Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is one of my favorite dinners during the summer. They're fast and easy and they don't heat up the whole kitchen.

Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
1 (12 oz.) box multi-colored pasta
several handfuls baby kale or spinach (spinach would have a milder flavor)
1 (14 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 large can olives, drained and chopped
1-2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved (I used yellow)
1-2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 c. italian dressing
1/2 c. mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Here are the ingredients I used:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Before draining, add kale to the pasta.

 Stir and cook just until kale wilts (it only takes about 30 seconds).

 Drain pasta and kale. Rinse with cold water.

 To prepare dressing, whisk together italian dressing and mayonnaise.

 Toss all ingredients in a large bowl with dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 I was unsure if my kids would even touch the kale in this salad. They usually just eat the noodles and leave the veggies. But they actually ate it all! I am delighted whenever they get excited about a new food. Enjoy!

Triple Pepper Salad

I really love bell peppers. This recipe combines sweet, crunchy peppers with juicy tomatoes, beans, and creamy avocados. It's such a dynamic salad!

Triple Pepper Salad

2 c. chopped peppers (any color combo will work)

1 c. halved cherry tomatoes

4 green onions, sliced

1 (14 oz.) can beans, drained (I used great northern)

1 avocado, cubed

1/4 c. oil

1 T. lime juice

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. cumin

pinch chipotle chile pepper (or more if you like heat)

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. For best flavor, refrigerate 2 hours (or more) before serving. Enjoy!

Eggs, Peas, & Potato Salad

I love potato salad. Last night I just wanted to make potato salad for dinner, so I threw in some peas and we called it a meal!

Eggs, Peas, & Potato Salad

4-5 c. potatoes, cooked and cubed (I used leftover baked potatoes)

6-7 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped

2 c. frozen peas, cooked

1/4 c. green onions, chopped (any kind of onion works)

1/2 c. (heaping) sour cream (more or less to taste)

1/2 c. (heaping) mayonnaise (more or less to taste)

squirt of mustard to taste (I used a tablespoon or two)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate. I usually don't measure any of these ingredients. Just eyeball it. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Ranch

When it comes to salad dressing, I am a ranch girl. But I don't particularly like bottled ranch (like Kraft.) Usually I buy the Hidden Valley Buttermilk packets. This week, however, I decided to just make my own. It's adapted from a cookbook I got for Christmas from my mother-in-law!

Buttermilk Ranch

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. dried parsley

pinch dried dill

pinch dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight.

It was delicious with our HUGE salads that we had for dinner. Enjoy!

Ham & Cheese Macaroni Salad

I have a bunch of leftover ham and boiled eggs from Easter so I decided to just mix it together with pasta for a fun salad.

Ham & Cheese Macaroni Salad

8 oz. dry macaroni, cooked and drained

1-2 c. ham, chopped

4-5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 c. cheese, cubed or grated

3 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

3 green onions, chopped (or 1 t. onion powder)

1/2 c. (heaping) mayo or miracle whip

1 T. mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Summer Slaw

Here's a fun twist on coleslaw. Instead of just plain old cabbage and carrots, this recipe has some unique veggies and a creamy mustard dressing that is a perfect compliment to any dinner.

Summer Slaw
1/2 head cabbage, cut in half
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 c. grated jicama
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. dijon mustard
1 T. sugar

Grate half of the cabbage and chop the other half in bite-size pieces.

Combine in a bowl.
Add bell pepper, jicama, and green onion.

For the dressing, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard and sugar.

Mix until well blended and creamy yellow in color.

Toss veggies with dressing and serve.

I am a big coleslaw fan! But if you don't like sweet dressings, omit the dressing and use ranch or a dressing of your choice. Enjoy!

Super Salad

During the summer I often eat salad for lunch. Salads are a nice cool meal in the hot summer and they are packed full of veggies. Honestly, I don't always eat them because they sound good, I eat them so I don't feel guilty the rest of the day... :) I know, I'm weird but oh well. But if you're a salad person (or even if you're not) you can make a darn tasty salad with a variety of ingredients. Here are some typical salads that I eat:Garden Salad: spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocados, and grated romano cheese (topped with dressing of choice.)

Mushroom Salad: spinach, tomatoes, portobello steak, shaved parmesan cheese, grapeseed oil, salt.

Herb Salad: spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocados, mozzarella cheese, cilantro (topped with dressing of choice.)

Dilly Salmon Salad: spinach, tomatoes, celery, grapes, dried minced onion, canned salmon mixed with dried dill, tamari (or soy sauce) and a little oil.

I do love a good salad (when I'm in the mood for one.) And even if you don't think you like traditional salad, try mixing it up a little and use ingredients that YOU like. You might surprise yourself at what you come up with. Enjoy!

Pesto Salad

Lunch for today: pesto salad. I have tons of veggies in my fridge so I just threw this together for lunch. Here is a picture without cheese:

...and then with cheese:
To be honest, I don't even know why I took a picture without cheese because the cheese was delicious!

Pesto Salad

2 c. chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)

1-2 c. chopped mushrooms

1 c. torn spinach

2 T. minced onion

1/2 c. shaved parmesan cheese (grated would work, too)

generous 1/4 c. prepared pesto sauce (or more to taste)

salt

garlic powder

Combine veggies and cheese in a mixing bowl. Stir in pesto, salt to taste, and a good sprinkle of garlic powder. Makes several side-dish servings, or two giant main-dish servings! Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Corn Salad

Have leftover corn on the cob? Today, I had a bunch of leftover corn from a barbeque and I decided to make it into a salad.

Corn Salad

3 ears corn, cooked and cut from cob

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1/2 c. chopped onion

2-3 c. torn greens (spinach, romaine, etc.)

extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

garlic powder

Combine all vegetables in a large bowl and toss together with olive oil, salt and pepper, and some garlic powder. Set aside while you make your chicken.Grilled Chicken (I didn't actually grill mine, but either way...)

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
steak seasoning (I like Weber Grill Creations)

In a large skillet, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on medium heat. Season chicken breasts with steak seasoning on both sides and cook in skillet until done (nicely browned with no pink in the middle.) Serve along with salad. I cut up my chicken and tossed it together with my salad. It was delicious! :) You could always use beef or seafood in place of the chicken. Enjoy!

Four Bean Salad

Can I just say that I love beans? I do! This reicpe combines several kinds of beans for a tasty salad.

Four Bean Salad
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
1 (15 oz.) can grean beans
1/4 c. vinegar
1 T. sugar
2 T. oil

2 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. celery seed
1/2 t. dry mustard


Drain and rinse all beans and then combine in a large bowl. For dressing, stir together remaining ingredients, pour over bean mixture, and mix. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.

Summer Pasta Salad

I love this recipe! It's one of my favorites because it's not very difficult and doesn't take a lot of time! It's great for summer!

Summer Pasta Salad

8 oz. (or so) dry multicolored pasta, cooked

black olives, chopped

cucumber, chopped

tomatoes, chopped

bell pepper, chopped

pepperoni

onion powder

garlic powder

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

Use as much or as little as you like of each ingredient and toss together. I tend to be sparing with the vinegar because it's very strong! You can also add any ingredients that sound good to you. Be creative!

Sometimes instead of using the olive oil and vinegar, I'll just toss it with some ranch dressing. It's also very delicious. Enjoy!