Jack's Favorite Salad

We call this Jack's favorite salad for lack of knowing the real name. I think he got the original recipe from one of his sister Echo's cookbooks. In the 12 years I have been married to Jack I have always referred to it as his favorite. This salad is light and refreshing. It is one of those salads though that once you put the dressing on it, it must be eaten up or it goes extremely soggy and doesn't keep well.

Jack's Favorite Salad

1/2 cups sliced almonds

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 head Iceberg lettuce

1/2 head Romaine lettuce

1 cup chopped celery

2 green onions

1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil (we always use canola)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped parsley (can be made without if you don't happen to have it).

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons Vinegar

Dash Tabasco sauce (to taste) {I put for shakes/drops in the last time me made it and it gave the salad a bite. I recommend 1 -2 drops being the best results).

In a small sauce pan over medium heat cook almonds with sugar stirring constantly (5-8 minutes.) Cool and store in airtight container. *Don't put them in plastic containers it will melt because the nuts are so hot!

Mix salad dressing and chill until ready to serve. Add almonds, oranges, and dressing just before serving.

Chicken and Citrus Salad

The year I had my twins I remember falling in love with this salad. I love baby spinach and strawberry salads. Its a salad packed with vitamins A and C. As Spring approaches and I get my spring recipes out I am feeling like posting them even though I don't have a picture of them at the moment! Looking at all these fresh recipes is bringing the touch of sunshine I need on this gray and stormy day.

Chicken and Citrus Salad

4 cups each: Baby Spinach and Mixed Salad Greens

2 Cups sliced Strawberries

1 can (15 oz) Mandarin Oranges segments, drained

8 oz sugar snap peas, halved

1 pkg. (6 oz) Oven Roasted Chicken Breast cut in to strips

1/2 cup Pecans, Toasted

1/2 cup Raspberry Vinaigrette

Toss all ingredients in large bowl. Spoon onto plates.

Makes 4 servings.

Strawberry Mango Salad

Try this salad! You won't be disappointed! PROMISE!

Okay another great recipe from my new AFG cookbook! Katie you were right I LOVE your balsamic dressing (I admit it has become a new favorite.) and your salad was wonderful! Thanks for sharing this recipe. It was perfect that I had three ripe mango's in the fridge when I got home from the retreat--timing could not have been better seeing that I usually don't by mango's, yet I had gotten 3 in my bountiful basket the week before. Perfect, just Perfect!

Strawberry Mango Salad

1 cup diced mangos or more

2 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup Craisins

Romaine lettuce (1-2 bunches) or 1 bag romaine hearts

Dark green leaf lettuce (or a Spring Mix from Costco as a filler to the romaine)

3/4 cup slivered almonds (see recipe below)

All these ingredients can vary depending on tastes--can add more or less of all ingredients.

Balsamic Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup olive oil or light olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 cup grated onion

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar (Katie says Balsamic is key here but you can use other vinegars if you desire)

Emulsify in blender and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Almonds:

Melt 2-3 Tablespoons of butter in frying pan.

Add

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg (I use less not one of my favorite spices)

Mix together and then add 3/4 cup sliced almonds. Stir just until nuts turn light or medium brown in color. Pour out of pan onto a cookie sheet and cool. When cool, add nuts to salad.

To make this ore of a meal, add cooked chicken. Serves 8-10.

**I found that this was a large recipe for our family of 5 but I didn't toss the mangos and strawberries in with the lettuce we just added them to each serving, same with the nuts. It worked like a charm and we were able to have it with two meals. I found that by mixing the mangos and strawberries together in a bowl worked nicely and the strawberries kept a fresh look even for the next day's servings.

Linguine with Fresh Tomatoes and Asparagus

I tried this recipe to help me use up the wild asparagus we picked last week. I needed a salad or a dessert to take to the local Search and Rescue picnic so this is what we took and I was grateful not to have to heat up the kitchen on a hot day!

Linguine with Fresh Tomatoes and Asparagus

2 Tablespoon olive oil

11-12 oz think asparagus

2 large cloves garlic, minced

4 large plum tomatoes, diced (or two large slicing tomatoes-what's on hand!)

1 cup water

2 teaspoons Instant Chicken Bouillon

1 lb linguine cooked according to package

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large skillet. Add asparagus; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add garlic; cook until tender. Stir water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and remove from the heat.

