Fall Salads

We tried the Butternut Squash & Smokey Ham Quinoa salad a few weeks ago as a main course and LOVED it. I substituted the ham for Turkey Sausage since Mike isn't a Ham man. The other salads on the site look awesome!!

Coconut Lime Chicken with Thai Garnishes

You must all try this chicken recipe.  I've made it once as written, but since then, I've switched to skinless or boneless, skinless chicken breasts (easier!), and I always add a ton more veggies onto the garnishes plate (radishes, salad mix, sliced raw zucchini, flaked coconut) to make it both healthier and to make the chicken go further.  I love to slice the chicken thinly and heap it in the middle of my largest serving platter and make rows of each of the other garnishes next to it.  (So pretty!  So delicious!  So fresh!)  Since I've been hearing reports of a shortage of exclamation points in the country, I think I'd better stop here before I use up my year's supply.  But seriously--you have to try this!

Yummy Quinoa

Seriously, this is one of the yummiest recipes I've tried.  It tastes like delicious fresh salsa.  I served it with hot homemade braided bread, and it's a fabulous meal. I bet it's yummy cold, too, as leftovers.  Yum!

Yummy Quinoa

1 tsp olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 c broth (I use chicken broth)

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

Heat oil in saucepan. Stir in onion and garlic. Mix in quinoa and cover with broth. Add spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 20 mins.

1 cup frozen sweet corn

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 T lime juice

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 c cliantro, chopped

Stir in corn, simmer 5 more minutes. Add rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle with feta

To Detox from my vacation

You know after you've eaten at restaurants for a week, and you feel a little sluggish?  Well, this is the solution.  Yum!  It's a copycat version of a salad Mom and I shared at a restaurant (Pier in Petoskey--Petoskey?) last week in Michigan.  That was delicious.  This one isn't as perfect, but it still hit the spot.

Yummy Salad

1 box organic spring greens/spinach mix from Wal-Mart ($2.50--gotta love that)
1 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, diced (white is prettier, but I just had orange)
1 handful dried cherries
1 handful dried cranberries
1 handful sliced almonds, toasted
1 cucumber
1/2 loaf french bread, made into croutons (like this recipe)
2 chicken breasts, sauteed or grilled, and sliced into strips
1 recipe apricot vinaigrette, below

Toss everything together except the chicken, croutons, and dressing.  Arrange the chicken and croutons artfully on top. (Or don't put any chicken on, if your kids decide one night that they'd rather die than eat chicken.)  Drizzle with vinaigrette.  (Unless vinaigrette is also poison.  Which it might just be, if you are 7 years old.)

Apricot Vinaigrette

1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
dash of salt
sprinkle of pepper

Put all the ingredients in a blender and whir away until thoroughly combined.  I think this would probably work with any preserves (raspberry?  strawberry?  Yum.)

Frito Salad

I first had this at my Bridal shower and I loved it. Tomorrow is the ward social and I'm taking it:) I made it for a ward party last year and it was all gone. Which is what I like. There's nothing more embarrassing than taking home food from a social that was barely touched.

Frito Salad

2 can's Black beans, drained and rinsed

2 can's Red Kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 can's Pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 or 3 green onions, sliced thinly

2 Tomatoes, diced, not to small though

1 Bottle Catalina salad dressing

1 bag Frito's

Set Frito's aside. Mix remaining ingredients. Mix in Frito's just before serving. I'm also adding a can of sliced olives this time.

Bread Salad

Bread Salad
(Mostly we call this bread salad because the kids balk at "green salad", but "bread" is always worth eating.)

1 head of lettuce, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
Other green salad ingredients as desired (radishes, bell peppers, sprouts, whatever)
2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1 loaf whole wheat french bread, cubed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt

Spread the cubes of bread on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil (and my measurements were just a guess), and sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, then stir, and bake for about 5 minutes more until toasty brown.

Combine all the salad ingredients together and serve with Kraft Greek Vinaigrette.  If you think you'll have leftovers, I serve the croutons on the side so they don't get soggy in the refrigerator.

Yummy Yummy Salad

Annie made this salad last year in Monticello and it made such an impression on me that I made it for our friends Easter dinner on Sunday:) Everyone like it.

Spinach and Bacon Salad

10 oz Baby Spinach

1/2 lb. Bacon, cooked and crumbed

1 sm. Red Onion, thinly, thinly sliced

3-4 oz Slivered Almonds, toasted

1 can Mandarin Oranges

Dressing

1/3 c. Sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. Vinegar (I used Apple Cider Vinegar)

1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice (I used Lime)

1/2 c. Olive Oil

2 1/2 Tbsp. Honey

1/2 tsp. Paprika

1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard

1/8 tsp. Salt

Mix salad and add Dressing right before serving or the Spinach will wilt.

I didn't use all the Spinach the first time so I made it again a couple of days later but I also didn't have all the ingredients for the salad so I made this one.

About 4 oz Spinach, Quarter of a head of Cauliflower broken into florets. I cut the Dressing recipe in half, omitted the Lemon Juice and added a crushed Garlic Clove for a kick. The onion I minced real fine. So, I mixed the Dressing, added the garlic and onion to it then mixed it with the Spinach and Cauliflower. It was really yummy also:)

Thanks Annie!!!

Best-Ever Chicken Salad

Now, here's the thing. I'm not so much in love with chicken salad that tastes like chicken with mayonnaise. I don't really like mayonnaise by itself. So, my two favorite chicken salads are 1) Aunt Steph's Lemony Chicken Salad with the whipped cream and the almonds (So springy and fantastic), and 2) Sara's Famous Chicken Salad (written below). They both have mayonnaise, but they don't taste like mayonnaise, so they're just creamy and perfect. Mmmmmm.

Sara's Famous Chicken Salad
Salad:
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and diced
3/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
2 cup grapes, halved
3 stalks celery, diced

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellman's with Olive Oil--does it make a difference?)
4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
5 tsp. honey
2 tsp. poppy seeds

Mix salad ingredients. Mix dressing ingredients separately, and combine right before serving. (Although, it stays delicious for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.)

I served it on ciabatta rolls, but it's amazing on croissants (just a little more naughty), and it also perfect on regular old wheat toast. (Or eaten straight from a bowl, right, Kasey?)