Apple Cranberry Chicken Salad

I've posted this recipe before, but the photos were not great terrible. And I realized that the recipe wasn't super precise because when I cook I typically throw a bunch of stuff together until it works out.  This time, I very precisely measured everything!  And I think my photography has improved as well...just a bit.

I like to use baked bone-in chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken for my chicken salad, but you can certainly boil your chicken or used canned if you prefer the ease of that.  For these photos I used rotisserie chicken.  The photo above is my "sandwich", the photo below is my skinny husbands sandwich. Tastes great either way! I also like to set it out with some wheat thins or other crackers at a party.

Apple Cranberry Chicken Salad

4 c. chopped, cooked chicken
3 green onions, chopped
1 medium granny smith apple, peeled and chopped small
1/4-1/3 c. dried cranberries, depending on how much you like.  (I used 1/4 c.)
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 heaping Tb. spicy brown mustard
1/3 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/3 c. mayo
salt & pepper to taste

lettuce, sliced tomatoes, bread and/or crackers for serving.

Mix all ingredients together, taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.  (You can certainly sub seasoned salt, but I like the simplicity of just salt and pepper.) Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

* Note: I have noticed that the Greek yogurt leaves the salad a little bit watery whereas the sour cream thickens it more.  I still use the Greek yogurt :)

Chinese Chicken Salad

Today it was over 100 degrees in Phoenix.  Let the cold dinners begin! During summer (which is really May-October for us) we do lots of grilling, salads, and some stove-top dinners. This salad is a great meal-salad that is filling and tasty, AND my kids ate it up.  You can absolutely make a double batch of the salad dressing and marinate the chicken in some of the dressing before grilling to add even more flavor.

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 c. chopped cucumber

2 large carrots, grated

4-6 green onions, chopped

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

4 oz sliced almonds

1 can mandarin oranges, drained well

1 1/2 lb chicken breast

2 large burrito size tortillas, sliced in thin strips

vegetable oil

Preheat the grill and season the chicken breasts well with granulated garlic, sea salt and pepper, cook until done on the inside, about 12-15 minutes total.  While the chicken is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat and fill it with about an inch of vegetable oil. To test the oil, put one tortilla strip in the skillet, if it sizzles and starts cooking right away it's ready! If nothing happens, wait a minute longer.  Fry the tortilla strips in batches until crispy, about 2 minutes each small batch. Remove cooked strips to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.  Continue frying the tortilla strips until they're all cooked.

Once the chicken is cooked, slice it thinly. To assemble salads layer lettuce, cucumber, carrots, onions, cilantro, almonds, oranges and chicken.  Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with fried tortilla strips.

Chinese Dressing

recipe from Ellie Krieger on Food Network

3 Tb soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)

1/3 c. rice vinegar

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

2 Tb. vegetable oil

2 Tb. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. sriracha

1 tsp. sesame oil

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

Someone in our household has been sick enough to stay home for one entire month. I will be so happy to say farewell to March next week!! We are finally better and I'm back to blogging.  To make up for my lack of posts lately, I'm bringing you not only Ranch Dressing, but also this delicious salad.

When I first made the BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad and we were "mmmmm-ing" Rob said, "You have to adapt this to Buffalo Chicken!"  So last week I made this.  We loved this.  It is perfect for summer.  This would be just as good without the chicken if you prefer vegetarian or you could add an extra can of chickpeas to bump up the protein.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 c. quinoa

one cube or 1 Tb. vegetable bouillon

3 c. water

1/2 lb. chicken breast, cooked & shredded

1/4 red onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled & grated

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. buffalo sauce + extra for serving (I use Frank's buffalo sauce)

1-2 Tb. Frank's Red Hot (optional)

1 tsp. granulated garlic

black pepper to taste

Ranch dressing for serving

Combine the water, quinoa and bouillon in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes.  Fluff the quinoa with a fork and season with granulated garlic and black pepper.  In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, chicken, red onion, green onion, celery, grated carrots, garbanzo beans and buffalo sauce.  If you like it extra spicy ad 1-2 Tb. Frank's Red hot sauce. Either serve immediately or refrigerate until you're ready to eat.  To serve, fill a bowl with a serving of the salad, drizzle with ranch dressing and extra buffalo sauce.