Prepare past according to package directions. Toss with asparagus mixture. Let cool slightly and toss with Parmesan Cheese. (If the noodles are to hot the cheese seems to clump and melt together leaving lumps of cheese--not to appealing to the eye). Season with ground black pepper if desired.

Bok Choy Salad

This is a quick and easy fresh Bok Choy salad I altered the original recipe from allrecipes.com --"Yummy Bok Choy Salad". (Trying to use up all my Bok Choy from my Bountiful Baskets.) With its homemade vinaigrette, green onions, toasted almonds, and toss in some craisins and have a tasty side salad. The only draw back of this salad is it is one of those that you have to use the entire salad after putting the dressing on it because it turns soggy and not very appetizing after a while.

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Salad:

8-10 cups Bok Choy (cleaned and sliced)

1 bunch green onions (I chose to use less)

1/8 cup slivered almonds, toasted (used candied almonds that I use in Jack's Favorite Salad)

1/2 - 1 cup chow mein noodles (or as many as looks proportioned to your size of salad.)

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This little recipe is one I clipped a couple of years ago from our little grocery stores ad. I was glad to find a poppy seed dressing that was homemade. It is nice not to have a million different bottles of condiments in the fridge all the time. We also use candied almonds--making them as instructed in Jack's Favorite Salad. When Jack eats this salad he says, "That could be dessert!"

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

3 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons light Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons milk

1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (I think 2 teaspoons would be ample)

10 oz Romaine Lettuce torn

1 cup Strawberries

2 Tablespoons toasted slivered almonds

Combine the sugar, mayonnaise, milk, poppy seeds and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk well.

Place lettuce in a large bowl. Add the strawberries and almonds and toss lightly. Divide among individual serving plates and drizzle each with about 1 Tablespoon dressing.

Makes six servings.

**We like this dressing, just as well as the store bought poppy seed.

Jack's Favorite Salad

Jack's Favorite Salad

1/2 cups sliced almonds

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 head Iceberg lettuce

1/2 head Romaine lettuce

1 cup chopped celery

2 green onions

1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil (we always use canola)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped parsley (can be made without if you don't happen to have it).

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons Vinegar

Dash Tabasco sauce (to taste) {I put 4 shakes/drops in the last time I made it and it gave the salad a bite. I recommend 1 -2 drops for the best results).

For the Nuts:

In a small sauce pan over medium heat cook almonds with sugar stirring constantly (5-8 minutes.) Cool and store in airtight container. *Don't put them in plastic containers it will melt because the nuts are so hot!

Mixing the Salad:

Wash and tear the lettuces, mix them together in a nice size bowl. Mix salad dressing and chill until ready to serve. Add almonds, oranges, and salad dressing just before serving.

Our Quick Fruit Salad

Growing up I loved when my mom would make her fresh fruit salad with whipping cream. It seemed like we had it mostly at large family gatherings. It was always a huge hit and everyone wanted to lick the bowl clean. I guess I wasn't the only one who loved mom's salad! Because I don't recall there being a set ingredients list to mom's salad all I do remember is the banana's, apples, pears, peaches, pineapple chunks and cream. I have just started adding all kinds of fresh fruits to ours.

Quick Fruit Salad

2-4 Banana's

2 Golden Delicious Apples

1 Red Delicious Apple

Canned Peaches, Pears, and Pineapple (I use a homemade quart of fruit cocktail)

2 cups sliced Strawberries

1 8 oz container Cool Whip Free

Gently mix together in a large bowl, chill if necessary. If chilling is required I would recommend not slicing the banana's or strawberries into the mix until right before you serve the dish, so that they don't discolor or go soggy.

Refrigerated Salad

This is one of those dishes I made a LONG time ago! (June to be exact.) It was crisp and refreshing during those hot summer months. This is one I don't want to forget. It is a recipe of our family friend Camille Fowler.

Refrigerated Salad

Break up one head of lettuce in a bowl

Then layer the following ingredients on the lettuce:

layer of fresh sliced mushrooms

Bean sprouts (I can't typically leave this out)

Grated Carrots (I use my Julienner; I love it! It makes the perfect little sticks.)

Frozen peas

Water chestnuts [optional] (I leave them out)

Ice with mayonnaise and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and bacon bits.

I typically use: (It is a one to one ratio--example: 1/2 cup mayo. 1/2 T. sugar)

1 cup or less of Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon or less sugar

Stir it together and then spread it on top. I omit the ice part because I don't want to deal with the sogginess that it can make it I don't think the entire salad will be eaten. Simply make what you think would be appropriate for your size of salad. Enjoy!

