Bowtie Chicken Salad

This is the ultimate pasta salad.   It is pretty enough to serve at any function, makes enough for a large crowd and every single person in my family loves it.  I make it over and over again in the summer.  One of my favorite things about it is the variety of textures.  With a combination of pasta, chicken, apples, grapes, celery and slivered almonds there's a lot going on at one time.  It just works.  It tastes the best after chilling in the refrigerator for a while so remember to plan ahead.

1 lb. Bowtie Pasta
3-6 C. Chicken, cooked and cubed
4 Green Onions, sliced thinly
2 C. Celery, chopped
1 C. Slivered Almonds
4 C. Red Grapes, halved
3 C. Red Apples, chopped
15 oz. bottle Coleslaw Dressing
2 C. Mayonnaise (Lowfat works fine)
2 t. Salt
1 t. Pepper
1/2 t. Thyme
1/4 t. Ginger

Cook pasta according to package directions then drain and toss with all vegetables, fruit, almonds and chicken in a very large bowl.  Set aside.  In a seperate bowl mix coleslaw dressing, salt, pepper, thyme, ginger and mayo.  Mix until smooth and then fold into pasta mixture.  Mix until dressing evenly coats everything and then refrigerate until serving (at least 1 hour).  Serves 20-25 people.

BBQ Chicken Salad

The other day I had some friends over for lunch.  We made these salads for everyone.  The recipe comes from my friend Mindy, who is a great cook.  The salads were delicious, especially the grilled chicken.  It was a fresh, summer-y kind of meal, perfect for the warm Fall temperatures we have been having. 

Romaine Lettuce, chopped
Cucumbers, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Avocados, diced
Red Onion, chopped
Cheddar cheese
Chunks of Grilled Chicken marinaded generously with BBQ sauce
Dill (dried, not fresh)
Ranch Dressing

Layer each ingredient on the salad.  Top with several chicken pieces then sprinkle with dill.  Add dressing and serve.

Killer Potato Salad

I don't mean to brag but my potato salad is AWESOME!  I have worked with the recipe I had when I got married year after year and now I feel like it is truly perfect, at least for my taste.  With summer BBQs over the next couple of months, I hope this recipe will come in handy for someone out there! 

8 Russet Potatoes, average size
4-5 eggs
3 stalks celery
3-4 dill pickles
1 Cup Mayonaise
1/2 C. Sweet Pickle Relish
2 tsp. Mustard
1/4-1/2 C. Milk
2-3 T. White Vinegar
Lowry's Seasoning Salt
Onion Powder
Pepper

Put unpeeled, unwashed potatoes into a large pot.  Put eggs on top of potatoes.  Cover all with water and boil until potatoes are pierced easily with a knife or fork.  Transfer eggs to bowl.  Dump out all the water and rinse potatoes with cool water.  Allow to cool for 30 minutes until you are able to touch potatoes without burning yourself.  Peel potatoes.  The skin should just peel right off.  Cut up potatoes into 1 inch cubes.  Pour vinegar evenly over top then sprinkle with Seasoning Salt, onion powder and pepper.  I am pretty generous but don't go overboard with the salt!  I am sorry I don't have a measurement on this, I just eyeball it.  Cut celery stalks in half lengthwise then chop into small pieces then add to bowl.  Dice pickles and peel and chop eggs.  Add to bowl.  In a separate bowl combine mayo, relish, mustard and enough milk so it looks like thin cake batter.  Whisk until mixed well.  Pour over top of potatoes and mix.  It might seem a little watery at first but it won't after it's refrigerated.  Refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving.  I think it gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. 

Elegant Dinner Salad

As I said in my last post, I was in charge of a big dinner this last weekend.  This salad was the hit of the night!  Everyone raved about it.  It is so, so simple to prepare but it looks and tastes amazing. The candied pecans are the big secret!

1 Head Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1 C. Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 C. Craisins
1 C. Chopped Pecans
1/2 C. Sugar
Brianna's Brand Poppy Seed Dressing

At least 1 hour before you want to serve the salad but up to a day in advance, toast and candy pecans by combining pecans and sugar in a small sauce pan.  Heat on medium high heat and stir constantly until all of the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir every once in a while to break up pecans.  They will stick together as they cool.  To assemble the salad, put all of the lettuce in the bottom of a large serving bowl.  Add craisins, parmesan, then candied pecans.  Mix the top a tiny bit to let a little green show through but don't mix it too much or all the toppings will fall to the bottom.  Serve with poppy seed dressing.

Mandarin Pecan Salad with Asian Dressing

This salad was unique and delicious!  I loved the asian vinegrette dressing combined with the candied pecans and the oranges.  If you have never used fresh ginger you have got to try it.  You just break off a piece from the large root at the store.  It costs about 30-50 cents and you can't beat the additional flavor it packs when you add it to an asian dish. 

