Cheeseburger Salad

By far, the most popular day at our work cafeteria is taco Thursdays. They make both normal tacos and taco salads served in those big, fried taco bowls. I typically bring my lunch to work, so I have yet to participate in taco Thursdays. Nevertheless, if you would sit outside the cafeteria, I would bet almost every single person walking out of that cafeteria has one of those big bowls. While those taco salads may be delicious, part of the reason that I have not yet indulged is just that. With all the meat (which I doubt is lean), cheese, and the fried bowl, I'm sure those salads are far from health food. 

From tacos to cheeseburgers, doesn't seem like too far of a leap up the "healthy meter" but hear me out. Lean ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, whole wheat homemade croutons with no heavy dressing. May be a little higher in sodium due to the condiments and pickles, but not so bad after all. 

This salad is actually adapted from recipe that I saw on Ree's site The Pioneer Woman. In the two weeks since I first noticed the recipe online, we have already made it twice. The second time requested specifically by my husband. It is that good. Almost better when I reassembled the leftovers for my Thursday cheeseburger salad lunch :) Enough said. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Cheeseburger Salad
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
2 large whole wheat rolls, cut into 1-inch pieces
Butter-flavored non-stick spray
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 lb. lean ground beef (93 or 96%)
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and torn
1/4 - 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced
4 whole dill pickles, cubed
1/2 red onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray the pieces of bread with the non-stick spray and toss. Sprinkle with the garlic salt and parsley and mix. Spread the cubes on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes. Stir and bake for 15 more minutes or until brown and crispy.

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. When cooked through, drain any fat from the pan. Add ketchup, mustards, and barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Keep warm.

To assemble each salad, divide the lettuce between plates. Layer on the meat, onions, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, and croutons. Serve immediately. The salad can be saved for lunch by storing the vegetables, croutons, and meat separately. Warm the meat up in the microwave just before eating, then assemble the ingredients.

Fruity Coconut Chicken Salad with Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Since September hit, I have been seeing a lot of fall-themed recipes across the blogs. Don't get me wrong, I still love pumpkin, apples, soups, and stews, but I am not quite ready to give up on summer. The weather has been gorgeous here the past week since we've dropped to right around or just below 100 degrees for a high. It's also been cooling off better at night - I actually saw a reading in the 70's in my car on the way to work the other morning (granted it was 5:30AM). I haven't been able to enjoy the weather on an outdoor run yet since I've been on call this week, but I assure you that I will be out there as soon as I can.

Since stone fruit and berries have still been on sale around here, I thought this salad was appropriate to share. The inspiration for this salad came from finding this berry poppy seed dressing on Our Best Bites. I am amongst the group that enjoys fruit in my salad, and I thought that the coconut chicken would pair well with the berries to make a great lighter meal. I didn't have any pineapple when I made these, but I think that this would make a great addition to the flavors here.

One note, I actually ended up using chicken tenders rather than chicken breasts as that is what I had stocked in the freezer. Chicken breasts would work just fine. You may need to adjust the ratios of coating, and just be sure to cook them to the appropriate temperature as gauged by a meat thermometer. The dressing does need to be made ahead of time, but it can certainly be made the night before to help speed up the cooking process when it is dinner time. Overall, we ended up really enjoying it, and it's definitely a recipe I will continue to make for as long as I can get my hands on good fresh fruit this fall :)

(Printable Recipe)

Fruity Coconut Chicken Salad with Berry Poppy Seed Viniagrette
Dressing recipe from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken tenderloins
4 Tbsp. unsweetend shredded coconut (can use sweetened if preferred)
1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
pinch of salt
1 egg white
6 cups preferred salad greens (we love spinach, but a lettuce mix would work well too)
1-2 cups berries - blueberries, strawberries (sliced), raspberries, blackberries
1 nectarine, pitted and sliced
fresh pineapple, chopped (optional - I think this would be a great addition!)

Dressing:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1-2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. grated onion
1 tsp. kosher salt or other coarse salt
10 cracks of freshly ground black pepper (1/4-1/2 tsp)
1 cup raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries
2/3 cup canola oil
1-1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

For the dressing, combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and berries in a blender. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and whisk in the poppy seeds. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

For the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Combine the coconut, panko, and salt; place in a shallow dish. Add egg white to another shallow dish. Dip the chicken in the egg white, then coat in the coconut mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Divide the salad greens and fruit between 2 plates. If desired, slice the chicken and add on top of the salad. Dress individual plates with the dressing. There will be extra dressing. It should keep in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Enjoy!

