The Salad Thread

[missteetheironchef]

Ladies & Gentleman

It's Time to have a good summer with a healthy salad.

Any Salad Recipe Goes Here.

Bon Apetitto!

[allezcuisine]

Remember the salad I had from Wendy's last night? Here is the recipe so you can make it at home :


Mandarin Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

* SESAME DRESSING:
* 1/2 C. corn syrup
* 3 T. white distilled vinegar
* 2 T. pineapple juice
* 4 tsp. granulated sugar
* 1 T. light brown sugar
* 1 T. rice wine vinegar
* 1 T. soy sauce
* 1 tsp. sesame oil
* 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
* 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
* 1/8 tsp. salt
* 1/8 tsp. paprika
* dash garlic powder
* dash ground black pepper
* 1/2 C. vegetable oil
* 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
* ****
* MANDARIN CHICKEN SALAD
* 4 chicken breast fillets
* 1 large head iceberg lettuce, chopped
* 4 C. red leaf lettuce, chopped
* 1 1/3 C. canned mandarin orange wedges
* 1 C. rice noodles
* 1C. roasted sliced almonds

PREPARATION:
Prepare dressing by combining all dressing ingredients except vegetable oil and sesame seeds in a blender on high speed. Slowly add oil to mixture (to create an emulsion). Add sesame seeds and blend for just a couple seconds. Pour dressing into a covered container (such as a dressing cruet) and chill until needed.

Rub each chicken breast fillet with oil, then lightly salt and pepper each piece. Grill on medium/high heat until done. Chill chicken breasts in refrigerator until cold.

When chicken is cold, build each salad by first arranging about 4 cups of iceberg lettuce in the bottom of a large salad bowl or on a plate. Next, arrange a cup of red leaf lettuce on the iceberg lettuce.

Dice each chicken breast into bite-size pieces and sprinkle the pieces from each one over each salad. Arrange about 1/3 cup of mandarin orange wedges on each salad. Next, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of rice noodles and 1/4 cup of roasted sliced almonds on top of each salad. Add desired amount of sesame dressing and serve.

Makes 4 large salads.

[herringchoker]

Fruit Pasta Salad

bunch red and/or green seedless grapes
1 lb. fresh strawberries or 12 oz. package frozen
2 fresh nectarines or peaches, or 14 oz. can peach slices, drained
2 pints raspberries, or 12 oz. package frozen
20 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
2 10 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
6 cups medium pasta shells

Dressing:
6 oz. container plain or vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

Drain all canned fruit. Clean and cut fresh fruit to bite-sized pieces (I usually halve the grapes). Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Combine in a large (and I mean LARGE) bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and toss with fruit.

This salad is really nice on a hot summer day - it's very refreshing. It's good for breakfast, dessert, main course, snack, salad.....you get the idea. It makes a ton, so it's great to take to a party/potluck dinner. You can add other fruit if you like - I've used kiwis, blackberries and blueberries from time to time. The six types of fruit listed above are my "standards". You can use another type of pasta if you prefer; just substitute 8 oz. of whatever you like. I use shells because they'll hold some of the dressing.

[allezcuisine]

"World's Best Macaroni Salad"

1 1/2 lb box of elbow macaroni
1/2 bunch of green onions - chopped
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 ea. red, orange, green and yellow peppers. total: 2 whole peppers
2 tsp dijon mustard (generous)
1 1/2 cups Hellman's Mayonnaise
celery salt

Cook Macaroni in salted water. Drain noodles.

While noodles are still hot, mix in mustard and mayonnaise in large bowl.

Mixture should be wet, but not creamy. Stir in Onions and peppers and salt. Mix well.

Taste for salt and mayonnaise content. Add more if needed. Coat top of salad with a sprinkling of celery salt and stir in.

Cover and refrigerate a few hours to allow onion and pepper flavors to permeate.

Serve cold.

**We slice up the left over peppers and serve with Ranch dressing as a before the picnic snack**

[K-Chan]

Greek Pasta Salad - A different spin on an old favourite:

Dressing:

- 1 ^1/4 cups Milk
- 1 Cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp grated lemon rind
- ^1/2 tsp salt
- ^1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbs red or white wine vinegar

Pasta Salad:

- 4 cups of small shells pasta (or any other small pasta)
- ^1/2 of a cucumber, chopped.
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved.
- ^1/2 cup of diced red onion
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- ^1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled.
- ^1/2 cup black olives (optional).
- Fresh oregano for garnish (optional).

