Avocado Rice Salad {from Emily's kitchen to yours}

Cook 2 boxes of Uncle Bens Long grain and wild rice with seasoning packets according to package directions.  Squeeze one lemon onto rice and cool. Make sure to keep covered while cooling, so rice doesn’t dry out.

Add:

3 cooked chicken breast, diced or approx. 3 cups

4 green onions, chopped

1 red pepper, diced

3 oz. Chinese or sugar snap pea pods, cut in half (I use 6 oz.)

1 c. pecans-coarsely chopped and toasted

2 medium avocados diced and added to salad or sliced on top

 

Dressing:  In blender combine:

½ c. vegetable oil

½ t. stone ground pepper

1 T. Dijon mustard

1/3 c. seasoned rice vinegar

½ t. salt

2 cloves garlic

Blend and add to rice

 

This salad is better overnight. (minus avocados)

Crispy Cucumbers and Tomatoes in Dill Dressing

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com.  I was looking for a great summer salad, and this is what I found, made, and received rave reviews. I doubled the recipe and used half cider vinegar and half balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill weed
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cucumbers, sliced
1 sliced red onion
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together vinegar, sugar, salt, dill, pepper and oil.  Add cucumber,
onion, and  tomatoes.  Toss, and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Yummy Grape Salad

2 pounds red grapes
2 pounds green grapes

You can use seedless black grapes as well and do whatever mixture of grapes in whatever amounts you want. Wash grapes, de-stem, rinse and pat dry.

8 oz soften cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Not quite 1/2 cup sugar

Mix together until cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar until smooth and then fold into grapes. I usually do this in a separate bowl from the one I am going to serve in because it makes the bowl mess. I then transfer the mixture into the bowl I am going to serve in and top it with this topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecan
Sprinkle mixture on top when ready to serve.

Asian Slaw

(Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman, from the Food Network)

Note: I served this with Asian BBQ chicken and coconut rice and it was delicious and so EASY! It would also be outstanding on salmon tacos (maybe with a ginger pineapple glaze or something).

Ingredients

1 bunch (6 large) scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (greens and whites)

2 (16-ounce) bags coleslaw mix or 1 (16-ounce) bag each of shredded green and shredded red cabbage (I used bagged regular slaw, mixed it with julienned carrots, but you could also just mix your own with regular cabbage and napa cabbage)

½ cup cilantro, chopped (this is my own addition)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I used just two slices of red onion, rather than a full red onion... between this and the green onion it was plenty oniony)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (from about a 1-inch piece)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (added more like 3-4 Tbl to add more sweetness)

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

2 teaspoons sesame seeds, optional (left these out)

1 teaspoon salt

20 grinds black pepper

Directions

Rough up the scallion slices a little with your fingers so all the little layers of the scallion whites separate. Toss the coleslaw mix or both kinds of cabbage, the red onion and scallions together in a large bowl until everything is thoroughly mixed. You can make the slaw up to this point up to a day in advance as long as you keep it refrigerated. Before serving, simply bring the slaw back to room temperature, make the dressing and toss.

Stir the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl until blended, then pour over the vegetables. Serve within 1 hour of dressing or the cabbage will get wilty and sad. (I ate this for round two the next day, and while it was a little wilty, it was still super delicious.)

Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

To sugar the almonds:

Melt two Tbsp butter and ½ cup sugar with ½ tsp vanilla over medium heat until blended together. (Note: sugar will NOT liquefy so don’t wait too long or mixture will turn darker and actually start to look less like it is blending together). Then add 1 cup shaved almonds and stir until coated (does not look glazed). Spread on wax paper and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Allow to cool then they are ready to mix in salad. May have to break them up some but they don’t really harden.

Salad: Mix to desired portions

Lettuce greens of your choice

Avocado (I only used 1 large for the batch I made)

Celery (I omit because Tyson detests celery)

Strawberries

Dressing:

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup white sugar

2 TBSP dry ground mustard

2 TBSP poppyseeds

Whip vinegar, sugar, dry mustard and poppyseeds until smooth, then slowly add oil. Mix desired amt on salad. (Personally I end up adding a little bit more sugar to the dressing but not much. When I taste the dressing solo, it is kind of funky to me. But mixed with the sweet salad and combined with the sugared almonds it is superb.) I usually don’t add the almonds and dressing until ready to serve because the sugar in both start to break down the strawberries and make them mushy if they sit too long.

Salad de Maison

Like a Salad Served at the Dodo Restaurant

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon (3-4 T.)

½ t. pepper

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

¾ c. oil

1 t. salt

Salad:

¼ c. bacon bits

½ c. slivered almonds, toasted

2-3 heads romaine lettuce

salt & pepper to taste

1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes

1 c. croutons

1 c. grated Italian blend cheese

To make dressing, combine lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper & vegetable oil. Let stand 3 hours.

In a large bowl, combine torn romaine lettuce, tomatoes cut in half, cheese, almonds and bacon bits.

Toss with dressing, salt and pepper. Garnish with croutons.

Christmas Salad

(Also delicious for Thanksgiving or any other day!)

1 head red leaf lettuce
1 head green leaf lettuce
baby spinach
2 grapefruits
2 oranges
1 large avocado
seeds from 1 pomegranate
(could also add pears, canned pineapple, apples, mandarin oranges, etc.)

Toss all together or arrange on individual plates
(You can do all the fruit or we like it with just pears and pomegranates)

Dressing:
1 c. sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 c. apple cider vinegar (or white)
2 c. vegetable oil (I probably use a little less than this)
1 Tablespoon celery seeds

Combine in food processor, refrigerate until ready to use. Mix into salad if you don't plan to have leftovers, otherwise serve on the side so your salad will keep into the next day.

