Chef’s Salad

Ingredients

Any combination of vegetables and deli meats that you like can be used for this salad. The attractive arrangement of the salad ingredients makes it eye-pleasing.

I used the following to make two salad plates.

2 hat boiled eggs, quartered

10 olives

1/4of an onion, sliced thin

1/4 of red bell pepper, sliced thin

1’3 of a cucumber, sliced thin

1 celery stalk, chopped

12 grape tomatoes

1/2 an avocado, sliced

2 slices of deli turkey, cut into thin strips

2 slices deli ham, cut into thin strips

2 slices of Swiss or cheddar cheese

Lettuce

Ranch dressing

Directions

Arrange lettuce leaves over the bottoms of two dinner plates. Add the remaking ingredients in small groups around the plates. See photo. Drizzle each plate with dressing and serve.

Ham and Bean Soup

For this recipe, I used a ham bone I had in the freezer from my Easter ham. If you do not have a ham bone, use two ham hocks

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 cups water
1 large ham bone
1 pound dried navy beans, soaked overnight (see below}
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

The day before
Soak the beans in cold water for at least 8 hours (or up to 24 hours) before cooking.

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in broth, water, hocks, and beans. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans are completely tender and soup is slightly thickened, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the ham bone from the pot to cool, then shred the meat and add to the soup.
Stir in thyme, pepper, and vinegar. Serve for lunch or dinner.

Ham Salad

4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups finely diced baked ham
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Half medium onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
Half a bell pepper, finely diced
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle relish in a large bowl. Add the ham, vegetables, salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir well and refrigerate until serving time.

This salad is also tasty mixed into cooked elbow macaroni for a ham and macaroni salad or as a sandwich filling.


Posted by in Ham, Healthy Italian Cooking, Salad, Soup