Salad De Maison

I brought this to a New Year's party with kids and adults, and my bowl was about empty by the end of the night! Amounts can be adjusted to your taste. This is a refreshing yet hearty salad- so good!

2 heads lettuce, Romaine is good
Grated swiss- 1 1/2 cup
chopped tomatoes- 2 large
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
grated fresh parmesan- 1/2 cup
croutons
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
Dressing:
3 T lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 large)
Toast almonds. Mix dressing. Toss all together and eat!!

Basil Chicken Salad

Cant go wrong with this one at a party!
2 chicken breasts, cooked
1 bag spinach
1 cup craisins
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup goat cheese or feta
1 cup dried bowtie pasta
1 large fuji apple, sliced thin
Dressing:
1 cup oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
20 fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T brown sugar
cook pasta and drain. Dice chicken. Combine all salad ingredients. mix up dressing in a blender. Toss with salad just before serving. Yum-O!

Refreshing Shrimp Salad

I've been craving Costco's shrimp salad and thought I'd try making my own. I love what I came up with, so refreshing and perfect for a light meal, and of course it's low-carb so that makes it even better. You can use low-fat mayo to cut on the fat also if you'd like. This would be lovely served for brunch/lunch in a hollowed out tomato and a sprig of parsley or fresh dill on top for garnish (if putting in a tomato you may want to cut up shrimp a little bit). Can also be served on a bed of green leaf lettuce.

2 pounds medium cooked shrimp
3 stalks celery, diced
3 green onions, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 c mayonnaise
1 t kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1/2-1 t dill weed (fresh or dry)

-Combine everything in a large bowl and chill for at least an hour for flavors to mix.

Marinated Green Salad (from Father's Day)

Dressing:
1/2 cup vinegar (I use apple cider)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 T poppy seed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 T dry minced onion
Whisk all together, then cover and marinate overnight in fridge.
Salad:
3-4 heads salad greens, like romaine, red-leaf, spinach etc.
1 red onion chopped or sliced thin
1/2 - 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. bacon fried and crumbled
8oz shredded swiss cheese
Toss dressing and salad together before serving. Makes a lot.

Chicken Tostada Salad

This is a light and delicious meal! I got it from Dan's grocery. They have girls cook up stuff in the back and give out samples and have the recipes and all the ingredients there for you to buy. This is really simple, quick and fresh. The refrigerated chicken is only OK. I would prefer to cook my own, but these days, I'm not up to it. Maybe in a few months. Or maybe there's a better brand??? You could add refried beans to make it heartier and I thought avocados, and cilantro would be good, too.

4 cups shredded lettuce
1 med tomato, cut into wedges (I used more and diced)
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 sliced olives
2 T taco sauce
4 tostada shells
2 pkgs (6 oz each) refrigerated chicken strips (Tyson, it's by the bacon and lunchmeat)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Divide among the shells. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese. I added some more taco sauce on the top of mine.) I am looking forward to having this for lunch tomorrow! It hit the spot after being sick ALL day today.

Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook. The Italians created it to use up their old bread. I'm a major crouton lover, and bread lover for that matter, and this is wonderful if it sits a little so the croutons can soak up the dressing. Great way to use up all that great summer produce coming in! (Picture courtesy of Kahakai Kitchen)

3 T olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained (not a must unless you totally love 'em)

Vinaigrette:
1 t finely minced garlic
1/2 t Dijon mustard
3 T Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

-For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

-In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

-Serves 12

Orzo Salad with Shrimp

This recipe came from my sister-in-law, Pam. She made this for "Girl's Weekend" and everyone absolutely loved it! It is a great entree for summer.

3/4 lb. orzo
1 large cucumber- seeded, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 C chopped fresh dill
1/4 C white wine vinegar
3 T Dijon mustard
1/2 C olive oil
3/4 lb. feta, crumbled
16 med. shrimp

Combine cooked orzo, cucumber, onions and tomatoes in large bowl. Blend dill, vinegar, and mustard until smooth. With motor running on low, add olive oil slowly until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Gently fold in feta and shrimp. Mix well.

Chicken Caesar Salad in a Shell

This is so delicious and the perfect dinner for a hot summer night! I got the recipe off of inmykitchen.blogspot.com. For the shell part you use Azteca shells that are pre-made in a package and raw, and all you do is bake them. Wal-mart carries them-in our store they had them in the refrigerated section over by the yogurt and dairy products. They are really good, and the nice thing about them is you can bake them ahead of time and they will keep for a couple of days. The recipe is for 2 full size salads, but I doubled it and then adjusted a couple ingredients to my liking.

1 large chicken breast, cooked & diced (I used Tyson's chicken breast strips in the bag that are already grilled and cooked!)
4 bacon strips, cooked and broken up
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into small pieces
4 c leafy greens
1/2 c shredded swiss cheese
Caesar Salad Dressing (I prefer Bernstein's-it's excellent!!)
Fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Salad shells (cooked according to package directions)

-Prepare salad shells and set aside. Layer greens, chicken, bacon, cucumber, and swiss in the shell. Drizzle dressing over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.
-I actually mixed all ingredients in a big bowl and served that way, and it was perfect!
-You can also have this without the shells and just add croutons.

Red, White 'n' Blue Salad

Here's a festive, fun recipe for the upcoming holiday! It's cool, refreshing, and definitely a crowd pleaser. I made mine in a 9x13, but I like the looks of it even more in the trifle dish! (from Taste of Home Magazine)

1 3 oz. pkg. berry blue gelatin
2 cups boiling water, divided
2-1/2 cups cold water, divided
1 cup fresh blueberries (or more)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3 oz. pkg. raspberry gelatin
1 cup fresh raspberries (I used 2-6 oz. containers)
Whipped cream & additional berries, optional

-In a large bowl, dissolve berry blue gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; stir in 1 cup cold water. Add blueberries. Pour into a 3-qt. serving bowl. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
-Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add the cream and sugar; cook and stir over low heat until gelatin and sugar are completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla. Spoon over the blue layer. Refrigerate until firm.
-In a large bowl, dissolve raspberry gelatin in remaining hot water; stir in remaining cold water. Add raspberries. Spoon over cream layer. Chill until set. Garnish with whipped cream and additional berries if desired.
-Serves 14-16.

Herb Crusted Goat Cheese

This recipe makes a plain salad dressy and impressive! I love it in the summer with garden grown tomatoes and mixed greens. A balsamic vinaigrette is nice with this.

12 ounces goat cheese rolled into 1 ounce balls
4 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
2 C flour
1/2 bunch parsley
1/4 bunch or 1 ounce sage, thyme, rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups panko bread crumbs
olive oil

Finely chop herbs and garlic in food processor or by hand. Add bread crumbs and 1 ounce oil, process until distributed.

Form cheese balls into small disks. In bowl, combine eggs, half and half together. Place flour and herb mixture into separate plates. Dredge cheese in the flour, then egg, then herb mixture. Fry until golden brown. Drain. Serve immediately.

Salmon Salad

Our cousin Danelle made this for me for lunch and I've been hooked ever since! So fresh and healthy, yet filling. Makes a great summer dinner dish! Quantity depends on how many you are serving. Usually it is just Kelly, Bailey and I. Enjoy!



Salmon Fillets (Costco), grilled or pan seared, with salt and pepper & your favorite herbs
Baby mixed greens
Arugula
Avocados, sliced
Tomatoes, wedged
Feta cheese, plain or basil and garlic
mixed olives or capers, if you like them.
Lemon wedges
Paul Newman's Balsamic dressing