Salad with New Potatoes and Pickled Spring Onions

• 2 pounds small new or fingerling potatoes (I used a mix of reds and yukon golds)
• 1 pound asparagus
• 1/4 pound sugar snap peas, green beans or other spring pea
• 4 small-to-medium radishes, thinly sliced

Pickled Spring Onions

• 3 spring onions (about 6 ounces)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (I use Diamond brand; use less if you’re using Morton or table salt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Sharp Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (both Roland and Maille make a whole seed one I’m tremendously fond of)
• 2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with one inch of water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the tip of a knife easily pierces through a potato. Drain the potatoes and let them cool until they’re almost room temperature. You can hasten this by covering them with cold water, and replacing the water a few times as it warms up.

Meanwhile, pickle your spring onions. Whisk vinegar, water, salt and sugar together in the bottom of a small container with a lid until the salt and sugar dissolve. Slice the bulbs and paler green parts into very thin coins and submerge them in the vinegar mixture. Cover and put in fridge until you’re ready to use them; if you can put them aside for an hour or even overnight, even better. Reserve the onion greens.

Refill the saucepan you used for the potatoes (here’s to fewer dishes!) with salted water and bring it to a boil. Prepare an ice bath, a large bowl with ice and water in it. Trim the tough ends off the asparagus. Once the water is boiling, add the asparagus. One minute later, add the sugar snap peas. Two minutes later, drain both together then dump them in the ice bath until chilled. Drain the vegetables and spread them out on towel to absorb excess water.

Slice the cooked asparagus spears and sugar snaps into 1/2-inch segments and place them in a large bowl. Chop potatoes into moderate-sized chunks and add them to the bowl. Cut the radishes as thinly as possible, with a mandoline if you have one. If they’re especially big (mine were), you can first quarter them lengthwise. Cut some of the reserved onion greens into thin slivers (no need to use all of them, as the onion flavor might take over) and add them to the bowl.

When you’re ready to serve the salad, or an hour or two in advance, whisk the dressing ingredients and toss it with the vegetables, to taste. (You may find you don’t want to use all of it.) Stir in as many pickled onion coins as you please, save the rest for anything and everything. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, o taste. Eat and enjoy!.

Escarole Salad with Parmesan Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/2 head escarole, tip and tail trimmed, sliced lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 head radicchio, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced dates
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus several shavings
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine the escarole and radicchio in a large salad bowl. Toss in the dates.
2. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice, mustard, grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and black pepper. Shake well to combine. Pour over the salad and toss.
3. Grate more Parmesan on top and serve.

Recipe found at: http://www.marthastewart.com/349756/escarole-salad-parmesan-dressing

Mango Slaw with Cashew and Mint

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and julienned
1 to 1 1/4 pounds Napa cabbage, halved and sliced very thinly
1 red pepper, julienned
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, from about two limes
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oil of your choice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (or omit this and whisk in a chile paste to taste)
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Toss mangoes, cabbage, pepper and onion in a large bowl. Whisk lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt and red pepper in a smaller bowl and pour over slaw. You can either serve this immediately or leave the flavors to muddle for an hour in the fridge. Before serving, toss with mint leaves and sprinkle with cashews.

About your mango: This salad will work with almost any variety or ripeness of mango, whether sour or sweet. Use the one you can get, or that you enjoy the most. In general, a firmish not overly ripe mango (unlike the very ripe, sweet one I used) holds up best but all will be delicious in this salad.

Taken From:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/07/mango-slaw-with-cashews-and-mint/

Moroccan, Tangerine and Olive Salad

Serves 4
4 large tangerines
1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 head of butter lettuce, torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Using small sharp knife, cut peel and white pith from tangerines. Working over medium bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Add olives to bowl. Whisk oil and next 4 ingredients in another medium bowl to blend. Add to tangerine mixture; toss to coat. Season tangerine mixture with salt and pepper. Divide lettuce among 4 plates. Top lettuce with tangerine mixture. Sprinkle salads with parsley.

Radish and Watercress Salad

6 servings
8 oz. watercress
3 T. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly-ground pepper
12 radishes, sliced

Remove tough stems from watercress; break sprigs into bite-size pieces. Arrange watercress on plates. Mix oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over radishes; toss. Spoon radish mixture over watercress.

Spinach and Sprout Salad

Makes 8 servings
1 red onion
1 pint of tomatoes
4 cups of alfalfa sprouts
3/4 pound of baby spinach

Halve onion lengthwise and very thinly slice crosswise. In a bowl cover onion with cold water. Chill onion in water 30 minutes. Toss together remaining ingredients and serve with lemon juice.