Crunchy Broccoli Salad

I made this salad for Father's day and everyone absolutely loved it! I can't wait to make it again.

Crunchy Broccoli Salad

1 head romaine, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 large head broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 pound bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
2 (3 ounce) packages Ramen noodles, crushed. Discard seasoning packet
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup pecans chopped or sliced almonds

Mix butter, nuts and crushed noodles. Spread on a cookie sheet and back at 350 degrees until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. About 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Add broccoli, onions, lettuce, bacon and noodle/nut mixture in a large bowl. Toss with dressing right before serving.

Dressing:

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup red vine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Winter Salad w/ Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

This salad is my new all time favorite salad. The dressing, oh the dressing! I simply adore it. The combination of the lemon and dijon mustard along with the other ingredients is just too good. I have already made it four times since discovering it and am certain I will make it many, many more times. There is a blog that I read, Pedaling Fast and I Just noticed that she has a recipe section, it looks like I have been missing out! This salad came from there.

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppy seed Dressing
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tsp diced green onion (or just onion)
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup veg oil
1 Tbs poppy seeds
1 head Romain lettuce or a mixture of different kinds of lettuce
4 oz shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup slivered almonds. (or you can use cashews if you want)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (I actually used Craisins)
1 apple-peeled, cored and diced1 pear-peeled, cored and diced

Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. Add oil in slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.
2. In a large serving bowl combine the lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, almonds, dried cranberries, cubed apple and cubed pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

Strawberry Salad

This is my latest favorite salad. I love to try new salad recipes and of all the recipes I have tried in the past several months, this is definitely the best! I made it for Sunday dinner and everyone loved it. I came across it here and knew I had to try it after the rave reviews there. I can't wait to make this again.

Strawberry Salad

Mixed greens

1/2 purple onion sliced

3/4 pound strawberries sliced

1/2 cup crisp crumbled bacon

1/4 pack of wonton wrappers cut in 1/2 inch strips then fried till crisp

1 cup candied almonds, (mix 4 TBS butter with 4 TBS sugar over medium heat with 1 cup sliced almonds until light brown and toffee in color)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

Dressing:

Mix the following in a blender:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup oil

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup strawberry jam (please don't use freezer jam...too much sugar not enough berries)

Avacado and Lime Salsa

My friend Angie won a healthy recipe contest with this recipe that a local tv station had. I was lucky enough to be picking up my daughter from her house the same time she was making it and got to sample it. It was so good and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I made it a few days later. I love it as a salsa with chips or alone as a salad. My kids couldn't get enough.

Avacado and Lime salsa

1 packet of Italian dressing, made according to directions . (I use olive oil to make it)

2 avacados, diced

4-5 roma tomatoes

1 can white corn ( I used 4 fresh ears of corn)

1 can black eyed peas

1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped

juice of 2-3 limes

7 green onions ( I used 1/2 red onion)

Mix salad dressing and pour in a large bowl, place remaining ingredients in dressing and toss. Serve with chips.

Sarah's Salad

This is one of my all time favorite salads, it may be that there are eggs in it - my favorite salad ingredient or just the combination of all ingredients. Served very cold, it is so fresh and yummy. Lately I just use my favorite ranch dressing (Ken's ranch found at Costco). Also, I have never bought white pepper so I just use black.

Sarah's Salad

Lion House Classics

1 head iceberg lettuce ( I usually use half romaine, half iceberg)

3 strips bacon

1/2 package frozen peas

1/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 Swiss cheese, cut into strips

2/3 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup salad dressing (miracle whip)

Wash and dry lettuce. Cook and crumble bacon. Put torn lettuce into a salad bowl and sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper. Add peas, cheese, green onion, mayo and miracle whip. Chill. Toss when ready to serve and garnish with bacon.

Fresh and Healthy

I know that a lot of my recipes are not the most healthy in town so here is a tasty and healthy one. Today is my anniversary and we are eating out good tonight so I figured we'd have a light and healthy lunch so I don't feel quite as guilty on my big date. I am more likely to eat a big bowl of vegetables than fruit so I really love this one. I am not a big cottage cheese fan. In fact, eating it plain kind of grosses me out. For some odd reason, I can eat a ton of it if it is on a baked potato or with this salad. My husband and my mom loved this also. The kids? They eat the tomatoes and "hadocados" like there is no tomorrow.

I am just lising ingredients and you can add what you like most of and change according to how many people are snacking on it.

Avacado

Cucumber

Green onion

Grape tomatoes

salt

pepper

cottage cheese

crackers

Enjoy being healthy today, for tomorrow I shall share some naughty recipes!

