Aunt Anne's Kitchen Sink Salad

Kitchen sink salad: 

Base is Romaine hearts with either spinach or mixed greens. Must have a really crisp Apple, some bacon or ham and some kind of nuts-preferably with a sugar coating. Then add your choice of strawberries, mandarin oranges, mangos, green onions, sunflower seeds, almost anything else. 

Dressing:(I tripled it,usually double it) make several hours before to pickle the onion.

1/3 c oil (I used smart balance-no flavor) 60 g
3 T Apple cider vinegar 50 g
1/4 scant c sugar (I don't double the sugar-do it to taste) 15 g
Salt to taste large pinch
2-3 T minced red onion 

I dice the Apple into the dressing to keep them from browning. I let them marinate for about 10 minutes.

Enjoyed this salad Easter Dinner 2019.

Imitation Crab Salad

In a medium bowl, toss:
1 pound imitation crab
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/8-inch dice

In a small bowl, whisk together dressing:
1/3 cup prepared mayonnaise (70 g)
3 tablespoons sour cream (50 g)
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Stir into crab mix and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serving suggestions: Toasted hot dog rolls or Boston or Bibb lettuce.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Imitation Crab Salad

Hot Five-Bean Salad

1/4 cup bacon grease**
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Dash pepper
3/4 cup Bragg's apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 can cut green beans*, drained
1 can lima beans*, drained
1 can cut wax beans*, drained
1 can red kidney beans*, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans*, drained
8 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled**

In a large skillet heat bacon grease. Combine next 4 ingredients and stir into grease.  Stir in vinegar and water; cook and stir till boiling. Stir beans into skillet.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Stir in crumbled bacon.

Hot Five-Bean Salad makes 10-12 servings.

* About 15 oz
** You can just cook the bacon in the skillet, leaving 1/4 cup of grease in the pan.  I usually cook bacon in the oven (400 degrees for 7-10 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil), and reserve the grease in a mug kept near the stovetop.

Orange Chicken Quinoa Salad

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

2 green onions, thinly sliced

handful raisins

handful toasted pine nuts (or slivered almonds)

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

drizzle of extra-light olive oil

splash of apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper 

In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa under running water until water runs clear, not cloudy.  In a small saucepan, combine water and quinoa and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until water is completely absorbed, about twenty-five minutes.  While quinoa is cooking, combine next five ingredients in a large bowl.  Drizzle with oil, splash with vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.  When the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork then add to ingredients in the large bowl and mix well.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note:  The recipe above serves 2.  Pictured is this recipe times 4.  :)

Chutch Chutch Chicken Salad

2 cups celery, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

2 cups red grapes, sliced in half

6 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 16 oz box of butterfly noodles, cooked, drained, rinsed in cold water

1 16 oz bottle Kraft Coleslaw dressing (or homemade)

1 cups mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip)

1 8 oz can cashews

Mix everything but cashews and refrigerate.  Stir in cashews just before serving.

Note:  I whisked the Coleslaw dressing and mayonnaise separately and didn't add the entire amount.

Aunt Cheryl's Potato Salad

Cooked and Peeled Potatoes* (large russet) - large dice
Hard Boiled Eggs - diced

(Potato/Egg Ratio 1:1)

Miracle Whip (until it looks right)

Mustard (about 1 Tablespoon)

Salt

Pepper

Sweet pickles w/juice (or Sweet Pickle Relish)

Optional Add-ins:
onions (small dice, any kind)
celery (small dice)
Parsley
Crumbled bacon

*To cook and peel potatoes:  Bring water to a boil.  Score center of potatoes all the way around.  Place potatoes in boiling water (doesn't need to be a hard rolling boil, but harder than a simmer).  Boil about 15 minutes.  Prepare an ice bath (bowl of water with ice in it).  Remove potatoes from boiling water and put in ice bath.  Move them around in the ice for about ten second or until the are cool enough to handle.  Then squeeze off the skin.

Watch Maryanne from Gilligan's Island for a wonderful demonstration!

Tips for Potato Salad

If you want measurements

Coleslaw

1 small head green cabbage, about 6 cups thin 1-2 inch slice

2 carrots, large grate

Dressing:

1 1/4 cup mayonnaise (275 g)

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoon vinegar  

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, place sliced cabbage and grated carrots.  Whisk together dressing ingredients.  Toss dressing with cabbage and carrots.

Cobb Salad with Chive Dressing

from A Pinch of Salt Lake

1 medium-size head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 large avocado, peeled, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice
1 pound sliced bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Chive Dressing:
6 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons chives
1/2 cup olive oil

Place shredded lettuce in a large salad bowl. Prepare dressing by combining salt, garlic powder, pepper, chives and the oil in a jar and shake well. Pour the dressing over the lettuce and toss. Arrange the tomato, chicken, avocado, bacon and eggs on top of the lettuce. Place crumbled cheese in the center of the salad. Toss at the table.

Okay, first of all, that amount of dressing is huge. We've never even used half of it. Second, don't take the amounts of the salad ingredients too literally. Just chop up what you think you will use. And only toss at the table if you're interested in getting lots of polite "oooo"s and "aaaaaah"s. Frankly, not many people I've served this to want everything on that list (which technically means they are not getting a Cobb Salad, but, oh well). So I chop up what I think will be good and let people assemble their own salads as if at a salad bar. If you've got little kids, often they just want things separate anyway.

Remember, if you don't want to heat up the kitchen, cook the bacon and eggs earlier in the day! While they are cooking you can chop (when it comes to the lettuce, tear) everything but the avocado (the lemon is supposed to keep it nice--which it does--but I often don't have a lemon, so--but if you have a lemon, it adds nice flavor), and when it's dinner time--simply assemble!