Grandma Edith's Dixie Salad

A Whitehead Thanksgiving staple!

5 apples
3 pomegranates
4 bananas
1 – 2 small cans pineapple tidbits (preference)

Drain pineapple juice into pan.
Add 1 T. lemon juice and ½ C. sugar and about 2 T. cornstarch.
Bring to boil and cook ‘til clear.
Add to 1 C. whipped cream.
Fold together when cool.
Sprinkle pomegranates on top.
Pecans, optional

Marinated Cucumber & Tomato Salad

This is maybe my favorite summer salad, especially with cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden. You can use any type of onion, but red is the mildest and most likely for my kids to eat.  

Ingredients:

1 cup water 

1/2 cup distilled White vinegar

1/4 cup veg. oil 

1/4 cup sugar 

2 tsp salt 

1 tbsp coarsely ground pepper 

3 cucumbers peeled and sliced 

3 tomatoes cut into wedges 

1 onion sliced and separated into rings 

Directions:

• Whisk water, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until smooth; add cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion and stir to coat.


• Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours.


Shannon's Raspberry Chicken Salad

4 b/s chicken breast halves
1/3 c raspberry preserves
1/3 c frozen oj concentrate
1/3 c soy sauce
2 Tbl rice vinegar
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 cups mixed salad greens
1/3 c raspberry vinaigrette
1/2 c fresh raspberries

Place chicken in a ziploc bag. Combine the preserves, oj concentrate, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili powder and garlic powder in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and seal tightly. Toss to coat.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, turning occasionally.

Grill the chicken until cooked through. Cut into 1/2 inch strips. Toss the salad greens with the vinaigrette in a bowl.  Top with chicken and sprinkle with fresh raspberries.

I like to sprinkle caramelized toasted chopped almond on top to add some crunch.

Alli's Fruit & Feta Salad with Grilled Chicken

We had this at our book club Christmas party and it was a smash!


8 cups assorted greens (I use mix of Romaine and Spring Mix)
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1 or 2 (11oz) cans mandarin oranges
1/2 cup dried craisins, cherries or golden raisins or a combo of your favorite
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup toasted pecans or almonds

Dressing:1/4 cup raspberry wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegtable oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
dash of tabasco sauce

Chicken:
1 Sam's Club (or Costco!) Frozen Chicken bag

Marinade:
2c 7up
1/2c soy sauce
1/2c olive oil
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp Horseradish (I didn't have and used horseradish mustard and it worked as well)

1- Open Sam's Club bag. Add all above ingredients. Put into fridge overnight.

2- Rotate in the morning and throughout the day. (If breasts are super thick, cut in the morning.)

3- Take out approx 1hr before grilling. Combine salad ingredients in large salad bowl. Stir Dressing ingredients till well combined in seperate bowl. Pour over (amount will be to your liking-add more lettuce if you think it is too saturated) salad just before serving. Toss and top with grilled chicken!

Lacey's Thai Chicken Pasta Salad

This is my new FAVORITE pasta salad. It doesn't taste like any other pasta salad I know of but it sure is tasty. Give it a try!

salad:

16 oz pasta (fafalle or rotini)

1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds

3 c. cooked chicken, cubed

1/3 c. chopped cilantro

1/3 c. green onion

shredded carrot

dressing:

1/3 c. soy sauce

1/3 c. rice vinegar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3 T white sugar

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all dressing ingredients in a large ziploc and swish around. Then cook pasta, cook and cube chicken and toast sesame seeds. Chop cilantro, green onions and shred carrots and combine all in ziploc with the dressing. Swish around and put in a bowl to serve. Enjoy!!

-Courtesy of Lacey

Strawberry Walnut Salad

Whenever we go to Michigan, Natalie always has a fabulous new recipe to show us. Over Easter it was this delicious salad. Trust me, it's excellent!

Romaine, cut into bite size pieces
Strawberries, sliced
Walnuts, chopped and candied

Vinagrette:
1/2 c oil
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika

Barb's Chicken Won Ton Salad

My piano teacher growing up has the best recipe for this chicken won ton salad. We've made it twice in the last two weeks and I'm thrilled to have leftover for lunch today! (just not looking forward to soggy won-tons....) When I made it for dinner last week Phil told me that it was the best salad he'd ever eaten. He even helped himself to seconds (that's saying a lot for someone who didn't eat salad before we were married...) So, thank you Barb C for this fantastic recipe!)