Chicken Green Chili Salad

A long time ago I came across this copycat recipe to my favorite salad at Bajio and it is pretty close. I found it at Your Home Based Mom, she has the most wonderful recipes. It is a sweet chicken mixture with a green chili sauce. I served it on a tortilla with lettuce, pico de gallo, this dressing and cheese.

Chicken Green Chili Salad

(printable version here)

5 chicken breasts (I only used 4 large ones)
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.

If you want it more spicy than sweet, a hotter salsa and extra chilis.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Candied Almonds

My sister, Katie made this for us last year and I couldn't stay out of it. This recipe makes more than you need for one salad, toss less than half of the dressing with the salad and slowly add more until desired. Dressing will keep in fridge for a few weeks. Tonight I served the dressing on the side, but I think it is better to toss it all together for this recipe.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Candied Almonds
(printable version)

1/4 cup sugar
1 quart strawberries, sliced
1 (10-ounce) package washed baby spinach
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 TBS sugar
3 TBS sliced almonds

To candy almonds: Place almonds in frying pan with sugar and butter. Stir constantly until the sugar and butter combine, disolve and turn a light brown, toffe color.

Lightly sprinkle a few teaspoons of sugar over strawberries and toss with spinach justprior to serving. Top with almonds and toss with dressing.

Dressing:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp grated onion
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp celery seed
Mix all ingredients except oil and celery seed in a blender. Gradually add oil and celery seed until mixed well.

Won Ton Chicken Salad

Oh, how I love this salad! I would say it is one of my top three favorite salads.

I cannot guarantee that husbands and/or kids will love it as much. Lets face it, what man wants to eat salad for dinner? Not mine. Although, he very kindly thanks me and acts like he loves it. Not that he doesn't like it, he would just prefer a more, shall I say, manly meal. My kids like this becasue they get to eat big chunks of rotisserie chicken dipped in BBQ and they love the oranges too.

Having said that, I think it is absolutly perfect for lunch with the girls. Anyone want to come over for lunch soon? Because I want to make it again soon!

Won Ton Chicken Salad

Dressing:

1 cup oil

6 TBS. sugar

2 to 2 1/2 TBS soy sauce

2 TBS sesame seed

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

5 shots Tobasco sauce

Salad:

1 rotisserie chicken or 3 shredded chicken breasts, cooked and cooled

1 small head iceburg lettuce

1 small bunch romaine lettuce

5 green onions, sliced thin

4 stalks celery, cut diagnally

2 cans mandarin oranges

1 package fried won ton strips

Dressing: Mix all ingredients together in blender except sesame seeds. Add sesame seeds and put in refrigerator to chill.

Salad: Combine sald ingredients and toss with dressing immediately before serving. I prefer to serve the dressing on the side and allow each person to dress their own. This way if there are leftovers you can actually save them and not have soggy salad.

I find the wontons in the produce section of the grocery store, it is usually near the fresh salsa and cut veggie trays. I just slice them in thin strips with a knife or kitchen shears and fry them for a second in hot oil. They brown almost instantly. Remove from oil and place on paper towels.

Cranberry Spinach Salad

I love spinach salad and have collected many different varieties. This one is one of my new favorites, I kept serving myself more and more. I think it is such a good combination of ingredients and the dressing is just perfect.

1 bunch spinach, washed and dried

6 oz. dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 cup chopped red onion

Dression

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp minced garlic (this was 4 medium sized cloves for me)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

Put spinach in serving bowl. Add other ingredients.

Dressing, stir oil and vinegar and add all other ingredients. I let each person dress their own salad, but you could toss it in right before serving if you prefer.

Spinach Salad I

Spinach Salad

1 bag spinach, washed and drained
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 can bean sprouts, drained
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled
1 large red onion, cut in thin slices

Dressing:

1 cup salad oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ketchup

Toss spinach, chestnuts, and sprouts. Add bacon, eggs and onion. Blend dressing ingredients and pour over salad just before serving. Serves 10.

Mandarin Salad

Another of my mom's great recipes, she made it for part of our Valentine's dinner tonight. It is always a big hit with people.

Mandarin Salad

(printable version here)

1 small head iceberg
1 small head romaine
2 cups sliced celery
6 green onions, sliced
2 small cans mandarin oranges

Dressing
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
dash pepper
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
dash tobasco
1 T parsley

Almonds
1 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs sugar
Melt butter, add sugar adn nuts and cook in skillet until carmelized. Cool on cookie sheet.