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

We love quinoa.  And we really love bbq chicken, so when I saw this recipe pop up I knew I had to make it! We really liked it and I think you could make different variations of this salad.  A little ranch drizzle would be great too!  We ate it warm, but the next day Rob and I both ate it cold for lunch leftover and it was great both ways.  For a filling, protein-rich, low fat dinner it was a hit! I'm thinking this will go into our regular summer dinner rotation because I always have my eyes out for cold make-ahead summer dinners around here.

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

recipe adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny

1 1/2 c. dry quinoa

3 c. water

dash salt

3 c. shredded cooked chicken 

1 can corn, drained well

1 can black beans, drained well

1/2 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1/3 c. cilantro, chopped

salt & pepper

1/3 c. bbq sauce

Toppings:

chopped cilantro

diced avocado

shredded pepper jack cheese

bbq sauce

ranch dressing

Bring the water to a boil in a large sauce pan.  Stir in quinoa & salt and lower heat to medium-low and cook 15 minutes.  Remove quinoa from heat and fluff with a fork.  Stir quinoa, shredded chicken, corn, beans, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, salt, pepper and bbq sauce together in a large bowl.  Top with extra cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese and a drizzle of bbq sauce and/or ranch dressing. Enjoy!

 

 

Roasted Beets & Brussels Sprouts Salad with Goat Cheese

When Rob and I were first dating and married his photo lab was in the same shopping center as a little Italian food place called Babbo.  We ate there a lot.  Like, a LOT. It may or may not have contributed to my 15 lb weight gain our first year married.  Then we moved out to a suburb and were so excited when they opened a Babbo a few miles from our house a couple years ago.  Unfortunately the one bummer part about having three small children is we just really can't eat out very often on account of the emotional duress we face when sitting still in public with them.  BUT a few weeks ago my mom was in town and she babysat so we could go out and we ate this salad at Babbo....it. is. so. good.  They had it paired with a champagne vinaigrette which is to die for, kind of sweet, kind of tart--just so good!  I had to make it at home.  

We ate this for dinner one night with a piece of crusty bread and we both loved it.  If you wanted extra protein some grilled chicken would be really good on this too. I paired it with a vinaigrette I love from Our Best Bites.  I have to warn you that beets die your skin, your counters and your goat cheese, so deal carefully with them, but they are so good! I think if you were in a pinch and wanted to sub a can of no salt-added whole beets and just chop them up and roast them for a minute it would work fine too.

Roasted Beets & Brussels Sprouts Salad with Goat Cheese

For four dinner-sized or one large family-style salad:

3-4 Tb olive oil

1 lb brussels sprouts, rinsed and quartered

3 large beets, cleaned and peeled and chopped

4-6 Tb.sliced almonds

4-6 Tb. dried cranberries

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

about 12 c. spring mix or field greens

6 oz soft goat cheese

Heat oven to 420.  I needed to use two cookie sheets, but it will depend on how many veggies you have and whether or not you're roasting the beets.  Spread a thin layer of the brussels sprouts and beets.  Roast for 20-35 minutes, stirring in the middle, until the brussels sprouts are golden and somewhat crispy and the beets are soft. (The beets may take longer.) Remove from the oven and make the dressing while the veggies cool a bit.  To make the salad layer greens, brussels sprouts, beets, almonds, cranberries, red onion and goat cheese.  Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

recipe from Our Best Bites

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. honey

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 c. canola oil

Combine vinegar, honey, garlic, salt & pepper in the jar of your blender.  Run the blender until everything is combined.  Turn the blender to low and slowly stream the oil in while the blender is running.  Pour the dressing into a jar and refrigerate up to a month.  (It will never last that long because it is so yummy:)

 

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Buffalo Chicken Salad

We love buffalo.  You may have noticed...buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken tacos, buffalo chicken bake, and now this.  This is one of my  new favorite salads, super simple to make but very filling and yummy.

I made some homemade Ranch dressing from the Pioneer Woman's site and it was very good on this, but any bottle of your favorite Ranch would be perfect.  This recipe is for enough for 4-6 dinner sized salads, or the chicken reheats well for lunches too.

