Or in our case you can make it two days in a row because it’s that good!!

We’re definitely on a salad kick right now and I’m loving it.

And my body is pretty stoked too!

The keys to a great chopped salad are 1) fresh ingredients, 2) a variety of colors and textures, and 3) a dressing that compliments but doesn’t overpower.

Make it your own with your favorite Mediterranean ingredients – you could easily add or sub Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, capers….

The perfect dressing for this Mediterranean Chopped Salad is our Lemon Herb Vinaigrette.

I chose fresh oregano and parsley as our herbs and added a teaspoon of dried oregano as well. The fresh lemon juice and red wine vinegar add a gentle one-two punch.

Our Mediterranean Chopped Salad was a hit at my sister’s birthday celebration dinner.

We paired it with gorgeous grilled ribeye steaks and au gratin potatoes. We brought the Steakhouse dinner in-house and it couldn’t have been better.

I mentioned making this salad two days in a row.

Truth.

We devoured it the first night, so I made Mediterranean Chopped Salad again and served it with grilled chicken and shrimp for a light dinner. So delicious!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Whether you enjoy this salad as a side to a bigger meal or top it with chicken or shrimp and call it dinner, the flavors will keep them coming back for more!

Course Salad

Cuisine Meiterranean

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the Mediterranean Chopped Salad

• 4 cups iceburg lettuce chopped
• 2 hearts of romaine chopped
• 1 cup castelvetrano or kalamata olives sliced
• 1 16 ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• 1 small red onion fine diced
• 2 persian cucumbers diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 8 ounces feta cheese diced or crumbled
• 1 cup roasted beets diced

For the Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

• 8 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 cup fresh oregano and parsley leaves stems discarded
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic

Instructions

For the Mediterranean Chopped Salad

• Place chopped lettuce in the base of a large salad bowl. Top with remaining ingredients. Drizzle with Lemon Herb Dressing and toss.

For the Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

• Combine all ingredients in a glass jar with lid and shake vigorously. Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The post Chopped Mediterranean Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Growing up in beautiful New England was a blessing for so many reasons.  The small town simple life made way for creativity and adventure.  As kids we walked to school, rode our bikes to the lake, climbed ‘the mountain’ for fun, went to every Friday night basketball game, and loved our lobsters & chowders, grinders, maple syrup, and New England Boiled Dinners.  Each year as we welcome in the Autumn season I think of soups and stews and pumpkins and foliage and New England.

This was the view from our back yard and this link gives you a live view of Mt. Monadnock.  So even from 1200 miles away I can be reminded of her beauty with the click of a button.  Very cool.

The town I grew up in, Jaffrey, New Hampshire, is perhaps most known for our glorious mountain, Mount Monadnock.  Her rocky peak can be seen from as far away as Boston on a clear day.  Over 100,000 people hike Mount Monadnock each year, making it the second most climbed mountain in the world, and perhaps the most painted and written about mountain in America.  Ralph Waldo Emderson’s poem Monadnoc suggested there is much to learn from the spiritual balance of nature that is ever present on the mountain.  His writing inspired Henry David Thoreau, who himself camped on the side of Mount Monadnock.

New England is certainly rich in history, however less recognized for her cuisine.  Yes, Lobsters and Chowders are probably the first things that come to mind, but New England Boiled Dinner has earned her place in the history books.  According to Presidential lore (and a wonderful article published in Yankee Magazine), it seems President Grover Cleveland, who was mostly an everyday Joe, came into his presidency on the heals of a food snob.  The former President, Chester Arthur, favored French dining and insisted on each dish being called by it’s French name.  One evening President Cleveland caught a whiff of the unmistakable glorious aroma of New England Boiled Dinner wafting from the servants quarters.  He traded his dinner for theirs and later declared “It was the best dinner I had had for months.”

New England Boiled Dinner is ‘meat and potatoes’ in it’s most pure and simplest form.  In the early days, cold winter nights called for well stoked fires.  Well stoked fires invited big pots of inexpensive and readily available ingredients, such as root vegetables straight from the garden and a big piece of fatty meat for flavoring.  This one pot meal might just be THE dish that made leftovers sexy.  Have I told you about Red Flannel Hash?

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New England Boiled Dinner {Corned Beef & Cabbage}

New England Boiled Dinner is ‘meat and potatoes’ in it’s most pure and simplest form. It’s a wonderfully hearty one dish meal the whole family will enjoy.

Course Entree

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 lb. corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
• 20 peppercorns optional
• 10 whole cloves optional
• 2 bay leaves optional
• 3-4 small turnips peeled and quartered
• 4-6 red new potatoes peeled and cut in half
• 4-6 large carrots peeled and cut in half
• 3-4 small onion peeled
• 2-3 parsnips peeled and cut in half
• 1 small head cabbage cut into fourths
• 3-4 beets peeled, reserved to cook separately
• crusty bread optional
• softened butter optional

Instructions

• Place corned beef and seasoning packet in a large Dutch oven and completely cover with water. If you are using corned beef brisket that does not come with a seasoning packet, add peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves to the pot.
• Bring to a simmer and then cover. Maintain a gentle low simmer for 3 1/2 – 4 hours until the meat is tender when a fork is inserted.
• Remove the meat and cover with foil to keep warm. Add all vegetables (except the beets) to the pot, increase the temperature and bring to a low boil/high simmer. Continue cooking 20-30 minutes longer until vegetables are tender.
• For the beets, peel and quarter. Wrap in parchment paper and microwave for 8-10 minutes until just fork tender.
• To slice the meat, locate the direction of the grain, then thinly slice against the grain.
• Serve family style on a large platter with a side of reserved broth, a big crusty bread, and plenty of softened butter.

The post New England Boiled Dinner {Corned Beef & Cabbage} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Red Flannel Hash might be characterized as New England Boiled Dinner‘s better half.  As the story goes, no Boiled Dinner is officially over until the last of the red flannel hash is served.  And since no boiled dinner has ever been eaten in just one sitting, this heavenly hash is the icing on the cake if you will.

Red Flannel Hash is not much more than chopped up meat, potatoes, onion, and beets (which give this dish it’s signature red color) but it’s what you do with these ingredients that makes this hash….as comfy as your favorite flannel pajamas.

In cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat and saute onion until tender.  Add garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and saute another minute.  Throw in the diced cooked corned beef, potatoes, and beets and and let is sizzle in the pan.  Resist stirring…we’re looking for a nice crispy bottom before we give the whole thing a big flip.  Trust me the buttery crunchy bits make this hash….special.  Continue cooking until bottom is nicely browned.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Serve topped with poached eggs.

The salty flavors of the corned beef snuggled up to the warmth of the onion and potatoes and wrapped in a blanket of subtle sweetness from the beets….oh my my Red Flannel Hash, how I love you.

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Red Flannel Hash {Sunday Brunch}

Course Breakfast

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 Tbl. butter
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp. lemony thyme minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups cooked corned beef cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cooked potatoes cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cooked beets cubed
• additional butter if needed
• 4 eggs for poaching

Instructions

• Melt butter in large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and saute until tender.
• Add garlic, thyme, salt & pepper and saute and additional minute.
• Add cubed corned beef, potatoes, and beets.
• Press down with spatula and continue cooking over medium heat until bottom becomes crispy brown, 7-10 minutes.
• Flip entire mixture, adding additional butter if sticking to the pan, press down with spatula.
• Continue cooking an additional 5-7 minutes until crispy brown.
• Serve topped with poached eggs.

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