Bacon Ranch Salad

Bacon Ranch Salad

Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Eggs, hard boiled and diced

Colby Jack cheese, shredded

Tomatoes, chopped

Salad, bagged

Ranch dressing

Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

This is like one of those side salads you get at a BBQ restaurant that is really not a side salad but a meal. It is sooo good, and this coming from a person who doesn't even like ranch dressing all that much. I love that this is an easy gluten free meal when I don't have a ton of time, or energy.

Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 box spiral noodles, gluten free

1/2 lb bacon

1 1lb chicken, cooked, cooled and shredded

8 mini carrots

1/2 bell pepper

2 tomatoes

4 green onions

1 cup corn

1 packet dry Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Slice the bacon into 1 inch pieces. Fry until crispy and remove to paper towels to cool. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package says (mine said boil 8-12 minutes, I boiled for 7 minutes.)

Slice the carrots, dice the bell pepper, slice the tomato into bite size pieces and thinly slice the green onion.

When the pasta is done cooking, immediately strain and then put the pasta into a bowl of cold water, adding ice (this step is important to keep the pasta from continuing to cook and becoming mush). Let cool.

Make the dressing by mixing the ranch dressing powder with the mayo, milk, and sour cream. Let stand for a few minutes to thicken.

When all ingredients are cooled down, gently toss them all in a large bowl, folding in the dressing and being careful about the pasta. Serve immediately.

I saw a friend making pasta salad the other day and haven't stopped thinking about it, it looked sooo good. I personally have never tried making one before now. Can I tell you that this was delicious? Maybe it's because of the bacon, but I loved it, my husband loved it, my kids loved it (mostly, I mean it does have vegetables).

The ingredients complemented each other nicely, although it was just what I happened to have on hand. I'm sure most veggies would go good in here. The dressing was an experiment, and turned out well, although you could thicken or thin it to your liking.

The most important step would be to make sure your pasta stops cooking immediately, hence the ice water bath. The pasta I used was just a rice spiral and so I was worried about it being obliterated in all the prep, but it held up well. I can't vouch for leftovers though, as we had none.

Guest Chef: Lindsey Johnson on Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Bacon-wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Recipe, post, and photo by Lindsey Johnson of Just Recipes.

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 lb. each

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp dried thyme

12 slices (more of less) bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a jelly-roll pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.Trim the fat and silver skin from the pork tenderloins. Dry off the surface of the tenderloins with a paper towel.

Mix together: pepper, garlic and onion powder, and thyme. Rub the surface of the tenderloins with the spice mixture. You may also need to even up the ends by tucking the thin part underneath, but you won't need twine, the bacon will help hold it just fine.Begin at the end and wrap the bacon around each tenderloin at a slight angle--overlapping and layering each strip to completely cover the tenderloin.

Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 150 to 160 degrees. Any higher and the tenderloin will be overcooked. You want the center to be slightly pink, but not raw. Let the tenderloins rest for a few minutes before serving. To serve, cut into 1-2" slices.If you aren't on a diet, drizzle the tenderloin slices with the rendered fat and juices. YUM.

**I used regular bacon. Usually I buy uncured, nitrite-free bacon. It is thicker cut and has better flavor. I think that bacon would be better in this recipe. But, regular bacon was delicious, too.

Waldorf-Like Salad

I got this recipe from the famous Lindsey and loved it so much I made it twice in one week!

this shot is before mixing in the dressing

Waldorf-Like Salad on Mixed Greens



1-2 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts
1 apple, small dice
4-5 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled (I like uncured bacon...)
1 celery stalk, small dice
1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
lemon juice--about 1/2 lemon
sugar to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 bag mixed greens (I like a mix of arugula, spinach, dandelion and other flavorful greens)



Toss the scallions, apple, crumbled bacon, celery, raisins, and toasted hazelnuts together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice. Sample the dressing and add the sugar, salt and pepper according to taste.Serve over a plate of the mixed greens, or as is. This recipe makes enough for 2, hefty main dish portions, or 4, as a side dish.

I doubled this recipe for a ladies gathering and it was the perfect amount for a large group pot luck. Also, I made it a second time with chicken instead of bacon. It was still yummy, but I prefer it with bacon.

final product