Bowtie Spinach Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
8 oz. Bowtie pasta, boiled until tender
Rotisserie Chicken
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts
6oz. craisins
10oz. spinach

Dressing
1/2 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup white whine vinegar 
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Whisk all dressing ingredients together

Combine all ingredients for salad when ready to serve .
Dress with salad dressing.  Serve immediately.

Recipe slightly adapted and Photo from Real Mom Kitchen

Rate It!
Jen: 8.5
Kile: 6
Kiley: 7
Madee: 8
Destrie: 8

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

1 package baby spinach 4 c. sliced strawberries 2 chicken breasts-cooked and sliced shredded mozarella cheese candied almonds-(heat almond slices in a pan with white sugar and 1 Tbsp. water)  Heat until toasted, then remove from heat.) Dressing 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

1.

In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, strawberries, chicken, cheese, and almonds.

2.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds.  Pour dressing over salad. Or, just set out ingredients, and let everyone make their own salad. *This dressing does best stored in an airtight container on the counter-not in the fridge. Rate It! Jen: 10 Kile: I liked this and I don't like oil and vinegar dressings!! Yum! Kiley: Madee: Destrie: Ate the salad without dressing!  Dipped his spinach in ranch dressing! Loved the spinach!

Ramen Noodle Salad

 Recipe and Photo found on Pinterest.



 Ingredients:

1 pkg of cole slaw mix
2 pkgs of chicken ramen noodles (could also use beef)
4 ozs of sliced almonds
6 ozs of sunflower seeds
3 green onions chopped

Dressing for the salad:
1/2 cup of oil
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbls of vinegar
2 chicken packets that came with the noodles

Directions:
Mix the ramen noodles, almonds sunflower seeds, and green onions together. Then add the slaw.
In another bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad mix and toss.
Best served 1/2 hour after mixing it up.

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile: 8
Kiley: 7
Madee: 8
Destrie: 5

Summer Chicken Salad

 Recipe and Photo from: The Pioneer Woman
 

Ingredients
Salad:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling
4 ears fresh corn (or use 2 if on the large side)
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill, plus more for serving
3 stalks celery (inner light green stalks and leaves), finely diced
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Dressing:
3/4 cup crumbled feta, plus more for serving
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
For the salad: Put the chicken breasts into a large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4-inch uniform thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a grill and drizzle with the olive oil. Grill the chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Set aside to cool.

Grill the corn for a few minutes, until still crunchy but colored. With a very sharp knife, shave the kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the dill, celery and onions in a large bowl. Set aside.

For the dressing: Mix together the feta, half-and-half, mayonnaise and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Stir, and then taste. Add more salt if necessary.

Slice the chicken on the bias to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into the bowl with the celery, onions and corn. Stir to combine. Pour half of the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don't overcoat the salad; it should be light! At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing.

Forgot to get Ratings.....
*Everyone ate it with no complaints...it was really good !

Bacon Cheddar and Ranch Potato Salad

Recipe and photo from Jamie Cooks It Up!

8 large russet potatoes
1 (16 ounce) package bacon
1 C mayonnaise
1 C sour cream
2 (1 ounce) packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
1 C celery, chopped
1/4 C green onions
1 C cheddar cheese

1. Grab 8 large russet potatoes. Wash and peel them.
2. Chop them up into pieces that are relatively similar and toss them into a large pot. Run cold water over the potatoes and then drain the water off. Fill the pot with hot water and set it on the stove top.
3. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. When you have a nice rolling boil, lower the temperature to medium high and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender.
4. Cook the bacon, either on the stove top or in your oven.
5. Dump the potatoes and hot water into a colander you have placed in your sink. Run cold water over the top to cool the potatoes down, then pour them into a large mixing bowl.
6. Into a small mixing bowl place 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup of sour cream and 2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix. Stir everything around to combine well.
7. Wash and chop about 1 cup of celery. Add it to the potatoes.
8. Chop up a little more than 1/4 cup of green onions. Add 1/4 to the potatoes and reserve some to sprinkle on top.
9. Take  bacon and crumble it up into small pieces. Save a handful to sprinkle on the top of the salad before you serve. Put the rest of the bacon along with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese into the mixing bowl.
10. Pour the Ranch/Mayo mixture over the top and stir it all in, making sure everything is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
11. Just before serving add a few chopped green onions, a bit of bacon and a little cheddar cheese over the top.

