Tag: Fruits And Vegetables

Toss Salad for A Quick and Easy Fix

The thing about Toss salads is that bulk of the effort would come from making the dressing. The salad is mainly made up of greens such as lettuce, cabbage and romaines. The reason why these are called tossed salad is because preparation for this is just tossing together all the ingredients.

Meaning, all the greens and other twist which one may opt to add in it. Some of the add-ons may include sausages, fruits, chips and basically anything else that might come up in one’s imagination. With a prepared dressing, it only takes one as little as five minutes to prepare this recipe. Below are some recipes which one can try out at home.

Parmesan Vegetable Toss

2 C. mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 C. fresh broccoli
4 C. fresh cauliflower
1 red onion, sliced
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 head iceberg lettuce, torn
1 lb. sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, Parmesan, sugar, basil and salt.

Add broccoli, cauliflower, onion and water chestnuts.

Toss.

Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Just before serving, place lettuce in a salad bowl and top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with bacon.

Top with croutons if desired.

CLASSIC TOSSED SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce
1 head red leaf lettuce
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 (4 ounce) package blanched slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, sliced
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 (8 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing

Directions:

Chop, wash and dry the romaine and red leaf lettuces. In a large salad bowl, combine lettuces with feta cheese, olives, almonds, sesame seeds, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and Romano cheese. When ready to serve, add the Italian dressing and toss thoroughly.

CONFETTI TOSSED SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

15 ounces Italian Blend or Spring Mix salad greens
16 ounces sausages, lightly rinsed, well drained
2 cans (11 oz. size) mandarin oranges, drained
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 medium apple, cored and diced
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup pecan pieces
1/3 cup extra sharp shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, softened in microwave
1/2 cup frozen (whole) raspberries, thawed, with juice
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Salad: In large salad bowl, toss greens and Sauerkraut together. Top with oranges, cranberries, apple, fresh raspberries, pecans, and cheese.

Dressing: In a small bowl, blend together olive oil, vinegar, jam, thawed raspberries, and pepper.

Drizzle a few tablespoons of the dressing over the salad for moistness and color; serve remainder on the side.

The Whats And Hows Of A Macaroni Salad

Macaroni salads are, indeed, extremely delicious. Once you squeeze them into your mouth, you just can’t stop doing so. They are just so delicious; you just can’t get enough of them. Why is that? What is in these savory salads that make them taste so good?

Just so you would know, macaroni salads are made with cooked elbow macaroni pasta that are often served cold and usually done so with mayonnaise. It is oftenly served with the accompaniment of barbecue or other entrees served in a picnic.

And just like all the other salads, there are also regional or national variations in preparing a macaroni salad. For instance, in Australia, they have given the term Pasta Salad to macaroni salads due to the fact that it is made with shell pasta pieces, which are cooked, and can also be bought from various grocery stores.

However, if you would rather prefer making your own homemade macaroni salad, the better, for it will then have that personal taste. The ingredients you will be needing are not hard to find and the procedure of making it is not hard to follow and do as well.

You just need six eggs that you must hard-boil earlier in the day; one and a half diced ham, which you have cooked earlier; a half cup of diced celery; two cups holding macaroni that you have already cooked prior to this procedure; one chopped sour pickle, no problem looking for this one for almost all pickles have a sour taste; mayonnaise of any brand that you prefer; cup of chopped stuffed olives; salt and pepper to serve as the tasty condiments; and also different kinds of salad greens like lettuce, cabbage, and other sorts of fresh greeny vegetables.

The procedure is very user-friendly, you just have to read well and focus as not to put in the wrong ingredient at the wrong time. Once you are done preparing the aforementioned ingredients, you can set your homemade macaroni salad on a nice bowl for beautification purposes. Just add mayonnaise so that your salad will moisten. Season your creation for a delicious taste, and for that grandeur finish, serve your self-made macaroni salad on fresh salad greens.

Macaroni salads are definitely easy to make and are, indeed, delicious. Therefore, do not prolong your stomach’s agony and make that macaroni salad that your stomach has long been waiting for.

Satisfying And Light Chicken Salad Recipes

Chicken has grown to be the favored meat especially in Asia. Mainly because chicken do not have the same strong taste like say, beef, it has become a favorite addition to salad recipes. The combination cannot be any greater, the filling effect of the chicken without the strong taste to clash with the light, fresh taste of the fruits, vegetables and dressing.

Below are two widely researched recipes that are guaranteed to satisfy your salad cravings. So what are you waiting for? Get your choppers ready and let’s start making that salad!

CURRIED CHUTNEY CHICKEN SALAD (from AllRecipes.com)

2 whole chicken breasts (or about 5 cups cubed cooked chicken)
1 cup seedless white grapes, cut in half
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes.
Greens of your choice for serving
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted.
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts

Dressing:

1/3 cup bottled Major Grey’s chutney, large pieces chopped.
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup mayonnaise, homemade or high-quality purchased.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Roast the chicken. When it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the chicken. Pull the meat off the bones and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Place the meat in a large bowl. Add the grapes and pineapple.

