Cornbread Salad

Posted by: Lisa

A co-worker brought this to a work party and I was surprised at how much I loved it!  This may not be new to you , but it was new to me!  I made it for dinner last night and the family thought it was great.  (except 2 of the boys said the tomatoes had to go)  picky picky.  I varied the recipe slightly and will include those changes below.  

Great salad for summer!

source:  Hometown recipes From Eva Mae Clark

Ingredients:

1 8.5 oz package cornbread mix (I used Jiffy)

1 envelope ranch-style dressing mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 c green pepper, chopped

1/2 c sweet red pepper, chopped (I didn't use those)

1/2 cup onion, chopped (I used green onions)

3 large tomatoes, diced

1 16-oz can pinto beans, drained (I used black beans)

2 cups fresh or frozen corn

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

10 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Directions:

• Bake the corn bread according to package directions and let cool.  Then crumble into small pieces
• Combine ranch style dressing mix with the sour cream and mayonnaise
• In small bowl, combine the beans, corn, tomatoes and onions

Assemble:

Spread 1/2 of the corn bread crumbs into the bottom of a glass bowl.  Then spread 1/2 of the bean/corn mixture.  Top that with 1/2 the cheese and then 1/2 the dressing then 1/2 the bacon.  Repeat!  

If you have a trifle bowl, use that.  This salad looks really inviting with the layers visible.  For serving, just dig down deep to make sure all layers are scooped up!  And Enjoy.

Barbecue Chicken Salad with Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing

Recently my three sisters came to my house for a "sisters' weekend" visit.  We had so much fun!  It was the first time we'd ever done anything like that, and while I still had my kids to take care of, my sisters pitched in and helped a ton.  They even cleaned out and rearranged a few rooms for me!  Now that's love.  One of the meals we had during their stay was this salad.  It is one of my favorites.  My friend, Lara, from recipeshoebox.blogspot, introduced it to me a few years ago and I've been making it loyally ever since.  She has lots of great recipes on her website, so you should check it out.

When I first read this recipe I thought that the combination of bbq chicken and mexican-type ingredients was a strange one.  But boy does it work.  I must say, though, that the absolute star of the show is the dressing.  For best results, make it a few hours or a day ahead to let the flavors really come together. Do not make substitutions, like Miracle Whip or off-brand ranch dressing packets.  I did that once and was horribly disappointed.  I am not lying or exaggerating either, when I admit that we sisters were eating the dressing out of the container with spoons.  Sounds disgusting, right?  Wrong!  Just make it and you'll see.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Note: I find it easiest to cook the chicken in a crockpot and make the dressing the morning of or evening before I want to serve it.  After the chicken is done cooking, just drain it and mix in the bbq sauce.  Doing it ahead of time ensures that all the flavors have melded and makes it quite easy to throw the whole salad together.

The ingredients:
2 hearts of Romaine, chopped
1 can corn, drained (or 15-oz. frozen white corn, thawed)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
15 grape tomatoes, halved (or just chopped tomatoes)
3-4 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
favorite BBQ sauce
shredded Mozzarella cheese

DRESSING:
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
1/2 bunch cilantro
1-2 cloves of garlic
juice of one lime (or 2 Tbs.)

Place lettuce in a serving bowl. Layer with corn, black beans, and tomatoes. Mix cooked chicken with BBQ sauce and top over salad. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top.

Place dressing ingredients into blender or food processor and combine well.  Drizzle over salad.

Source: recipeshoebox.blogspot.com

Asian Chicken Salad

Submitted by Melanie

• Ok this salad is so yummy! I had some friends over the other day for lunch and thought this would be a great salad to serve. I was so glad that I did. My friends loved it. It has been so hot here in Texas that I don't want to make anything that will heat up the kitchen, or that will make me feel even more sluggish. This salad is a great option. The flavors are great and it is very light.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar


• 2 teaspoons soy sauce


• 1 tablespoon sesame oil


• 1/4 cup vegetable oil


• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar


• 1 (8 ounce) package dried rice noodles (I used Chow Mein noodles)


• 1 head iceberg lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped


• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and sliced


• 3 green onions, chopped


• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted


• 1 can of Mandarin oranges


• 1 red bell pepper

Directions

Prepare the dressing 30 minutes ahead of time by combining the brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salad oil, and rice vinegar in a salad dressing carafe (I mixed all the ingredients for the dressing, brought it to a boil and cooled in the fridge for about 30 minutes).

To prepare the Chinese rice noodles, heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of oil and break off a little bit of the noodles and add them to the skillet and fry them. They will puff up in the skillet, so only add a few at a time. As they begin to puff up, remove and drain them on paper towels. Be sure to cook long enough as the under cooked noodles will be like eating needles. Once cooked, add them to the salad mixture.

