Autumn Apple Salad

I used to think that fruit had no place on a salad, but over the last year or so I have changed my mind.  It is amazing how apples compliment the other ingredients.  Now I find myself experimenting with different ingredient combinations in our salads all the time.  I used this as a side dish, but you could easily add left over chicken and make it a meal.

Ingredients

• Fuji Apple
• Bacon cooked and crumbled
• Romaine Lettuce
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• Salt and Pepper to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• Toasted Pecans

In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, dijon mustard, minced garlic, and balsamic vinegar.  In a large bowl place chopped lettuce.  Top with bacon, toasted pecans, and Fuji apple pieces.  Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

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Buffalo Chicken Salad with Homemade Low Fat Spicy Ranch

We love buffalo chicken wings at our house!  Thank goodness that football season doesn't last all year because my jeans don't love them!  Tossing grilled chicken in buffalo sauce fills my craving for spicy chicken and still fit in my jeans.

Ingredients:
Salad

• Lettuce- I like to use Iceberg or Romaine
• Tomato
• Red Onion
• Grilled Chicken cut into strips
• Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Shredded Carrot
• Diced Celery
• Your Favorite Buffalo or Hot Sauce
• Red or Yellow Bell Pepper

Low Fat Spicy Ranch Dressing

• A Couple Dashes of Cayenne Pepper (add more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1 Wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• 2-3 Tablespoons of Skim Milk
• 2 Tablespoons of Fat Free Sour Cream

Combine all dressing ingredients in small food processor for about 10 seconds.  Place in container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Toss chicken in buffalo sauce and place on top of lettuce.  Add desired amount of remaining salad ingredients.  Since the homemade ranch is almost fat free, I like to serve with additional carrots and celery for dipping because the spicy ranch is so yummy!


This recipe was featured on the Marvelous May Menu, be sure to check out the rest of the May Menu.

Low Carb Italian Chopped Salad

I love Italian sub sandwiches, but I dont really love all the fat and carbs, but you can turn almost any sandwich into a delicious salad? Here's my take on an Italian chopped salad.

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Lots of pepper
• Salt

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend. Chill for 30 minutes.

For the salad:

• Romaine or iceberg lettuce
• Turkey pepperoni, fat free ham and hard salami
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Red onions
• 2 slices mozzarella cheese
  

Chop up lettuce into small bite size pieces. Chop desired amount of other ingredients and toss all of it lightly in the dressing. Serve immediately!

This recipe was featured on the Marvelous May Menu, be sure to check out the rest of the May Menu.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

I used to be completely against both fruit and nuts in my salad, recently I opened my eyes to the endless combinations and my taste buds are extremely happy! This salad dressing is so good the sweet and tangy flavors compliment each other perfectly.  Make sure you try this SOON!

Ingredients:
Salad

• Fresh Spinach washed and dried
• Strawberries cleaned and sliced
• Sunflower Seeds
• Blue Cheese Crumbles

Dressing

• 1/3 Cup Raspberry Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1  teaspoons poppy seeds

Place all dressing ingredients in a container or jar that can seal tightly.  Shake well.  Refrigerate about 20 minutes.  

When ready to serve, place spinach in large bowl.  Toss with dressing.  Top with strawberries, sunflower seeds and blue cheese crumbles.

Store left over dressing in sealed container in refrigerator.

This recipe was featured on our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu, Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on this month's menu!

BLT Salad With Low Cal Homemade Ranch Dressing

When I hear BLT I automatically assume my favorite vacation spot- Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort.  That is the Disney fanatic in me, but most other people would think the more traditional answer of a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich.  I have taken that sandwich and turned it into a salad.  The ingredients are very basic and what makes this different is the homemade ranch dressing.  It is MUCH lower in both calories and fat over regular Ranch Dressing.

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 1 Wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• 2-3 Tablespoons of Skim Milk
• 2 Tablespoons of Fat Free Sour Cream

Salad

• Turkey Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• Diced Tomato
• Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce

Dressing- combine all ingredients in small food processor blend for about 10 seconds.  Put in jar and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Place salad ingredients in bowl and top with Ranch Dressing

This recipe was featured on our Appetizing April Menu. Check out the entire April menu for a variety of dinner ideas!

