Simple Slaw

Cabbage Slaw

This recipe is very light and a little tangy. It works great on burgers, BBQ, or a chicken slider.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 Tlb dill picked juice (from a jar of pickles)
2 Tlb cider vinegar
2 Tlb sugar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (16 oz) package shredded cabbage cole slaw mix

Whisk all ingredients together, except cabbage mix, in a large bowl. Add the cabbage mix and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Healthy and Delicious

Barley, Bacon, and Avocado Salad With Roasted Chicken

Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings 10

Dressing:

4 Tlb cider vinegar
3 Tlb olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Salad:

6 slices bacon, cut into thin strips
1 cup quick-cook barley
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water
2 cups frozen corn kernals, thawed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
2-3 lb rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat removed and shredded (4-5 cups)
2 med tomatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 small avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

Directions:

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

To make the salad, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp about 8 minutes. What a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Discard the fat from the saucepan. (I cooked my bacon in the microwave.)

Add the barely to the same saucepan with salt and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover the pan and cook barely until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, pressing out any excess moisture with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.

Add the corn, onion, reserved bacon, shredded chicken and dressing. Toss well. Then add the tomatoes and avocados and toss gently.

I really liked this, but felt that it could have used a bit more flavor. I added more salt and pepper and that helped, but I still might play around with it next time.

Yummy Summer Salad

Asian Chicken Pasta Salad
(I got this recipe from Dane's cousin at a baby shower and I can't get enough!)

16oz. bowtie pasta, cooked al dente

Dressing:

1/2 c. vegetable or canola oil

2/3 c. Teriyaki sauce (I like Mr. Yoshida or Kikkoman)

1/2 c. white wine vinegar

4 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Salad: (Adjust amounts to your taste or to what you have around)

1/2 bag fresh spinach (I used a whole bag)

1 c. craizins

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained (omitted)

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped (omitted)

1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds (omitted)

1 c. honey roasted peanuts (substituted candied, slivered almonds)

2 c. cooked, diced chicken (I boiled mine)

Directions:

Mix the dressing and cooked pasta and chill for 4 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally. (Check to make sure there isn't a pool of dressing in the bottom of the bowl.) A little while before serving add and toss together remaining ingredients. *I add more teriyaki sauce before serving if the noodles aren't flavored enough.

This makes a LARGE bowl of salad so it's great for potlucks or family gatherings. If you are making it for a smaller family/group you will want to half it.

A Great "Green" Salad Alternative

Bodacious Broccoli Salad All Recipes

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon 2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 large red onion, chopped (cut back a little) 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/8 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2.	In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, bacon and onion.
3.	Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I made this for Christmas dinner and really enjoyed it; so did everyone else. It's clean and fresh and the broccoli/bacon combo is wonderful. Even good as leftovers since the raw broccoli stays fairly crunchy unlike lettuce.

Simple, Versatile, Delicious

Summer Chicken Salad

1 lb chicken tenders or breasts
boil until cooked through, then cube (could also saute)
2 cups chopped celery
¾ cup chopped almonds
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. grated onion
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup Mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and chill. Serve with rolls, croissants, or on a bed of lettuce.

This mixture also works great in homemade panini sandwiches or a pita pocket.

A twist on Caesar

Tortellini Caesar Salad
Yield: 10 servings


1 package (9oz) frozen cheese tortellini
½ cup mayo
¼ cup milk
¼ cup, plus 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (divided)
2 Tlb lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups torn romaine
1 cup seasoned croutons
Halved cherry tomatoes, optional

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayo, milk, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and garlic. Mix well.

Drain tortellini and rinse in cold water; place in a large bowl. Add the romaine and remaining parmesan.

Just before serving, drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Top with croutons and tomatoes if desired.


I liked the flavor of the dressing, but thought it could be a little stronger. I would recommend making it ahead of time and letting it sit and then tasting it before adding to salad to see if seasoning needs to be adjusted. (Or you could use a favorite bottled Caesar dressing)

A Different Cabbage Salad

Crunchy Asian Salad

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 15 min
Makes: 12 servings, 1 cup each


What You Need!
1 env. GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 pkg. (3 oz. each) ramen noodle soup mix
2 pkg. (16 oz. each) coleslaw blend
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup PLANTERS Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels
1/2 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds, toasted

Make It!

PREPARE dressing mix in small bowl as directed on envelope. Stir in sugar and soy sauce.

BREAK apart Noodles; place in large bowl. Discard Seasoning Packet or reserve for another use. Add coleslaw blend, onions, sunflower kernels and almonds to noodles; mix lightly.

ADD dressing; toss to coat. Serve immediately. (Do not add all the dressing, it is too much, pour and mix a little at a time so you don't saturate the salad.)

This was really yummy... light and cruncy. Perfect for summer. Dane said he thought he even liked it better than the one I usually make. There is no meat in this one, but chicken could easily be added to make it a meal. Even the kids gobbled it up. So simple and it makes enough for a large group or family.

A great salad any time of the year

Poppy Seed Salad

(The candied almonds in this recipe really make the salad; they are so good it's hard not to eat them all before you use them!)

1 head romaine lettuce
¼ c. slivered almonds
½ bunch fresh spinach
1 ½ Tbsp. sugar
1/3 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 ripe avocado, diced (I don't always add this)
1/3 lb. grated Swiss cheese
½ red onion (optional)
¼ lb bacon, cooked & crumbled

Cook almonds in sugar over med-low heat to caramelize. Once sugar starts to melt, stir to make sure all nuts are coated and not burning.
Mix lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, and cheese together. Just before you are ready to put on the dressing, mix in the avocado. Carefully toss salad adding a little dressing at a time until desired coating is reached. (You will not need all the dressing). Add caramelized almonds on top. Serve immediately.

*Note: You can also top with plain almonds, sunflower seeds and/or roasted cashews.

Poppy Seed Dressing:

Stir until smooth: ¾ cups sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
Add and mix well: 1/3 c. red wine vinegar
Add: 1 c. salad oil a little at a time, using a blender to mix well.
Stir in by hand: ¾ Tbsp. poppy seeds

*Note: I keep all ingredients in a bowl and use a hand mixer to blend in the oil.

A fun twist on Tacos... great for kids!

Mini Taco Bowls

8 Flour tortillas
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 cup salsa
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups chopped lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes
¼ cup ranch dressing

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Microwave tortillas on HIGH 30 sec. or until softened. Press 1 tortilla into each of eight large muffin cups to form a bowl. Carefully fold edges of tortilla back to keep an opening for the filling. Bake 10 min.

MEANWHILE, brown meat in large skillet on medium heat; drain. Stir in salsa; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into each tortilla bowl.

TOP evenly with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing.

***This is a fun twist on taco salad. The bowls were easy to make and they really do look like a restaurant salad. This recipe is great for kids because it’s fun to fill up their bowls and fun to eat. I didn’t have the big (Texas size) muffin tins so I used various sm-med sized Pyrex bowls and they worked fine.
I also made my meat with taco seasoning and added corn, olives, and avocado for other toppings.