Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

Marinade/Dressing:

• 1/4 cup SOOC 18 year Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tablespoon SOOC Basil Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad:

• 4 chicken thigh fillets, skin removed (no bone)
• 5 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup mini mozzarella
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Whisk marinade ingredients together to combine. Place chicken into a shallow dish; pour 4 tablespoons of the dressing / marinade onto the chicken and stir around to evenly coat chicken. Reserve the untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat about one teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, or grill marinaded chicken until golden, crispy and cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with lettuce, avocado slices, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and chicken. Top with basil strips; drizzle with remaining dressing; season with salt and pepper.

 

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Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
Salad:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed (or pre-washed)
½ teaspoon salt
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil (optional)

Dressing:
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 3 limes)
2-1/2 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
2-1/2 tablespoons SOOC Persian Lime Olive Oil
¼ -½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don’t like heat)

Instructions:
Add quinoa, salt and 1-2/3 cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is adsorbed and the quinoa is cooked. You will know it is done when the little “tails” sprout from the grains. (If necessary add 1-2 tablespoons more water if the quinoa is not cooked by the time all the liquid is adsorbed) Transfer to a service bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.
In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the lime juice, fish sauce, Olive Oil, and crushed red pepper. Whisk.
Once the quinoa is cool, add the red bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, scallions, fresh herbs and dressing. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Salad will keep for several days refrigerated.

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Vinaigrette Dressings

Cherry Lime Vinaigrette Dressing

• 1 cup SOOC Persian Lime Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup SOOC Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: Combine cherries with balsamic vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes. Combine with remaining ingredients and whisk together. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette Dressing

• 1/3 cup SOOC Persian Lime Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
• 3 Tbsp SOOC Cranberry-Pear White Balsamic Vinegar (or you can use your favorite SOOC White Balsamic Vinegar)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions: Whisk together all ingredients, serve immediately or refrigerate.

Asian Butternut Squash Seed Oil (or Pumpkin See Oil) Dressing

• 1/2 cup SOOC Butternut Squash See Oil or SOOC Pumpkin Seed Oil
• 1/2 cup SOOC Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (or horseradish mustard)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: Whisk together all ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

 

 

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Chipotle-Lime Olive Oil Aioli Coleslaw

Chipotle-Lime Aioli

Ingredients:

• 1 cup SOOC Chipotle Olive Oil
• 2 large egg yolks at room temperature**
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor or blender jar, add the egg yolks, salt, garlic and lime juice.  Process until well combined.
2. VERY SLOWLY, drop by drop, begin to drizzle in the Chipotle Olive Oil while the machine is running. Extreme patience must be taken with this slow process, as too much olive oil poured in at once will cause the sauce to break.
3. Once the olive oil is completely poured in and emulsified, remove the aioli to a sealed container and refrigerate.

**This recipe contains raw egg yolks.  If you have a compromised immune system, you can use pasteurized eggs for this recipe.

Spicy Jalapeno-Chipotle Lime Coleslaw

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cabbage shredded
• 1 recipe for Chipotle-Lime Aioli
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded, de-ribbed and finely minced
• 1 bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed and finely minced
• 1/3 cup finely shredded red onion
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.

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Tomato, Avocado, and Corn salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 ripe avocados

6 oz. sweet corn

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup Feta cheese (optional)

Honey-Lime Dressing:

2 tbsp. lime juice

3 tbsp. SOOC Persian Lime Olive Oil

1 tbsp. honey

1 clove garlic, minced

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocados and chop the cilantro.
2. Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, corn and honey-lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors mingle. Can use as a dip with chips.

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Cucumber Dill Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

– 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
– 2 cups water
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 medium onion, chopped
– 1 cucumber, diced
– 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
– 3 medium tomatoes, diced
– 1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
– 1/4 cup SOOC Dill extra-virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup SOOC Sicilian Lemon balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

– Thoroughly rinse quinoa before using. Add quinoa and water to a medium pot, and bring to boil. Once boiling, cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender and fluffy. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool completely.
– Combine Dill EVOO, Sicilian Lemon balsamic, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, and feta into a large bowl. Once quinoa is cool, add to the mixture. Fold together completely. Enjoy on its own, or pair with grilled shrimp! Enjoy!

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Greek Salad

Ingredients:

4-5 large, ripe, tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 cucumber
1 green bell pepper
1/4 pound (113.5g) of Greek feta cheese, sliced or crumbled
Dried oregano
Sea salt
SOOC Koroneiki EVOO
SOOC Traditional 18-year Balsamic
1 dozen Greek olives (Kalamata, green Cretan olives, etc.)
Pickled pepperoncini hot peppers (garnish)

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized irregularly shaped chunks, removing the core.  Slice the cucumber into 1/4-inch slices, cutting slices in half, and peeling if desired.  Slice the pepper into rings, removing the stem and seeds. Slice the onion into thin rings. Salt lightly, to taste.

Combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper and onion in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with oregano. Pour olive oil over the salad, and toss. Just before serving, top the salad with Feta cheese and olives.  Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top, and garnish with hot peppers. For a more traditional option, serve over a bed of fresh greens.

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Roasted Carrot and Red Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 large carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
7 tablespoons SOOC Harissa extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups water
3 tablespoons SOOC Honey Ginger balsamic vinegar
5 ounces mixed salad greens
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small bowl, mix the spices together. In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, onion and 2 tablespoons of the Harissa olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon of the spice mix (saving remaining spice mix for Quinoa) and toss to coat. Spread the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.

2. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts in a pie plate and bake for about 7 minutes, until golden. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 teaspoons of the spice mix and the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 17 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool slightly.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining Harissa olive oil with 3 tablespoons of the Honey Ginger balsamic vinegar, adding remaining spice mix (if any). Salt and pepper to taste, or add one teaspoon of Dijon Mustard, if desired. Add the salad greens, Quinoa, roasted vegetables, cranberries, walnuts, and toss to coat. Finish with Parsley. If presentation is a must, toss the greens with half of the dressing first, and spoon Quinoa mix on top of greens with remaining dressing.

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Marinated Grilled Chicken and Tomatoes

Serves 4-

3 Tbsp SOOC fig balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp SOOC Arbosana EVOO

1 pt cherry/grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup sliced red onion

1 1/2 lb chicken breast cutlets (1/4″ thick)

4 cup baby arugula or mixed greens

  

1. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Add oil in slow stream, whisking to combine. Season to taste. Divide between 2 bowls. Add tomatoes and onion to one bowl and chicken to the other. Marinate 15 minutes.

  

2. Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade). Grill chicken, turning, until golden brown and cooked through, 6 minutes. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.

  

3. Toss arugula or mixed greens in bowl with marinated tomatoes and onion to coat. Halve chicken and divide among 4 plates. Top with salad.

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Salad of Field Greens, Gorgonzola, Pear & Toasted Walnut

Serves 8-

5 ounces prewashed salad greens

1 ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup toasted walnut halves

4 ounces gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled or shaved

Vinaigrette (makes 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp SOOC Roasted Butternut Squash Seed Oil
3 Tbsp SOOC Lemon EVOO
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp SOOC Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Make the vinaigrette: with fork or small whisk combine oils and mustard in small bowl. Gradually add balsamic vinegar until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine greens, walnuts, sliced pear. Immediately before serving, toss greens with vinaigrette until lightly coated. Toss in crumbled blue cheese.

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