For the dressing, in a bowl, whisk together the chutney, curry powder, mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, and salt.

Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly. At this point, you may refrigerate the salad for up to 3 hours, or turn it out onto a platter lined with lettuce leaves, chill briefly, and serve. Sprinkle the pecans and green onions over the salad before serving.

MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. honey
1-1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into 2″ strips
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
16 oz. pkg. frozen corn
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
10 oz. pkg. lettuce mix
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cups slightly crushed blue corn tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream
10 oz. jar thick and chunky salsa

Combine salt, vinegar, cumin, pepper, and honey and mix well; set aside.

Heat oil in skillet. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt, then saute in pan until white, about 5 minutes. Combine cooked chicken, corn, tomatoes, black beans, onions, and red peppers in large bowl. Stir in dressing. Chill for an hour.

Mix chicken mixture with lettuce. Serve along with avocados, cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.

Must Try Soup and Salad Recipes

A meal is never complete without either a soup or a salad as an appetizer. Salads are fairly easy to make while soups differ on the level of difficulty of its execution. However, compared to main courses, these can be whipped up in no time.

Quick Chinese Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups seasoned chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 egg, beaten
2 to 3 green onions, finely diced

Bring broth and peas to boil in large saucepan. Slowly add egg to boiling broth, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with onions. Serve hot.

Note: You can also add sliced mushrooms to this.

Gaisburger Marsch (Brisket of Beef Soup/Stew)

Ingredients:

1 pound brisket of beef
1 pound soup (stewing) bones
5 ounces celery
1 small root of parsley
1 to 2 leeks
1/2 onion
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
peppercorns
salt
1/2 pound potatoes
1 to 2 ounces butter or margarine
3 onions
6 to 8 ounces cooked egg noodles

Place meat and bones in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Remove froth. Clean vegetables and add to stock. Stir in herbs and spices. Cook for 90 minutes.

Peel potatoes, wash and cut into small cubes. Cook potatoes separately in salted water. Drain when tender. Remove meat and bones from stock. Dice meat. Strain stock.

Melt butter or margarine in a pan, add sliced onions and braise until golden brown. Alternately put meat, potatoes, and boiled noodles in a soup tureen layer by layer. Cover with hot stock. Sprinkle with braised onions before serving.

Pungent Thai Sauce For Soups

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup Rose’s Lime Juice
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 teaspoons sugar

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to incorporate.

FRESH CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

6 cups fresh cucumbers
1 cup sweet pepper, sliced thin
2 onions sliced into rings
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Directions:

Mix well. Put in refrigerator, let stand overnight.

CUCUMBER AND GREEN SEAWEED SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers
2 radishes
Salt as needed
1 3/8 ounce green seaweed

Dressing:

3 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons
kelp-flavoured fish stock

Directions:

Slice cucumbers and radishes into thin rounds; salt and leave until dewatered. Wash with water and squeeze out brine.

Pour boiling water over green seaweed and cut into bite-size pieces.

Thoroughly mix dressing ingredients and add to cucumbers and seaweed just before serving.

Light And Fresh As A Salad

No small thanks to weight watchers everywhere, the salad is beginning to take on center stage from an obscure, little corner during the earlier times. Indeed, salad is now enjoying the same popularity of the, well not exactly pizza, but at least fast food.

New diet and fitness methods seem to pop out everywhere on a monthly basis. From crash to yoyo to Low Carb-High Protein, to the After Six, to South Beach to something as crazy as color dieting.

The methods vary mostly in the food composition that must be consumed while on the diet, but what’s common to all these are the inclusion of salad in one form or another.

Indeed, the humble salad has found its way even to those fast food counters as health consciousness begins to grow. Even the Fast food king, McDonald’s himself, had to yield to the pressure and has started to offer healthy alternatives that includes, you’ve guess it right, the salad.

There are more than a thousand ways to prepare a salad. This can be served as an appetizer, a main course, dessert and even as a sandwich filling. Although most often associated with all those big nutritional stuff such as the lettuces, romaines, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and grapes, the salad can also take on the form of a heavier meal.

While chicken and tuna are the most common ingredients, pork, turkey and peking duck have already found their way in bowls everywhere.

Generally, the term salad refers to a preparation of chopped and / or sliced ingredients. Although meat can be incorporated in it, it has to contain at least one or two vegetables and fruits. It can be served dry or with a dressing.

The most common dressings are whipped cream, vinaigrette, thousand island, honey-mustard and ceasars’ dressing. And the most common ingredients are lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumber. Eggs have also become a regular ingredient.

The popularity of the salad has grown mostly because of its nutritional value. It satisfies the hunger pangs without weighing in too much on the scale. And this is why it has become a favorite preparation for the health nuts everywhere.

Come to think of it, one need really not be a health enthusiast to enable him or her to enjoy this preparation. With the variety and interesting textures that come up every time, one is bound to find one that he or she can be addicted to.