Linderhof, Hope you won't be too exasperated but I've read about your Plan B several times but never wrote it down!

I've been "assigned" bringing a green salad plus the rolls/bread for Christmas Day at DH's family. No problem, I was planning on a spinach with strawberries salad (thought it would be festive with the green and red plus everyone would like it) but, alas, no fresh strawberries available here so on to Plan B....

I don't have a Plan B so will yours work? It's going to be a Turkey dinner prepared by the hostess with all of the usual fixings including asparagus plus, I am sure, lots of vegetable platters so will your Brocculi crowns with Grape tomatoes meet the "green salad" definition or would it be considered more as just an extension of the "vegie" appetizers?

Don't want to disappoint anyone's expectations re a green salad (leafy?) but think your Plan B does sound good! In a pinch, I thought that perhaps I could find some frozen strawberries and go with my original salad although I've never tried using them.

HELP !!!

Because it is dressed with salad dressing, I would consider it a salad -- not an extension of a veggie platter with a Ranch type dip. I've even made it a pasta salad by adding pasta to it. I suppose you could add spinach to it, dress it just before you serve it and then it would have "leaves" -- and I think the combo of spinach, broccoli (which I think with the spinach would have to be cut into pieces about the size of the cherries tomatoes) and the cherry tomatoes would be a good salad.

I would probably do a package of baby spinach, a package of broccoli crowns, that I would cut down into smaller crowns, and the small package of cherry tomatoes, cut in half. And I'm not sure I would use a whole bottle of dressing, I would pour and toss, see where you're at, and pour and toss, until everything is coated but there really isn't anything in the bottom of the bowl.

Martha

As to frozen strawberries -- they would work if you took them from the freezer and put them in your salad and then it was promptly eaten. But if it's going to be passed, and the strawberries have a chance to thaw, I don't think that they would be pretty or good in that salad.

Martha

You could also replace the strawberries with mandarin (canned) oranges in your original green salad.

Thanks for the responses, Linderhof and Annon! I think I'm going to go with the idea of mixing in baby spinach with the brocculi crowns and cherry tomatoes (actually, for some reason, we only seem to get the grape tomatoes here recently - no cherries) so it will be grape tomatoes, cut in half, which will work fine since they are larger than the cherries and I have an all time favorite "store-bought" dressing on hand ~ "Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian" that I think will meld well.

I was hesitant about using frozen strawberries for the same reason as you ~ afraid they would be mushy, unattractive and add to much water! So frozen is out!

Annon, great thinking about the mandarin oranges ~ I love them and actually have a case of them in the garage ~ but, for the Christmas dish, I was hoping for green/red so will experiment creating a salad with them and spinach at a later time. Thanks for the suggestion!

Will let you know how the salad turns out!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Idaho Resident:
(actually, for some reason, we only seem to get the grape tomatoes here recently - no cherries) so it will be grape tomatoes, cut in half, which will work fine since they are larger than the cherries. [QUOTE]


I always thought the fruit of grape tomatoes are smaller by about a half, more elongated, sweeter, lower in water content and have thicker skin than cherry tomatoes which has made them popular for use in salads as they are easier to manage than the larger, juicier cherry tomatoes.

One of my favorite salads is spinach, thinly sliced red onions, pink grapefruit sections and a good Italian dressing.

I use both grape and cherries for this salad -- whichever they may have OR whichever is less expensive. They definitely are interchangable in this recipe!

Martha

What about pomegranate seeds--they are red and are in season. Use a poppy seed or french dressing and I would still add some mandarin oranges too!

16 paws, Thanks for the suggestion. Actually pomegranates were my first thought as well but they are NOT in season here. We get the first ones about the last week of September and the last ones the week of Thanksgiving. After December 1, they are nowhere to be seen here in our grocery stores until next fall.

I've decided to go with baby spinach, brocculi crowns and sliced grape tomatoes with Italian dressing and maybe a few croutons as well ~ will let you all know if is a success!

PS. Spanish Revival, it's been so long since our local grocery stores have had cherry tomatoes that I had forgotten that some were larger than the grape variety! Think I was thinking about the only ones I've had lately - ones I grow myself every summer - Sweet 100's!

And you are right - the grape tomatoes do seem to have a thicker skin - wonder why?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Idaho Resident,

I use fresh oranges in my winter holiday salads - with field greens or other leafy lettuce - and thinly sliced red onion - dress with an oil and basalmic vinegar dressing sweetened with honey. I toss the salad and arrange on plates before placing on the table - pomegranate seeds would look wonderful - and I have used toasted walnuts as an addition as well. I take the peel off of two oranges and section the orange sections from in between the white membrane - catch the juices and add it to the dressing.