* This was really good!  I loved the "Ranch" taste.  My kids don't love potato salad, so I didn't ask for ratings from them.  Kile liked it, but wanted the green onions left out- he's weird like that....just kidding!  I highly recommend it for a different twist on Potato Salad.

Sticky Chicken Salad

This recipe and photo is from my brother, Kelly Godfrey

Make a batch of Sticky Chicken....but double the sauce.

For this variation add to the sauce, an extra Tablespoon of Vinegar, Red Pepper Flakes (to taste), an extra 1/2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce and a pinch of Ground Red Pepper


Serve chicken and extra sauce on salad made with red leaf lettuce, mandarin oranges, La Choy Chinese noodles, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Serve with a side of rice with sauce on top.

Rate It!
Jen: 9
Kile: 7.5
Kiley: 8
Madee: 8.5
Destrie: 8

Mandarin Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

SPINACH SALAD
1 head lettuce
1 bunch spinach
3/4 lb. sliced mushrooms
3/4 lb. grated Swiss or Mozzarella Cheese
1 red onion
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 Tbsp. sugar



DRESSING
3/4 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/3 Cup White vinegar
3/4 cup oil (Crisco, canola or olive oil)
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. grated onion
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. mustard

*I add onion rings to the dressing… so that it flavors it, then I remove the rings.

Directions:
Cook sugar and almonds over low heat until light brown.
Mix first 5 ingredients; sprinkle almonds, bacon.
Add oranges when ready to serve.
Serve with Poppy seed dressing.

Recipe from: Get Off Your Butt and Bake

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile:
Kiley: 6
Madee: 8
Destrie: didn't have any

Chicken Napa Salad

Recipe and photo from Your Homebased Mom

Crunchy Topping:
1 pkg. chicken flavored ramen noodles
1/4 C butter
1/2 C sesame seeds
1/2 C blanched slivered almonds

Break up the noodles and combine them sesame seeds and slivered almonds in a frying pan add butter and toast them until they are golden brown. Be sure to stir frequently so they don’t burn. Add ramen seasoning packet and set aside to cool.

Salad:
1 lg head of napa cabbage, shredded
6 green onions, chopped
chicken-cooked and shredded
Put these ingredients in a serving bowl.

Dressing:
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C white wine or regular white vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/8 C sugar
Stir ingredients to combine. Put dressing in fridge.

Rate It!
*I take back what I previously said about this dressing. But, I do want to say this...make the dressing a day before you want to serve it. When I had this salad several days later, I LOVED the dressing and so did Madee. It tasted alot like the dressing serving served at Takara.

Jen: 8
Kile: 6.5
Kiley: 7.5
Madee: 8
Destrie: not good

Rotini Pasta Salad

• 36  ounces  Rotini Pasta
• 1 1/2cups Italian salad dressing
•  1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups chopped fresh cauliflower
• 3 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup Hormel Real Bacon Bits

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.  Mix Italian salad dressing, mayo, salt and pepper until combined.  Add mixture to pasta. Add remainder of ingredients and stir to combine.

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile: 7.5
Kiley: 7
Madee: 8.5
Destrie: didn't have any

Potato Salad

Recipe and Photo from Family Favorite Recipes

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes

6 eggs, hard boiled

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. Mayo

1/2 c. sour cream

2 Tbsp. sugar

mustard, to taste 

 5 to 6 diced baby dill pickles

Boil potatoes (do not peel) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Peel and dice potatoes AND eggs. Add salt and pepper and toss. Mix remaining ingredients separately and fold into potato mixture. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 6-8 hours).

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile: 8.5
Kiley: didn't have any
Madee: didn't have any
Destrie: didn't have any

Cookie Salad

Ingredients:
2 c. buttermilk
12 oz Cool Whip
2 small packages vanilla instant pudding
1 large can pineapple tidbits-drained
2 small cans mandarin oranges-drained
1 package fudge stripe cookies

Directions:
Whip together buttermilk, Cool Whip, and pudding.  Add pineapple and mandarin oranges.  Mix all ingredients well. Chill for 4 -5 hours.  Before serving-crush cookies and add to salad.

