Rainbow Salad

We love salads at our house and we eat them almost everyday. Some of our favorites include a spicy Chinese chicken salad, our best pasta salad and or a tasty green salad with avocado olive oil dressing.

And this week I made this creation...Rainbow Salad.

It's full of all the stuff that is good for you with veggies in all the colors of the rainbow!

And I will let you in on a little secret... you see my husband and son are not fond of cooked vegetables.

So one of my little tricks to get them to eat more veggies is to make a fresh salad almost every day.

And guess what? It totally works.They love a fresh, crunchy salad.

This recipe was totally inspired by grocery day. You know...when you get home from shopping for groceries and there is all this delicious-looking produce?

I noticed the beautiful colors of everything that I was putting on the counter and decided right then and there that it needed to be made into a salad.

To make this salad, start with fresh veggies in every color.

{And if they happen to come from your garden, you lucky duck!}

Rainbow Salad

{makes a big bowl}

Ingredients:

-one head fresh romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

-one cup shredded carrot

-one zucchini squash, diced

-one English cucumber, diced

-one red pepper, quartered and cut into small strips

-one yellow pepper, quartered and cut into small strips

-one bunch green onions, chopped

-3-4 tomatoes, chopped

- Add or subtract any veggies you like. Fresh green peas/green/yellow beans/radishes would also work well!

To make:

1. In a large bowl, add the romaine lettuce.

2. Toss in the rest of the vegetables. 

3. Add salt & pepper to taste.

4. Serve with your family's favorite dressing. I served it with a balsamic vinaigrette, but you could also serve ranch or Italian or whatever you like! I often leave a salad 'naked' and let each of my family choose the dressing they would like and add it directly to their salad bowl. I find it keeps everyone happier this way!

I served this salad with grilled burgers on night when it was sweltering outside, and this cool, crunchy salad hit the spot perfectly. 

And if you leave a salad 'naked', it can refrigerate beautifully for the next day without going soggy!

And leftovers for lunch are always awesome!

This post is linked to:
Inspiration Gallery, I'm Lovin' It, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, The Weekend Re-Treat The Party Bunch,  Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza,  Block Party, Take A Look Tuesday,

Spring Salad with Avocado Olive Oil Dressing

It's that time of year where menu planning moves from warm soups and hot chilis to cool, crisp salads and grilling dishes! There is nothing I like better than a crispy salad with bright vegetables and a delicious homemade dressing. This salad is amazing on it's own for lunch or dinner, or feel free to add  some grilled shrimp, chicken or beef to it if you would like to add more protein. You know how with each season, you might find yourself making  a favorite recipe over and over again? Well...this is our right now! This salad is so good that I have declared it the 'Salad of Spring 2014'. We have been making it a least once a week for a month now.

I love fresh vegetables. I mean I really love them and I buy fresh veggies for our family a few times a week. I consider veggies to be nature's medicine...so full of lots of good things. And since half of my family are not fond of cooked veggies, I create a salad to go with dinner almost every night. It's my thing.

And this salad is very adaptable...you could add almost any sliced vegetable.....but here is the version that we prefer....fresh & crisp.

Spring Salad with Avocado Olive Oil Dressing

Ingredients

1 head of butter lettuce, washed and torn

1/2 English cucumber, sliced

1 zucchini squash, sliced

5 radishes sliced

1-2 ripe avocados, peeled & sliced

To Make:

1.In large bowl or platter, add butter lettuce.

2. Add other vegetables to butter lettuce.

For Dressing:

1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

1 shallot, ,or 1/4 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

To Make:

1. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a tall jar or mason jar. Refrigerate.

To serve this yummy salad, plate on small serving plates or bowls and invite each person to add dressing as desired. I almost never mix a salad with dressing. I always serve the dressing on the side so people can add as much or as little as they like.

Looking for more fresh salads?

Visit the Life Made Delicious for more delicious salads for Spring....along with so many other fantastic recipes for every meal and snack!

Life Made Delicious is the place to get easy recipes and quick dinner ideas you can make life more delicious! 

Check these fabulous recipes:

Grilled Apple Salad with Vanilla Yogurt

Greek Potato Salad

 GO HERE for MANY more ideas!

