Salad #1: Asian Chicken Salad
Roasted chicken breast sliced and served warm over cold mixed greens and crunchy vege's with a sesame viniagrette.
Salad Contents:
- mixed greens
- sliced roasted chicken breast
- shredded red cabbage
- shredded or thinly sliced carrot
- cucumber - seeded and thinly sliced
- water chestnuts - sliced
- sesame seeds
Sesame Soy Vinaigrette:
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- ginger
- garlic
- chili paste
- sugar (brown is best, but white will work)
Salad #2: Strawberry Fields Salad
Great for breakfast - this can be made with warm sliced chicken breast or toasted walnuts.
You can use bottled poppy seed dressing or make your own.
Salad Contents:
- baby spinach
- sliced strawberries
- toasted walnuts or sliced chicken breast
- slices of avacado
- optional additions: sliced boiled eggs, dried cranberries, or crumbled bacon
Poppy Seed Dressing:
- mayonaisse
- sugar (white)
- cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- poppy seeds
Salad #3: "Katie" Salad
Inspired by a salad that I love from a local restaurant, this salad is perfect for spring and summer when you want something light and seasonal. You can use bottled poppy seed or honey mustard (or you can make your own).
Salad Contents:
- mixed baby greens
- sliced chicken breast
- cubes of cheese (I just use a low fat cheddar cheese stick and cut it in small bites)
- red grapes
- apple (cut into bite sized pieces)
- pear (cut into bite sized pieces)
- toasted walnuts
Honey-Mustard Dressing:
- equal parts plain greek yogurt and sour cream
- honey
- dijon mustard
- lemon juice
- salt & pepper
Salad #4: Steakhouse Salad
Hearty and great for feeding a husband who thinks that salads "can't fill him up." The horseradish dressing is spicy, so it may not be for everyone. In that case, leave off the roasted peppers and add blue cheese crumbles/dressing.
Salad Contents:
- chopped romaine
- sliced roast beef or london broil
- caramelized onions & bell peppers
- sliced cherry tomatoes
- sliced avacado
Horseradish Dressing:
- equal parts sour cream and mayonaise
- finely chopped green onion
- prepared horseradish
- honey
- red wine vinegar
- salt & pepper
Salad #5: Cold Roast Beef Salad
A great way to use up a leftover roast or London broil from the night before. Freeze the roast slightly so that you can slice it super-thin, and then layer it over cold iceberg or romaine and top it with crunchy peppers and my mustard vinaigrette.
Salad Contents:
- Super thinly sliced roast beef (please, don't use lunch meat! It's soooo easy to make your own!)
- Crunchy greens - romaine or iceberg
- Red bell peppers - sliced in strips
- Cucumber - seeded and sliced into half-rounds
- Green onions - chopped
Mustard Vinaigrette:
- garlic
- onion (shallot if you have it; green onion will also work)
- brown mustard
- red wine vinegar
- sugar
- dash of Worcestershire sauce
- salt & pepper
- oil
Salad #6: Mediterranean Chicken Salad
This combination will sound weird, but I swear that it's delicious. I borrowed/modified a recipe from "Savory Simple," a cooking blog that I found while searching for a roasted-tomato vinaigrette recipe.
You can find it here.
Salad Contents:
- Mixed greens
- Warm, sliced chicken breast - roasted or grilled.
- Toasted pine nuts
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Sliced apricots (fresh or dried, whatever you've got)
- White beans - rinsed
Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette:
- 2-3 roasted red peppers (don't buy jars - just roast them yourself! Super easy!)
- salt & pepper
- dried oregano
- garlic
- honey
- balsamic vinegar
- pulse it all together in a food processor - stream in olive oil
Salad #7: Roasted Pear Salad
This is lovely as a side salad along a nice piece of steak, or it can be a main dish if you want to add a piece of grilled salmon or chicken on top.
Salad Contents:
- Bitter greens - arugula or spinach
- Roasted pears - peeled, cored, tossed with lemon juice and sugar, roast at 400 for 20-30 minutes.
- Blue cheese or gorgonzola
- Walnuts - toasted
- Drizzled honey
- Option: grilled salmon or chicken
"All Purpose" Vinaigrette:
this goes on everything. EVERYTHING!
- 1/4 c. lemon juice
- 3/4 c. olive oil
- 2 T. dijon mustard
- 1 t. sugar
- salt & pepper
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
Salad #8: Cuban Pork Chop Salad
Seared lean pork chops spiced with cumin and garlic are topped with a cold black bean and mango "salsa." Crisp, light greens are simply dressed and create a bed for this yummy, summer salad.
Salad Contents:
- Pork chops - season with cumin, garlic, salt & pepper - sear them in a hot pan and then roast for 20 minutes until they are just cooked through. Let them rest for 8-10 minutes before slicing.
- Iceberg or Romaine lettuce
- Black Bean & Mango "Salsa" -
- equal parts black beans and mango
- 1 spring/green onion
- 1/2 part of red bell pepper
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 t. of sugar (or Splenda) if the mango isn't sweet enough.
Dressing:
drizzle the lettuce with olive oil and fresh lime juice. Add salt & pepper. Top it with the hot pork chop slices and then the cold salsa.
Salad #9: Breakfast Salad
This may sound strange, but it's quite tasty. Soft boiled eggs and crispy bacon pieces add richness and protein to start your day!
Salad Contents:
- Mixed greens and/or spinach
- Soft boiled eggs - start in cold water, bring to a boil, let boil for 4-5 minutes. Shock them in ice water to cool down and stop the cooking.
- Crispy bacon pieces
- Slices of avocado
- Cherry tomatoes
Salad dressing:
this is great with the red pepper vinaigrette above.
Salad #10: "Almost Creamy" Rainbow Shrimp Salad
Lighter than the traditional shrimp salad or lobster roll, this is a great salad for a hot night and with a cold beer.
Salad Contents:
after this is mixed together with the dressing, I serve it over green leaf lettuce and tomato wedges. The only reason that I don't put the tomatoes in the salad mix is because they will break down too quickly and the salad won't keep.
- 3 packs of frozen "salad shrimp"
- 1 cucumber seeded and diced
- 1 yellow/orange bell pepper
- shredded red cabbage
- green onion
"Almost Creamy" Old Bay Dressing:
mix together and adjust the seasonings; then pour over salad contents
- 1/2 c. oil
- juice of half a lemon (about 2 T.)
- 2 T. of mayonaise
- seasoning salt
- pepper
- Old Bay
- garlic
- 1 green onion