*Recipe adapted slightly from a ward cook book-Submitted by Kim Carling

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile: 8
Kiley: 7.5
Madee: 7.5
Destrie: didn't have any

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

*Recipe  adapted slightly  from a ward cook book

Salad:
1 head cauliflower-cut in to bite size pieces
1 bunch broccoli-cut in to bite size pieces
3/4 cup Hormel Real Bacon Bits
1 bunch green onions-thinly sliced
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup cashews
Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar

Mix salad ingredients together.  Mix dressing ingredients.  Pour over salad.  Stir to combine.

Rate It!
Jen: 9
Kile: 8.5
Kiley: 9
Madee:9
Destrie: didn't have any

Chinese Chicken Salad

This recipe came from Make It and Love It- who did a guest post on Our Best Bites.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (grilled and chopped)
1/2 head of lettuce
2 stalks of celery
1 stalk of green onion
2 8 oz. cans of mandarin oranges
1 8 oz. can of water chestnuts
4 oz. of slivered or sliced almonds
1/2 cup of sugar

Dressing:
1 cup of canola oil
2/3 cup rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
Heat almonds and sugar at medium heat in a small pan. Stir continuously until the sugar has heated through and coated the almonds with a nice caramelized coating. (Don't worry if the sugar gets all clumpy and seems to not be working. Just keep stirring.....it will melt.) Then spread over foil and let cool completely. Chop up all of the remaining salad ingredients and mix together in bowl. In a cruet, mix in all the ingredients for the dressing. Shake until completely blended. The dressing isn't soluble so you'll have to shake again right before pouring over your salad.

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile: 6.5
Kiley: 8
Madee: 7.5
Destrie:-he wouldn't have any

Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

 Ingredients:
16 oz. Package Bow Tie Pasta
2 cups cooked diced chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 1/2 cups broccoli cut in bite size pieces
1 cucumber peeled and diced in bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups purple grapes halved
1 jar Briannas Poppy Seed Dressing
Directions:
Cook Pasta according to package directions. Drain. Combine all ingredients.

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile: 7
Kiley: 8
Madee: 7
Destrie: Not Good

Happy Salad

 Recipe and Photo from The Meaning of Pie
 This recipe is originally called "Detox" Salad, but the blog I got it from decided to change the name to "Happy" salad.  Detox implies that someone has been unhealthy and needs some improvement-she felt Happy salad just sounded more fun!!

Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled
¼ to 1/3 of a head of green cabbage
5 green onions, sliced, white and light green parts only
1 crown of broccoli (one big cluster of florets…not the big giant head)
3 Tablesoons maple syrup
2-3 teaspoons fresh grated or minced ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 teaspoons lemon zest
Juice from ½ a lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup sunflower seed kernels, or to taste
Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor pulse the cabbage until it is a very fine chop. Remove the cabbage to a large bowl. Process the carrots until they are chopped very fine and remove them to the same bowl. Process the broccoli until it is chopped very fine and remove it to the bowl containing the cabbage and carrots. Throw in the sliced green onions.
In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, ginger, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk the dressing thoroughly and add it to the bowl containing the vegetables. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top.
Rate It!
We all agreed that the ginger should be left out next we made this.  No one here is a fan of ginger.  For a healthy side dish, this was ok.  But, as Kiley and I discussed- healthy food is never good!!!
Jen: 6
Kile: 6.5
Kiley: 6
Madee: 6
Destrie: not good

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

Recipe and photo from Jamie Cooks it Up

Salad:

2 bags Spring Mix lettuce

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 bunch green onions

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 red pepper, chopped

2 C cheddar cheese

1 lime

1 bag corn chips

4 chicken breasts

1/2 C BBQ sauce-I used Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce-sooo good.

Dressing:

1 1/2 C ranch dressing
3/4 c BBQ sauce

1. Put chicken into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour your BBQ sauce over the top. Bake at 400 for about 25-30 minutes. When it has cooled, chop it into 1 inch pieces.

2. Chop up your lettuce greens, cilantro, and green onion and place in a large bowl.

3. Add your corn, beans, and chopped red pepper to the salad greens. Add your chicken, chips, cheese, and squirt your lime all over the top.

