Summer = Salad!

Avocado Coleslaw

4 small avocados, peeled & pitted

3 Tbl. Lime juice

8 oz. light sour cream

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Ground cumin

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Ground red pepper

1 1/2 (16 oz.) pkgs. Coleslaw mix

1 small sweet onion, chopped

 1 red bell pepper, chopped

Mash 3 avocados with 2 tablespoons lime juice in a large bowl.  Chop remaining avocado & toss with remaining 1 tablespoons lime juice.  Stir sour cream & next 4 ingredients into mashed avocado mixture until well blended.  Stir in coleslaw mix; add chopped avocado mixture, onion, bell pepper & toss gently.

California Roll Salad

 1/2 C. uncooked white rice

1 C. water

1 head romaine lettuce, shredded

1 English cucumber, cut into 1” strips

2 avocados - peel, pit, & cube

2 C. shredded imitation crabmeat

1 tsp. wasabi powder, or to taste

2 Tbl. mayonnaise

2 Tbl. soy sauce

1/2 C. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbl. white sugar

 2 tsp. sesame oil

Place rice & water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, & simmer  20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Set aside to cool.  In a large serving bowl,  toss together lettuce, cucumber, avocado & imitation crabmeat. Stir in cooled rice. In a small bowl, stir together the wasabi powder, mayonnaise, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar & sesame oil. Toss salad with dressing, or serve with dressing on the side.

Cucumber Carrot Salad

1/4 C. seasoned rice vinegar

1 tsp. white sugarr

1/2 tsp. vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. grated peeled ginger

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sliced carrot

2 Tbl. sliced green onion

2 Tbl. minced red bell pepper

1/2 cucumber - halve lengthwise, seed & slice

 Whisk rice vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, ginger, sesame oil and salt together in a bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved into a smooth dressing.  Toss carrot, green onion, bell pepper, and cucumber in the dressing to evenly coat.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

 Mexican Cucumber Salad 

1 medium cucumber, chopped

1 (8.75 oz.) can corn, drained

1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, drain & slice

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 Tbl. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. dried cilantro

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

 In a large bowl, toss together the cucumber, corn, tomatoes, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, cumin, cilantro, salt, and black pepper. Cover, and chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

Restaurant Style Coleslaw
This slaw is very similar to KFC's famous slaw!

1 pkg. (16 oz.) Coleslaw mix

2 Tbl. Onion, minced
1/3 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt

 1/8 tsp Pepper

1/4 C. Milk

1/2 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 C. Buttermilk
1 + 1/2 Tbl. White Wine Vinegar
2 + 1/2 Tbl. Lemon Juice

Be sure cabbage & carrots are chopped up into very fine pieces (about the size of rice).  Combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, & lemon juice in a large bowl & beat until smooth.  Add the cabbage, carrots & onion; mix well.  Cover & refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

 

Spinach Salad

A GREAT salad passed on to me by my former sister in-law.  Even the men love it!

 

1 pkg. Fresh Spinach

5-8 Fresh Mushrooms, sliced

2 Eggs, hard boiled & chopped

1 lb. Bacon, cooked & crumbled

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 C. Sour Cream

1/2 C. Sugar

1/4 C. Red Wine Vinegar

Croutons, optional

 

Tear washed spinach into pieces and toss with mushrooms, eggs, bacon and onion.  Mix sour cream, sugar and vinegar together thoroughly.  When ready to serve, toss salad with dressing.

Note:  I often make the following changes in an effort to cut the calories & healthify.

1.  Use Turkey Bacon instead of regular bacon.

2.  Substitute plain nonfat yogurt for the sour cream (a great sub for most recipes - I even use plain nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream on my baked potatoes!)

3.  For my diabetic family members I sub Splenda or Stevia for the Sugar.

No one would notice the difference.... after all these changes this salad is still tasty to fool anyone!!

Indian Beet & Yogurt Salad

1 Tbl. canola oil

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. cumin

2 C. plain yogurt

1 (15 oz.) can sliced beets, drained

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbl. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the cumin seeds. Stir for about 10 seconds, and remove from heat.   In a large bowl, gently stir yogurt with beets. Stir in mustard and cumin seeds, and salt. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Asian Slaw
My beautiful sister in-law Lisa brought this to a family holiday dinner - AMAZING!  Couldn't stop eating it.  Bless her heart - she let me keep ALL the leftovers!!

Dressing:

1/4 C. rice vinegar

2 Tbl. Grapeseed oil

2 Tbl. Light soy sauce

1 Tbl. Light brown sugar

1 Tbl. Fresh grated ginger

2 tsp.  sesame oil          

Black sesame seeds

4 C. shredded purple cabbage

2 lg. carrots, peel & julienne

1 red bell pepper, cut in thin strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut in thin strips

In a large bowl, toss cabbage, carrots & peppers.  Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over vegetables.  Toss to coat.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

 

Tangy Cucumber Salad

2 small Cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 tsp. Salt, divided

2 medium Tomatoes, chopped

1 medium Onion, chopped

1/4 C. Cider Vinegar

2 Tbl. Vegetable Oil

1 Tbl. Honey

 1/2 tsp. Celery Salt

1/2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard

1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano

Dash Cayenne Pepper

Place cucumbers in a strainer; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt and toss.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Rinse and drain well.  This not only seasons the cucumbers, but also helps them rid of excess moisture to keep them nice and crisp!  Place in a large bowl; add tomatoes and onion.  In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients; pour over cucumber mixture and toss.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours.  Serve with a slotted spoon.  A tangy and refreshing salad!  The simple marinade gives mild cucumbers lots of zip.

  

Thai Cucumber Salad

 

3 large cucumbers, peel, halve

lengthwise, seed, & cut into 1/4” slices

1 Tbl.  salt

1/2 C.  white sugar

1/2 C.  rice wine vinegar

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seed & mince

1/4 C.  chopped cilantro

1/2 C.  chopped peanuts

Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a colander, and leave in the sink to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.  Whisk together the sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro; toss to combine. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top before serving.

 Plenty more to come!!

Let me know if you have any special requests!!