Disclosure: I am a part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger Program and I receive special perks as a part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

This post is linked to:
Inspire Me Please, Inspiration Gallery, The Creative Collection, Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza, Block Party, Monday Funday, Our Sunday Best Showcase, The Scoop, Tips & Tutorials Tuesday Weekend Re-Treat Link Party,  Tatertots and Jello, Link Party Palooza

Arugula, Apple & Goat Cheese Salad

 I love fresh, crisp salads in winter. Throw in a little fruit and I'm a happy camper! Throw in some cheese...even better! One of the fun things that my family has been enjoying lately is trying different kinds of greens as a foundation for our salads. Recently, arugula has been a favourite with it's slightly peppery taste and it's bright green full-of-good-things colour. This arugula salad with a foundation of  leafy arugula and topped with crisp green apple slices, creamy goat cheese and candied pecans is a perfect mix of fresh and crispy that is so good as a meal or a side salad.

This salad is very easy to make with just 5 ingredients. Arugula being the main ingredient. Did you know that Arugula is every bit of a super food as Kale? Yes. It's true. 

Arugula is a rich source of phytochemicals, folic acid, Vitamins A, C and K, high levels of Iron and Copper...all of which are great for combattting cancer-causing elements in the body, as well as boosting brain and bone health!

I suggest plating each portion on individual plates so that each serving has a good mix of apples slices, goat cheese and pecans.

 Arugula, Apple & Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

1.5 cups arugula for each plate

6 apples slices for each plate

1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese for each plate

1 tablespoon chopped candied pecans for each plate {I picked up the nuts at my local grocery store}

Favourite balsamic salad dressing

To make:

To each plate, pile arugula. Then add apple slices in a circle as shown. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and pecans. Then drizzle with balsamic salad dressing. Serve immediately!

If you are looking for other amazing salads to try, here are but a few of the fabulous recipes that can be found on Life Made Delicious. The site has recently undergone a fresh makeover where recipes are easier than ever to find and it's now mobile friendly too!

 Looking for something to serve to a crowd on Super Bowl Sunday?  How about this Chicken BLT Taco Salad? It looks so good!

I love salads with a twist that includes fresh fruit and this Raspberry Lemon Salad looks amazing!

 And how about this crunchy and citrus inspired Spicy Jicama & Orange Salad {Gluten Free}?

What kind of salads have your been enjoying lately? What is your favourite go-to salad ingredient?

Disclosure: I am a part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger Program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

This post is linked to:
I'm Lovin' It, Inspiration Gallery, Inspire Me Please, The Party Bunch, Link Party Palooza, Monday Funday, Our Sunday Best Showcase, Tip Me Tuesday,  Time To Sparkle, Tuesday Talent Show, Gingersnap Crafts,  Home Stories A to Z, Under  The Table & Dreaming,  It's Overflowing, 

Italian Pasta Salad Picnic Lunch

{To celebrate Summer as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias, I made this Italian Pasta Salad from ingredients found at the Bulk Barn Canada. #cbias}

Summer is here! And that means it's the season for one of my very favorite summer activities...picnics. Our family loves taking picnic lunches to the park,  beach or outdoor concerts & events, so I created this cool & fresh  Italian pasta salad that is a great travel trooper and will satisfy any appetite on a hot summer day.

The inspiration for this recipe came when I was browsing the aisles of Bulk Barn and I happened to see  some sun-dried tomatoes. When I opened up the bin, they smelled so good that I knew that I had to make something with them.  As I browsed the rest of the aisles, the ingredients for the rest of the salad began to take shape as I picked up some penne pasta, pine nuts, and Italian spice, among lots of other things for upcoming baking projects and Father's Day items.

If you read a few of the recipes that I shared last summer,  you might remember that our family is not a fan of gloppy, runny mayo-based salads. We like salads that hold up well with ingredients that don't become drown in runny dressings, so many of my salad recipes included olive oil, along with other seasonings, as the dressing to keep everything together.  This salad includes not only penne pasta, pine nuts, sun-roasted tomatoes and Italian spice, but also some crunchy vegetables and spicy meat that makes it satisfying for a meal.

Italian Pasta Salad 

{serves 4 main meals or 8 side dishes}

Ingredients

8-10 cups cooked penne pasta, cooled
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1-1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1-2 cloves minced garlic {optional}
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 diced red onion
4 oz. diced sopressata salami
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In large bowl, add cooked penne pasta and olive oil, dijon mustard, Italian spice garlic. Mix until pasta is coated in a light layer of olive oil. This gives it flavor, but also prevents the pasta from sticking.
2. Add pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, diced red & green pepper, onion and salami. Mix until combined. Serve or refrigerate until serving time.

And now we stir it all together. This salad is perfect for a family dinner or a summer potluck.

