Fiesta Pasta Salad

I've made about every version of pasta salad out there, but this southwestern version includes one of my favorite ingredients - avocados!  It was yummy, but has to be eaten the same day, otherwise the avocados turn brown.  Darn those (yummy, delicious) avocados!  Add them very last before serving.  

1 pkg. pasta (use your favorite type/shape)
1 can olives, sliced
1-2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 can black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 ripe avocado
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup salsa, drain off extra juice
1 pkg. taco seasoning (won't use the whole thing)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Boil pasta in salted water according to pkg. directions.  Drain and cool.  Add olives, tomatoes, beans, corn, green onions and mix well.  Mix the ranch dressing, mayo and salsa.  Sprinkle in some taco seasoning (according to taste) and mix again.  Toss the dressing mix in with the salad ingredients. Stir in the shredded cheese, but save a little to garnish on top.  Finally, cut the avocado in half.  Cut one half in chunks, add to the salad and gently stir in so it doesn't get "mushed".  Cut the other half in slices and use to garnish the top of the salad.  If the salad seems like it needs more dressing, I usually just stir in more ranch dressing or mayo and sprinkle in a bit more taco seasoning.

Tortellini Summer Salad

This is one of those "couldn't leave without it" recipes.  My cousin Ashley always throws unforgettable birthday parties for her little girls and this salad was served at their summer luau party.  Ashley and her friend Jessica shared the recipe with me and I made it the next day for our family reunion.  It was a hit!

 

Ingredient List:
1 pkg. refrigerated cheese tortellini (I buy mine in a 2 pack at Costco)
1 can olives
10-12 cherry tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts
1 cup Caesar salad dressing (I use Cardini's)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook cheese tortellini according to package directions, then cool. Mix mayo and Caesar dressing in a small bowl and set aside.  When ready to assemble, halve the olives, halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the artichoke hearts, then toss it all in with the cooked tortellini.  Stir in mayo mixture until everything is coated.  Finally, stir in shredded Parmesan.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Veggie Pasta Salad

My friend Tina made this salad for a party our girls had a few months ago. I love the crunchy texture of the veggies with the creamy texture of the pasta. This is super easy to throw together. 1 bag chopped Romaine lettuce
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 small cucumber
10-15 cherry tomatoes
4-5 slices provolone or Swiss cheese
1 small pkg. pasta (bowtie or spiral)
Bernsteins Cheese Fantastico dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions and cool. Chop the zucchini, squash and cucumber (I cut them in thin slices, then cut each slice in half). Cut each tomato in half. Slice cheese in thin strips. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, veggies, and pasta. Just before serving, toss salad with desired amount of dressing (you'll only need about 1/3 of the bottle). Stir in the cheese slices last. Serve immediately.

Light Fruit Salad

Guilt-Free recipes are rare on my blog, but this one comes close. You can make it with sugar-free pudding and lowfat milk if you like it healthier.

1 pkg. vanilla pudding (could use lemon or white chocolate flavored too)

1 lemon

fresh fruit (I used apples, bananas and strawberries in this batch)

1 cup milk

Cut up fruit and place in a bowl. Slice lemon in half and squeeze fresh lemon juice all over fruit and toss. Mix the pudding with the milk and stir well. Allow pudding mixture to stand for 3-5 minutes. Gently stir mixture in with fruit and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chicken Ceasar Salad

Hi there! After a long lull in posting I'm finally finishing up my thesis and back to living in the real world and taking pictures of food again. I've also been dieting, which has greatly limited my ability to make anything that tastes even remotely delicious, so I've spared you by NOT posting these past two months.

The other day I needed to take a salad to a potluck and my good friend Jill, from BYU verbally shared this recipe with me. I was able to pick up all the ingredients at Sam's Club on the way home and whip it up in about 15 minutes. Totally delicious. Add a big bowl of fruit and some bread sticks and you've got a pretty decent meal.

Toss in the dressing right before serving.

