CHICKEN, BACON & AVOCADO CHOPPED SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

Salad Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
8 slices bacon, cooked and diced
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 avocados, pitted and diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup garlic vinaigrette (see recipe below)
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Garlic Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (optional)
pinch of salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasonings
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

To Make The Salad:
Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook for 3 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. (Cooking time wil vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.) Remove chicken and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Dice chicken into small pieces.

Add the diced chicken, lettuce, bacon, blue cheese, avocados and tomatoes to a large bowl, and toss until combined. Drizzle or toss with garlic vinaigrette and serve immediately.

To Make The Vinaigrette:
Whisk all ingredients together until combined.

Grape Salad

Ingredients:
2 lbs green grapes
2 lbs red grapes
1 - 8oz package cream cheese
1 - 8oz sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup crushed pecans

Method:
1. Let the cream cheese soften & blend with the sour cream until smooth.
2. Add the vanilla and sugar.
3. Fold in the grapes.
4. Mix together the brown sugar and pecans.
5. Sprinkle over the grapes.

From Diana Phillips

Summer Squash Slaw

Ingredients


2 small yellow summer squash, julienned
2 small zucchini, julienned
1 small sweet red pepper, julienned
1/3 cup sliced onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine squash, zucchini, red pepper and onion.
2. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well.
3. Pour over squash mixture and toss to coat.
4. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Easy Southern Grape Salad

Ingredients:
2 lbs seedless red grapes
2/3 cup sugar or less
8 oz. sour cream (use light if you prefer)
8 oz. cream cheese (use light or fat free)
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients together and sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Med Salad

From Just Cook Already
combine:


1 cucumber sliced {lots more if you're me.}
1 tomato sliced
1/4 c feta cheese {again, lots more if you're me.}
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 c GOOD olive oil {there is a difference.}
1 T lemon pepper seasoning
pepper & kosher salt {um LOTS & LOTS if you're me} to taste.

Pan-fried Chickpea Salad

If you are pinched for time, you can certainly skip the browning of the chickpeas - just skip adding any leeks altogether and add the chopped garlic and the lemon zest to the yogurt dressing. The only ingredient I would add to this version the next time around would be a handful of toasted, slivered almonds. Just a hint of sweetness, toasty nut flavor, and lots of crunch. You can use canned chickpeas, but chickpeas cooked from dried beans are infinitely better tasting, and the texture much better.


1 tablespoon clarified butter, olive oil, or coconut oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pat them completely dry with clean dish towel
1 cup of chopped leeks
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
zest of one lemon

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons Indian-style curry powder (or to taste)
scant 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 or 2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion or red spring onions, chopped

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet and add the chickpeas. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they start getting a bit golden in color. Stir in the leeks and cook until the chickpeas are more golden and the leeks have browned a bit as well, roughly 7 - 10 minutes total. At the last minute stir in the garlic and the lemon zest. Remove from heat, and set aside.

While the chickpeas cool (I like to serve this salad at room temperature), make the yogurt dressing by combining the yogurt, curry powder, and salt in a small bowl. If you need to thin it out a bit, particularly if you are using Greek yogurt, whisk in warm water a tablespoon at a time. Taste, adjust, and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the chickpea mixture with most of the cilantro and most of the chopped red onion. Add about 1/2 of the yogurt dressing and toss again. If you like more dressing, keep adding until you are pleased. Serve on a platter sprinkled with the remaining onions and cilantro.

Winter Spinach Salad

Winter Spinach Salad

1 bunch baby spinach
1/2 C dried cherries or craisins
3 green onions, sliced
1 green apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 C seedless red grapes, cut in half
1/4 C sugared pecans
1/2 C crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Combine spinach, cherries, green onions, apple slices, grapes and pecans. Add dressing and toss. Garnish with Gorgonzola cheese.

Maple Syrup Dressing
1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C cider vinegar
2 Tbsp shallots minced
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake until evenly combined.

Grilled Corn Salad

Grilled Corn Salad

5 ears corn on the cob, shucked
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded & diced
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 C light mayonnaise
1/2 C seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbs granulated white sugar
3 medium limes, zest and juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Grill the corn, dry, no oil. Cut the kernels off of the corn after grilling and place them in a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, onion, cilantro and jalapeno.
2. In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, lime zest and juice. Whisk to combine the dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables (you may wish to dress the salad lightly and not use all of the dressing, so add a little and then assess if it needs more) and toss gently.
Servings: 8

Chinese Noodle Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes
Serves a BUNCH! Great for a party.
16oz Spaghetti cooked
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast poached , cooled and cut*
1 bunch green onions , including tops
½ cup chopped pecans and almonds
¾ - 1 cup vegetable oil
2 ½ tbs. sesame oil
2 tbs. ground coriander
¾ cup soy sauce
1 scant tsp. Hot chili oil (or to taste)

In a large bowl combine chicken, green onions , nuts and pasta.
In a small sauce pan, over medium heat. Heat oils and sesame seeds until seeds turn light brown. Remove from heat.Carefully add coriander and soy sauce. Stir in chili oil.
Pour over chicken mix well. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

*To poach Chicken: boil water - place chicken in pan
Cook for 8 minutes…the chicken turns out perfect every time!
Then season it with salt and pepper *

Pea Salad

20 oz bag of frozen petite peas
8 slices of bacon, crisp and crumbled
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
2 TBSP parsley
salt and pepper to taste
dill weed to taste

Prepare dressing by combining all ingredients. Rinse the peas with hot tap water until defrosted, drain and chill. Mix everything together: peas, bacon, onions and dressing. Serve.

Mary's Broccoli Salad

Broccoli - couple of bunches cut into bite-sized pieces
red grapes, halved
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 of a red onion, diced
sunflower seeds
1/2 lb. bacon, cut up and cooked until crisp

Dressing:
1 Cup mayonaise
1/2 C. sugar
4 Tbsp cider vinegar

Mix the dressing ingredients a few hours or even the night before serving and add to salad just before serving.

Cole Slaw

Cabbage - green cabbage and possibly a little red cabbage, if you want.
Chopped green onion
Shredded carrot (optional)

Sauce
Mayo or Miracle Whip - use a little less than you think you will need, or your slaw will be very wet
Salt
Pepper
Celery seed
small spoon of sugar - add more or less to taste. more makes it sweeter, less gives it more kick
vinegar - enough to mix in to the stuff

Mix sauce in small bowl by adding everything but the vinegar, getting it well mixed, then add the vinegar and mix together. The mixture will change color slightly as the vinegar is added.

In a separate larger bowl, add cabbage and whatever else you have to stick in. Then add the sauce and mix well. You will get it after one or two tries.

CAFE RIO!!

Café Rio Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast


Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.


(Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing has 2 grams of sugar per serving. I try to avoid dressings with sugar, but this is a very small amount. You're only using 8 ounces of the dressing per 5 pounds of chicken if you follow this recipe, so it should be fine, even for South Beach Dieters.)

Café Rio Rice

3 c rice
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion


Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.(or how ever long your rice needs cooking)

(For South Beach diet, use Uncle Ben's Converted Rice to make this, which is very low on the glycemic index. I would still use the rice sparingly on my salad.)