Apple Pecan Salad and Coconut Chicken Strips

Okay. It was DELISH.

For the pecans:
Spiced Candied Pecans
2 1/2 cups raw pecans
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F (just in case). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir the pecans with the egg white until pecans are coated, then add vanilla and honey. Stir well.
In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Pour over the nuts and stir until evenly coated.
Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
Slide parchment paper (with nuts still on it) off of the baking sheet and onto a wire rack (or the counter) to cool.
Break nuts up into a bowl to serve or store at room temperature in an airtight container.

For the chicken:

Cut chicken breasts into small thin strips (mine were too large so I had to cook them for longer in the oven after frying them -- which was fine and actually crisped them up all the more). In a large bowl combine one can coconut milk and about 1/2 cup of buttermilk and 1 egg. Place chicken in this mixture, making sure all chicken is covered. Let stand (in fridge if you like) for about 20-30 minutes.

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients. I really had to play with it to keep it the right combination of ingredients. The more chicken I dredged in it the more chunky it became making it harder for the good stuff to stick to the chicken. I used approximately equal parts flour, panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut as well as a few tsps. of (Lawry's would be good) seasoning salt. (Follow your instinct on all of this.) If it's not sticking well after a while, add a little extra everything until it's dry enough to stick again. (We had LOTS of chicken so if you are cooking less you might not have this problem as much.)

Dredge the chicken in the coconut mixture and place in about 1 1/2 inches of hot oil. Cook for a few minutes on each side (until dark golden-brown.) Remove to a paper towel lined plate. If the chicken is not fully cooked, place it on a baking sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

For the salad:

1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 head of butter lettuce
1 pkg. crumbled feta
1 cup of dried cranberries
3 small apples (or 2 large), peeled and sliced thin
the candied pecans (you'll want a lot... trust me)
3 green onions sliced (I didn't use these but it begged for it.

And your favorite balsamic vinaigrette dressing (homemade if possible because everything is better homemade!!)

There you go! :^)

Quick and Easy Taco Salad

This recipe possibly seems like a total no-brainer to some but I know that sometimes in the evening I am so hungry and have thought so little in advance of dinner time that I am just too ravenous to come up with anything to eat. Here is about the quickest way I know to make a super yummy taco salad that you could even feed to guests and get compliments for. You don't have to tell them that it took you 8 minutes to assemble. It will be our dirty little secret.

Here are your ingredients:

1 Bag of Hearts of Romaine Lettuce (or whatever other lettuce you like)

1 to 1 1/2 Cups Mexican Style or Tex Mex shredded cheese 1 Store bought rotisserie Chicken (Just the meat folks. No bones please. This is about the only step that requires more work than mindlessly opening a can or bag and haphazardly dumping.) 1 Can black beans (drained and rinsed) 1 Can olives (drained) 3 Scallions (chopped up) Several handfuls of your favorite corn chips (broken up). My real dirty little secret is that I actually really like mine with coronary artery disease in a bag Fritos. 1 to 2 Avocados (sliced up) Okay, so mix all of that up together in a big bowl. Just dump it all in and stir wildly. Let your pent up emotions out. It's quick taco salad, not pretty taco salad so therefore it doesn't have to look pretty. Don't you like how the name of it sets you free like that? It just has to taste darn good. And it will. I promise. Okay so in another smaller bowl mix the ingredients for the dressing. There's nothing easier than this. In all honesty when I make it I measure it in blops. But "one blop of this and one blop of that" doesn't sound very good so I'm giving you estimates of how much I use. Mix it all up and either dress portions of your salad individually (if you want to save any for leftovers this is the best way to do it) or dress the whole kit 'n' kaboodle at once because you'll likely consume the whole thing in one sitting.1/2 cup of Ranch Dressing 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa 1/4 cup of sour cream 3 - 5 shakes of Tabasco Sauce 1 Can diced green chilies That's it. Taco salad, whether I make it a little more gourmet or whether I throw it together in 8.2 minutes, is one of my favorite meals. It's because deep down I am part Mexican. I'm just sure of it. I'm just a really washed out Mexican. (And I realize fully that this meal doesn't really constitute real Mexican food. But work with me people.)

Perfection!

These two recipes were perfect together.

Cucumber Dill Salad (I call it Tzatziki Salad) I added two cloves of minced garlic some chopped chives and a bit of chopped fresh mint. It was better than fantastic. It was DELICIOUS!!

We ate it with this divine Rosemary Mustard Chicken. I never knew chicken breasts could taste so heavenly.

The Best No Lettuce Salad Ever

Today I am sharing with you a new and delicious and really healthy No Lettuce salad. On Sunday our beautiful friends, Don and Ina, had us over to their house for lunch. I love cooking with Ina. She is inspirational and she cooks like I do which makes it much more fun when we cook together! What do I mean when I say, "she cooks like I do?" I mean we make things up on the fly. We start pulling stuff out of the refrigerator and chopping and mixing and creating and stirring and tasting and what results is nothing short of intense yumminess!

