Broccoli Salad with Bowtie Pasta & Bacon

I love pasta salad in the summertime, especially the kind that has just a touch of flavor rather than dripping with dressing. This definitely fits the bill- cold and creamy yet not overpowering, and the bacon gives it a great flavor.

Broccoli Salad with Bowtie Pasta & Bacon
1/2 (16oz) box organic farfalle pasta
1 pound (two large heads) organic broccoli
2 cups organic seedless red grapes, halved
8 slices of organic bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup pecans (halved or chopped)1/2 cup organic mayo
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup diced red onion (I didn't use)

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

Cut broccoli florets from stems and separate into small pieces. Slice grapes in half and chop onion (if using one).

In a large bowl, whisk together mayo and honey, then stir in red wine vinegar. Mixture will be a bit lumpy, that's ok.

Stir in pasta, broccoli and grapes. Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

Stir in bacon and pecans just before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.


*Recipe modified from myrecipes.com

Quinoa Salad with pears, spinach and chickpeas

If you haven't yet visted the Gluten Free Goddess website yet, I highly suggest you do. I'm not gluten free and don't plan on ever going gluten free, but she has some amazing real food recipes that cannot be passed up. Such as this salad- the pears and apples are so sweet it gives a great contrast to the quinoa and spinach. A great summer salad!

Quinoa Salad Recipe with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette
*Recipe from Gluten Free Goddess

1-2 cups cooked quinoa (I use rice cooker, otherwise follow directions on box)
2 handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves, washed, drained (I used a full package of organic girl)
1 large ripe pear, washed, stemmed and cored, cut into pieces
1 sweet apple, sliced into pieces
1/2 cup chilled chick peas, rinsed, drained
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
A handful of pecans, pan toasted and salted to taste
Feta Cheese, crumbled

Maple Vinaigrette Dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Fluff quinoa with a fork and scoop into a large salad bowl.

Add the baby spinach, pear, apple, chick peas, and chopped parsley to the quinoa and fluff.

Whisk together the vinaigrette, pour it over the quinoa salad and toss gently. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper.

Just before serving, add the toasted pecans and feta and lightly combine.

Simple Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is one of my favorite salads and it's so easy to make. Just toss with a raspberry vinaigrette or poppyseed dressing (this homemade poppyseed dressing is SO good!)

Spinach
Strawberries, sliced
Almonds, sliced
Red Onions finely chopped (optional)

Organic Raspberry Vinaigrette OR
Homemade Poppyseed Dressing

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

I have never liked potato salad. Ever. Until last summer... I have mentioned before (more than once I'm sure) my general dislike for mayo-based dishes and most potato salads are smothered with mayo or mustard, not to mention pickles.

This version of potato salad is light on mayo and heavy on flavor and is just as good (in fact I think better) warm as it is cold. And the only thing that makes it better is to stir in fresh sweet white corn.


Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

2 lbs red potatoes unpeeled or Idaho potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
2 green onions chopped, including white part
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (or real bacon bits)
Sweet white corn (optional)
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix

Wash potatoes and slice into 1/2 inch chunks. Cover potatoes with water and boil until tender, about 10 minutes.

Mix mayo, sour cream, green onions, lemon juice, milk and ranch dressing mix in a large bowl.

Drain potatoes and let cool 5-10 minutes. Add to ranch mixture and toss with bacon and corn if desired. Serve warm or cold.

Chicken Caesar Salad

This is a yummy spring salad (not that it's spring here yet- but it should be!)

Grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced
Lettuce, washed, chopped
2 cups bowtie pasta, cooked, drained
Cherry tomatoes
Texas Toast garlic croutons
4-6 ounces grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Caesar dressing

Toss and serve!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Salad

This is my new favorite fruit salad. I'd never had it until last Thanksgiving when we ate with Anthony's relatives here in Kentucky. I don't know how I have been deprived of this for so many years, I think I enjoyed it more than the pie! I really recommend you use real cranberries here, your kids with thank you for not torturing them with the jelled kind. Also, the first time I made this I wasn't brave enough to try sour cream, so I used cool whip instead. It tasted good, but after trying both I prefer the sour cream (if you're going low-fat for everyday eating then you can use cool whip, for Thanksgiving or Christmas use the sour cream).

Salad:
1 package whole cranberries
1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 small packages raspberry jello (can also use strawberry)

1 20oz can crushed pineapple with juice

1/2 cup sugar

Topping:

1 cup pecans

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sour cream (you could also use cool whip)

Cook cranberries according to package directions (boil water and sugar until cranberries pop). Drain. Boil water for jello. Stir water and jello in large bowl and mix until dissolved. Stir in cooked cranberries, pineaple (with juice) and 1/2 cup sugar. Pour into large 9x13 dish.

In a small bowl beat cream cheese and powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Stir in sour cream. Spread over cranberry salad and top with pecans. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. YUM!

Black Bean Salad aka Cowboy Caviar

This is one of my favorite dishes because it's so simple and so healthy. It is my "go to" dish when I'm exhausted and don't feel like cooking. You can eat it warm or cold, with a spoon, tortilla, or chips. Plain, over rice, or lettuce. So versatile, and did I mention healthy?

2 cans black beans
1 can corn, drained or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 avocado, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup zesty italian dressing
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Chop the tomatoes, onion, avocado and cilantro and toss with beans and spices. Here is a great recipe for zesty italian dressing (I simply mixed a little olive oil, garlic powder, honey and italian seasoning together and liked it much more than the storebought stuff I used to buy). Refrigerating it for a few hours helps the flavors to soak in and give the beans a good flavor.

For an even healthier boost- try adding some cooked quinoa to the salad.

