Cucumber Peanut Salad (0 Star)

The other day I bought a bunch of cucumbers because they had an amazing sale price. Then they just sat in my fridge for a while because I didn't know what to do with them. I do that sometimes--buy something that's on a great sale and then let it rot in my fridge because I didn't know what to do with it.

Luckily, I found a delicious recipe this time and my cukes were saved from a rotten fate. I liked the fresh, clean taste of cucumbers in this salad paired with the peanuts, cilantro, and coconut. However, I used only one Serrano pepper (the recipe calls for 1-2) and (woowee!) it must have been a spicy one because it made the salad way too spicy for Brandon and I. Next time I will start with half and go from there. Aside from that, I really enjoyed this, and paired with grilled chicken strips, it made a healthy, light meal, loaded with crunch and flavor.



Click here for the recipe and beautiful photos, courtesy of 101 Cookbooks.

Asian Noodle Salad (0 Star)

This salad, courtesy of Pioneer Woman, is chock full of colorful, crisp, sweet, and nutritious vegetables. The dressing is salty sweet spiked with lime, hot pepper, and cilantro. This is the kind of thing that Brandon and I love, but the boys don't consider edible.



Pioneer Woman's recipe makes a ton--she says it makes six servings, but the veggies alone filled my bowl to the twenty cup mark. Also, if you don't plan to eat this right away, my recommendation is to keep everything separate. Keep the salad in it's own bowl, dressing separate, and pasta separate, or the salad will wilt and the pasta will absorb the dressing and get mushy and gross. (Yes, I know this from experience.)

I used whole wheat pasta and I think this might also be good with quinoa in place of the pasta--I plan to try it next time.

Click here for the recipe.

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad (0 Star)

Here is another Pioneer Woman recipe that I made recently--as in this summer. So I may or may not remember what changes I made. I did make changes in order to lower the fat/calorie content. I'm sure it would taste much better the way Pioneer Woman makes it, but we are reducing around here and we don't live on a ranch and burn that many calories every day. Brandon and I enjoyed this and it was fairly easy to make.

I am posting the recipe here with the changes I think I remember making.

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad

3 pounds Chicken, Cooked And Diced/shredded
6 ounces, weight Dry Pasta, Cooked And Drained (I used whole wheat--you know me)
4 whole Ribs Celery, Thinly Sliced - Leaves Included (use Interior Ribs)
¾ cup Golden Raisins
¾ cup Slivered Almonds
½ cup Mayonnaise
½ cup Plain Lowfat Yogurt
1+ Tablespoons milk--add enough to make dressing pancake batter consistency
3 Tablespoons Curry Powder, More Or Less To Taste
1 Tablespoon Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 cups red grapes, halved
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Boil chicken to cook and remove chicken from the broth. Boil pasta in chicken broth.

Dice/shred chicken. Drain pasta.

Mix together mayonnaise, plain lowfat yogurt, milk, curry powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until well combined.

Combine chicken, drained pasta, sliced celery, raisins, almonds, and grapes in a large bowl. Pour curry dressing over the top. Fold together with a rubber spatula. Make sure it’s all combined, then add more of whatever it needs. Make sure the sweet/savory balance is right for you.

Chill for several hours.

Click here to see Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Grilled Vegetable Salad (0 Star)

My pictures aren't the greatest but this salad was amazing. There were a lot of steps so it was a tad intensive to make (for me, maybe not for you expert cooks out there) but very much worth it. I'm posting the recipe here because I made some minor changes such as decreasing the red wine vinegar because I didn't want that flavor so strong and omitting the 6 tablespoons of olive oil in the dressing because everything was already coated in plenty of oil, I thought. I was very happy with the results. The flavors in this salad are fantastic together. I doubled it and took it to a barbecue this weekend and forgot to force it upon my children--um, I mean, allow them to sample it--so I don't know if they liked it, but I seriously doubt it.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Several tablespoons grape seed, coconut, or olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (Sweet potatoes, NOT yams! Sweet potatoes = yum, yams = not so yum.)
3 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
3 slices uncooked bacon
1 small leek, trimmed, scrubbed and chopped, about 1/2 cup (I used 1 medium yellow onion because I forgot to buy leeks and it was still great.)
1 cup frozen corn
3 ounces fresh baby spinach (a couple of handfuls)
2 T red wine or balsamic vinegar
1 T fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
1 T chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (shavings or shredded)

Preheat BBQ grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat. Brush oil over grates and on both sides of the sliced sweet potato and zucchini. (I put the cut up veggies in a bowl with several tablespoons of olive oil and stirred to coat.) Place on hot grill and cook until tender, flipping once halfway through, cooking about 10-15 minutes. (Mine were done at about 4-6 minutes total; 2-3 minutes per side.) The sweet potato may take a bit longer than the zucchini, but be sure to remove it from the grill before it gets too soft to pick up in one piece. (There should be some pretty grill lines on the vegetables but they should not be blackened too much. Otherwise the zucchini will get mushy and the sweet potato gets a bitter taste when blackened.) Set aside to cool, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, cook bacon (whole or chopped, whatever you prefer) in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and leave about a Tablespoon or so of the bacon fat in the pan. Add chopped leeks (or onion) to the skillet and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they soften. Add frozen corn to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes until corn is thawed and golden brown spots begin to appear. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large salad bowl combine all of the warm, cooked vegetables (grilled and sauteed), the bacon (chopped), vinegar, rosemary, oregano, and Parmesan shavings. Mix until everything is coated in the oil and vinegar and let it sit for about 10 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 6 servings.

