Chinese Chicken Salad

1 lb chicken breasts

10-12oz farfalle pasta (optional, I use about 3/4 of a 1 pound box)

6-8oz wonton squares (I use about 1/2-3/4 of a 12oz package)

canola oil for frying

1 head romaine lettuce

6 stalks green onions, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

DRESSING

1/2 cup canola oil

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

6 Tablespoons vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place raw chicken on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 25-40 minutes (depending on size of chicken) or until chicken is baked through. Let rest for about 5 minutes and then shred or dice. Set aside. (or just use rotisserie chicken, like me!)

In the meantime, if you are adding the farfalle pasta, cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Fill a saucepan up to 1 inch, with canola oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Slice wonton squares into 4 strips, about 1/2 inch wide. When oil is heated, carefully place a few strips into the oil, not overlapping. Wontons should immediately start to bubble and cook. If they don't, your oil is not hot enough. Carefully cook in oil until strips are bubbly and cooked through, and barely starting to turn golden on the edges. Wontons will cook really quick if your oil is super hot. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel to cool and drain. (Make sure to remove wontons before they turn golden, they will continue to cook once removed from the oil.) Repeat until all wonton strips are cooked. If wontons start browning too quickly, turn down heat to medium or medium-low.

Wash and dry lettuce and shred. Set aside.

Pour cooked pasta, diced chicken, sliced green onions, and toasted sesame seeds into a large bowl.

Pour all dressing ingredients into a shaker bottle or large glass measuring cup. Shake or whisk dressing until combined and sugar dissolves.

Pour about 1/4 cup of dressing over the pasta and chicken mixture. Stir to combine.

When ready to serve add lettuce and wontons, reserving some wontons to garnish on top. Drizzle with dressing and toss until coated. Garnish with reserved wontons. Serve immediately.

NOTES

Toasted sesame seeds can be found at the grocery store on the asian isle. You can also use regular sesame seeds and toast them in a pan over the stove or use them un-toasted. Add wontons at the very end so they stay crunchy. This makes a big salad, perfect for a crowd when serving with other items. Half the recipe if you are making it for dinner for 4-6 people. Maybe just make some extra wontons if you are making half a recipe, everyone always likes extra wontons.

Orzo Summer Salad

Ingredients: 

16 oz Orzo pasta

2 cups halved red/yellow grape or cherry tomatoes

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 green onions, chopped

2 Tblsp. fresh basil leaves, shredded in chiffonade (thinly sliced)

4-5 ounces feta cheese crumbles

Dressing:

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ cup olive oil

2 lemons, juiced or 2 Tblsp. Lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling and cook orzo for 8-9 minutes. Cook to tender but firm, don’t overcook. Drain and let cool. 

Whisk together dressing ingredients and let sit a few minutes. Combine and toss orzo with tomatoes, almonds, green onions, feta, and basil. Toss with dressing and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Bruce's SALAD NICOISE

SALAD NICOISE
Dressing
Mix: Heaping tbl. of Dijon Mustard
½ tbl. of sugar
6-8 dashes of pepper
¼ cup vinegar
Shake in bottle to mix well
Add: ¼ cup of vegetable oil
Shake in bottle and mix well
Set aside or refrigerate
Salad
Cube and Steam Red Potatoes (approx. one per person)
Slice and Steam String Beans (appox. Eight per person)
Prepare before serving and refrigerate or chill in cold water after steaming
Next: Pour lemon juice over solid tuna and mix with mayonnaise and dill seed to taste
Slice roma tomato
5 Whole black olives
Sliver dilled beets
Set aside while preparing serving plate with lettuce
Next: Break up romaine lettuce and place on serving plate
Place tuna mix in center of serving plate
Side dress tuna with slivered beets, cubed potatoes, cut string beans, sliced tomatoes and black olives (place in a criss-cross pattern and circular pattern)
Refrigerate salad on plate until ready to serve. Pour dressing mix over salad and serve chilled. Serve with a smile to add flavor and flare to dish!

Spinach Salad and Poppy Seed Dressing

Spinach
Strawberries
Kiwi
Mandarin oranges
Black berries
Apples
Craisins
Toasted almonds or cinnamon almonds or candied walnuts
Toasted coconut
Swiss cheese, sliced or cubed

Dressing:
1/2 to 3/4 c. Vinegar
3/4 c. Sugar
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
1-1/2 tsp salt

Blend all the above in blender.  As blender is going add 1-1/2 c. oil. After blending add 1 Tbsp poppy seed and 1 red onion-thinly sliced. Marinate dressing for 2 hours and toss over Salad right before serving. This Makes a lot of dressing.

Alternate recipe for use with this dressing:
Spinach
3/4 lb. Swiss cheese
1 c. rinsed cottage cheese
Sliced mushrooms
1/2 lb. cooked bacon

Cranberry Salad

3 Cups of whole fresh cranberries
3/4 Cup sugar
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pomegranate seeds


Chop cranberries in food processor until they are fine and no large pieces remain. Transfer to a bowl and stir sugar into cranberries. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Drain any accumulated juice from cranberries and reserve.  Stir in drained pineapple and marshallows. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.  Fold into the cranberry mixture. Adjust texture with the reserved cranberry juice if needed.

