Cantaloupe, Prosciutto, and Arugula Salad

I made this to take to a friends house for a late summer dinner as I had been craving both prosciutto/cantaloupe and a salad and google delivered! We tossed in some crumbled goat cheese, too because everything's better with cheese : )

Cantaloupe, Prosciutto, and Arugula Salad

http://www.emerils.com/recipe/7943/

1/4 cup champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil or vegetable-olive oil blend
1 tablespoon minced mixed fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, and parsley)
8 ounces fresh arugula, rinsed and spun dry
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cantaloupe, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into thin wedges
6 to 8 thin slices prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces (I used cubed proscuitto to save some time!)
(added 1/3 C crumbled goat cheese before tossing)

In a mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, shallot, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. While continuously whisking, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Whisk in the herbs, and set aside while you prepare the salad.

In a large bowl, combine the arugula and red onion. Drizzle in 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette to taste, if desired, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

Arrange the cantaloupe wedges on a large serving plate, top with the arugula salad and the prosciutto. Serve immediately.

Helpful Hint: Any unused vinaigrette can be stored in a nonreactive, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

New Years Eve - 2008 (Norm's Paella)

Norm makes one killer Paella. Seriously. He finally got his dad's recipe a few years ago and has since perfected it. We have made it a tradition to have it on Christmas Eve...although this year because of lots of family visits and festivities, we didn't get to have it until New Years Eve.

We spent a quiet night in...and made a night out of eating lots of delicious foods! And lots of wine. Perhaps too much, but that's a whole other story = )

The recipe he uses, makes a ton. So for just the two of us, this is one giant pot of goodness! Not to mention it makes for good leftovers, too.

So we started with a big cheese plate to snack on while dinner cooked. I was so excited to find a basket labeled "just enough" cheeses at the grocery store. Each was just a few ounces...and really "just enough" for two! We had 7 or 8 cheeses (I know, total overkill), apple & pear slices, grapes, olives, quince paste and the cutest litte whole wheat toasts.

And wine...mmmmm wine.

Dinner is served!

I made a tossed salad of baby spinach, apples, walnuts and blue cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Some champagne at midnight. I pumped mine up with pomegranate liquor. Mmmmmm....so good.

Blackberry Basil Vinaigrette

This was great! I made a salad for a get together with some friends....drizzled the dressing o mixed greens, with some goat cheese, thinly sliced red onion and toasted walnuts.

Blackberry Basil Vinaigrette
Source: Southern Living

½ (10oz) jar seedless blackberry preserves
¼ c red wine vinegar (I used balsamic)
6 fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, sliced
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. seasoned pepper
¾ c. vegetable oil (I used about 1/2 c olive oil instead to try to lighten it up)

Pulse preserves and vinegar; add next 4 ingredients. With blender running, add oil slowly. Process until smooth.

Eggless Caesar Salad

This is one of my new favorite salad dressings! I have been on the lookout for an alternative to my ol' standby olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing.

I have made this so many times since we first tried it. This is also from the South Beach Diet Quick and Easy cookbook, but I've been playing with the ingredient amounts to suit our tastes. Personally, I like more dressing, so I upped the amount of everything except the olive oil. I keep tweaking it, but it's really just plain good!

We have also had this salad served with grilled salmon on top for a filling lunch or with grilled mushrooms and asparagus for a little something extra to accompany dinner.

Eggless Caesar Salad
(Source: South Beach Diet Quick & Easy cookbook)

1 T fresh lemon juice
2 anchovy filets, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t dijon mustard
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 T grated parmesan cheese
1 (1 1/2 lb) head romaine lettuce, chopped (8-10 cups)

Whisk together lemon juice, anchovy, garlic and mustard in a large mixing bowl; slowly whisk in oil. Stir in cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lettuce, toss, and serve.
Makes 4 (2-Cup) servings.

160 calories; 15g fat; 2.5g saturated fat; 3 g protein; 4g carb; 2 g fiber; 125 mg sodium