Crunchy Broccoli Salad

Adapted from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking

Ingredients

• 8 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup matchstick carrots (I used thinly sliced carrot sticks)
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 ½ tbsp. sesame oil
• 3 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onions, carrots and cranberries.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together canola and sesame oils, vinegar and sugar. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat.
3. Chill until ready to serve. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds just before serving.

Makes 10 servings (3/4 cup serving equals 121 calories)

Zesty Grape Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped cucumber (I buy English cucumbers, which come washed and wrapped. The skin isn’t thick or waxy, so I don’t even peel them)
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp. sugar

Instructions

1. On a clean cutting board, slice each tomato in half. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and feta.
2. In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar until well combined.
3. Pour vinaigrette over tomato mixture, and toss to coat.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

Curried Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds

Ingredients

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3 cups cooked and chopped chicken
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup light mayo
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add almond slivers and toast until the nuts are brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, almonds, celery and onions with mayo and sour cream. Toss until all ingredients are coated with mayo and sour cream (at this point, if the salad is too dry for your taste, add more mayo or sour cream).
3. Season salad with pepper, salt, curry powder and zest.

Fingerling Potato Salad with Parsley Pecan Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fingerling potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ¼ cup Parsley Pecan Pesto (recipe follows)
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper on a large jelly roll sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, for 50-60 minutes, or until nicely browned and crispy.
2. Remove potatoes from oven and allow to cool slightly. Toss with pesto and parmesan cheese.
3. Serve salad warm or cold.

Serves 6

Parsley Pecan Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups Italian flat leaf parsley, stems removed
• ½ cup pecans
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 ½ tbsp. olive oil
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse parsley, pecans and garlic until well combined. Stream in love oil until pesto forms. Season with the salt and pepper (you may wish to use less salt, so start with ¼ tsp and add more to fit your taste).

Yields 1/2 cup

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 box (13 oz.) whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 2-3 cups shredded chicken
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped red onion, optional (I don’t like onions, so I didn’t add, but I think they’d make a nice touch)
• ¾ cup bleu cheese crumbles, divided
• ½ cup mayo*
• ½ cup sour cream*
• ½ cup milk*
• 1 packet ranch dressing/dip mix
• ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce (use a bit less if you can’t take the heat)

Instructions

1. Cook and drain the macaroni according to package instructions.
2. In a large bowl toss together the macaroni, shredded chicken, carrots, celery and onions, if using. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of the bleu cheese crumbles.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, milk, ranch mix, hot sauce, and remaining ½ cup of bleu cheese crumbles.
4. Pour buffalo ranch over macaroni mixture. Toss together until all ingredients are well coated with ranch.
5. Transfer to a large serving bowl and dig in!

Serves 10
*I always use low fat (NOT fat free) mayo, sour cream and milk in my recipes, and I think it tastes great, especially when mixed with other flavorful ingredients. Feel free to use regular if you’d like. If I ever use regular, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Mini Chocolate Chip Pecan Pies

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce package refrigerated pie crusts
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 (10-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Unroll the piecrusts onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into 2 (15-inch) circles. Cut out circles using a 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter, re-rolling dough as needed (I was able to get 12 large circles (1 ¾ inch) and 9 smaller circles. I used the large circles in a regular muffin tin, and used a mini muffin tin for the smaller circles).
3. Place into greased muffin pans, pressing on the bottoms and up the sides of each of the mini-muffin cups.
4. Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and eggs in a large bowl, mixing well. Add the vanilla. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Spoon the filling evenly into the pie shells.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes for large muffins and about 16-20 for smaller muffins, or until filling is set and crust is lightly browned.
6. Cool in pans on wire racks.

Green Chile Taco Salad with Chipotle Ranch Drizzle

Ingredients

Chipotle Ranch

• ½ cup sour cream (I always cook with light, and think it tastes just fine)
• 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. Ranch dressing mix
• juice of one lime
• 2 tbsp. Adobo sauce (from canned chipotles in Adobo)
• ½ tsp. sugar

Green Chile Beef

• ½ onion, diced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 2/3 cup water

Beans and Other “Fixin’s”

• 1 can refried beans (I use fat free)
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• Shredded lettuce
• Diced tomatoes
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Pickled jalapenos
• Black olives

Instructions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayo, ranch mix, and lime juice. Add in Adobo sauce and sugar until all ingredients are well incorporated. Set in fridge to chill while you prepare the rest of salad.
2. Set a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add onions and cook for about 3 minutes, or until they begin to soften.
3. Add beef, garlic and green chilies to pan. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain fat.
4. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes, or until entire mixture thickens.
5. While beef cooks, heat beans in a small saucepan over medium heat until warmed through. Stir in garlic salt and cumin just before serving.
6. Top four plates with lettuce. Spoon beans and beef mixture over lettuce. Top with other desired fixin’s such as cheese, tomatoes and jalapenos. Drizzle salads with Chipotle Ranch and serve.

Serves 4

Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad

Buffalo Ranch:

• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tbsp. Ranch dressing seasoning
• 3 tbsp. Buffalo wing sauce, such as Frank’s (or more, depending on how spicy you want)

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Cobb Salad:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup kernel corn
• ½ cup cucumber, chopped

Heat non-stick skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add to skillet. Cook 5-7 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Remove from skillet and cut into thick slices. Set aside

Divide romaine, eggs, carrots, tomatoes, corn and cucumber evenly among 2 plates. Top with sliced chicken and drizzle with Buffalo ranch. Serve with toasty garlic bread or corn muffins.