kale salad

my new go to fave kale salad recipe is a great crowd pleaser. even more exciting (...I mean getting people to try kale & like it for the 1st time is pretty good...) is the fact that the dressing is made from scratch and has all common household ingredients in it (plus no preservatives or junk).

kale salad
what you need:

• 1 bunch of green kale
• 1/2 cup silvered/shaved almonds
• 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup craisins
• dressing (below)

what to do:
chop kale (leave off the center vein)...add everything else in the bowl & toss...literally its that easy. personally I like the taste after it sits for 1-2 hours, but thats not essential. you can let it sit for 1/2 a day if you need to as it takes a lot to soften kale! you will have dressing left over based on the amount of kale you use. add dressing a little at a time to avoid over saturating it.

lemon vinaigrette dressing
what you need:

• 2TBSP white wine vinegar
• 2TBST fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp ground dijon mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp lemon zest (some times if I'm lazy I skip this part)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp sugar

what to do: 

put it in a jar & shake it or in a pyrex & whisk it! 

new fave summer salad

after a fun weekend in highlands with friends who eat much healthier than joe & myself i've been turned on to all sorts of new healthy options for sides and meals! one thing that i recreated the moment i got back for a cookout was a great crowd pleasing salad! don't turn up your nose until you've tried it yourself! it is so yummy!

these quantities made enough for a party size salad to feed 10-12 adults

what you need:
-1.5 lbs of fresh brussel sprouts
-1 bag of spinach
-6 slices reduced fat bacon
-1 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella or italian blend cheese
-1/2 cup chopped walnuts
-1 fresh lemon
-olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-dijon mustard

what you do:
get out that food processor or just start chopping those brussel sprouts after you wash and dry them. be sure to peel away any shady looking leaves.

chop the spinach into strips and combine in a large salad bowl with nuts, cheese and brussels.

place bacon on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until crispy [by the way this is my new favorite way to make bacon...looks gorgeous and is minimally messy]. once cooked, blot with paper towels and crunch up for toppings.

add bacon to the salad.

juice the lemon while watching for seeds. add olive oil and mustard by the tablespoon until well mixed. my large very ripe lemon yielded enough dressing with 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons mustard. salt & pepper were added for taste. toss the salad with 1/2 the dressing before putting on the remainder. it does seem to spread throughout the salad as it sits and tastes best when dressed and chilled for an hour or two.

next time i make it which will surely be soon i will need to take a photo before chowing down!

a great twist on pasta salad

if you know me, you know i dont love mayo and am always trying new ways to cut it out and get something different for pasta salads and slaws. here is a great recipe i just made for this past week's lunches. its a great side and you can take out any parts that you may not want to add for whatever reason. i left out the grapes, bacon, and nuts and it was still great!

broccoli, grape, & pasta salad
what you need...
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 (16-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled (optional)

what to do...

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems. Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.

chutney chicken salad

a fun twist on a great favorite! i am one for eliminating mayo as much as possible from chicken salad and this is great! it has some in it but greek yogurt as well to substitute for the extra!

chutney chicken salad

what you need...

1/3 cup slivered almonds (optional...i leave out to cut down on fat)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup mango chutney
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 cups diced cooked chicken
1 (8-oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained (you find these in the chinese aisle at the grocery store)
4 green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)

what you do...Preheat oven to 350°. Bake almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Cool 20 minutes.  Whisk together (in a stand mixer) mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken, next 2 ingredients, and toasted almonds, and toss until well blended. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.

yes i do realize it seems odd that you would put the chicken in a mixer, however if you put the chicken breasts whole in your kitchen aid stand mixer, lock the arm, and don't even bother chopping up the chicken...you can put a whole chicken breast in there on low speed and watch it pull itself apart (when warm). let it do the work for you until it reaches your desired consistency. kitchen aid=lifesaver! 

mexi-shrimp salad

get those shrimp [deveined and cleaned] cooking in some olive oil and minced garlic, toss in some chili powder and roasted red pepper flakes [just a pinch] if you're feeling wild!

make a big bed of lettuce and any/all of the following...corn [rinsed and drained], black beans [rinsed and drained], tomato, red onion, salsa, cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, matchstick carrots, slice of avocado [dont use it all, using the rest tomorrow], and the freshing sauted shrimp!

top off with a lite ranch dressing! this salad takes as long as it takes the shrimp to cook to make [if they're small, as quick as 3 minutes]...enjoy!

day 2: strawberry goat cheese chicken salad

sorry this is late! we had a runaway pup today! he was playing in the neighbors back yard with kids and then what do you know but little 6 year olds screaming "OH NO ALI!!!"
c.bass spinach strawberry salad its easy and quick!  


spinach, strawberries cut up, walnut pieces, crumbled soft goat cheese, and brianna's blush wine vinaigrette add chicken too and it is fabulous!!! 

ill post tomorrow's salad tonight or 1st thing in the AM i promise!!! 

xoxo
ali

salad day 1 and weekly prep

alright--now that everyone has their ingredients together, let's get cooking! we cook the chicken for the week on sunday to minimize the time that it takes to make dinner the rest of the nights! 

make your chicken, grill it, bake it, marinade it in whatever you like--my favorite is italian dressing baked or grilled...if baked, i like to rub some minced garlic on top too for extra flavor. 

