Chicken Cesar Pasta Salad

 8 oz brown rice and quinoa noodles (from Trader Joe’s but just use pasta of your choice)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1 cup Caesar dressing of choice (I used vegan Caesar from Trader Joe’s)
2 heads Romaine lettuce, washed and cut
2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces and seasoned with:
* paprika
* garlic powder
* onion powder
* dried oregano
* cayenne pepper
* salt & pepper

1. Cook noodles according to package
2. Cut up Romain lettuce and wash
3. Shred Parmesan cheese
4. Add bread crumbs to a small pan with some olive oil and sauté until they are browned
5. Cut up chicken into tiny pieces and season with the seasonings above
6. Add it to a medium sauce pan with some olive oil and sauté until chicken is cooked
7. Once noodles and chicken have cooked allow them to cook before adding to bowl
8. In a large bowl combine: noodles, blackened chicken, parm, bread crumbs, Romain, Caesar
9. Mix until combines and coated with dressing (option to add more dressing if you would like)
10. Divide into four meal prep containers and eat cold throughout the week (you can heat it up for 35 seconds to break up the noodles a bit before eating)

Quinoa Salad 2

 For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the Salad:

• 2 cups cold cooked quinoa
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves chopped
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 large avocado pitted, peeled, and chopped
• 2 green onions sliced
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

• First, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, maple syrup or honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine quinoa, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, and green onions.
• Drizzle salad with dressing and gently stir until salad is coated with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.

Quinoa Salad 1

 

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• ¾ cup chopped red onion (from 1 small red onion)
• 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (from 1 large bunch)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, to give it time to fluff up.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
4. Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
5. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Asian Cole Slaw Salad

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff and finally got my hands on the recipe!

-1 bag (8 ounces) cole slaw (I use a larger bag...I think 12 ounces)
-1 bunch green onions, chopped
-2 packages Ramen noodles chicken soup (break up the noodles, uncooked)
-1 cup sunflower seeds
-1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine all the above ingredients.

Dressing:
-1 cup sugar
-2/3 cup white vinegar
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1 1/2 packages of the chicken soup seasoning mix

Combine dressing ingredients by shaking together in a container.  Mix desired amount of dressing (may not need it all) into the salad and serve.

Copycat Olive Garden Dressing

Olive Garden salad dressing is a favorite in our home.  All three Segal boys L-O-V-E it.  But, at about $5 a bottle, it doesn't come cheap.  I recently found a copycat recipe via Pinterest from Because Barenaked Chef Said So. The original recipe can be found here.  I thought the original recipe was a little too thick so I adapted it just a tad. 

-2 envelops Good Seasons Italian Dressing (I just used the generic Albertson's brand packets)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-3/4 cup white wine vinegar
-1 cup water (original recipe calls for 9 tablespoons water but I thought it was too thick)
-1 teaspoon dried Italian spices (I used basil and oregano)
-1 teaspoon salt
-Freshly ground black pepper to taste
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until combined, about 30 seconds or so.  I washed out our original Olive Garden dressing bottle and used in for our new copycat dressing.  This recipe makes enough to fill that bottle plus an additional 1-2 cups worth in a Tupperware container. Shake dressing before serving.

The boys know that I made this Olive Garden dressing at home.  I think it takes a little different, but the boys all think it takes the same as the restaurant version and RAVE about it.  The husband has been taking it with him to work all week and kept telling me..."make sure you write down what you did....this stuff is AWESOME!"  I guess it's a keeper.  After a week, the entire container is almost gone.

Italian Salad

This salad was my dinner last night.  I almost ate the entire bowl by myself.  So good!  It was a staple in my home growing up and it's super simple.  I love veggies but I don't always love lettuce...therefore, this is the perfect salad for me.

-Box of button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced thin

-2 tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

-1/4 of a large  red onion, sliced very thin

-3/4 of an English cucumber, skin removed and sliced thin

-Quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar

-Salt and pepper

-Italian seasoning



Toss all the veggies in a bowl.  Sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and add about a tablespoon or so of dried Italian herbs (basil, oregano or whatever mixture you have on hand).   Pour a few generous tablespoons each of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over veggies and stir gently to coat everything.  Let sit and marinate at least 20-30 minutes and then serve.  I let it sit on the counter to marinate and serve at room temperature because I don't like my veggies cold.

Scott loves to take leftovers of this stuff to work with him the following day.  He thinks it tastes even better then next day! 

*I love serving this salad with pizza so I can dip my crust in the excess dressing.  Or, just serve with some fresh Italian bread to dab up all the extra oil/vinegar.  YUM!

*You can also add in fresh mozzarella balls to this mixture. 

Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Peppers and Feta

This one is very similar to the Greek Couscous Salad I often throw together.  However, I don't think I'll go back to the couscous.  The orzo works so much better in something like this.  I could live on it...so yummy!

-1 tsp salt
-2 cups orzo (I used an entire 1 pound box of orzo)
-1 red bell pepper, diced (I only had red, green & orange peppers so I used those)
-1 yellow bell pepper, diced
-6 oounces feta cheese, crumbled (I've stated this before but I LOVE FETA.  Therefore, I used a 10 ounce container!)
-1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
-4 green onions, thinly sliced
**I also added in a cup of halved grape tomatoes
Dressing:
-6 tablespoons olive oil
-2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (it's the juice of half a large lemon)
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 cup flat leaf parlsey, chopped
-3/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper

Cook orzo in salted water until al dente ( 8-10 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Add bell peppers, cheese, olives, and green onions.

To make dressing: in a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic parsley, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
Add dressing to salad and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator for 30 min prior to serving.

From the kitchen of Megan Guttman

Feast on the Cheap

A friend recommended this website.  I love anything "on the cheap" so I love this site.  Check it out here...

Feast on the Cheap

Here's just one of their recipes that I can't wait to try....

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Homemade Barbeque Sauce and Coleslaw

Makes 6-7 Sandwiches

Ingredients for My Mom’s Traditional Coleslaw:
-1 cup Lo-fat Mayonnaise - stock
-2/3 cup Buttermilk (freeze the leftover) – $0.49
-1/3 cup to 2/3 cup sugar (I use 2/3 cup) - stock
-4 Tablespoons white vinegar (I sometimes use cider vinegar instead) - stock
-1 teaspoon salt – stock
-Freshly ground black pepper – stock
-2 teaspoons celery seeds - stock
-2- 16 oz. packages cole slaw mix* – $3.98
-1 bunch Scallions, chopped, using white and green parts – $0.69

*Tip: Alternatively, to cut the cost if time isn’t a factor, shred 2 lbs. white or green cabbage and 4 carrots

Total Assuming Stocked Pantry: $5.16
Total Per Serving (makes 10): $0.51


Coleslaw Directions:
1. Whisk together the first 7 ingredients.
2. Add the shredded cabbage and carrots or cole slaw mix with the scallions, tossing well to combine.
3. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to mellow.
4. Stir well before serving.

Ingredients for the Barbeque Sauce:
-1 8-oz can tomato sauce – $0.89
-1 6-oz can tomato paste – $0.99
-2 heaping Tablespoons brown sugar – stock
-2 Tablespoons honey – stock
-4 teaspoons cider vinegar – stock
-2 Tablespoons olive oil- stock
-3 teaspoons minced garlic – stock
-4 Tablespoons minced onion – stock
-1 teaspoon chili powder – stock
-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce – stock
-1 teaspoon dry mustard – stock
-1 teaspoon cayenne – stock
-fresh ground pepper – stock

Total assuming “stocked” kitchen: $1.88 (yields about 1.5 cups)

Directions for BBQ Sauce:
1. In a very large saute pan, saute minced onion and garlic in olive oil over high heat until the onion turns opaque. Stir consistently to keep the onion from burning.
2. Add remaining ingredients over medium-high heat and bring to a quick boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from burning.
3. After sauce has thickened (it will be more of a deep red than a traditional bottled brown color) remove from heat and set aside.

Guacamole Salad

-1 pint grape tomatoes, (halved)
-1 yellow pepper (diced)
-1 (15 oz) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
-1/2 cup diced red onion
-2 Tbls. minced jalapeno pepper
-1/2 tsp. lime zest

Place above in a large bowl.

Dressing:
-1/4 cup fresh lime juice
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-1/2 tsp. minced garlic
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Whisk together, pour over vegetables and toss well.

-2 ripe avocados (DICED)

Just before serving, fold the avacados into the salad. Serve at room temperature.

Strawberry Chicken Salad

-4 skinless & boneless chicken breast halves
-Raspberry Vinaigrette, divided
-8 cups mixed salad greens
-1 quart strawberries, sliced
-2 pears, sliced
-2 avocados, peeled and sliced
-½ small sweet onion, diced
-½ cup pecan halves, toasted

Combine chicken and ½ cup Raspberry Vinaigrette in a large zip-top freezer bag. Seal and chill 1 hour. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill chicken covered with grill lid over medium-high heat (350 – 400 degrees) 4 minutes on each side or until done. I use my George Foreman grill! Let chicken stand 10 minutes; slice. Place salad greens and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl, and gently toss. Divide mixture evenly between 4 serving plates; top with grilled chicken slices. Serve with remaining Raspberry Vinaigrette.

From the kitchen of Dori Spaulding.