Pear Cucumber Balsamic Salad

I had some pears and cucumbers that need to be used up. I spotted this recipe in a Robin Miller cookbook and deemed it perfect!

Now I do have a picture...but 1) its pretty boring, thing white salad with balsamic coloring and 2) I got a new camera and I don't know how to use it properly yet and they came out AWFUL! so maybe just the recipe will do for now...

Pear Cucumber Balsamic Salad-Robin Miller
1 english cucumber, chopped
2 pears, cored and chopped
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese

Place cucumbers and pears in a bowl. Add in oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and cheese. Toss to combine.

**I thought this sounded delicious, K was skeptical but he really did like it! I loved the freshness of the fruit and veggies with the tang of the vinegar! Definitely will be making a reappearance!

Caribbean Chicken Salad

I got a great deal on some mangoes last week and found I had some extras. I altered this salad a bit due to missing the slaw part of the recipe, but feel free to follow the link to see the WHOLE recipe!

Caribbean Chicken Salad-adapted from Acting Balanced
1/2 cup chopped mango
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1-2 tbsp mayo(depending on taste)
2 tbsp apricot preserves(I used polaner all fruit)
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

Mix together lime juice, yogurt, mayo, and apricot preserves. Add in chicken, mango, and raisins. Mix until throughly combined. Serve in lettuce cups or over chopped romaine.

**I really liked the flavors of this and perhaps next time I'll have some mango chutney to add to it, but I do think a little curry powder would be a nice touch to the salad!

Fiesta Rice Salad

A friend of mine shared this recipe on facebook the other day. I thought it sounded wonderful and a perfect taste of summer! Thanks for sharing Jamie!

Fiesta Rice Salad-shared from My Recipes
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice(about 4 limes)
3 tbsp salsa
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cold brown rice
1 pt grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup corn, thawed(if frozen)
2 cups black beans
1 red pepper, diced
1 avocado, diced(omitted)
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Whisk together oil, juice, cumin, salt, and salsa. Add in remaining ingredients except avocado and cilantro and mix to combine. Add avocado and cilantro just before serving.

**This came together very quickly(although it did help that I had the beans and rice already prepared). This was tasty and refreshing and pretty filling. I did add some extra salt and pepper. It would be perfect for a potluck.



Calories-190/cup
Fat-5.9(this is without avocado added)

Oriental Broccoli Salad

I seem to really have a lack of new recipes this week...we have been eating from the pantry or freezer and sometimes they are already prepared. So with that said, I'm going to share a favorite salad of ours that I make for potlucks...it even gets requested now! I can't remember where I got the recipe from, but its delicious! I also scored a great deal on the broccoli slaw today and picked up a roasted chicken at the store and lunch was served! You can also use shredded cabbage, but I'm not a cabbage fan so I use the broccoli slaw/rainbow salad

Oriental Broccoli Slaw
2 bags broccoli slaw
2 pkg ramen noodles, crushed(toss seasoning)
4 tbsp sunflower seeds
4 oz toasted almonds,chopped/slivered(omitted)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1-2 cooked, chopped chicken breast
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/2 tsp each:salt, black pepper, garlic powder

Mix together salad ingredients. Combine dressing ingredients and stir to combine. Pour over salad ingredients and mix well! YUM

**When I made it today it was just broccoli slaw and chicken...I didn't think about getting the noodles when i was at the store as it was a last minute decision. I did add some blueberries to it and it was tasty! I have also made it numerous times without the chicken!

Baked Potato Salad

The idea for this salad has been rolling around in my mind for a couple weeks now....I read in our local store's flyer about it and have been wanting to try it. I should go ask for a sample so I can see what their salad tastes like so I can copy it! But I never got a sample...I have been looking around for a recipe to no avail have found nothing of what I am thinking of. I want to take a bite and think, YUM loaded baked potato! Thanks to Hallee the Homemaker for consulting with me!

Baked Potato Salad
10 potatoes(about 2 lbs)
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 lb bacon, cooked, crumbled, drained
1 cup shredded cheese
2 tbsp dried chives

Wash and pierce potatoes. Place in 375 oven and bake until fork inserted in potato goes in easy. Cool. Once cool cube potatoes.  Mix in read of the ingredients and serve. Although I do recommend making this the day before you make it as it tastes even better the day after one the flavors mix together.

**This did work out perfectly! I did feel like there was too much mayo/sour cream, but K thought it was fine. You can easily adjust this up or down to make more salad or less. It was a great take on a potato salad and one that I'm sure I will make again! You can also try it with 1/2 plain yogurt as well.

Fruity Curry Chicken Pasta Salad

It has still been quite warm here...after all it is June, but its so different than last June where I think it rained for 20 something days that month. Anyway, I've been craving pasta salad even though I think I've made 2 or 3 different kinds in the past couple of weeks and had some at a grad party. So tonight I had on the menu enchiladas, but I didn't feel like eating them...so I started searching for a recipe for what I wanted, I finally gave up and made up my own!

