Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad

Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad

1 cup dry pearl couscous
1 lb cooked chicken breast, diced
1 can chickpeas (15.5 oz, rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup fresh herbs (dill and mint) finely chopped
4 Persian cucumbers diced
1 avocado pitted, peeled and diced
1 bell pepper, diced
½ cup pickled red onions
1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
½ cup feta cheese or goat cheese, crumbled

Homemade Yogurt Tzatziki Dressing

½ cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoon lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1 tsp lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

Before you begin: Cook couscous according to package instructions, rinse and set aside to cool. Cook chicken using desired method.

In a large bowl combine couscous, cubed chicken breast, fresh herbs, chickpeas, cucumbers, avocado, bell peppers, pickled onions, green onions, and feta cheese.

To make the homemade yogurt tzatziki dressing- in a mason jar, liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the plain Greek yogurt, white vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, honey and dill.

Pour the dressing over the salad, toss to combine.

Winter Salad

Winter Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce
2-3 asian pears (or apples), diced

Avocado, diced
Pomegranate seeds

Mandarin oranges
Crumbled goat cheese
Candied pecans

Brianna's Blush Vinaigrette Dressing

We've been living on this salad all winter! We have a Spring/Summer version of this as well - we all love it. It's so versatile too - just use what you have on hand! We didn't have avocado today but we had everything else! SO SO GOOD!!

I doubled this recipe and took it to my daughters soon to be in laws for Christmas dinner - it's that good!

Apple & Pecan Salad

Apple & Pecan Salad
1 Apple, diced
2 bunches grapes
Blue cheese or Feta
Iceberg lettuce or spinach
Candied pecans
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

To keep apples from turning brown after dicing them, soak them in 2 cups water + 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes, then rinse off in a colander.

Assemble ingredients to your liking!

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

 Honey Lime Fruit Salad

20 ounces pineapple chunks, 1 can, drained
4 ounces mandarin oranges , 1 can. drained
3 kiwi, (peeled and sliced into thick half moons)
1 cup red grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
1 lime, zest
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 Tablespoons honey

Combine the fruit in a large serving bowl.
Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, and gently toss.
Drizzle the honey over the fruit and gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve immediately
This fruit salad is best served right away (or at least within an hour of making).

Couscous Greek Salad

Couscous Greek Salad

3 c cooked couscous
2 tbsp. Capers
A pinch of dried Sriricha
1/3 c. Lemon olive oil
1/2 c Pesto
1 can artichoke hearts diced (I used non marinated)
1/3 c red or green onion diced
1/2 c each Kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers, cherry tomatoes (rough chopped)
4 oz. Salami, sliced thin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley

Mix all together and chill until ready to serve.

Garnish with feta or Parmesan if desired.

Fall Kale Salad

Fall Kale Salad with Sweet Maple Dressing

1 bag kale
1 large sweet potato, cubed and boiled
1 seeded pomegranate
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup blanched almonds
2 cups grilled chicken

Sweet Maple Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp minced garlic cloves

Layer the salad ingredients first kale, then other toppings.
For the dressing, add all ingredients to a blender and blend well, store in an airtight jar in refrigerator
Drizzle kale on salad and mix. Or allow other to dress their own salad.

Blue Cheese, Apples & Grapes Salad

Back to School Menu

I KNOW! This sounds like a bizarre combination - but just go with me here...

I had a HUGE craving for salad - but not any ordinary salad - one of my favorites! I made it and I knew something was missing. So - I got here on the blog to see what I was missing and to my surprise - I've never posted it!!! Probably bc it's so simple - it's not even a recipe - but man oh man does it hit the spot.

Blue Cheese, Apples & Grapes Salad

Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Diced apple (I love cosmic)

Purple grapes

Blue Cheese

Toasted slivered Almonds

Iceberg Lettuce

*A few REALLY IMPORTANT things here. I am a HUGE ADVOCATE of using really good ingredients. Brianna's is the best. Slivered almonds can be expensive - but if you buy them in the bulk section of your grocery store - and you only buy the exact amount you need - you aren't wasting money - and it literally takes 4 minutes to toast them!! ALSO - please, please, please don't buy the "blue cheese crumbles." Again, blue cheese can be expensive - but if you only buy a small wedge - you pay about the same BUT you don't compromise taste!!

