This salad with Romaine lettuce recipe is extremely easy and quick to make. There are several options shown for additional items if a heartier salad is desired.
Remove the needed Romain Lettuce leaves and rinse over running cold water. Cutup into bite-sized pieces and place in a large serving or mixing bowl.
½ head Romaine Lettuce
Cutup the shreeded carrots a bit further so they aren't so long (or dice some carrots instead). Add into mixing bowl and add in the diced celery also.
1 cup shredded carrots, 2 stalks celery
Add in the Mrs. Dash. Toss to mix in and distribute all ingredients.
3 tbsp Mrs. Dash
Top each individual salad serving with the sunflower seeds or optionally mix it into the main mixing bowl prior to serving. Ready for applying each individual's preferred salad dressing.
⅓ cup Sunflower Seeds
Notes
This salad is good with any type of salad dressing with common preferences being like Italian, 1000 Island, Balsamic Italian, Ranch, and so on.
Any salad with Romaine lettuce and these suggested ingredients will be noticeably better than a plain iceberg lettuce salad. The Romaine lettuce offers the soft texture from the dark green leafy end, while the base side offers its crunchy experience. It’s nutritional value is well above just good. Read more from a dietician’s article on Eating Well. The article is titled “Is Romaine Lettuce Healthy?“. Also, big on the healthy aspects, is an article from the World’s Healthiest Foods organization here on Romaine Lettuce.
Preparing for a Salad with Romaine Lettuce
Salad with Romaine Lettuce
Salad Recipe with Romaine
In this salad with Romaine, these particular vegetable additions work together exceptionally well for their crunchy texture as well as their nutrients offered. The Mrs. Dash makes it easier for adding in the right balance of added seasonings for that great flavor not usually found in a regular salad.
And topping the salad off with Sunflower Seeds gives it a meaty impact. Not everyone wants those seeds so it’s shown as an option to be left out of the main salad serving bowl and is suited for individual preferences during serving time.
Romaine Lettuce prepare to rinse and cut
Cutting Shredded Carrots
Dicing Celery
Romaine Salad Recipe Ideas
Here are some other ideas for additional items. These items to be added are intended as individual collections of items that can be successfully added to the pre-existing recipe. Adding more than one bulleted collection is not a consideration to pursue, as the result has not been confirmed as being a favorable mix. Also, all additions are considered without Sunflower Seeds being added; however, that remains as an option to retain, if desired.
Add 20 Spanish green olives
Add 3 diced green onions, 2/3 cup Feta Cheese, 1/3 cup sliced/diced black olives
Add 1-1/2 diced fresh tomato
Add 1-1/2 diced fresh tomato, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Add 1-1/2 diced fresh tomato, 8 slices of (diced) salami, 5 slices of (diced) Provolone cheese
Add 1-1/2 diced fresh tomato, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp ground black pepper
For a Chef’s Salad: Add 8 slices of (diced) deli ham, 2/3 cup of cubed cheddar cheese, 1-1/2 diced fresh tomato, optional 3 diced hard-boiled eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
Add 8 slices (crumpled) cooked bacon, 1-1/2 diced fresh tomato. Instead of any dressing, use 3 tbsp. Mayo and 3 tbsp. Sour Cream. Optionally, add any croutons.
Here’s a Green Salad Recipe that has no added ingredients beyond Blue Cheese. It uses Romaine Lettuce and Spinach Leaves.
After this Salad with Romaine Lettuce, other popular salads are also shown.
This recipe for potatoes and green beans has a lot of flexibility while retaining extreme flavor. You can use red potatoes and canned green beans and have this as a recipe for red potatoes and green beans. Or, you can use new potatoes and fresh green beans and have it as a recipe for new potatoes and fresh green beans. Regardless, this potatoes green beans recipe can be quite easily changed to fit many changing needs in your kitchen. You’ll easily learn the answer to “how do you cook green beans and potatoes”.
This recipe for potatoes and green beans also contains some diced onions, celery, and carrots. It's a perfect side dish to complete all vegetable needs for any meal.
Rinse and cutup potatoes in about 1-inch size pieces. Rinse in a colander again and add to a pot of boiling water, covering all potatoes. Cook on a medium boil until done, usually in about 20 minutes.