1 large bag chopped Romaine lettuce
1-2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small bag pasta cooked according to pkg. directions (I used bowtie)
1 small bag sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
2-3 handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese
Cardini's Original Ceasar Dressing (the BEST Ceasar - the light version is good also)

In a large bowl, mix the lettuce, pasta, almonds and tomatoes. Pile the chicken and Parmesan cheese on top. Just before serving, mix in desired amount of dressing and toss to coat everything. Serve and eat immediately. This doesn't keep well after the dressing is mixed in.
I often take out individual servings and toss in a separate bowl. That way, if you have a lot of leftovers, you can refrigerate the salad and mix in more dressing the next day.

Enjoy!

Orange Cream Fruit Salad

My girls ran across this recipe and wanted to try it out. They made it all by themselves and told me, "Mom, you better put this on your blog!"

1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can lite peach slices
2 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 can mandarin oranges
2 bananas cut in chunks
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. sour cream
2-3 T. sugar
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Mix together the instant pudding and milk. Stir well and allow to thicken in the fridge for a few minutes. Stir in the sour cream, orange juice and sugar. In a separate bowl, add all the fruit (drain all canned fruit) and mix well. Gently stir in the orange dressing. Cover and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Chicken Cashew Pasta Salad

I had some leftover rotisserie chicken, so I threw this salad together Sunday night. The kids have been enjoying it in their lunch along with some sliced oranges this week.

1/2 pkg. bowtie pasta (farfalle)
1/2 pkg. curly pasta (fusilli)
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup red grapes
1 cup pineapple tidbits (optional)
1 small can mandarine oranges (optional)
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1 cup cashews (optional)
1 cup light mayonnaise (I like Best Foods light)
1 cup sweet salad dressing (I use either Coleslaw Dressing or Briannas Poppy Seed)
salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to pkg. directions, then cool. In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, chicken, celery, grapes, pineapple, mandarin oranges and green onion. In a small bowl, mix the mayo, dressing, salt and pepper. Stir everything together until well coated. Refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

If there are any ingredients you don't like, just leave them out.

Karen's Spinach Salad

My co-workers and I had a nice Christmas luncheon at my house this past week. My friend Karen brought this delicious spinach salad and I had to share it here.

Salad
1 bag romaine lettuce
3/4 c. sliced mushrooms
1 diced red onion
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 lb. cooked crumbled bacon
3/4 lb. Swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup honey roasted peanuts (or 1 cup dried craisins)

Dressing
2 T. poppy seeds
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 T. prepared mustard
3/4 c. oil
1/3 c. white vinegar
3/4 tsp. onion

Toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Just before serving, mix the salad dressing ingredients, pour over salad and toss. You can also add mandarin oranges and substitute mozzarella cheese for the Swiss cheese. This salad needs to be eaten immediately and does not store well in the fridge overnight.

Ribbon Salad

This salad is beautiful served with a Christmas dinner. I've been making it since I was a teenager.

1 large pkg. cherry jello
1 large pkg. lime jello
1 1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
1 cup water
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 large can crushed pineapple
4 oz. Cool Whip
1 T. mayonnaise
1 small pkg. lemon jello

Make lime jello according to pkg. directions. Pour into a glass 13x9 dish. Refrigerate until set.
In a small saucepan melt marshmallows and water over medium/high heat until melted and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon jello. Stir to dissolve. Add cream cheese and whisk until mixed and creamy. Stir in crushed pineapple, mayo and Cool Whip. Pour over the red layer of the jello. Allow to set in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Make cherry jello according to package directions. Pour over the top and allow to set. Cut into squares to serve.

7-Layer Green Salad

I was assigned to bring a green salad to our fall enrichment dinner last night. I found this recipe in a church cookbook and altered it a bit. It looked so pretty in the glass bowl and I was surprisingly pleased with the dressing on top.

Layer:

Chopped lettuce (romaine and/or iceberg)
Shredded carrots
Frozen peas (thawed)
Chopped green onion
Chopped or sliced tomatoes
Dressing (see recipe below)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Bacon

Refrigerate overnight or for several hours before serving.