Italian Hoagie Dip

I saw this recipe listed as "A DIP" for the Superbowl. We rethought it over here! I made it according to the directions below, but my daughters made it into sandwiches (2 made open faced sandwiches, one a full on sandwich) and I added extra lettuce and turned it into a salad - both pictured below. I'm sure if my husband and son were home that night - they would've eaten it as it was meant to be.  

Italian Hoagie Dip

1/2 red onion, diced
4 pickled pepperoncini peppers drained and diced, (reserve some pepperoncini juice for the sauce)
1/2 head iceberg lettuce chopped about the size of nickels
1 large tomato, halved, seeded, and diced
1/4 pound deli-sliced Genoa salami, sliced and diced
1/4 pound deli-sliced ham, sliced and diced
1/4 pound deli-sliced prosciutto, sliced and diced
1/4 pound deli-sliced roast turkey, diced
1/4 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese, sliced and diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon pepperoncini juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 10- to-12- inch round loaf of choice, hollowed out
1 sliced baguette

Combine the chopped vegetables, meats and cheese in a large bowl.

In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, pepperoncini juice, oregano, and red pepper flakes and stir until everything is all mixed up.

If you are going to serve within an hour, pour the dressing over the meat/veggie mixture and toss until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you are NOT eating it soon, keep all ingredients refrigerated and toss together right before so that the lettuce does not get soggy.

Carve out the center of the bread loaf to make a bowl and cut the top piece taken out into bite-size pieces. Serve the hoagie dip in the bread bowl, with the extra bread and baguette slices.

Spread dip over bread and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Loaded Cowboy Salad

Loaded Cowboy Salad

1 Head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
15 oz black beans, drained
15 oz Black Eyed peas, drained
1 can Corn
6 Slices bacon, Cooked and chopped
2 c grape tomatoes
1 c Cheddar, shredded
1 Avocado, Chopped
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 Onion, red, diced

1 cucumber, diced

Dressing

1 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Smokey Sweet BBQ Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons Lime juice

Whisk together dressing, add all salad components, toss with dressing and serve!

West's Favorite Salad

M goes to Lake Powell every summer with a bunch of friends. The Mom who is in charge of everything is a GENIUS. M always comes home raving about everything including the food.

She got this recipe from Mrs. West and said "Mom - this is literally the best salad on the planet." Quite the salesperson!

West's Favorite Salad

Romaine Lettuce
Cardini's Caesar Dressing
Sugared almonds
Red grapes
Grated Swiss and parmesan
Bowtie pasta
Grilled chicken breast

Sugared Almonds: add almonds with about 1/2 cup sugar in a pan on the stove top. Cook until the sugar sticks.

Boil pasta according to package directions. Don't rinse. Add dressing and stir to combine. Let chill for an hour or longer. Just before serving - combine everything else and eat!

Avocado Quinoa Salad

Thought of this one on the spot with what we had.

There are 2 pictures because my family ate SO MUCH of this salad - I was lucky that I had premade quinoa in my fridge and more avocados - so that I could enjoy it too!! I'm telling you - every. single. one. of my 4 kids and my husband couldn't get enough. The top picture is the quinoa, avocado and dressing (mine). The bottom picture is the very last of the salad my youngest (who literally lived on dry cereal and quesadillas for 2 years - very recently) scraped into her bowl for a second helping.

Avocado Quinoa Salad
2 c quinoa
1/3 c diced onion
1 c diced cucumber
2 avocados diced
1/3 c Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Greek Feta Salad

Greek Feta Quinoa Salad

2 c quinoa

1 medium cucumber, sliced and cut into fourths
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 can medium olives, drained
1/3 - 1/2 c Feta Greek salad dressing
1/4-1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles

Add all vegetables to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the quinoa and salad dressing and stir. Top with the feta cheese crumbles. Serve immediately.

