Sweet Potato Salad

3 large sweet potatoes

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (red wine of golden balsamic work)

2 Tbsp orange juice

2 Tbsp real maple syrup

1 tsp dijon mustard

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and cubed

1/2 c dried cranberries (make sure they are the no sugar kind)

1/4 c pecans, soaked and dried, then toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil.  Bake them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Peel potatoes, and cut into cubes. 

Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well-blended.  Set aside.

Add the apple, dried cranberries and pecans to the sweet potatoes.  Toss gently with the dressing.  Serve warm or chilled.

Berry and Green Apple Salad

This fruit salad is so easy and delicious!

2 cartons blueberries (about 3 cups)
1 small carton strawberries, cut
1 carton raspberries
2 granny smith apples, diced

Wash all the berries and let dry. Keep the raspberries separate so they don't get squished as you combine. Wash and dice the apples. Combine the blueberries, strawberries, and apples. Then gently stir in the raspberries.

Niçoise Salad (French)

I had this salad for the first time a couple of months ago at my friend Karen's house. She got the recipe from The Fresh 20 cookbook by Melissa Lanz. I really enjoyed it and finally got around to recreating it for the family. I don't know if it is exactly the same as in the book because I just made it how I remembered having it. When Karen made it she used a bit less lettuce. Apparently in Europe their salads don't use as much lettuce/greens.

Ingredients:

2-3 baby potatoes per person (I used red, purple, and yukon)

green beans

hard-boiled eggs (at least 1 per person)

tomatoes (cherry or regular), diced

red onion, thinly sliced

lettuce, chopped

salt and pepper

Dressing (I used Dijon Vinaigrette or you could use one of the Pantry Dressings)

Optional additional toppings (Josh liked these added to the salad, but he agreed that it is really good without too):
feta cheese (omit if trying to keep it dairy-free)
roasted pinenuts
turkey bacon (obviously not vegetarian if you do this)

Instructions:
1. Boil (or steam) your eggs.
2. Start water to boil the potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 8-10 minutes until tender.
3. Steam the green beans (or add to the boiling potato water for the last couple of minutes).
4. Slice and sauté the red onion (enough for each person to have 2-3 Tbsp) with olive oil.
5. Chop tomatoes and lettuce.
6. Quarter the potatoes, then peel and slice the boiled/steamed eggs.
7. Layer. Fill about 1/2 the plate with lettuce, then layer the other ingredients. Grind fresh salt and pepper on each salad, then drizzle with dressing.

Enjoy!

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Dijon Vinaigrette

Recipe and picture source: recipegirl.com

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.   In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients (or blend in the Magic Bullet).

     This is a great simple dressing. It is quite strong, so you don't need to use much. We use it on this Spinach Salad with Chicken and Avocado. It is also good on a Cobb salad or simple salad. 

Spinach Salad with Chicken and Avocado

 Recipe adapted from: http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/04/02/spinach-salad-with-chicken-avocado-and-goat-cheese/

 

Josh and I were both surprised when we realized I had not put this recipe on the blog yet because this salad is a favorite at our house. You can simplify it and leave out the cucumbers, pepper, and black beans (these were all our own additions to the original recipe).

Ingredients:

8 cups chopped spinach (1 bag)
1 cup halved cherry or pear tomatoes
½ English cucumber, diced
½ cup sweet bell peppers, diced

½ cup corn (frozen, rinsed from the can, or cut off the cob)
1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken
1 large avocado, sliced
¹/₃ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese (omit to keep dairy free)
¼ cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds

Instructions: 

1. If you do not have roasted pine nuts on or slivered almonds already prepared, preheat the oven to 375 and roast for about 10-12 minutes.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper then grill or cut rotisserie chicken into bite size pieces.
3. Drain and rinse the black beans, then chop the vegetables and prepare the other toppings.
4. Place spinach in a large salad bowl. You can chop it if your family prefers smaller pieces.
5. Let each person add their own toppings.
6. Top with Dijon Vinaigrette.

Black Bean and Avocado Salad (with corn, red peppers, cucumber and lime-cilantro vinaigrette)

Recipe Adapted From: preventionrd.com

We love this Black Bean and Avocado Salad. It can be eaten like a salsa or as a salad. Either way it is always a hit!

Ingredients:
1 - 2 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn, frozen or canned
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced (or green onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 avocados, chopped



Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. (You can leave out the olive oil and sugar to make it healthier. Lime and cilantro are also optional, but I recommend them. I often add more diced red, yellow, or orange bell pepper.)

2. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight.
3. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently before serving.

Serving suggestions:
• Make it a wrap by putting it into a lettuce leaf.
• Serve it with chicken that has been seasoned with taco seasoning or blackened seasoning.
• Serve with tortilla chips, we like the Food Should Taste Good brand.

