Tasty Chopped Salad

I'm obsessed with salads. I don't think I ever thought I would say that, but pregnancy is making me wild for them. I don't think any salad can compare to the Wildfire chopped salad and Portillo's chopped salad, but I can't buy one every day, right?

It's definitely the dressing that makes the salad so good. But why don't salads taste as good when you make them at home? We tried to make our own chopped salad and I have to say that this one was pretty good!

Adapted from Frugal Homemaking

Ingredients:

Salad:

• romaine lettuce

• 3-4 chicken breasts, grilled and cut into small pieces

• 1 cup corn

• 1 green onion, chopped

• 1 tomato, chopped

• bleu cheese crumbles

• tortilla strips (see recipe below)

Dressing:

• 1/4 bottle French dressing

• 1 packet Zesty Italian seasoning made by Good Seasoning

• 1/8 cup sugar

• 1 t oregano

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Tortilla strips:

• flour tortillas

• olive oil

• salt

Cut tortillas into small strips. Brush lightly with oil and salt. Grill in a pan or bake in the oven until crispy.

To create the chopped salad look, we use a chopper to cut the lettuce.

Mix all the salad ingredients together.

Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well.

Top with bleu cheese crumbles and tortilla strips.

Tasty Cranberry Feta & Spinach Couscous

Hubby was out of town recently and you know what that means? I get to make food that he doesn't like! This is definitely my kind of food, but he thinks it's a little too girly for his taste buds. So if you want a "girly" easy meal, this is a quick idea that I adapted.

Ingredients:
• 1 1/4 c water
• 2 t vegetable oil
• 2 t lemon juice
• 10 oz. package of couscous
• 1/3 c dried cranberries
• 1/4 c chopped basil
• 1 t lemon zest
• 1/4 c feta cheese
• 1/2 c chopped fresh spinach
• salt & pepper to taste

1. In a medium pot, boil water, lemon juice and oil.

2. Stir in couscous, remove from heat, and cover pot. Let covered pot sit for 5 minutes and stir occasionally.

3. Remove cover and fluff couscous. Pour into a large serving bowl.

4. Add cranberries, basil, feta, lemon zest, spinach and salt & pepper and mix well. Serve cold.

Perfect for a quick meal or leftovers on a busy day!

Freshing Watermelon Salad

It's almost the end of summer, but we can still enjoy some of the fresh summer fruits available for a little longer. I came across this recipe and it looked interesting. I have to admit that it seemed like an odd combination of ingredients, but it turned out to have an amazing flavor!

Ingredients:
• small watermelon
• 1/2 medium-sized sweet onion
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Cut the watermelon into bite size pieces.

Peel and dice half the onion into small pieces.

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Add the mint and mix well.

In a large serving bowl, add the watermelon, onion and feta cheese. Pour oil mixture over the fruit and mix gently.

Be sure to prepare right before serving as the watermelon will make the salad watery if it sits too long.

So yummy! And a great healthy snack!

 

Cranberry & Feta Orzo Pasta Salad

I saw this recipe here and I knew I had to try it. I was a little nervous having cranberries in a pasta salad, but it was SO good!

Ingredients
1 lb orzo pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
10 or more fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

*Optional: chopped grilled chicken or turkey pepperoni (perfect to make this more of a filling meal instead of a side)

Boil orzo according to the package.

Drain pasta, let cool, and pour into a large bowl.
Add olive oil and mix.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Lemon juice...

Salt & pepper...

Feta cheese...

Cranberries...

Basil...

I like my pasta salad really cold, so I suggest refrigerating for at least an hour before serving.
For a quick fix, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Healthy Mediterranean Tuna Salad

All of a sudden, I'm obsessed with tuna. I just discovered how yummy tuna melts can be and I feel like I've been missing out on delicious food for 27 years! So this is my first of many tuna recipes I plan to try...

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Ingredients
12 oz. tuna in a can
3 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 teaspoon capers
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
splash of lemon juice
1 boiled egg, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Drain tuna and pour into a large bowl

Add all the ingredients and mix

Serve cold as a salad or as a sandwich on bread

SO simple and really good!

Greek Pasta Salad

I heart pasta salad! I found this greek pasta salad from Robin Miller at Food Network. See my notes at the end after tasting the finished product.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces ditalini or other pasta
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 cups cooked cubed chicken (about 1 pound)
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a small bowl, whisk together broth, oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Add diced chicken, green pepper, and mint.

Drain pasta and add to bowl with dressing and chicken. Toss to combine. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with feta cheese just before serving.

*We felt like it needed more flavor, so we added more of the spices and added some chopped turkey pepperoni and kalamata olives.

Tyler Florence's Labor Day Potato Salad

My hubby came across Tyler Florence's potato salad recipe and had to try it. I've never been a fan of potato salad, but I wanted to taste it. Very good and I'm impressed!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
  
• 2 large eggs
• Kosher salt
  
• 1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 cups mayo
  
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice, about 2 pickles
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 bunch dill, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Put the potatoes and eggs into a big saucepan of cold salted water. Bring to a simmer. After 12 minutes remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and let cool. Continue cooking the potatoes until a paring knife poked into them goes in without resistance, about 3 minutes longer. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them cool.

Reserve some scallion greens and capers for garnish. Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, pickles and their juice, onion, remaining scallions and capers, parsley, and lemon juice in a bowl large enough to hold the potatoes. Peel the cool eggs and grate them into the bowl. Stick a fork into the potatoes and lift them 1 at a time out of the colander. Break up the potatoes by hand into rough chunks, add them to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.