Summer Spinach Salad

5 oz (1/2 bag) spinach
1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
1 tsp lemon juice (for apples)
1 can mandarin oranges (or fresh cutie slices)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup toasted pecans
1 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
1/2 avocado (optional)

dressing:

4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3-4 tsp sugar, or splenda, or honey
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

"Orange Frog Eye" Jello Salad

This isn't actually frog eye salad, but it's close enough to make kids think it is (pineapple, orange, coconut).  And since they *like* frog eye, that's what we called it.  ;>

1 8oz cream cheese
1 small box of lemon jello
1 cup boiling water
2 ice cubes
1 20oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 14oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained (halved grapes would be a good sub)
1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut flakes
1 8oz container Cool Whip

Whip the cream cheese.

Dissolve jello in boiling water, then add 2 ice cubes.  Add to cream cheese.

Add drained pineapple, mandarin oranges, cherries, coconut and stir until combined.

Chill until partially set, then fold in Cool Whip.  [I let it set overnight and added the Cool Whip the next day before serving…this worked fine.]

Avocado Rice

Avocado Rice

3 cups uncooked rice (Basmati white & wild rice blend)

½ red onion, diced

Juice of 2 limes

4 ripe avocados

½ cup cilantro, chopped

garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste

1 Rotisserie chicken, chopped

Cook rice in chicken broth or add chicken boullion cube. Cool rice.

Add all other ingredients and stir until well blended.

Toss in chicken last.

Chile and Lime Veggie Bowls

This is one of my favorite dinner recipes and comes from my friend Sheena's blog, http://inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com.  I think the dressing is what makes this SO GOOD!

Chile and Lime Veggie Bowls

adapted from BHG

1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. fresh oregano, snipped, or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. olive oil
2 medium sweet potatos, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup shelled edamame
1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped
large cabbage leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
lime wedges (optional)

directions
1. Make Dressing; set aside (if you can make this the day before....DO!! It has so much more flavor!)

Yogurt-Lime Dressing

In small bowl combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 2 TBS lime juice, 1 TBS soy sauce, 1 TBS chili powder, and 1 clove minced garlic, 2 TBS chopped cilantro, 1TBS chopped chives. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil until well combined.

2. In small bowl stir together soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and olive oil; add diced sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Roast at 425° for 30-40 minutes until done.

3. Divide potatoes, beans, tomatoes, edamame, and avocado among cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with green onions.

Drizzle veggies with dressing, and enjoy!

(we found it easiest to fold them up and eat them like tacos:)

Summer Salad

I know it's not Summer, yet, but you could've fooled me!

Fresh lettuce from my bestie's garden the first week of May, 99 cent strawberries, kiwi, green onion, toasted pecans and cajun turkey breast.

I ALWAYS make a second salad to take for lunch the next day!

QUINOA: You've All Been Holding Out On Me

Who knew how yummy QUINOA was and didn't tell me?

I heard rave reviews about Karen's quinoa salad on Labor Day, so I ran right out [sent my hubby] to the local health food store to find some quinoa. Of course, he first had to Google it, because he was SURE I was pronouncing it incorrectly [I wasn't]!

Quinoa Salad with Mango and Black Beans

2 cups quinoa [cook according to package directions]
1 mango, diced
1 cup green onions, diced
1 red pepper, diced finely
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil (or grapeseed oil)
2 tsp salt

I used a 50/50 blend of white and red quinoa.
Soak the quinoa for 15 minutes in cold water. Rub it well between your hands.
Rinse and drain about 3 times until the water runs clear -- this removes the saponin, which has a bitter taste (and can cause stomach problems...the saponin protects the seed while it grows, but comes off with a good rinse and scrub).

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. I added 2 chicken bouillion cubes.
Add quinoa, cover tightly with a lid and simmer for ~12 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
Fluff with fork and let cool.
I learned the hard way that it's better to err on the side of under-cooking it, rather than over-cooking it. It can get mushy.


While the quinoa cooks and cools, dice the other ingredients and make the dressing.

Mix together the veggies and dressing. Add to fluffed quinoa. Fold in black beans.

Yum!

You'd better believe I'll be experimenting with more quinoa recipes.

I'm going to order some pre-rinsed quinoa on Amazon NOW.

Mediterranean Wheat Berry Salad

We still had wheat berries in the fridge, so we made another salad for Sunday lunch. I'm pretty sure my husband has the shortest memory of anyone I've ever known, but he said, "This is the BEST thing I have ever eaten. Ever."

This is a rich and savory dish that is very filling. And it took about 5-10 minutes total.