4. Mix the dressing ingredients together.
5. Serve salad with dressing.

Rate It!
Jen: 9
Kile: 7.5
Kiley:not home
Madee: 8
Destrie:doesn't like lettuce

Marinated Zucchini Salad

This recipe and photo came from theReal Mom Kitchen Blog.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 small zucchini, cut into half moon slices about 1/2 inch thick (or bite sized pieces)
• 1 can large pitted black olives, drained very well
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained very well
• 1 red pepper chopped into bite-sized piece
  
• 1 red onion chopped into bite-sized pieces

Dressing:

• 1 cup Italian dressing
  
• juice of half lemon (2 T)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese
• 1 T dried basil (or use 2 T basil pesto or 3 T. chopped fresh basil)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano

Optional: additional 1/4 cup grated parmesan to sprinkle over salad just before serving

1. Cut zucchini into quarter slices or bite sized pieces.
   
2. Steam zucchini until barely tender/crisp, about 3 minutes.
   
3. While zucchini is cooking, open olives and artichoke hearts and dump into a colander to drain well. (Draining the zucchini and olives well is essential or the finished salad will be watery.)
4. Chop the red bell pepper and red onion into bite-sized pieces.
5. Combine zucchini, olives, artichoke hearts, red pepper and red onion in plastic or glass container with a lid (or use a Ziploc bag.)
6. Pour dressing over, just enough to cover veggies, and stir gently. (use part of the dressing to marinate the veggies and then stir in a little more dressing when I serve it.)
7. Marinate in refrigerator 4-8 hours. Turn it over once in a while to keep the vegetables covered with dressing. Just before serving stir in a little of the reserved dressing. Sprinkle the salad with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese when serving if desired.

Rate It!
Jen: 7
* No One else at my house liked this

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

Contributed by: Chris from RecipesNow.com

Ingredients:

* Dressing-(I think I would double this recipe next time.)

6 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoon white vinegar
8 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Blend together all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl with an electric mixer. Put dressing in refrigerator to chill while you prepare the salad.

*Salad
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups red cabbage
2 cup nappa cabbage
1 carrot, julienned
2 green onions, chopped

Combine in a bowl and set aside


*Chicken

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
*Combine egg and milk and stir to combine

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
*Stir together in a bowl

2 lbs chicken tenders -cut in to bite size pieces
*Dip in milk/egg mixture.
*Dip in flour/cornflake mixture

Fry in 2 cups vegetable oil until done. When cooked, set on a paper towel lined plate to absorb grease.

Serve chicken on top of salad. Add sliced almonds and chow mein noodles. Pour on dressing

Rate It!
Jen: 9
Kile: 7.5
Kiley: 7.5
Madee: 8.5
Destrie: Good

Strawberry Cashew Salad

*Recipe from Our Family Treat blog

Ingredients:
Salad:
1 package of spinach
1 package of spring mix salad
2 chicken breasts, shredded
10 strawberries, sliced
1 avocado, cut into chunks
(I forgot to buy avocado so mine was missing this.)
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Mix together the spinach and spring mix. Then layer chicken, strawberries, avocado and cheese.

Candied Cashews:
8 oz can of cashews
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar

Melt the butter and sugar. Then add cashews. Coat well and pour onto wax paper to let cool. Then top on your salad.

Dressing:
2/3 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons onion flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Mix together well. Dress salad right before serving.

Rate It!
Jen: 9
Kile: 7
Kiley: 7
(Kiley has never liked salad and said this is the best she has ever had!)
Madee: 7.5
Destrie: good-
(He ate all ingredients except the lettuce-he says he's allergic to lettuce!)

Chicken and Bacon Salad

6 cups lettuce
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cans white chunk chicken
5 slices Bacon cooked and crumbled-we used real hormel bacon bits
1/2 cup fat free red wine vinaigrette

*We also added peas and cauliflower from our garden, along with some shredded parmesan cheese

Toss all ingredients (except dressing). When ready to serve add dressing and lightly toss.

Rate It!
Jen:8
Kile:7
Kiley:5(does not like lettuce)
Madee:9
Destrie:ok