Nat's Notes:

1. Leeks are notorious for being gritty between layers. The best way to prep them is to first trim them, then chop them, then throw the chopped leek into a bowl full of cool water. Swish the leeks around and let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the sand to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Remove washed leeks with a skimmer/spider or slotted spoon.
2. Make sure the sweet potatoes are about 1/4-inch thick. If they're too thick, they won't cook through before the outsides get too black, and if they're too thin, they won't stay in one piece when you take them off the grill. They may have a slight bite to them, but they're still good that way.

For better pictures and the original recipe, go here.

Fruit Salad

I love summer!

I made this salad for lunch today and enjoyed it so much. I purchased all of these fruits on sale for great prices and that made it taste all the better. It has strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and mango. Isn't summer the best?

Southwestern Cornbread Salad (0 Star)

This is one of my favorite salads. The recipe is here, courtesy of Prudence Pennywise. For the cornbread I used Pioneer Woman's recipe, which is my favorite right now. There is no sugar in it and sometimes if I want some sweetness I add a little but sometimes I like it as it is. For the dressing this time I used our left over Cafe Rio dressing which was really good on this salad.

Cafe Rio Salads (3 Star)

I love Cafe Rio's pork salads. A lot of other people do, too, who work very hard to copy the exact recipe. I appreciate all the work they have gone to because I now benefit. Here is a post from one of these people that appears to be very popular amongst those wanting to replicate the salad. I used the Cilantro Lime Rice recipe and the Black Bean recipe from her site. And, if you are going for a version of the meat that is just like Cafe Rio's, I bet that this one is as good as it gets. However, due the the fact that I rarely drink caffeinated beverages and have instructed my children not to (due to the fact that they are unhealthy and addictive), I didn't think it would be a good idea to use it in our dinner. We rarely even drink pop at all. So I made up my own version of the meat that, while not authentically Cafe Rio, was still pretty good.



Sweet Pulled Pork

7 pound pork roast (mine was bone-in--it's just what I happened to have)
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 28 oz can mild enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 can diced green chilies
1-2 canned chipotle peppers plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

In a little bowl, combine salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, and onion powder. Rub all over the pork. Place the pork into a crock pot along with any extra spice mix. In a blender blend enchilada sauce, brown sugar, molasses, green chilies, and chipotle chilies. Pour over the pork and cook on low for about 8 hours or until the pork falls apart when pulled with a fork. When pork is cooked, remove from crock pot and use two forks to pull apart, discarding any bones or fat. Stir in some of the juices to taste. I probably used about a cup. For better flavor, make the meat a day ahead and then reheat in the crock pot for a couple of hours.

Obviously, this is much less sweet than most versions (Cafe Rio pork is really sweet!), but we really enjoyed it.



I love to make homemade whole wheat flour tortillas. I use this recipe from Allrecipes. I've re-written it below with my changes.

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

5 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2+ cups boiling water
all-purpose flour for rolling

In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour and salt. Add the butter, and using a hand mixer, mix on low speed until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with hand mixer until all of the water is evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with a bit of additional flour, and knead until the dough does not stick to your fingers. The dough should be smooth.

Make balls the size of golf balls, about 2 ounces each. Place back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic. Let rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

Heat a griddle or large frying pan over high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tortilla to your preferred thinness. Fry one at a time. Place on the griddle for 10 seconds, as soon as you see a bubble on the top, flip the tortilla over. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds. Roll out the next tortilla while you wait for that one to cook.

I only cook the amount that I am going to use at a time. For the extras, I singe each side on high heat and store in the refrigerator. When I am ready to use them, I fry to doneness. The extras could be frozen, too, but we always eat them quickly enough that this is not necessary.

This is a lot of work, but worth it to me because they taste so good, are healthy, and all of my kids love them. If I didn't go this route, I would get Costco's uncooked tortillas. Too bad they don't make whole wheat!



Costco's organic heirloom lettuces were excellent in this salad.



I used Pioneer Woman's Pico de Gallo recipe.



As mentioned above, I used the Cilantro-Lime Rice from here,



and the Black Beans from the same place, although I don't remember Cafe Rio's beans being like this. I actually don't eat there that frequently, so maybe I just don't remember. They were good, though.



For the guacamole, I mashed several avocados and mixed in a small spoonful of mayonnaise per avocado, and a little garlic powder and onion powder to taste.



For the dressing, I used a recipe given to me by a friend who's friend or relation's friend or relation had hired a chef to figure out the recipe and this is what they came up with.

