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Green Apple, Avocado and Chicken Salad with a Honey Lime Cilantro Dressing

Fall is definitely in the air as we woke this morning to temperatures of 56 degrees.

But, I love the Fall!

For me, it's a great time of year with the colorful foliage, cool days with warm breezes, and the big 3...Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

To savor the last few weeks of summer, we made a wonderfully delicious salad for dinner that have touches of summer and Fall namely, the last of our garden's cherry tomatoes and cilantro and some freshly picked granny apples from one of the local area farms.

Back a few months ago when I was traveling with my son, looking at colleges, I enjoyed a salad similar to this. When I came home, I was able to create the salad dressing and then added the original salad ingredients plus a few of my own. You could probably call this a "throw in the kitchen sink" salad as you can add some of your favorites also.

Most of the salads we enjoy have the balance of good greens, a meat or protein, vegetables, fruits, cheese, nuts and a dressing that ROCKS! That's probably why we order so many salads at restaurants and don't necessarily recreate them at home.

So to that balance, I give you a Chicken Salad with Green Apples and Avocados and a Honey Lime Cilantro Dressing. (The Honey Lime Cilantro dressing ROCKS!) This is easy to put together and allowed my family to mix and match what they liked into the salad. Rotisserie chicken, apples, avocados, dried cranberries, sugared walnuts and crumbled goat cheese, were the products of choice so I let them mix and match to their likings. Think of the endless possibilities if you added strawberries, grapes, oranges, feta cheese, sliced almonds, celery, carrots...find your flavors and mix away.

What is your favorite ingredients in a salad? And what kind of salad dressing makes it all come together?

Ingredients

Salad

1 - 2-3 lb. rotisserie chicken, chopped or torn into bite size pieces

1- 12 ounce container of baby spring mix greens

2 avocados, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 green apples, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 package of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1- 6 ounce container of crumbled goat cheese

1 package of dried cranberries (Craisins)

1 package of sugared walnuts

Dressing

4 tablespoons of honey

Juice of 2 freshly squeezed limes

1 tablespoon of lime rind

3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place greens into individual bowls, add chicken, apples, avocado, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, goat cheese and sugared walnuts. Add a few tablespoons of dressing to cover the mixture. This salad can feed 4-6 people.

 

Epicurious' Shaved Summer Squash Salad

 

Our garden is pushing out more yellow squash and zucchini than we know what to do. We have been shredding some for zucchini bread and others we have grilled or cooked on the stove with butter and fresh herbs. No matter how you slice it...fresh vegetables from the garden are delicious.

The other day, I found this recipe in Epicurious, it is called Shaved Summer Squash Salad. You serve it cold and it is easy to make and perfect on a hot summer night. Crunchy and tart. The lemon dressing with toasted almonds brings out the freshness of the squashes.

We served it as a side salad with steak and potatoes and it was perfect. Just the right balance for food off the grill.

If you have too many summer squash and zucchini and you don't know what to do with them, slice them up and serve them cold. A wonderful side dish for any meal.

Ingredients:
 
3 tablespoons of whole almonds
1 pound of summer squash (a mix of green and yellow)
2 1/2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 minced clove of garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
 
Preparation:

Roast almonds until slightly golden and coarsely crush. Meanwhile, trim the ends off summer squash. Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the squash lengthwise into strips and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, and kosher salt to taste. Pour dressing over squash. Let stand for a few minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with the crushed almonds.

Greek Pasta Salad

 

With all the fresh vegetables coming from our garden, I love putting together healthy, delicious meals. For the past few years, I have been making a Greek pasta salad that has been a hit at a few of our summer cookouts. Based on the concept of a Greek Salad, I try to incorporate the ingredients with pasta rather than lettuce greens.

I was able to use fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and oregano right from the garden. It gives the salad an amazing flavor and freshness. I also love the fact that I can add this to any type of pasta and always get the same results...no leftovers!

Try this as your next side dish whether for a cook-out or dinner, people will come back for seconds...and thirds, providing there is any left.

Ingredients:

1 pound of cooked pasta (according to directions), we used large rigatoni

1 pint of cherry tomatoes (cut in half)

1 large cucumber, remove seeds and cut into one inch cubes

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1 large red or green pepper, remove seeds and cut into one inch cubes

1 small can (4 ounces) of sliced olives, drained

1 container (6-8 ounces) of crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons of fresh oregano, chopped

1 bottle of Greek salad dressing, your choice

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and place into a large bowl. Add chopped vegetables, olives, feta and oregano. Add about one cup of Greek salad dressing. Add more if necessary to incorporate the pasta with the vegetables. Serve immediately or chill for 2 hours before serving (for best flavor). This will feed 4-6 people as a side dish, double the recipe for bigger crowds.

Taco Salad - A Cool and Easy Summer Salad

 
Taco Salad...it's really messy but it's really good.

A few years back my girlfriend, Carolyn, introduced our family to taco salad. It's one of those meals that you can really throw anything into and take out what you don't like. As we have become more adventurous with our cooking, more things get added into the salad to make this a delicious meal. It's a quick and easy salad that can be thrown together while the hamburger is cooking.