Citrus Rice Salad

In case you haven't realized it yet, I'm a huge fan of Giada, of the Food Network. Here's another winner. The only thing I would change next time, is maybe reducing the olive oil to 1/3 cup instead... but that's really a minor thing. :) It's got a nice citrus kick (maybe serve it up with some orange glazed chicken, fish, or pork) and doesn't have too strong a cumin flavor for those who aren't as big of cumin fans as I.

Rice Salad:

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups brown basmati rice, rinsed
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 medium orange, zested
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the Rice Salad:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely, about 15 minutes

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat Stir in the rice. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the rice and place in a large serving bowl. Add the parsley, orange zest, half of the lemon zest, green onions, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss well.

For the Vinaigrette:

In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and almonds.

Spinach Salad with Dijon Dressing

This just may be my new favorite salad... and the dressing is amazingly easy and doesn't have any oil. Woot!

baby spinach
grilled chicken (mine was just seasoned with a little season salt and garlic powder, but you could get fancy with a marinade of some sort)
chopped green onion
sliced almonds (thought about toasting but got too lazy)
sliced avocado (the best part of any salad in my opinion)
chopped apples or grapes

dressing: (okay, so I don't really measure any of this... I just sort of add to taste)
1 Tbl dijon mustard
2 Tbl white wine vinegar
1 Tbl honey
dash salt/pepper

Whisk it up and pour over salad. You could chill the flavor out a bit by adding some olive or canola oil to it, but what's the point. The dressing is delicious without the oil, and you don't need to use as much of it. :)

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, no stems
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 -1/2 cup canola or olive oil (it originally called for more... but I don't think it needs it)

Preparation:
Place lime juice, white wine vinegar, cilantro, honey, brown sugar, salt, garlic, and Dijon mustard into a blender. Process until smooth. While blender is running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream and process until thickened. Do not over-blend.

Refrigerate any leftovers and use within 3 days.

I put this in a salad with spring greens and spinach, tomato, and avocado and it was amazing... but I'm sure it'd be good with many things.

Potato and Roasted Veggie Salad

Alright ladies... I stumbled upon this today in looking online for a new salad to try. It is delicious! I assume you could use bottled roasted veggies, but I opted to take the 30 minutes and roast my own. The red onion ends up so sweet and delicious, and I'm not even an onion lover. I did make a few changes, summarized below:

1. I left the olives out of the salad and the dressing, because they are gross. Yuck!

2. I don't know what purple peruvian potatoes are and I had red potatoes on hand, so that's what I used.

3. In the dressing, I'm not sure what that special kind of mustard is, so I just used dijon mustard and it tasted great.

4. I heart cilantro! So I probably added closer to 1/8-1/4 cup instead of the teaspoon it called for.

5. I used olive oil instead of canola.

6. To increase the shelf life I didn't combine the potato veggie mix with the lettuce. I just reserved some of the dressing so that I could add a bit more when I served it with the lettuce over several days. But I'm sure it'd be good to mix it all together if you knew you'd be eating it all in one meal.

7. Lastly, I baked some salmon to serve in the salad as well. Yum!

Enjoy! Thank you Food Network!

Caprese Salad

Since this seemed to be a hit at our little BBQ/gathering at Alyson's/Tyson's last night, I thought I'd go ahead and throw it up here. (Btw, thanks Bringhurst family for hosting such a marvelous get together!)

This is a recipe that really can be made a variety of ways, and all ingredients can be added "to taste," but here is what I did...

2 8oz containers of fresh mozzarella (the kind you buy in plastic containers soaking in water... I bought the small little balls, but you could buy the larger balls and just cut them into pieces)
6 medium to large-ish tomatoes, diced
1 package fresh basil (about 1/4 cup)
6 Tbl. olive oil
6 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Just mix it all together. Now for the bread...

slice 1 (or probably 2) baguettes into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick pieces
drizzle with olive oil
sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried basil (or italian seasoning)
Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until it starts to brown around the edges just a bit

Delicious!

*As another option, sometimes this is served in little layers. If you do this you'd slice the tomato (instead of dicing) and slice large balls or mozzarella. Stack them on a plate with the basil and drizzle with the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. This is generally eaten without bread... just with a fork. But really, the possibilities are endless (add lettuce and chicken to make a salad, anyone?). :)

teriyaki chicken pasta salad

This is from my friend Rebecca Mauss. I envision this would be a real winner at all sorts of showers, potlucks, etc. The recipe makes a lot and could be altered to your taste. It's delicious!

Dressing:
1 C vegetable oil
2/3 C Teriyaki sauce
2/3 C red wine vinegar
6 TB sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Blend dressing ingredients together right before pouring over pasta (otherwise it will just separate and you'll have to blend again anyway).

Salad:
16 oz farfalle (bowtie) pasta, cooked al dente
1-1/2 (10 oz) bags fresh spinach
3/4 C craisins (6 oz)
3 (11 oz) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 (8 oz) cans sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 C parsley, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/3 C toasted sunflower seeds
3/4 C honey roasted peanuts (6 oz)
2 C cooked chicken, cut into small pieces

Mix dressing and cooked pasta in a medium bowl; marinate for at least 2 hours. Combine rest of ingredients in a large salad bowl, add pasta/dressing, toss to combine.

Notes: I didn't have all the spinach called for, and it was fine. The dressing was a little oily, and I don't know if the allotted amount of spinach would have helped that or not. I'm sure you could easily adjust to just 3/4 C oil.