Med Salad

Med Salad

• 3 cups dried fusilii or cavatappi pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
• chopped green leaf lettuce
• 1/2 bag of pre-washed spinach
• 1 halved and sliced cucumber
• 1 orange bell pepper sliced and cut into small pieces
• 1/4-1/2 of a red onion thinly sliced
• 
1 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 jar of kalamata olives, drained
• sprinkle of feta cheese, crumbled
• Toss all the salad ingredients & add desired amount of spicy yogurt salad dressing to your portion.

Spicy Yogurt Salad Dressing

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 
2 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
• 
2-5 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce (depends on how spicy you want the dressing)
• salt and pepper to taste

I combine these ingredients in my blend-tec blender on the sauces/dressings setting and it works perfect.

Spinach, Fruit, & Nut Salad

Thanks Steph! ;)

Ingredients:

Pecans or Almonds (pecans are my favorite)

Cinnamon

Brown Sugar

Spinach

Fruit - cut into small pieces (see picture above)

(you can use any kind you would like! For this salad I used: crasins, tangelos, kiwis, strawberries, and apples)

Red Onion (if desired - I usually leave it on the side so people can choose)

Directions:

1. Roast the pecans or almonds in a pan with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roast slowly while stirring so the sugar and cinnamon liquefy somewhat. Then remove from heat.

2. Put spinach, fruit, red onion (if desired), and nuts in bowl and toss.

3. Serve with Briannas Home Style Rich Poppy Seed Dressing - pictured below.

4. Enjoy - trust me, you will.

BBQ Chicken Salad

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2-1 cup BBQ sauce (to your liking)

1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

4 Roma tomatoes, diced

2 Avocados, diced

shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar

crispy tortilla strips

Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy!

Chicken Taco Salad

Simple recipe, but one of my favorite foods:)

2 Chicken Breasts
Taco Bowls
Romaine Lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, diced
Olives, sliced
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Avacado
Tortilla Strips

Optional:
Green Onions
Black beans
Rice

Defrost chicken, cut into strips or small pieces and fry (I have shredded it and then fried it also). Add taco seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cut up the vegetables and put in taco bowl on top of lettuce as desired. Top with sour cream, guacamole, salsa or Ranch dressing, and tortilla strips.

I get my taco bowls at Macey's premade and they work great. I have also used the tortillas that you cook yourself, for a softer shell.

Two chicken breasts is enough for about 4 salads.

For a quick taco salad you can just do the meat and vegetables but it is also good with white rice and black beans. I usually put the rice and beans on the bottom when I make it with rice and beans.

Olive Garden Salad

DRESSING:

½ c. mayonnaise

1/3 c. white vinegar

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 Tb. corn syrup

2 Tb. Parmesan cheese

2 Tb. Romano cheese

¼ tsp garlic salt – or one clove garlic, minced

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp parsley flakes

1 Tb. lemon juice

SALAD:

1 large head romaine lettuce

slices red onion

black olives

2-4 banana peppers

2 small tomatoes, quartered

½ c. croutons

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

HOMEMADE CROUTONS:

4 slices sandwich bread

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tb. butter

salt and pepper

dried parsley flakes

Mix all dressing ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your own personal tastes, add a little extra sugar.

Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Put lettuce in bowl. Place on top of lettuce red onions, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, and add plenty of Olive Garden Salad Dressing on top.

For the homemade croutons:

Cut off crusts of sandwich bread, and cut bread into cubes. Melt butter in small saucepan and add minced garlic. Toss sandwich cubes in the butter and spread out in a pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper and parsley flakes to taste. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°, turning half way through baking.

Fruit & Feta Salad

8 C. Assorted Lettuce Greens

½ C. Feta Cheese, crumbled

1 (11 oz.) Can Mandarin Oranges, drained

½ C. Dried Cranberries or Cherries

1 Small Red Onion, chopped

½ C. Toasted Pecans or Almonds

Combine ingredients in large salad bowl and toss with Brianna's Vinaigrette Dressing just before serving.