Buffalo Chicken Salad
recipe from Cracked Up Kitchen

1.5 lbs chicken breast
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. granulated onion
salt
1/3 c. Franks Buffalo Sauce, plus more for serving. (This is in the same aisle as the other hot sauce, right next to the regular Franks)

1 head romaine, green leaf, or red leaf lettuce, chopped
2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
4 green onions, chopped
Ranch dressing
shredded cheddar and/or blue cheese crumbles

Put the chicken in the crockpot, sprinkle on seasonings and pour on the buffalo sauce.  Cook on low 4-6 hours until it shreds easily.  To assemble salads, fill a bowl with lettuce, top with tomatoes, celery, carrot and onions and toss with Ranch to your liking.  Top with chicken and drizzle with extra buffalo sauce if desired.  Sprinkle with cheeses before serving.

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Kale Salad

I have recently come to enjoy kale.  It took a few tries and a little bit of getting used to the strong flavor but I love it now!  Sauteed is one of my favorite ways but after I had it raw in a salad at of my favorite restaurants, Windsor I had to try it.  Because the kale is so hearty it helps to toss the salad with the dressing and let it marinate in the fridge a while to soften up the leaves.  Rob and I loved this, the kids were a little more skeptical, but we will make it over and over again for us and force the kids to take a few bites!  Citrus goes well with kale so I used the dressing from the Quinoa Salad with Shrimp & Lemon Vinaigrette recipe, with plenty leftover to marinate some chicken another time.

 

Kale Salad

 

lemon vinaigrette

2 bunches kale, rinsed and chopped

2 carrots, grated or shaved

2 roma tomatoes or one large beefsteak tomato, seeded & chopped

handfull of dried cranberries or cherries

1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced

 

Toss all veggies together in a large bowl.  Drizzle some dressing (about a cup) over and toss to coat.  Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is so delish!  Of course I borrowed the recipe from Our Best Bites.  I made this numerous times at the end of last summer and even brought it to people as a meal and everyone loves it!  This is a great summer meal, especially here in Phoenix, when you don't want your whole house heated up at dinner-time. 

The only changes I made are to roast the bell peppers first, which is entirely optional, and I like to use Trader Joe's fire-roasted corn--yum!  I also prefer diced red onion instead of green onions--your choice, you really can't go on.

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad
recipe minorly adapted from Our Best Bites
1 lb bowtie pasta, boiled al dente
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 Roma tomatoes or 2 big beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
3 colored bell peppers, roasted and chopped
3/4 c. minced red onion
1 c. frozen corn, defrosted.  Prefereably fire-roasted corn
zest from 4 limes
1 lb grilled chicken, chopped
1 c. crumbled feta or cotija cheese

Dressing:
3/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/2 c. white vinegar or rice vinegar
8 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 Tb. sugar or more, to taste
1 1/2 c. canola oil
1 c. cilantro

To make the dressing first zest the limes and set zest aside.  Add lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt & sugar to the jar of your blender.  Blend until mixed and while the blender is running on low, slowly stream in the canola oil until emulsified.  At the end toss in the cilantro and blend for another 20 seconds.  Set dressing aside.

In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, black beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, corn, lime zest and chicken.  Toss ingredients together.  Pour over dressing to coat, there may be some leftover for later.  Refrigerate at least one hour and serve with a sprinkling of cheese. 

Mango Quinoa Salad

My entire family loves this salad and I've adapted it a few times, finally coming up with the perfect recipe for us and perfectly acccomodates my Weight Watchers points allotment.  It isn't over-dressed just a small bit of olive oil and red wine vinegar.  The best part is this is naturally allergen-friendly.  You could easily adapt the veggies and fruit for what you have.  I think fresh pineapple or peaches would be good.  I've used red or green onions and many colors of bell pepper based on what I had.

Try this salad with meat off the grill this summer for an oven-free meal.  (We had some wild-caught Alaskan salmon...yum!)

Mango Quinoa Salad

recipe inspired from Our Best Bites

2 c. cooked quinoa (any color)

2 small mangoes, or 1 large, diced small

1 c. cucumber, diced (I peel conventional cucumbers, but not English cucumbers)

1/4 c. red or green onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. olive oil
3 Tb. fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to taste
dash of sugar or honey

Cook the quinoa and let cool.  In a large bowl mix together quinoa, mango, cucumber, onion, bell pepper and cilantro.  To make the dressing mix together vinegar, oil, lime juice, salt & pepper and sweetener.  Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately or refrigerate until you're ready to eat.

Creamy Tortellini Salad

This is another one of Our Best Bites' recipes.  You really can't go wrong with them.