2 medium potatoes
While potatoes are cooking: In a a preheated (medium heat) large frying pan or skillet, add in the diced onions, celery, and carrots and cook in about 1 tbsp. of oil. While diced veggies are cooking and being stirred, for about 5 minutes, prep the green beans.
¼ medium sweet onion, 1 stalk celery, 6 each baby carrots, 1 tbsp oil
While veggies are cooking, rinse green beans (pinch off string ends, if needed). When veggies cook time is done, toss in the green beans, about 1 tbsp. of oil, and cook all for about 5 more minutes, turning as needed.
½ lb green beans, 1 tbsp oil
When potatoes are tender and done, drain in a colander and add to skillet of other veggies. Add spices. Pour in about 2 tbsp. of oil and gently turn to intermix all vegetables, cooking for about 5 minutes.
½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tbsp oil, ¼ tsp basil
Turn off heat. Sprinkle veggies top with parmesan cheese. Then, gently toss to mix all together and serve.
How to Alter this Recipe for Green Beans with Potatoes
Recipe for red potatoes and green beans
If you use red potatoes, you’ll need to increase the amount of potatoes 3 times the amount called for. And, for paring typically small red potatoes, you can usually just cut them into 4 pieces each. If they’re the larger red potatoes (but still smaller than the usual Russet white potatoes), you might just use 2 times the amount called for. Those will probably be cut into 6 pieces each. And, you usually don’t peel these red potatoes for this recipe.
Recipe for new potatoes and fresh green beans
If you are using new potatoes, these are commonly small at about 2-inches in diameter. You’ll need to decide if you should use about 3 times the amount called for. They’ll be typically cut into about 4 pieces and remain unpeeled.
FAQ for Recipe for Potatoes and Green Beans
Can I use something different from fresh green beans, like canned or frozen?
For canned green beans, it will work perfectly fine. You’ll use just one can, drained, and follow the recipe the same after dumping them in the pan to cook. For a change of pace, you can use French-style cut green beans as well.
For fresh green beans, most of the time they have that little string or stem on at least one end of each bean. With practice, you can snap it off or pierce it off with your finger or cut it with a knife. With this small amount, it doesn’t take very long. Because it’s a fresh bunch of green beans, you’ll want to ensure you do rinse them off and then give a quick shake to get rid of the bulk of the water droplets.
For frozen green beans, the results will vary. Some can be thawed out and used with good results. Others, might result in being too wilted when thawed. You’ll just want to take a mental note of which brand does well for future considerations in your dishes such as this one.
Can I run some cold water over the colander drained, cooked potatoes?
This is not recommended. If unpeeled, the skins will begin to separate. Also, they need to remain hot so it doesn’t cool down the cooking veggies you’re about to add them to. And, the potatoes tend to become a little bit more mushy when this is done.
Main dishes for this recipe for potatoes and green beans
This recipe for zucchini and yellow squash is surprisingly very easy to make. It’s usually ready to serve in about 10 minutes from the start. It’s very colorful and you end up with 2 veggies because you’ve added some onions to the mix.
This squash recipe is very unique and full of flavor as a side dish for just about any meal. It's quick to prepare and cooks rapidly. It's often ready in 10 minutes or less.
Set burner to medium high to preheat a skillet or fry pan. Then, add in all mixing bowl ingredients and cook for about 4-5 minutes, only turning veggies about once per ½-minute. Can drop heat to medium, as needed, to manage the browning. Not recommended for covering. Ready to serve.
Notes
Best flavor sesame oil is the dark brown one, often referenced as “roasted sesame oil”. To save, you can use 1/2 sesame oil and 1/2 vegetable oil. Optionally, add in salt, if desired.
Why this is the best zucchini and yellow squash recipe
This is the best way to make zucchini and yellow squash because it has so much to offer. It’s healthy as it doesn’t use salt. It has a wonderful flavor of sesame with both its sesame oil and sesame seeds. We use roasted sesame oil to ensure the unique sesame flavoring stands out. It has a second vegetable usage of the sweet onion. And it has a bit of zest with the touch of cayenne red pepper. You can change that to red pepper flakes if you choose to. And, the method of prepping and cooking ensures it won’t get mushy. And finally, for presentation, it has the green, yellow, and white colors, along with a small amount of browning. Perfect.
