Ranch Dressing

(Recipe from Barefeetinthekitchen.com)

 INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (can substitute regular milk)
• 3/4 - 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste (approximately 1-3 teaspoons) - can substitute plain white vinegar for the fresh lemon juice. 

(One of the times I made this I happened to have a lot of fresh herbs on hand and it was so delicious. Also delicious recipe with dried, but even better with fresh.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk together the mayo, sour cream, and milk until smooth. Add the spices and whisk until combine. Add the lemon and whisk again. Pour into a jar and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This dressing will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

New York Steak Salad with Gorgonzola with Honey Mustard Dressing

Megan first told me about this salad. I had seen it, but hadn't really wanted to make it until she told me about the dressing and how good it was. She was right! I used the leftover dressing on a couple different salads and a crunchy chicken wrap. Would be good on anything!

Salad (5 main course servings)

10 c. romaine
2 c. croutons
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion
1 c. unpeeled sliced cucumbers
1 pound boneless NY steak (or whatever steak you like)
salt and pepper
1/2 c. gorgonzola cheese crumbles

Honey Mustard Dressing

1 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T. white vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. honey
1 t. sugar
1 t. minced white onion,
dash dried parsley flakes
1/2 c. canola oil
salt and pepper

Blend all the ingredients except oil.  Stream that in while blending and season with salt and pepper.

Spinach Salad with Honey Dijon

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. honey
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Salad:

6-8 c. spinach or spring mix
1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. walnuts or pecans
1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese

Chinese Chicken Salad

I've been tweaking my Chinese chicken salad recipe for a while and tonight I feel like I nailed it! So thought I would share. All 5 Lee children and 1 Lee husband ate this and liked it. 

Megan's Chinese Chicken Salad :)

Grilled Chinese Chicken

1 1/2 lbs Chicken breasts, skinless boneless (I used 3 small chicken breasts)

3 cloves Garlic
2 tsp Ginger
2 tbsp Onion or 1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/4 cup Rice vinegar
2 tbsp Sesame oil

Directions
Combine all ingredients and marinade chicken for 30 minutes. Grill until cooked through. Cover with foil while chicken cools. Then chop chicken. 
(I like to put the chicken in the fridge and eat the following day with cold chicken, if you like it hot chop chicken and put on salad hot)

Salad

1 head of red leaf lettuce, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 c. purple cabbage, finely chopped 
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1 package of top ramen noodles crushed, discard seasoning

Dressing

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 c. vegetable oil (I like avocado)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Whisk all ingredients to combine. 

Toss salad ingredients, chopped chicken, and dressing (may not need all of the dressing). 

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Honey Mustard Dressing

This is so easy and so good! I have loved it with a salad with turkey in it.

1 T. honey
1 T. onion powder
1/3 c. mustard (I like course Dijon)
water to thin, as needed

Harvest Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

I made this for dinner last night and even Kenny went back for seconds. And it is pretty!

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 large head romain lettuce
• 1/2 - 1 (depending on the size) green apple, chopped (you could also use pear)
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• cinnamon candied pecans (I made my own but you can buy these or easily find a recipe)
• 4 ounces feta cheese or gorgonzola 
• 1 avocado chopped

Dressing (raspberry vinaigrette)

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard (I didn't have this so I just used 1/2 teaspoon of dried)
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries (if using frozen completely thaw first)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I like avocado)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

For the dressing: Add all ingredients except oil and poppy seeds, blend well. Then while blending slowly add oil until emulsified. Then stir in poppy seeds. 

Harvest Salad

This is a recipe I got from Heidi and it's delicious! This recipe makes a lot!

Salad Ingredients:

Lg bag Spring Mix
2 Heads Romaine lettuce
1 bag baby spinach

2 granny smith apples
1 bag craisins
2 avocados
caramelized pecans or walnuts
red onion thinly sliced
goat or feta cheese

(also can add pears, oranges, or grape fruit)

Dressing:

1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 purple onion
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
3/4 c. salad oil
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Place all ingredients except oil and poppy seeds in blender and blend. While blender is running on low speed, slowly drizzle oil into blender. Then add poppy seeds and just blend to mix.

Thai Cashew Coconut Rice with Ginger Peanut Sauce

This was so delicious!!!

Thai Cashew Coconut Rice with Ginger Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
For the Coconut Rice:
   1 1/2 cups dry jasmine rice
   1 (15 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk
   1 clove garlic, minced
   1 teaspoon salt
   1 cup water

For the Salad:
   2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
   1 red cabbage, shredded
   1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
   1 small red onion, finely diced
   1 cup cilantro, chopped
   3/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
   1 cup cashews, finely chopped

For the Peanut Ginger Sauce:
   1/3 cup peanut butter
   2 tablespoons honey
   3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
   2 tablespoons rice vinegar
   2 teaspoons sesame oil
   water to thin
   lime wedges

Directions:
1. Rinse the dry rice well until the water runs clear
2. In a medium size pot, mix together the rice, coconut milk, garlic, salt, and water. Cover and bring      to a boil. 
3. Once the pot reaches a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. (mine only took    about 20 minutes and it was ready)
4. After 30 minutes, turn off heat and let sit (with lid on) for an additional 10 minutes.
5. As you wait for the rice, make the peanut sauce.
6. In a small, microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey. Microwave for 15 seconds,     or until the peanut butter thins. Stir well. Add the ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir again.        Thin as desired with water.
7. Fluff the rice and combine it with the chopped vegetables and cashews. Drizzle with a bit of the          Ginger Peanut Sauce and taste- you most likely will not need all of it. Serve with lime wedges.

