Cafe Rio Pork Salad

If you haven't tried my Cafe Rio Pork recipe yet then you are missing out! I actually get the most google hits on that post. It is so yummy! Anyways, I decided to make a double batch of pork last time and froze half of it to see how it would do. I am happy to report it is just as good. I decided to serve it over a salad this time using the cilantro lime ranch. Love it, love it! Give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

Cafe Rio Pork (click here for recipe)

Hearts of romaine, chopped

black beans, drained and rinsed

corn

cherry tomatoes

mozzarella cheese

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing (click here for recipe)

Directions:

Place chopped lettuce on serving plate and top with black beans, corn, tomatoes, pork, mozzarella, and drizzle cilantro lime ranch over top. Enjoy!

Oriental Chicken Salad

Sorry for the awful shadow on the picture. It's becoming a bigger and bigger problem as we are getting closer to fall. I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe, a fabulous site if you've never been there before. I thought this tasted very similar to the Oriental Chicken Salad at Paradise Bakery, which is one of my favs! This dinner is super simple to throw together for a last minute meal. Don't let the ramen noodles scare you, they actually taste really good!

Ingredients:

1 package (3 ounces) oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix 
½ cup pre-sliced almonds
 red wine vinaigrette ( simple recipe below)
1/2 package (16 ounces) coleslaw mix or broccoli slaw mix (I used the coleslaw)
1 package romaine lettuce (I used hearts of romaine, finely chopped)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 scallions, both white and light green parts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Break up the ramen noodles with your hands and place them and the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the noodles and almonds turn light brown, 6 to 7 minutes.

Place the slaw mix (I only use 1/2 bag), romaine lettuce, chicken, and scallions in a large serving bowl.

Toss to combine the ingredients well. Just before serving, pour the salad dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Scatter the toasted almonds and noodles on top and serve.

Serves 4 to 6 as a main course

Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette

Whisk together:
¾ cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
Ramen noodles seasoning packet

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

I found this recipe at the Sister's Cafe and adapted it slightly to our liking. This is a wonderful summer meal. It was very flavorful and filling and you don't have to heat up the house to make it! Probably not going to be a salad the kiddos will like but I just threw some hot dogs on the grill while I had it fired up.

Ingredients: (use the following to your liking)

chopped hearts of romaine

sliced grilled chicken, (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)

sliced red onion

crumbled crispy bacon

shredded mozarella cheese

candied almonds, (heat sugar over medium heat till turns to liquid, then add sliced almonds and toss till coated, cool on wax paper)

the dressing: (I halved this recipe and I had tons left over)

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb. vidalia onion, chopped

2 cups canola oil

3 Tb. poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil. Blend until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Top over the above salad and enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

So this salad is a re-post from well over a year ago, but it is so good that it's worth posting again! I recently made it for a party we went to and I can never get enough of it. There was tons of food at the party and I seriously only ate a huge plate of this salad. Love it!

Ingredients:
1 lb. spinach (I added some red and green leaf too)
1 qt. strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup almonds
1 Tbsp. sugar

Dressing: whisk together the following
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup or little less, sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced green onion
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Directions:
1. Toast almonds in sugar in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Place on wax paper to cool.
2. Combine spinach, strawberries, and candied almonds.
3. Toss dressing over salad just prior to serving, otherwise it will be soggy.

BBQ Chicken Salad w/Cilantro Ranch Dressing

My husband absolutely loves this salad. The dressing is the best part, you've got to make the homemade Hidden Valley Ranch from the packet, it's the only way to go. I do highly recommend cooking the chicken in the crockpot with KC Masterpiece Original sauce too. Delicious!

Ingredients:
hearts of romaine
1 can corn
1 can black beans
15 grape tomatoes, halved
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
favorite BBQ sauce (I use KC Masterpiece Original)
mozzarella cheese

1 packet prepared Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (1 cup mayo/ 1 cup milk)
½ bunch chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime, or 2 Tbsp.

Directions:
Place lettuce in a serving bowl. Layer with corn, black beans, and tomatoes. Mix cooked chicken in BBQ sauce and top over salad. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top.
Place ranch dressing, cilantro, lime juice and minced garlic in a blender or food processor and mix well. Drizzle over salad.

Lazy Buffalo Chicken Salad

I found these boneless buffalo chicken strips about a year ago, shortly after having my baby. I was looking for some quick-fix-it meals just to get us by until and I could get myself back into a routine. I have been buying them ever since, and we love them! I usually don't buy anything frozen like this and it's actually rare to find me in the freezer section of any store unless I'm buying ice cream. I'm just anti-freezer meals.

Anyways, you really should give these a try, whether it be on a salad or by themselves dunked in ranch or blue cheese dressing. It's a simple summer meal.

Ingredients:

hearts of romaine, chopped

tomatoes, diced

celery, chopped

cucumber, sliced

red onion, thinly sliced

yellow or red bell pepper, chopped

mozzarella cheese, shredded

Tyson's boneless buffalo chicken strips, prepared

ranch or blue cheese dressing

Directions:

Layer veggies over a bed of romaine, sprinkle with cheese, top with chicken, and drizzle with dressing! Yum!