DRESSING RECIPE:

2 cups Mayonnaise (I like Best Foods or Hellman's)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1-2 Tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix

***TIP: You can omit or add any of your favorite veggies for this recipe (cucumbers, celery, mushrooms, etc.) It would be good with Feta or Bleu Cheese also.

Frito Fiesta Salad

My friend Melissa's mom, Marilyn, shared this recipe with me. She made it for a faculty potluck when I worked at Park View.

Brown:
1 lb. hamburger
1 small onion, chopped

Add:
1 pkg. taco seasoning (and cook according to package directions)

Add:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
1 ( 15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Simmer for 1/2 hour.

Assemble like a Taco Salad using Frito's corn chips, meat sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese, olives, avocados
Top with ranch dressing, sour cream, salsa

Fruit Salad, Yummy, Yummy

Pick and choose your favorite fruits for this fresh harvest salad. It is so easy to throw together.

favorite fresh fruits (apples, peaches, pears, pineapple, bananas, raspberries)

2-3 T. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 container vanilla yogurt

Mix sugar, vanilla and yogurt together. Cut up fruit. Toss fruit in yogurt dressing. Chill and serve.

Lori's Broccoli Salad

My cousin Lori brought this to a family reunion. It's my favorite broccoli salad recipe. Crunchy broccoli, chewy craisins, creamy cheese, meaty bacon. The dressing is sweet and has a little tang.

2-3 heads broccoli, cut into small pieces
1/2 purple onion cut into thin strips
1 cup craisins
1 cup crumbled bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix in bowl, then stir in the following dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. white vinegar

Refrigerate before and after serving.

Broken Cookie Salad (Fudge Stripe Salad)

JoLynn (my mother-in-law) introduced me to this recipe.

Beat together:
1 c. buttermilk
1 small package vanilla instant pudding

Fold in: 1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip

Add: 1 can crushed pineapple & 1 can mandarine oranges (both drained)

Just before serving, fold in broken Fudge Stripe Cookies (desired amount).

***In the last couple of years, Keebler has come out with mini fudge stripe cookies which would be great in this recipe!

Jill's Spinach Salad

Another BUNCO recipe. The dressing is the secret.

Salad:

1 bag of spinach
1 head romain lettuce, torn
3 green onions
1/2 c. sliced red onion
1 cup crumbled bacon
Sliced swish cheese strips

Dressing:

1/3 c. white vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup oil
1 t. celery seed

Cook until sugar dissolves (boil about 1 minute).

***Serve salad immediately after tossing in the dressing.

Kristen's Chicken Salad

Kristen made this one night for BUNCO and of course I asked for the recipe. I loved that she told me that she really didn't have a recipe, but had just "thrown it together". Here are her instructions:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (marinated 3-4 hours in Yoshida's gourmet sauce then grilled on the BBQ)

In a large bowl, mix:
1 head each of torn red, romaine and green leaf lettuce
1/2 cup chopped provolone (Kristen had deli sliced provolone, then cut it in thin strips)
1 can black olives
2 ripe Roma tomatoes (slice in thin circles, then cut in half making half moon shape)
1/2 small red onion (cut in thin slices)
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Cut chicken in diagonal strips and mix in with the rest of the salad. Serve with Girard Light Caesar Dressing and croutons.

Connie's Spinach Salad

This is one of those "call-the-very-next-day-for-the-recipe" recipes. It was served at a ladies church function I attended.

Pink Vinegarette Dressing

¾ - 1 cup sugar
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 T. finely grated red onion
3 tsp. poppy seeds
Mix well, then add:
2 cups canola oil

Stir well. Serve with Spinach Salad

Spinach Salad:

Spinach/Romain Mix
Feta Cheese
Bacon
Sliced Strawberries
Candied Almonds (chop almonds, add 1 cup sugar, cook over heat until crystallized)
Craisins