I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
With plans to spend more time around the table—and yes, healthy resolutions on the brain—I wanted to create a light, non-fussy salad that is anything but generic. Instead of turning to complicated, hard-to-find ingredients to make up this beet arugula salad, I relied on a few of my favorite flavors to really shine through.
If you follow a lot of my recipes, you know that I thoroughly enjoy the counterpoints of flavors and textures; sweet to spicy, tangy to salty, soft to crunchy. So as I prepared this beet arugula salad, I found that the spice and bitterness of the arugula matched the sweetness of the candied cashews and pickled beets wonderfully, giving the salad an extra depth in flavor and interest. And the herbed goat cheese…well in my opinion, you can’t ever go wrong with goat cheese. Plus, for any of you who are sensitive to dairy/lactose, goat has the very least amount of all of the cheeses (lactose amount from highest to lowest: sheep, cow, and then goat). So if sensitivity is an issue, you may want to keep that in mind.
And speaking of beets, I’ve tried both pickled and fresh beets in this salad; coming to decide I actually prefer pickled over the latter. Beets, as you know, can be a bit too “earthy” for me in taste, and the pickling process seems to mask that flavor, if not take it away entirely.
As you saw last week, this beet arugula salad perfectly compliments my recipe for lemony-garlic roasted chicken (hint hint: it’s a crowd-pleaser!), but I will of course be enjoying this salad by itself for many weekday lunches to come. Truly, MKR
P.S. For more salad recipes that have caught our eye, check out our pinterest board. And salads not your thing? This post may just change your mind. xo
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I’ve admitted here before that I’m not a huge salad eater. Salads can feel a bit plain, boring, and they can leave me having major menu regret when I’m not ordering the burger and fries instead. BUT give me a salad like today’s Steakhouse Salad that’s just as hearty as a full entree, with plenty of fresh and vibrant toppings, and I’ve got the best of both worlds.
The trick to a great entree salad like this one is in the variety of fresh flavors and textures; the toppings need to really carry the dish. Nobody, including me, enjoys a plain bed of greens with a few measly toppings! So whenever I think up a nice marriage of toppings for my salad, I like to consider ones that don’t need much dressing; ones that can stand alone for simpler, healthier bites that celebrate the season’s best flavors.
That, of course, rings true for cherry tomatoes and fresh corn this time of year. I just love the way they both taste after they’ve blistered and charred when grilled or roasted. I usually roast my tomatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil in my toaster oven. So easy.
The sliced flank steak is also another topping that doesn’t need much to taste divine. As your protein, steak alway brings a certain rich quality to a salad, which I always prefer over chicken. And of course, it offers plenty of protein to sustain you. The secret to great strips of flank steak is in the cutting; cut with the grain so that you don’t disrupt the flavor.
To top it all off, I like to add crumbles of blue cheese. The punchy, tangy taste of blue cheese rounds out the flavors of the entire salad. And somehow it satisfies my salt craving, even if there are shoestring fries at the table, too! Tell me, does this Steakhouse Salad look like a winner in your house?! Truly, MKR
P.S. Looking for more creative salad options? Check them out in our Recipe Index here.
P.S.S. Or are you looking for another drool-worthy steak recipe? This skillet seared ribeye with caramelized onions is one to write home about. SO good. xo
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I’m sure you saw that we had quite the adventure in Louisiana a few weeks ago. We teamed up with Atlanta Food & Wine Festival and Louisiana Travel on a 3-day road trip to get a taste of the best Louisiana food and drink. Last week, we shared our recap of Baton Rouge and Lafayette and today we’re all hungry again reminiscing over our stop in New Orleans.
We kicked off the 3-day trip with a bang in NOLA, hurricane in-hand the second we stepped off the plane. First stop, NOLA Distillery. Opened just last month, we were lucky enough to get a little behind-the-scenes tour and tasting. We all loved the craft vodka made from only Louisiana-grown sweet potatoes (the state is known to be the home of the best sweet potatoes, FYI). We saw first-hand how NOLA’s vodka is distilled twice and filtered, giving it a hint of sweetness and a touch of earthy flavor. The vodka went perfectly in what the team joked as their “Kale-Gate” cocktail (more on that backstory here) and their take on a Cosmopolitan.