Rainbow Pasta Salad

I got this recipe from my Taste of Home June/July 2000 (p.51) issue. This is another recipe I made back in June and discovered that I hadn't posted yet. It is a great salad to use up some of the fresh veggies from the garden.

Rainbow Pasta Salad

1 pkg (16 oz) Tricolor spiral pasta

2 cups chopped broccoli florets

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup tomatoes

1/2 cup cucumber

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 jar (6.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts (optional! I never have used them-don't typically have them on hand anyway.)

1 bottle (8 oz) Italian Salad dressing

Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a bowl; add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Yields 12-14 servings

Ramen Salad

This quick and simple salad is fun to toss together

for a quick lunch or a last minute get together.

1 lb Cole Slaw (I just buy the 1 lb bag for simplicity)

2 pkg. Ramen (oriental or shrimp flavor)

1/4 cup Margarine

1/3 cup Slivered Almonds

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/2 cup Red Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup Sugar

Seasoning packets from the Ramen noodles

Optional: I always add more carrots (julienned or sliced) and chopped chicken when I want to make it more of a meal and not a side salad.

Break noodles; saute with almonds in margarine until lightly browned. (As a note if you crush your noodles to much then you will have smaller pieces that with brown or burn before the larger pieces are browned--you will have to play with it to get a method down that you like.)

Combine oil, vinegar, sugar and Ramen seasonings in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix all ingredients when ready to serve.

Jill's Roasted Beet and Apple Salad

No Matter how you slice it this Roasted Beet Salad is Scrumptious!

Diced

Sliced

Strips

For my birthday this year Jack took me for a night away. We shared an incredible dinner together at the Pollard in Red Lodge, MT. I ordered a Apple and Beet salad and have been patiently waiting for our garden beets to get big enough for me to try to make a copy cat of the salad. Know it has been so long that I can't remember anything other than it had sweet nuts, apples (tart if you like them), and beets. So I did some online searching and most called for canned beets (so they would be a great in the off season) the dressing varied as much as the salads did so I took bites and pieces of recipes I thought looked like they had something good to please the pallet and came up with this salad. It is wonderful! Don't forget the nuts!! They had the perfect touch to this salad.

For the Nuts: (I always double any type of nut I am roasting and candying so that I have them on hand when I want to make the salad again! If I am lucky they make it that far!)

Nuts:

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp butter

1/3 cup pecan halves

In small skillet, combine sugar and butter; heat until melted. Stir in pecans; cook over low heat 3 to 4 minutes or until caramel color, stirring frequently. Remove and set aside; cool.

Salad Dressing:

1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar

3 tbs olive oil

1.5 tbs honey

Salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, and Salt & Pepper in a bowl. and set aside. (If you want you can pour some of this over your beets before roasting them. I general roast them plain).

Salad:

Salad greens of your choosing

Red or Golden delicious apple cored and chopped

3-4 Beets trimmed Roasted, and peeled & dice into bite size pieces.

ROASTED BEETS (Click here for the recipe) or the short and simple of it is: wash and clean the hanging roots off of your fresh beets. Trim off the greens leaving about a 1" stub--this comes in handy when you slip the skins after roasting. I use 3-4 medium beets for this salad. I wrap all four in a foil pocket together and toss them on the grill for 40-50 minutes until fork tender. (This is great the hot days of summer.)

Place beets and apple in lettuce-lined serving dish. Combine oil and vinegar. Just before serving pour dressing over salad; toss gently, add nuts.

I have even added Chicken to make it a complete meal and it turned out great!

Bruschetta Salad

It seems as if my life in the kitchen is finally picking up again.  There were a couple of weeks where everything I tried didn't really do anything for us!  We tried lots of new recipes and didn't find any we really enjoyed--that really makes me burn-out with cooking in a quick hurry. No one likes to slave over dinner only to be disappointed.  

Then the past week we have had some really big hits. One that is quick and refreshing is this salad. I love salad and I can't wait until we have our home grown tomatoes and basil to add to it.

1/2 cup Tomato, chopped (Roma or Plum tomatoes have less juices inside) More tomatoes makes it better so add more if you wish!

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Basil

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (We like Newman's)

10 oz torn Romaine Lettuce (I like to mix it with Iceberg too.)

1 cup Croutons

6 oz Grilled Chicken Breast

2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese

Combine the tomatoes, basil, and dressing; set aside.