Feel free to add or subtract ingredients, depending on your taste. We enjoy the black bean, hamburger, red pepper combination, throw in a few spoonfuls of Killer Guacamole and it's like Mexican heaven.

I'll list out our favorite ingredients and let you decide.

 

Ingredients:

1 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped

2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 (15.5) ounce can of black beans, rinsed

1 red pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

4 scallions (green onions) chopped, both green and white

1 cup of shredded monterey jack cheese

2 small cans of sliced black olives, drained

1/2 bag of tortilla chips, slightly crushed in your hands

1 bottle of catalina dressing

1 pound of hamburger (we use 85%)

1 package of taco seasoning

(Other suggestions: chopped jalapeno, green pepper, chicken, celery, salsa, red onions...whatever you desire!)

 

Preparation:

1. Place ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat and cook until no longer pink. Drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning and prepare according to directions. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, place the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, black beans, red pepper, scallions, monterey jack cheese, and sliced olives. Mix together.

3. Add the hamburger mixture and tortilla chips.

4. Start with 1/2 the bottle of the catalina dressing and add just enough to cover the mixture or tastes to your likeness.

5. Add some Killer Guacamole (on the side). Enjoy!

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad - Eating Well

 
Since my daughter, Danielle, graduated from Keene State in May, she has been trying to get me to eat healthier. Most of you know me for having a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast. She was a health and wellness major studying food and nutrition so more healthy cooking will probably be in our future.

Since she gets home earlier than us, she has been cooking some of our meals. She had been craving quinoa but didn't have a recipe. She went on-line and found this dish at Eating Well called Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad. We had most of the ingredients and just needed the quinoa and mango. We doubled the recipe and it fed 5 people as a side dish with enough left for lunch the following day. The salad was easy to put together and tasted delicious with grilled chicken. The quinoa has a nutty taste and when it was mixed with the sweet red pepper and mango, not only was it colorful, but bursting with flavor. The fresh ginger, rice vinegar and sesame oil with the orange juice and scallions, dressed the salad nicely giving it an Asian flavor.

This is one of those side dishes that can be added to a quick dinner or great as a salad for a cook-out. It tastes great warm as well as cold.

1/2 cup quinoa, (see Note)

1 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 small mango, diced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Toast quinoa in a small dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly. Return the quinoa to the pot and add water. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add mango, bell pepper, beans and scallions; toss to coat.
3. When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the mango mixture and toss to combine.

Note:Quinoa, a delicately flavored grain, was a staple in the ancient Incas' diet. Toasting it before cooking enhances its flavor, and rinsing removes any residue of saponin, quinoa's natural, bitter protective covering.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon and Balsamic Vinaigrette

The other night, we were looking for a quick and easy salad to serve with our Herb Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce. (Recipe will follow this week.) We did a quick google search and came up with this wilted spinach salad recipe. It was offered through the What's Cooking America website.

We liked it because it had few ingredients, we were able to cook the bacon ahead of time, and the vinaigrette cook minutes to complete. Because we eat cold salads on a regular basis, we forget how good a warm salad tastes. With a little bit of red onion and chopped bacon, it was delicious. I wish the picture of the salad was better. Sometimes the kitchen lights at night are not conducive for picture taking.

If we were going to make this more of a meal, we could add chopped eggs, craisins and a few walnuts. Grilled chicken would be good, too. This recipe is a great base and you can dress it up with your favorite likes. 

Ingredients 

6 cups (5-ounces) fresh spinach leaves, washed, dried, and chilled
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/4 teaspoon coarse or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality aged balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Remove stems and veins from spinach and tear into bite-sized pieces; place spinach in a large bowl.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, fry bacon approximately 5 minutes or until crisp; transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in pan. Return frying pan to medium heat; add oil, onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened. Add balsamic vinegar; swirl to incorporate.

Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt (when properly wilted, the leaf edges soften slightly, but the spinach retains some crunch). Sprinkle bacon over spinach and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Danielle's Chicken Salad

 
My daughter, Danielle, has been a fan of chicken salad for years. She would come home and talk about the great ingredients from each one she tried. I never liked chicken salad, probably because I'm not a big mayonnaise fan. The more the mayonnaise, the less I am willing to try the dish. One day I decided I would try a few variations of chicken salad and see what happened. I made some with chicken chunks, red onion and celery, others I would grind with nuts and Craisins. In the end, we had a favorite. I named it Danielle's since she is the reason I now enjoy chicken salad.

Ingredients:

1 (2-3 pound) oven-roasted chicken, cooked

1/3 cup of celery, finely chopped

1/3 cup of walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup of orange-flavored Craisins, chopped

2/3 cup of mayonnaise (more or less, your choice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Remove chicken from the bone. Chop into chunks (about 1 inch by 1 inch). I pull it with my hands and shred it in my fingertips. It makes small soft chunks. Add celery, walnuts and Craisins. Mix together. Add mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or chill.

I love serving chicken salad on fresh Italian bread. Mix up a batch..or two, it's delicious and disappears quickly.