Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 head romaine lettuce

3 lb. Tomatoes diced

1 can olives, drained & sliced

2 can corn, drained

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 bottle salsa ranch dressing (or add jar of salsa to ranch dressing and sugar)

3 limes -sliced into quarters to squeeze over salad (I don't usually have these on hand to add)

1 package Mexican shredded cheese

4 chicken breasts, grilled & seasoned & sliced into strips (season with fajita seasoning before grilling)

tortilla strips or tortilla chips slightly crushed

Grill chicken and season to taste, then slice into thin strips. Throw together in a large bowl the following: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, prepped olives, drained corn, rinsed & drained black beans. Toss ingredients. Add chicken breasts and shredded cheese into the salad and toss. Top with tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips. Pour dressing on top. Serve with a side of lime for those who wish to drizzle it over salad.

This makes a lot of salad—I usually half the recipe for our family

Spicy black bean quinoa salad

In a medium/large bowl, prepare dressing.  Toss in salad ingredients, chill before serving.  Makes about 8 side servings.





 Salad
1-2 c. quinoa, cooked and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cups corn (or 1 bag frozen)
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno OR 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
1/4 fresh coriander OR 1/8 cup dried

Dressing
3 small limes, juiced
1 t. cumin (optional)
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Let's Dish Recipes
Ingredients
Salad:
2 C cooked, cooled quinoa (approximately 1 C raw will equal about 2 C cooked)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 C frozen corn, thawed
1/2 C chopped red bell pepper
1/4 C chopped red onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp lime juice

Directions:
Combine the ingredients for the salad in a medium bowl and toss together.  In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Pour over salad and mix well.  Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.  Great with tortilla chips or in a wrap also!

Notes:
I toasted the quinoa in a pan and then rinsed it well before cooking and it was delicious!

Marinated Vegetable Salad

I made this for the Wayne Eng Family Reunion that took place in Branson, MO last summer.  Everyone asked for the recipe! They always do!

Marinated Vegetable Salad

1 can (15 oz.) Le Sueur Peas
1 can (15 oz.) "Shoe Peg" corn
1 can (15 oz.) French Style green beans, chopped
1 small jar chopped pimento
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 extra light tasting olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder

Drain and mix together the first 4 ingredients. Add the next 4 ingredients.

Heat together the sugar, vinegar and oil until the sugar dissolves. Add garlic powder. Pour the heated mixture over the vegetables. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator over night. Good as a salad or served with tortilla or pita chips as a dip.

Crunchy Apple & Cabbage Salad

So, you're saying we've got less than a month to crank out these recipes?!

I'm on it!

Crunchy Apple & Cabbage Salad
1 bag of Tri-Color Slaw

2 medium apples, julienned

2 handfuls (1-ish cup)dried cranberries 

8 oz bag of chopped pecans, toasted

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

2-3 cups shredded chicken (Cubed would work too.)

Pile all the ingredients into a bowl and hand toss it to mix.

Dressing:

1/2 cup cider vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

8 tbsp honey or agave nectar (depending on the sweetness you prefer)

6 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix the dressing and reserve. We add the dressing individually to each bowl, but you could toss it all in. 

This is just plain delicious.