Yield: 2 dinner-sized salads

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Dressing

I am getting towards the end of my strawberry posts. One more in line for tomorrow, and then we can return to the typical variety of recipes that find their way to my site. When I was searching for recipes to use my strawberries, I noticed that there are relatively few recipes that use fresh strawberries in a savory nature. I am not sure why this is, but I knew that I needed to find some non-baked ways to use a few berries so that we didn't end up with WAY too many baked goods.  

This recipe from Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod was my starting point. While I have heard lots of good things about spinach and strawberry salads, I had never tried one before. Many of them have a sweet poppy seed-like dressing and use the strawberries primarily as a topping, but I liked how Maria used a strawberry puree on hers. Knowing that strawberries pair quite well with balsamic vinegar, I adapted the dressing to include balsamic vinegar and added a little bit extra sugar to offset the tartness of the vinegar.  

The result. We loved it! We usually have a small salad prior to eating our main dish for supper, and this was a great way to switch things up a little bit. Since this was a spur of the moment recipe, I didn't have any almonds in the house like Maria used, but I think toasted almonds would make a great addition to this salad. It would also be great with different fruits including other berries or mandarin oranges. If you are still looking for a last minute Easter side dish, this would make a great light addition to a dinner spread. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Dressing
Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh spinach
1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired
2 ounces feta cheese

Strawberry Dressing:
7 large strawberries, cut in half
juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbsp)
1-2 tsp. honey (to taste)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Place the spinach in a bowl. Top with sliced strawberries, almonds, and feta cheese. 

For the dressing, place strawberries in a blender or food processor. Squeeze lemon juice into the blender. Add balsamic vinegar. Drizzle with honey to taste. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over spinach and strawberry salad just before serving. 

Yield: 4 servings

I am linking this to Saturday Swap

Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips

I've got quite the string of sweeter recipe posts going, so I thought it's time that I posted more of a healthful, savory meal. I first noticed the recipe for this salad in an older issue of Vegetarian Times. I don't know about you, but I always seem to pick recipes out of magazines while I'm sweating away at the gym. Good thing they don't have TV's at the student gym. If I start watching food network, I would really be in trouble =)

Anyway, after coming home and immediately looking the recipe up online, I've already made this recipe twice. Since it was in the July/August issue, it has more of a "summer flair" to it, but I can attest to the fact that it was still delicious in October. The second time, I even divided it up into lunch-sized portions (minus pre-packing the dressing) and enjoyed it all week. The recipe calls for you to make a simple homemade dressing, and it is absolutely my favorite part. It ties the whole salad together and gives it just a little kick. 

I made a few swaps to the recipe using black beans rather than pintos, halved cherry tomatoes, and fresh bell peppers instead of roasted peppers. It is definitely one of those meals where you can swap ingredients wherever you see fit. If you've been craving vegetable-packed meals like I have, give this a try! It only serves as proof that lower-calorie, healthful meals can still be filling, flavorful, and delicious!

(Printable Recipe)

Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:
Tortilla Strips:
cooking spray
3 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Dressing:
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. lime juice
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
pinch cayenne pepper

Salad:
8 c. romaine lettuce (1 head) or spinach
1 pkg. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, diced and seeded
1 c. fresh or frozen corn (thawed if frozen)
3/4 c. black beans
1/2 c. fresh red bell pepper, chopped (can use roasted)
1/3 c. finely chopped red onion

To make the tortilla strips, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the tortillas with non-stick spray and spread on a baking sheet. Combine chili powder, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture over the tortillas. Cut tortillas in half with a pizza slicer and slice into 1/8-inch wide strips. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. 

To make the dressing, heat the olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, sugar and salt for 2-3 minutes over low heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the lime juice, green onion, and cilantro and blend with an immersion blender until smooth (this can also be added to a stand blender if desired).

Toss together all salad ingredients. Layer tortilla strips on top of the lettuce mixture and top with the dressing. 

Yield: 4 (The original recipe says it serves 8, but those would be little salads. You will have extra dressing for only 4 salads).

Note: The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Chipotle, Lime, White Bean and Corn Quinoa Salad

Unfortunately, I'm finding myself in that area where I've worked down through most of my saved blog posts, and I find myself saving the ones that I do have so that I don't run through them all in a couple of days. Right now, I am gratefully staying in the same place for a couple of months, so I'm hoping that maybe I'll be able to work in a little bit more cooking because things have been a little sparse around here lately in both my cooking group posts and just regular blog posts =)

Ever since first trying quinoa early this summer, I seem to be on a quinoa kick. I've made these stuffed-peppers several times as well as this stir-fry, and I think I may be obsessed with finding new ways to use it. Fortunately or unfortunately, I can't take any credit for this salad. The recipe comes from Jenny at Picky Palate. I've got tons of recipes bookmarked from her site. She comes up with some pretty creative and delicious looking recipes! In addition to that, my husband actually made this for himself for some easy lunches while in Arizona (he actually stopped to take the pictures too so that I could put it up on the blog). You can't take it from me, but he says it's pretty good.

