Oriental Chicken Salad

A couple of months ago at work we had a potluck and a co-worker brought in this salad. This salad is pretty similar to a traditional salad but instead of lettuce this one contains cabbage. The thickness of the cabbage makes the salad crunchy and also helps keep the salad fresh for several days.

This has got to be my new favorite salad. Although the flavors are not necessarily strong, there is just something about this that I love. This lasted for three days in my fridge before it was gone and was fresh and delicious the entire time. I even think it would have been ok a day or so more. At first the noodles are crunchy but after sitting for a day they become soft and the salad tastes great either way. I strongly recommend trying this salad sometime soon. It was a hit at my Memorial Day cookout, even with the guys that do not typically like salad. This recipe is definitely a keeper! I am already craving it again.


Oriental Chicken Salad
Adapted from a recipe given to me by Sonya G., a co-worker

Salad Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 package Ramen noodles
1 small head cabbage, shredded*
1/3 cup carrots, julienned*
4 green onions, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 seasoning packet from Ramen noodles

Directions
Toast sesame seeds and almonds in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes; set aside to cool.
Place the cooled sesame seeds and almonds in a large bowl. Crumble the Ramen noodles into the bowl and add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, and chicken. In a small bowl mix together all of the dressing ingredients and stir well. Add the dressing to the salad ingredients and toss to coat.

*Time saving tip - Substitute two bags of cole slaw mix for the cabbage and carrots.

K.I.S.S. Pasta Salad

I have never really been a fan of pasta salad but for some odd reason I had the bells of summer ringing in my head and they kept telling me that I needed to make pasta salad. I am glad I did because this was something pretty easy to throw together that will keep for days in the fridge and be great for snacking over the 4th of July holiday.


Summer is definitely in the air today. It was so beautiful outside and this light tasting veggie packed pasta salad really hit the spot for my friend and I when we stopped to eat lunch on our walk through the park with her 6 month old and my dog.


K.I.S.S. Pasta Salad
(AKA - Keep It Simple Stupid, Pasta Salad)
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Ingredients
1 box bow-tie pasta
1 bottle zesty Italian dressing

1 zucchini

1 cucumber

1/2 head cauliflower

1 cup carrots

1 block (8oz) pepper jack cheese
For good measure - salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon dried parsley.

Directions
1) Cook pasta in boiling salted water, per package directions.
2) Meanwhile, pour the entire bottle of dressing into large bowl. Dice up all of the veggies and cheese and place them in the bowl with the dressing, stir to coat.
3) When the pasta is done place it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta.
4) Place the cooled pasta into the bowl with the cheese and veggies. Add parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, and mix well to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Seven Layers of Goodness

It is kind of a tradition that every get together my family has my aunt makes a seven-layer salad. Ok let me rephrase that a little, she makes a big one for the family and a small one minus a few ingredients for my picky self. :) I get random cravings for this salad so I decided I better learn how to make the dressing myself. I searched around and found several variations of the recipe but ended up combining bits and pieces from each, throwing the ingredients together and tasting to see how it came out.

This salad is really versatile, you can add whatever ingredients you like and leave out those ones that make you cringe. :) Some other ingredients that I have seen in this salad are; onions, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs. In my opinion the salad is all about the sweet creamy dressing and not that it has exactly seven layers.

On this particular salad I left the dressing off because I thought that I had made way to much and that my in-laws would never eat it all. Boy was I wrong, I guess I should have just put the dressing on to begin with. But I did all of the ingredients in half which was a wise decision, otherwise it would not have all fit into my pretty trifle bowl.


Seven Layer Salad

(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Salad Ingredients

1 head lettuce or 3 bunches of romaine (chopped into bite size pieces)

3/4 cup carrots, cut into bite size pieces

3/4 cup broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

3/4 cup cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces

1/3 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese

1/2 cup peas

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Dressing Ingredients

1 1/2 cups miracle whip (or mayo)

1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

dash onion powder

dash pepper

Directions

1) Combine all dressing ingredients and set aside.

2) In a 9x13 dish layer the ingredients, 90% of the lettuce, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, light layer of dressing, remaining 10% of lettuce, remaining dressing, shredded cheese, peas, bacon and parmesan cheese.

3) Cover salad and put into refrigerator a few hours before serving.

Craving satisfied

I tried these squares for the first time a few years ago at a Pampered Chef party that I attended. I enjoyed them so much that I made them a few days later at home. Ever since then I get a craving for these squares a couple times a year. Today I decided that I needed to finally satisfy my craving. I omitted the tomatoes and onion but everything else is done per the recipe.

The recipe can be easily cut in half, which is what I did today. I ate 4 pieces of it for lunch and I would not be surprised if the rest of it was gone by the end of the day. :)


Seven Layer Salad Squares
(Adapted from: Pampered Chef, Seasons Best, Spring/Summer 03)

Ingredients
2 (8 oz) pkgs refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup miracle whip
1 clove garlic, minced
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled divided
1 cup frozen peas, thawed, divided
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
2 cups thinly sliced lettuce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375° F.
2) Unroll one pkg dough across one end of a bar pan with longest sides of dough across width of pan.
3) Repeat with remaining package of dough to fill the pan.
4) Using rolling pin or your fingers seal seams and press up sides to form crust.
5) Bake 12-15 min until golden brown. Remove from oven to cooling rack, cool completely.
7) Mix cream cheese, miracle whip and garlic until smooth.
8) Add half the bacon and half the peas and mix well.
9) Evenly spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.
10) Arrange sliced tomatoes over cream cheese mixture.
11) Sprinkle remaining bacon, remaining peas, lettuce, cheddar cheese and onion over tomatoes.
12) Cut into squares and serve.

Chicken bacon and ranch, what a combo

Last week when I was talking to my sister she said she had come across some recipes that she thought I should try out. One of them was a recipe for Club Pasta Salad from BettyCrocker.com. It called for a box of Suddenly Salad ranch and bacon pasta salad mix. Instead of buying the boxed mix I figured I would try to create my own. So this is the tasty creation I ended up with. (As a side note: I have tried the Suddenly Salad bacon and ranch pasta salad before and this tastes just like it but jazzed up a bit).

And a big thank you goes out to my taste testers, Cassi (my sister) and Heather, who gave this recipe two spoons up. And left me with an empty bowl.


Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:
2 cups dry shell pasta
1/4 cup julienne carrots
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 pckt (or 3 tbls) dry ranch dressing mix
4 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups chicken (cut into bite size pieces; cooked and cooled)

Directions:
1) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in pasta, wait a few minutes then add in carrots and cook until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta into strainer and rinse with cold water. Shake until well drained. Set aside.
2) In medium sized bowl mix the mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, bacon and onion powder. Add in the cooled pasta and carrots, chicken and cheese. Mix until everything is covered with mayonnaise mixture. Chill and serve.

*(If you feel that there is not enough mayonnaise to cover all the ingredients just add in a tablespoon or so more until it covers everything well).