Caprese Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. I love to sprinkle a little balsamic vinaigrette over the top right before digging in.

3-4 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 in. thick slices
enough fresh basil to cover the tops of each tomato
sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, as many slices as tomatoes
olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper

Set the tomatoes on a plate, top with a basil leave, then a slice of cheese. When they are all finished, arrange them how you prefer, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving to get the tomatoes cold.

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint and Lime

This is a great, refreshing summer recipe. So cool for a hot day, which we have been having a lot of. I got this recipe from a blog I like to read, Whipped. If you aren't afraid of trying out new flavors, then this salad is for you. Its awesome. Something about this combo of flavors just works so well.

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint and Lime

Watermelon, cut in chunks or cubed
Feta Cheese
Fresh Mint Leaves
Lime
Finishing Salt, I used an Australian pink salt that was light and delicate.

Place your watermelon on a plate or bowl. Sprinkle it with feta cheese. Wash mint leaves and cut them into threads. Sprinkle it over the top. Squeeze a lime wedge onto the fruit. Sprinkle with a heavy pinch of salt. Do not use a heavy pinch of table salt. I suggest a courser salt. If you don’t have it, just use a touch of table salt or none at all.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

I had a cucumber sitting in my fridge and I didnt really know what I wanted to do with it. After looking at a lot of blogs and websites, I decided that what I was craving was more like tzatziki than an actual cucumber salad. So I decided to kind of make a tzatziki cucumber salad, if you will. The only difference really is that the cucumbers are chopped up pretty big. I definitely wanted it to be a cucumber side dish, not a dip. It was crisp and cold and healthy. Very refreshing. Its been really hot and humid here and this was exactly what I needed. This made just enough for 2 servings. If you want more double it.

1 English cucumber, sliced in half length wise, then chopped into 1/2 inch thickness
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp dried dill, or to taste (fresh would have been so much better)
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up the cucumber and set aside in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the yogurt, dill, and lemon juice until combined. Pour over cucumbers. Mix to coat all the cucumbers, then salt and pepper to taste. Refridgerate for awhile before serving. I only had about an hour and they turned out fine.

Delicious Taco Salad

This is one of my favorite summer time recipes. Ive loved this salad since I first learned to make it over 10 yrs ago. Any French or Catalina dressing will work, but Dorothy Lynch is the best. If you don't like French or Catalina dressing, then you can omit it and use salsa instead.

Original recipe from Beth Werner.

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 head of lettuce, chopped
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
2 tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 can sliced olives, drained
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 of a large bag of tortilla chips, crushed
3/4 cup Dorothy Lynch Home Style Dressing
sour cream and salsa for serving

Cook the ground beef until browned, then drain off fat. Add taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. While the meat is cooling, combine lettuce, beans, cheese, tomatoes, avocado and olives in a large bowl. Crush 1/2 bag of tortilla chips and add to the salad mixture. Add dressing, meat and cheese and toss until everything is well combined. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some salsa on the side.

Quick Pasta Salad

I threw this recipe together in the time it took for the pasta to cook. Its so versatile. Add whatever veggies you have. I would have added tomatoes to this, but we aren't eating them right now with the salmonella outbreak. I served this up with some grilled BBQ shrimp and baked beans.

1/2 box mini penne pasta
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 cheese sticks, cut into chunks
1/2 cup imitation crab meat, shredded
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup Italian dressing (I used balsamic)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

While pasta is cooking, prepare veggies and cheese sticks and crab. The last 30 seconds of pasta cooking, add broccoli. Drain and run under cool water to chill. Add carrot, cheese, and crab to pasta and broccoli. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo and dressing. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over pasta, then pour dressing over and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Fried Shallots

I took this salad to a family reunion last night and I got a lot of compliments on it. The fried shallots are soooo good on this.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Fried Shallots

1/2 pound penne pasta
2 cups thinly sliced shallots
2 cups vegetable oil
salt
1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1/2 of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
10 radishes, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped (I skipped this since I didnt have any)
grated peel and juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp honey
Pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a medium sauce pan, bring the shallots and oil to a simmer over medium heat and fry, stirring until golden, 18-20 min (this took about 10 minutes for me) Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Reserve 1/4 cup shallot oil for the dressing.

In a large serving bowl, combine the chicken, cucumber, radishes, carrots, cilantro and pasta.

Whisk the lime peel and juice and honey into the shallot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad and season with more salt and toss to coat evenly. Top with the fried shallots.

Black Bean Confetti Salad

In another blog that I read, Smitten Kitchen, there was a post about 30 ways to be a great guest and it had pics of 30 salads or things to bring to a party. This one jumped out at me. It reminds me of a salad that my Aunt Viola brought to a recent family party. We decided that we are grilling all weekend and I thought this salad would be perfect with the Grilled Tequila Lime Shrimp we are also having. It is light and fresh and healthy and full of flavor. I love it. This salad can be a dip for chips or just a great dish on its own. I halved the recipe, but kept the original amount of dressing, since I always like extra dressing. I didnt have ground cayenne so I added 2 tsp Franks Red Hot sauce. I added grilled corn and 2 Tbsp of orange juice to give it some sweetness. I also used 2 limes instead of 1. I felt like it was almost perfect, but needed something else sweet. Maybe next time I will add a diced up mango. I also think it would be divine with some avocado. This is so versatile! I will definitely make this one again and again.

Adapted from this recipe

Black Bean Confetti Salad

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed
4 bell peppers, a mix of colors, chopped into a small dice
1/2 super-large or 1 medium white onion, chopped into a small dice
1/2 cup cooked grilled corn from the cob, cooled.
Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (I used 2 tsp Franks Red Hot sauce, but we like some heat)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Mix beans, bell peppers and white onion and corn in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2 cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve by itself as a salad, or as a dip with chips, or even as a topping on a green salad.

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad

Last night at dinner Carl and I were talking about how much we love grilled food. So we decided to make it a point to use the grill more, now that its hot. Might as well keep the heat outside, instead of in my kitchen. So after making that delicious shrimp the other day, we were craving something like that again. I decided to go for a salad with grilled chicken and other ingredients I had on hand, including the left over cob of corn that was grilled along with the shrimp the other night. I just love grilled corn, shaved off the cob and added to salads. For the chicken, I marinated it in tequila, olive oil, lime, garlic and salt and pepper and a dash of hot sauce. This would have been awesome with some jicama and crushed tortilla chips, but we didnt have jicama and we are trying to count calories right now for swim suit season. YAY.

1 lb grilled chicken, cut up.
2-3 romaine hearts, chopped
1 cup corn (fresh off the cob is best)
1 cup black beans, rinsed
1 avacado, diced
1 sm can black olives
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, diced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream and salsa or whatever dressing you like.

Toss everything together. Serve with salsa, or ranch dressing.