Margarita Chicken Pasta Salad

My friend Julie also introduced me to this yummy recipe - I love it when she invites me over for lunch!  I forgot to take a picture when I made it last week, but I'm sure I'll be making it again before too long.

Ingredients:

Salad
10 oz. rainbow rotini
1 lb boneless skinless poached chicken breast, shredded
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Dressing

1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. sour cream
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp salt
1 c. loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
4 tsp tequila (optional)
1 packet taco seasoning

Cook pasta, drain and rinse with cold water.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor; blend until smooth.  Combine cooked pasta, corn, beans and chicken in a large serving bowl, fold in dressing.  Serve cold.

*I like to poach and shred the chicken ahead of time so that it's really easy to throw together on a busy night.

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

We love this salad! We make it all summer long - we even made it while we were camping once - and I never get tired of it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes

1 t. dried basil

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. pepper

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 large bunch of Romaine lettuce

1 1/2 cup croutons

1 c halved cherry tomatoes

2/3 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing (our favorite is the Lighthouse brand)

shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first 8 ingredients, then add chicken. Seal the bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the romaine, croutons and tomatoes; add dressing and toss to coat. Divide onto salad plates, slice chicken and arrange on salads. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.

*If I'm making this for just Chris and myself, I add the dressing to our salads individually. That way I'm not stuck with a bunch of leftovers that will go bad by the next day.

Summertime Raspberry Salad

I could eat this salad every day for the rest of my life and die happy. Fresh fruit salad, mmmmm.... I paid through the nose for these fresh raspberries! I stood there in the produce section of Sam's, missing my mom's raspberry patch, but mostly my mom. In the end, I was glad I bought the raspberries - even though they were ridiculously overpriced. Can't wait for summertime!

Ingredients:

2 cups torn romaine (I substituted artisan lettuce)

1 small red pear, diced
1/2 cup fresh raspberries or halved strawberries
10 pecan halves, toasted
2 tablespoons dried cranberries or orange-flavored dried cranberries
1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette

Directions:

Divide romaine between two salad plates. Top with the pear, raspberries, pecans and cranberries. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

2 servings.

*I found this recipe in Taste of Home's Cooking for 2, but it's an easy recipe to increase if you're cooking for more.

Grilled Mexican Citrus Chicken and Taos Tumble Salad

I am a huge fan of marinade recipes - they're fast, they're easy and they're delicious. I can throw everything together in the morning and forget about it until dinnertime rolls around. I'm pretty sure I found this recipe in one of those little magazines you can find by the checkout, although I can't remember which one exactly.

I love grilling - not that I'm a master at the BBQ, I just love cooking outside. Maybe it's because it brings back all those memories of childhood summers, although it may be due to the fact that it doesn't heat up my kitchen; I can't decide. This recipe takes a little more time to put together than most of my marinades, but believe me, it's well worth it.

Ingredients: (for the chicken)

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

In a large shallow dish or gallon Ziploc bag, mix first 8 ingredients, then add chicken; turn to coat. Refrigerate, turning chicken occasionally, at least 3 hours but no longer than 24 hours.


Taos Tumble Salad

This salad is super fast to put together while the chicken is grilling - you'll love it!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Caesar salad dressing
1 tsp ground cumin
I head of romaine lettuce
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups coarsely broken lime-flavored tortilla chips


Directions:

In a small bowl, mix dressing and cumin. In a large bowl, toss remaining ingredients with dressing mixture. Sprinkle with additional cheese and chips if desired. Serve immediately.


*The picture above doesn't show the tomatoes in the salad because my hubby doesn't like them. Crazy, I know! I think he's missing out, but I add tomatoes to mine separately and then it's not an issue. Unless I'm serving this salad to several people, I only add the dressing to our portions of salad. That way I can save any leftover dressing and lettuce for the next day's leftovers ;)

Cranberry Almond Salad

I head of romaine lettuce

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 Kraft creamy poppy seed dressing

Wash lettuce; dry, then rip into small pieces. Toast almonds in a frying pan until golden brown. Add cranberries, almonds and mozzarella to lettuce. Just before serving, add poppy seed dressing and toss until well mixed. Enjoy!

*I came up with this recipe and it's a nice change from the normal garden salad I usually make. I had to guess at the measurements - normally I just add the ingredients together until it looks good, so you may need to adjust them to your preference.