Green Papaya Salad

If you've ever had this at a Thai Restaurant, you'll know it is DELICIOUS! We have a ton of Papaya growing in our yard, so I thought it'd be fun to make the salad before they ripened. My kids had a ton of fun picking the papayas fresh for me, too (they LOVE getting my herbs and any garden pickin' I need... so helpful!)

I used THIS recipe (thanks Bobby Flay), but I subbed pine nuts for peanuts!

Chicken, Blueberry and Corn Salad

YUM! I saw this on Pioneer Woman's cooking show and had to make it- the perfect summer dinner!!

Click HERE for the recipe! (I served mine over butter lettuce bowls!)

Beet Salad

So, I accidentally grabbed 4 (really large!) beets at the store instead of turnips (oops!) and didn't want them to go to waste. I love Skinnytaste's recipes, so I thought I'd give this one a try! It wasn't something I would probably die to have again, but if you are looking for something to replace traditional potatoes, here's a good option! HERE is the link!

Hawaiian Salad

One of my favorite things about living in Hawaii is the Farmer's Markets! The weather here is generous to fresh produce happening all year long! This salad has become one of my favorites- it's a North Shore medley of greens, wild grown tiny tomatoes and Lilikoi Papaya Seed Dressing. If you visit Oahu, make sure you come to a Farmer's Market and try it first hand... but you can also order the dressing on this website: http://hawaiisspecial.com/. The other lettuce that is AMAZING is the Pupukea Greens. YUM!

Lemony Grilled Shrimp Salad

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp grated lemon rind

1/2 tsp smoke paprika

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

7 tsp olive oil

24 shrimp- peeled and deveined, tails off

Cooking Spray

6 cups baby arugula

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 cup peeled jicama, cut into strips (optional)

2 TBL lemon juice

1 TBL white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sugar

1 oz queso fresco, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:

Combine rind, paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp oil and shrimp in a medium bowl. You can either cook them on a grill (thread them through a skewer) or sauté them in a skillet. Combine the arugula, avocado and jicama in a large bowl and toss gently. Combine the remaining 2 TBL oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add just mixture to shrimp mixture and toss gently to coat. Divid the salad among 4 plates and sprinkle evenly with queso fresco. 

Black Pepper and Molasses Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Mango Slaw

I found this great recipe in an old Cooking Light magazine I had! So yummy and easy... I picked up some jalapeno cheese buns from our deli and warmed those up in the oven- perfect! I did make double the sauce to cover the chicken! 

INGREDIENTS:

Rotisserie Chicken, pulled apart

3 TBL ketchup

1 TBL cider vinegar

1 TBL prepared mustard

1 TBL molasses (or honey)

3/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ginger

Sandwich Rolls

Dill Pickle Chips

DIRECTIONS:

Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover and cook, stirring occasionally about 20 minutes. After warming and pulling apart chicken, fill the buns and top with sauce and pickles!

For the Mango Slaw:

INGREDIENTS:

Package of Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw

1 cup chopped mango

1/4 cup vertically sliced red onion

1/4 cup canola mayo

1 TBL cider vinegar

1 TBL sugar

1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the last 4 ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to make the dressing. In a larger bowl, combine the coleslaw, mango and red onion and toss well with the dressing. 

No-Potato Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 head cauliflower
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3-4 TBL)
1 TBL parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, hard boiled and diced
2 TBL grapeseed oil
1 TBL dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
Chop cauliflower into small florets (1/2 inch). Steam cauliflower until fork tender (not more or a stronger cauliflower taste develops). Allow cauliflower to cool then place in a large bowl. Add celery, onion, parsley and egg. Stir in oil, mustard and salt. Serve.

PW's Aunt Trish's Salad Dressing

I saw this on PW's cooking show on Food Network. It was so mild and good! HERE is the link to the recipe.

Bean and Veggie Salad

This is a little bit of a fresher take on the Vegetable Salad I've made before- I liked the ingredients in this one, but the flavor fell a little shy. I think next time I'll use these ingredients, but go back to my Granny's dressing. I found the recipe on Echoes of Laugher, but I did use the entire cans of beans- she mentions freezing half of each can, but we're getting ready to move and I don't need to store anything up!

Barley Salad

My friend, Kristiana, made this for us at her house, and I had to get her recipe! It's so yummy- a perfect cookout or summer side dish! I made it with portobello hamburgers.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of cooked barley (or brown rice- I used barley)
12oz Prosciutto (optional)
6 Cherry tomatoes, quartered
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped greed onions
1/3cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cup thinly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 TBS Olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Toss all ingredients in a bowl, and voila! 

Chopped Salad with Bacon and Roasted Garbanzo Beans

We love having a big salad for dinner- so when I saw this, I thought I'd give it a try!

INGREDIENTS:
Olive Oil
Garbanzo Beans
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Chili Powder
Bacon (I used turkey bacon)
3 TBL red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
English cucumber, peeled and chopped
Lettuce (Romaine or Butter)
Butter Beans
Feta Cheese
Ranch Dressing (I used the spray kind)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat some olive oil in a saute pan and add in the garbanzo beans. Cook 5-7 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove onto a plate covered with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili powder. Cook the bacon in the skillet and when cooled, crumble. To make the salad, add lettuce, beans, bacon, tomatoes cucumber and feta cheese. Mix the red wine vinegar, basil, oregano, 3 TBL olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl to make the dressing. Add some ranch dressing as well. Pour over when ready to serve, and toss well. Enjoy!

Napa Asian Slaw

INGREDIENTS:
1 TBL soy sauce
1 TBL sesame oil
1 TBL rice vinegar
1 1/2 TBL sweet chili sauce
1 tsp peeled/grated ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 cup julienne-cut yellow squash
1/2 cup matchstick carrot
1/4 cup cut green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Let stand 10 minutes.

Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

Another great find in the Cooking Light April 2012 magazine!


INGREDIENTS:
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 TBL olive oil
1 TBL fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups torn butter lettuce
1 cup sliced avocado

DIRECTIONS:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Add lettuce and avocado; toss gently. Serves 4.

119 calories, 9.7 grams of fat

Takes about 15 minutes to make!

Orzo Salad

I wanted something to go with our shrimp shish-ka-bobs- and this fit the bill! It was light, yummy and a good alternative to pasta salad!

INGREDIENTS:
Orzo, cooked
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Salt/Pepper
Black Olives, sliced
Artichokes, chopped (I included the marinade)
Tomatoes, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Cucumber, chopped
Lemon Juice

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Yummy!

Antipasto Platter

One of my all time favorites- a hand-me-down recipe from my Granny (my mom's mom) and the copy I have is in her handwriting- so special! I always make this at Christmastime... it's so yummy. And, according to my Granny it's 462 calories per main dish serving!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cauliflower flowerets
1 small zucchini, sliced (1/4 inch thick)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 6 oz. can ripe olives, drained
1 .75 oz envelope garlic and herbs dry salad dressing mix
Olive Oil
Vinegar
4 oz. sliced genoa salami
4 oz. sliced prosciutto (ham)
6 round slices provolone cheese quartered (about 6 oz)
6 round slices colby cheese, halved (about 4 oz)
Lettuce (I used boston bibb and butter lettuce)

DIRECTIONS:
In a saucepan, cook (with water) cauliflower and zucchini about 2 minutes- drain and cool. Place cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes and olives in a plastic bag- prepare dressing mix according to directions on the packet and pour over vegetables and close bag and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours. Turn bag occasionally. To serve, slice and dice meat and cheese- drain veggies and arrange vegetables and meat on a bed of lettuce, on a large platter. Serve with hot french bread and wine.

BLTizza

Another great pinterest find! Basically a yummy salad, on top of a flat bread. Here is the original link... here's what I did:

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups mixed baby greens
3-5 small tomatoes, diced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
6 slices bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing, with a spoonful of spicy mustard, a drizzle of honey and
a couple spoonfuls of mayo mixed together.
3, 8” flatbreads

DIRECTIONS:
Put the flatbreads in the broiler to crisp (be careful not to burn). Toss all other ingredients in a large bowl. Remove flatbreads from the oven and top with the 'salad'. Cut into pizza slices and enjoy!

Dill Egg Salad

In Savannah, there is a great deli that has an awesome egg salad. This is the closest I can come to replicating it!

INGREDIENTS:
8 eggs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 red onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop. (Or for a faster version- buy already peeled, hard boiled eggs at the store!)
In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, paprika, onion and salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork or wooden spoon.
Serve over bread or bagels (I like the everything bagel thins!). Yummy!

Super Special Salad

Salad is one of my FAVORITE things to eat! One of my favorite hometown restaurants (Aldo's) has a salad called "Super Special Salad"... since I'm far away now, this is my best effort to recreate it! When you go to the restaurant, it is PILED high on your plate- but this was just a side dish, so I made them small.

INGREDIENTS:
Romaine, Greenleaf and Butter Lettuce
Salami, sliced
Shredded Italian Cheese (I used provolone- but mozzarella would be good, too: provel would be the best, but it's not available around here)
Hearts of Palm, sliced/diced
Artichoke Hearts, sliced
Green Olives, sliced
Black Olives, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced

Pepperoncini
Salt/Pepper
Vinegar/Oil or Italian Dressing

DIRECTIONS:
I lightly toss the lettuce with a very small amount of vinegar and oil. The toppings have so much flavor themselves, I don't want a heavy dressing. Then top with the remaining ingredients, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cobb Salad

INGREDIENTS:
Bibb or Butter Lettuce
Bacon, crumbled
Chicken, cubed
Hard Boiled Egg, diced
Purple Onion, Sliced
Tomato, diced
Avocado, diced
Blue Cheese crumbles
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Croutons
Ranch Dressing (If you want to get real into it, PW has some awesome home-made ranch here!)

DIRECTIONS:
Assemble Salad. One of my favorites!

You can definietly make this salad a fast and easy meal by buying bagged lettuce, pre-cooked bacon or real bacon bits, pre-cooked and sliced chicken, and bagged hard boiled eggs (found in the deli section). Some warm, french bread is a nice side with this salad. Enjoy!

Autumn Bibb Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup light mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 T. red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lg head Bibb lettuce, washed and prepared salad

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

3 radishes, thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

DIRECTIONS:

In medium bowl, whisk together first 7 ingredients.  Cover & refrigerate for at least 30 min, up to overnight.

Mix the remaining 7 ingredients in a large salad bowl, and toss with dressing when ready to serve.