Sliced Sirloin Fajita Salad

Dressing:
1 T. Dijon Mustard
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1 t. chili powder
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground red pepper
3/4 c. olive oil
Whisk all until thick.  Chill until ready to use

Salad:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless sirloin steak

1 head of leafy green lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1 large vidalia onion, thinly sliced
 Corn 2 ears of corn, cooked
6 oz. Roasted Red Bell Peppers, drained and sliced
8 8-inch Tortillas
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. lite sour cream
1 c. guacamole
1 c. shredded mexican cheese blend


Brush steak with 2 T. of prepared dressing.  Grill steak to desired temperature.  Thinly slice against the grain.

Mix lettuce, onion, corn peppers and steak with prepared dressing.

Top each tortilla with 1 c. of salad mix.  Top with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, guacamole and cheese.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

1/3 c. olive oil
2 t. white wine vinegar
2 t. whole grain mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper

2 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 large vidalia onion cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 Romaine Lettuce hearts, chopped into bite size pieces

 parmesan cheese, shredded
In small bowl, whisk together 1/4 c. oil  and next 4 ingredients.  Cover and Chill.

Brush remaining oil on sliced veggies.  Grill 1-2 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, put Romaine in large serving bowl.  Remove veggies from grill and let cool slightly and add to Romaine.  Add dressing and toss gently to coat.  Top with shredded parmesan.

Caprese Salad

Our garden is in full production mode right now!  We're loving all our fresh veggies straight out of our backyard.  The challenge; however, continues to come up with new ways to eat said veggies (especially the tomatoes).  I made this yummy side tonight.


2 large fresh tomatoes cut into 4 slices each

6 oz. fresh mozzerella, cut into 8 slices

8 large basil leaves

olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Layer tomato, cheese and basil alternately in a circle on a serving dish.  Drizzle with oil, vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. 

Steak Salad

8oz. top sirloin steak
Grill Steak Seasoning
Mushrooms:
1 1/2 c. sliced portobello mushrooms
2 T. butter
1 T. chicken broth
salt and pepper

Salad:
4 cups mixed salad greens and spinach
2/3 c. thinly sliced cucumber
Whole black olives
1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
Balsamic Viniagrette

Rub Steak with grill seasoning and grill to desired doneness.

In a small skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until golden brown.  Add broth and cook 1-2 minutes until liquid is evaporated.  Set aside and keep warm.

Mix salad vegetables and toss with viniagrette.  Divide between 2 plates.  Top each with half of the steak and mushrooms.

Asian Slaw

Another variation...

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 T. honey
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 t. ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all and refrigerate overnight.

2 bags of coleslaw
1 bunch of green onions thinly sliced
2 t. sesame seeds lightly toasted

Basic Chicken Salad

I know I have a couple of Chicken Salad Recipes, but this one is pretty basic and a good easy one.

I poach 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for about 20 minutes in simmering water, celery ends (that I take from dicing up my celery) some onion powder and salt and pepper. Then I cool.

Meanwhile I finely chop celery to equal 1 cup. I add about 1/2 c. of slivered almonds, about 1/4 cup of quartered purple grapes (or halves depending on the size of grapes) 1/2 t. salt and a few grinds of fresh cracked black pepper.

I process my chicken in the food processor until finely chopped. I add it to the mix and add enough mayo to combine all.

Chicken Salad

Tonight we had the spicy lime chicken reheated with pepperjack cheese. We served it over shredded iceberg lettuce with lots of guacamole. On the side is lime cilantro hummus w/pita chips.

Asian Slaw

Oriental Slaw

2 pkgs Ramon noodles - break up (discard flavor packet)

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Melt 1 stick of butter and brown above - do it on low so it won't burn - Cool

1 cup salad oil

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

3 T. soy sauce

Bring to boil and simmer until sugar dissolves, cool.

Mix two packages shredded cabbage with above. (I mix cabbage and noodles, first then add dressing at serving time. Usually after initial serving there is enough dressing in the bottom to add a third package of the cabbage.

Salad with Roasted Beets

Just Delicious...


