Chicken Salad

Mel's chicken salad-to be exact. Because no one else's recipe quite compares.

First, make yourself a batch of Tony's seasoning, hold the MSG please, to have on hand for dozens of batches of chicken salad.

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

-Just a little less than 1 cup of sea salt
-1 Tbs. ground red pepper
-2 tsp. black pepper
-1/2 Tbs. garlic powder
-1/2 Tbs. chili powder

Combine spices in a mason jar. Put the lid on. Shake it all about. Store in pantry to season meats, eggs, and other dishes.

Chicken Salad:

-1 whole YWF chicken, cooked on low in a crockpot for 6-8 hours with s&p only (depending on the size) and shredded.
-1 batch of Clothes Make the Girl Mayo (be sure to follow her directions exactly on the light olive oil and room temp ingredients.)
-grapes, washed and halved
-pecans, chopped
-creole seasoning, to taste (start with a little, adding more as needed)

Combine above ingredients and store in the fridge for a few hours. Serve on a bed of spinach. Behold the wonder.

Strawberry Summer Salad

My dear mother came up with this salad when I was "vacationing" at her house-- a "vacation" from cooking and cleaning my own. I never would have thought a strawberry-avocado combo could taste so good, but I think it's the blue cheese that brings it together just right. This is refreshingly light and tasty dinner salad...perfect for when the Texas heat reaches 108 unbearable degrees. Or even when it doesn't.

Strawberry Summer Salad
Chicken (I like this recipe.)
Romaine
Raw Blue Cheese (There's nothing quite like raw blue cheese.)
Avocado
Strawberries
Red Onion

With a bit of
Maple Dressing:
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon italian seasonings
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 cup olive oil

Crazy Caprese Salad

Thanks, Aunt Rachel, for sharing this recipe a few years ago!

Caprese Salad, or "crazy salad", as McKlayne calls it, is the perfect summer side.  I'm sorry that I don't give you the exact measurements. I used to hate cooks like me...but this is all from memory, and depending on the size of the group I'm making it for, it often varies, so here goes:

Tomatoes, diced

Feta or Fresh Mozzarella cheese (both are really great, but I hardly ever have fresh mozzarella...and it's more work to cut up...so on a special occasion I use the real thing.)

Red Onion, diced

Basil, chopped

Dressing: (A little goes a long way, so start small and add more.)

1:2 of olive oil to balsamic vinegar 

Salt & Pepper

Carnitas Ensalda

Sometimes we'll have leftover pork from making this recipe.  And, if we do, Charlie and I really enjoy eating this for lunch.

Shredded Lettuce (this happened to be iceberg, but we'll use whatever we have on hand)

Tomatoes

Red Onion

Sour Cream (optional)

Salsa

Guacamole

Carnitas

Mix it all together and squeeze some lime juice over the top.

Artichoke Pesto Salad

Another salad variation to try:

Mixed Greens

Feta

Red Onion

Bell Pepper

Tomatoes

Avocado

Lemon & Cilantro Artichoke Pesto

Maple Dressing:

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon italian seasonings

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup

3/4 cup olive oil

Lemon & Cilantro Artichoke Pesto

This may not photograph the best but it is a great addition to salads, lunchmeat wraps or makes a great "dip" for veggies.  

It's all done in the food processor:

1 can of whole artichoke hearts, drained (14oz) 

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

2 Tbs fresh cilantro (just pinch a little off...a little goes a long way)

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

 Pulse it just a bit...I like mine still a little chunky.

Apple Walnut Salad

This is a super simple salad packed with flavor and great when you're low on ingredients:

Apple Pecan Salad

Mixed greens

1/2 red onion, chopped (or 3 green onions)

Feta Cheese

1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped

Walnuts

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. spicy mustard

½ tsp. garlic

Salt & pepper to taste

Sweet Italian Salad

This is served great next to an "Italian-ish" dish...or not.

Sweet Italian Salad:
Romaine lettuce
Cherry Tomatoes
Salami
Bellpeppers
Sliced almonds
Parmesan Cheese

In a large bowl toss it all together.

Dressing:
¼ cup coconut palm sugar or maple dressing
1 tsp. dried minced onion (or onion powder)
1 tsp. poppy seed
A  few dashes of paprika
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil

…Then shake it all about!!

Cobb Salad

Trust me, okay? This, again, tastes better than the photo looks. I think I've eaten this salad for a week straight for lunch, it's that good.

Cobb Salad:

Mixed Greens

Hard Boiled Egg

Bacon

Feta Cheese

Tomatoes

Red Onion
Avocado

(sometimes I'll add chicken, steak or ham if this is our main course for dinner)

Green Sauce dressing done in a food processor:

Green Sauce:

1 lb. tomatillos 

1 avocado

1 jalapeno pepper 

1/3 bunch cilantro

1/4 of onion

1 garlic clove

1 tsp. salt

This green sauce is SO good that I have just eaten with a spoon before. Also a great addition to lunchmeat wraps or a great dip for carrots. Asher also loves it on his eggs in the morning.

Greek Salad

Greek Salad:

Mixed Greens or Romaine

Red Onion

Feta

Black or Kalamata Olives (or this makes it even better http://www.formerchef.com/2010/10/18/three-olive-tapenade-plus-how-to-roast-a-pepper/)

Cherry Tomatoes

Pepperoni

Green Pepper or Banana Peppers

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-1/4 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• 2/3 cup red wine vinegar

Cashew Cherry Salad

Spinach or Mixed Greens
Cashews
Dried Tart Cherries (or cranberries, I just can't find any without sugar)
Red Onion 
Avocado
Feta or Parmesan

(This will make a jar full but it will keep well in the fridge for a while.)

Maple Dressing:

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon italian seasonings
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar,
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 cup olive oil