Ranch Dressing Mix

I got this recipe from my friend Stacy. She adapted it from:  http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-homemade-salad-dressing-ideas

5 Tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley flakes
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1-2 teaspoons dill weed

I usually double or triple the spice blend, and pulse it in a food processor (or Magic Bullet with the flat blade). Store in an airtight container.

For dressing: 2 Tbsp. of Ranch Mix with one cup of mayo and one cup of buttermilk. 

For dip: 1 cup of sour cream with 2 tablespoons of Ranch Mix.

Dairy Free option: 1 Tbsp. of Ranch Mix, 1/2 cup olive oil Mayo, 1 avocado, and a little bit of almond milk. *I think next time I will actually try just using avocado and almond milk with the mix.

It's really good sprinkled on vegetables or potatoes that are roasted in the oven or sprinkled on chicken for a Chicken Ranch Salad. 

Healthy Thai Chicken Salad (single serving recipe!)

Recipe by Our Best Bites.

This salad recipe from Our Best Bites has been on my list to try for a while. I finally tried it tonight and was not disappointed! It is crunchy, fresh, filling, and delicious. The recipe is for a single serving, but I did it for the family. The kids ate it too, but I gave them less of the coleslaw mix. I think this would be a great lunch to pack and take to work. :)

Ingredients

1 cup coleslaw cabbage mix
1 cup shredded chicken (abt 4 oz) - I used rotisserie 
1/2 cup cooked, cooled quinoa
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup pre-shelled edamame (This was the hardest ingredient for me to find. I ended up getting it at Trader Joe's, but I'm sure a well-stocked grocery store would probably have it.)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced cucumber (or celery)

Dressing:
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter, PB2, or tahini would be good too
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil (try our yummy garlic oil!)
1 teaspoon agave or honey
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Other Toppings:
1 tablespoon chopped cashews or peanuts
A squeeze of lime

Instructions
Start the quinoa on the stovetop. (Twice as much broth/water as quinoa, bring to boil, reduce and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to rinse the quinoa if it isn't pre-rinsed.) Get the edamame out of the freezer to thaw. Cook the chicken if not using rotisserie.

Combine cabbage, chicken, quinoa, onion, edamame, cilantro, and cucumber/celery.  Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss with salad.  Top with chopped nuts and serve with a squeeze of lime juice.

Fajita Salad

We had a delicious Fajita Salad for Cinco de Mayo!

Start by preparing your dressing. I used this Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce but other dressings would work too. I know Erin has a good Avocado dressing or even ranch dressing works. This Ranch Mix is great too, using the Dairy-Free Avocado preparation method.

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce:
recipe source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-cilantro-lime-sauce

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream 

1/2 cup light mayonnaise 

1/3 cup skim milk 

3 tablespoons lime juice 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

2 large garlic cloves, minced

Whisk or blend all ingredients. (I did a half recipe for our family so that we won't have it in the fridge forever.)

Once the dressing is ready shred the cheese, slice your peppers, onions, and chicken. While you let the chicken and pepper mix cook prepare the other salad ingredients.

Salad:
lettuce
cucumber
avocado
tomato, optional
onion and peppers mix (1/2 sweet onion and green, yellow, and red peppers sliced, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked just to al dente)
chicken (cut into chunks and seasoned with your favorite fajita seasoning, then cooked/grilled)
shredded pepperjack cheese

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded BBQ chicken
1 avocado, chopped
2 tablespoons White Cheddar cheese, shredded
2-4 tablespoons BBQ sauce
2 scallions, chopped
cilantro for garnish

1. In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, corn, black beans, chicken and avocado. Season with salt and pepper
2. Transfer mixture onto a bowl and top with shredded cheese, BBQ sauce, scallions and cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature

*I'm not a fan of quinoa but this is delicious! I ran out of time to make bbq chicken and just used normal chicken and it was still really good.
*I think it tastes better warm

Apple, Grape, and Lettuce Salad with Honey Crushed Red Pepper Vinaigrette

This is a favorite salad at our house. It has a great combination of sweet and spicy (but not too spicy, just a hint). I do not remember the source of the recipe. We have been using it for many years and when I have tried to find it on the food blogs we frequent I have been unable to locate the recipe so I guess it is a good thing I had it in my email.

Honey Crushed Red Pepper Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons honey

1 ½  tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Salad:

1 head lettuce (chopped romaine or spring greens)

1 diced apple or peach

1 cup red grapes, cut in half

feta cheese (omit for dairy free)

lightly toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts

1. Combine all dressing ingredients and whisk. Set aside. (Make it first so the red pepper has time to infuse its flavor into the dressing.)

