Ranch Chicken Salad

Fresh and crisp combination of corn, black beans, bell pepper and chicken in a cilantro-lime dressing.
This recipe comes from the Eating for Life Cookbook. It doesn't taste like a "Diet Meal" or I wouldn't eat it! ;P

1/4 cup low-fat mayo or Miracle Whip
1/4 cup low-fat Sour Cream
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. grated lime zest (peel)
1 lime, halved
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (if you like it HOT. I omit it and it's fine.)
4 portions cooked chicken breast (about 1 lb.) cut into bite-size pieces. (I usually just boil the chicken, but last night I marinated it in italian dressing and grilled it. I really liked the added flavor it gave the salad.
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (11 oz) can of corn, drained
1 red (or green) bell pepper diced
1/2 red onion, chopped fine (I only do about 1/4 onion for less "bite")
2 heads of Bibb lettuce, washed. I used spinach- and it was great!

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cumin and ground red pepper. Stir in chicken, beans, corn, bell pepper and onion.
2. Divide lettuce evenly among 4 plates and top with a portion of chicken salad. Serve and enjoy!

I like to cut all the pieces up quite small, to eat the left-overs on chips, like a salsa type dip. It requires a little time chopping, but is totally worth it. It's fresh and filling. A great dish for a summer party!

Taco Pasta Salad

**This definitely isn't anything fancy, but it's one of my two-year old's favorite meals. She doesn't even pick through to eat only the olives; she loves it all. The other night she even asked for seconds - unheard of around here. :) **

TACO PASTA SALAD

2 cups uncooked spiral pasta (aesthetically speaking, I prefer the multi-colored pasta)
1 pound ground beef (I use less)
1 envelope taco seasoning (I probably use 1/2-3/4 of a packet)
3 cups shredded lettuce (optional, I think)
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (optional, I think)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped onion (I usually have it cooked into the ground beef)
½ cup chopped green pepper (usually cooked into the ground beef)
½ cup Catalina salad dressing (I just smother the whole thing - no measuring)

olives, chopped
(Tortilla chips)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the taco seasoning; cool.
Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; stir into meat mixture. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onion, green pepper and dressing; toss to coat. Serve with tortilla chips.

We've decided that we like this recipe better cold. I make it in the afternoon, refrigerate it, and then enjoy for dinner.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This was one of my favorite meals growing up. We fix it often and it is still a favorite.

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 head lettuce, chopped

1/2 cup cashews (can use sliced almonds as well)

2 TBSP sesame seeds

4 green onions, finely sliced

1/3 package wonton skins, fried in oil (these are in the produce area of grocery store, usually near the tofu and other stuff)

DRESSING:

2 TBSP plus 1 TSP sugar

1 TSP salt

1/4 TSP black pepper

3 TBSP vegetable oil

3 TBSP vinegar

Chill the dressing for a while before serving. This helps the oil and vinegar to blend better.

Yummy Pasta Salad!

Yummy Pasta Salad

1 bag of Radiatore pasta (sometimes I can't find this so I use wagon wheel,spiral, or any pasta salad noodles to your liking!)
1 Can of Pineapple Tidbits drained
Red grapes cut in half
1 bunch green onions chopped
3-4 celery chopped

cook pasta according to directions on bag. drain, run under cold water to help cool it off faster and also help it to not stick together. add all of the ingredients together, mix sauce then pour over salad and blend it all together.


Sauce for salad
2 parts KRAFT coleslaw dressing to 1 part mayonaise ( basicly I dump the whole bottle of coleslaw dressing in a bowl and add 1 cup of mayo.) Mix this together and pour over pasta salad and blend till everything is coated well. makes a fairly big bowl of salad.

optional to add:
cooked and chopped chicken
cashews
mandarin oranges

label : side dish

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

**This yummy recipe is from my friend Kristen. It seems pretty similar to Cheesecake Factory's salad of the same name.**

corn (frozen, fresh, canned, whatever)

1 can rinsed black beans

lettuce

chopped green onion

chopped cilantro

chopped tomatoes

grilled chicken cut into chunks

Toss that all together and smother it with BBQ sauch and ranch dressing. I just kind of guess on the amounts as I throw everything together.