Mixed Salad Greens
Roasted Beets (recipe follows)
1 Orange, peeled and sctiond
Thinly sliced red onion
Chopped Walnuts
Orange Vinaigrette (recipe follows)


Roasted Beets
Take 4 Beets (mine were smaller) and cut into 6 wedges each. Toss with olive oil and salt and wrap up in foil. Bake at 400* for 45 minutes.



Orange Vinaigrette
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
3T. fresh orange juice
2 t. dijon mustard
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk all together. Drizzle over salad

Southwestern Chili-Mac Salad

A revamped cheeseburger macaroni for summer! I was a little hesitant while making it and tasting the dressing, but we loved it.


Southwestern Chili-Mac Salad from Every Day with Rachel Ray

1/3 c. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. coarsely chopped cilantro
7 T. Olive Oil
salt and pepper
4 ears of corn
2 c. Elbow macaroni
1 red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack

In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and cilantro; whisk in 6 T. of olive oil. Season wiht salt and pepper.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the corn for 3 minutes or until tender; transfer to a cutting board. Return water to a boil and add the pasta and cook according to directions; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Cut the corn off the cob and add to pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 T of olive oil over med high heat. Add half of the chopped onion and chili powder and cook until onion begins to soften. Add the ground beef and cook stirring frequently,until lightly browned. Add the beef mixture to the pasta. Add the beans, tomatoes, sliced onion and vinaigrette and toss to dress. Top with cheese

Chicken Salad

A new and yummy chicken salad. I will definitely add this into my rotation of chicken salad in the summer when my herbs are nice and fresh!


4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
3/4 c. finely chopped celery
3 green onions, finely chopped
3/4 c. walnuts, chopped
Fresh Basil (I used about 10 larger leaves, rolled up and thinly sliced)
Fresh Parsley (about 1 1/2 T. after it was finely chopped)
1/4 c. sour cream
3/4 c. mayo (more or less to get to the consistency you like - I like a little drier)

I served on mini pita bread with green lettuce leaves.

Pasta Salad

I love it in the summer time and will share several variations over the next couple of months!

8oz Penne, cooked
2 peeled, seeded and chopped Roma Tomatoes
1 peeled, seeded and chopped Cucumber
1/2 purple onion, finely diced
1 6oz can whole black olives

1 bottle of Italian dressing

1 large spoonful of mayo (optional)

1 8oz block of mozzerella cheese, cubed (optional)

Mix all. Save a little Italian for later as the pasta can absorb a lot of the dressing. I use the mayo to thicken the dressing, but probably wouldn't if it was going to be sitting out. I like it better without the cheese, Alan likes it better with so I mix it up for us.

This is really good with grilled chicken.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

A yummy side for summer BBQ's


LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD

3/4 c. sour cream
3/4 c. mayo
8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 c. red onion, finely chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
6 medium baking potatoes, baked, cooled, peeled and chopped
1/2 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Combine 1st ingredients and refrigerate 4-6 hours. Add green onions and cheese before serving.

Roasted Corn Salad

I made this last summer and will make it again now that we are grilling more. Also, speaking of grilling - This summer Alan, Dad and Jeff will be participating in several BBQ competitions around the state. You can keep up with their adventures here.

I will also get to participate in some as there is a dessert category for several competitions. I have come up with several ideas, but since my oven is broken - I have yet to try any of these.

Anyways here is the recipe.

Dressing:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 T. red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves
1/2 t. salt

Mix all and set aside.

Combine 1 T. vegetable oil with 16oz. of frozen corn. Broil about 10 minutes.

While broiling, chop, seed and peel 1 cucumber, 2 Roma tomatoes, and 2 avocados.
Combine vegetables and toss with dressing.

Broccoli Salad

Since we are having such a pretty day, we thought we'd grill some burgers and make some broccoli salad for our side dish.


Broccoli Salad
2 bunches of broccoli flowerets
1/2 of small red onion, finely diced
1/2 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Combine all and toss with dressing

Dressing
1 c. mayo
2 T. cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
Mix well.

I think it's better to make the salad ahead of time, although it isn't necessary. Also, I usually add sunflower seeds to it, but I was out and the recipe doesn't call for it.