Won Ton Chicken Salad
2 c. cooked chicken (small chunks)
2 heads romaine lettuce
1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted
3 green onions, snipped
2 stalks celery, cut THIN, on the diagonal
cherry tomatoes (optional)
won ton wrappers, slice with pizza slicer into strips and deep fry to desired crispness

dressing:
1/4 c. oil
4 t. rice vinegar
3 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. seasoning salt

ENJOY! (I know you will)

Thai Lettuce Wraps

These are one of my very favorite things to get at the Cheesecake Factory-- and lucky for me, my friend Laurie A had a recipe for them!!! Try them out! Check the italics for my additions.

Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 Tbsp. plus 1 ½ Teaspoons peanut oil, divided
¾ cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and diced
1 Tbsp minced fresh gingerroot

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 ½ cups shredded carrots
½ cup julienned green onions
1 1/2 cups of bean sprouts, rinsed
12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (don’t forget to toast!)

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook chicken in 1 Tbsp. oil for 3 minutes; drain. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger, cook 4-6 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and remaining oil.

Set out lettuce leaves, carrots, chicken, onions, bean sprouts and any other desired toppings on a platter with the sauces nearby. Let guests create their own.

* I like the grilled feel for the chicken, so you could try marinating the chicken in some soy/teriyaki combo and then grilling it before cutting it into strips. Also, at Cheesecake factory they serve them with these Asian noodley things too...not sure where to get those.

Southwest Cobb Salad

Another summer-ish meal, but it is light enough, but heavy enough to be a dinner.

Dressing:
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. mayo
1/3 c. sour cream
1 T lime juice
1 T. southwestern seasoning mix (or taco mix)

Salad:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3-4)
salt and pepper
1 t. vegetable oil
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pkg torn romaine lettuce, (8 cups)
1/4 small red union, cut into thin wedges
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked and cut up

Directions: make dressing, pan fry chicken preses and cut into thin diagonal strips. Put lettuce and onion in serving bowl and arrange remaining ingredients onto a platter in rows and serve.

Courtesy of Pampered Chef

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Tasty and Easy, gotta love it!

Dressing:
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon zest
2 T. white wine vinager
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. poppy seeds

Salad:
14. c. slided natural almonds, toasted
8 oz strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 medium cucumber, slided and cut in half
1/4 small red onion, sliced into thin wedges
1 pkg baby spinach

Directions:
combine dressing ingredients. Toast almonds, and combine into remaining salad ingredients. Toss with dressing and serve.

Courtesy of Pampered Chef

Doneen’s Salsa, Corn and Bean Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1b package of frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 orange pepper slivered
1 ½ C chopped cabbage
1 ½ sweet onion, minced
1 bunch cilantro, minced
8 roma tomatoes chopped
1 jalapeño pepper finely diced
Chopped Black olives (optional)

Dressing: shake or stir
½ C olive oil
1 tsp sugar or splenda
3 t cumin
1 ½ limes juiced (essential)
2 t salt (or more—the salt makes the salad—you can add salt after you mix everything together and taste it)
2 t black pepper
½ C rice vinegar (I don’t remember if I put this in or not)

Courtesy of Julie T

“Café Rio” Taco Salad

Ingredients:
tortillas (soft)
Mexican Rice (Add some tomato sauce in place of some of the water, with dried cilantro, dried onion and chili powder to desired taste)
black beans
tomatoes (cut up)
olives , sliced
2 kinds of lettuce (romaine and red leaf)
corn
salsa
sour cream
cheese (Colby, Monterey jack) grated
3 lbs pork loin

Pork:
3 lb. pork roast
16 oz. salsa
1 can of Coca Cola
2 cups brown sugar
water

Fill your crock pot with just the roast, and fill it half way with just the water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Take the pork out after the 5 hours, and drain the liquid down the drain. Cut the roast into 3 or 4 sections and place back into the crock pot. Puree the salsa in the blender and transfer to a bowl. Add the Coke and brown sugar and mix. Pour over the roast and cook on high for 3 more hours. Shred with a fork.

Cilantro Dressing:
1 pkg ranch buttermilk (dried mix)
3 tomatillos
½ cup mayonnaise and ½ cup sour cream
½ cup fresh buttermilk
1 cup fresh cilantro (dried well)
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put in blender for 5-10 minutes.

Courtesy of Liz R.

Taco Salad

2 c. kidney beans (cooked)
1 t. salt
2 T. chili powder
1 t. black pepepr
1 pkg corn tortilla chips
1 head iceburg lettuce, shredded
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can chopped olives
1 carrot, shredded
1 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. salsa

In medium saucepan, combine kidney beans, salt, chili powder and pepper. Cook over medium heat until heated thoroughly. To assemble, put handful of chips on plate, followed by bean mixture, lettuce, tomato, green pepper, onions, olives, carrot and cheese. Top with salsa and sour cream.
makes 6 servings
ready in: 15 minutes

Courtesy of Julie T