Peppered Steak Salad with Low-cal Blue Cheese Dressing

Blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles are a great addition to a salad, but the amount of fat and calories that it adds are not ideal.  So I decided to come up with a lighter option.  Blue cheese has a very strong flavor so a little bit goes a long way.  By putting the cheese crumbles in the food processor and mixing with another creamy cheese I created a healthier alternative.  

Ingredients:
Low Calorie Blue Cheese Dressing

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Blue Cheese Crumbles
• 1 Laughing Cow Wedge
• 2 Tablespoon of Skim Milk

Makes enough dressing to serve 3-4 people

For dressing- combine all ingredients in mini food processor and blend for about 20 seconds.  Refrigerate for at about 30 minutes.  You may want to add another splash of milk if the dressing is too thick.

Makes 2-4 Servings depending on salad size you are dressing

Marinade for Steak

• 2 Tablespoons Fat Free Italian Dressing
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

Combine marinade ingredients in ziploc bag.  Marinate the steak for about an hour.  Grilled to desired temperature

Salad

• Romaine Lettuce
• Pepperocinis 
• Tomato
• Cucumber

Mexican Chopped Salad (also gluten free)

I love a chopped salad. I love all the bite size pieces of lettuce and fixins, avoids smearing dressing all over my lips and cheeks while trying to shove too big of pieces of lettuce into my mouth! When trying to eat healthier, the trick is to use a lot of flavor and spices to make up for the fat, salt and sugar. Experimenting with Mexican flavors is perfect when trying new healthy foods. This salad does just that, and doesn't skimp on the flavor. The best part is the dressing and baked tortilla strips! Makes you feel like you're really indulging, but the dressing is made with fat-free greek yogurt andthe tortilla strips are baked.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup low fat milk (1% or 2%)
• 1 Tbsp. ranch packet seasoning
• 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• Dash of lime juice
• Optional- small can diced jalapeños 

Mix above ingredients in small bowl and chill for 30 minutes.

Baked Tortilla Chips:

Take 2 corn tortillas and cut with a pizza roller into strips. Place in single layer on baking sheet, spray with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until crispy.

For the Salad:

• Romain lettuce
• Vine tomatoes
• Red onion
• Avocado
• Boiled egg
• Turkey bacon bits

Chop all ingredients, including the lettuce into small (1/4 inch) pieces. You can add or subtract ingredients for your preference. Use the amount of each item that you like.

Chicken:

I used a chicken breast I already had cooked from another night, but you can use a raw one as well. Cut into strips and season with taco seasoning, chili powder or cumin. I also add a dash of cayenne pepper to make it spicy. Grill on stovetop until cooked thoroughly. You may need to cut some more once finished cooking to achieve the bite size chopped pieces.

Mix all ingredients together except tortilla chips and toss with dressing. Add tortilla chips to the top and serve. Enjoy!

Green Waldorf Salad with Honey Yogurt Dressing

Waldorf Salad was always a staple at family barbecues and picnics growing up. I don't see it as much anymore but there is a sort of nostalgia that it brings to a cook-out. So when we were planning our meal for tonight and we were planning on grilling the meat and potatoes, I thought of waldorf salad. However, we did not want your traditional, mayonnaise-heavy salad. We thought we'd turn it into a "green" salad and put the ingredients over a bed of lettuce. From there we thought we'd do a creamy vinaigrette, but decided we'd use greek yogurt versus mayo to keep it healthier. It was the perfect compliment to our spring cook-out!

First make the dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup canola oil

Mix all ingredients except the oil in a food processor and mix until well blended.  Add the oil in last and blend well.  Chill for 30 minutes.

Now chop up the ingredients for your salad. You can realty use whatever lettuce you have on hand, but we chose to use a blend of romaine and spinach.

Salad ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce and baby spinach
• Peeled and chopped Red Apples
• Grapes
• Celery
• Pecans
• Blue Cheese Crumbles

For the salad, use the amount of ingredients that you prefer for your salad. I like an even mix of lettuce to spinach and lots of cheese! But keep the cheese to a minimum if you are going the lighter route. The celery has quite a bite to it, so I recommend only using a small palmful of chopped celery. Lightly toss your salad in the dressing and serve. Yum!

We served this with Grilled Bourbon Pork Medallions and Rosemary Chive Grilled Potatoes.

This recipe was featured on our Appetizing April Menu. Check out the entire April menu for a variety of dinner ideas!