Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad with Feta Cheese

The only thing I have in my winter garden right now is kale, and it is thriving. This salad is such a yummy way to use up the kale.  I love it!!

Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad with Feta Cheese

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup craisins
3/4 cup small diced apple
1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese

Directions:
1.  Wash the kale and pat it dry.  Slice off the stiff stems below and in the middle of the kale leaves.  This should create a thin "V" in the middle of your leaf.  You want to remove all the stiff stem.  Slice the remaining kale leaves into thin strips.
2.  Place the kale ribbons in a large mixing bowl.  Add the salt and massage it into the kale with your hands for about two minutes.
3.  Toss in the red onions, craisins, apples, sunflower seeds.  In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, and sugar.  Pour over the salad and toss.  Sprinkle Feta cheese over the top and serve.  This salad holds quite well overnight too.  Don't be afraid of saving it for leftovers.

Serves: 6

Recipe Source:  My SIL Shalae who got it from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Talk about a PARTY in my "boca". This BBQ chicken salad with the incredible dressing was an explosively great combination of flavors in my mouth.  I adore this salad!  It has definitely become a favorite of mine.  The dressing seriously makes the salad....absolutely IRRESISTIBLE!

BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups BBQ sauce
½ head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 red onion diced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cubed small or shredded

Directions:
1.  Combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2.  In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Linked to:  Tuesday Night Supper Club

Spinach Salad

This spinach salad is so easy and so good. I can't believe I haven't posted it yet. I've had the recipe for years. My sister-in-law Shalae made this for us at a family dinner and everyone loved it. I hadn't ever made it for the hubs yet. He couldn't believe I hadn't because it's such a tasty little thing. It's a perfect side for most meals. We had it with our Spinach and Sausage Stuffed Shells.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

spinach (around 20-30 oz. of leaf spinach)

red onion, chopped (however much you like)

8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

4 hard boiled eggs, cut and crumbly

Dressing:

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tsp. worchestershire sauce

Stir it up and you're done! This makes a large salad with dressing so half it if you have a smaller family.

Greek Salad

I am a huge fan of the greens. A delicious green salad is a great pairing for almost any main dish for me. This salad was very good!

Greek Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill (2 tsp. dried dill)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Dressing Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Whisk together until well combined. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and shake well before using again.

Salad Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

Sliced red onions

Sliced black olives (I left these out because the hubs greatly dislikes them.)

Grape tomatoes, halved

Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese

Salad Directions:

Add romaine lettuce to a salad bowl. Add toppings. Put dressing on side or on top as desired.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette

Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette

Salad:

20 ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 (14.5 oz.) can quartered artichokes

1 (9 oz.) bag fresh baby spinach

1 (3 oz.) bag sun dried tomatoes or jar of sun dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup diced red onion

Shredded Chicken

Dressing:

9 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon each)

3/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons sugar

Cook tortellini in boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss (carefully so the tortellini don’t break apart) with a teaspoon of olive oil to keep from sticking. Let cool in colander. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together after the pasta has cooled.

In a blender add all of the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil and process until smooth. Then, while the blender is running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until completely combined. If serving the salad right away, immediately pour the dressing over the salad and toss well (you may not need all the dressing). Serve.

Southwest Rice and Bean Salad

This is a yummy side dish that goes with enchiladas and lots of other Mexican dishes.  People love this stuff! 

Southwest Rice and Bean Salad

5 cups cooked rice, warm or at room temperature

2 teaspoons salt

1 (16-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16-oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (12-oz.) can corn, drained

4 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2/3 cup canola oil

4 pickled jalepeno pepper rounds (I always leave this out because I don't have it on hand.)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

Combine all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in blender until peppers are finely minced. Toss with salad. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Source:  adapted slightly from a recipe from My Kitchen Cafe

Tangy Taco Salad

I am a sucker for a delicious salad with homemade dressing. The dressing absolutely makes this salad in my opinion. It is a tangy dressing and oh so yummy!  Mmmm....I think I'll be having salad tonight.

Dressing:

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Process all of the above ingredients in a blender.

Salad: (Add as much or as little as you like.)

Head of Romaine Lettuce

4 small tomatoes (chopped)

Can of Black Beans (drained)

Can of Corn (drained)

Cheese (any kind you like)

Can of black olives (chopped)

Avocado Slices

Green onions

Shredded Chicken (leave this out if you want to go vegetarian)

Hint of Lime Tostitos Tortilla Chips (One of the best tortilla chips ever created.  I'm addicted!)

Recipe Source:  My fabulous sister-in-law Beth Merrill.  (I tweaked the dressing recipe a bit.)

Linked to:
My Meatless Mondays
Tuesday Night Supper Club

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

This salad was seriously so fabulous! I love salad and homemade dressings. This will definitely not disappoint. The dressing is divine. I just made it last week, and I'm ready to make it again. The recipe comes from here.

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach leaves
Romaine leaves
Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)
Red onion, sliced thinly
Crispy bacon, crumbled
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

The Dressing: (This makes a lot of dressing.)
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped (I just used some red onion from the salad. It worked great!)
2 cups canola oil
3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount

Nectarine and Red Pepper Salad

I absolutely love this salad. Especially when the nectarines are at the perfect ripeness. The dressing for this is super delicious! Enjoy!

NECTARINE & RED PEPPER SALAD

1 large bag of spinach
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 nectarines, sliced thin (optional)
3-4 ounces feta cheese
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
Salt and pepper

Dressing for Nectarine and Red Pepper Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 cup oil
1 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, dry mustard, and onion in blender.
2. Add in oil, blend.
3. Add kiwifruit and mix until dressing has thickened. Fold in poppy seeds.

Craisins Salad

I've had a couple of people request this be put on the blog.  What makes this salad great is the dressing.  It is hands down one of the best salad dressings ever.  It is a crowd pleaser.  Everyone loves it. 
CRAISINS SALAD

1 large bag spinach
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ of an 8 ounce bag of Craisins
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

(Honestly, I never measure out any ingredients for a salad. The above are approximations. I just add the toppings until it looks delicious!)

Craisins Salad Dressing
(measure this exactly)

½ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
½ red onion chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons mustard
1 cup oil
In blender mix all ingredients, except oil. Add oil and blend again.

(This is a large amount of dressing and is too much for the measurements of the salad I have posted. You won't need to use all the dressing for the salad. Either half the recipe or make the full recipe and save in fridge. It stays good for weeks. I always eyeball how much dressing to put in to make sure that there is a good balance between salad and dressing.)