Happy 2nd day of Grape Week!! Today I’ve got a salad recipe coming your way, AND a giveaway! (Details after the recipe!) A few years ago a family friend visited from England and made us a wonderful dinner during her stay. One of the things she made was a watermelon and feta salad, a salad popular in Greece during the hot summer months. I was pregnant with Squirrel at the time, and this refreshing salad really hit the spot. When I was planning Grape Week I remembered that visit and thought that a grape-ified version might be wonderful. I had no idea how right I was! This was one of those creations that happened to be even better in reality than what I had dreamed up in my head. I mixed red and green grapes for color and for maximum flavor.
I soaked thin slices of red onion in lime juice for a few minutes to soften their “onion” flavor so that my girls would eat them, and to add some citrusy tang. Then I mixed everything together! The result? A refreshing salad with saltiness from the feta, tang from the lime juice and red onions, hint of minty freshness from fresh mint, and juicy bursts of sweetness from the grapes. Not only is this salad refreshing, but it’s good for you too! A 3/4 cup serving of grapes contains only 90 calories, no sodium or cholesterol, and virtually no fat. Grapes contain potassium and vitamin K, as well as a small amount of fiber and other vitamins and minerals. Another great (or should I say grape?) thing about this salad is that it keeps really well in the fridge, so that if you don’t eat it all the first day, it will still be delicious the next!
Print This Recipe
Grape and Feta Salad
Makes 6 servings
1/4 medium red onion, cut into thin slices
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/2 cups red grapes
1 1/2 cups green grapes
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled or cubed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
mint sprigs, to garnish
1. Soak the sliced red onion in the lime juice for about 10 minutes.
2. Gently combine all the ingredients in a large serving bowl. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and serve.
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GRAPE GIVEAWAY! Win a copy of the cookbook Green Black Red: Recipes for Cooking and Enjoying California Grapes
The California Table Grape Commission has generously offered a copy of their cookbook, Green Black Red: Recipes for Cooking and Enjoying California Grapes (mentioned in my post about Grape and Rosemary Focaccia) for one of my lucky readers!
To Enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite way to cook with fresh grapes. The winner will be picked, using Random.org. The winner will receive a copy of Green Black Red: Recipes for Cooking and Enjoying California Grapes. Contest starts today, June 7, 2011 and will end on June 11th, 2011 at 10pm PST.
Bonus Entry:
2. Tweet about this giveaway, then come back and leave a second comment on this post telling me you did so. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: A Grape Cookbook #Giveaway from @fujimama and California Table Grape Commission!: http://su.pr/1rtxtW #CAGrapeWeek
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh yes please! I would love this salad.
This salad sounds amazing! I started drooling the second I saw the title of this post.
I don’t cook with grapes often, but I did make a great braised chicken recipe once that called for them. It was surprisingly good!
I love the grape salad with the fluffy sour cream/cream cheese dressing on it. I think it falls in the catergory of “fluff” Lol. The little old ladies at my church LOVE to make fluffs! :-)
Yum! both the watermelon and your grape version of this summer salad sound mouthwatering. I’ll try your technique of soaking the onions in lime juice, I usually soak them in iced water to get rid of the strong flavor.
My fav way to eat grapes is simply freezing them and popping them in my mouth :)
I retweeted your giveaway! xoxo
I recently made a great salad with couscous, grapes, and sauteed veggies…yum! Loved the sweet grapes in it! :)
I love grapes best plain, but when I do cook with them I put them in chickpea salad (like chicken salad but with chickpeas and yogurt instead of mayo).
This salad looks great!
I normally just eat grapes as is, but it totally makes sense to throw them onto a salad. I’d love to see what other ways to incorporate them. :)
My best way to cook with fresh grapes is in a chicken salad.
I twitted : http://twitter.com/#!/thescorpiowoman/status/78142863036260352
To be completely honest I’ve never cooked with fresh grapes…but I do love them as a simple side dish to just about any meal :)
Yum, love grapes! I had an interesting grape amuse a few years ago and it was a green grape covered in goat cheese and rolled in crushed pistachios. The burst of sweetness, the tangy of the cheese and the nuts made it addicting! I might need to try to make that this week! Your salad looks gorgeous!
I tweeted here: http://twitter.com/#!/nella22/statuses/78153992768733184
Salad looks delish! Will definitely try it this summer. I like to use grapes in a summer version of chicken salad. Here in the humid South, it adds a refreshing element!
I retweeted your giveaway! @alanecooke =)
This looks awesome, perfect for summer! I don’t really cook with grapes…that’s why I need a book to help me with that :D
I love grapes in salad! They add such a refreshing taste. I have a salad recipe that I make quite often in the summer that includes chicken, spinach, grapes, artichoke hearts, and fusili pasta, with a homemade dressing. It’s amazing…I can’t wait to start making it again, now that the weather’s getting warmer.
