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.

salad

Always a good night for salad. I like to take the opportunity of having leftover meat from another meal (ham, chicken, pork, etc.) and make a light, healthy dinner out of it. I think of it as a night off so to speak. Toss in your favorite veggies and salad dressing and there you have it: dinner!

Featured in this photo: Ham, spring mix, tomatoes, avocado, and these cute little mini cucumbers I found at Costco.

salad

Salad

I have eaten this salad at a couple of parties this year.

Spring Mix of Greens
ripe avocados, sliced
strawberries, sliced
candied walnuts or pecans (just toss in pan with butter and sugar)
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing (desired amount)

Mix all ingredients and toss. Serve as soon as possible for freshest taste.

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Guest Chef: Lindsey Johnson on Salad & Dressing

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

Spinach Salad with Pork, Avocado and Oranges

1 bag baby spinach

1 (not overly) ripe avocado, sliced and cut into chunks

2-3 oranges, peeled, segmented

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced--white and green parts

1/2 sliced, toasted almonds

sliced olives

shredded pork (you can also use chicken)**

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing (recipe below)

Toss all the ingredients together and serve with the dressing. Serves 2-4.

**To prepare the pork:

I like to use my crock-pot for slow cooking pork roasts. This was a very lean pork loin roast. I seasoned it well with salt and pepper and seared it in a very hot cast iron skillet. I cooked the roast on high for a few hours to get it going and then turned it to low for about4 or 5 more hours. Because it didn't have a ton of fat, I also added a bit of water.I let the pork cool a bit and then shredded it with two forks. This makes more than enough for the salad. You will have some leftover. Use in tacos or add some BBQ sauce.

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Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing

1 cup low fat buttermilk

2-3 Tbsp. light mayonnaise

1/2 cup tomatillo salsa

1 small bunch of cilantro (to taste....)

juice 1/2 a lime

freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Puree in a food processor or blender

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

Balsamic Chicken Salad

Balsamic Chicken Salad

Roasted chicken, shredded

Red grapes, halved

Toasted pecans or almonds

Balsamic vinegar, just a splash

Lite mayo, just a spoonful

Romaine lettuce leaves

Mix together chicken, grapes, nuts, vinegar, and mayo. Fill lettuce with salad and eat as wraps.

This is an adaptation of two seperate recipes. One involves mandarin oranges and mayo, the other grapes and olive oil. I think that pretty much you could put any of these combinations together and have a fantastic chicken salad. I love the roasted chicken part. PLEASE, be careful about buying store-bought roasted chickens. Many contain barley malt, or wheat, or some form of modified food starch made from gluten. I have been told that the ones at Costco are gluten free. Labels, labels, labels my dear friends, always read the labels.

German Potato Salad

Gluten-Free German Potato Salad

9 large potatoes (peeled, boiled, and roughly chopped)
1 can of black olives, sliced
5 dill pickles, chopped into small chunks
7 eggs, boiled and chopped
1 ham steak, cooked and cut into small cubes
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon mayo
pepper
salt

Mix potatoes, olives, pickles, eggs, ham, and cheese together in a large bowl. Stir and season with pepper and salt. Add two heaping tablespoons spoons of sour cream and stir. Add one spoonful of mayo and stir. Add additional sour cream and mayo to preferred taste. Add more pepper and salt to taste. Mix it again and chill for at least one hour before serving.



This is my mother-in-law's recipe we have slightly adapted.

Grilled Chicken Salad

Grilled Chicken Salad

Boneless skinless chicken breasts

Homemade balsamic vinaigrette (I use Good Seasons packet and mix with olive oil and balsamic vinegar)

Salad fixings: iceberg and romaine lettuce, chopped red bell pepper, chopped celery, sliced red onion, sliced Roma tomatoes, chunks of sharp cheddar cheese, mandarin oranges, halved red grapes, sweet snow peas

Marinate your chicken in half of the Italian dressing for a few hours. Grill over low flame until done, about 10 minutes. Serve atop salad fixings, with dressing on the side.

This is my favorite summer meal. It is easy, cool, and quick to the table when I've had a long day at the pool. Plus, I don't have to heat up the house to make it. The sweetness of the fruit balances well with a balsamic vinaigrette, and my kids love it.

Asian Chicken Salad and Dressing

My friend, Jenni, recently shared the following recipe for salad dressing.

Asian Chicken Salad Dressing

3T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. sugar
3T. soy sauce
1/2 t. dry mustard
2 T. sesame oil
1/2 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 T. toasted sesame seeds

The ingredients are stubborn about mixing, so be sure to put them into a container with a tight lid and shake well before pouring onto salad.

Asian Chicken Salad

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips
1 head of lettuce, cut into thin strips
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds

Taco Salad

Taco Salad

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey

1 packet Taco Seasoning (McCormick is GF)*

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained

1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes

Lettuce

Shredded Cheese

Sour Cream

Guacamole

Salsa

Tortilla Chips

Brown ground beef, and drain off fat. Add taco seasoning, pinto beans, and tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes to let flavors blend.

Serve over lettuce and top with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and tortilla chips.

This is a recipe that we make all the time. The filling can be used over chips for nachos or in tortillas for burritos as well. In case you hadn't noticed, we eat a lot of Mexican food. And for good reason, most of it is naturally gluten free. Rice, beans, corn tortillas, meats, salsas. All good stuff.

*Make sure to check the label of your taco seasoning. So far the only gluten free brand I've found is McCormick.

Cafe Rio's Sweet Pork Salad

I got this recipe from Hap.haz.ard today and had to try it. The only words that come to mind are "best meal I have ever made". I hope you will give it a shot, it's worth work that goes into it.

***
3-4 lbs pork roast (can substitute chicken)
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups salsa

Mix above ingredients in a crock pot and let cook for 10 hours on low.

Dressing:
1 packet of buttermilk ranch dressing
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
Cilantro (1-2 bunches to taste)
1/2 cup salsa verde
Jalepeno pepper (use a little at first and determine level of spice you want)
2 medium cloves of garlic

Put all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
** I halfed this recipe and it was still plenty for 4 people.

Trimmings for the Salad:- Tortillas- Black/Pinto beans- Guacamole- salsa- Rice (I use spanish rice with pinto beans)- Cheese- Sour cream- Tortilla strips (or crumbled chips).

To assemble- I heat a tortilla with cheese in a skillet on the stove (I just layed chips). Then move to a bowl or plate. Add rice, pork, lettuce, tortilla strips, sour cream, guacamole, and any other above trimmings listed.