Spicy Mexican Salad

More hot-weather recipes! We've become part-time raw-vegans :)  My kids seem fine with it (they asked for more 3 times...), Chris seems fine with it, and I don't have to turn on the oven. The best part is that I can chop the veggies whenever I feel like it and keep them in the fridge.

I got this recipe from the facebook page, Raw Recipe a Day.

Salad:
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 ripe avocados, finely diced (I think I may have only used one?)
2 ribs celery diced (If you don't know what a rib is, it's one piece of celery)
1 large red, orange or yellow sweet pepper, sliced into matchsticks (I only had a green bell pepper and I diced it, and it tasted fine.)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, packed
3 green onions, sliced

To make the salad, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Spicy Mexican Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (one small lime)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp flax seed oil (which I didn't have and therefore didn't add)
2 Tbsp tamari (I just used soy sauce)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced (I didn't have fresh garlic, so just sprinkled garlic powder on it)
1 tsp minced red or green chile (I only had chile powder)
1/2 tsp ground cumin

to make the dressing, combine all the ingredients, add the dressing to the salad and serve or chill up to 2 hours.

Cabbage Salad

We ate this salad at Tanner’s cousin Britney’s wedding. His aunt Anita gave us the recipe and it is totally our new favorite.

• 1 Bag Shredded Cabbage (I used the coleslaw mix)


• ½ Cup chopped green onions


• ½ Cup Sliced Almonds (toasted)


• 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (toasted)

Dressing

• 1 pkg chicken Ramon flavoring


• 2 Tablespoons sugar


• 3 Tablespoons vinegar


• 1/4 Cup Oil


• Sesame Oil to taste (she uses 5-6 shakes)

The salad tastes best when it has marinated for a couple hours at least. Even better... make it earlier in the day and have a yummy salad to go with dinner. :) It was really good the next day as left overs too.

Asian Wonton Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded (I marinated them in some of the Sweet Sesame dressing)
cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, sliced
1 package wontons
vegetable oil for frying
cashews
Sweet Sesame Dressing

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a pot on the stove top. Use pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut wontons into thirds (3 strips). You may not need the entire package, depending on how much salad you're making. I usually use about half of the wonton wrappers. You'll want the oil at about 375 degrees. Test by dipping a wonton in and seeing if it bubbles up quickly. Fry wontons a few at a time and set on paper towels to dry. These can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container.

Tear clean lettuce into chunks and place in a large salad bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Add shredded chicken and top with Sweet Sesame Dressing. Toss salad together. Once everything is well coated, add wonton strips and gently toss to combine.


Dressing:
2/3 C rice vinegar
1 C canola oil
2 Tbs sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely minced
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 C sugar
4 Tbs sesame seeds

Place all ingredients into a quart jar (or something equivalent) and shake vigorously. If desired, make ahead of time and store in the fridge

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

This is another one from the Sister's Cafe. YUMMY!!

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.)


The best part... The 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.


*This makes a lot of dressing! If you need a really big salad for a party then start with a large bunch of spinach, large head of romaine, 4 chicken breasts, 1 lb bacon, etc. I rarely make a salad that big so that is why there are no "amounts". So have fun with it - you're going to love it!

Olive Garden Salad

This is from the blog Wendy likes to use - the Sister's Cafe. It does taste a lot like the Olive Garden Salad. I added some grilled chicken breast to make it a main dish.

sisterscafe.blogspot.com

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



For 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.(It turns out a bit runny.)

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. [Keep your eye on them. ;)]

Overnight Super Salad

Grandma Greve's favorite salad!

Ingredients:

3/4 pound sliced bacon 1 large head iceberg lettuce, shredded 1/4 cup sliced onion 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas

1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon white sugar 2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese 4 tomatoes, cut into wedges 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

1.	Spread the lettuce out on a large serving dish or bowl. Sprinkle the onion, celery, water chestnuts and frozen peas (unthawed) over the lettuce in layers. Spread mayonnaise over the top like a frosting. Sprinkle with sugar and grated cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
3.	Before serving, sprinkle crumbled bacon over the top, and garnish with tomato wedges, slices of hard-cooked egg, and parsley.

