Apple Spinach Salad

1 bag spinach

1 bag romain lettuce
sugar coated walnuts
4 fuji apples
feta cheese
1 sm. Bag craisins
cooked bacon
mushrooms, sliced

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
pinch of salt
6 tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 sm. Red onion grated

submitted by Cassie Mark

REVISED Green Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

It was just brought to my attention that I neglected the mayonnaise from this recipe in my previous post...OOOPS!
Green Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
Puree together in a blender:
about 1 cup of fresh cilantro
3 tomatillos, peeled of outer shell & quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled of outer shell
1 jalapeno pepper*, optional (I'm not a huge spicy food fan, but my understanding is that the smaller the pepper, the more spicy it is. I used a large green jalapeno).

Then add:
1 pouch Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk style dressing
1/3 to 1/2 cup buttermilk, depending on desired thickness
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 up to 1/2 teaspoon Cheyenne pepper, depending on desired kick.
Blend again until smooth. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

*For extra kick, bottled hot jalapenos may be added prior to the puree step in addition or as a substitute to the fresh one.

This is the recipe used for the 2009 Relief Society dinner. The barbecued pulled pork was purchased at the Springville Meat Company 801-489-6391. Costco sells the uncooked tortilla shells, available in the refrigerator section by the deli foods.

A little bit of everything

So I have been feeling really guilty that I keep using all of your wonderful, delicious recipes but I haven't contributed anything yet. Here's a few recipes that we had at our house this past week:

Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1/2 inch thick)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 T. flour
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 t. fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried)
2 bay leaves
2 T. butter
3 T. heavy cream

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on both sides.
2. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about three minutes. Then add the vinegar, stock, bay leaves and thyme and stir. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Continue simmering the sauce, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Add the cream and butter- stir until melted. Discard the bay leaves. Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken and serve. I usually serve with a lemon herb pasta, but you can do what your family likes best.


Ultimate Caesar Salad dressing

The measurements may not be quite exact. This is my mom's recipe and she always cooks according to look and taste (sadly, that gift skipped my generation). This is the best I can do, but you may need to play around with it- it also depends on how much lemon juice you start with.

The juice of one large lemon

1/2 t. minced garlic

1 t. Worchester sauce

3 T Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3 egg yolks

1/2- 3/4 cup olive oil (to taste)

1/2 t. red wine vinegar

Squeeze the juice into a small mixing bowl, add the garlic and Worchester sauce and stir (use a wooden spoon- metal tends to make the lemon juice go rancid). Stir in the Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Taste it- the lemon juice or the Dijon mustard should not overpower each other- if there is too much of one- add a little more of the other. Add the egg yolks. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while stiring and finish with the red wine vinegar. Toss this dressing with some crisp romaine lettuce, lots of parmesan cheese, and croutons to serve. You will not use all of the dressing in one sitting. Just refrigerate any leftover dressing for up to a week.


Last-minute pasta bake

This is one of my go-to meals when I can't think of anything else to make because I usually have everything on hand. It's also a good way to sneak some zucchini into my boys' diet. If you have a husband that insists on meat, you can probably add some browned ground beef or italian sausage to the sauce mixture before layering the dish. This can also be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Bake as directed except increase the baking time to 45 minutes.

12 oz rotini pasta (or whatever small pasta you have on hand)
1 cup zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 28 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or Amie's marinara- yum!)
1/4 cup fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cook pasta until al dente; drain.
2. Combine zucchini, spaghetti sauce and basil in a medium bowl.
3. In a 9" square baker, layer one-third of the sauce mixture, half of the pasta, one-third of the sauce mixture and half of the cheeses. Add remaining pasta, then sauce, then cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve with garlic bread and salad, if desired.


Not-your-typical Chicken Fingers

2 cups seasoned croutons, crushed until fine crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
1/4 t. garlic salt
2 egg whites
1 T. water
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small, thin strips

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. In a small bowl, combine crouton crumbs, cheese, parsley and garlic salt. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites and water.

3. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into crumb mixture to coat evenly. Arrange on a bakng sheet lined with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Bake 15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Serve with ranch dressing to dip.

Pesto-Ranch Chicken Salad

My cousin made this one last week at our reunion and she just threw it together without measuring, so I'm going to give it my best guess. It was so yummy!

1 lb farfalle (bowties) pasta, cooked and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh or store-bought pesto
1/2 16 oz bottle light ranch dressing
aprox. 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (can use rotisserie)
1 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts (even better if you toast them first)
aprox. 1 1/2-2 cups frozen peas
aprox. 1/2-1 cup craisins (optional)

Combine the dressing and the pesto in medium bowl. Place all ingredients in very large bowl and stir to combine. Makes a great meal on a bed of lettuce.