In a large bowl combine the iceberg lettuce, cooked and sliced chicken, green onions, Mandarin oranges, red bell pepper and toasted sesame seeds. Let chill about 10 minutes, and just before serving add the cooked rice noodles. Serve in salad bowls and offer the dressing in a pourable container so your family can add as much dressing as they want. You can also pour the dressing over the top of the salad, toss, and serve immediately.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Curry Chicken Salad

Submitted by Heather

Do you ever feel like you eat the same thing for lunch every day?  I seem to go back and forth between salad and deli-turkey sandwiches.  They're not bad, but sometimes it's nice to shake things up a bit.  That's where these yummy curry chicken salad sandwiches come in.  I never feel like making much of a fuss at lunchtime (read: doing more than throwing already prepared stuff in the microwave or on some bread), so I make this chicken salad the day before and store it in the fridge for the next few lunches.  My husband is lucky if he gets any, since I'm always pushing the leftovers from dinner on him.  I usually make it with "light" ingredients, but it's probably even more delicious with the full fat versions.  And I know some of you feel very strongly about mayo vs. Miracle Whip.  Just choose whichever suits you best or whichever one you have in the fridge.

I've used canned chicken from Costco, chicken cooked in a crockpot and rotisserie chicken and they're all good in this recipe.  And don't skip the apples (and peppers!).  They add a nice sweetness and crunch that I much prefer to the usual celery you find in these kinds of salads. 

I love to eat this salad on toasted sourdough bread or even better, homemade bread.  In the picture above the salad is on homemade wheat bread made by my neighbors.  It's delicious and if I can ever wrestle the recipe from them, I'll share the goodness.

1/2 C. light mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

1/2 C. light sour cream

1 T. lemon juice

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. dijon mustard (or any mustard on hand)

3 1/2 C. cooked chicken, chopped

one green onion, chopped

1/2 red, orange or yellow pepper (optional)

1/2 apple, chopped small

1/2 C. chopped roasted cashews

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, blend the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, curry powder, and mustard and then set aside.

Next combine the chicken, green onion, pepper, apple, and cashews in a large bowl. Add the dressing and mix well.  Salt and pepper the chicken salad to taste.

Note: If you plan on storing this to eat later, don't add the cashews until serving time or they'll get soft.

Source:  I have no idea.  I have a recipe ripped from a magazine that I used for inspiration, but I've changed it quite a bit.

Pita Pocket sandwiches...homemade!

Ok, for all you out there that "Can't make bread", listen up! I can't make bread either. Atleast, not the kind that rises properly and actually LOOKS like a loaf of bread. (mine usually are more brick like) My woes are for another day. BUT, I was directed to a book that has been a life saver! Really. You know the days when you want a nice crusty piece of bread with that homemade soup or salad. Well, even if you can't make traditional bread, you can still satisfy that bread craving.

The book is : Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

The recipe I used is : The Master Recipe: Boule What I like about this recipe is that you mix it up it like 5 min., toss it into a bowl and leave it for 2 hrs. It rises. Really. Then punch it down, and put it into a bowl with a lid, and into the fridge. Now, you have ready made dough for the next 2 wks that you can pull pieces off of for what ever you want. Example: pizza dough, crusty rolls, pita pockets, cheesy/garlic bread.... It doesn't need a 2nd rise. It is ready to go straight from the fridge.

3 Cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (2 packets)

1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt or other course salt ( I never use that much, maybe 1/2)

6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose flour (I use the self rising flour)

1. Warm water to about 100 degrees. (pretty WARM to your hand)

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in your mixing bowl. Mix in the flour all at once. It says you don't need to knead it. You don't. But I give it a quick once over so it is all smooth and incorporated. Then place it in a greased bowl, cover and leave it be.

3. Once it has doubled, punch it down and use it, or store it in a container in the fridge for up to 2 wks.

To use it for the pita pockets you will take small amounts of dough and either press into a circle with your hands or use a rolling pin to flatten it to 1/8 of an inch. You don't want it paper thin or they won't balloon up when cooked.

4. You need a baking stone. Pre heat your oven too 500 degrees. That is not a typo. Once you have reached temp, place a couple of your flattened pita dough balls onto the stone, not touching each other.

5. Bake for 7 minutes.

***If you notice that they haven't puffed up, you probably rolled them too thin. Try again. Don't throw the flat ones away though...you just made flat bread!

My Chicken salad recipe:

Several hand fulls of pre-cooked shredded chicken

a couple spoon fulls of mayo

a couple spoon fulls of miracle whip

3 tbsp or so of spicy mustard

a dash of pickle juice

2 pickles worth of chopped pickle

Mix it all up. Fill your pitas. (the puffed up pitas, just gently cut in half with a serrated knife. The flatter ones can sometimes still be coaxed open by cutting in half and prying it open)

^^ TiP^^ When your mustard is almost gone, instead of adding a bit of water to the bottle to coax the rest out, add a bit of pickle juice instead. Shake it up and you have a great little addition to any salad or sandwich!