Spinach, Bean, & Avocado Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterst and I eat it alot...it is so yummy! Lots of times I don't have cilantro on hand so I will use green onions and it is just as good!

No measuring involved...I just put in as much as I feel like!

spinach
black beans (rinsed well)
cucumber
tomato
avocado
lime juice
pepper
cilantro or green onions
dash of olive oil.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

This jello is always a hit! The combo of tart raspberries, salty pretzels, and sweet middle is so yummy.

(photo coming soon!)

Crust
1/1/2 c. crushed pretzels (I put a bunch in a ziploc bag then crush them with my rolling pin)
3/4 c. melted butter
3 T. sugar

Crush pretzels and add butter and sugar. Pat into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool before you add the other layers. You can do this part the night before if desired.

Middle
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1 8 oz. tub cool whip

Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Fold in cool whip. Spread on top of cooled crust.

Topping
1 large pkg. raspberry jello
2 c. water
12 oz. frozen raspberries

Boil water and mix in jello. Let cool slightly then add the frozen raspberries. This sets the jello. Pour on top of cream cheese mixture and spread around evenly. Put in fridge to set for at least an hour before serving.

Summer Pasta Salad

The perfect addition to a summer bbq or potluck! I love this salad.

12-16 oz pkg colored spiral noodles

1 diced red pepper

1 diced green pepper

1 diced cucumber

sliced olives, I usually do 3/4 of a can
diced mozzarella cheese (optional)

Bernstein's Cheese Fantastico Light Italian Dressing

Boil noodles according to package directions. Do not overboil!  Want them a tad chewy.  Rinse with cold water and drain well. Add in all other ingredients and toss in a large bowl. Dump a bunch of the dressing over the salad, about 3/4 of the bottle. Sprinkle with lots of Parmesan cheese.  Stir and refrigerate. 

Best made the night before or the morning before you plan on serving it.  Very good when all the flavors meld together overnight.  When you take the salad out to serve, freshen it up by shaking in a little more Parmesan cheese and another good amount of salad dressing.  I usually end up using the whole bottle.  You could also use any other Italian dressing your family likes.  

BBQ Chicken Salad

We had this for dinner tonight. It was a nice change from regular taco salad. I even made the crispy tortilla strips...so easy and really yummy!  They really added to the salad. This recipe is a keeper for us. I am typing the way I made it here as I did change some things, but for the original recipe go to  The Sister's Cafe.


1 can Costco chunk chicken, drained and rinsed
3/4 c. bbq sauce
1 head lettuce, chopped (can use any type of lettuce)

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Roma tomatoes, diced..however much you want

guacomole

shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar

crispy tortilla strips (see recipe below)

Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Of course you can use less or more sauce, it's up to you!  Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy!

*to make crispy tortilla strips simply slice about 10 corn tortillas in narrow strips and place on cookie sheet. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Place under the broiler and let bake until crispy and brown around the edges.

Black Bean Salsa

This recipe is so fresh and delicious. I get recipe requests everytime I take it somewhere. We used it for a stake luncheon a few years ago and I can't tell you how many recipe requests I got.

1 (12 oz.) can mexicorn or shoepeg corn
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 med. red or orange bell pepper chopphed
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1/2 c. red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 med. tomatoes, chopped
3/4 c. Italian dressing
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbls. fresh lime juice
1 Tbls. fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate 1/2 hour for all the flavors to meld. Serve with tortilla chips. You will love it!

Pina Colada Salad

I had this salad at a friend's house over Memorial Day weekend - SO GOOD!! This is now my new favorite salad!

(Recipe found in cookbook called, "Stir, Laugh, Repeat")

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces (or 3, 20-oz cans chunk pineapple, drained)
1 cup flaked coconut
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 can frozen pina colada mix (Bacardi is the best brand - it's thicker than the others)

Mix everything together. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours so the flavors can blend.

You can add - strawberries, seedless grapes (red & green), or blueberries. The only fruit not to add is cherries because their flavor will overpower the other flavors.

Salad can be served over cake or ice cream. It's also great over cottage cheese.

Blueberry Jello Salad

This is the jello salad that I have made for a few family get togethers. Indira has asked me a few times for the recipe and I am finally posting it! This jello salad is like Nate's family's orange jello salad to my family. We all love it and it is almost at every family get together!

(1) 6 oz. Box Raspberry Jello
(1) 20 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple, undrained
(1) Can Blueberry Pie Filling

Dissolve jello in 2 c. boiling water and stir until well dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pineapple and pie filling and pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Refrigerate until set. Top with delicious topping below.

(1) 8 oz. Cream Cheese (can use low or no fat varieties), room temperature
1 c. Sour Cream
1/2 c. Sugar

Beat together cream cheese and sugar, then beat in sour cream. This can sometimes be a little lumpy, but it seems like warming the cream cheese to room temperature and using beaters usually does the trick.

Orange Jello Salad

This recipe is a Southwick favorite! And a MUST at Thanksgiving dinner. We usually have to quadruple the recipe. Seriously.

1 lrg. pkg. vanilla pudding (cook pudding, not instant)
1 lrg. pkg. orange jello
1 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed (if you use light cool whip it may not set up as good)
1 or 2 cans mandarin oranges
2 c. hot water
2 c. cold water

Mix vanilla pudding with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Sprinkle large package of orange jello into pudding until dissolved. Add two cups cold water. Stir and put in fridge until jelled slightly. Whip in Cool Whip well. Add drained oranges, as much as you want. Stir all together and refrigerate until set up completely.

Broccoli Salad

I got this recipe from Chad's new employee today. She brought it to the company Christmas party and I LOVED it! I even brought some home. It is so good!

