Asian Salad

I found this recipe here and made it for our frugal Enrichment night. It was a hit- everyone especially loved the dressing. I love Prudence Pennywise because not only does she share great (healthy) food but she does it on a budget and gives some great tips. I would've never thought to make the crispy won ton strips myself but it's so easy and cheap! Do it!

8 fresh won ton or 6 egg roll sheets
cooking spray
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 large orange, peeled, or canned mandarin oranges
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts
Ginger Soy Dressing: Recipe Below
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat won tons with spray and cut into strips. Bake on foil lined cookie sheet until crispy, turning once, about 8 minutes; sprinkle with sesame seeds. On serving plates, layer greens, chicken, oranges, avocado, cilantro, scallions, peanuts, and won ton strips. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Ginger Soy Dressing:4 tablespoons rice vinegar4 tablespoons sugar2 tablespoons soy sauce1 generous teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger2 tablespoons canola oil1/2 teaspoon black pepperpinch of saltWhisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

**I didn't add the roasted peanuts that night for fear of someone having a peanut allergy. But I will when I make it for my family. And I'll take a picture next time or you can just go look at hers and drool. ;)

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Mom's Pasta Salad

We went to my mother-in-law's house last night for Sunday dinner. I was supposed to bring a salad but didn't have the ingredients for a green salad. So I decided to make my mom's pasta salad. It's always really good. Everyone likes it. It's easy. And it's great when it's 112 degrees outside. I didn't have the normal ingredients, so I fudged a little. It still tasted great. The recipe below includes approximations; make changes depending on your likes/dislikes.

1 box rotini noodles, cooked according to directions, drained (last night I used tri color but normal I just use the regular ones)

1/2 bag-1 bag frozen chopped broccoli (fresh can be used), cooked, cut into smaller pieces
2 tomatoes, diced (I used cherry tomatoes cut in half last night)
1 can sliced olives

1/2 bell pepper chopped (bigger chunks)
a few carrots diced
1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing (I usually use Wishbone)

After noodles have cooled down, throw all ingredients together. Chill- the longer the better- the Italian dressing soaks in over time. And you want the broccoli to be cooked but cold. I always add cheese after everything is cooled down because you don't want it to melt into the pasta.

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Harvest Salad

(pic before dressing was added- and doesn't do it justice
but just for frame of reference)
I'm BAACCK....the holidays set me way back on my food blog. But the good news is I have a lot of great recipes from the last couple of months. I'll try to update them all soon. I wanted to share the salad I made tonight. It's from Heidi's Tasty Temptations. I've never met Heidi but I'd sure love to have a meal with her sometime. I love all her recipes. This one was no different. Super yum. Here it is:

Harvest Salad
2-3 chicken breasts, grilled or pan fried in 2 TBS. olive oil, sprinkling both sides with basil, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cut into thin strips or small cubes.

1 head red leaf lettuce, or small bag of fresh spinach (whichever you prefer)

1 c. diced, dried apricots

1 c. craisins or dried berry blend

bleu cheese crumbles (or mozzarella if you prefer it more mild)

Toss salad. Cover with grilled chicken strips. Pour Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette over salad (this brand of dressing is crucial!). Serve while chicken is still warm. A delicious and easy salad for autumn time.

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Cafe Rio Recipes

~Final product~
~Cilantro-lime rice~

***FINALLY made this dinner again tonight. It was heavenly!***
(substituted chicken instead of pork)

I originally got these recipes from Kelly awhile back before I knew who Kelly was. But I knew I liked Cafe Rio and that my brother wanted nothing more for Christmas than a Cafe Rio gift card. SO I figured getting the recipes would be a good thing. Boy was I right. They are not for the beginner cook- I mean, not hard really but just a long process I would say. But the end result was supreme. It was great to serve for my scrapbook group as I broke the cardinal rule of "don't offer food that you've never cooked before." I hadn't tried these recipes out but they served me well anyway.

Cafe Rio Dressing & Sweet Pork
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green Tabasco for the jalapeno.)
Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.* be warned... this makes a ton of dressing, but it will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
3-4 lbs pork roast (can substitute chicken)
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups salsa

*Mix ingredients in a crock pot and let cook for 10 hours on low.
Once you've made the dressing, pork, rice & beans, it's almost time to eat. But you still have to assemble the salad. Start with a tortilla (we used the disposable aluminum pie tins, but you could use a bowl), then layer on cooked beans, rice, romaine lettuce, pork, dressing, and any of your favorite toppings: pico de gallo, guacamole, tortilla strips, cheese, cilantro & lime.

Cilantro-lime rice & black beans
Cilantro-Lime Rice
1 cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice.

Black Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro

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Santa Fe Chicken Salad

This is a new recipe that was really good. Courtesy of An Ordinary Mom.
The picture is hers, not mine. I will take one as soon as we have it again.

4 breasts of chicken, cooked then sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped small
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ear of corn, cut off kernels (can use frozen or can corn)
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup jack cheese
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 small jicama, diced
Lemon-pepper
crushed tortilla chips
cucumbers (optional)
Buttermilk Salsa Dressing (see below)
Pound the chicken with a meat tenderizer. In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the chicken and sprinkle generously with lemon-pepper. Cook each side about 7 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to cool. Slice the chicken. Prepare all ingredients and toss the salad. Don’t addthe salad dressing until ready to serve.
Buttermilk Salsa Dressing
In a blender mix one envelope of ranch dressing with the required amount of mayonnaise and milk. Then add FRESH deli salsa to taste. Try and not get too much of the liquid.

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