Rosemary Balsamic Chicken Salad

4 boneless chicken breast halves (or thighs--cook longer if using)
1/2-3/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp. (or more if you like it) Dijon mustard
3-4 Tbsp. brown sugar or honey
Fresh rosemary and thyme--to taste, about 1 Tbsp. each
(if using dry herbs, only 1 tsp. and crush in your palm before adding)
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 Tbsp. cold butter

Mix the vinegar, mustard, sugar, garlic, and herbs in a bowl or large ziploc bag. Add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate for thirty minutes, or up to several hours. (The longer you marinate, the more tender and juicy the chicken.)

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. When oil shimmers, the pan is ready. Remove the chicken from the marinade, but reserving the marinade for later. Sear the chicken breasts for about 2 minutes per side, or until dark brown. Lower heat and add the reserved marinade. Continue to simmer over low heat until the chicken has cooked through and the marinade has started to thicken. You may add chicken broth at this time. Add the amount you want according to how thick or thin you want your sauce.

Remove chicken from skillet and place on a warm plate. Cover with foil and set aside. Let the sauce thicken a little more. Adjust seasonings--more sugar if you like it sweeter, etc. When the sauce has thickened to desired consistency, add cold butter and whisk it quickly into the sauce to incorporate it.

Serve over romaine lettuce with candied pecans, dried cranberries, Parmesan cheese, green onions, and applies. The sauce can be used as the dressing.

Steak and Mango Salad

1lb flank steak
1 head romaine or red-leaf lettuce
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 mangoes, sliced
1 large, or 2 small avocados sliced
cilantro sprigs for garnish
1/2 C caramelized macadamia nuts (recipe at bottom for these)

Dressing & Marinade

1/2 C fresh squeezed orange juice
6 T fresh lime juice
6 T soy sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 T fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 C olive oil

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until combined. Reserve about 3/4 C* and place the rest of the mixture in a zip-lock bag.
*Make sure when you're pouring out the 3/4 C you are constantly whisking the mixture to assure even distribution of ingredients

Lightly score the flank steak in a diagonal pattern on both sides. Place steak in the zip-lock bag with marinade and leave in fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Caramelize the macadamia nuts. Ingredients:

2 T brown sugar
1/2 T light corn syrup
1/2 T butter
1/2 C nuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a non-stick skillet on the stove top. Set heat to medium or medium-high. Stir the mixture as it comes together until it bubbles. Let it simmer like that for about 20 seconds and then add your nuts. It will be sticky and clumpy, but just keep stirring with a rubber spatula (so you can smoosh and stir) until all of the nuts are well-coated. Transfer nuts to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet, (or foil or parchment). Cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until you see the sugar mixture start to melt and bubble. Take the pan out of the oven and stir the nuts around with your spatula and then return to oven. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer, or until they reach a darker amber color. Remove from oven and give them one last stir. Then take them off the pan to cool on parchment, foil, or a plate.

Remove steak from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking and leave at room temperature. You'll want to let the dressing portion to sit at room temp during this time as well. Heat outdoor grill to med-high heat. If an outdoor grill is not available, use the broiler, or an indoor grill pan. Remove steak from bag and let any excess marinade drip off. Cook steak for about 5-8 minutes on each side or until done. In order to stay tender, flank steak should still be pink in the middle, but nicely seared on the outside. When done, remove from grill and wait at least 5 minutes before cutting to let the juices redistribute. Then slice into thin slices.

Now comes the salad assembly. Divide lettuce onto plates and top with slices of mango, avocado, and red onion. Add steak slices and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle macadamia nuts on top and garnish with cilantro.

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Can you tell I have been craving salads lately? This is a copycat I found for the Santa Fe Chicken Salad they serve at the Cheesecake Factory. It was really good - it might sound like a really bizarre combination of tastes but they really all do go together. Since there are really 3 dressings (a lime dressing, bean relish that is like a black bean salsa, and a spicy peanut drizzle) it is probably best to do the dressings ahead of time. This is one of my new favorite salads.