Red Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mangos

This salad is a big winner with my teenagers. They've been packing it for school lunch. It's so delicious - even at room temperature!

Red Quinoa Salad With Black Beans & Mangos

1 c. red or white quinoa, dry (cooked according to directions)

2-3 avocados
2 mangoes, diced
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (or 4 baby ones), finely chopped
1 can corn, rinsed
1 can low sodium black beans, rinsed
1 c. tomatoes, chopped (I prefer grape or cherry tomatoes)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, finely diced (optional)
½ red onion, finely chopped

I used Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette as the dressing - it makes everything taste good!!

*Suggested Dressing

1 lime, squeezed
2-3 T. red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
S & P to taste

Cook quinoa according to directions & chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. You can cook it in advance up to a day or two before.

Chop all ingredients and toss them together in a bowl.
Drizzle with vinegar, lime juice & oil. Make sure your oil is extra virgin and if possible, get a good vinegar from the health food store that is “raw.” Then you will reap the good health benefits from your vinegar!

Quatro Verde Citrus Salad

This salad is INCREDIBLE. INCREDIBLE. I'm not a huge fan of kale and I don't like olives in general - but OMG. This completely changed my mind about those ingredients! The olives ALONE had me eating them one by one - I had to stop myself from eating them all before I made the salad for my family.

Quatro Verde Citrus Salad

Dressing
2 lemons, zest and juice
2 Tbsp honey
1 shallot, medium, finely chopped
2/3 c olive oil, extra virgin
black pepper, crushed

2 Tbsp sugar

Salad
2 bunch Lacinato Kale (a.k.a. blue dinosaur) stemmed & chopped

1 c basil, chopped
1 c green olives, divina chili and tangerine marinated
1 avocado
4 oz dubliner cheese, micro bladed (sub with parmesan or romano)

Whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade and set aside. I made this ahead of time so it had time to marry a bit.
Remove the stems from the kale and chop.
Pour the dressing over the kale and massage it into the leaves to soften and distribute the dressing evenly.
Top with the additional salad ingredients and toss. Enjoy!

Chef Salad

 

Chef Salad
Ham, diced
Turkey, diced
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Hard boiled egg, sliced
Cucumbers, diced
Lettuce, chopped
Ranch dressing

Croutons*

Chop lettuce and put in your bowl. Top with all other ingredients and eat!!

*My FAVORITE "croutons" are the premade Crostini from Harmons. If you can't find them - get a baguette, thinly slice, drizzle with evoo, sprinkle with salt and bake at 450 degrees for a couple minutes until they get brown on the edges.

Raspberry Salad

Raspberry Salad

1-2 heads of Romain - or your favorite salad greens - chopped
1 can Mandarin Oranges drained
1 c Celery, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 can Pineapple Chunks drained
4 Green Onions chopped - white and green parts
1 cup Raspberries
1 cup Cashews - or your favorite nut 

Dressing 

3/4 Cup White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
2 1/2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
2 1/2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Diced or grated Red Onion
1 Cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Poppy Seeds

In a large platter, flat to spread out, arrange the lettuce with all of the other ingredients on top, leaving the cashews to be added right before serving, so as to not get soggy. Sometimes it's also nice to just arrange the ingredients around the side, so everyone can take what they want if it is being served family style in a casual setting.
Drizzle the dressing and top with cashews, serve immediately.

For the Dressing
Blend the sugar, mustard and vinegars on high until thoroughly mixed, this should only need a few pulses. Turn off the blender. Add the red onion. Turn the blender back on and in a slow, steady stream drizzle in the canola oil. Add in the poppy seeds and give the blender a few quick pulses to mix in the poppy seeds.
Chill and serve over the salad.

Strawberry Salad with Lemon Dressing

I AM OBSESSED with this salad - and this salad dressing!!!

