Cole Slaw Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 T. milk
1 T. ground celery seed (Don't use celery salt- too salty!!)

Mix sugar, celery seed and milk into mayo. Add cider vinegar and whisk until smooth. Add to shredded cole slaw mixture.

(This is from the Fresh Express cole slaw package- and it's good!)

Christi's Asian Slaw

2 bags of precut cabbage for slaw, or you can shred a head of cabbage
2 packages chicken-flavored ramen noodles
1 small package almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup oil
salt and pepper
6 T. vinegar
small pat of butter


In a small skillet, toast almonds and sesame seeds with pat of butter.

For Dressing, combine sugar, oil, salt and pepper, vinegar and the 2 packets from the ramen noodles.

Mix the dressing and put it in the refrigerator.(I use a small
blender otherwise the sugar doesn't quite dissolve)

Crush the noodles (in the bags before you open them) and mix them
with the toasted almonds and sesame.

Just before ready to serve: mix everything together (if you do it
too soon it will get soggy).

**Christi brought this to our wedding pot-luck, and it was fantastic!

Asian Noodle Salad

Asian Noodle Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver (by The Pioneer Woman Cooks!)

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers (I didn’t have a cucumber for the photos above, but they’re yummy in the salad)
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet (again, I didn’t have them for the photos, but have used them before and they’re…sublime.)

DRESSING:

Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapeños, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.

Italian Chicken Salad

For croutons
4 cups (1/2-inch) cubes Italian bread (from a 1/2-lb crusty round loaf)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

For vinaigrette
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For salad
2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (1/2 lb; from a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella balls; 6 oz)
2 hearts of romaine (3/4 lb total), torn into bite-size pieces
1 (8-oz) jar roasted red peppers, rinsed, drained, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 cup assorted marinated brine-cured olives (5 oz)

Make croutons:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

Toss bread cubes with oil and salt in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.

Make vinaigrette and begin preparing salad while croutons bake:
Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients except oil in a small bowl until combined. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

Toss chicken and bocconcini together with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in a bowl and let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

Make salad:
Toss together romaine, red peppers, olives, chicken and bocconcini mixture, croutons, and remaining vinaigrette in a large bowl until combined.

Orzo with Red Peppers and Scallions

1 cup orzo pasta
2 T butter
1 medium red bell pepper
4 green onions, including tops
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a 3 qt. pot. Add orzo to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.


While pasta cooks, dice bell pepper into 1/4" dice. Chop green onions.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute bell pepper and green onion 3 minutes. Add orzo to pan and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

Cucumber Salad

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups english cucumbers (seedless), halved lengthwise, sliced into 1/4" thick half-moons.
1/2 cup red onions, slivered
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 T jalapeno, seeded and minced

Whisk sugar, vinegar and salt together in large bowl. Add cucumber, onion, cilantro and jalapeno; toss well to coat and chill.

Fresh Corn Salad

1/2 cup light italian salad dressing
2 T dijon mustard
4 medium ears of corn, cooked and cooled slightly
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 1" lengths
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Mix dressing and mustard until well blended.

Cut off the kernels from the ears of corn. Add corn to dressing mixture and mix well. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Tastes even better if you roast or grill the corn.

Vegetable Chunk Salad

1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 large red or green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 European (seedless) cucumber, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 ribs celery, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 yellow squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 T to 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
Coarse salt and pepper

Combine chopped vegetables in a medium bowl. Place oil, vinegar, sugar and italian seasoning in a small plastic container with a lid. Secure lid and shake dressing vigorously for 1 minute. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Season salad with salt and pepper to taste.

Fruit Salad

4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend, set aside.

Slice (if necessary) and place into bowl:
Bananas
Strawberries
Cherries
Blueberries
Mandarin Oranges
Whatever's fresh and sounds good.

Add some of the cream cheese mixture to make a light sauce with the fruit juices. Top with shredded coconut if desired.

Texas Caviar

1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (remove seeds and veins to control heat)
1 T minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 8-oz bottle zesty italian salad dressing (Ken's is good)
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 15-oz can black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, mix everything together except the cilantro. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Toss with desired amount of fresh cilantro to serve.

Bowties with Salmon and Roquefort

1 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp sage
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lb. bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
1 lb. salmon fillet
1/2 lemon
3 or more oz. blue cheese crumbles
3 T. toasted pine nuts or walnuts

Broil salmon with lemon juice 4" from broiler until flaky. In small saucepan, put oil, garlic and sage, and cook for 30 seconds. Add broth and wine. Season with pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Thicken with cornstarch if necessary.

Cook pasta and drain.

Place pasta in large bowl; pour sauce over top. Place flaked salmon, nuts and cheese on top, then toss gently. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a salad.

Judd's Cole Slaw

1 head red or green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned
2 chayote squash, julienned

Dressing:

2 T. fresh chopped dill
2 T. whole grain mustard
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
2 T. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine dressing ingredients and toss with vegetables. This is the BEST cole slaw I've ever tasted.