Do I peel the Zucchini and Yellow Squash before slicing them?
This is optional. Some people like to peel at least some of it because the skin adds too much “texture” to the dish. Others just don’t like any kind of squash with any skin. So, it’s strictly a personal preference. I usually do the halfway in-between to end up with a final result of a happy middle-of-the-road result. Also, by leaving some of the skin intact, you retain some of the color along with skin’s added nutrients. The skin of both types are high in nutritional value (and they differ between the 2 kinds); however, the yellow squash is usually much thicker than zucchini and at least a little bit of peeling of the yellow is desired by people.
Recipe using Zucchini and Yellow Squash
This recipe uses Zucchini squash and Yellow squash. You actually can double up on one kind of squash if you chose to and make this recipe with just one kind. So, if you have a preference, there’s your biggest flexibility.
Here are some main dishes that are great to serve this Zucchini and Yellow Squash Recipe
So, is it green squash, yellow squash, or Zucchini squash? What’s the difference?
Yellow: Well, there are several kinds of squash that are yellow (including yellow zucchini squash) but the kind we see in grocery stores (yellow squash) is also known as straight neck squash. There is a yellow squash known as crookneck squash but it has bumps over it.
Green: There are several kinds of green squash (including zucchini). There is a yellow zucchini, referred as golden zucchini squash. It has the unique star-shaped end that regular green zucchini has. Zucchini can grow to as long as 3 feet but are usually harvested earlier to the common 6-10 inches. Mostly, we see the green zucchini.
Both taste similar to us but the zucchini green squash is more bitter.
Is Squash a fruit, vegetable, or what?
It’s actually a cucurbits, from the Gourd family, like a pumpkin. So, in this case, it’s from the fruit family. So, like the tomato, we common people continue to put it under the vegetables. Why? Probably because it doesn’t seem sweet to us, we often cook it to eat it, and finally, because it’s more vegetable-ish to us. Healthline.com has more on the squash fruit story. And Better.me talks more on the nutrition of yellow squash. However, Wikipedia refers to Zucchini as a vegetable. And we often refer to zucchini as its own name instead of calling it squash at times. So, in the end, who really knows?
Is the Potato or Squash more nutritional?
It’s a tradeoff between the two. One will have more of some things than the other, with some good and some not desired as much, and vice versa.
This is the long time Southern way of how to make onion rings homemade. It includes a time-tested buttermilk batter for onion rings recipe. And it’s seasonings can’t be beat.
This seasoned recipe is how to make onion rings homemade. It's battered and pan fried in very little oil. It can be an appetizer or side dish. It includes a flavorful dipping sauce.
Peel onions and slice thick (about ⅓ to ½-inch). Optionally, remove the inner thin membrane of each ring.
3 medium sweet onions
Push out rings from the onion thick slices and set aside. Cover with paper towel (not sealed in plastic or lid).
Mix the batter ingredients together in a bowl.
⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup yellow corn meal, 1½ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, 1⅓ cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, ⅓ cup water
Add in optional batter seasoning ingredients, if desired, and mix well. Put all the onion rings into the batter and gently mix them up to coat.
½ tsp Garlic Powder, ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Heat the frying pan with the small layer of frying oil (about ⅛-¼ inch deep) to about medium high.
½ cup oil
After oil is hot, place each battered ring into the pan until it's a little less than full.
About 30-45 seconds after insertion, slightly move each ring to ensure they're not sticking to the pan. When slightly browned on bottom, turn over. Repeat slightly moving each turned ring to ensure they're not sticking. Turn over again if needed to ensure they've browned reasonably well.
As each piece is done, place into a paper towel lined serving bowl.
The best onion rings recipe has to have this special, homemade onion rings batter. Using buttermilk and egg, it’s the base of the batter for homemade onion rings. It can be lumpy or not; doesn’t matter. But, it can’t be too thin.