I made this as a side dish with chicken sandwiches at a get-together recently and it was a hit.  This would be a great picnic item for the summer or add some chicken and make it a meal.  I will say that I would toss the dressing on at the last minute because the tortellini soaks it up and I like it saucy.

I used dried tortellini because I'm frugal and it's cheaper but fresh would be just fantastic.

Creamy Tortellini Salad
adapted from Our Best Bites

14 oz dried tortellini or 20 oz fresh, cooked according to package directions
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped OR 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, seeded and sliced
1 c. black olives, halved

Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
3 Tb. white onion, coarsely chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
2 Tb coarse grain or Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh black pepper
1 c. canola oil

Add all ingredients except oil into the blender and mix well.  While the blender is running slowly (very slowly) stream in the oil until everything is  mixed.  Refrigerate the dressing until you're ready to serve the salad.  Before serving toss the salad with the dressing.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

My cousin told me about a salad she had at a restaurant and it sounded really good, so we made it the next day. It was good! I think some homemade dressing would be great but I had some Ken's light Caesar on hand and it turned out great.

The recipe isn't very precise, I just grilled some chicken, boiled some pasta and assembled individual salads for lunch so you could easily make a huge family-size bowl for lunch or dinner and adjust as you like it.





Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
makes 2 individual salads

4-6 c. chopped romaine lettuce
1 large chicken breast, grilled with lots of garlic pepper and sea salt
2 c. cooked short-cut pasta (I used rotini)
fresh parmesan cheese, shaved (as much as you like)
1/4 C. Caesar dressing, divided

To make the salads, layer in a bowl 3/4-1 c. cooked pasta, 2 or 3 c. chopped romaine, sliced chicken breast, parmesan shavings and drizzle with as much dressing as you like. Toss to coat.

Strawberry Jello Salad

This is a salad in the loosest sense of the word. I don't get it at all...but I do LOVE it! We actually eat this at holidays on a salad day with our dinner. I mean, that way we don't have to choose between this and pie.

My mom has made this on Thanksgiving and Christmas every year as long as I can remember. I truly don't know any other family that would call something with a pretzel/butter crust, cream cheese/whipped cream filling, and a jello top a "salad" but I'll take it. This would make a great summer dessert!

Make this, if you want to feel like a Midwestern.

Strawberry Jello Salad

2 ½ c. crushed pretzels (about 9 oz.)
¾ c. melted butter
3 tb. sugar

8 oz. cream cheese
½ c. sugar
1 tub Cool Whip, defrosted

6 oz pkg. strawberry jello
2 c. boiling water
10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed.

Stir together crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a greased 9x13'' pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool crust completely. In another bowl cream together softened cream cheese and sugar with a mixer, then fold in the Cool Whip and carefully spread over the cooled crust. Put the pan into the fridge while preparing the last layer. Combine Jello, boiling water and strawberries. Let chill one hour until Jello mixture begins to set (this will prevent the Jello from leaking through to the crust). Pour over cream cheese mixture. Chill a few hours or until Jello is completely set.

Sweet & Tangy Slaw

Cabbage is super cheap right now, so what better time to make some coleslaw?  I am extremely motivated to save money and I almost always plan my meals around what's on sale that week and what I have in my pantry/freezer already.  Slaw it is.

This is a very good, simple, quick recipe.  I've found that people who "don't like coleslaw", like this. I first had this when a friend at work made it for our team.  Yummy.  It goes great with burgers, grilled chicken or steak.



Sweet & Tangy Slaw

8 c. shredded cabbage
2 carrots, shredded
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 Tb sesame seeds
2 pkg Ramen noodles, seasoning packet reserved (I prefer beef but chicken would do)

Dressing:
2 ramen seasoning packets
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. vegetable or canola oil
1/2 tsp pepper

Toss together all veggies, seeds and ramen noodles (crushed).  In a separate bowl mix together the dressing ingredients and wisk until incorporated.  Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat.  Chill 2-4 hours.

Cornbread Salad

Last Halloween we had a chili party on the driveway with the neighborhood and my friend/next door neighbor had so much cornbread leftover she made a cornbread salad.  We loved it!  I kind of forgot about it until this summer when we were at a church potluck and someone made it there and something about the yummy-ness of the salad combined with my pregnancy hormones and I was addicted.  I had to figure out how to make it.  So during the prayer meeting I quickly texted myself all the ingredients I could see in the salad (don't tell anyone) and then I found something that looked similar on allrecipes.com.  Here it is.  I really really liked it, Rob was just a medium fan of it.  But I will say that this makes a LOT so have company. 