Tomatillo Salad Dressing

5 tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered
1 pkg ranch buttermilk dressing mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup mayo
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
5 slices of bottled jalapeno
1 Tablespoon of bottled jalapeno juice
juice of 1/2 lime
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.



To assemble the salad, place a tortilla on a plate. Top it with meat, rice, and beans. Then top with lots of lettuce, some pico de gallo, some guacamole, and cover with the dressing. You could also serve with sour cream and cheese.

Because there are so many elements to this salad (and because I'm freaky about doing it all homemade) it took a lot of work which could obviously be alleviated by buying things like the tortillas, pico de gallo, and guac. But whatever you choose to do, this is so incredibly good and I highly recommend trying it!



It's difficult to give this salad a "boy rating" because each boy liked different elements of the salad but none of them liked the entire thing all together. One boy only liked the tortillas. Two boys like the tortillas with the meat, and one boy liked the tortillas with the meat and the beans. I can't remember if anyone liked the rice, and none of them would touch the lettuce, dressing, pico de gallo, or guac. Picky buggers! I guess I'll go with 3 stars.

Also, just as a warning, the meat juice stains! It's the fault of the enchilada sauce.

Broccoli Crunch Salad (0 Star)

This salad, courtesy of 101 Cookbooks, is so yummy. I didn't change anything except a I used a little less onion because it was too strong for me. This was not a child friendly salad for our family (very few are) but Brandon and I (and my mom, to whom I fed some of this) loved it.

Asian Salads (0 Star)

I made these two salads, (recipes courtesy of Prudence Pennywise) and unfortunately neglected to take pictures of the Spicy Asian Pasta Salad. Pictured below is the Peanut Ginger Slaw. Both were good, but I especially liked the slaw.

Red and White Pasta (3 Star)

Brandon helped me (he was trying to be nice for Valentine's Day--in between watching the Olympics) make this pasta, courtesy of Prudence Pennywise, for Valentine's Day dinner last night and it was so fantastic! Brandon and I were oohing and aahing and 3 of our boys really liked it, too. I made some bread-crumb-dredged chicken to go with ours, but it was great without it for lunch today. Our second-born only ate the chicken but we should have required him to have at least a bite of the pasta just to find out if he liked it. I guess we were so enraptured in eating our own that we forgot about him. We'll get him next time!



As for the salad, I (actually Brandon made the salad which was a nice Valentine's Day acquiescence on his part since he despises making salad) tossed together torn red leaf lettuce, spinach, diced green onion, sliced apple, bacon bits, dried cranberries, and grated Parmesan cheese. I often put sugared walnuts in this kind of salad, too. We used my current favorite salad dressing from Picky Palate, found here. (Scroll down to the end of the post for "Honey Dijon Dressing".) It is such an easy, delicious dressing.

Brussels Sprouts and Apple Salad (2 Star)

Brussels sprouts constitute one of my childhood horrors. I'm talking about gag reflex, can't think about without shuddering, horrors. (No offense, mom, if you read this.) So I didn't think I would ever willingly invite brussels sprouts into my space as an adult. But then I found this recipe on 101 Cookbooks and it looked so incredibly delicious. And this year I am all about incorporating more vegetables into my diet and trying new things so after reading this recipe and considering for several weeks I decided to face my foe. I'm glad I did.

I am sad that I was not able to photograph this in the daylight because it was very pretty. I made this in the evening and the recipe said: "This isn't a dish you want sitting around, the flavors change dramatically after ten minutes or so, and I think that is part of the reason brussels sprouts get a bad rap." So we had to eat it right away. I tried using the flash on my camera but it just lit up the middle of the picture. So check out the picture on 101 Cookbooks and imagine that mine looks that good.

Not only did this look pretty but it tasted fantastic! Brandon and I loved it and two of the boys even enjoyed it (shocker!) although they didn't like the apples. I used small cubes of chicken instead of tofu and I also didn't have pine nuts so I used walnuts. This was nutty, lightly sweet and salty (I was generous with the salt on the chicken) and had lots of crunch and texture. It was also fairly quick and easy to put together.

So, even if you have horrible nightmares about brussels sprouts and consider them one of nature's mistakes, give this recipe a try. It might change your mind.

Sesame Mandarin Quinoa Salad (0 Star)

None of the boys cared for this salad--only two would even try it, but I didn't expect them to. I made this for Brandon and me and we enjoyed it. This is the second time I've made something with quinoa and I liked it both times. It has a mild nutty-grainy flavor, is very quick and easy to cook, and is nutritionally superior.

I got the recipe from Picky Palate--click here. I also added more stuff:

1/2 c. finely chopped broccoli
1/2 c. finely chopped spinach
1 can drained turkey breast, shredded (to make it a main dish)
more salt to taste (probably another 1/2-3/4 tsp--the recipe only called for a pinch)

I skipped the feta because I forgot to buy some and it was still good, but probably would have been better with.

I also forgot to buy parsley so I used 1 Tbsp dried but maybe that was subliminal because I've never used fresh and I'm a little scared of it, not being especially fond of parsley. Maybe sometime I will get up the guts.

I thought this salad was even better the second day.