Red, White & Green!

Taken from Wikipedia:
Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania, made of sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil.[1] In Italy, unlike most salads, it is usually served as an antipasto (first course), not a contorno (side dish).

Fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden and fresh mozz made this one of the freshest tasting dishes I've had all summer!

Caprese Salad

Layer slices of tomato, mozzarella and basil leaves. Drizzle with EVOO. I also added just a splash of red wine vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Chill for at least an hour or longer.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I had this tasty salad at my good friend Maria's house. I'm not sure if I made it exactly like hers, but you get the idea.

-fresh spinach
-sliced strawberries
-almonds I used some roasted garlic flavored ones
-sliced onions
-feta cheese
-raspberry dressing

This one is hard to mess up folks.

Hail Caesar!

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm a mom and sometimes I just need something quick and healthy to throw together because I don't have time to devote to the kitchen even if I want to or not. This slaw is so easy to throw together and tastes quite good. Picnic perfect!

Caesar Coleslaw

1 bag of coleslaw mix( I used the broccoli kind)
1 cup of grape tomatoes, cut in halves
1 cup of lite Caesar dressing
a dash or two of cracked black pepper
Mix all well and chill until serving.

Grab your chopsticks!!

My first attempt at making my own sushi went relatively well. My rolls were far from perfectly shaped, but they weren't too bad. I went with two simple rolls. Yum Yum roll which is a spicy crab mixture and nori(pictured). And I made a version of a California roll, but instead of imitation crab I used cooked shrimp...sooo much better! I somehow missed getting a picture of that one though.

Salad with Ginger Dressing



Yum Yum Roll

Buffalo Chicken Salad

This is one of our new favorites for a quick dinner.



Buffalo Chicken Salads
Toss together:
Salad greens of your choice
tomatoes
cucumbers
hard boiled egg
croutons
shredded cheese
Cut up buffalo chicken tenders

Cauliflower Salad

This was quite tasty. The original recipe called for cauliflower and broccoli, but I only had cauliflower on hand.

Cauliflower Salad
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 cups hard-cooked eggs, diced (optional)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
In a medium sized salad bowl, layer in order the broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, cheese and bacon.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Drizzle dressing over top and serve.

Going Greek

One of my favorite chicken recipes. Minimal ingredients and impossible to mess up.

Greek Chicken

Chicken thighs, with skin left on
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
Greek Seasoning

Rub chicken with oil and then seasonings. Bake on 200 for 2-3 hours depending on size until chicken is cooked through and skin is crisp.



Last time I served this up with a Greek salad: cukes, tomatoes, black olives, feta and dressing.

Edamame Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

I follow this blog of Camille's from Enlightened Cooking. I first saw her as a contest in a cooking competition on The Food Network and have just kept up with her. Here is her recipe for Edamame Salad. It was tops with me!

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-years-resolutionsmade-better-with.html

Here Chick Chick...

Ah the chickpea and I have become friends. I've always loved them so because of hummus, but have recently been indulging in these chickpea snacks as well. They are both so yummy and healthy to boot.



Chickpea Salad

1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons of onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 T red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine all and chill for two hours before serving.




Roasted Chickpeas

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Put on a baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with your desired seasonings:
-garlic powder, salt and pepper, a pinch of cayenne
-Lemon Pepper
-and Mrs. Dash seasonings are great
-Greek seasoning
-basically whatever tickles your toes

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Give pan a good shake. Bake another 15 minutes.
Eat warm and enjoy!

Salad Chinois

I got this recipe from a Semi-Homemade Sandra Lee cookbook. As much as I like making stuff from scratch, let's face it, I'm a busy mom and sometimes I need something quick. Her ideas are great for just that and for the most part they are usually pretty healthy to boot.



Salad Chinois
2/3 cup mayo ( I used lite)
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar(my addition)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 10oz can of chunk chicken breast
2 cups of coleslaw mix(cabbage and carrots)
1 can of chow mein vegetables, drained
1 bag of prepared green salad( I left out and really didn't miss it)
1 can of mandarin orange segments
1 can of crunchy chow mein noodles( I just sprinkled on top)

Mix all together except chow mein noodles. Sprinkle them on top before serving.

Corn Salad

I forgot to take a picture of this one, but it is easy and good. I got the recipe from a friend of mine after she brought it to a potluck.

Corn Salad
1 package of frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of crushed chili cheese fritos

Mix together the first four ingredients and chill in fridge for an hour or more. Top with fritos before serving.

Broccoli Salad

Definitely a keeper!!

Broccoli Salad

2 heads of fresh broccoli
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup of regular or golden raisins
3/4 cup of sliced almonds or sunflower seeds
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces. Mix broccoli, onion, bacon, raisins and nuts or seeds in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together mayo, sugar and vinegar. Stir mayo mixture in with broccoli mixture and combine well. Can be served immediately, but even better if chilled in fridge overnight.

**I used the almonds this time but have had it with the sunflower seeds as well. Both versions are great!

Caramel Apple Salad

So simple, yet so good. Nuff said.






Caramel Apple Salad

8oz cream cheese, softened
7 oz marshmallow fluff
5-6 granny smith apples
1 bag of mini snickers

Mix together cream cheese and marshmallow fluff well in a large bowl. Cut apples into bite size chunks. Unwrap snickers and cut into fourths. Toss cream cheese/fluff mixture with apples and snickers. Chill & Serve.