I credit Ina with the fact that I roast pretty much all of my vegatables now as opposed to boiling them (gag!) or ((gulp)) microwaving them! (Blech!) On Sunday we made a wonderful roasted vegetables mix; sweet young carrots fresh from the farmer's market, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower. We threw in a handful of chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, and sage), some kosher salt and some herb seasoning from the local organic food store. Added a hefty drizzling of EV Olive Oil and Ohhh, the wonder. I cannot feel guilty about pigging out on vegetables. And I did pig out. (Don't worry, there were still some left after we had all pigged out on them.) We made lots because everyone loves them. My children would probably have licked the platter when they were all gone if I had let them. I would have fairly gorged myself on the roasted veggies alone if we had not thrown together the Best No Lettuce Salad Ever. Never one to leave a just recently conceived recipe alone, I have already tweaked it and added a few items that were not in there before (yes, it was so good on Sunday that I decided to make it for dinner tonight.)

This salad packs more nutrition into one bowl than I think I could get in any other meal and did I mention yet that it is heaven on the palate? I made this in the morning as cooking never feels as stressful in the morning and the flavors get to marry throughout the day.

Mix the following ingredients in a large salad bowl:

(all measurements are the pre-cooked measurements but the rice, barley and pasta all need to be cooked and cooled in the refrigerator for about an hour or two before making the salad. I threw them all in the same bowl to cool.)

1 1/2 cups brown rice
3/4 cup (pot) barley
3/4 cup alphabet/stars pasta. The kids chose alphabet today.
1 can olives, drained and halved (can use red grapes halved if you want a different/sweet take on it)
1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 can artichoke hearts drained and quartered
3 to 4 sun dried tomatoes julienned
1/8 to 1/4 cup of grated or julienned red bell pepper
3/4 cup finely shredded asiago cheese

For the dressing, in an another bowl combine:
3/4 cup mayonaisse (can use light)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (0 fat or 2%)
1/4 cup chopped dill (can use fresh or freeze dried)
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. EV Olive Oil

Pour the dressing over top of the salad mixture and stir until everything is thoroughly coated. Go ahead! Lay it on! It's a lowfat dressing!

This cold meal in a bowl is about enough to turn me into a vegetarian it is so good! You may look at this list of ingredients and doubt me but I'm telling you, it is already my favorite no lettuce salad and definitely replaces plain old pasta or potato salad. I am going to make this for the Fourth of July. I have a feeling my Dad won't be able to keep himself from wanting thirds of it... if I know my Dad!

Cheesy Peasy Salad

This salad is one of our all time favorites. It's light and crispy but quite substantial as far as salads go. And so yummy! Company worthy for sure!

What you'll need:
4-6 cups bit sized greens (I like to use a combination of baby spinach, butter lettuce and iceburg)
3 green onions chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen peas (I don't precook them, though you can) If you try this with canned peas I'll be forced to cause you some sort of bodily harm.
1 1/2 cups swiss cheese grated
6-8 Tblsp. Mayonaisse
3 tsp. granulated sugar
5 slices crisp bacon (crumbled or chopped) -- If you try substituting bacon bits for the real deal... well, I promise not to hurt you but I will retract my company worthy rating of the salad!

What to do:
In large bowl layer half of every ingredient. Just sprinkle the sugar evenly and then plop the mayo in blobs on top of the first layer. Repeat the layers ending with the sugar and mayo and cover. Refrigerate for about two hours. Toss just before serving. Bacon can be withheld until after chilling. It will be crunchier this way.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

12 ozs. fresh spinach leaves
1 qt. fresh strawberries - hulled, quartered
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. grated onion
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika


-Wash and drain spinach, then squeeze dry between layers of paper towels; tear bite-size pieces.
-Toss together spinach, strawberries, and sesame seeds in a large bowl; set aside.
-In a separate bowl, beat together oil, sugar, vinegar, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika.
-Pour prepared dressing over salad and toss to coat.
-Serve immediately.

Mango and Black Bean Salad

This is one of our family favorites! It's especially good if you make it a few hours ahead of time but still delicious (perfect for Summer) if you make it just before scarfing it down.

1 large mango, cut into small chunks
1 avocado, cut into small pieces
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
1 recipe Lime Dressing

Dressing:

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed (or bottled) lime juice
2 Tbsp good quality olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp liquid honey
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp water

Whisk together and pour over salad just before serving.

Dilly Macaroni Salad

1 cup elbow macaroni
1/2 cup mayonaise or salad dressing
1 cup cubed cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup cubed cooked ham
1 cucumber seeded and diced (and peeled if you want)
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
4 green onions sliced
1 Tablespoon vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed



Cook macaroni. Drain well and cool. Combine macaroni, cheese
cubes,cucumber, green onion and bell pepper.
Blend together mayonaise or salad dressing, vinegar,salt and dillweed;
add to macaroni mixture. Toss lightly. Cover and chill well. Makes 6 servings.

Coleslaw Dressing

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. cold pressed oil
1 Tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. dill (fresh, frozen or dried)
salt
pepper

1 head of cabbage chopped