How thick to make the batter for homemade onion rings
So, if you’ve ended up with it being too thin, just add a bit more flour to tighten it up. The batter will drip off of the coated onion ring but not too fast. When you look at the onion ring, if you see no onion and you see all batter, it’s probably a bit too thick. On the same token, if you see all onion, it’s probably too thin. Just look for that happy middle. To be safe, it’s better to make it too thick than too thin.
Seasoning for Onion Rings
There are seasonings in onion rings batter, believe it or not. While you can leave them out, it would taste more classic but still have good texture due to the batter itself. For that extra surprising flavor, you actually add in onion powder to the batter. That’s right. When an onion becomes fried, it loses some of its onion taste. Also, the crispy coating of the onion ring has no onion taste to speak of. So, if you happened to have a moderate or thick batter, your outer breading will now taste full of flavor, instead of like a fried bread.
Also, take note of the optional seasonings of garlic and black pepper. These are not classic but more for a gourmet added flavor, if you choose to venture with that. I recommend you don’t add those in on your first use of this recipe, until you’re sure you want to venture further. I reserve using those optional seasonings for when I’m cooking a hearty main course such as a ribeye steak, for example.
Onion Rings Recipe Fried
Forming Onion Rings
Onion Rings in Batter
Frying Coated Onion Rings in Thin Oil Layer
Finished Onion Rings Homemade
You can cook this onion rings recipe fried in a thin layer of oil in a frying pan or skillet. You can also deep fry it if you usually go that route. I’ve used an air fryer but it’s been messy and the results are inconsistent; it generally only worked when they’re frozen first and then sprayed with a light oil coating. As we’re about speedy, easy, and tasty, the air fryer or baking cooking method on this recipe is not recommended.
Why does the batter separate from the onion rings during frying?
This is possibly due to one of 2 reasons.
There is a very thin membrane on each ring. During frying, it shrinks more than the onion itself. So, the batter coating of the membrane will pull away during the shrinkage process.
The onion rings were too wet for the batter to adhere very well. Some people will cut the raw onion rings and soak them in water for various valid reasons (to reduce tears, to reduce its sulfur content, etc.). Then, they might drain the onions and put them directly into the batter, which won’t stick very well. While you can still follow the soaking in water method (not used in the recipe), you’ll need to plan ahead and dry them out a bit before they go into the batter. The recipe uses a method of loosely covering the onion rings (not tight) to allow them to dry after the immediate cutting. This offers an almost near immediate usage.
The Onion Rings with Sauce
You can make any kind of a dipping sauce you want but I’ve enjoyed a number of them that are in either fast food or Australian style. Our own fantastic tasting onion rings dipping sauce recipe is just below.
Cauliflower and broccoli are two healthy vegetables that go great together in a salad. This cauliflower broccoli salad is a great healthy way to get your vegetables and make a delicious meal or side salad, all at the same time. It’s also a great idea for using leftover fresh veggies.
You’ll also see below some recipe options to create different variations as well as those that will emphasize broccoli over cauliflower.
This cauliflower broccoli salad recipe is easy to make yet it contains a lot of vegetables. It has a creamy dressing mixed in. Also, it is very flexible and many options and substitutions are shown.
cauliflower broccoli salad all ingredients before mixing
cauliflower broccoli salad finished
Cauliflower Broccoli Salad Recipes
Cauliflower and broccoli are both cruciferous vegetables that are great for your health. They are low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Above is the main salad recipe. Below are a few optional changes that give you multiple recipes that will help you get the most out of these powerhouse veggies.
Keep in mind that this is a very specific set of ingredients for that unique set of melded flavors. If you drop or change an item not mentioned below, it will take on a very different experience. The list here provides you with tested options of deleting or replacing some of the ingredients. There are times where you might be out of something or you have a different preference. These are individual potential variations, not a combined set of items to implement them all at once.
add crumbled bacon pieces (equivalent to about 2-3 slices)
melt bacon drippings and mix it in right away (about 2 tbsp.) gives you the bacon flavor
change the Ranch dressing for Italian dressing
drop radishes, celery, carrots, vinegar
increase amount of cauliflower and broccoli (1/2 cup total increased)
It is not recommended to replace the parmesan with cheddar cheese. The parmesan cheese can be the freshly grated or the store-bought granulated kind.
