Chicken Salad

I love Chicken Salad! I make it several different ways but this is one of my favorites.

You will need:
2 1/2 c. cooked & cubed chicken (canned chicken works well too if you're in a hurry)
1 c. thinly sliced celery
1 c. red grapes, cut in half (you can use green too...I prefer red)
1/2 c. chopped onions (I've used sweet or red onion)
1/2 c. light mayo
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. cider vinegar
1 1/2 t. yellow mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
1/8 t. pepper

Combine chicken, celery, grapes and onions together in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients for sauce and pour over chicken mixture. Refrigerate for an hour or so and serve.

This is super yummy on croissants; but also good on a whole grain bread.

ENJOY!!

Asian Salad

I was looking online for a recipe to make this type of salad. I ended up taking ideas from a few different recipes to come up with this.

You will need:
1 bag of cole slaw mix (approx. 16 oz.)
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
1 pkg. chicken flavored ramen noodles, broken into small pieces
8 oz. cashews
2 T. butter
2 teaspoons of sesame seeds

Dressing:
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. cider vinegar


In a skillet, melt 2 T. butter and add cashews, noodles and the seasoning packet from the noodles. Toss around in pan until lightly browned. Add sesame seeds toward the end of browning. Once browned, remove from heat to cool.

In large bowl, combine slaw mix, green onions and noodle mixture.

For dressing, combine sugar, oil, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well with whisk. Pour over salad and toss together.

Serve immediately.

ENJOY!!

"Seven Layer" Salad

I've never really understood Seven Layer Salad because typically there are usually more than seven layers whenever people make it. The same for my concoction! And I don't even layer it...so maybe I should just call it something else??

I will list what I use but alter the ingredient amounts to your liking!!

You will need:
3 heads of romaine lettuce
1/2 of a green bell pepper, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 of a small head of cauliflower, chopped
1/2 - 1 pint of grape tomatoes, sliced
5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 bag (2.8 oz.) of real bacon pieces (you can use real bacon but this is less mess, less time and less fat...all for $1.50 - $1.89...it's worth it! Find it near the salad dressings!)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

For Dressing:
2 c. light mayo
3 T. sugar

I usually have all of my veggies (& other items) cut and ready to go but do not combine everything until right before serving.

I also usually make my dressing ahead of time so that it can sit in the fridge so the flavors can blend. Do this just by stirring together the mayo and sugar in a plastic container.

At serving time, I combine all of the salad ingredients in a very large bowl. I then pour the dressing over top and mix in with tongs to coat the salad and serve!

It is SO YUMMY!

Easy Pasta Salad

This is an easy pasta salad that you can throw together quickly with very little effort and as many or as few ingredients as you choose.

You will need:
1 box of rotini pasta noodles
1 16 oz. bottle of Italian salad dressing

Add veggies of your choice--I have been using the grape tomatoes and zucchini from my garden...and also some red onion. BUT you could add cucumbers, olives, green pepper...or whatever you like! There are so many options!!

I sometimes also add small cubes of cheese...whether it be cutting up string cheese or some chunk cheese that I have on hand.

Orange Jello Tapioca Salad

Don't let "tapioca" in the title scare you off! This is the best stuff!! :) I got this recipe when we lived in Chicagoland...it seemed pretty popular out there. Maybe it was a Dutch thing?? ;)

Orange Jello Tapioca Salad

You will need:
6 c. water
4 boxes of cook & serve tapioca pudding
1 large box of orange jello
12 oz. Cool Whip
1 large can of mandarin oranges, drained

Mix the water & pudding in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the jello.

Let it cool for 30-45 minutes, stir every 10 minutes. When cool, stir in mandarin oranges and Cool Whip; pour into bowl and refrigerate.

*This looks really pretty in a glass dish if you were going somewhere that you wanted it to look nice.