6 chicken breasts halves
1/2 cup teriyaki marinade
16 cups romaine and leaf lettuce
1 cup cilantro
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 cans whole kernel corn, drained
3 cups grated jack cheese
3 cups corn tortilla chips crushed
3 cups diced seeded tomatoes

Marinate chicken 1 hour in teriyaki marinade. Broil and baste chicken approximately 15 minutes; cool, then cut into bite size pieces or shred. Tear greens; add cilantro and beans and corn. Dress with Lime Dressing (see below).

Fill 8 plates with greens, top each with chicken, 1/4 cup cheese, tomatoes, 1/2 cup Bean Relish (see below). Drizzle with Peanut Dressing (see below).

Lime Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon snipped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup olive oil

Process until thick.

Black Bean Relish:

Process together:
1 can Beans
1/2 cup each chopped red pepper, green pepper and red onion
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
3 tablespoons sesame oil

Process until well blended.

This recipe is for 8, so if you have fewer people to serve, decrease amounts. I halved the dressing, bean relish, and peanut drizzle and had enough for probably 4 people. For the salad amounts, I probably only used 1/4 can beans and corn.

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

This one sounds a little strange but it was actually really good. One of my new favorite meals. And it is perfect for summer - cool and light.

8 oz Linguine Fini (or regular linguine)
4 C shredded greens: any combo of napa cabbage, romaine lettuce or even spinach
2 C thinly sliced purple cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
3 C diced grilled chicken
honey roasted peanuts (about 1/2 cup)

Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add a spoonful of salt and then add your pasta. While pasta is cooking, start chopping those veggies. You can really use any mix of veggies you want.

As soon as your pasta is done drain it and run some cold water over it until it's cool. If you're not going to use it right away, add a drizzle of the salad dressing and stir to coat. This will prevent the noodles from getting all clumpy. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

When you're ready to assemble the salad, place noodles, veggies, and chicken in a large bowl.

Pour the dressing over everything, stirring as you go until you have enough to coat.

Dressing:
1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt*
2-3 t sriracha chili sauce*
2-4 T water*

*The need for salt may differ depending on the brand of PB you use. Taste first and then add.
*I use 3 t Sriaracha, but you may want more or less depending on your preference of heat levels. Again, taste first and then add.
*Lastly, the addition of the water is purely for consistency which again, depends on the PB brand you use. Add water until you get the consistency you want, or leave it out completely.

Place everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Makes about 2 cups.

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

mmm.... this salad was very good... the recipe calls for only lettuce and red onions as a salad part, but i also threw grape tomatoes (halved) and half of the red pepper...yum.

For the Chicken:

1 lb. chicken breasts
1 teaspoon each garlic powder (or two cloves minced), salt, and pepper
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place chicken in ziptop baggie. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon juice and olive oil into bag, turn chicken to coat and marinate for 1-12 hours. Grill or broil chicken, about 6 minutes per side. 

For Croutons:
1/2 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2 cloves minced
4 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a foil lined cookie sheet, toss bread with garlic and olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Bake bread until toasted, turning once, about 15 minutes. 

For Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne, if desired
 
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a blender and process until smooth. 

For Salad:
Romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
red onion, thinly sliced

To serve:
Place romaine and red onion on plates. Top with croutons and chicken breast. Drizzle with dressing and black pepper. 

Fresh Tomato Dressing

In blender, puree:

• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Stir in 1 Tbsp clipped fresh chives and 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano leaves after blending.

Makes about 3/4 cup.

Garden-Fresh Chopped Salad with Herb-Ranch Dressing

Total Time 30 min
Makes 8 side-dish servings or 14 cups

1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-in. pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 green onion, minced
Salt and pepper
8 oz. hearts of romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
4 pts. red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
2 red, orange, and/or yellow peppers, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2-in. chunks

1. Heat 3-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high. Add green beans and cook 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain beans in colander and rinse under cold running water ro stop cooking.
2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayo, vinegar, chives, parsley, green onion, 1/2tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper until blended; set dressing aside.
3. In 4-quart or larger cylindrical glass bowl or trifle dish, place half of lettuce, then half of tomatoes; top with all of beans, all of peppers, remaining lettuce, then remaining tomatoes. Arrange avocados on top. Spoon dressing over avocados to cover completely. If not serving right away, cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate salad until ready to serve or up to 4 hours.
4. If serving bowl is not large enough for mixing, transfer salad to very large bowl and toss until well coated with dressing.

