Simple Spinach Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Work was having a potluck & I knew I probably wouldn't be able to eat anything so I wanted to bring something I could at least eat. The vegan cheese I eat had just released a feta cheese but it was so rich so I decided to throw it in a spinach salad with green apples & cranberries. And then make up a dressing my coworkers could drizzle on top of it. It was really good! And healthy and something I could eat! I just chopped up some green apples & tossed some spinach in a bowl with some cranberries. Super easy. I found the dressing on Pinterest.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette (Pinterest):

1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tbsp maple syurp
5 tbsp olive oil

Place in mason jar & shake to combine. Enjoy!




Close up of the salad...

Enjoy!...

Chicken Salad

I saw this recipe being made on the Food Network by Jamie Deen, one of Paula Deen's sons. I grew up eating chicken salad and this recipe looked really good so I decided to try to find it to make it myself. It was really easy to make & it was really good. You are supposed to serve it in toast cups but I didn't do that-I just ate like regular chicken salad. The addition of the grapes makes it have a sweet flavor, which is nice. I'll definitely keep making this!

To find the recipe click here




Enjoy!...

Steak Fajita Salad with Avocado-Ranch Dressing

I found this recipe in a Cuisine Fast & Fresh Summer Meals magazine and it sounded simple and easy and good. It was really good but kinda salty unfortunately. If I make this again, and I think I would, I'd leave the salt out of the fajita seasoning. There's really no need for it and I think the seasoning would taste just fine without it. I didn't need the lime wedges in the salad because the dressing had enough of a lime flavor in it. And I didn't use the romaine lettuce the salad called for-I had enough spinach in my fridge for my smoothies so I just used some of that. I ended up using the fajita meat and onions in my eggs a couple of times and they were really really good. With a little bit of cheese of course. I saved the dressing to use on other salads. So in a way, I've deconstructed this salad lol.

Steak Fajita Salad with Avocado-Ranch Dressing (Cuisine Fast & Fresh Summer Meals) (4 servings):

*Salad
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb flat iron steak
1 yellow bell pepper, lobed
1 orange bell pepper, lobed
1 red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 tbsp canola oil

*Dressing
3/4 c buttermilk
1 avocado, cubed
1/4 c plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c lime juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp chopped fresh jalapeno
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
6 c chopped romaine lettuce
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 med tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Lime wedges

Preheat grill to med-high. Brush grill grates with oil. For salad, combine chili powder, garlic, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper, cumin, coriander and oregano. Brush steak, bell peppers and onions slices with oil. Rub spice mixture evenly over both sides of steak. (I marinated my steak, peppers and onion in fridge overnight. Then I cooked peppers, onion and steak in a grill pan on the stove until cooked through.) Grill steak, covered, 3-5 min per side for med-rare. Grill peppers and onions until veggies are soft, about 5 minutes, turning once. Transfer steak to a plate, tent with foil and let rest.

For dressing, pulse buttermilk, avocado, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, dill, jalapeno, Worcestershire and garlic clove in food processor until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Toss romaine, beans, tomatoes and cheddar with 3/4 c dressing. Divide salad among four plates. Thinly slice steak against the grain. Slice bell peppers and onions. Top each salad with steak, peppers and onions. Serve salad with remaining dressing and lime wedges.




Fajita Seasoning...






Marinating...






Avocado-Ranch Dressing...






Fajitas...






Enjoy!...

Quinoa Tabouli

My brother and sister-in-law were in town and my aunt was going to have them over for dinner. I wanted to bring a side or salad of some kind so I started looking through my pins on Pinterest. I found this recipe and thought it would be perfect since it can be served room temp or chilled. We ate outside and it was so much fun. My aunt made some really good food and my salad complimented everything. It was perfect. And it was easy to make. I added the zest of 1 of my lemons to give it more of a lemony taste and yum!

Quinoa Tabouli (6 servings):

1 c dry quinoa, rinsed, drained and cooked according to pkg directions
2 c chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 c chopped cucumbers
1/2 c chopped onion
1 c fresh mint, finely chopped
2 c fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

*Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1/3 scant c freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Zest of 1 lemon, optional
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine quinoa and water in med saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl to cool while you prep the other ingredients.