Cornbread Salad
2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix, mixed and baked as directed (9x13'' pan)
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
2 c. sour cream
1 c. mayo
10 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed & drained
1 can corn, drained well
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Whisk together mayo, sour cream and ranch mix.  Once cornbread is cooled completely crumble half of it into the bottom of a large serving bowl.  Layer half the beans, tomatoes, pepper, onions, corn cheese, bacon and spread half the dressing over the top.  Then repeat with the rest of the cornbread, veggies, cheese and dressing.  Chill at least 2 hours.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

I LOVE this salad, it's super fresh and summery.  Because it's so summery I thought I'd better put it up on here really quick before tomatoes and peppers are out of season.  The recipe calls for canned corn but I had some fresh corn from the produce basket so I used that--yum!  I made this with some yellow rice and grilled steaks and it was a great summer meal.







Corn and Black Bean Salad

1 can corn, drained (or 2 c. fresh or frozen corn)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
6 green onions sliced or 1/4 c. red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (if you don't like things spicy take out the seeds)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. cilantro chopped
3/4 c. italian dressing
1 tb. lemon juice
3/4 tsp tabasco
1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine all the vegetables in a bowl.  In a smaller bowl combine italian dressing, lemon juice, tabasco and chili powder.  Mix together salad and dressing and chill for several hours. 

Carrot Macaroni Salad

I haven't blogged in a few days because I've spent my free time doing internet research on ways to induce labor naturally. Well, those ways don't seem to be working, and I'm confident that God wouldn't punish me by causing me to remain pregnant forever, and I refuse to drink castor oil, so I quit. My due date is still 10 days away so I'll just try to be patient and instead post some yummy recipes for you.

My mom has made this macaroni salad for years and years. Its one of my favorites and I've made it a couple times for potlucks and stuff and it isn't the first thing to fly off the buffet table if people don't know what it is because it isn't the best-looking salad. BUT it tastes so good and when people try it then they immediately want the recipe. SO, you should definitely make it --maybe for your Labor Day bbq this weekend. It would pair wonderfully with some bbq ribs, grilled chicken, or beer brats or even burgers. It goes with any grilled meat!

The recipe makes a lot of salad so you definitely want some company to help eat it up. I always make it a little lighter by using fat free sweetened condensed milk and reduced fat mayo and even sometimes I substitute Splenda for the sugar. I have tried this recipe with whole wheat pasta and I'm sorry to say that this is one recipe that the whole wheat doesn't really work with. It just tastes different. But--I'll leave you to your own devices on this one!

Carrot Macaroni Salad

1 lb macaroni, cooked & drained

1 large green pepper, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

4 carrots, shredded

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 c. vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

2 c. mayo

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (or more to your liking)

Add the chopped/grated veggies to the pasta in a large bowl. In another bowl mix together condensed milk, vinegar, sugar, mayo, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well. Pour the dressing over the pasta and stir it all together. Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Three Bean Salad

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Mommy's Kitchen. Her food is just so homey and not really Weight Watchers friendly, but totally comfort food. If someone has a baby or a death in the family or a sad day, look to her for a super yummy comfort meal recipe. I usually check her blog a couple times a week.

Anyway, when I read this recipe I was immediately transported back to Scott County Park on the 4th of July during my childhood where my grandpa was standing over a gigantic grill cooking Oscar Mayer hot dogs and we all ate homemade potato salad and....someone always made the three bean salad. Maybe it's a 90's thing, or maybe it's a Midwest thing, but I love three bean salad and apparently Arizonans aren't big bean salad eaters because I haven't had this in years and years! SO, I quickly made out my grocery list bought the ingredients I needed and made this salad the same day I found the recipe. It's really good! Super simple, and somewhat healthy, and very inexpensive--try it! It gets better the longer it sits in the fridge so plan ahead!

Three Bean Salad
dressing:
3/4 c. sugar
2/3 c. vinegar
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Bring dressing ingredients to a boil for just a minute. Remove from heat and let cool while you assemble other salad ingredients.

