Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

I made this for a summer barbecue and it turned out great. It doesn’t make a whole lot so I think I will double it next time. 

Mix together in a large bowl:

5-6 cups chopped broccoli

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 C crumbled bacon

1/2 C sunflower seeds, shelled and salted

2/3 C craisins

1/3 C red onion, finely diced

Dressing:  Mix well and stir into the salad mixture

3/4 C Mayo

1/4 C sour crea,

1 1/2 TBSP white wine vinegar

3 TBSP sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Refrigerate if not serving immediately. 

PREPARATION

STEP 1

Combine broccoli florets, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion in a large bowl.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well-combined.

Pour dressing over broccoli combination and toss or stir well.

Serve. Keep refrigerated if not consuming right away.

Caramel Apple Salad

About 10 years ago my mom made this recipe and I really loved it so I asked her to send me the recipe. Like a good lil' mama, she emailed it to me the next day. But somehow life must have taken over and I never got around to making it. Fast forward to 2019 and I got a hankering for it, so I searched my email and found the recipe. I made this salad for a BBQ at my boyfriend's house. It was a big hit, especially with his dad who told me it was "marketable" which I took as high praise indeed! And in case you're wondering, it really does taste like caramel apples!

1 egg
2 Tbsp. flour
1 10 oz. can crushed pineapple
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1/4 C sugar
2 C mini marshmallows

Drain pineapple juice into a sauce pan and add sugar, flour, egg and vinegar. Cook until thick, then add marshmallows and melt. Stir in the pineapple and then put in the fridge for several hours.

Before serving add:
5 1/2 C apples, chunks
12 oz. cool whip
1 bag of caramel bits (buy them by the chocolate chips)
1 1/2 C salted peanuts, chopped

Chicken Salad

This year I have been making more of an effort to give my kids lunch options besides just sandwiches. So far I'm managing a couple times a week but it isn't even November yet. We'll have to see how good I'm doing next May! This chicken salad has been a crowd pleaser for sure and it's really easy to make.

Quick Chicken Salad

• 2 ( 12.5 oz) cans of chicken (or 3 cups diced cooked chicken)
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 cup diced apple
• salt and pepper to taste
• pecans or cashews, optional

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, mayo, grapes, green onion, celery, apple, salt, and pepper.  Combine until well blended.
2. Serve on rolls, bread, or croissants sprinkle with some cashews or pecans.  This can also be served on a lettuce leaf.

Esquites (aka Mexican Corn Salad)

We all loved this Mexican Corn Salad recipe. The only problem is that I didn't make enough the first time so this is the recipe doubled for future reference. I didn't double the lime juice though because I thought it was a little too intense on the original recipe. 

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 cans corn, drained or 4 ears fresh corn cut off cob
• 1/2 Jalapeno seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or half greek yogurt, half Mayo)
• 2 clove of garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 Tablespoons Cojita cheese (or Mexican blend cheese)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder to taste
• 2 avocados, diced

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add corn and allow it to char on the bottom of the pan, then stir and char one more time.
3. Add jalapeno, mix and remove from heat.
4. Place corn mixture into a bowl and add mayonnaise, garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, cheese, chili powder and avocado.
5. Gently fold ingredients until mixed through.
6. Serve warm or chilled, your choice. I like them both!

Lebanese Lemon Parsley Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked kidney beans

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1½ cups cooked chickpeas

1 can black beans

1 small red onion, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced in half or thirds lengthwise and chopped

1 ripe red tomato, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 teaspoon salt

Zesty Italian Dressing

Instructions:

1. In a serving bowl, combine the prepared kidney beans, chickpeas, onion, celery, tomato, cucumber, parsley and dill (or mint).
2. Make the lemon dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper flakes until emulsified. Pour dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly. At this point I wanted a bit more flavor so I added a few generous squirts of Zesty Italian Dressing. Serve immediately for the most flavor, or let it marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of hours or longer. 

This is a great salad to take to a potluck or picnic because there's no mayo or cool whip to have sitting out on the table or in the sun.  And it tastes really good, nothing like the waxy bean salads you can buy in the store!

Strawberry Fluff Fruit Salad

Technically, this recipe was supposed to be Orange Fluff Salad, but we didn't have Orange jello. Since the criteria for our Family Potluck Dinner Extravaganza was to use ingredients we had on hand, we swapped it out for Strawberry.  Garrett, age 7, also insisted that we add mandarin oranges and marshmallows even though it wasn't called for in the original recipe. Since he was the chef on duty (and because his request wasn't too outrageous!) we decided to let our inner rebels run wild! This salad was really delicious and easy. It does require prepping a few hours ahead so it has enough time to chill.

Ingredients:

• 20 oz can of crushed pineapple
• small box of orange Jello
• 8 oz of cream cheese
• 8 oz of whipped topping
• 2 small cans mandarin oranges (optional)
• mini marshmallows (optional)

 Add entire can of pineapple (undrained) to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add orange jello and stir well.  Boil about 2 minutes. Cube cream cheese and add that to jello mixture.  Stir until most of cream cheese is melted.  Pour into a large flat dish and put in the freezer or refrigerator.  Once your mixture starts to congeal, remove and stir in the 8 oz package of whipped topping.  Put your dish in the refrigerator to set up for at least 3 hours before serving.

Cucumber Salad

One of my neighbors gave me a bag of cucumbers this week so I decided to make this cucumber salad recipe that I'd seen on Pinterest.  I did it as the recipe called for but I have altered it a bit because I thought the vinegar was too strong.  This is my altered version.  I really liked it.  It's very crisp and "summery."  Though, admittedly, not for everyone.  It does have A LOT of flavor!

