Salad Recipes

Geoffrey Zakarian uses rotisserie chicken from the grocery store plus a bunch of items you likely have on hand to make this quick pasta salad. Total:55 min Active: 25 min Yield: 4 to 6 servings Level: Easy Ingredients Kosher salt 3 cups dried elbow macaroni  1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  1 cup cubed rotisserie chicken  1 cup diced English cucumber (about 1/3 cucumber)  1 cup halved cherry tomatoes  1/2 cup chopped pitted Nicoise olives  1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers (about 1 whole)  1/2 cup 1/4-inch diced hard salami (about 4 ounces)  1/4 cup diced red onion (about 1/2 small)  1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 4 ounces ricotta salata, grated, or crumbled feta cheese  1/3 cup red wine vinegar  Directions Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and shake until very dry. Transfer the pasta to a large mix

Keep this formula on hand, and you'll never be far from a delicious veggie dish, no matter the season. Just follow this basic blueprint: greens (here, red leaf) + seasonal vegetable and/or fruit (corn and peaches) + cheese/something creamy (avocado and feta) and/or egg + nuts (walnuts). Throughout the year, it's an easy way to elevate a simple green salad to one that transcends the genre. Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients 2 ears fresh or frozen corn (Note: Grilled corn adds another dimension to this salad; but if your corn is very fresh, you don't need to cook it. Shave the kernels off the cob and toss them directly into the salad) 1 large head red-leaf lettuce, washed, dried well and chopped, or torn, into bite-size pieces Flaked sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 ripe peaches, pitted and thinly sliced 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced 1/2 cup toasted walnuts 1/2 cup freshly crumbled, good-quality feta cheese  For the Honey Vinaigrette: 3 Tbsp. honey 1

Fresh roasted bell peppers and cute bite-sized balls of mozzarella make this a standout summer salad. Total:30 minPrep: 10 min Cook: 20 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy Ingredients Kosher salt 12 ounces mezzi rigatoni or other short tube-shaped pasta 2 bell peppers (red and/or yellow), halved, stemmed and seeded 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled 1/4 cup almonds 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 lemon 8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves torn Freshly ground pepper Directions Preheat the broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Shake off the excess water. Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan, add the garlic and broil until charred, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, shaking th

This salad is for the fitness freaks who are looking to enjoy a low-carb, high protein meal. First of all, collect the veggies; 8 cups of baby spinach, 10 cups of sliced shitake mushrooms, 1 ½ cups chopped green onions, 2 tablespoons of minced ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Heat one tablespoon of peanut oil on a skillet and add 8 ounces of skinless, boneless chicken, cut in bit sized pieces. Season the chicken with ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook till chicken is almost dine (about 3 minutes). Remove the chicken from pan and add the mushrooms with seasoning as before. Stir fry for about 6 minutes till almost all water evaporates, then add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil, the ginger and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the chicken, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoon water. Remove from pan after two minutes, add in the baby spinach and green onions and enjoy a protein-packed meal! Source: www.health.fa

This salad was inspired by a classic Salade Niçoise with its fresh anchovies, potatoes and green beans, and one offered to me by Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse, who comes to France every year to avail herself of, among other things, the fine green beans of summer. INGREDIENTS For the vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons best quality cider vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 medium new white onion, sliced paper-thin 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed 3/4 cup mixture of tarragon and fresh chervil leaves, loosely packed Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste N/A freshly ground black pepper For the Salad: 2 pounds fresh tuna 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing on the tuna N/A Sea salt N/A freshly ground black pepper 20 anchovy fillets (preferably packed in oil) 1 pound green beans, trimmed 1 pound yellow beans, trimmed 2 pounds of tiny new potatoes, sc

Sweet macaroni salad with ham is a favorite of my family.  It is a great recipe for any holiday and is good any time of the year.  Take this sweet macaroni salad to family gatherings, picnics, or any potluck meal and it will go over big. This salad keeps well in the fridge for several days.  You can make half the recipe or double the recipe for a crowd.  I love this salad and can make a meal off just the salad with a couple slices tomato like in the photo above.  You could leave out the ham if you don’t like meat in your salad or you could add another meat such as chopped chicken.  You might also like our recipe for Cheddar Ranch Pasta Salad. Ingredients : 2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked al-dente according to package directions 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped sweet green pepper 2 cups cooked chopped ham Dressing for Salad: 1 to 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip 3 tablespoon

Cutting the tomatoes in various ways - slices, wedges, halves - gives the salad visual appeal. Choose perfectly ripe ones for full flavor. Ingredients 2 Tomatoes, or 3, large, red or green ½ Cucumber, peeled into ribbons 3 Vine-ripened tomatoes, or 4 8 Cherry tomatoes, up to 10, or grape tomatoes 4 Mozzarella cheese, small balls, up to 5 2 Tbsp   Basil leaves, fresh, finely sliced, plus extra for garnish 1 Tbsp   Parsley, finely chopped Dressing ¼ cup  Extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp  Lemon juice ½ tsp  Sea salt ½ tsp  Black pepper Directions Cut larger tomatoes however you desire and arrange them on a serving platter. Peel the cucumber into ribbons and bundle onto the tomatoes. Halve and dot the vine-ripened and cherry or grape tomatoes around the plate. Drain the mozzarella balls well, squeezing out any excess liquid.  Make the dressing by combining the ingredients and mixing well. Pour half over the mozzarella to marinate. Drizzle the rest of the d

WATERGATE SALAD - A traditional holiday dish that everyone loves. Made with COOL WHIP, marshmallows, pistachio pudding and pineapple, it's deliciously easy. Ingredients 8 ounces COOL WHIP 1 package 3.4 ounces instant pistachio pudding 20 ounces crushed pineapple 3 cups marshmallows 4 ounce chopped walnuts pecans work great too 2/3 cup chopped dried cranberries optional Instructions In a medium/large mixing bowl add COOL WHIP and pistachio pudding and beat until combined and you can no longer see any of the pudding powder. Add crushed pineapple and beat again until well combined. Stir in marshmallows, walnuts & dried cranberries (optional). Top with a sprinkle of dried cranberries and walnuts and serve immediately. Or cover and store until ready to eat.  Source: www.dashofsanity.com