1. Dressing: In blender or food processor, blend milk, feta cheese, garlic, oregano, lemon rind and salt until smooth. With motor running, drizzle lemon juice and vinegar through hole in lid or feed tube until blended. Transfer to large bowl; let stand for 10 min or until thickened.

2. Salad: In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for about 8 min or until tender but firm; drain. Rinse under cold running water until cool, drain well. Add to dressing in bow with cucumber, tomatoes and onion; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with crumbled feta. Garnish with olives and oregano (if using).

Prep time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: 8 minutes.
Serves: 6-8.

[missteetheironchef]

Grilled Chicken Salad on a Bed of Mexican Roasted Corn
By Zola Gorgon

Fresh is Best

As recently reported in the Chicago Tribune newspaper:

"If, as some estimates say, nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, then lean grilling can literally be a lifesaver. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notes that being overweight is a risk factor for or associated with heart disease, stroke, hypertension, some kinds of cancer, diabetes, psychological disorders, high cholesterol--the list goes on and on. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates the direct and indirect costs of obesity at some $117 billion."

Don't worry. You'll get no lecture from me. This kind of data comes out every day from all kinds of sources. This one just sort of hit me. Just reading the list of diseases can give you the willies. That $117 billion is a major number, and I'd bet it's climbing.

Really, what seems to be most important is to eat fresh. Limit the junk food and cook your food from as close to the source as you can get it. In Stealth Health by Reader's Digest, point #2 is:

"Shop the perimeter of the store. That's where all the fresh foods are. The less you find yourself in the central aisles of the grocery store, the healthier your shopping trip will be. Make it a habit--work the perimeter of the store for the bulk of your groceries, then dip into the aisles for staples that you know you need."

So shop the perimeter of the store and your health will come naturally.

Shop the farmers' markets. Support the farmers and stay healthier.

This is a healthy dish. Corn is widely available right now from farm market stands, and even the corn in the grocery produce section is pretty good right now. We love corn at our house, and one of the easiest ways to cook it (as well as one of the least messy ways to eat it) is to roast it. For this dish, I take the corn off of the cob with a sharp knife, put it in an ovenproof pan and roast it. All the rest of the ingredients just go in a bowl, get tossed and sit ready to make the base for the chicken to rest on.

I hope you enjoy this fun way to eat a salad entree. It's one day this week you'll get your veggies, to be sure.

Grilled Chicken Salad on a Bed of Mexican Roasted Corn

Serves 4

4 boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper
Olive oil spray

1 pkg pre-washed baby greens (organic if you can get them)
8 ears fresh corn
2 Tbl olive oil (divided)
4 cloves garlic (Jar garlic will work, but fresh is best.)
2 Tbl canola oil
2 tsp chili powder or Southwestern spice mix
2 small avocados (Cut open, remove pit and chop the pulp.)
1 sweet red pepper, diced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Remove the boneless chicken breasts from the package and place on a platter. Spray lightly with olive oil spray. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper. Let rest until ready to grill (but no longer than 10 minutes).

Remove the corn from the cobs using a sharp knife. The easiest way to do this is to hold the peeled corncob upright and stroke top to bottom with the knife, releasing the corn kernels. Work your way around the corn until all (or most) of the kernels are removed. The first couple of times you do this it will be awkward, but in no time you'll become a pro at it. Careful, that knife is sharp!

Put the corn in a shallow roasting pan and mix it up with one tablespoon of olive oil. Roast the corn at 400 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes. When you take the corn out, stir it up. There will be little brown edges on some of the kernels. That's a good sign. If no brown edges, put it back in the oven for a few minutes.

While the corn is roasting, put the garlic, chili powder, avocado, red pepper and cilantro in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the lime juice. This will only take a minute. Set it aside until the corn is roasted and the chicken comes off the grill.

Grill your chicken on Medium heat. Ways to have your chicken stay moister are to pound the chicken flatter so it cooks faster, or grill the chicken just until you get stripes on it and then put it in the oven with the corn to roast it until done. The corn and the chicken should come out at the same time, if you start them at pretty much the same time. Corn goes in oven. Chicken goes on grill. Get it?

When the chicken is done (no pink in the middle) and the corn comes out of the oven, you are going to assemble your entree salad.

Open the package of greens. Put them in a bowl. Toss with the last tablespoon of olive oil. This is all you are going to use for a dressing on the greens.