tonight's salad will be delicious i promise!

apple gorgonzola cheese salad

toss the following ingredients together to make a yummy salad!

lettuce blend [however you choose], thinly sliced golden delicious apple, gorgonzola cheese, thinly sliced grilled or baked chicken, walnuts...dressing to taste [recommendation: marzetti's honey mustard]

bon appetit!

grocery day for salad week is here!

hey there!

here is your grocery list...don't ask questions, just print today's post and bring this to the store with you. some of these things you will have around the house and others, you may need to pick up. i'm writing this for what you need to make this for 2 people...however if you are cooking for one, just get a little less, if you're cooking for more...more! i've also included a few links to some of the salad dressing/cheeses so you know what to look for.

we're going to cook all of the chicken in one day, so don't think for a second you can't throw together dinner in under 15 minutes on the weeknights this week!

don't let the random fruit/cheese throw you off either...i am not normally one to order salads out with fruit on them and neither is joe...however, you'll be surprised just how much it adds to the salad!

proteins

• fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts [will be used for 4 salads..i would recommend 2 packages or 1.5 breasts per night]
• shrimp [you pick the size/qty...will be used for 1 salad...buy frozen even if you'd like!]

cheese [don't freak out...trust me on this one, you know i know my cheese!]

• goat cheese [you just need a small container of this that comes all suction wrapped and looks like a 2" in diameter log of cheese, however go to the FRESH cheese section not where the Kraft singles are located. Should run you $2.99 at Trader Joe's and Publix for a small package...Kroger tends to mark this up for you ATL folks]
• Gorgonzola cheese [march over to the Kraft section...Publix/Kroger sell small packages of crumbled, normally reduced fat, Gorgonzola cheese...check the dates on the package--this cheese is NOT stinky like bleu cheese but does have some of the funky coloring so don't get scared]
• 2% milk/reduced fat sharp cheddar shredded cheese [you can get colby jack or something like that too...just nothing "Italian"]

fresh produce

• strawberries [one package]
• 1 large red red onion
• 1 almost ripe avocado [will be using on wednesday so dont get one thats already super soft]
• salad in a box [take my word for it, don't ever waste your money on the bagged salad again! anytime you have the option to get a box of salad in the clear containers, do that! i spend the extra $1 sometimes even on it just because it actually lasts--sometimes over a whole week...grab 3 boxes of salad, one spinach, one mixed baby greens, and go out on a limb and try something with some arugula tossed in]
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 golden delicious apple [light green soft skinned sweet apple]
• bag of matchstick carrots [these are the small little carrot shavings almost]

dressings

• brianna's blush wine vinaigrette [this is a staple in our house so you should have it on hand regardless...however there is no subbing out this dressing, suck it up and pay the $3.99 for it...you use very little and don't eat it as frequently as ranch...its normally on the very top or very bottom shelf at Publix by the fancy salad dressings]
• marzetti's reduced fat honey dijon [if you have another fave honey dijon/mustard you can use that...if you need to buy one, i recommend this one...it's found in the produce section where the cold dressings are. if you cant find reduced fat, don't get the normal dressing, instead go find a Kraft honey dijon vinaigrette as a 2nd fave]
• marzetti's ginger sesame salad dressing [find this one next to the honey dijon above]
• lite ranch dressing...your favorite variety

toppings [aka...the good stuff]

• walnuts [get the walnut pieces vs. the big chunky ones if possible]
• slivered or sliced almonds
• can of mandarin oranges
• can of corn [no sugar/salt added please!] 
• can of black beans [no funny flavors, just regular]

things you likely have, but if you don't you need to have not only this week, but on a regular basis too

• lemon juice
• lime juice
• minced garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper grinders (sams/costco has them for $3-$5 each full of peppercorns and salt)
• chili powder

optional items that you may have or may need throughout the week that would only add to the salads...some of these i like, some joe likes but we don't buy exclusively for these salads bc you don't need much!

• salsa
• tortillas

click on the items below and print your own digital coupons
Marzetti Salad Dressing

salad week!

get ready because this weekend i am going to be delivering your next week's menu...all healthy salads for dinners throughout the week....my goal is to get you all a grocery list on Saturday and then you can clip your coupons, grab your sales flyers and get to the grocery store on sunday [don't forget its palm sunday this week]!

i'll post a new salad the day prior to when you can make it so you can have time to get mentally prepared for these super easy and tasty dinners! i guarentee given that lent is still in full swing, that there will be no fried items on the salads [and no tomatoes either].

quick dinner idea

good morning! im up early with the "patient" wilson who is just recovering from his neuter and 2 teeth pulling experience on Thursday.  


here is a quick dinner idea that we ate thursday night...you can run into the grocery store and pretty much make anything out of a rotisserie chicken. publix has a great "mojo" marinated one that i could not even tell you what is in it. 


pull off the white meat and add it to C. Bass's Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad  contents of the salad include just that...spinach leaves, fresh cut strawberries, hand crumbled goat cheese, walnuts, and brianna's blush wine vinaigrette dressing--toss in some of that yummy chicken for those of you who like protein enhanced meals and you have a yummy splash of spring time salads!