Broccoli Bacon Pasta Salad

During the hot summer months I am always looking for a "cool" side dish. This one was a double bonus because it was pasta plus a veggie! We have even added cooked chicken to make it a main dish salad. It comes from "Essential Mormon Celebrations" cookbook, but of course, I have modified it to our taste. (We also cut it in half, unless taking it to a potluck)

4 Spears fresh broccoli, chopped
2 pounds bacon, fried crisp, drained and crumbled (we go easy on the bacon, actually use about 3-5 slices)
1 Red Onion, chopped (we like sweet onion instead--use about 1/4 cup)
1 pound fresh mushrooms
2 pounds pasta of your choice, cooked and drained
1 cup roasted sunflower seeds (optional)
1 recipe Pasta dressing

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour Pasta Dressing over top and gently stir. Chill for several hours. Makes 12 servings.

PASTA DRESSING
2 cups mayonaise
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar

Combine ingredients, stir well.

Chinese Chicken and Wild Rice Salad

This salad is SO delicious. All of the flavors combined make it taste like it belongs in a fancy restaurant but it is so easy and quick! You will love it.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 orange
2 cups cooked California wild rice, cooled
2 cups snow peas, blanched, cut in 1/2 diagonally
1/4 c slivered sweet red bell pepper
1/4 c cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 c roasted cashew pieces
lettuce or shredded Chinese cabbage

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
2 TBSP sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
Grill or pan fry chicken breasts, cool slightly and cut into thin slices.
Remove peel and white membrane from orange. Slice and cut into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine chicken, orange, wild rice, snow peas, red pepper and cilantro.
Whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad mixture and toss lightly to combine. Serve on lettuce or Chinese cabbage. Sprinkle with cashews.

Asian Noodle Salad

This is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks website listed on the links. Thank you Michelle for that tip...she has some great stuff.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage

1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage

1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin

1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)

3 sliced scallions

3 peeled, sliced cucumbers

LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch

1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet

DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime

8 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sesame oil

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped (could be left out if you don't like spicy)

More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.

*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.

Southwest Chicken Wraps

This isn't quite as good as the chicken wraps at PF Chang's China Bistro, but this recipe is DELISH!

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb ground turkey or ground chicken breast meat

1 med red pepper, chopped

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

salt

1 C mild salsa

1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Boston lettuce leaves

1/2 C plain nonfat yogurt or Greek yogurt

In a 12 in skillet, heat olive oil on medium 1 minute. Add chicken or turkey meat, red pepper, chili powder, cumin, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat loses its pink color throughout. Stir in salsa and beans; cook 5 minutes to blend flavors and heat through.

Arrange lettuce leaves on dinner plates. Divide meat mixture evenly among lettuce leaf cups. Top each lettuce cup with a dollop of yogurt. Fold leaves over mixture and eat wraps out of hand.

NOTE: I couldn't find Boston lettuce at my local grocery story, so I just used regular Iceberg lettuce. I guess it wasn't strong enough because the wraps fell apart and were very messy. You definitely need the stronger Boston lettuce leaf to make this meal. Still tasty though.

Curried Chicken Salad

I got this recipe out of the Good Housekeeping magazine that comes to my office. Wasn't too sure about it, but both my husband and I loved this new twist on chicken salad. Of course, I am pregnant and eat anything and everything, so keep that in mind! It really is pretty good though.

1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 med. onion, cut into quarters

Salt

1/4 C. plain nonfat yogurt

1/4 C. light mayonaiser

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger (I used ginger powder & it was fine)

1 1/4 C. seedless red (or green) grapes, cut in half

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Romaine lettuce

Place chicken breasts in deep 12-inch skillet. Add onion quarters, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and enough water to cover chicken; heat to boiling on high. Remove skillet from heat; cover and let chicken sit in poaching liquid 20 minutes or until chicken loses its pink color. Transfer to cutting board & dice when cooled.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, ginger & 1/4 tsp salt until well blended. Stir in grapes and celery.

