Soup and Salad Recipes:
Fruit Salads

Salad of Pears, Roquefort and Walnuts
Salad of Vine Fruits with Ginger, Chile and Mint Syrup
Beet-Orange-Apple Salad
Curried Apple-Walnut Salad
Fruit Salad with Dried Cherry Vinaigrette
Minty Fresh Fruit Salad
Fresh Pineapple Slaw

Salad of Pears, Roquefort and Walnuts

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:

Sherry Dressing:

3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon
pinch sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Salad:

6 cups torn mixed salad greens, loosely packed
2 ounces crumbled Roquefort cheese
1/2 cup broken walnut pieces, toasted
1 large firm pear

Preparation:

Sherry Dressing:

In a small bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, and sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad:

In a large bowl, toss together salad greens, Roquefort, and walnuts. Peel, halve, and core pear. Cut into julienne strips, thinly slice, or cube. Add to greens. Toss salad with Sherry Dressing and serve.

Timesaver Tip: Recipe ingredients can be prepared ahead and the salad tossed with dressing just before serving. To keep cut pears from discoloring, rub surfaces with lemon juice.

Note: Gorgonzola or blue cheese can be substituted for the Roquefort.

Source: The California Culinary Academy

Salad of Vine Fruits with Ginger, Chile and Mint Syrup

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 small cantaloupe
3 kiwi fruit
1 1/4 cups red or black seedless grapes
fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Syrup:

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water
2 thinly pared strips lime peel
3 tablespoons fresh ginger root
1 fresh green chile pepper, seeds and veins removed
4 mint sprigs

Preparation:

Syrup:

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil for 5 to 7 minutes until syrupy. Leave to cool, then strain.

Salad:

Scoop the melon into balls with a melon-baller. Put in a serving bowl with any juice. Peel the kiwi fruit and thinly slice crosswise then cut in half. Add to the melon. Halve the grapes, add to the other fruit. Pour syrup over fruit, cover and chill. Decorate with fresh mint before serving.

Source: "Harvest of Healing Foods, Christine McFadden"

Beet-Orange-Apple Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh beets with greens (about 1 bunch)
1 large orange
2 unpeeled Granny Smith apples thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic minced
2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted

Preparation:

Coarsely shred beet greens to measure 2 cups, set aside.

Leave root and 1 inch of stem on 2 beets, reserving remaining beets for another time. Clean well with a vegetable brush. Place beets in a small saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Trim off beet stems and roots and rub off skins. Cut each beet into 8 wedges and set aside.

Peel and section orange over a medium bowl, reserving juice. Remove membranes and squeeze to extract any additional juice. In a bowl combine orange sections, beets and apples. Toss gently and set aside.

Combine reserved orange juice, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic in a jar. Cover and pour over beet mixture. Toss well. Arrange 1/2 cup shredded beet greens on each of 4 salad plates. Top with beet mixture; sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Curried Apple-Walnut Salad

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

2 medium red delicious apples
1 medium Granny Smith apple
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided
2 cups diced celery with leaves
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Boston lettuce leaves

Preparation:

Core, halve and cut each apple into 24 slices. Do not peel. Combine apples and 1/3 cup lemon juice in a bowl; toss well. Cover and chill.

Combine remaining lemon juice, celery, walnuts, salt, pepper, curry powder, water and oil in a bowl. Stir well. Cover and chill.

To serve, line a large serving platter with lettuce; drain apples and arrange in individual servings on top of lettuce. Spoon celery mixture around apples.

Fruit Salad with Dried Cherry Vinaigrette

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Dried Cherry Vinegar (recipe follows)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup dried cherries
1 small Granny Smith apple thin, sliced
1 small orange, peeled and cut into sections
1/4 cup whole salted cashews
1 1/2 cups Belgian endive
1 1/2 cups spinach
1 1/2 cups Boston lettuce

Preparation:

For dressing whisk together dried cherry vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Arrange greens on serving plate, add cherries, fruits and cashews. Serve with vinaigrette dressing.

Dried Cherry Vinegar:

Combine 1 cup of dried cherries with 2 cup of white wine vinegar in a glass container. Cover and allow to steep for 2 days at room temperature. Heat just to boiling point, strain through cheesecloth. Cool and store in tightly sealed container.

Minty Fresh Fruit Salad

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 medium cantaloupe, pared, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 pint strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup packed mint leaves cut into thin strips
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey

Preparation:

In large serving bowl, combine melon, berries, mint, orange juice and honey. Toss lightly. Cover and chill.

Fresh Pineapple Slaw

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 medium green pepper, julienned
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Preparation:

Combine pineapple, carrot, and green pepper in a medium bowl, toss gently. Combine vinegar and the next 3 ingredients and stir well with a wire whisk. Pour over pineapple mixture and toss. Cover and chill 1 hour. Top with blue cheese just before serving.