Do I have to cook with them? I love plain grapes – but I’d bet they go well in a variety of salads!
Fave way to cook with grapes? I love them plain or FROZEN! or in fruit salads!
I love the idea of a grape salad. Light, sweet, and refreshing for summer! I like to eat them anyway~ grapes are a favorite in our house!
That salad looks fabulous! I love to put grapes in my broccoli salad, but I’ve never actually cooked grapes before. It seems like a waste, when they’re so very yummy fresh.
I haven’t really cooked with grapes but I do love to add them to my curry chicken salad!
I’ve never really cooked with ぶどう but I would if I won the book!
And I just tweeted about the giveaway!
We always eat grapes fresh and never in dishes. The book would be a total eye opener!
Creamy chicken and grapes over egg noodles. Remember that recipe? Yum.
I truthfully have never cooked with grapes unless you count cutting them in half and mixing them into jell-o. I’m not opposed to cooking with them I’ve just never come across a grape recipe that jumped out at me. Maybe I need to be a bit more adventurous!
My best way to cook and enjoy grapes is to put them on fresh fruit tarts! So sweet and so delicious. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway. Can’t wait to learn more recipes with grapes.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
Just tweeted about this giveaway and here’s the link: https://twitter.com/#!/uTry_it
I spent my childhood in the Sonoma Valley region of Northern California’s Wine Country on my grandparent’s farm, where my grandfather proudly grew a small vineyard for the family’s consumption. I have so many fond memories of helping my grandfather pick the grapes from the vines.
One of my favorite company dishes that uses grapes in cooking is the classic dish, Poulet Véronique, or Chicken with Grapes. My recipe is very simple, but I have seen recipes that add a pinch of garlic and/or a little bit of Dijon-style mustard to the sauce, which I think would also be very good. This dish is traditionally served with steamed rice. I like to serve it with either steamed asparagus or green beans sautéed in a little olive oil and garlic.
Chicken Veronique
2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut in half, then pounded thin
2 Tbsp. butter
2-3 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon or rosemary
1 shallot or ½ small white onion, finely minced
½ cup white wine
½ cup heavy cream
¾-1 cup green or red seedless grapes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat butter in a skillet or sauté pan. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and about half of the minced fresh herb. Quickly sauté the breasts and cook until browned and cooked through.
Remove from pan. Add the shallot or onion and remaining fresh herbs to pan and cook until shallot is soft, 1-2 minutes. Add the grapes, wine and cream and cook, stirring, until the sauce reduces and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce and grapes over the chicken and sprinkle with fresh minced parsley.
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@Lynda, This sounds simply fabulous. OMY CUPCAKES!! I am making this for my daughter, her palette is quite diverse, and she will simply eat this up. Who would think, red and green grapes would be used in a recipe? Kudos to you, and love the wine country. Lived in the city, Sausalito, and Bolinas, loved every second of it, and the food, well this recipe speaks for your hometown..blessings, redraven
I have Tweeted about this giveaway @lyndacooks
http://twitter.com/#!/lyndacooks/status/78343977593606144
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I like grapes in chicken salad. Yum.
I usually just eat grapes plain, but sometimes I’ve thrown them into a chicken salad.
I love to eat grapes along side cheese and crackers but sometimes I like them in chicken salad! YUM YUM! :D
I’ve never cooked with grapes before! Crazy, I know. I must try this salad soon!
O MY CUPCAKES!!! Totally needed this recipe to make my summer so much more delectable. Thanks, and never have cooked with these fine little tasty bits of fruit, but hope to do soon. Living at 7,000ft. our veggies and fruit is not quite what I would purchase, but for this meal I will go out and go to our health food and just healthy items’ market, (New Frontiers), and spend the monies for this salad.
Blessings to all, redraven.
The only recipe I’ve made with grapes was a roasted chicken with red and green grapes and onions… it was fantastic! I’m looking forward to trying some others.
I like grapes sauteed with chicken breasts, or in a puff pastry tart for dessert!
I think the only recipe I have used grapes in is chicken salad. However, anything with feta is awesome in my book and I am definitely going to try this one.
Definitely classic fruit salad!!
I wouldn’t have thought about combining the grapes and feta, but your salad sounds delicious! I usually just eat my grapes straight up, but I also like them in chicken salad with some walnuts. Simple but delicious!
I love a salad with arugula, green grapes, nuts, thinly sliced onion and a champagne vinaigrette with grapes made in the food processor. Also, a lovely wine maker’s grape cake with white wine and olive oil in it.
I believe that I have only made chicken salad with grapes. But anything with feta is fantastic in my opinion, so I will certainly give this one a try.
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