Add chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and fresh herbs to cooked, cooled quinoa. In small bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing. Pour over quinoa salad and toss to combine. Refrigerate for a couple hours to chill slightly. Serve room temp or chilled. Enjoy!




Dressing...






Enjoy!...

Pan-Seared Salmon with Lentil & Quinoa Salad

I'm currently eating this salad as I type out the recipe for this blog...it's soooo good! I found it in Rachel Ray's magazine. I've been trying to eat more salmon and apparently I've been eating the wrong kind of salmon in the past. I got a bag of sock-eye salmon at Costco and split the bag with my aunt. This salmon comes with the skin-on and it's pretty amazing! Not fishy at all and thick cuts of meat. I'll definitely be making more salmon dishes with this! The recipe serves four but I didn't want to use all my salmon up in one dish so I still made the four servings for the salad and only added one salmon fillet. I also added a tilapia fillet in case I didn't like the salmon. The way the fish is cooked, it comes out really buttery tasting. I added more lemon juice to my fish just because. I shredded my fish and added it to the salad, instead of putting the whole fillets on the salad. I will definitely make this again and again!!!

Pan-Seared Salmon with Lentil & Quinoa Salad (4 servings) (Rachel Ray Magazine):

3/4 c dried lentils, picked free of hard stones
3/4 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 small lemons, juiced (4 tbsp)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c plus 1 tbsp EVOO
4 skin-on salmon fillets
1/2 c minced red onion
1 c chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

In separate saucepans, cook lentils and quinoa according to pkg directions. Drain and cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice and mustard. Gradually whisk in 1/4 c EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 c of the vinaigrette.

In large skillet, heat remaining 1 tbsp EVOO and half of the reserved vinaigrette over med-high. Add the salmon, skin side down. Cover, reduce heat to med and cook until the fish flakes apart easily with a fork, about 8 minutes.

Add the quinoa, lentils, onion and 3/4 c parsley to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Toss to combine; season. Divide among plates and serve the fish on top (or shred the fish and combine into the salad). Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and top with the remaining parsley. Enjoy!




Lentil & Quinoa...






Fish added...Enjoy!

Italian Chopped Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I have been looking for good salads to take to work with me lately and I found this one and thought it would be easy enough to make. It was definitely easy and it looks like you could add pretty much whatever you want, to your liking. I added more pepperoncinis to mine and also added the rest of the bag of the mini pepperoni for more meat. I left out the artichoke hearts since I'm not a big fan. All in all, this salad was really really good! It lasted through 3 lunches at work and I'm eating the last of it for dinner tonight.

Italian Chopped Salad (8 servings):

*Dressing
1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1/2 c olive oil

*Salad
1 c ditalini or other small pasta
3 c chopped romaine hearts
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (7.5 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 c grape tomatoes, quartered
1 c cubed salami
1 c cubed Provolone
3/4 c chopped cucumber
1/2 c mini pepperoni
1/2 c sliced green onions
Pepperoncini peppers

To make dressing: Combine all the ingredients except the salt, pepper and olive oil in a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Blend to combine. Slowly stream in the olive oil to combine. Alternately, add all the ingredients to a jar and shake until completely combined and slightly thickened.

For salad: Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, salami, cheese, cucumber, pepperoni and green onions. Top with desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. (I only added the dressing before I ate each serving to make sure the salad wasn't soggy!)

Serve the salad topped with desired amount of pepperoncini. Enjoy!




Dressing after it has been blended...






Enjoy!...

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

My brother got married on April 11th and my aunt threw the wedding party a bbq at her house the Saturday after. I have been craving fruit now that the weather has been nicer so I was put in charge of finding a good fruit salad recipe. I found this recipe on Pinterest via http://ohyoucook.blogspot.com. This salad called for strawberries, green grapes and blueberries but I switched it up and added my own mix. You can basically add whatever fruits you want. We had some hard limes so I don't think we were able to get all the juice so we also zested the 2 limes for more taste. The salad turned out amazing! And it was even better later that night after all the flavors melded together and the raspberries started to melt down! I will definitely make this recipe again and again! (I also received rave reviews from our friends at the bbq!)