Ingredients:

* 2 bunches broccoli, florets only (5 to 6 cups florets) - I chop up the tender part of the root too or can save for later
* 2 bunches chopped green onion - use the green tops too
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
* 10 to 12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled or 2 TB Bacos bacon bits(for vegetarian style)

* Dressing:
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or more to taste
* 2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:
Separate florets from broccoli stalks - I like to shave and chop them off the stalk - giving a size variation in the salad. Save the remainder of the broccoli for another use or freeze for later. Combine salad ingredients; mix well with dressing mixture. Chill and serve.

Teryaki Chicken Spinach Salad

In a blender combine:

1 c. oil

2/3 c. teriyaki sauce

2/3 c. white wine vinegar

6 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Marinate in above mixture overnight or at least a few hours:

16 oz. bowtie pasta (cooked al dente or less)

2-3 c. cooked and shredded chicken

Combine with chicken and pasta just before serving:

9 oz. fresh spinach

6 oz. bag of craisins

2-3 small cans mandarin oranges, drained

2 - 8 oz. cans sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 bunch green onions, diced

1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted

6 oz. honey roasted peanuts (optional - can leave them in a bowl for each person to add their own)

NOTE: I had this for part of the baptism dinner tonight with Chad's family. His sister made it. This salad was AMAZING! This recipe makes a huge bowl, probably enough for at least 8 people.

Raspberry Jello Salad

This is the recipe from the family reunion last year in Boise.

Small cottage cheese
Small box Jello raspberry
Small cool whip
Small pkg frozen raspberries

Mix cottage cheese and jello. Stir in cool whip. Add frozen fruit. Refrigerate at least 1/2 hour. Stir before serving.

You can also do this with strawberries/jello in place of the raspberries.

Cole Slaw Salad

I made this for the dinner after Braden's baptism and it was a big hit! It's one of my favorite salads.

1 pkg cole slaw or broccoli slaw
1 pkg chicken ramen noodles, crushed
4 green onions, chopped
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 c. sliced or slivered almonds

Toast almonds and sesame seeds together. In a large bowl mix the cole slaw and green onions.

Sauce:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
seasoning packet from the ramen

Mix the sauce ingredients together, then add to the cole slaw mixture. Mix well. Right before serving, add the crushed up ramen noodles (if you add them too far in advance they get soggy). Top with the sesame seeds and almonds. YUM!

Cranberry-Broccoli Slaw

Crunchy, zippy and easy salad

Ingredients
1 bag organic broccoli slaw
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 stalks celery, minced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pineapple, diced or greed apple, diced
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegan sugar or other sweetener salt to taste


Directions:Please be advised that I make this salad without measuring too much. These are approximations. I make it a bit different each time, I just use up whatever fruit I have on hand. Any nut could be subbed for the sunflower seeds as well.Mix the oil, sugar, vinegar, pepper, celery seed and salt in bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.Mix in all other ingredients. Let this sit for at least a half hour, stirring a few times.


Serves: 4-6 depending on serving sizePreparation time: 10 minutes

Asparagus, green onion, cucumber, and herb salad

Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
3 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
4 cups thinly sliced green onions
3 cups 1/4-inch cubes peeled seeded Kirby or English hothouse cucumbers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon





For dressing:
Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.

For salad:
Fill large bowl with lightly salted ice water; stir until salt dissolves. Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups cooking liquid. Transfer asparagus to bowl of salted ice water to cool. Place green onions in another large bowl; pour hot reserved asparagus cooking liquid over onions and let stand until cool, about 30 minutes. Drain asparagus and green onions well. Transfer onions to clean kitchen towel and squeeze dry. DO AHEAD: Asparagus and onions can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap separately in several layers of paper towels, then enclose in resealable plastic bags and refrigerate.

Combine green onions, cucumbers, and herbs in mixing bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange asparagus on platter. Spoon cucumber mixture over and serve.

Ingredient tip: Chervil is an aromatic herb that's related to parsley. It has lacy, fern-like leaves and a mild anise flavor. Look for fresh chervil with the rest of the fresh herbs in the produce section. If you can't find individually packaged chervil, it is often one of the fresh herbs included in the packaged "seafood mix."

Strawberry or Raspberry Salad

1 24 oz container of cottage cheese
1 16 oz container of cool whip
1 big box of strawberry or raspberry jello
1-2 pounds of fresh strawberries or raspberries, cut into bite size pieces

Mix the cottage cheese and dry jello mix.
Add cool whip and stir in strawberries.
Refrigerate until cool. ENJOY!!

Avocado Waldorf Salad

I love avocados and waldorf salad! This is very yummy and since I'm the only one who appreciates it in my house, I get to eat it all!

3 medium apples
1 large stalk celery, minced
1 T raisins or dried cranberries
1 recipe Avocado-Yogurt Dressing (see below)
1/4 c chopped walnuts

Cut apples into bite-sized chunks and add to medium bowl. Add celery and raisins or cranberries and toss. Add dressing and stir gently until everything is nicely coated. Serve topped with the walnuts.

Avocado-Yogurt Dressing
(Tip: the acid from the fruit juice helps the avocado stay green longer!)
1/4 c orange juice
1 T lemon juice
1 small avocado or 1/2 large one
1/2 c plain nonfat yogurt
1 T light-colored honey
pinch of salt
up to 1/2 tsp grated lemon or orange zest (optional)

Combine orange juice and lemon juice in medium sized bowl. Scoop out avocado and add to the juice. Mash with a fork until very smooth. Use a small wisk to beat in yogurt and honey. Add salt to taste, and some citrus zest if you like. Transfer to container with tight-fitting lid and chill until serving time.