Fruity Curry Chicken Pasta Salad
1/2 lb pasta, cooked, drained(I used rotinit)
1/2 cup mayo(enough to keep it moist)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup chopped grapes
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
curry powder to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! I don't have exact measurements as sometimes I have a habit of not measuring especially if I'm making it up. I had a pretty big pinch of curry powder, and I think it could have used more!

**This was quite tasty and hit the spot perfectly! Next time I'll add more curry! YUM!

Satay Noodle Salad

It was a nice summer day on Saturday and I wanted something refreshing for dinner. This recipe I've had for quite a while and have put it on our menu at least twice and it wasn't even on this week, but I knew I had everything to make it, so it was a spur of the moment dinner. You can add chicken to it, I made it without so the little boy that was here could have some as well.

Satay Noodle Salad- from Rachael Ray
1 lb spaghetti, cooked, cooled with water
1/3 cup peanut butter,softened
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup tamari sauce(I used regular soy sauce)
juice of 2 limes(or 1/4 cup)
1 tsp hot sauce
1 clove garlic, grated(omitted)
2 tbsp oil
1 cup packed fresh spinach, thinly sliced(omitted)
3 carrots, grated
4 scallions, thinly sliced(omitted)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Whisk together peanut butter, honey, water, lime juice, hot sauce, garlic, and soy sauce. Pour in the oil in a steady stream while whisking continuously to combine. Add in noodles and veggies, toss to coat. Serve topped with peanuts.

**I did add more hot sauce to give it a little more kick. This came out wonderful and reminded me of a pad thai. I sat down to eat it and the 3 yr old and 2 yr old came running over, I had already fed them, but they wanted "noodles", so I gave them some and I've never seen them any anything so fast before! So they are also kid approved! This would be a great pot luck salad and you wouldn't have to worry about it spoiling at summer picnics. I also liked it warm as the sauce did get thick once it was completely cooled.

BLT Pasta

For anyone who lives in New England knows how hot it was yesterday...we peaked at 92 and it was very humid. Today was still humid and gross out so I knew I didn't want to eat anything heavy. I decided at the last moment to make this as K was actually going to be home for dinner. I saw this originally on a blog...sorry I can't remember whose it was, but its a Rachael Ray recipe so I followed that one.

BLT Pasta- adapted from Rachael Ray
1/2 lb angel hair
1/2 lb bacon, cooked/drained/crumbed
1 pt cherry or grape tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmasan cheese, grated
1 tbsp basil, dried
1 pinch of crushed red pepper
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and shredded
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Start water to boil for pasta.

Save about 2 tbsp of bacon grease after draining bacon and add in bread crumbs. Stir them around so they are nicely coated. Toast until golden brown. Turn off and remove from heat. Add in parm cheese and stir.

Place onion in 1 tbsp olive oil and cook until soft. Add in garlic, red pepper, and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Cover pan and allow to cook until tomatoes start to burst(about 3-4 mins). Lightly smash tomatoes, add in basil, and stir. Once you add the pasta to the water, add lettuce to the tomatoes and allow to wilt.

Drain pasta and add tomato mixture. Stir in bacon. I added a little olive oil here to to keep it loose.(1-2 tbsp) Stir. Place on plate and top with breadcrumb mixture.

**This was the perfect hot weather dish. It was light and tasted wonderful! We both really liked it. We ate all of it...this could easily be doubled or tripled and brought to a bbq or potluck. You may want to keep the lettuce to the side. The original recipe did call for arugula so you can go ahead and use that if you use.

Taco Pasta Salad

I love taco salad, but I generally use catalina dressing on it and well that has high fructose corn syrup, which is something we are trying to stay away from. I found this recipe at the Taste of Home and wanted to try it! It did not disappoint!

Taco Pasta Salad
3-4 cups rotini pasta, uncooked*
1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
1 1/4 cup mayo
2-3 tbsp milk(which I completely forgot about)
1 tbsp+3/4 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp+3/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ground mustard
1-2 tomatoes, diced
7 cups(or 1 bag) romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 cups crushed nacho tortilla chips(I used cheddar sun chips)

Cook pasta according to the pkg and drain. Brown beef and drain. Sprinkle taco seasoning on top, stir, and heat through. Mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, milk, and mustard. Set aside. Mix together pasta, beef, tomatoes and mayo mixture. If you are going to eat it all in one sitting go ahead and stir in the lettuce. I knew we were going to finish it, so we topped each serving of lettuce with the pasta mixture. Then top with cheese and crushed chips.

*I used 3 cups of pasta, so I then added 1 cup of plain yogurt to add more "sauce". I don't like dry pasta. If I was smart and thinking I would have used half mayo half yogurt to begin with.

**This was very very good. I may never make taco salad any other way! I even forgot to add the milk. The boys didn't eat it, b/c it was too spicy for them. I keep meaning to alter the seasoning, so if you don't like spicy cut back on the chili powder, red pepper, and black pepper. This would taste good with sour cream too. This would also work great for a potluck, just leave the lettuce separate or put pasta on top.

This recipe has been linked Mommy's Kitchen