Showing posts with label blue cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blue cheese. Show all posts

The BEST Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola Burger

 

I made this recipe from Pioneer Woman.  It is in my TOP 2 favorite burger recipes. I'm going to assume you've made burgers a lot, so there won't be a lot of specifics here :)
Image and recipe ideas from Pioneer Woman

Toasted Bun of choice
Spread mayo and 3-6 drops of Tabasco sauce on one side of the toasted bun
Hamburger (add some cracked pepper during cooking process)
Lettuce Greens
Carmalized red onions (caramelize with butter and a little brown sugar)
Blue OR Gorgonzola Cheese
Bacon (optional)
Bacon Jam (Optional)





Spinach Apple Pomegranate Salad

 

Image Credit: Countryside Cravings
This salad combination came from a restaurant called Carvers that I remember going to once in my college years.  This is a beautiful fall recipe with the apples and pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients:
Spinach
sliced apple (recommend honey crisp or cosmic crisp)
pomegranate seeds
craisins
feta or blue cheese
toasted pecans

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
1/2 c. light olive oil
1/4 c. raspberry vinegar (or balsamic or red wine vinegar)
1/4 c. honey
1 clove garlic
1 TBS dijon mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
-Blend all ingredients in a blender on high for 2 minutes until emulsified (keeps dressing from separating).  


Berry Feta and Pecan Salad



This recipe is SUPER easy.  My kids may or may not think that having fruit in a salad is NOT right, but they eat it anyway!  Others of us with more "refined" taste will make and eat this whenever possible!

Ingredients:
Lettuce Greens (romaine, spinach, etc)
blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
Feta (or blue) cheese crumbles
Sugared Pecans (or toasted)
Dressing:  I like Trader Joes Balsamic Glaze OR you can use a honey mustard vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
1/2 c. light olive oil
1/4 c. raspberry vinegar (or balsamic or red wine vinegar)
1/4 c. honey
1 clove garlic
1 TBS dijon mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
-Blend all ingredients in a blender on high for 2 minutes until emulsified (keeps dressing from separating).  



Cheesecake Factory Chopped Salad

This is a favorite salad of mine.  When my mom treats me to lunch on shopping dates...we always get one of these!  This copycat recipe is really good!


Ingredients:
Chopped Romaine
diced tomatoes
grilled chicken
chopped Granny Smith apple
crumbled bacon
sliced avocado
corn

Salad Dressing:
1/2 c. light olive oil
4 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 TBS chopped shallot (or red onion)
3 TBS chopped fresh parsley

BLT Salad

I know we're heading into fall...but I love salads!  My garden cherry tomatoes are amazingly sweet this year.  Here is a tasty version of one of my favorite sandwiches!  You can either use the Pesto Dressing (recipe below), blue cheese dressing, italian dressing, or ranch dressing.



Salad:
Mixed Greens
Spinach
Iceberg
Cherry Tomatoes
Avocado
Crumbled Bacon
Gorgonzola (or other preferred cheese)
Shredded Carrots
**Fresh Basil, chopped--secret ingredient!!!

Pesto Dressing:
2 oz red wine vinegar
6 oz light olive oil
1/2 c. prepared pesto (Costco's brand works great)

Grilled Chicken with Cobb Salad

I LOVE Cobb salad.  Here is another slight variation from Food Network (picture from them too).  I wish I could just pull this from my fridge without any effort!

Ingredients

Directions

Pound the chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap with a mallet or heavy skillet until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to a large bowl and add the onion, 3/4 cup buttermilk, the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; reserve the drippings for the dressing. Chop the bacon.
Fill a small bowl with ice water. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook 4 minutes, then transfer 1 egg to the ice water using a slotted spoon. Continue cooking the remaining 2 eggs until hard-boiled, 6 more minutes; drain and let cool.
Make the dressing: Remove the 4-minute egg from the ice water and carefully peel (it will be soft); transfer to a blender. Add the vegetable oil, reserved bacon drippings, remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk, the vinegar, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and blend until smooth and slightly thick, about 1 minute. Refrigerate while you cook the chicken, at least 15 minutes.
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Lightly brush with vegetable oil. Drain the chicken and onion, discarding the garlic; pat the chicken dry. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken, turning once, until just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Grill the onion, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, about 10 minutes; roughly chop.
Peel and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Toss the romaine, grilled onion, tomato, avocado, blue cheese and 1/4 cup of the dressing in a large bowl. Divide the chicken among plates and top with the salad; top with the bacon and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and season with pepper.