2. Chop salad ingredients.

3. Toss the lettuce and fruit together.

4. Serve. (Let each person add their own nuts, cheese, and dressing)

Sheri's Autumn Tossed Salad

*Mary beat me to it!  I planned to post this recipe tonight, then I saw Mary's (which looks really good).  Mine is slightly different than Mary's so I'll post it anyway.  I guess you can choose your nuts, cheese, fruit, and dressings, depending on what you like and what you have on hand.  You could combine recipes too I'm sure.  Mine doesn't have bacon, which is always good.  You can't go wrong with either one :)  Mary's is a bit fancier.


Dressing

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 TB poppy seeds

Blend everything EXCEPT poppy seeds.  Stir in poppy seeds.
Cover and refrigerate dressing for 1 hour.

Salad

1 bunch romaine lettuce, torn in pieces
1 cup shredded swiss (can also cut it into small cubes if preferred)
1 cup cashews
1 apple
1 pear
1/4 cup craisins (or cranberries if preferred)

Pour dressing over salad and mix well.  Great fall salad :)

Autumn Chopped Salad

We had this salad with dinner (grilled pork chops and applesauce) last night and it was a huge hit! (Katie and James each had 3 servings.)  

Source: http://espressoandcream.com/2010/11/autumn-chopped-salad.html

Ingredients:

6 to 8 c. chopped romaine lettuce

2 medium pears, chopped

1 c. dried cranberries

1 c. chopped pecans

8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled

4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

Balsamic Vinaigrette

*I have also seen variations of this salad that use one pear and one apple or a different type of nut. 

Instructions:

In a salad bowl, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, and bacon. Serve with Feta cheese, Poppy Seed Dressing, and Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I know it seems weird but using both dressings really does give it a great flavor. The original recipe suggests 70% Poppy Seed and 30% Balsamic. 

The original recipe suggests store dressings, but we used the following:

Poppy Seed Dressing  

source: http://simpleyetgourmet.blogspot.com/2010/03/strawberry-spinach-salad.html
 
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 c. chopped white onion
1 c. canola oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds
 
Combine everything in a blender EXCEPT poppy seeds. Stir in poppy seeds.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/3 c. flavored balsamic vinegar (such as cinnamon pear or pomegranate)
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
 
Mix well.

Café Rio Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

Source: http://www.familycookbookproject.com/recipe/2793868/caf-rio-cilantro-lime-vinaigrette-dressing.html

Photo source:
http://sweetandspicyco.blogspot.com/2010/08/cilantro-lime-vinaigrette.html

1/4 c. Vinegar
1 can Diced Green Chilies (I used fire roasted)
1 Garlic Clove
pepper to taste
pinch of cumin
1 tsp. Salt
1 T. Sugar
1/2 c. Canola Oil
1/4 c. Fresh Lime Juice (or bottled)
1/2 c. Chopped Fresh Cilantro

Put all ingredients into a blender until slightly thickened.

Salad - Becca's Favorite

We enjoyed this with our dinner tonight and it is one of my favorite salads.

Dressing

½ cup onion

1 tsp. salt

½ cup red wine vinegar

2 t. mustard

1 cup sugar or 1/2 cup agave syrup

1 cup olive oil

Salad

Red onion slices

Spring Mix /mixed with red leaf lettuce

Craisins

Sliced almonds

Feta cheese

Grape tomatoes

There are no amounts given for the salad.  I just do it to my liking.

Mexican Chicken Salad

Source:  modified from Cook's Country

Ingredients:
Serves: 6-8Yield:

2/3 cup mayonnaise (decrease to 1/2 cup if you don't want it so drippy)
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 medium celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeno chili, finely chopped (I use pepperoncini's instead)
salt and pepper

1  Mix mayonnaise and lime juice in a small bowl until combined.
2  Toss chicken, celery, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and jalapeños in a large bowl.
3  Add the mayonnaise mixture and toss until evenly coated.
4  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5  Serve on warm tortillas with pepperocini's, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Carvers Salad and Dressing

Salad:
1 head green lettuce
1 head red lettuce
1 bag spinach
3 green apples chopped
1 bag craisins
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 small pkg honey roasted almonds (I use mixed nuts)

Toss together

Dressing:
3 T. cider vinegar
3 T. honey
6 T. mayonnaise
1 T. dijon mustard
1 T. finely chopped/minced onion
1 1/2 T. chopped parsley
3/4 c. canola oil

Heat vinegar and honey in a small saucepan on low heat stirring until honey dissolves.  Pour into bowl and cool.  Whisk in mayonnaise, mustard, onion, and parsley.  Gradually whisk in oil.  Cover and refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Tomato, Onion, Avocado Salad

source: www.simplyrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 fresh large tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 2 avocados, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Red wine vinegar (a good, strong red wine vinegar)
• Extra virgin olive oil (the best quality)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Place a layer of sliced tomatoes on a large serving platter. Arrange the slivers of red onions and the chunks of avocado over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley, garlic, and oregano. Drizzle red wine vinegar and olive oil over the platter. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve immediately. Do not refrigerate.