Mommy's Recipes Blog » Salads

Garlic Chicken over Baby Spinach with Toasted Pine Nuts

Ruthie — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:47:47 +0000

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Chicken and Spinach

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup corn flake crumbs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 package (20 oz) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, halved and sliced (about 3/4 cup)

3/4 lb sliced mushrooms (about 4 cups)

3 tablespoons sliced sun-dried tomatoes in oil

8 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. In small bowl or tightly covered container, beat with wire whisk or shake dressing ingredients; set aside.

2. Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook pine nuts in skillet about 4 minutes, stirring frequently until nuts begin to brown, then stirring constantly until nuts are light brown; remove and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix corn flake crumbs and garlic powder. Add chicken; toss until evenly coated. Increase heat to medium-high. In same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until hot. Cook chicken in oil 8 to10 minutes, turning occasionally, until no longer pink in center; remove and set aside.

4. In same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil until hot. Cook shallots and mushrooms in oil about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes; remove from heat, stir in chicken.

5. To serve, arrange spinach in 4 serving plastes; top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Serve with dressing.

Hungarian Salad

Ruthie — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:00:39 +0000

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup fresh cauliflowerets

1/4 cup sliced stuffed olives

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic salt and pepper. Pour over vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Hot Bacon and Pasta Salad

Ruthie — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:00:18 +0000

Ingredients:

1 box (7.75 oz) Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic salad mix

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup sliced onion

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 cups baby spinach

1 pear, cut into bite-size pieces

4 oz blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

Directions:

1. Fill 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of water; heat to boiling. Add Pasta. Gently boil, uncovered,

12 minutes, stirring occasionally; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.

2. Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon and onion, stirring occasionally, until bacon

is crisp. Transfer bacon and onion to large bowl with slotted spoon, reserving bacon drippings.

Stir Seasoning mix from packet, vinegar, brown sugar, oil and mustard into drippings.

3. In large bowl, toss bacon and onion mixture, spinach, pear and dressing until mixed; stir in

cooked pasta. Sprinkle cheese over top of salad. Serve warm.

Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potato Salad

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:35:41 +0000

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
1 pound red potatoes
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
1 large red onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Wash, pierce with a fork, and microwave the sweet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes until tender. Boil the red potatoes in salted water until tender. Do not overcook the potatoes, or they will not hold up in the salad. Drain red potatoes and chill all three types overnight.
Peel the sweet potatoes and Yukon Golds, and dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut red potatoes into fourths. Place all potatoes into a large bowl.
Slice red onion thinly and place into a colander. Sprinkle the salt on the onion and let it sit in the colander for 30 minutes to drain. Squeeze onion to remove excess water, and add to the bowl with the potatoes. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, lemon juice, mayonnaise, curry powder, parsley and pepper, and chill until ready to serve.

Shrimp Salad & Blu Corn Chips

admin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:29:26 +0000

Ingredients

Red Chile Mayonnaise
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Shrimp Salad
1 pound cooked shrimp (21-24 size), each shrimp, cut into 3 pieces
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
Red chile mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 buns, sliced 3/4 of the way through
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Blue corn chips, crumbled

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Combine the shrimp, celery and red onion in a large bowl. Add the red chile mayonnaise and gently fold to combine, season with salt and pepper. Can be made up to 8 hours in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.
Heat a grill, grill pan or preheat the broiler. Butter both sides of each bun and season with salt and pepper. Grill butter-side down or broil butter-side up until lightly golden brown. Divide the shrimp salad among the rolls and top with some of the blue corn chips.

Easy Fruited Chicken Salad

admin — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:25:08 +0000

Ingredients

1 apple, cored and diced
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice, or to taste
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cooked and diced

Directions

In a bowl, lightly mix the apple, grapes, pecans, apple pie spice, and mayonnaise together until thoroughly combined; stir in the chicken breast meat. Chill until cold.

Six-Layer Christmas Gelatin Salad

admin — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:55:13 +0000

Ingredients

2 (3 ounce) packages lime gelatin
4 1/2 cups boiling water, divided
4 1/2 cups cold water, divided
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 (3 ounce) packages orange gelatin
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin
2 medium firm bananas, thinly sliced

Directions

In a bowl, dissolve one package of lime gelatin in 3/4 cup boiling water; stir in 3/4 cup cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream until slightly thickened. Add sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Fold in a third of the whipped cream into the lime gelatin. Spoon into a 4-qt. bowl. Refrigerate until firm. Refrigerate remaining whipped cream
In a bowl, dissolve one package of orange gelatin in 3/4 cup boiling water; stir in 3/4 cup cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Fold in mandarin oranges. Spoon over creamy lime layer. Refrigerate until firm.
In a bowl, dissolve lemon gelatin in 3/4 cup boiling water; stir in 3/4 cup cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Fold in a third of the whipped cream. spoon over orange layer. Refrigerate until firm.
In a bowl, dissolve remaining package of lime gelatin in 3/4 cup boiling water; stir in 3/4 cup cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Fold in pineapple. Spoon over creamy lemon layer. Refrigerate until firm.
In a bowl, dissolve remaining package of orange gelatin in 3/4 cup boiling water; stir in 3/4 cup cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon over lime layer. Refrigerate until firm.
In a bowl, dissolve strawberry gelatin in remaining boiling water; stir in remaining cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Fold in bananas. Spoon over creamy orange layer. Refrigerate overnight.

Festive Tossed Salad

admin — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:51:38 +0000

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
2 (10 ounce) packages Italian-blend salad greens
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, water and salad dressing mix; shake well. In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, tomatoes, onion, cheese and cranberries. Serve with dressing.

Holiday Chicken Salad

admin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:23:02 +0000

Ingredients

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour.

Autumn Apple Salad

admin — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:04:00 +0000

Ingredients

4 tart green apples, cored and chopped
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1 (8 ounce) container vanilla yogurt

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together the apples, almonds, cranberries, cherries and yogurt until evenly coated.