Mediterranean Wheat Berry Salad

3 cups cooked wheat berries

6 Tbsp Olive oil

2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1 carrot

1/2 an onion

3 green onions

1 red or yellow bell pepper

1 cup chickpeas

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2-4 Tbsp Crumbled Feta cheese

Dice the vegetables.
Saute in 2 Tbsp olive oil until onion is translucent. Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and add remaining 4 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Combine the vegetable mixture with wheat berries and let sit for 30 minutes, to absorb flavors.

Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese, to taste. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Chicken Salad

I am no culinary genius.
I'm more of a culinary copycat.
But, I know a good recipe when I try one, and that is the purpose of this blog!
I promise to share my best finds with you and try to include a photo whenever possible.

I've been thinking about chipotle all week, since I made white chicken chili last week. I came across this reipe on the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen. I changed enough that I'm going to list my own recipe below. Here's the link to the original.

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Chicken Salad

1/2 cup cilantro
1-2 Tbsp minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (two peppers...I minced them all and froze the rest)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lime (or 3 Tbsp lime juice)

Combine all of the above ingredients, whisking in the olive oil last.

Pour half of the vinaigrette into a container and marinate 2 chicken breasts for 1 hour or overnight. [I used my FoodSaver and it was ready in 20 minutes.] This is a pretty spicy dressing/marinade. Reduce chipotle to 1 Tbs for the faint of heart!

Grill chicken breasts, slice thinly and serve over salad.

Combine salad ingredients, which include:

1 head romaine lettuce or mixed greens
1-2 carrots, cut in half and shaved into peels
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 cups corn kernels, roasted [I fried frozen kernels in olive oil until brown and crispy-YUM! You could also broil on a baking sheet.]

You could add cotija or feta cheese, but I found cheese unnecessary, with so much flavor going on already.

Grill chicken breasts, slice thinly and serve over salad, dressing with remaining vinaigrette.

So good...it's what's for lunch tomorrow.

Frog Eye Salad

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It's best the first day you make it and lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge. It does NOT freeze well. This makes a HUGE batch, but I never seem to have any trouble finding friends that would like to take some home. :) This large batch is also perfect for taking to potlucks, because it feeds so many people.

Frog Eye Salad

2 Tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
1 ¾ cups pineapple juice
2 eggs, beaten
¾ tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups (1 box) acini de pepe pasta
2 cans crushed pineapple
1 can pineapple tidbits
3 14-oz cans mandarin oranges (or 3 11-oz cans)
2 cups grapes, halved
1 9-oz carton Cool Whip (I sometimes add an extra 1/3 carton)
1 cup coconut
1 cup miniature marshmallows

In a medium sauce pan, combine flour, sugar, salt, pineapple juice and beaten eggs. After straining out the pineapple juice for the sauce, refrigerate the pineapple to add later. Heat over medium, stirring frequently with a whisk, until thickened. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Pour into large bowl and let cool.

In a large sauce pan, cook acini de pepe according to package directions. Drain and add to the sauce. Gently fold to combine pasta and sauce. Cover with saran wrap (directly touching to avoid forming a “skin”) and refrigerate until cold (all day or overnight).

Before serving, stir to break apart pasta. Add pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes, coconut, marshmallows and cool whip. Stir gently to combine. Serve cold.

This is what it looks like after refrigerated -- all congealed together.

This is what it looks like after you've broken it apart with a mixing spoon.After the fruit has been folded in:Next add coconut and marshmallows.

Adding cool whip last keeps it fluffy.I always transfer to a clean bowl for serving, because it's looks yummier!

EAT!

Asian Noodle Salad

I spent a small fortune on these ingredients today for an asian noodle salad.

I just hope it looks like this when it's finished. And tastes as good as everyone claims!

I found this on http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ and have been thinking about making it for two weeks now. It's time!

Asian Noodle Salad adapted from Jamie Oliver

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 package linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach1 red bell pepper, sliced thin1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin, 1 small bag bean sprouts,3 sliced scallions, 3 peeled, sliced cucumbers, LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch, 1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet.

DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime, 8 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 6 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped, More chopped cilantro—LOTS
Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter. *Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.

UPDATE:

I made this salad on Sunday. YUM-O! If you are flavor shy, this salad (or at least the dressing) is probably not for you. But, if you loves veggies and like a sweet and spicy ginger sesame dish once in a while, then this salad is right up your alley. This salad would also be excellent with a rice wine vinegar and oil (milder) dressing, if that's more your style.

I probably spent about $12 on ingredients, but $3 was cashews and $3 was sesame oil because I didn't have any. Next time, I'll still have both of those ingredients on hand, because I didn't even use half of them.

This is a HUGE salad. Like, so huge it didn't fit in my largest bowl. It would probably feed 12-15 people, so you can easily halve it. I also store the noodles, salad and dressing separately, so they'll keep.