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipes
If you want to emphasize the broccoli, you’ll need to make this a recipe for broccoli and cauliflower salad. These are the ingredients changes you’ll also need to make.
Change the quantities of cauliflower and broccoli to be reversed. In other words, you’ll have more broccoli than cauliflower.
Drop these ingredients from the Dressing: dry mustard, radishes, and vinegar.
Recipe for broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon
Looking for a way to turn broccoli and cauliflower into a tasty salad? This recipe for broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon is sure to do the trick! The combination of flavors and textures is sure to please everyone.
If you want to make a set of alterations to make this a recipe for broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon, here’s what you need to change. The flavor will be different because broccoli will be standing out more and there is a certain combination of ingredients that will be better suited.
First, you reverse the quantities of cauliflower and broccoli. In other words, you’ll have more broccoli than cauliflower.
Second, you’ll need to drop the dry mustard, radishes, and vinegar. And, this also means that you shouldn’t substitute Italian dressing for the Ranch dressing.
Finally, cook about 3 slices of bacon and set it aside. When cooled off a bit, go ahead and crumble it up into the salad mixing bowl. When ready to finish it up, pour in the drippings you just made but not to exceed 2 tablespoons of those drippings. You should mix it up well immediately after pouring in those drippings.
FAQ for
How much broccoli salad per person
How much broccoli salad per person? That really depends on the recipe variations you might have chosen to use. A simple broccoli salad might call for just a cup of broccoli florets per person, but a more elaborate recipe, such as the one above that includes cauliflower, could easily make the entire salad amount to be about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup. The good news is that broccoli and cauliflower are both relatively affordable vegetables, so you can afford to make plenty of salad for everyone. And leftovers are always a bonus!
Do you cook the broccoli for broccoli salad?
There are many different recipes for broccoli salad, but one question always remains: do you cook the broccoli or leave it raw?
While this recipe and its variations do not intend for it to be cooked, the answer to this question depends on your preference. Some people prefer the crunch of raw broccoli, while others find it too strong. If you’re looking for a more mellow flavor, cooking the broccoli will soften it and make it less intense.
However, if you’re looking for a bit of a crunch in your salad, then leave the broccoli raw, as is the focus of this recipe and its variations. Either way, the dressing will help to bring out the flavors of the broccoli and cauliflower.
Can I make broccoli salad the night before?
Yes, you can make broccoli salad the night before. In fact, many people find that making it ahead of time allows the flavors to blend together better.
How long does broccoli salad last?
When it comes to how long broccoli salad can last in the fridge, it really depends on the ingredients that are used. For example, if mayonnaise is included, it will only last for a few days. But, if vinegar is used as the main dressing ingredient, it can last up to two weeks. However, vinegar is not the main ingredient in this recipe and their optional variations. Overall, broccoli salad is a fairly healthy and safe option to eat when stored in the fridge for a few days. The broccoli will give off a strong scenario in the air when you remove its covering, but this is to be expected. The longest plan of retention should be about 3 days max.
Can you eat too much broccoli and cauliflower?
When most people think about eating their vegetables, they think of things like carrots and celery. But cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are also great for you. In fact, you can eat a lot of them without worrying about overdoing it.
That’s because cruciferous vegetables are low in calories and high in nutrition. They’re a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Other Salad Ideas
Here are some other salad ideas that are totally different from each other.
Background of This Cauliflower Broccoli Salad Recipe
This recipe for salad with broccoli and cauliflower is very unique and has a specific set of ingredients. The combination has been developed over a 10-year period and was locked down in 2020 as a final set of confirmed and accepted flavors. You’ll want to use caution about exchanging or deleting some items as the entire intended flavors might shift from being very good to just being good. We’ve included advance notes on what changes and deletions do work well and will suit your individual preferences for taste.
Resources of Cauliflower Broccoli Salad Recipe
Here is some outside information on some of this recipe’s ingredients. It’s interesting to read about recipe ingredients as they give insight sometimes about what might be related for combining for different tastes. It also gives ideas of nutritional values, storage, and historical information.
In conclusion, this cauliflower broccoli salad recipe is a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables. It is delicious and easy to make. So next time you are looking for a new salad recipe to try, be sure to give this one a go!
