Tag Archive for: side dish

Refreshing Summer Watermelon Salad

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.

If there’s a Summer fruit I can’t stop eating, it’s the watermelon. I just love the crunch and the sweetness. I’m always happy when I find a watermelon that’s just perfectly ripe. And so I got a local one from my veggie deliverer and it slipped my mind that I never tried watermelon in a salad. I’ve seen people use it in a salad, so I tried and used it in a salad that we normally make at home all the time, but replace tomatoes with watermelon.

Haaa, a new world opened. So delicious!

So I’m sharing the watermelon salad recipe I made with you to try and enjoy. It’s extremely simple and so incredibly delicious. And if you’re into salads that include summer fruit, check my cucumber and peach salad.

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.

For this salad, you’ll need a perfectly ripe watermelon. I prefer to go a bit underripe than overripe because overly ripe watermelon is too sweet for my taste and it also doesn’t hold its shape as nicely. You’ll also need some cucumbers, black olives and Feta cheese. and to top it all off you’ll need some fresh basil leaves and a few simple ingredients to make the vinaigrette – olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt and crushed white or red pepper.

Very simple, y’all know I like simple foods 🙂

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.
When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.
When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.
Print

Refreshing Summer Watermelon Salad

Course Salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

  • 600 g watermelon, deseeded and cubed (1.3 lb)
  • 200 g cucumber, sliced (7 oz)
  • 200 g Feta cheese (7 oz)
  • 200 g black olives (7 oz)
  • 10-15 basil leaves

Lime Vinaigrette

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • juice of 1 lime
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp white or red pepper, crushed
  • zest of 1 lime

Instructions

Lime Vinaigrette

  1. Whisk olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper and lime zest in a small bowl to get an emulsified vinaigrette.

Salad

  1. Combine watermelon, cucumber, Feta cheese and olives, and mix.

  2. Pour over the vinaigrette and toss to coat the salad.

  3. Chill for at least 30 minutes

  4. Once chilled place fresh basil leaves on top and serve.

When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.
When it comes to refreshing salads nothing beats a refreshing watermelon salad inspired by Greek salad.

Bacon & Radicchio Risotto

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

Hi guys!

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite risotto recipes. I’ve cooked and improved it over the years. Although it has some pretty basic ingredients it has so much flavor and attitude.

It’s the season of radicchio and we eat it almost every day. Mostly in salads, but now and then we love to cook this creamy delicious risotto.

And in case you’re wondering if risotto is hard to make, because it needs to be of a specific consistency, it’s not hard, you just need to keep an eye on your risotto.

A perfect risotto should have be a bit on the ofter side of al dente and have a little bit of a creamy, not too runny, sauce.

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

Does radicchio risotto taste bitter?

It does, a little. Certainly far less than the raw radicchio. With cooking it looses a lot of its bitterness and the flavor is enhanced.

All other flavors that are in this risotto help elevate the flavor of radicchio and they also tame the bitterness. So you shouldn’t worry about the risotto being bitter, you probably won’t even notice it.

I have been making this risotto using bacon for ages. The traditional Italian version doesn’t include any meats and if you’re not a fan of bacon, you can substitute it with pancetta. You would still get the meaty flavor without the smokiness. Or you can omit the meat and get a rather traditional risotto, which is also very delicious.

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

In case you love risottos as much as I do, I have some other amazing recipes:

Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese

Wild Garlic Risotto

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!
Print

Bacon & Radicchio Risotto

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings as a side dish

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice (200 g)
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick finely chopped
  • 50 g bacon cubed into 0,5cm (1/4 inch) cubes
  • 150 g radicchio cut into small pieces (2.5 cm / 1 inch)
  • 2 TBSP pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 4 cups vegetable broth simmering
  • ground pepper
  • 1 TBSP butter or olive oil for finishing

Instructions

  1. Place bacon cubes into a frying pan and cook over medium-low heat until golden and crisp.

  2. Continuing cooking over medium-high heat, add finely chopped onions and celery. Cook until translucent.

  3. Add radicchio, pine nuts, and rice cook for a minute until the radicchio wilts a bit.

  4. Add wine and wait until it evaporates. Season with some black pepper and continue cooking by adding one ladle of simmering broth at a time, waiting to completely absorb into rice before adding another ladle. When rice is on the soft side of al dente, the risotto is done.

  5. Remove from the stove and add a tablespoon of butter or olive oil.

  6. Serve immediately.

A creamy and smokey radicchio risotto with bacon is a cozy winter dish that everyone will love! A traidtional Italian recipe with a twist!

Persimmon Salad With Orange Dressing

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

Time for another hearty salad. I posted a recipe for a fruity winter salad in the winter and now I’m posting another recipe for a salad that uses delicious seasonal fruits. This time it is persimmons. One of my favorite fruits of the season. One other way I like preparing them is to make homemade pudding, with no starch whatsoever.

Okay, back to the salad. For this salad you can use any variety of persimmons that has a solid center when ripe, so you can cut it in slices or wedges. The varieties that are only ripe when gooey are not okay, since they won’t hold its shape and honestly the texture would probably feel awful in a salad. So let’s stick with a solid meat persimmon! But make sure they are ripe.

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

What other ingredients are in this persimmon salad?

Lots of green leafy lettuce. You can uuse any variety you like or have in your garden. I used endive in my salad. The other leafy lettuce I used is radicchio. I love it both for color and its flavor.

There’s also some thinly shaved carrots for bite and freshness. And I topped it all with some chopped almonds and goat cheese.

And now the best part…

The orange dressing. This persimmon salad wouldn’t be so delicious without the orange dressing. The orange adds a nice freshness to the salad and I also added a little turmeric, just because we all need to boost our immune systems right now, do you agree?

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.

Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
Print

Persimmon Salad With Orange Dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Persimmon Salad

  • half of a green leafy lettuce chpped into bite sizes
  • half of a radicchio chopped into bite sizes
  • 1 small carrot sliced with a peeler
  • 2 small persimons cut into thin slices or small wedges
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese (100g)
  • 2 TBPS almonds chopped

Orange Dressing

  • 2 TBSP freshy squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pinch of turmeric
  • pinch of black pepper

Instructions

  1. Add all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, close the lid and shake util well blended.

  2. Place all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl, pour over the dressing and toss to coat all the ingredients.

You can find the recipe in Slovene here.

When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.
When it comes to fall salads this persimmon salad is a winner. With the smoothest dressing made with olive oil and fresh orange juice this is a perfect fall lunch.