Chicken Poppyseed Salad

SALAD:
Spinach leaves

Romaine leaves

Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)

Red onion, sliced thinly

Crispy bacon, crumbled

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

DRESSING:
1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped

2 cups canola oil

3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount of dressing before serving.

Frog's Eye Jello Salad

2 cans mandrine oranges
1 can crushed pineapple
1 can chunked pineapple
1/2 container cool whip
1 lg vannilla pudding (make as directed)
1 bag small marshmellows
1 box acini di pepe noodles (make as directed)

Mix all ingredients together and serve cold.

This makes a large batch!

Strawberry Orange Spinach Salad

6 C Spinach/Romaine Blend
1 C Strawberries
1/3 C Chopped Green Onions
1 C Mandarin Oranges, Drained
1/4 C Sugared Pecans (heat over medium with 1-2 T sugar until sugar melts and coats nuts)

Dressing:
1/4 C Honey
1/4 C Orange Juice
2 T Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil
2 tsp Dijon Mustard

Shake dressing together and serve.

Spinach and Bowtie Pasta Salad

16 oz Bowtie Pasta
1 Bunch of Green Onions Chopped
2-3 C Chicken Cooked and Diced
6 oz Peanuts - regular or honey roasted
6 oz Craisins - optional
1 Bunch of Spinach
2 Cans Mandarin Oranges

Dressing:
1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1 C Teriyaki
2/3 C White Vinegar
6 T Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
sesame seeds (as desired)

Make dressing. Marinate pasta, chicken and green onions in dressing 2-3 hours before serving. Add rest of ingredients toss, and serve.

Pasta Salad

12 oz. bag of Wacky Mac Veggie Spiral Noodles
2 Medium Tomatoes Diced
1/2 Red Pepper Diced
1 Cucumber peeled, quartered, & sliced
1 Can Olives, Sliced
1 C. Bernsteins Cheese & Garlic Italian Dressing

Cook noodles then drain and rinse with cold water. Add cut up vegetables and dressing and stir.

Chinese Chicken Salad -

Mix 1/2 bag of coleslaw mix,
some green onions (2-3),
tin of mandarin oranges,
slivered almonds,
cooked diced chicken,
sesame seeds (if you have them),
cilantro to taste,
celery if you want to but not necessary,
broccoli
and 1 bag of crushed Ramen noodles.
Mix all together and pour dressing on top. I just buy almost any oriental dressing but right now I am using Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame.

Strawberry Avacado Salad

2 heads of butter lettuce or 2 heads of dark leafy lettuce like romain
1 package of strawberries sliced
3 avacados sliced
1 package of sliced almonds

Cut up the lettuce and then add strawberries, avacados, and almonds. I also like to add purple onion sometimes.

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. celery seed
3 tsp. grated onion
1 cup salad oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients and toss over salad

Summer Chicken Salad

I think recipes for the summer seem to be the hardest for me to come up with. Salads always seem to hit the spot in the summer....Here is a good one that I like. Enjoy:)

Dressing

1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
1/8 C sesame oil
1/4 C sugar
2 T balsamic vinaigrette
1 t salt
1/2 T minced dry onion
1 T lime juice
2 T chopped parsley
(Blend all together)

Salad

3 C baby spinach
2 C red grapes halved
7 oz fusilli pasta (under cooked with lots of salt in the water while cooking)
1 pear thinly sliced
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts (drained)
1 can Mandarin oranges
1 bunch green onion sliced
5 chicken breast cooked, cooled, and shredded
(top salad after tossing with sesame seeds)

Chicken Marinade

1/3 part teriyaki sauce
1/2 bottle Lawry's Mesquite with lime juice marinade
1/3 part Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette
Dash each side of the chicken breast with lemon pepper while BBQing.