Take-out Tuesday, Strawberry Coleslaw Salad & Crispy Buttermilk Rings

the Painted Apron

10 years ago

Here are 2 easy peasy summer sides, a refreshing summer salad and crispy thin onion rings

This salad is light and fresh, and can be a meal in itself or a side dish

This is a twist on coleslaw with the addition of romaine lettuce, bacon and strawberries with a mustard vinaigrette dressing and pecans for a little crunch

Add some grilled chicken to really amp it up

Oh, did I mention that I snuck some bleu cheese in there too?

It’s dressed with a light sweet mustard vinaigrette to enhance all the different flavors

You can change up the ingredients any way you like, substitute blueberries or blackberries, try swiss cheese instead of blue, use deli meat or rotisserie chicken, dress with a fruit vinaigrette instead of sweet mustard vinaigrette…

Endless possibilities!

Now, want something crunchy?

Got buttermilk? Make these easy peasy onion rings with a seasoned salt flour batter

Slice a vidalia or sweet onion into thin slices and separate the rings. You’ll need 3 bowls, 2 for seasoned flour and one for the buttermilk

Using 2 bowls for flour keeps it from getting too lumpy from the buttermilk

Dredge rings in flour, then buttermilk, and then flour again and place them into a fryer or deep skillet with oil

You can also cook them in butter by heating 4 T butter to skillet and letting it cook until foamy, then add onion rings and cook until crisp on one side and turn to cook other side.

In no time at all you will have thin and tasty onion rings

Strawberry Pecan Salad

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword coleslaw, easy salad, fruity coleslaw, strawberry salad, summer salad

Prep Time 5

Ingredients

Salad ingredients per serving

3-4 crisp romaine leaves torn into bite size pieces
1-2 cups coleslaw mix
1-2 slices cooked bacon torn into small pieces
4-5 fresh strawberries cut into pieces
8 pecan or praline pecans* chopped or halved
1 oz bleu cheese crumbled

Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 T maple syrup
1 T dijon mustard or any mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Praline Pecans

pecan halves
brown sugar
Kosher salt

Instructions

Salad

Toss ingredients to mix and dress with Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette

Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette

Mix ingredients in a small jar and shake to mix. Store in refrigerator for several weeks. Bring to room temperature or microwave 10-20 seconds to remix before serving. Makes about 1/2 cup

Praline Pecans

Sauté pecans in butter and brown sugar until sugar begins to caramelize, stirring constantly and removing from heat before pecans burn. Cool pecans on a piece of wax paper or parchment and sprinkle with salt

Crispy Buttermilk Onion Rings

Course Appetizer, condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword buttermilk, crispy onions, french fried onions, onion rings

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Equipment

3 cereal bowls

Ingredients

sweet or vidalia onion
buttermilk
all purpose flour
seasoned salt like Lowrey’s
kosher salt
peanut oil or butter

Instructions

Heat oil in a deep pot or fryer to about 380-400 degrees. You can test it by dropping a small piece of onion in oil, if it bubbles and bounces the oil is ready. Or heat butter in a skillet and let it begin to turn brown and foamy
Slice onion thinly and separate into rings. Place some flour into 2 separate bowls and season well with seasoned salt. Fill 3rd bowl with buttermilk. Arrange bowls in a line with buttermilk in the middle. Dredge rings, 3-4 at a time, into flour, then buttermilk, and then flour again.
Drop battered rings into hot oil in batches to fry, or cook in butter in skillet. Cook onions until crisp and turn over to cook other side, working in batches. Cook 2-3 minutes if frying, or 8-10 minutes if sauteing, until rings are golden.
Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve warm. Can be placed in 200 degree oven to keep warm while cooking the remainder of rings. Plan on 4-5 rings per person