of the above, and place the desired amount of greens lightly on top of the dressing in the stainless bowl.
Place the Tomatoes lightly on top of the greens and arrange pleasingly to the eye.
Sprinkle the Walnut pieces about in an eye pleasing manner too.
You can save this step for tableside (right before you spin and toss), or you can go ahead and give a few grinds of the Black Pepper and maybe sprinkle a tiny bit of Sea Salt (or grind some from a Sea Salt Grinder if you have one of these ingenius devices...I got mine at guess where? Of course: Trader Joe's!
Cover Completed Salad with plastic wrap or a dinner plate and place in fridge until service...
Note: Salad keeps well this way for a day or you can make it the day before, but no more than that!!! It's probably best to make it the day of the meal...but this prep method makes it versitle...
When it's time for the meal, remove salad from fridge and take off cover right before you place it tableside. Get your big salad tongs or salad serving fork/spoon set out and give the bowl a nice flick of the wrist to get it spinning (this might take practice and for sure, you want to use the stainless deep salad bowl for this manuever!) and then toss the salad, making sure to dig deep and get all the salad coated with the dressing! You can then serve it on small salad plates and do it yourself or pass the sea salt and pepper grinders around to your guests as a final tableside flair.
Have fun and Eat Your Greens!!!!
Number of Servings: 6
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JAYBIRDNM.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 280.9
- Total Fat: 27.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 43.2 mg
- Total Carbs: 8.7 g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
- Protein: 5.0 g
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