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing (Enough for a Crowd):

1 pt container strawberries, cut into bite-size chunks
1 pt container blueberries
1 pt container raspberries
1/2 container pineapple, cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 container mangoes, cut into bite-size chunks
6 kiwis, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1/4 c honey
Juice from 2 limes
Zest from 2 limes

Combine all the fruit, except the raspberries. Gently mix together with your hands. Add the raspberries on top of the mixed fruit. Add the hone, lime juice and lime zest. Again, mix gently with your hands, so you don't mash the raspberries. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Note-if you serve it the next day, the salad will be a lot more liquid-like but it will still taste amazing!




Enjoy!

Jeremiah's Pasta

A good friend of mine introduced this pasta to me last summer. He made it a couple of times whenever we would BBQ. Super easy yet so good at the same time! My work had a holiday potluck a couple weeks ago and I wanted to make something that could sit in the fridge and still be good for lunch so I decided to make this. He usually puts diced black olives in his pasta but I can't stand olives so I substituted mild banana peppers and it still tasted so good!

Jeremiah's Pasta Salad (8-10 servings):

1 box of spiral pasta
1/2 block provolone cheese, cubed
1/2 pkg miniature pepperoni (or regular pepperoni, sliced in half)
1/2 c mild banana peppers, or more to taste (or 1 small can of diced olives)
1 bottle Italian dressing, more for serving

Heat salted water to boiling. Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in large bowl. Add cheese, pepperoni and banana peppers; stir to combine. Add the entire bottle of dressing and stir to mix. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, mix pasta salad and serve with more Italian dressing (salad may get dry).




Enjoy!...

Salmon & Lentil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

I was typing recipes into my computer when I came across this recipe and it stood out for a couple different reasons. I've been trying to find a good lentil salad recipe. I tried a Weight Watchers recipe a couple weeks ago and it was too acidic tasting and not a lot of flavor. I've also been trying to eat more salmon since I know it's pretty healthy. I like most anything with balsamic vinegar so the combo of all of these ingredients stood out. In my recipe, I only used 3 salmon fillets, which was a perfect amount for me. I also only used about a 1 tbsp of chopped mint, instead of the 1/2 cup mint, since I'm not a big fan. And once again, since I've never used scallions, I used 1/2 c green onions. Although I did try to find scallions this time, Whole Foods did not have them for whatever reason. The recipe called for Dijon, which I never have in the house and Google said that any other kind of mustard, with the exception of yellow mustard, would be a good substitute so I used Chipotle mustard and it tasted just fine. And I just realized that this recipe called for green lentils-I used brown since it's what I normally cook. All in all, the salad turned out pretty good and I ate 2 helpings of it. I think I'd definitely try this again.

Salmon & Lentil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (6 servings) (Cuisine Mediterranean Menus)

*Vinaigrette
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

*Salad
1 c green lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 c shredded red cabbage
1 c shredded carrots
1 c thinly sliced scallions
1/2 c chopped fresh mint

*Salmon
1 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp honey
6 salmon fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
Chopped fresh mint

For vinaigrette, combine 1/4 c vinegar, EVOO, 1 tbsp Dijon, garlic and 1 tbsp honey in a larg bowl; season with salt and pepper. For the salad, cook lentils according to pkg directions; drain. Transfer lentils to bowl with vinaigrette; toss to coat and let cool to room temp. Stir in cabbage, carrots, scallions and 1/2 c mint.

For the salmon, combine 1 tbsp Dijon and 1 tbsp honey; spread onto flesh side of salmon. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large skillet over med; add salmon, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Flip salmon, remove skin, and cook 3 minutes on flesh side; flip and cook until med-rare, 1 minute more. Remove salmon to a plate and shred.

Add 1/4 c vinegar to same skillet and reduce until syrupy. Serve the salmon over the salad; drizzle with balsamic reduction and garnish with mint.




Carrots, cabbage & green onions...






Vinaigrette...






Lentils mixed with the cabbage, carrots & green onions...






Salmon with the glaze...