Laura's BBQ Chicken Sante Fe Salada

I got this recipe from Laura, and we tried it tonight. It was really yummy and refreshing from the heat:

BBQ chicken sliced (we cooked on the grill)
Chopped Romaine lettuce
1 can black beans
1 can corn (we didn't use corn, just because I can't eat cold corn)
olives
tomatoes (we had fresh salsa instead of just plain tomatoes)
shredded cheese
homemade ranch dressing (I used the buttermilk recipe)
BBQ sauce
crushed tortilla chips

Grill chicken with BBQ sauce and slice. Put salad together with whatever toppings you like, then drizzle BBQ sauce and Ranch on top with crushed tortilla chips. You can add whatever else you want. This is alot like a Rumbi salad that I just love! Thanks Laura - I can tell this will be a regular with us during the summer. The other great part about it is that Jeremy has to cook the chicken on the grill, and I just get the toppings together. Easy!

Pasta Salad

This pasta is so versatile and it's always yummy.

Pasta Salad:

1 box pasta, cooked (any kind you like, I use Rotini or Bowtie)
1 package pepperoni (I use Turkey Pepperoni)
1 large jar marinated artichoke hearts (my favorite is Cara Mia)
1 large jar marinated mushrooms
1 can petite diced tomatoes (or you can use fresh)
1 small block cheddar cheese (small diced and I prefer Kraft Sharp)
1 bottle Italian Dressing (I use fat free mostly but I LOVE Girards on occasion)

*you can add SO many different things in this salad so be creative. I have used all kinds of marinated veggies (green beans, aparagus, baby corn, snap peas) and they are all good. I have also used turkey salami in place of the pepperoni and that's good too.

Asian Chicken Salad

One of our favorite Summer Salads is this recipe:

2-4 chicken breasts
Marinate chicken breasts in 1/4c. soy sauce and 1/4c. sugar. Then cook on the grill and cut into pieces.

Take:
1 head lettuce (I like Romaine)
2 T. slivered almonds
wonton skins, sliced and fried (can omit if you want, but they are really good in)
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Combine all ingredients and add dressing just before serving.

Dressing:
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. salt
1/4 c. oil
1 t. sesame oil
3 T. rice vinegar

I have also made the dressing out of:
2 T. white vinegar
2 T. sugar
1/4 c. oil
dash of salt and pepper
(this dressing is easier, and I usually have this stuff on hand)

I also like to add Mandarin oranges to the salad.

Summer Salads

Chicken Salad
4 c. cooked, chopped chicken
¼ c. chopped green onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. cut grapes
½ c. slivered almonds
2 c. raw macaroni, then cook
Dressing:
Mix together:
2 c. mayo
2 t. chicken bullion granules
½ pt. whipping cream
Mix dressing and pour over salad.
May be served as a salad or on croissants.

Grilled Chicken & Pasta Salad
1/2 Bunch of Fresh Spinach (chopped)
16 Oz. bowtie pasta
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
¾ c. sunflowers seeds
1 can water chestnuts (chopped)
3 Chicken Breasts Grilled, Cut into bite size pieces, seasoned with Lemon Pepper Seasoning.
Dressing:
¾ c. olive oil
¾ c sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
2 cloves garlic
Cook & drain bowtie pasta. Grill chicken breast & cut up chicken into small pieces. Mix pasta, spinach, sesame seed, sunflower seeds, water chestnut and chicken together. Mix up the dressing ingredients together and pour over pasta, mix well. Stir before serving.

Lemony Orzo

I told Laura that I would post this one. Some of you have seen it before, but it's a good one! Plus it uses herbs!

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 1/3 cups diced zucchini
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:
Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain well. Combine orzo, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl; toss well. Combine parsley and next 6 ingredients (parsley through pepper); stir well with a whisk. Stir into orzo mixture; add tomato and cheese, tossing gently to coat.
Yield-6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 199(22% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.6g); IRON 2.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 58mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.7g; SODIUM 307mg; PROTEIN 6.7g; FIBER 1.8g

Tuscan Chicken Salad (or pasta)

I found this recipe a couple of years ago, and I love it. Even JP and Jack really enjoy it also.

Ingredients – serves four

1 lb – Chicken Breast
1 lb bag – Spring or baby green mixed lettuce
1 cup – Roasted Tomatoes, in herbed olive oil if available (I just use the Italian style canned diced tomatoes)
1 cup – Olive oil or oil from tomatoes (I just use 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil)
1 cup – Flour
½ cup – Lemon juice
1 – Large lemon
Salt and pepper
1 – Loaf favorite crusted bread.

Preparation

Cut lemon into half length wise and then into 1/8th inch slices. Cut chicken into large bit-sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix flour with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add cut chicken to flour mixture and coat evenly. In a large non-stick sauté pan, add olive oil and heat to medium high. When pan and oil is hot, add floured chicken, shake off excess flour before putting in pan, and cook until lightly brown. Add lemon juice, sliced lemon and roasted tomatoes, tossing until chicken is done and ingredients are hot.
Divide mixed greens onto four large dinner plates, make lettuce pile high in middle and leave some empty plate exposed around edges. Take chicken, lemon and tomato mixture and divide and decorate plates equally and finish by drizzling pan drippings as dressing. Cut two bread wedges for edge of plate and enjoy.

I have also used over penne or bowtie pasta instead of over the salad.