Entertaing at Home - Part 3 *Salads*

Welcome to part Three on my series...Entertaing At Home.  So far we loooked at Appetizers and Main Courses.  Now let's check out Salads.

Salads can be an appetizer, a first course or even a main course.  Anyway you look at it salads are just darn good.  I've found some great recipes that I hope you'll try on your family and friends.

Now we journey to part 3...Salads!

Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.

Green salads include leaf lettuce and leafy vegetables with a sauce or dressing. Other salads are based on pasta, noodles, or gelatin. Most salads are served cold, although some, such as south German potato salad, are served warm.   Salads are generally served with a dressing, as well as various garnishes such as nuts or croutons, and sometimes with the addition of meat, fish, pasta, cheese, eggs, or whole grains.

*Almond and Baby Bok Choy Asian Salad*

"This crispy salad uses authentic Asian ingredients and the sauce is delicious. If you can find mirin in an Asian grocery store, it makes it much more authentic and not too sweet."

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 heads baby bok choy, cleaned and sliced
• 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup croutons

Directions

1. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame seeds in a small bowl, then set aside. Toss together the romaine, bok choy, carrot, almonds, and croutons in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss to coat, and serve immediately.

*Southwestern Caesar Salad*

"Delicious Southwestern twist on the classic Caesar Salad (Cesar in Spanish) with chipotle dressing. It makes a beautiful presentation for you and your guests. Serve with warm flour tortillas."

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (1.27 ounce) packet dry fajita seasoning
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 canned chipotle pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8 cups romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup garlic flavored croutons
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin rings
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin rings
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced into thin rings

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.
2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with fajita seasoning, and grill for about 4 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Allow to cool, then slice into bite-size strips.
3. In a blender or food processor, combine mayonnaise, grated Parmesan cheese, sour cream, anchovies, green onions, parsley, Dijon mustard, chipotle pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until smooth.
4. Place romaine lettuce in a large bowl, and top with croutons, shredded Parmesan, and red, yellow, and orange pepper rings. Arrange chicken on top, then pour on the dressing.

 

*Salsa Pasta Salad*

"A zesty shake of vinegar, cilantro, garlic salt, lemon juice, oil and sugar dances with pasta tossed with onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes and green chilies. Let the salad chill for a while to bring out all the festive flavors."

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry rainbow radiatore pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions

1. In a large pot with boiling salted water cook radiatore pasta until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, combine chopped onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, and green chilies in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, cilantro, garlic salt, lemon juice, vegetable oil, sugar and chili powder.
4. Mix cooked pasta with vegetables. Toss with cilantro dressing and serve.

*Gazpacho Pasta Salad*

"Lime-tomato dressing with a jalapeno kick makes for a great summer salad. Add 1 cup of cooked chicken or shrimp to make a main dish."

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound rotelle pasta
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cucumber
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 fluid ounces tomato juice

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In large bowl combine pasta, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, tomatoes, cucumber, oil, salt, garlic, lime juice, black pepper and tomato juice. Toss well and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. Toss again before serving.

*Napa Cabbage Salad*

"This is a yummy, crunchy cabbage salad with toasted ramen noodles and almond slivers."

Ingredients

• 1 head napa cabbage
• 1 bunch minced green onions
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, broken
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Finely shred the head of cabbage; do not chop. Combine the green onions and cabbage in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Make the crunchies: Melt the butter in a pot. Mix the ramen noodles, sesame seeds and almonds into the pot with the melted butter. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake the crunchies in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven, turning often to make sure they do not burn. When they are browned remove them from the oven.
4. Make the dressing: In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and let cool.
5. Combine dressing, crunchies, and cabbage immediately before serving. Serve right away or the crunchies will get soggy.

*Black Bean and Couscous Salad*

"This is a great salad for a buffet, with interesting textures and southwest flavors combined in one delicious salad. Leftovers store well refrigerated for several days."

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
3. Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Potato and Bacon Salad*

"This is a creamy potato salad made with bacon and Dijon mustard that's great the second day too."

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 stalks celery, minced
• 2 pounds small potatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and cool.
2. Meanwhile, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and place in a bowl of cold water to cool.
3. Peel the eggs, and place 3 of them into a large bowl. Reserve the rest for later. Mash the eggs in the bowl with a fork. Stir in the mustard, mayonnaise, celery, salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Cook bacon slices in the microwave for about 4 minutes, until crisp, or fry in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble 2 of the bacon slices into the mayonnaise mixture. Reserve the rest for garnish.
5. Peel and chop the potatoes, and stir into the bowl until evenly coated. Slice the 2 remaining eggs, and place on top of the salad. Crumble the remaining bacon over the eggs, then sprinkle parsley over the top.

*Black Bean And Corn Salad*

"Beans, corn, scallions, bell peppers and onions are mixed together and napped with a vinaigrette dressing that has had a few niceties added ...cilantro, pepper, cayenne and cumin. Toss and let sit overnight."

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together vinaigrette, seasoned pepper, cilantro, cayenne pepper, and cumin. Set dressing aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together beans, corn, onion, green onions, and red bell pepper. Toss with dressing. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Toss again before serving.