Garden Pasta Salad

I typically don't eat pasta salads because they are mayo based and I am not a big fan of mayo. This pasta sald is so easy to make and is so delicious (not to mention healthy) and the feta cheese gives it such an yummy touch. I like to make it and eat it with the noodles still a bit warm for dinner and then as a cold salad the next day for lunch.

3 cups whole wheat rotini pasta cooked and drained
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cup halved cherry (or sliced garden) tomatoes

1 cup chopped cucumber

1 cup fresh chopped zucchini and or yellow squash

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/4 cup chopped red onions (I am not a fan of raw onions so I usually leave out)

1/2 cup zesty italian dressing

Cook pasta according to directions and drain. Slice all vegetables. Mix pasta, vegetables, zesty italian dressing (click here for dressing recipe) and cheese. Serve warm or cold.

*another healthy addition to this salad are garbanzo beans and frozen green peas, thawed

Strawberry Chicken Salad

This is my favorite salad, it's almost like a dessert. So yummy! My friend Joann introduced me to it, and it's fabulous. I used Brianna's poppyseed dressing, but I actually think Joann's recipe for poppyseed dressing is better- it's more dessert-like and just heavenly. Go here for her recipe.

I grilled my chicken with montreal chicken seasoning, then added fresh strawberries, almonds, oranges and mixed with baby greens and poppyseed dressing. You can change up the fruits for a different taste- peaches would be yummy, it also tastes great without the chicken, but something about grilled chicken and strawberries is just amazing. Perfect summer dinner.

Crunchy Broccoli Salad

I love the broccoli salad at Ruby Tuesday's and this recipe is pretty close.
1/4 cup mayo
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
2-3 heads of broccoli washed and chopped
bacon (I used half a jar of real bacon bits)
sunflower seeds (can also use pecans)
raisins or grapes halved
frozen peas, thawed

Mix the dressing or mayo with the red wine vinegar & sugar. Chop all vegetables and stir together. Refrigerate one hour to let the flavors soak in. Serve cold.

Asian Noodle Salad

A friend suggested I try the Pioneer Woman Asian Noodle Salad and since my husband loves Asian food and I am finding I do as well (wish I'd liked it more when I went to China!) I figured it was time to give it a try. I was nervous about the sauce because I really don't like dressings, so I changed it a bit and it turned out perfect for my taste!  I changed a bunch of other things too, so if you want her original one click the link above.

I wasn't sure if my boys would go for it or not, but it's so similar to stir fry they gobbled it right up. I forgot the spinach at first, but then added it later, and it's perfect even without spinach so if you don't have any you can still make it. I'm not a big fan of raw peppers though so next time I think I'll broil the peppers in the oven with the cashews. I only used 1/2 of each pepper and then chopped the leftovers and froze for future stir fry and kebabs. That's the great thing about salads- you add what you like and as much as you like.

Asian Noodle Salad

1 package chow mein stir fry noodles (I used 1/2 of the bag pictured below)
1 head finely chopped napa cabbage, washed and dried
1/2 bag baby spinach chopped
1/2 red pepper finely chopped
1/2 yellow pepper finely chopped
1/2 orange pepper finely chopped
1 bag bean/mung sprouts (my store was out and I was so sad because I love these!)
1 cucumber chopped or sliced
1 cup cashews, broiled in the oven for about 5 minutes (just until brown- I will broil my peppers next time too)

Dressing

1 lime, juiced (you can microwave for 30 seconds, makes it easier to juice)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cook noodles according to package, drain and set aside. Mix dressing ingredients in salad bowl. Chop all vegetables and toss in bowl with salad and noodles. EAT.

  

Chopped Garden Salad

I love garden salad with every type of vegetable you can round up. Just wash and chop your favorite lettuce and add your favorite veggies. Pretty simple and healthy. Here are some ideas of things you can add:

Lettuce, washed, dried & chopped

Tomato

Cucumber

Carrot

Broccoli

Radish

Mushroom

Avocado

Raisins/Craisins

Walnuts/Sunflower Seeds

Hard boiled eggs

Cheese

Croutons

Southwestern Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite salads because #1 it's filling and #2 you can use leftovers (if there were any) for taco salad, burritos or tostadas.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

Romaine lettuce washed and chopped
1-2 chicken breasts
Zesty Italian dressing
Lime (or lemon)

Black Beans

White Corn

Tomatoes

Avocado
Cilantro

Corn Tortillas (optional- here's a recipe for corn tortillas)

Marinate the chicken with Zesty Italian dressing and a bit of lime or limeaid (and sprinkle with montreal chicken seasoning if you have any). Cook chicken on the grill or in the oven (broil on hi for 10 minutes on each side) just until pink is gone- do not overcook. Slice into thin strips.

Heat black beans, corn and rice until warm. Serve with chicken over chopped romaine lettuce and top with desired toppings. Squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice over entire salad. Cilantro can be cooked with the chicken or just chopped and sprinkled on top of the salad.

For tortilla strips, cut corn tortillas into 1" strips. Heat oil and fry strips until golden brown OR broil in the oven until crispy. I love my chips with fresh lime juice or lime aid (just brush on with pastry brush).

*For yummy dressing- Cheesecake factory serves this salad with BBQ Ranch dressing- mix half ranch dressing and half bbq sauce. Toss dressing with lettuce and then add remaining toppings. YUM.

Orange Cranberry Spinach Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. I don't eat salad dressing- at all. I can stand a light vinaigrette, but I usually take my salad dry, so I like salads with lots of flavor and this is delicious. You can toss it with a raspberry vinaigrette or simply squeeze orange juice for flavoring.

Fresh spinach leaves

Craisins
Whole Walnuts
Sliced orange bits (or drained mandarin oranges)

Toss and serve!