1 head Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1/2-3/4 C. Pecans
1/4 C. Sugar
1 15 oz. Can Mandarin Oranges, well drained
4 green onions, chopped fine
2 stalks of celery, sliced thin

In a small frying pan combine pecans and sugar.  Cook on med. high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until all sugar is absorbed.  Take off burner and stir every once in a while while they cool so they don't stick together.  Combine lettuce, celery and onions and mix well.  Just before serving add pecans and oranges.  

Dressing:
2 Small Cloves Garlic, pressed
1 T. Fresh Ginger, chopped fine
1/4 C. Olive Oil
2 T. Sesame Oil
3 T. Rice Vinegar
1/4 C. Soy Sauce
1 1/2 T. Honey
1/8 C. Water

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Microwave 1 minute to melt honey.  Shake or stir dressing again and then refrigerate until serving.  Shake well before serving.

Salmon Potato Salad

I made this one up! I had one piece of frozen salmon left in the freezer and came up with a way to use it.

3 pounds of baby red potatoes

4 oz of salmon

1 sweet bell pepper chopped

1 cup of frozen corn

2 green onions sliced

2 T of vegenaise (can use mayo)

2 T pickle juice

1/2 t salt

Squeeze lemon juice on to salmon then sprinkle with salt. Broil salmon until cooked through.

Cut potatoes into bite size pieces, put just enough water into a pan to cook the potatoes. Cook potatoes until almost done, then add the bell pepper and corn and cook two minutes. Drain the vegetables, and mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Chicken Finger Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

I found this recipe online and have been dying to try it.  This was my first experience with honey mustard dressing and...yum!  It added a lot of flavor to the salad without adding a lot of calories.  I also used Jennie-O turkey bacon to cut back on fat.  I know the chicken is breaded and fried but without any additional carbs I considered it a pretty healthy meal.  Those who never cook with buttermilk might be tempted to use regular milk for the marinade but don't, it really adds a lot of tenderness to the chicken to use buttermilk and the small container cost me 88 cents.  If you want to make this for dinner but have kids (like mine) who don't love salad, just give them the chicken strips with dressing as a dipping sauce and add a side of fruit or veggies. 

2 large Chicken Breasts cut into strips (not too thick or they take longer to cook)
1 C. Buttermilk
1 Egg
1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Put all ingredients except chicken into a ziplock bag and smoosh together.  Add chicken and marinade 2 hours in your refrigerator.

1 C. Flour
1 C. Bread Crumbs
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Put all these ingredients in a separate ziplock bag and shake to combine.  After chicken has marinaded, drain off milk mixture and put chicken into the bag with the flour mixture.  Shake to coat all pieces of chicken well.  Heat some oil in a skillet on high heat (enough oil to fill the skillet to about 1" in the bottom).  You want the oil to be VERY hot because the chicken will cook faster and absorb less of the oil so just watch it carefully.  Once the oil is hot enough (you should see ripples in the oil), put the chicken into the skillet and fry until golden brown about 4-5 minutes.  Test the chicken by removing it from the skillet and slicing it down the center.  If it is still pink put it back into the skillet for another minute or two. 

Dressing:
1/4 C. light Mayo
1 1/2 T. Honey
1 T. Mustard
1/2 T. Lemon Juice
about 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 T. Milk

Whisk together all ingredients.  Make your salad by combining chopped Romaine lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and hard boiled eggs.  Lay a couple of chicken strips over top of salad then drizzle dressing over top.  Store left over dressing in the refrigerator.  This recipe makes enough chicken for 4 salads.

BLT Chicken & Pasta Salad

I just served this to some guests and they loved it.  It is a classic in the family.  I think the reason men like it so much is because one of the ingredients to the dressing is...  BBQ sauce.  1/2 cup mayonnaise                       1/4 t. black pepper

1/3 cup water        1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

1 T. barbeque sauce                  10 oz. pasta

1 1/2 t. white vinegar                               8 slices bacon

1 1/2 t. dried chives                    2 cups torn lettuce

1/4 t. garlic powder     2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl mix first 7 ingredients.  Put chicken in a 6 quart pot and add salt along with just enough water to cover.  Boil, then reduce heat to low until done.  Remove to cutting board and cut into small pieces.  Add water to pot for pasta and add pasta once it boils.  Cook pasta until al dente.

As pasta boils cook the bacon.  Drain the grease and cut into small pieces.  Add hot pasta to the dressing bowl and toss to mix.  Add remaining ingredients and enjoy!

(This recipe was adapted from a friend.  Credit must be given to Sharon Redfearn.)