My favorite spinach salad

I am trying to have a picture with each post to entice you to try the recipes but I don't have a picture of my favorite salad so I thought this image would show you how I feel about this salad!

My favorite spinach salad

-Heather Koelliker

1/2 bag of spinach
1/2 bag of romaine lettuce
(if you don't purchase bags of lettuce just use the same amounts of romaine and spinach)

1/2 cup swiss cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
Bacon (a couple handfuls of cooked, crispy bacon)
Red onion (I use 1/4 to 1/2 of an onion sliced up, depending on how much you like red onion)

Dressing:
1/3 cup oil (I like canola)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt

Toss right before serving

***Note: This dressing makes a lot and I usually only use about 1/3 of it for the salad and save the rest.

Picnic perfect pasta salad

Picnic perfect pasta salad

16-24 oz multicolored spiral noodles
2 bell peppers (yellow, orange or red)
1 tomato (remove the fleshy/seedy part of the tomato before chopping)
1 can artichoke hearts in water
1 can olives
pepperoni

Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Bottle of Italian Salad Dressing (we really like Newman's own brand- but don't use the light version)

Boil noodles according to package directions (Make sure you time this appropriately, because you don't want to over cook the noodles. I usually fun them under cold water in the strainer to stop the cooking)
Dice all the ingredients into small pieces.
Toss it all together with the Parmesan cheese and dressing to taste.

Courtesy of Lindsay Bullock

Tomato Cheese Fondue

Tomato Cheese Fondue

1 Lipton onion soup mix
2 cups tomato juice
4 Tablespoons lemon
1 lb. American cheese, shredded

Put first 3 ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer 10 mins. Slowly add cheese on low heat. (Can curdle easily if heat is too high) Heat until sauce is creamy throughout.

Courtesy of Karen Baxter

Classic Fondue Recipe

Classic Fondue Recipe

8 oz fontina or fontinella cheese
8 oz specialty provolone cheese
8-10 oz mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon shallot, minced
1 can vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Shred cheeses into medium bowl and add corn starch and blend well to coat cheese. Warm fondue pot to 300-350 and heat oil. Add garlic and shallots and cook 20 sec. Pour broth into pot and bring to a boil. Add cheese slowly into pot one handful at a time allowing cheese to melt before adding more. Use wooden spoon to stir.


Courtesy of Erin Orton

Onion Mushroom Fajitas

Onion Mushroom Fajitas

1-1 1/2 lbs chicken strips (I use chicken breasts and slice them into strips

2 cups sliced bell pepper or 8-10 oz frozen pepper blend

1 cup sliced onion (optional)

1 packet onion mushroom soup mix

3/4 cup water

Tortillas, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and guacamole

Cook chicken and add bell peppers and stir. Fry bell peppers until cooked but still crunchy. In a small bowl combine onion mushroom soup mix and water, pour over chicken and bell peppers and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve in tortillas with cheese and any other desired fix-ins. Enjoy!

Courtesy of Erin Orton

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Grilling the vegetables before you put them in the salad brings out a sweetness and flavor that you don't get from raw vegetables. You can grill them on the barbeque outside, but I prefer to use the "Coleman Lean, Mean, Fat Grilling Machine." I cover the vegetables with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh, coarsely ground pepper, and grill away. My favorite vegetables for this salad are asparagus, red onion, sweet peppers, zucchinni and yellow squash. Add these cooled, chopped vegetables to a bowl of salad greens and you have a hit salad.And don't forget a fresh, low-fat dressing:

Lemon Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup lemon juice (for best results, go freshly squozen)

2 cloves garlic

1 Tablespoon fresh oregano

1 cup olive oilkosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients--emulsify or blend in blender.

This salad was the perfect accompaniment to fresh sweet corn on the cob, a medley of yellow, orange and red tomatoes and basil in olive oil and kosher salt, Roast Provencial Chicken, and for dessert, zucchini chocolate cake with powdered sugar glaze

Courtesy of Megan McQuivey

Tex Mex Salad

Tex Mex Salad
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Recipe By: Pam Elder (Heather Brown's mom)
Ingredients:
1 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil/Vinegar Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 ounces can green chiles, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups cooked rice, white or brown
2 cans whole corn, drained
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together, except the tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate up to one day. Add tomatoes and mix when serving. Serve on bed of lettuce.

Courtesy of Heather Brown

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies (Better Homes and Gardens)

½ c butter, softened
½ c shortening
2 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
⅛ tsp salt
3 egg yolks
½ tsp vanilla
1¾ c all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until combined scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 300° oven about 15 minutes or until sides are set (do not let edges brown). Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Courtesy of Desirae Young

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

Mediterranean Couscous Salad
1½ c water
¼ tsp black pepper
1 c plain couscous (1 box)
¼ c lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced into ¼” pieces
½ c loosely packed shredded basil leaves
⅓ c sliced green onions
¾ crumbled feta cheese

In medium saucepan, bring water and pepper just to a boil. Stir in couscous; cover. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork; cool, uncovered 10 minutes.
In large bowl, combine couscous, lemon juice and olive oil. Add tomatoes, zucchini, basil and green onions. Chill 4 hours or overnight. Stir in cheese before serving. Serve on lettuce leaves or as a filling for pita bread.
6 servings.

Courtesy of Desirae Young

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

baby spinach
red onion, thinly sliced
strawberries, halved
pecan halves, toasted for 6-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven

Dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 cups oil (canola or vegetable)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon grated red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Place all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend.
Notes: The dressing makes a lot so don't use the whole amount unless you make a really BIG salad. The dressing will also keep in a container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
If you want to soften the red onion you can marinate it for a few hours in a small amount of dressing.

Courtesy of Becky Wilson and Heather Brown

Fresh Corn Salad with Black Beans and Tomatoes

Fresh Corn Salad with Black Beans and Tomatoes
Serves 8
Sweet summer corn is the star here, so don’t try using either frozen or canned corn. If you like your corn salad spicy, include some of the jalapeño seeds.
Dressing
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 jalapeno chile , stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 clove garlic , minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad
8 ears fresh corn , husks and silks removed
1 pint grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans , rinsed
6 scallions , sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. For the dressing: Shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
2. Cook the corn in 6 quarts boiling water until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut the kernels from each cob into a large mixing bowl using a paring knife. Add the tomatoes, beans, scallions, cilantro, and dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
To Make Ahead
This salad can be prepared, covered, and refrigerated a day in advance. Before serving, bring to room temperature and freshen with a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Courtesy of Heather Brown

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Hello friends- Heather Brown introduced me to a super grain called Quinoa. I am trying to get more protein in Asher's diet and this sounded like a great idea. I mix it with some yogurt and berries for breakfast. Anyway at our June recipe club the theme was Salad and this is a yummy salad that uses Quinoa.


Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
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Recipe By: Raising the Salad Bar: Catherine Walthers
Serving Size: 6
Summary:
This is one of my personal favorites. Friends often request this quinoa salad and I happily oblige because it's a snap to make and goes well with everything. The quinoa cooks in 15 minutes, and just a simple dressing of lemon juice and olive oil seasons it perfectly.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch watercress, roughly chopped about 2 cups
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
5 radishes, cut into matchticks or grated
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
1. Add quinoa, salt and 1 & 1/2 cups water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 13-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa sit for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, watercress, cucumber, carrot, radishes and red pepper.
3. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add to the quinoa and vegetables and toss gently to combine. If there is any salad left over, refresh it with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil and serve at room temperature.

Courtesy of Heather Brown