I crave it like crazy. I made the dressing a few days ago and I've served it for dinner every night since. We've come up with some great substitutions to keep things fresh. My youngest and my husband aren't as crazy about the dressing as I am - so they've been using Brianna's Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing instead.

I've made this salad the original way, the picture above is from tonight when we were out of spinach - but had romaine. We've also substituted quinoa for lettuce/spinach. SO GOOD!

Strawberry Salad with Lemon Dressing
Candied Almonds
1 Bunch Spinach baby, washed (or romaine or quinoa)
Strawberries sliced
Mandarin Oranges drained, or any other berry you have/love

Candied Almonds
1/2 Cup Almonds Slivered
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar or more
1 teaspoons Cinnamon

Toast the almonds over medium heat, watching carefully so as to not burn until slightly browning. Add butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until brown sugar begins to bubble and stick to the almonds. Remove from heat and spread almonds on parchment paper to cool.

Dressing
1 Cup Lemon Juice use as much fresh as you can (about 5 lemons)
1/2 Cup Oil canola or vegetable
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Ginger ground
1/8 Cup Lemon Zest 2 tablespoons

Zest 2 lemons.

Juice all the lemons - a great trick is to microwave them for 15-20 seconds before cutting them in half - it will yield more juice. Add all other ingredients and shake until combined. 

Ironman Salad

Ironman Salad

Raw Kale
Edamame
Blueberries
Dried cranberries
Matchstick carrots (buy them already matched)
Red onions
Salted peanuts
Sunflower seeds
I added roasted salted pistachios

Dressing
Red wine vinegar
Honey
Raspberry puree
Dijon mustard
Seasoned rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
SEE SUPER CHEAT AT BOTTOM

It looks like a long list - but this really is a quick salad.
As with most salads - you just add the amounts pertaining to what you have on hand - and what your preference is for that ingredient.

With the Kale - you have to remove the rib (hard stalk) just tear the lettuce off the stalk.
Cook Edamame according to package directions and let cool - or remove from pod and let cool.
Slice or dice red onion (if you don't want an overpowering taste - soak the slices in ice water for about 10 minutes while your getting everything else ready).
If you want a SUPER CHEAT - you can buy Brianna's Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Chopped Wedge Salad

I've been doing this salad for years and I'm making it again for New Years Day - but with so much going on right now - I decided to look it up on this blog to make sure I don't forget anything and what do you know? I've never posted it! What? 

This is seriously one of my best crowd pleasers. I made it a few years ago for a family get together and my brother in law who is a man of few words came over and gushed and gushed about how much he loved it.

To be honest, I came up with it because I love a good wedge salad - but it's so hard to eat! Especially when serving a crowd that includes a million kids!!

I'm not going to include measurements bc it really depends on how many you are serving.

CHOPPED WEDGE SALAD
Iceberg lettuce
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Tomatoes, diced
Red onion, thinly sliced
Blue cheese, crumbled
Blue cheese dressing
Balsamic glaze (I love Nonna's)

*For the kids - I don't dress the salad. I put the blue cheese on the side and also offer shredded cheddar. I also offer Ranch and Poppy seed dressing (my kids fave)

I'll take a picture when I make it!! 

Citrus Salad

• Peel the grapefruit,
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 Chinese grapefruit
• 2 navel oranges
• 3 blood oranges
• Half a pomegranate
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1/4 cup pistachio halves/pieces
  

Really any citrus that looks good will do.
Chinese grapefruit doesn't have the bitterness a traditional grapefruit.

I bought 1 extra if each citrus just to make the dressing.

Peel the grapefruit, navel oranges, and blood oranges. Before discarding, squeeze any excess juice from the pieces of the peel into a small saucepan. Slice the grapefruit, navel oranges, and blood oranges into rounds on a cutting board, then brush any leftover juice on the cutting board into the saucepan. De-seed the pomegranate half, and add that juice into the saucepan as well. Add the cumin, vanilla extract, and raw honey to the juices, then bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. While the juices and spices cook down, arrange the fruit rounds on a tray. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and pistachio pieces, and drizzle with the juice mixture. Enjoy!