And because you know how I love pretty, I want to share with you how I made this Italian pasta salad into a lovely little picnic lunch by placing it in a small foil container and adding a little fresh fruit and some small chocolates to make a perfectly packaged lunch for one.

 And then I thought that it needed a pretty tag, so I created this colorful tag to share with you. These packaged picnic lunches would be perfect for a gathering of friends for an outdoor concert, a birthday party or just because you want to make a picnic lunch special.

Summer Picnic Tag

So, the next time you are looking for a cool & refreshing summer salad that you can put together in under 30 minutes, you may want to give this delicious Italian pasta salad a try!


This post is linked to these parties:
Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, Lil Luna, Gingersnap Crafts, The 36th Avenue, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, Somewhat Simple,Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, The Frugal Girls, Design, Dining & Diapers, Becoming Martha, Whipperberry, Tatertots and Jello, Cooking With Ruthie, It's Overflowing, I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor,  Uncommon Designs, Aaldeberry Hill, Skip To My Lou, Cozy Little House, Sugarbee Crafts, Chef-In-Training, Time To Sparkle, Home Stories A To Z, The DIY Dreamer, Clean & Scentsible,  Not Just A Housewife,

Spicy Chinese Chicken Salad...It Will Melt Your Butter!

Can I just say first that our family loves this Chinese Chicken Salad?!

Crunchy greens, a bold spicy dressing, tender chicken and topped with crunchy wontons...it's all so good and especially tasty on a hot day.

I have been making this salad for about 4-5 years when the weather gets hot.

My daughter loves it so much that she requested this for her birthday dinner last year.

This dish takes a little time to prepare, but the effort is so worth it.

The steps involve preparing the greens, shredding chicken, mixing the dressing and making the crunchy wontons.

{This recipe was adapted from a Fine Cooking recipe}

{It's a great team work project if you have a few to help you in the kitchen.Give each person a job.}

Step 1. Prepare 3-4 cups of shredded chicken.

There are several options here.You can roast chicken breasts in the oven and then shred them with 2 forks. Or you can boil them and shred them. {I boiled 4 chicken breasts yesterday to make this because it was so dang scorching outside and I didn't want to use the hot oven!} Or if you are short on time, you can buy a cooked chicken at the grocery store and shred it. You can also make the chicken the day before you make the salad if that works.

Step 2. Prepare the greens.

You will need:

1 napa {chinese} cabbage, trimmed and cut into strips like shown. 

1 package of snow peas, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into thirds. Boil the snow peas in hot water for 20 seconds until bright green. Then place in ice water to stop cooking. This makes them crunchy.

1 bunch green onions, diced.

 Wash & place all the greens in a big bowl. {Save a handful of the sliced green onions for the chicken.}

 Step 3. Mix the Dressing.
You will need:
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
4 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sweet Asian chili sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. hot Asian chili sauce
3/4 cup oil {I used canola}
3 tsp. sesame oil

Mix the dressing ingredients. I like to mix them in a mason jar with this cool new mason jar lid that Greenmuch sent me to try out. I love it! You can find it here. It can turn any mason jar into a container to shake, pour and store...brilliant!

Step 4. Season the chicken.
To the shredded chicken, add about 1/2 cup of dressing and a handful of the sliced green onions. Mix well. This flavours the chicken to go into the salad.

Step 5. Make the wonton crunchies.
Take a stack of wonton wrappers and cut them into 1/2 inch strips. Place on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Lightly spray wonton wrappers with oil {or brush with oil}, give'em a pinch to give some fun shape,  and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Bake in 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Make more than what you think you will need for the salad because they tend to disappear quickly.

 Remove from oven when golden and crispy. Watch the wontons very carefully and set the timer because I have burned these more than once while I was drinking wine or chatting with someone!

Step 6. Assemble the salad.

This is where I tell you the method to my madness, and I learned this from my mother.You could mix all the salad together in a big bowl. But if you leave the ingredients like this, you can assemble the salad on an as needed basis for 2-3 days without it going soggy.

You can mix enough for a family dinner. Sometimes I mix just enough for lunch for myself, or if my daughter gets home late, I mix enough for her. Add the greens, some salad dressing and then add to a bowl or plate. Top with chicken and wonton wrappers and you are good to go!

Everything about this salad is great...the flavours and textures go together so well.

I have made this for a crowd. I have made it for a girlfriends' luncheon.

But most often I make it for my family.

I hope you enjoy this salad if you take the time to make it...and stay cool!

This post is linked to these terrific parties:

http://www.stonegableblog.com/2012/07/tutorials-tips-and-tidbits-5.html