Italian Salad, Dressing, and Pickled Banana Peppers

I am not usually satisfied when I just throw a salad together. I need a recipe, people! This salad and dressing has been my go-to for several years. Of course it tastes best in summer time with ripe ingredients, but it's not too bad in winter either. It tastes best with my homemade pickled banana peppers. I discovered that one of my kids loves these, so this year I am growing two banana pepper plants.

Also, I buy feta cheese from Costco. I divide into fairly small chunks, wrap each chunk in saran wrap, put in a freezer bag, and store in the freezer. That way I can take one chunk out at a time as needed for salad or pizza.

Italian Salad

romaine lettuce, chopped
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
cucumbers, cubed
green onions, sliced
sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, salted (but raw work too)
feta cheese, crumbled
sliced pickled banana peppers (see recipe below)
Italian dressing (see recipe below)

Toss all ingredients together and serve!


Italian Dressing

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 spoonful honey
freshly cracked black pepper

In a blender, add all ingredients. Blend for 20 seconds.


Pickled Banana Peppers

This recipe makes one pint. Scale up if you have more peppers.

8 banana peppers, sliced into rings with most seeds removed
1 small head garlic, peeled
2 c. water
1/4 c. vinegar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

In a clean pint jar, add the banana peppers and garlic. In a small saucepan, add water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to simmer and stir to dissolve salt. Pour the hot brine over the peppers in the jar, making sure to cover the peppers. Allow jar to cool, add a lid, and let sit on counter for 2-3 days. Then store in the refrigerator up to several months.

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

I have avoided buying salad dressings for several years now. The standard dressings are full of junk and don't even taste that good. This dressing goes well on almost anything. I usually leave out the fresh garlic unless I know I'll be using up the dressing within a few days.

On a side note, this summer and fall I've been buying a very tasty, zesty green mix from a local farmer. It tastes amazing with this dressing, and doesn't need anything else. Now that winter has come, I bought the run-of-the-mill romaine hearts from the grocery store to make a salad. I was taken back by the taste - not just a lack of, but actually an unpleasant taste. Can't wait for my local greens to come around again - possibly as soon as March.


Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. water
1 small garlic clove, minced (optional)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 c. olive oil

Stir together all ingredients except olive oil. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking the dressing. Store in the refrigerator for a few weeks, though with fresh garlic, it may not last as long.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Bottled salad dressings have not been seen in my fridge for several years now. My tastes have adjusted, and if I have bottled dressing now, it tastes bad. Too sweet, too salty, too something. Homemade dressings usually take just a few minutes to mix together. They usually store well in the fridge for a week or so, at a minimum.

I've made this blue cheese dressing several times now to go with buffalo wings and celery. It is amazing, really.

Blue Cheese Dressing
from Our Best Bites

1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
A couple tablespoons of milk or buttermilk (optional)

Combine ingredients. If you’d like, thin to desired consistency with milk or buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Kale Barley Salad

This may be my favorite raw kale salad yet! Then again, any salad with blue cheese usually gets my vote. I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch.

Kale Barley Salad
adapted from In Praise of Leftovers

1/2 red onion, cut into thin rings and then into quarters
3/4 cup raw barley, 2 cups cooked barley
1 head curly kale, washed, ribbed, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 c. pan-toasted pecans*, chopped
1/2 c. dried cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 c. crumbled Danish blue cheese (or other firm blue cheese)
zest from one lemon

Dressing:
1 minced garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

For dressing: Mix the first five ingredients in a large measuring cup. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste. Drop in onions and let them marinate for at least 20 minutes.

For salad: Cook barley in lots of boiling water for about 45 minutes. More water will prevent the barley from sticking together. After the barley is done (grains will be soft, but still a little chewy), drain and run cold water over the barley to cool. Drain water. You can do this one day ahead if you want.  Alternatively, cook barley (1 parts barley to 2.5 parts water) in a rice cooker.

Toss barley with kale and most of the pecans, blue cheese, dried cherries, and dressing. Scatter the remaining ingredients, the lemon zest, and a few marinated onions from the dressing over the top. Unlike most salads, this can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours. Add the blue cheese right before serving.

* To toast pecans, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pecans and stir frequently until they start to get dark spots. This takes a few minutes only - be careful not to let the pecans burn.