Notes: Very yummy salad. The dressing is especially good. We only made half the recipe and it was still a lot of salad. Do the full portion of the dressing though.

Crunchy Tuna Salad

2 cans light tuna in spring water, drained
2 cups julienne-cut jicama
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 1/4 cup purchased ranch salad dressing
2 cans shoestring potatoes

In large bowl, combine all ingredients except salad dressing and shoestring potatoes; mix well. Add dressing; mix well. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Just before serving add shoestring potatoes.

Grandma used to make this all the time and it is tasty

Spinach Salad with Fruit and Nuts

Everyone in our ward raves about this salad. I have never actually tried it but it looks good so I thought I would post it :) Since I know how much Dasha like salad thought she might want to give it a try.

The Salad

· ¾ box or ½ large bag of spinach leaves

· 3 cups sliced strawberries

· 2 cans mandarin oranges drained

· chopped gala apples

· 2 cups sliced red grapes

· 1 chopped red onion

· ¾ cup feta cheese

· ½ cup cooked chopped bacon (they sell this pre-cooked, pre-chopped in a bag); heat on a plate, covered w/paper towel in micro for 30 seconds.

· ½ cup Craisins

· 2 cups Roasted Pecans (see directions below)

· (2 cups chopped chicken if desired for a main dish salad)

Nuts

1. Set oven for 350 degrees

2. Dissolve ½ cup white sugar in 2 cups warm water (stir well)

3. Add 2 cups pecan halves, stir well, and let stand for 10 minutes; drain

4. Combine 4 T. white sugar and 2 T. chili powder in large bowl and mix it well.

5. Add pecans and toss and coat

6. Line sheet with foil and spray with Pam

7. Spread pecans in single layer and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring once

8. Let stand until almost cool

9. Chop or simply add it whole on top of the salad

Dressing

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¾ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons of Raspberry Honey Mustard (from Pirate O’s) or 2 tablespoons of Honey mustard and 1 tablespoon of honey

Serving

Put spinach in bowl & layer everything else on top. Drizzle dressing on each serving.

Tips: You can really add anything that you want to this salad. Blueberries instead of grapes, raspberries, shallots to dressing etc.

Chicken Pita Roll-Ups

Ingredients-
3 cups Chicken (app. 3 breasts), cubed
1/2 cup Cucumber
1/4 cup carrot, minced
1/8 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup tomato diced

Combine all and stuff into pitas then add homemade dressings


Pear Basil Dressing
Ingredients
2 pears or granny smith apples peeled and cored
1 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup apple juice
8 large basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 T corn startch
pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth


House Dressing
Ingredients
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup Red onion
1/4 cup honey

Combine all of the ingredients



Are you happy, These recipes given to us at an Enrichment night by a chef that works here in St. George at Green Valley Spa, a fancy place for all the rich people. They were very very tasty and good for you. enjoy and Rachel quit complaining.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Again, this is another favorite dish of mine from the Cheesecake Factory. This tastes pretty identical and it really easy to make. We eat it all the time! The ingredients below are just what we add to the salad - feel free to add your own and in whatever quantity you need.

Chop all the following:

Romaine Lettuce
Tomato
Cucumber
Red Onion
Cilantro
Chicken

Add:
Black Beans
Corn (defrost some frozen Corn)
French Fried Onions or we like the BBQ spiral Fritos in the salad too

Toss Salad with Ranch Dressing and BBQ sauce.

Rice-a-Roni Salad

Sounds a little strange, but I think it is really yummy! Plus it makes a ton and tastes even better the next day.

1 box chicken flavor rice-a-roni (make according to package directions)
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
2 cups grapes, halved (I like red grapes for this)
1 cup raisins
4 large chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 apples, diced (I usually use a fuji-type apple)
toasted slivered almonds (optional)
1/2 cup light mayo
1 bunch green onions, sliced (I think I use about 4 onions)

Let rice-a-roni cool and then mix all ingredients together. Keep refrigerated. (It is good without the chicken too.)