Place the lettuce in medium serving bowl; top with croutons, chicken, and tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately. Serve with a nice roll.

** Not everyone is a big fan of Balsamic dressing or maybe even tomatoes so I forgo mixing the tomato, basil, and dressing together an serve them seperately so that everyone can build their salad to their liking. If you like bruschetta you are going to love this refreshing salad!

Broccoli Salad

This is a great little salad that comes together quick.

Salad:
4-6 cups Broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
4 Green Onions-whites and greens, finely chopped
2 ribs Celery, chopped finely
2 cups Red grapes (or a combination of red and green), cut in half
1/2 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled. (I have also used diced Ham we've had left over)
1 cup slivered almonds toasted (I have also used 1/2 cup sunflower seeds)

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar or Cider Vinegar

Toss together salad ingredients except almonds (can be made night before). Add almonds and dressing just before serving.

* The dressing seems to drain to the bottom. I would recommend using only 1/2 to 3/4 cup for starters. I like my salads crisp, and the dressing seems to make it turn soggy after a while. "Less is more" for me here.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries (Lion House)

This recipe comes form my newest cookbook addition "Lion House Entertaining" I have loved everything I have cooked out of it so far! This was also a recipe that helped me use up a few wontons. I will definitely be making this salad again! It was awesome!


Dressing
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam (I used homemade jam)

To make dressing, mix together vinegar. sugar. oil, mustard, salt, and strawberry jam. Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Set aside.

SALAD
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cashew pieces
15 wontons cut into thin strips
1 large head red leaf lettuce, washed and broken into pieces
1 pkg. Fresh Spinach, with stems trimmed (I prefer Baby Spinach)
1/3 cup bacon pieces, cooked and well drained
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 purple onion, sliced ( I like the flavor of onion, but this was an overwhelming amount to me so I used 1/4 cup finely minced)
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Heat a medium frying pan and add sugar and nuts. Stir constanly over medium heat until nuts are coated and slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Fry wontons in hot cooking oil and drain onto paper towels. ( I tried cutting the wontons in to 4ths and they didn't fry as well as when I divided it by 5 or 6 slices per sheet,)

When ready to serve salad, put lettuce, spinach, bacon, red pepper, onion and strawberries into a large bowl and toss. Add salad dressing and toss. Add sugared nuts and wontons last. Makes 10 servings

I divided up everything in half except the strawberries and I didn't put the dressing on the entire salad. Half a salad was a great side addition to our Sunday dinner when we combine with my in-laws. Half a salad fed 4 adults and small servings to the 5 kids.

Variations: Use fresh raspberries and raspberry jam instead of strawberries and strawberry jam. Substitute almonds for cashews. When fresh berries aren't available, substitute dried cranberries.


This is a personal preference, but ever since I made a spinach salad by Giada De Laurentiis (Food Network chef) I fell in love with the way she cut the spinach into ribbons like this picture shows. I think it makes it so much nicer and easier to eat a salad when the pieces are small.

Spinach Salad with Honey-Brown Butter Dressing

This is a new salad dressing favorite. Jack thought the dressing was wonderful. It has a nice nutty flavor. I first made this back in October. Jack has been wanting it again, so today was the day and his brother Simon even raved about it so its a keeper!  Hats of to the Food Network chef Tyler Florence for adding to our family's favorite dressings.

4 Tablespoon butter 

1 shallot, chopped (I like it chopped finely) 

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey 

salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups baby spinach

Melt butter over medium heat.  Add the shallot and cook until the shallot is tender and butter turns a light brown color, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar, hone, and salt and pepper.  Pour over spinach in a bowl and toss.

We have tried this over our regular salad greens and it is good, but I think it is wonderful with the taste of fresh spinach.

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

Another Todd Wilbur recipe we use all the time! It is one of Jack's favorite lunches now and it is so speedy because I always keep fresh torn lettuce in the fridge. Even my kids like this one.

Oriental Dressing
3 Tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Blend together all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl with an electric mixer. Chill

Salad (Jack and I usually have a combination of a dark leaf lettuce and iceberg in the fridge, but it even works well with bagged salad)
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup red cabbage
1 cup napa cabbage
1/2 carrot julienned or shredded
1 green onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon sliced almonds (We like to roast ours)
1/3 cup chow mein noodles

Todd has a recipe for the breaded chicken to, but we don't use it. We cheat buy using grilled chicken breast strips or chicken nuggets to make it even quicker.