After we sipped a few cocktails and talked plans for the tasting room (opening soon) with the lovely NOLA team, we scooted over to St. James Cheese Company. This local shop would definitely become my go-to for an easy lunch with the girls; think cheeses on cheeses, wines and drool-worthy sandwiches. We were thrilled to have the queen of cheese herself, Liz Thorpe, with us to introduce us to some pretty fantastic pairings with our wine. Liz published The Cheese Chronicles back in 2009, and her immense knowledge about the many variations of cheese was downright inspirational. Her newest book, The Book of Cheese, breaks down cheese into nine “gateways” of flavor, rather than by country, milk type, etc. Her take on enjoying cheese, finding flavors and kinds you love, and understanding the wide varieties in this unique way is refreshing. It’s approachable. And with over 400 pages in The Book of Cheese, there’s something for everyone. Seriously cannot wait to get our hands on this “cheese bible”!
We could have stopped there; bellies and hearts SO full. But alas, we were in New Orleans, and there was more goodness to taste. Next up: Willa Jean. And oh, let me tell you: Willa Jean is an absolute MUST when you’re in NOLA. This contemporary bakery was opened by Chef John Besh, Chef Kelly Fields and Chef Lisa White in the Central Business District, and it celebrates the best of the best Southern comfort food with fresh, local ingredients. We loved chatting with Chef Kelly Fields; she was incredibly welcoming, hilarious and to say that she blew us away with her cornbread, frosé and homemade chocolate chip cookies (a recipe that includes 5 different kinds of chocolate and one she took two years perfecting!) is an understatement. COME HERE with your girlfriends for a boozy brunch on your next trip; you won’t regret it.
Next, (no we’re not done yet), we downed a quick dozen raw oysters with wine at Borgne, another gem by Chef John Besh and Chef Brian Landry. Borgne is known to be one of the best spots for fresh seafood in the area, and it did not disappoint. Its menu is a true celebration of Louisiana coastal fare, with everything from Oysters on the Half Shell to Pan Roasted Lemonfish with brown butter turnips and Shrimp Toast with pork belly and sweet chili sambal. Its ultra cool, modern vibe in the bottom of the Hyatt makes it a hotspot (and easy locale in the Central Business District) for visitors and locals alike.
It was a big day, but we (somehow?!?) left room for dinner at Balise. Balise, manned by 2016 James Beard winner Chef Justin Devillier (also with La Petit Grocery), was named after the first French settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River. And the place is clearly steeped in its history; located in a 19th century Creole townhouse that’s expertly decorated, and irresistibly intimate in its ambiance. On our prix fixe menu, we enjoyed fare like Fried smoked oysters, chilled Roasted Beets with Lemon, Mint and Brown Butter, Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Pan Roasted Gulf Shrimp and Chicken & Ricotta Dumplings…I mean my mouth is watering just recounting it here now. And to top it all off, Walnut Cake, Apple Crisp and Sticky Toffee Pudding (the table’s favorite).
Lastly, we (somehow) made it to Cane & Table because who could say no to Hurricanes. Located in the heart of The French Quarter, Cane & Table is a gem of a restaurant and bar where Chef & Mixologist Nick Detrich mixes up the best hurricanes I’ve ever had. Truthfully, when I looked at our itinerary and hurricanes where on the menu I wasn’t impressed, but that’s because I was used to the cheesy spring break, overally sugared hurricanes in neon plastic cups. Chef Nick sticks to the original recipe; refreshing, crisp, and goes down like water Hurricane. Cane & Table deservedly tops the list for where to drink in town, being featured on Vogue and The New York Times. The vibe here was second-to-none (string lights out back, drippy candles and palms), and the company was even better. Nick was the warmest guy, welcoming us into his tiki-inspired world and teaching us a bit of history along the way.
After that whirlwind of the day I rolled myself into bed and woke up the next morning still full from one of the best days I’ve had in awhile. A big thank you to all of the chefs for welcoming us into their worlds, and make sure to check out the entire photo gallery below! Truly, MKR