**If you'd like to add meat, toss in some shredded rotisserie chicken 

Burrito Bowl with Shrimp

Made this tonight copying Chipotle's Burrito Bowl and it was so yummy!

Mexican Grilled Shrimp

- 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Juice of one large lime
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)

Whisk together everything except shrimp, pour into ziplock bag, add shrimp and marinate for 30 minutes. Grill on each side for 2-4 minutes.


Copycat Chipotle Vinaigrette

- 6 tablespoons red win vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I just used a little sauce because it's so spicy)
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients in a blender or mini food processor and process until smooth.


Other toppings:
- Black Beans (I mixed with green chills and seasoned with cumin, chili powder, and salt)
- Sautéed peppers and onions (I used two shallots and a red pepper and used honey about half way through sautéing them to sweeten them a little)
- Cilantro rice (our best bites or cafe rio copy cat recipe)
- Lettuce
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Cotija (or other mexican) cheese

Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Just made this for a RS activity and it is an exact copy of Cafe Rio's recipe! I know most of you live near one but I just made almost a gallon of this stuff and I was licking every spoon and blender blade when I was done.

1 packet Traditional Hidden Valley Ranch Mix (cannot sub Dip or Buttermilk packets)
1 c. Mayonnaise
1 c. Buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husks and quarter
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, try to remove most of the stems
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 Jalapeno (remove seeds to desired heat - it tastes most similar to Cafe Rio when a little heat is left, I just left the spines of the Jalapenos and removed most of the seeds)

Mix all ingredients in blender!
Tip - Put Mayo in so it's closest to the blades (so either first or last depending on your blender), it mixes better.

Chopped Asian Salad

Asian Vinaigrette:
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, grated
2 T. toasted sesame oil
1/4 c. coconut aminos
2 T. olive oil
2 t. sesame seeds
2 dates, mashed**
1/2 t. ground red pepper
1 t. salt
dash pepper
**Soak your dates in warm water for a couple minutes.  Remove from water, then mash with a fork.

Salad ingredients:
Nappa Cabbage, chopped
Red Cabbage, chopped
Green Cabbage, shredded
Carrots, shredded
Snap peas, whole
Chicken, shredded
Cilantro, chopped
Scallions, chopped
Almonds, sliced

This salad was so yummy! I made a big batch and have eaten in for a couple of days.  Very versatile, you could add or leave out ingredients.  I used grilled chicken with the Orange, Honey, Soy Marinade I posted right before this.  And the dressing is awesome...one you want to drink!

Mean Lady Salad

2-3 cups Grated Asiago cheese (can be altered to whatever cheese you like- that's also a lot of cheese, less can certainly be used!)
2 cups Craisins
1 cup Pine Nuts or Sunflower Seeds
1 box Plain Cous Cous
6 cups arugula or spring mix salad
3 cups Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
2-3 small packages of plain Corn Nuts (optional if you have brittle teeth...)
*Any of the ingredients can be adjusted to favor whatever flavor or texture you want more or less of

Dressing:
1 cup fresh Basil Leaves
1 cup Mayonaise (or plain yogurt)
1 Shallot, roughly chopped
1 cup Buttermilk
1 TBS lemon juice

Prepare dressing in a food processor or blender. Blend basil, mayo and shallots. Gradually add buttermilk and lemon juice while still mixing.

Salad preparation: Prepare cous cous as directed on box and let cool completely. You can add everything to one bowl to serve, or the salad can be arranged on a large serving platter with an edge, with all ingredients lined next to each other for a nicer presentation. Dressing is to be served on the side. Enjoy!

Peach Vinaigrette

1 medium yellow peach 3 T extra virgin olive oil 3 T red wine or sherry vinegar 1/2 t salt Blend I put this on a spinach salad with candied pecans, shallots, and feta. It was super yummy.

Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

This was so good. We ate it with a spinach salad.

 

Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1/2 c. honey (or sugar)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tsp. kosher or other coarse salt
About 10 cracks of freshly ground black pepper
1 c. raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries
2/3 c. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and berries in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and whisk in the poppy seeds. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Greek Salad Dressing

(made for progressive dinner Christmas Eve)
Serves 8

• 2/3 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

In a large container, mix together the vinegar, garlic powder, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon-style mustard. Pour in the oil and mix vigorously until well blended. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Creamy Lime-Cliantro Dressing

When I was at mom's, we made this dressing with the ranch mix from Penzey's, and it was so good!!  I think it's just as good as Cafe Rio's!


Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing
Recipe by Ourbestbites.com

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk, and ignore directions on the packet)
1C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

 Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender.   Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice.  Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa.  Blend 'er up.  Sample it and add hot sauce to taste.  Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

*A note about green salsa:
There are several brands of green salsa available in most supermarkets and they have various degrees of heat.  One of the most commonly seen brands is Hernandez.  Hernandez brand is a lot spicier than any of the others I've tried.  Even their medium green salsa is way too spicy for my liking.  I like to buy La Costena because their  medium is actually really mild.  That way I get all of the flavor of the tomatillos but I control the level of heat with the hot sauce.  If you're not used to buying green salsa, make sure to sample it first before you put it in the dressing so you know what you're getting into!