Midnight Salad

[VickiLynn]

1 head cauliflower
1 bunch (about 1 lb) broccoli
10 large, pitted black olives
1 box cherry tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts
Your favorite Italian salad dressing (I use this one--  http://boards.letsdolunch.com/boards/in ... pic=8324.0 )

Cut cauliflower and broccoli into bite-sized chunks. Slice the olives, halve the cherry tomatoes, and slice the onion into rings.  Drain and rinse the water chestnuts, and mix with the other veggies in a very large serving bowl.  Add dressing until well coated and mix well.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  Mix once or twice while marinating and again before serving.

[LINDA RN]

You can even add rinsed beans to this. It is similar to the bean salad Deborah D makes and I was thinking about adding the broccoli and cauliflower to hers. It is so good.

[VickiLynn]

Linda,

I haven't tried Deborah's salad.  Do you have the link?

[LINDA RN]

Her ya go! She posted it in her Journal

BEANS, BEANS, GOOD FOR YOUR HEART!

3 cans cut or whole greens beans (no French cut)---I leave this out of my salad
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 can black beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can Great Northern
1 can black eye peas
1 can Bush's chili beans
1 can white kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
3 carrots sliced very thin
1 large bottle of Zesty Italian dressing
 
 
All beans drained and rinsed until they don't foam anymore.  If you open a can of beans that look too soft or mushy, don't use them in the salad.  Pour them in a baggie and save to use in something else.  You can use as many different types of beans as you can find, but the more beans you use the more dressing you will need.
 
And to change up your bean salad, you can add black or green olives, a jar of roasted red peppers (pimentos), some pickled banana-pepper rings or anything you think would be good in your salad.  Pickled onions, tiny pickled corn, pickled cauliflower!! 

Go crazy, girl and enjoy.

Deborah D.

[Jessica]

Sounds great!!  I am going to have to try this!! ~jess

[LINDA RN]

I started with this salad, but added chopped romain lettuce, diced fresh tomatoes and diced fresh pickling cucumbers. So good and so filling. Figured some carrots, broccoli and caulifower would taste good in it too.

[VickiLynn]

Linda,

Thank you for the recipe.  I LOVE 3-bean salad and the Midnight Salad too.  Now have another cold salad to serve in place of our used to be potatoes.

Vicki

[wendysgoodnews]

What can we use for oil instead of olive oil?  I have a recipe close to this where you use Zesty Italian to make the salad.  But when I made it a while back it gels in the fridge because of the olive oil.  I saw canola oil being used in a couple recipes, is this LDL approved and does it not gel in the fridge?

[LINDA RN]

Wendy,

Today I mixed the beans and chopped fresh tomatoes in one storage bowl. Chopped the salad fixin's in another bowl. and put in frig. Then took out an eatin' bowl, chopped lettuce in it, spooned the beans on, then topped it with the salad stuff (chopped bell peppers (red, orange, yellow), green onion, radishes, picklin' cukes, and seeded jalepenos-did not have an green bells on hand). then drizzled the italian over it. DH thought that bacon bits would have topped it off. I was thinking about roasting some chick peas with a generous coating of roasted paprika until crisp and see how that tasted in it.

[VickiLynn]

saw canola oil being used in a couple recipes, is this LDL approved and does it not gel in the fridge?

Wendy,

From page 117 in Roger's red book approved list: "Oils--canola (Puritan), olive, safflower, Wesson vegetable oil".  
I use Puritan on my 3-bean salad and the Midnight Salad.  I tried olive oil the second time I made 3-bean salad having used canola oil the first time and preferred the taste of the canola oil because it has a lighter taste and doesn't overpower the taste of the dressing. Also, most of the dressing sinks to the bottom of the bowl and before serving I give the salad and good stir and then use a slotted spoon to serve the salad(s) -- just a little of the dressing stays on the veggies.

Linda,

Are you speaking about the Midnight Salad or Deborah's recipe?  Are you using Zesty Italian Dressing? If so, does it have sugar in it?  If not, which brand are you using?

[LINDA RN]

I am using the Zesty Italian Dressing. I prefer sugar to Corn Syrup or artificial sweeteners. Don't really have the time to make my own right now. Maybe when I retire????

[wendysgoodnews]

Thanks for all the help.  I am making the marinated salad today that we have made for years and decided to put red beans and garbanzo beans in it in place of the spaghetti noodles.  I decided to use the zesty packages and make it myself with just a drop of olive oil and then add more vinegar and see how we like that.

[CodingQueen]

Wendy,

I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil (it has a lighter taste than the regular) in all my salad dressings. I just remove the salad about 1/2 hour before serving.

CQ

[Gwennaford]

Please try Newman's Own Salad Dressing, Light Italian con Limone if you can find it.  Unbelievably good taste.  I have tried and tried to duplicate it and can't.

Keep looking for it at different stores.  I find it crops up in unexpected places and in stores that didn't have it before.

Amazon grocery wanted $31 for six bottles PLUS $14 shipping = more than $5 a bottle    We will have to keep watching Amazon for free shipping.

[LINDA RN]

Went to Wal-Mart today and they put corn syrup back in the Zesty Italian. I double check the bottle I had at home and it did say sugar. Did not buy any of that but bought Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar. Have not tried it yet. Did not have any Newman's Italian at all. I did find the Good Seasons carafe to make my own.