Set up your 4 plates. Divide the greens into 4 batches placing them on the plates. You can make a little opening in the middle of the greens for the other items, but this is optional. Next, scatter the corn into the vegetable mixture in the bowl and toss. Spoon the corn and veggie mixture onto the middle of the dinner plates. The corn mixture will cover some of the greens but leave a nice green border. Place your chicken breast on top of the corn and you'll have a beautiful, fresh and flavorful dinner. Healthy too!

Enjoy!

[missteetheironchef]

www.arcamax.com/pic/15574/619382

[missteetheironchef]

Mediterranean Salad with Yogurt Dressing

4 - 6 small cucumbers, peeled, sliced and seeded
1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
1 and 1/3 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
2 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Place cucumbers, radishes and Feta cheese in a bowl and toss. Combine yogurt, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, mint and salt and pepper and mix well. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

The Skinny: Use low fat Feta and fat free yogurt.

[allezcuisine]

Chile Pasta Salad


NGREDIENTS:

* 4 ounces bow tie pasta
* 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
* 1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 green chile pepper, chopped
* 4 medium tomato - peeled, seeded and chopped
* 2 green onions, sliced
* 1 clove crushed garlic

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta and drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.
2. Mix pasta with yogurt, mustard, salt, jalapeno chili, tomatoes, onion and garlic. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.

[mickster]

Well, last day of summer. Does anyone have a good autumm salad recipe?

[Arrianna]

missteetheironchef Jul 10, 2006, 3:28pm »
Dave Fioravanti's Chicken Salad
Elegant enough for guests, yummy enough for you

Season 1 cast member Dave Fioravanti loves to make this easy and delicious recipe whenever he has last-minute guests. But it's just as good as an after-work family supper.


Salad Ingredients:
8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup diced cucumber
4 grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked weight 4 ounces each)
1/2 cup hummus
1/2 cup Salsa Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro


Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/2 cup roast tomato salsa (or your favorite salsa)
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


To Prepare:


Place romaine, bell pepper and cucumber in large mixing bowl. Combine vinaigrette ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Add vinaigrette to vegetable mixture. Toss well. Divide salad evenly between 4 dinner plates.


Place one grilled chicken breast on top of each salad. Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons hummus. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serve immediately


Yield: 4 servings


Prep Tip: Really out of time? Buy your chicken breasts pre-cooked at the deli counter.


Nutritional Values: Fat: 7 g; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Protein: 31 g; Calories: 237 kcal.

[Arrianna]

missteetheironchef Aug 5, 2006, 2:30pm »
www.arcamax.com/pic/14956/727321

[Arrianna]

missteetheironchef Sept 9, 2006, 3:25pm »
Black Bean and Rice Salad

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain white rice
1 cup wild rice
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained
One quarter cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
One quarter tsp. curry powder
One half cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add both types of rice and reduce heat, then cover and cook for about 25 - 30 minutes or until chicken broth is absorbed. Stir in black beans, olive oil, garlic, chili powder, curry powder, cilantro and salt and pepper. This dish may be served warm or chilled.

The Skinny: Use fat free chicken broth.

Green Bean, Hazelnut and Goat Cheese Salad

2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
6 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Two thirds cup chopped hazelnuts
One quarter cup red onion, sliced
Two thirds cup olive oil
One half cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam green beans until crisp-tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Combine beans, cheese, hazelnuts, and onion together in a large bowl. In a cruet, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper and shake well. Pour over green bean mixture and toss. Chill until ready to serve. This salad presents very well and is also very tasty. With the onions, slice them very thin and then soak them in cold water for about 25 minutes before adding them to the salad. This will help tone down the strong onion flavor.

The Skinny: Goat cheese is pretty low in fat already.

[Arrianna]

missteetheironchef Sept 16, 2006, 1:04pm »
Salad

Fresh Cucumber and Tomato Salad

2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded and sliced
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
One quarter cup red onions, sliced very thin and soaked in cold water for one half hour
One half cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Serve immediately. Soaking the red onion slices in cold water removes the bitterness but leaves the flavor of the onions.

The Skinny: Not much room for improvement.

[Arrianna]

missteetheironchef Oct 21, 2006, 10:26am »
Gazpacho Salad

3 cups plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, seeded, peeled and diced
One quarter cup chopped onion
One third cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
One quarter cup olive oil
One quarter cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Allow salad to sit at room temperature for about an hour to allow flavors to blend.

The Skinny: Not much room for improvement. By the way, this recipe would be wonderful with fresh tomatoes straight from a garden.