Add diced chicken to mixture in bowl; toss to coat. Serve salad right away, or cover and refrigerate to serve chilled. Spoon chicken salad onto romaine to serve.

Chicken and Rice with Cilantro-Poblano Sauce

I just made this recipe. It is very flavorful but not too spicy. The huge chile looks scary but it is mild. It seems like a lot of steps but it goes together quickly and is YUM.

Chicken and Rice with Cilantro-Poblano Sauce

½ c chopped green onions, divided

¼ c fresh cilantro leaves

½ tsp sea salt, divided

¼ tsp black pepper, divided

1 (14 oz) can fat free, less sodium chicken broth, divided

1 poblano chile, seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced and divided

2 T olive oil, divided

1 (8 oz) package sliced cremini mushrooms

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

½ c water

1 tsp ground cumin

2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 T butter

4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch chunks

Combine ¼ c green onions, cilantro leaves, ¼ tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, ½ c broth, chile and 1 garlic clove in a food processor; process until blended.

Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ¼ c onions, mushrooms and remaining garlic to pan, saute 2 minutes. Add cilantro mixture, remaining 1 ¼ c broth, rice, ½ c water and cumin to pan; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 min until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 min; Add parsley to rice mixture.

While rice is cooking Heat remaining 1 T oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken with the remaining ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Add chicken to pan and cook until brown all over. Remove chicken from pan and add to the rice mixture. Fluff with a fork.

Carrot Pancakes

For anyone who loves carrot cake and cream cheese frosting, these are the best. Plus you can sneak the veggie in for kids.
PANCAKES
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. milk
1 c. grated carrots
1 tsp. vanilla extract
CREAM CHEESE SPREAD
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
dash ground cinnamon

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In other bowl combine the egg, brown sugar, milk, carrots and vanilla; mix well. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle. turn when bubbles form on top of pancake; cook until second side is golden brown.

Meanwhile, place the cream cheese, confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve with pancakes.

4 servings.

Skillet Beef n' Rice

1 package beef flavored rice mix (Rice a Roni)
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 Tablespoons plus 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder

Cook rice mix according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the rice mixture, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder; mix well.

4 servings

Southwestern Spaghetti

This may sound like a strange combination, but it's really very good. Easy and inexpensive too. Yields 8 servings

12 oz. uncooked spaghetti
1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 jar or can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream and salsa

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the taco seasoning, spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and olives. Drain spaghetti; stir into beef mixture.

Transfer to a greased shallow 3 qt. baking dish; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa.

Summer Cobb Salad

When I made this recipe I used frozen sweet corn kernels, feta cheese and used bottled blue cheese dressing and it was delicious.

4 slice(s) bacon
1/3 cup(s) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
1/3 cup(s) olive oil
1/4 cup(s) snipped fresh chives
Additional snipped fresh chives, for garnish
2 bag(s) (10 ounces each) cut-up romaine hearts
12 ounce(s) roasted boneless turkey breast in 1 piece, skin discarded, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 1/2 cup(s) fresh corn kernels (from 3 to 4 ears)
1 container(s) (1 pound) honeydew melon pieces, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 ounce(s) goat cheese, crumbled
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

DIRECTIONS
In small skillet, cook bacon on medium until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain; crumble when cool.
Meanwhile, prepare dressing: In small bowl, with wire whisk, mix lemon juice, Dijon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper. In thin, steady stream, whisk in oil until blended. Stir in snipped chives.
Line large platter with romaine. Arrange bacon, turkey, corn, melon, goat cheese, and avocado in rows over romaine. Garnish salad with chives. Serve with dressing.
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
When shopping for turkey breast in your deli, ask for a piece cut from a whole store-roasted breast instead of the pressed deli-meat variety that's typically quite salty and often filled with preservatives.

Yield 6 main-dish servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total time 20 minutes