Salad:
1 can wax beans, drained
1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
3-4 stalks celery, finely diced

Mix everything together and chill at least 3 hours before serving.

Balsamic Vinaigrette and Spring Mix Salad

This is my FAVorite salad dressing. I mean--ever. One of my lifetime best-friends' cousin made this salad dressing at a gathering once (years ago) and I have been obsessed with it ever since. Thankfully she was nice enough to give me the recipe, and why mess with perfection? I just make it as her recipe states, which I now have memorized. I promise that if you make a salad, toss in this dressing, and serve it to guests, they will think you are a hero.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/8 c. honey

2-3 garlic cloves (I always use 3)

1 T. water

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 c. olive oil

In a blender pour in all ingredients except olive oil. Blend until smooth. While the blender is running slowly stream in the olive oil. Streaming in the oil while the blender is running will cause the mixture to emulsify, which basically means it will be thick and creamy and not separate. Use this right away or store in the fridge for up to a month. When stored in the fridge, the dressing may be pretty thick when you first pull it out so you can set it on the counter a while before serving, or microwave it for 15 seconds.

Spring Mix Salad

There are no specific measurements for this saladjust make as much as you like!

Spring mix lettuce or spinach

red onion, thinly sliced

dried cranberries or golden raisins

granny smith apple, very thinly sliced

walnuts or pine nuts

feta or goat cheese, crumbled on top

Drizzle the homemade balsamic dressing over the top. YUM. This can be an easy meal with some grilled chicken on top.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Living in Phoenix in the summer is a bit hellish. Living in Phoenix in the summer 7-9 months pregnant is super duper hellish. I'm always trying to find something to make for dinner that doesn't require a lot of oven time--or eating super steamy foods. This pasta salad is a great weeknight dinner that's super quick to throw together and is nice and cold to eat. Serve it with a piece of bread or some melon and you've got a meal. I made this for dinner at the beginning of the summer and it was a hit with my whole family and now that I'm looking at the picture thinking...hmmm I should make that again! this would also be a great playdate lunch that you can do completely ahead of time.

This is also a super inexpensive meal wihch is always a good thing too!

Tuna Pasta Salad
1 lb shells or any short-cut pasta (OR 13 oz whole wheat pasta, that's what seems to come in a box of that)

1 c. halved cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes

1 medium minced red onion

1/2-3/4 c. minced celery

1 c. frozen peas, thawed

3/4 tsp dill

1/4 tsp granulated onion

1/4 tsp granuated garlic

lots of pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

1 1/4 c. mayo

3/4 c. ranch dressing

3-4 cans tuna in water, drained well

Boil the pasta to al dente. Drain well and rinse under cold water until it isn't hot. In a large bowl mix pasta and all other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate at leasat an hour before serving. If you refrigerate overnight you may need to stir in some extra mayo and/or ranch dressing because the noodles will soak up most of the dressing and personally, I like it more "wet" than dry.

Caprese

Well, again a sucky picture, but just bear with it--it's worth it. I forgot to take a good picture and then once the serving bowl was scraped almost clean I had to throw one in. Missing is the balsamic drizzle. Just imagine it's there.

I first had caprese salad in Italy and fell in love with it immediately. Then I came home and gained another 5 pounds making it for lunch every day. However, the best caprese I've ever had was in New York City at a little family restaurant and it was soo amazing--it was the balsamic drizzle. Instead of just sprinkling some actual balsamic vinegar over the top, it was a reduction
that was syrup-y. So delicious. So I am now obsessed with boiling down my balsamic vinegar into a syrup and I could eat it with a spoon, or just plain on a salad.







Caprese Salad

Tomatoes (roma or cherry)
Fresh mozzarella (a whole log or little bocaccini "balls")
Fresh basil (MUST be fresh basil)
salt & pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Truffle oil for drizzling (optional, I guess)

To make the balsamic drizzle pour two cups of balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat a bit so it is simmering 10-12 minutes or until reduced by about half. Allow to cool, it will keep quite a while.

To assemble the salad either layer a slice of tomato, slice of mozzarella, and piece of basil on a plate OR if you're using the bocaccini mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, cut the balls of mozzarella in half and the tomatoes in half, cut the basil into strips and toss in a bowl. (generally use the same amount of mozzarella and tomatoes). Season with salt & pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil and the reduced balsamic. Lightly drizzle with truffle oil, if desired. Serve cold or room temp.