Refridgerate or freeze.  Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

{recipe and photo found here}

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. Hamburger

1 can Pork and Beans (I use Van Kamps)

1 can Kidney beans (optional)

1 can Tomato Soup (I use Campbell's)

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard

Directions:

BROWN the hamburger. You can add onion if you want, I use onion powder to season since I have an onion allergy.

COMBINE beans, soup, brown sugar and mustard in a casserole dish and mix together. Add hamburger.

STIR well.

MICROWAVE for 6 minutes or until heated through. You can also bake in the oven at 350 F for 15 minutes.

CRUSH tortilla chips onto your dinner plate. ADD meat mixture. TOP with your favorites: tomato, lettuce, cheese, olives, sour cream, etc.

ENJOY!

Note: You can double the recipe for the meat mixture and let it sit in your crockpot on low throughout the day.

Christmas Ribbon Salad

CHRISTMAS RIBBON SALAD  

FIRST LAYER:

2 (3 oz.) pkg. lime Jello
2 1/2 c. hot water

SECOND LAYER:

1/2 c. pineapple juice
20 lg. marshmallows
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon Jello
1 1/2 c. hot water
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

THIRD LAYER:

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cherry Jello
1 (3 oz.) pkg. red raspberry Jello
2 1/2 c. hot water
1 container of cool whip if desired to top it off

First Layer: 

Combine Lime Jello and hot water; stir until Jello dissolves.

  

Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan. Chill until firm.

Second Layer: 

Combine pineapple juice and marshmallows in a saucepan. 

Heat until marshmallows melt. 

Dissolve gelatin in hot water. 

Combine the hot marshmallow mixture, Jello and cream cheese 

Mix well

Cool...the mixture

and pour over the first layer.

Chill until firm.

Third Layer: 

Combine all ingredients; mix until Jello dissolves.

Cool...

and pour over second layer

chill until firm

Cut into 2 or 3 inch squares to serve.
I add (1) container of Cool Whip on top just before serving.

Bajio Chicken

5 chicken breasts
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 cup brown sugar (more to taste)
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
6 oz. Sprite (1/2 can)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Thicken the juices with a little cornstarch mixed in water.

Serve with flour tortillas, lettuce, cheese, black beans and any other taco fixings.

If you want it spicer rather than sweeter add a hotter salsa and more green chilies.

Chili Cheese Frito Salad

3 (14 oz.) cans of corn, drained
1/4 of a red pepper, diced
1/4 green pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (9 1/4 oz) bag of chili cheese fritos

Combine corn, peppers,onion, cheese, and mayo in a bowl. Refridgerate until ready to serve. Just before serving mix in the fritos. Save a handful to sprinkle on the top.

Bowtie Chicken Salad

2 packages of bowtie pasta
2 -3 chicken breasts
1 - 2 lbs red grapes
celery, finely sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar

Cook bowtie pasta, per manufacturer's directions. drain, rinse and set aside. Cook chicken breasts and cut/shred into bite-sized pieces. Add to pasta. Cut grapes into halves and add to bowl. slice celery and add to bowl as well. In a separate bowl combine mayonnaise, milk and sugar. Pour over pasta and mix to combine. Refrigerate before serving.

Spinach Salad

1 lb of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1 package of fresh spinach leaves (baby spinach is best)
1 can sliced water chestnuts (drained)
1 block of swiss cheese
1 red onion, thinly sliced (use half in salad, half for poppy seed dressing)
1/2 lb of white mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced

Combine all ingredients. Dress with poppy seed dressing just before serving. You can use Brianna's Poppyseed dressing if you are short on time or make it homemade. (see recipe on blog)

Green Pouf

1 15 oz. can of crushed pineapple
1 large package of lime jello
1 lb container cottage cheese
1 pint whipping cream (whipped)

Put cottage cheese in bowl. Drain half of juice from pineapple and add to cottage cheese. Add jello, then whipped cream. Chill before serving.

Cherry Fruit Salad

1 can cherry pie filling
1 cup of pecans (this is optional)
1 can pineapple chunks
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1 large tub of coolwhip
1 bag of miniature marshmallows

Mix coolwhip and sweet and condensed milk. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill before serving.

Curry Chicken Rice Salad (Robin's Recipe)

3 CHICKEN BREASTS, COOKED AND DICED
1 C. CHOPPED CELERY
1 C. FROZEN PEAS
3 C. COOKED WHITE RICE (I use Costco Rice Blend-wheat, red, and wild rice)
1/3 C. CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS
2 C. DRY ROASTED CASHEWS

POUR DRESSING OVER THE ABOVE AND MIX.

DRESSING:
½ C. MAYONAISE
½ TSP. CURRY POWDER
½ TSP. SALT
½ TSP. PEPPER
1-1/2 TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE