Crispy Rice Salad

 1 cup cooked jasmine rice 

1 T oil

1 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup edamame

1/2 avocado, diced

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1.5 T rice wine vinegar

1.5 T soy sauce

I/2 T sesame oil

1/2 t sesame seeds

Mix rice with oil and cook at 450 (or broil) until starting to brown (15 minutes) Mix everything else together and toss with rice. 

Candied Nuts

2 cups nuts
2 at butter
1/2 sugar (either)
1/2 t cinnamon
Pinch salt

Cook on stove top until sugar is dissolved and melted, coating nuts. 

Ramen Cabbage Salad

Ramen Cabbage Salad
1 head cabbage
4 green onions
3 chicken breasts, sliced and cooked
1 package chicken flavored ramen noodles
mandarin oranges
slivered almonds

Cabbage Salad Dressing
1/2 c. oil
3 T. sugar
3 T. vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 packet Ramen seasoning

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

5 cups broccoli
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. shredded cheese
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. crumbled bacon
1/4 c. red onion
1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed

Broccoli salad dressing
1 c. mayonnaise
2 T. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar

Liz's Salad

A friend from the ward brought us this salad when Sienna was born and at least one other time.  It's yummy.

Liz's Salad
1/2 head green leaf lettuce
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 c. celery
4 green onions
1 avocado
1 apple
1/4 c. craisins
1/2 c. blue cheese
cooked chicken
candied nuts

Dressing
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 c. oil
1 T. parsleu
2 T. sugar
2 T. white wine vinegar

Wonton Chicken Salad

Wonton Sesame Chicken Salad (serves 4)

1 head romaine lettuce, shredded

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 cup uncooked pasta

3 green onions, sliced

mandarin oranges *optional (my family doesn't like this)

wonton strips

sesame seeds

Asian sesame dressing (Kraft)

Cook the pasta, and rinse with cold water to cool.  Mix the lettuce, chicken, pasta and green onions in a large bowl.  Plate the salad, and drizzle the dressing on. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and wonton strips.

We serve this with potstickers (from Costco) and jasmine rice.  The kids love the meal, and it's easy to make a ton to feed a big crowd.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

This recipe is based off one from Mommysavers. I'm adding my version here because I've made it several times and I really like it. 

Cook potatoes. Toss with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. 

Stir in:

1/3 c. cheddar cheese

1/3 c. sour cream

2 green onions, sliced

3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Layered Pasta Salad

I combined two recipes into dinner tonight. John and I both would have preferred a lighter dressing, but I really liked the combination of ingredients I used.

Layered Pasta Salad

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3 cups cooked small shell pasta

1 cup diced cooked ham

1/2 cup ranch dressing mixed with 1/2 cup mayo

1 cup cheese cubes

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup cashews

2 sliced green onions

Stir just before serving. Mix it up before you serve. Distribute the dressing. Do it.

Maggie helped make dinner and was a BIG help. She was so proud of herself, too. She measured, stirred and poured, and I cut up some strips of cheese for her to cut into cubes with a plastic knife.

Dalton was not a big help. Sorry, boy. He also refused to eat any dinner. Sigh. He's cute, though.

Orzo Salad

Another great recipe from my sister-in-law Jamie. This delicious salad is easy, but somewhat expensive, to make. Jamie and I both left out the pine nuts and Jamie also leaves out the fresh basil. I happened to have some growing my garden so I used it.

Also, 1 pound of orzo makes a lot. I halved the recipe and it was plenty for us for dinner, and for lunch tomorrow, and probably more.
6 c. chicken broth
1 lb. orzo
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Stir in orzo and cook until tender. Drain.

Dressing:
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. honey
1/2 c. olive oil
Blend together and mix with orzo in bowl.

Stir in:
2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 7 oz. package of feta cheese
1 c. fresh basil, chopped
1 c. sliced green onions
1/2 c. pine nuts

Serve immediately, or chill for 2 hours.

Layered Caribbean Chicken Salad

I made this salad to show off my new trifle bowl from Pampered Chef. I got the recipe from Betty Crocker, but made a few changes. This salad is full of John's favorite ingredients and he loves it.

Dressing:
1 container piña colada yogurt
1 1/2 to 2 T. lime juice
1 t. Caribbean jerk seasoning

Salad:
3 c. spinach leaves
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 1/2 c.diced mango
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions (8 medium)
1/2 c. cashews

1. In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients until well blended.
2. In 3- or 4-quart clear glass serving bowl, layer salad ingredients in order listed, except cashews. Spoon dressing evenly over salad; sprinkle cashews over top.