So, if you're still in the hunt for a salad to take to those Labor Day Weekend barbecues, give this one a try. You may just be the catalyst that causes someone else to find a new obsession =)

(Printable Recipe)

Chipotle, Lime, White Bean, and Corn Quinoa Salad
From Picky Palate

Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked quinoa
1 c. water or low-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt with parsley
1 tsp. adobe sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)
1-1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 can (14 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 chipotle peppers, chopped
1/2 c. red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. green onions chopped (the green parts)

Rinse quinoa in fine mesh strainer. Place quinoa in a small saucepan with either the water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and set aside uncovered.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lime juice, salt, garlic salt, and adobo sauce. Pour into quinoa and mix in the corn, beans, cilantro, chipotle peppers, bell pepper and green onions. Cover and chill until serving.  

Note: This is pretty spicy as written. Cut back on the chipolte peppers and adobo sauce if you like things a little more mild.

Summer Garden Couscous Salad

I actually can't claim this recipe. This one was all my husband. He called me a couple weeks ago bragging about a recipe that he made from the newest Simple and Delicious magazine when it arrived at our house - I'm actually quite impressed that he read it :-) 

Regardless of that, he definitely found a great recipe! We made it again while I was down there last weekend to take to a 4th of July barbecue, and I have to agree with him. It's a great salad.  How can you argue with a salad full of summer's fresh produce mixed with feta, couscous, and a lemon vinaigrette? I can vouch for the fact that it also makes a great lunch!

The only change we made was to substitute about half a package of thawed, frozen sweet corn for the fresh ears of corn. I just wasn't able to find any corn that seemed like it was quite "ready" yet. Maybe as the summer goes on a little more? Mel has a great method for cooking corn on the cob here at My Kitchen Cafe that sounds great so I'm adding into the recipe. Check out her method! We also didn't measure the tomatoes - just put in the whole package of cherry tomatoes. That's the great thing about recipes like this - you could probably add a series of other veggies too. They can incorporate whatever you like. Enjoy! 

(Printable Recipe)

Summer Garden Couscous Salad
From Simple and Delicious, submitted by Priscilla Yee and My Kitchen Cafe for the corn

Ingredients:
3 medium ears sweet corn, husks removed (or 1/2 pkg. thawed, frozen sweet corn)
1 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 c. uncooked couscous
1 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1 pkg. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. chopped red onion
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Bring water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add a little bit of white sugar and a splash of white vinegar (maybe 1 tsp. at most for 3 ears of corn) and bring it back to a boil. Add the corn and bring to a boil one more time; cover, remove from heat and let the corn sit in the water for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, onion, and parsley. Drain the corn and pat dry; cut kernels from the cobs. Add to cucumber mixture. Stir in couscous.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, and seasonings. Pour over the couscous mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I was looking around at the dishes we have posted on the blog, and I could not believe this dish had not made it up yet. This is by far the most universally popular and the recipe we have probably made the most over the years. Part of its popularity might be because it is probably Derek's favorite salad/dessert (amazingly, it can serve as both), but at nearly every family gathering we attend, they ask us to bring some flavor of this recipe.

We first tried the recipe back in high school when we were over at Derek's house for dinner one night. His stepfather, Don, made us a great meal and from then on, we were hooked. It is fairly simple to make, but there are a couple very important steps in the recipe. First, it is essential to make a well-packed, solid crust. It does not change the taste, but a good crust makes this dish about perfect. In addition, we try to make it as healthy as possible by using sugar-free jello, frozen fruit with little/no added sugar, and as low fat cream cheese as possible. Stating this, the marshmallow layer does not set-up as well using fat-free cream cheese, so we use 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese instead. Finally, the cooling process for the jello layer is important too. If you pour the jello layer on too soon, it can seep through both the marshmallow and pretzel layers and ruin the entire dish. We place the jello in the refrigerator and allow it to begin to congel, then we stir it up, allow it to congel, stir it up, and then pour on top of the marshmallow layer.

The salad probably takes about an hour to make altogether, but only about 1/3 of that time is active. You can swap in different combinations of frozen fruit and jello for a change in taste. Other favorites we have tried include frozen blueberries/mixed berry jello and frozen raspberries/raspberry jello. So the next time you are heading to a gathering of any sort, try this salad. Odds are, you will not be bringing any leftovers home! 

(Printable Recipe)

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Recipe from Don Kost
Ingredients:
2 cups pretzels, finely crushed
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup melted margarine
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces cool whip
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 packages sugar-free strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
10 ounces frozen strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the first 3 ingredients and pat into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Combine cream cheese, cool whip, powdered sugar, and marshmallows. Spread on cooled pretzel crust and place in refrigerator.