4 thinly sliced cucumbers
1 large  sliced red onion
1 large  sliced green bell  pepper (or color of your choice)
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp celery flakes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic 

In a bowl place cucumbers, onion, peppers, salt, celery flakes, red pepper flakes and gently stir.  

Bring to a boil the vinegar,water,and garlic .  Then add two large handfuls of ice.

Pack vegetable mixture tightly into 2 quart jars (or 4 pints). Pour slightly cooled liquid mixture into the jars until they are full.  Keep in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Original recipe from Pinterest can be found Here.

Cheesecake Fruit Salad

1 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese (you can use regular cream cheese but this helps cut a few calories.)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

dash salt

2 cup whipping cream

Enough fruit to give the salad the amount of bulk you want.  For mine I used 2 bananas (sliced and coated with orange juice so they didn't brown), 1 can chunk pineapple, 1 can mandarin oranges, about 20 grapes (halved), and almost 1 lb of strawberries (sliced) I'll admit I was trying to use up the fruit I had in the house before going on a family trip so it wouldn't go bad. You could really use whatever kind of fruit your family prefers.

 

Graham crackers, optional

 

Add cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla to the bowl of a mixer.  With the whisk attachment, beat until smooth 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Once smooth, add whipping cream and whisk at medium speed until thickened.  About 2-3 minutes, the whisk will leave 'trails' in the mixture.

 

Then fold in the fruit and refrigerate until chilled (a couple of hours) You can sprinkle crushed graham cracker over the top.  

I borrowed/lifted/plagiarized this recipe from my friend Amanda. I know she won't mind but you really should go check out her blog.  She has the best recipes ever!  And she takes good pictures of everything like a real blogger! http://www.girlplusfood.net/2013/07/berry-cheesecake-salad-red-white-and.html

Bacon Ranch and Tomato Pasta Salad

I recently made this for a barbeque we went to with a group of friends.  It was a real hit! I did add a bit of corn to the mixture because I didn't have quite enough tomatoes and I wanted a little more color.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (16 ounce) package large shell pasta
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 C sour cream
3/4 C mayonnaise
3/4 C buttermilk
1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
salt and pepper

1. Cook your bacon, either on the stove top or on a large cookie sheet in your oven. When it is cooked through remove it to a plate and pat the grease off with some paper towels. Set it aside.

2. Boil your pasta according to package directions. Pour it into a strainer that you have placed in your sink. Pour cold water all over the pasta until it comes to room temperature. Set it aside.

3. Slice the little grape tomatoes in half and toss them into a large mixing bowl.

4. Chop up 3 green onions and add them to the tomatoes.

 5. Pour your cooked pasta into the bowl.

 6. In a small mixing bowl combine 3/4 C sour cream, 3/4 Cup mayonnaise, 3/4 C buttermilk and one Hidden Valley Ranch packet. Stir it well to combine, making sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

7. Crumble up your bacon and add it to the pasta mixture.

8. Pour half of the dressing over the top of the pasta and stir it well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, or until you are ready to serve. Make sure to refrigerate the remaining dressing as well.

 9. When you are ready to eat this tasty salad, pour the remaining dressing over the top. Stir it well, making sure all of the ingredients are covered with dressing. Taste it and add a bit of salt and pepper if needed.

I got this recipe from here.

Salsa Salad

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can black eyed peas
1/2 bag frozen corn
2-3 diced tomatoes
2 large avocados, diced
1/2 purple onion, diced
Cilantro to taste
Small bottle Wishbone Zesty Italian dressing*


Mix together, and serve with corn chips. May be served chilled or at room temperature.

*You won't need the whole bottle of Italian dressing. Just use enough to coat all the rest of the ingredients.

Quinoa with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes

I know I said I would never use ingredients that I couldn't pronounce, but since I recently learned how to pronounce Quinoa (Keen-wa) I'm using this recipe. I signed up for the Iron Chef Challenge with my health insurance company. They tell me a "secret" ingredient to use during the week and I have to give it a try. The first week of the challenge was Quinoa. Turns out Quinoa is hard to find here in town. But Fresh Value does have it and I'm pretty sure any Whole Foods type store would have it as well. It can be found near the rice, since it is also a grain. Quinoa is also Gluten free for anyone on special diets for Celiac problems. Quinoa is cooked just like rice. I did mine in my rice cooker and it turned out perfectly.

This can be made as a side dish or a vegetarian main dish. The lime juice gives this a really fresh taste.



Ingredients

* 1 cup quinoa
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 3/4 cups water
* 1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
* 1 tomato, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons lime juice
* 4 teaspoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse under cold, running water until the water no longer foams. Bring the quinoa, salt, and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Or do this step in a rice cooker.)
2. Once done, stir in the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, garlic, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro to serve.

Pasta Crab Salad

It's that time of year again! Time for grillin' some juicy hamburgers in the nice weather. So here's an awesome side salad to go with those burgers.

Pasta Crab Salad


Ingredients:

2 C dry pasta shells
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 C sour cream
1 small onion
1 lb. crab, shredded
1 C peas
Salt to taste

Cook shells. Mix mayo and sour cream. Add peas, onion, crab and drained shells. Mix well. Chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Fruit Salad

FRUIT SALAD


1 (3 1/2 OZ) pkg. vanilla pudding (Not Instant!)
1 (3 oz) orange jello
1 medium Cool Whip
2 can's mandarin oranges
1 Can pineapple
Bananas (optional)

Cook pudding, using water instead of milk. Mix in dry jello and let set in refrigerator over night. Whip with an electric mixer. Stir in fruit and Cool whip.