Summer Salads

Tonight was my Summer Salads Class and I have to say I was really pleased with the way it turned out. Everyone seemed to enjoy the salads and I got lots of compliments so I guess it was a success! I am kicking myself right now because I forgot to take pictures...ughh. I'll have to see how good the leftovers look in the morning and maybe snap a few pictures. The BBQ Chicken Salad seemed to be the big winner, although there wasn't much of the Layered Fruit Salad left either. I guess you'll have to try them out yourself and let me know! So without further adieu......here was the salad line up-

Summer Salad w/ Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
Salad Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce
4-5 halves of pear, sliced
½ cup pine nuts
grated goat cheese
¼ cup chopped or thinly sliced red onion
Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing:
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ cup raspberry balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. granulated onion (or powder)
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
½ cup grape seed oil

Whisk until thoroughly combined.

Chicken Salad (served on crescent rolls, see Sis. Prices dinner rolls for recipe)
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. paprika
1 ½ cups craisins
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
½ cup minced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. seasoning salt
ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoning salt. Blend in craisins, celery, bell pepper, onion, and pecans, Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill. Serve on crescent rolls.

Layered Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups pineapple chunks
2 pt. strawberries, sliced
2 pt. blackberries
2 pt. raspberries
2 pt. blueberries
1 bunch green grapes
2-3 sliced bananas

1 8oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup sour cream
1 ¼ cup milk
1 3oz. box instant banana pudding

Directions:
In a trifle dish, layer the washed and dried fruit in the order given. In a small bowl, mix the crushed pineapple, sour cream, milk, and instant pudding mix. Mix well and pour over the fruit. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour prior to serving. This will allow the pudding mixture to seep into the fruit.
(thank you Heather!)

Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
8 oz. tri-colored rotini pasta
9 oz. cheese tortellini (Costco sells a good 7 cheese tortellini)
1 zucchini, sliced
1 small head broccoli
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 small pkg. Feta cheese, crumbled
6-10 mushrooms
1 pt. Italian salad dressing
1 can whole olives
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package; drain. Combine and toss all ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese to your liking. Cover and chill.

BBQ Chicken Salad w/ Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Ingredients:
1 head thinly sliced leafy green lettuce
1 can corn
1 can black beans
15 grape tomatoes, halved
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
favorite BBQ sauce
mozzarella cheese

1 packet prepared Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (1 cup mayo/ 1 cup milk)
½ bunch chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime

Directions:
Place lettuce in a serving bowl. Layer with corn, black beans, and tomatoes. Mix cooked chicken in BBQ sauce and top over salad (I crock potted my chicken- 4 chicken breasts on low for 4-5 hours covered in BBQ sauce, I used KC Masterpiece Original). Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top.
Place ranch dressing, cilantro, lime juice and minced garlic in a blender or food processor and mix well. Drizzle over salad.

Simple Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 12oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
4 ½ cups water
1 10oz. pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed

Directions:
In a large pitcher mix together lemonade and water. Puree strawberries (keeping a few for garnish) in a blender. Pour into lemonade, stir, and serve.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad w/ HoneyMustard Dressing

Kara over at Kara's Kitchen Creations posted this recipe on my salad request post and it is SO YUMMY! Thank you so much Kara, my family loved it, including the kids. This chicken can be eaten alone or on a salad, it's that delicious! I do recommend drizzling the honey mustard over top, salad or not. The dressing is so good. This is a must try recipe!

Pecan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
heaping 1/2 cup pecans
15 Ritz crackers
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
pinch cayenne

1/3 cup milk

2 eggs

Directions:
1.Combine pecans, crackers, salt, pepper and cayenne in a food processor or blender. Process until pecans are finely ground.
2. Place crumb mixture in a ziploc bag and mix milk and egg in a shallow dish.
3. Heat a skillet over medium high heat with about 1/2 inch oil for frying.
4. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat chicken in pecan mixture, pressing pecans into chicken.fry coated chicken in hot oil for 3-4 minutes per side.

Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

Directions:
1.Chop garlic in food processor. Add honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, vinegar and mayo. Mix well and chill until ready to serve.

Salad
Ingredients:

8 cups romaine lettuce, sliced
1 apple or pear, very thinly sliced (I used pear)
3 stalks celery, very thinly sliced
dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Mix lettuce, celery, and craisins. Top with sliced chicken.
2. Drizzle dressing over top and enjoy!

Red Skinned Potato Salad

We had a yummy Memorial Day BBQ at our house this year. We ate Baby Back Ribs, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Watermelon, Potato Salad (posted), Baked Beans (posted below), and Apple Pie. The pictures didn't turn out fabulous but the food did!
The bacon is what makes this salad soo good, so don't leave it out!
Ingredients:
2 pounds clean, scrubbed new red potatoes
6 eggs (I left these out)
12oz. pound bacon
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (not the entire bunch, just 1 stalk)
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste (I used Lawry's and pepper)

Directions:
1. Chop the potatoes into chunks, skins on. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool. ( I cooked my potatoes in the morning, refrigerated them, then continued the recipe later that afternoon. I don't like warm potato salad.)
2. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
3. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until crispy (you don't want soggy bacon). Drain, crumble, and set aside.
4. Place potatoes in a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion and celery. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 pound seashell pasta
1/4 pound Genoa salami, chopped
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped
1/2 pound Asiago cheese, diced
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and cool under cold water.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.

Caramel Apple Salad

Ingredients:
6 medium apples, cored and chopped ( I usually do 3 red, 3 green)
1 small cool whip
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 8oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 small box butterscotch pudding (just the mix, don't make the pudding)
1/2 cup crushed peanuts

Directions:
1. Mix cool whip, pineapple, and pudding mix together in a medium bowl.
2. Add apples, marshmallows, and peanuts. Mix well.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or more.

*Weight Watchers Version: use cool whip free, sugar free pudding, and omit the peanuts.