Mix jello ingredients and place in freezer until it begins to congel. Pour over cream cheese layer and place in refrigerator until ready to serve. May top with leftover pretzel crumbs.

Spinach Salad with Whole-Wheat Tortellini, Dried Cranberries, Apples, and Feta

My husband has been out of town on rotation for the past 3 weeks, so I've been a little  bit more low key on cooking meals. Conveniently, I saw this recipe here on Two Peas and Their Pod and knew I had to try it. Maria has TONS of great recipes on her blog, and it was just what I was looking for in an easy supper (read: I won't be eating leftovers for 2 of the 4 weeks)!

All that I can tell you is that this salad is good enough that I've had it 3 times in the past week! This past time I even had to swap in a raspberry vinaigrette for the balsamic because I was out, and it was still great! I did adapt the recipe a little bit by leaving the almonds out. I am generally not too crazy about nuts in my food. They are okay plain, but I'd rather not have them in my salads, brownies, etc. 

(Printable Version)

Spinach Salad with Whole-Wheat Tortellini, Dried Cranberries, Apples, & Feta

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Fresh spinach leaves

Whole-wheat cheese tortellini, cooked, drained, and chilled (Buitoni refrigerated)
Dried cranberries
tart apple, cut into thin slices
Feta cheese
Balsamic dressing (raspberry vinaigrette)


Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place a bed of spinach on a plate. Add tortellini, dried cranberries, apple slices, feta cheese, and dressing. Eat and enjoy!

Wild Rice Cranberry Pecan Salad

This is going to have to be a relatively short post. It's starting to get late, and school starts back up tomorrow (sad day).

We first encountered a salad like this at a local deli and liked it so much that I started searching the web for similar recipes when we got back home. This is a little different than the one we had there. I'm pretty sure that the one at the deli did not have any citrus flavors, but they were quite good in this recipe. I've got one more recipe that we haven't yet tried, so I'll let you know which we preferred. I acutally found both of the recipes here on Simply Recipes. Enjoy!


Wild Rice Cranberry Pecan Salad
1 c. brown rice, wild rice mix (I totally cheated here and used a microwave package of Uncle Ben's)
2-1/3 c. water (see package)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. butter

1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped pecans (toasted or untoasted)
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. grated orange peel
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Use the amount of water for the rice accroding to instructions on the rice package. For this brow rice, wild rice mix I used a ratio of 1 cup rice to 2-1/3 cups water. Bring rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, butter, and water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 50 minutes. Do not stir. Do not uncover. Remove from stove and let sit, covered for 10 minutes. Tehn uncover, fluff up with a fork, and let cool to almost room temperature.

In a medium sized serving bowl, mix the rice, cranberries, pecans, and green onions together. In a separate jar, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, orange peel, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, mix dressing in with the rice mixture. Serve warm, chilled, or room temperature.

Southwestern Pasta Salad

I've been gone for a week, so it's been awhile since my last post. It's also been awhile since I made this salad but thought that I better get it posted before the 4th of July! Memorial Day, 4th of July... at least I did get it posted =-)

There were actually 4 different kinds of pasta salad at the BBQ that we went to with this recipe. Quite the popular dish. I knew that going in and made this recipe accordingly. It sounded good to me, so I knew that I would have no problem eating the leftovers. Even with the other salads, we came home with less than half the bowl. Not too bad.

I started with the recipe listed here on allrecipes.com but modified it quite a bit. I used less oil, more lime juice, and less chili powder out of necessity. Unfortunately, I ran out of chili powder after about 1-1/2 Tablespoons. In the end, this may not have been a bad thing as it seemed to be plenty spicy at the BBQ. After a day or so, the "spicyness" seemed to fade, and I would have added more to the leftovers had we had any in the house. I also added a can of chopped green chiles to go along with the southwestern flavor. My last change was to use whole wheat pasta.

I made the bulk of the salad the day before to allow the flavors to sit together, but I did not add the tomatotes until just before leaving for the BBQ. I also added just a little bit more lime juice after stirring to make sure that the pasta would not be dry. As pasta salad recipes go, this seems to be a pretty good one. I certainly can say that I enjoyed it!

Southwestern Pasta Salad
1/2 pkg. (box) whole wheat rotini pasta

1/4 c. canola oil

1/3 c. lime juice

1-1/2 Tbsp. chili powder, or to taste

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, rinsed

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can green chiles

1/2 c. diced green bell pepper

1/2 c. diced red bell pepper

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

1 c. chopped roma tomatoes

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large bowl, combine canola oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic. Stir in pasta and set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Stir in corn, beans, green pepper, red pepper, and the cilantro. Chill overnight or until ready to serve. Add chopped tomatoes just before serving.