Spinach Rice Salad

6 cups fresh spinach, torn
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
1 tbsp honey
1 cup green grapes, cut in half
1 cup raspberries
2 oranges, peeled and cut into sections
2 tsp fresh basil
2 cups of brown rice, cooked and chilled
Salt and pepper to taste

Add spinach, rice, grapes and sunflower seeds to a large salad bowl and combine.

Blend vinegar, oil, honey, basil, salt and pepper thoroughly and pour over rice mixture. Toss until well coated then gently add oranges and raspberries.

This would make an ideal accompaniment to any BBQ meat.

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Lemon Salmon Salad

20 oz cooked salmon, flaked
8 oz macaroni
2 cups cucumber, sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese cut into this strips
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Lemon Dressing
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp lemon peel, grated
Pepper to taste

Cook macaroni. Drain, rinse and cool. Add all ingredients to medium bowl and toss. Blend all ingredients for lemon dressing. Add the lemon dressing to the salmon pasta, toss well and enjoy.

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Pistachios and Goat Cheese Green Leaf Salad

1/4 cup of favorite dried fruit, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups green leaf lettuce, chopped
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently and serve.

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Chicken Breast Baguette Salad

1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-sizes pieces
Half a baguette, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large tomato, cut into bite-size pieces
Olive oil
Handful of arugula or other lettuce leaves
½ packet feta cheese, cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Put the chicken pieces, baguette and tomato pieces in a roasting dish and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the chicken pieces are no longer pink.

Divide the lettuce leaves on two dinner plates and place the warm chicken and tomato salad on top. Sprinkle with feta cheese and enjoy!

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Baked O’Brien Potatoe 4th of July Salad

1 (28 ounce) package O’Brien potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounce package of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard
1/3 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

Place the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Heat until oil is hot.  Add potatoes.  Cook until lightly brown on both sides about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a large rectangle baking dish with butter.  Place the potatoes, 1/2 the bag of cheese, the mayonnaise and mustard into a large mixing bowl.  Add the bacon and stir until mixed together well.  Place in the prepared baking dish.  Top with the other 1/2 bag of cheese.  Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

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Mom’s Favorite Chicken Salad Recipe

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, Cubed
1 pound fresh green beans, broken in half
2 plum tomatoes, Chopped

Place 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet.  Add the chicken and cook over medium heat until when pierced with a fork juice runs clear about 10 minutes.  Remove from skillet and allow draining on a paper towel.  In a large saucepan place green beans and enough water to just cover the beans.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover the saucepan and allow the beans to simmer about 10 minutes or until just beginning to tender.  Drain well.  Place the vinegar, basil, 1 tablespoon of oil, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Blend the ingredients together well.  Add the cooked chicken, green beans and tomatoes.  Mix well to be sure the chicken, beans and tomatoes are covered completely.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate salad at least 2 hours.  When ready to serve stir a couple of times to make sure everything is mixed together well after sitting.

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Peas and Macaroni Salad

1 cup fresh pea pods
8 ounces dried elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup horseradish mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
2 tablespoons chopped onion

Cook macaroni according to package.  Add peas to boiling water one minute before done.  Drain macaroni and peas and rinse with cold water.  Combine, mayonnaise (salad dressing), sour cream, mustard, milk, garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl to create dressing.  Set dressing to the side.  In a large bowl combine macaroni and peas with the celery and onions. Pour dressing mixture over and stir until coated well.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.  When ready to serve, stir and add one to two tablespoons of milk if desired.

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Easy Make Ahead Fruit Salad

3 T. chopped crystallized ginger
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
2 cups cubed cantaloupe
2 cups cubed honeydew melon
3 cups cubed fresh pineapple pieces
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup raspberries

Combine ginger, lemon juice and honey in bowl and whisk until well.

Add all fruit to mixture except for strawberries and raspberries.  Mixt gently covering fruit completely.  Cover and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours.  Stir once during refrigeration.  Just before serving add berries and stir.

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Summer Basil Pasta Salad

With the long hot days of summer, you will find that you will need something lighter than a T-bone steak. If you are seeking a fresh and light pasta salad, they you will need to serve this at your next gathering.

Summer Basil Pasta Salad

16 oz. box Whole Wheat pasta, find a fun shape.
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach (2 cups fresh could be substituted)
1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
1/4 cup finely sliced red onion
4 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Pasta: Cook pasta according to the package. Drain and let cool. Or run under cold water and ice.

Vegetables: Thaw spinach and drain all excess water by pressing it with your hands.
Wash and dice tomatoes. Slice red onion. Chop fresh basil.

Mix cooled pasta, vegetables, and remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Garnish with Parmesan Cheese and Basil

Tips from Chef Bek:

* White pasta can be substituted for wheat.

* Dried basil can be substituted for fresh. (when using fresh herbs in a recipe, use 3 times as much as you would use of a dried herb)

* Chicken broth can be substituted for the oil

* Don’t have Balsamic Vinegar; replace it with your favorite Fat Free Italian Dressing.

About the Author: Bek Davis is a trained chef and a work at home mom. You can find more recipes, cooking tips, and mom resources on her highly recommended website: http://modernmom.info.

             

Summer Salads

Green vegetables are the food most missing in modern diets. Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium (120 -190 mg per cup!) They’re also high in magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and they are a power house for Vitamin A, C, E and K. Believe it or not, they are also crammed high with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micro-nutrients and phyto-chemicals – you just can’t get any better than this. Take a look at the following two recipes to help move you into a sensational summer!

Sensational Summer Salad

For a summer snack that will cleanse the kidneys and help the body to unload toxic wastes from the blood, use the following high powered recipe.

1/2 cup of watercress
1/2 cup of dandelion greens
1/2 cup of arugula
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated ginger
pinch of Sea Salt

Mix washed greens together. Stir lemon juice and ginger. Pour over greens. Season with salt.

Tomato Basil & Feta Salad

This is a simple salad that requires no salad dressing.

2 cups tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onions, finely chopped
2.25 ounces sliced black olives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add all ingredients in a medium serving bowl and toss!

Enjoy!

To your health and success, Heather

About the Author: Heather Dominick is a Holistic Nutrition Counselor accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and creator of The Energy Rich Lifestyle Program™. In addition to her nutrition services, she is a motivating and dynamic speaker.

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You absolutely can! But here’s what you MUST include: Heather Dominick, Certified Holistic Nutrition Counselor, is founder of the EnergyRich Lifestyle Program™, the proven step-by-step program to help you achieve your best health and fullest life. To sign up for her freebie how-to articles and no-charge teleclasses on creating your best health and life, visit http://www.individual-health.net

             

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