Enjoy!...

Summer Spaghetti Salad

My mom used to make this dish for family get togethers...it makes quite a batch so it's good for potlucks and such. I'm bringing mine to a work potluck for dinner tomorrow night. It comes from Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) spaghetti
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, halved and diced
3 small zucchini, diced (I forgot to buy zucchini so I used 3 bell peppers)
1 medium green pepper, diced (I used red instead)
1 medium sweet pepper, diced
1 medium orange pepper, diced (this is the extra pepper I used since I forgot the zucchini)
1 bottle (8 oz.) Italian salad dressing
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Cook spaghetti according to pkg directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

I have issues with dicing..I can never get them small enough so I use this little contraption. It takes a little longer, but it gets all the pieces nice and tiny.


3 bell peppers:

Diced bell peppers:

4 tomatoes (for some reason my computer randomly turns certain pictures on their sides!)-I only used 3:

Diced tomatoes:

Add all veggies to spaghetti and mix/fold in well.

Italian dressing: I picked up a 16 oz bottle and only used half. Make sure to keep the other half for when you are ready to eat the salad.

3 spices:

For dressing: Mix together dressing, spices and Parmesan cheese. Then pour over the noodles and veggies.

Pour dressing over spaghetti/veggie mixture and fold in well. Refrigerate an hour before serving or overnight. Just before serving, mix up spaghetti mixture well....you may have to add some more Italian dressing if it looks too dry. Refrigerate leftovers.

Enjoy!

Caesar Salad

I learned this super easy recipe back in Home-Ec class back in high school...or was it middle school?? Either way, it's really good and super easy to do. I made this recipe for 1 serving.

Ingredients:

Bag of lettuce or mixed greens
Croutons
Grated Parmesan cheese
1 skinless boneless chicken breast
Caesar salad dressing


The night before or the morning before, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Put the pieces into a resealable plastic sandwich bag and pour about a 1 cup of dressing into the bag. Seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

When ready to eat, put chicken in small frying pan (no oil or cooking spray needed). Discard rest of marinade. Cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.


While chicken is cooking, put together salad greens, croutons and cheese in bowl or on plate.

After chicken is cooked, drain chicken over sink to get rid of excess oil (from dressing). You don't have to do this step if you don't want to.

Add chicken to salad and pour over some additional Caesar salad dressing. I made garlic toast with mine to go with the salad.

Enjoy!

Ramen Noodle Salad

My cousin made this fabulous salad for Easter this year and I had to have the recipe. I made it tonight as a side dish with my pork tenderloin.

Ingredients:

10 oz. pkg. angel hair coleslaw

1pkg. Beef Ramen noodles (raw ramen noodles)

1/2 c. toasted sliced almonds

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

2 sliced green onions or chives (I didn't use any this time for my salad tonight)

1/3 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. canola oil

1/2 c. Splenda or sugar

Beef flavoring packet from noodles

Combine the coleslaw with the raw ramen noodles.

Add the sunflower seeds. I think I added a little more than what it called for, since I didn't have any almonds.

Mix the sauce ingredients together with a whisk to evenly combine everything.

Pour sauce over salad and combine. Enjoy!

Tuna Salad

My mom makes this really good chicken salad in the summer, along with deviled eggs. I changed it up a bit and added tuna instead of chicken and took out the chunks of cheese and added tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. ring noodles (a small box)

About 1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 cup sliced tomatoes (or more if you would like)

2 (6oz.) cans of tuna chunks

1 cup Real mayo

2 tsp. yellow mustard

2 tsp. Splenda or sugar

Sprinkle paprika

Chop up and slice the celery & tomatoes.

Boil the ring noodles for 7 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop them from further cooking.
Combine the noodles with the celery and tomatoes.

Combine the 2 cans of tuna with the mixture and mix with hands until combined.

Mix together the mayo, mustard and sugar to taste. You shouldn't be able to taste too much of the mustard. (Sorry, I don't use measurements, so these are estimated)

Pour dressing into salad and mix until combined. Add a sprinkle of the paprika on top of the salad. Refrigerate. If the salad looks dry, you can add more mayo to make it moist. Enjoy!