Salads

Amish Macaroni Salad

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My kids always want a container of the Amish Mac Salad before leaving Walmart. So, I decided to find a recipe so that I could make some at home. It was easy and DELICOUS!

2 c uncooked elbow macaroni
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small red bell pepper,seeded & chopped
2 TBSP dill pickle relish
2 c creamy sald dressing (Miracle Whip)
3 TBSP prepared yellow mustard
3/4 c white sugar
2 1/4 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp celery seed, optional

Cook elbow macaroni according to directions and drain really well! Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, stir together eggs, onion, celer, red pepper, & relish.
In a small bowl, stir together the sald dressing, mustard, sugar, white vinegar, salt and celery seed (optional).
Pour over vegetables, and stir in macaroni until well blended.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. (Chilling the salad is very important! This thickens the dressing, and the noodels soak some of the dressing up too!)

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Cafe Rio Goodness: Cilantro Ranch Dressing

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Hooray! Here’s your last installment for Cafe Rio’s AMAZING salad! So far I’ve shared the Pork Barbacoa, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Black Beans. Today I’m sharing their wonderful Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing. It is so good. You will not need any sour cream on this salad. This dressing does the trick. 

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeds removed

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That’s it!

So, now that you have all the recipes needed. Let’s talk about assembling this salad. You’re going to need a big plate. 🙂 First, lay out a big flour tortilla that’s been warmed. Then add the pork, then the rice, then the beans. Throw a handful of romaine salad on top. Next, you’ll see tortilla strips – I can find these in the produce section close to the salads and croutons. THEN top with this amazing dressing.

I assure you this will become a favorite in your house. It is in mine!!

Cafe Rio Goodness: Pork Barbacoa

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 While living in Utah, I became fiercely addicted to the local Mexican favorite… Cafe Rio. Every time I go back to visit, I some how find my way to one of their locations within 24 hours of being on Utah soil. Thanks to my sister-in-law, I have gotten my hands on a VERY good copy cat of pretty much all their recipes. So, for the next few Fridays I’ll be publishing the next installment of Cafe Rio Goodness. 

Just a quick warning on the recipe. It’s totally dependent on the size of the pork roast. If it’s under 2.5-3 pounds, do the smaller recipe, if it’s over that… do the larger one. 

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa
One Pork Roast…. either rib or shoulder (shreds the best)
1 (2) cans El Pato Mexican tomato sauce (its in a little yellow can)
2 (3) small cans tomato sauce
3/4 C. (1 1/2 C.) brown sugar
2 (4) cloves garlic, minced

Place all ingredients in Crock Pot, cook on high for 3-4 hours until done. Shred meat, let meat soak in sauce for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Seriously, this is such a close copy cat. I love it, and KNOW you will too!

Cafe Zupas Summer Chicken Salad

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On a recent vacation to Utah, we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Cafe Zupas.  I had never heard of it before and knew nothing about it, which normally would make me a little wary about trying it.  But since I was tired of fast food and this place supposedly had good salads, I was up for an adventure.  SO glad we went there.  I got the Summer Chicken Salad and it was SO delicious.  I actually got the 1/2 portion and it was just the right amount for me, but a full portion makes a hearty meal.  (I actually want to start using their site as inspiration for all sorts of lovely salads!)  I vowed to find the recipe when I got home, and was lucky enough to stumble onto it at food.com.  However, I found that some of the amounts didn’t reflect the proportions I remember from my salad; so I tweaked the amounts a bit.  This recipe is for one portion of salad, since their salads are made fresh to order, right in front of you.  Tossing the salad before serving ensures that each bite is bathed in tasty dressing.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 ounces mixed salad greens
3 ounce diced cooked chicken breast (I prefer to pull my chicken off the bone into bite-sized pieces)
2 ounces Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing
2 Tbsp. dried cranberries (about 20 cranberries)
10 red grapes
2-4 sliced strawberries
1/2 ounce chopped cashews

1.  In a medium-sized bowl toss the mixed greens, chicken, and dressing.  Transfer to serving bowl.
2.  Top salad with dried cranberries, grapes, and sliced strawberries.
3.  Sprinkle chopped cashews on top to finish.

Source:  Cafe Zupas by way of food.com

Crunchy Sassy Chinese Slaw

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I love Hungry-Girl.com. She has amazing recipes that are oh so healthy. It’s a must go to site if you are ever on Weight Watchers, too. This recipe is a favorite of mine. So easy to whip up and super yummy on a hot summer day. 



Ingredients:
One 16-oz. package Broccoli Slaw
1 C. canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced into thin strips
1 C. canned mandarin orange segments, drained and chopped
1 C. chopped scallions
2/3 C. Newman’s Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing
1/4 C. silvered almonds, toasted


Directions:
In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together, and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 
Stir well before serving. Enjoy!


Makes 6 servings.
Weight Watcher Points Plus: 3


Source: www.hungry-girl.com

This entry was posted in Salads.

CPK Dinner Salad

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One of my favorite dinner salads is California Pizza Kitchen’s Field Greens salad. I’ve re-created it at home as both a main and side dish.

Ingredients:
Large head of romaine or two bags of field greens
One pear, peeled and thinly sliced
3 to 4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese
Glazed or candied walnuts
Balsamic Vinaigrette (or Ken’s Steakhouse Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette)

1. Chop romaine or simply pour contents of bagged field greens

2. Top with pears, Gorgonzola and walnuts

3. Toss with vinaigrette

A few things to consider:

  • If you’re using this as a side dish, you’ll probably want to half the recipe.
  • Since there are few ingredients, sometimes I just put the salads together on individual plates or bowls, rather than combining in one large salad bowl.