Cucumber Tomato Salad

So, I know I have already shared a couple cucumber salad recipes with you all (here and here) but Noah and I are big cucumber fans and we go through quite a few every week. Because of this, we are always looking for new ways to eat them and this is our current favorite. My mom whipped this up one night when we were over for dinner and it was amazing and so simple.

And the ingredients are ones I almost always have on hand. I don’t think I have to tell you how much I love those kinds of recipes!

The recipe recommends making this two hours before you are going to serve it but it is soo much better the next day so if you have the time, mix it up the night before so that it has time to marinate and soak up the delicious dressing.

This is going to be my official summer side dish. Delish!

Cucumber Tomato Salad

3 English cucumbers, washed and thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, washed and diced into bite size chunks
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vinegar (I used plain ‘ole white but red wine vinegar would be really tasty too)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil (veggie or canola)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. course ground pepper

Place cucumbers, tomatoes and onions in a medium sized bowl. Add vinegar, sugar, water, oil, salt and pepper to a mason jar or some container with a tight seal. Shake until thoroughly combined. Pour over veggies and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Catalina Taco Salad

Ever since I was a child I have loved Catalina dressing. Like a dip my chicken nuggets in Catalina while other normal kids dipped in ketchup kind of love. I even liked to drizzle a little on my cottage cheese. Strange, I know. I still love it today, but just on my salad (although I may just have to try the cottage cheese thing again).

So when I saw this salad I knew I had to try it. The salt and crunch of the fritos is a nice contrast to the rest of the salad. And the warm ground beef makes it extra yummy and filling.

Catalina Taco Salad
recipe slightly adapted from Jennifer Cooks

8 cups torn romaine lettuce or lettuce blend
1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained thoroughly
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained thoroughly
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
1 (14 ounce) bag Fritos corn chips
1 (24 ounce) bottle Catalina salad dressing

1. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Set aside and cool slightly while preparing other ingredients.

2. In a very large serving bowl, combine lettuce, grated cheese, beans, tomatoes, olives, and onions.  Toss gently to blend.

3. Just before serving, add cooked ground beef and corn chips; toss gently to combine with salad ingredients.  Begin drizzling salad dressing over salad mixture and lightly toss salad until the desired amount of dressing is used.

Chicken Enchilada Salad

Remember the enchilada sauce from Wednesday? I told you I would be bringing you a unique meal idea to use the sauce with and this is it! I have been eating a lot of salads this summer and this recipe was at the top of my list to try. I changed up the ingredients a bit to suit our taste and add even more variety and texture throughout the salad. I totally have a thing for black beans and corn together so I had to add those to the lineup.

This salad has creaminess from the avocado and black beans, crunch from the tortilla strips and corn and spice from the enchilada sauce. The chicken (which you could replace with ground beef if you prefer) completes the salad and keeps you full for much longer.

As you can see, I had my little sous chef helping. He also loves corn and black beans so he kept sneaking those cute little hands in the bowls.

Chicken Enchilada Salad
recipe adapted from Fresh Express

1 head iceburg lettuce, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cucumber, cut into small cubes
1 avocado, diced
1 basket cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup mixed yellow and white cheese, grated
2 green onions, sliced thinly
2 chicken breasts, cooked and hand-shredded
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
Tortilla strips, cripsy onions or crispy jalapenos, to taste
Your favorite creamy Ranch or Buttermilk dressing

1. In separate bowl, toss chicken with enchilada sauce. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Place lettuce into large salad bowl. Add in tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, green onions and toss together.

3. Place mixed salad onto 4 individual plates.

4. Top the salad with the enchilada chicken and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top of each salad.

5. Drizzle on your favorite creamy dressing.

Ramen Cabbage Salad

For Memorial Day this year, we decided to travel to Kansas City to visit Joel’s family. It’s so hard these days to travel 9 hours in the car so we really cherish the times that we are able to get back. We have a lot of fun and exciting things planned for the weekend including an awesome BBQ with lots of family.

This Ramen Cabbage Salad is always a huge hit with my family and I’m sure would be with just about anybody. We make it for almost every spring and summer gathering because its unique and not the typical side dish. It’s pretty simple to throw together but doesn’t keep well so make sure to mix it up right before serving. You most likely won’t have to worry about leftovers.

Ramen Cabbage Salad

6 green onions, whites only
1 medium cabbage, thinly shredded or a bag of pre-shredded cabbage
2 packages Oriental Ramen, crunched
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Dressing:
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup sugar

1. Thoroughly combine all dressing ingredients and refrigerate.

2. Toast sunflower seeds and almonds in a dry pan until you can smell them. Set aside then toast the crunched ramen (without the packets) in the same pan. Combine the nuts, ramen and the ramen packets.

3. Just before serving, combine the cabbage and onions with the dressing. Then mix in the toasted ingredients and enjoy.

Recipe linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Mexican Chicken Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette

In honor of Cinco de Mayo I wanted to bring you all one of my new favorite salad recipes, Mexican Chicken Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette. It was pretty much like an explosion in your mouth of Mexican flavor!

The vinaigrette was tangy, zippy and spicy which worked wonderfully with the cool greens, warm chicken, black bean pico and ranch dressing. I think this vinaigrette could be used as a quick and easy marinade for chicken this summer too.

Everything combines to create a light and refreshing salad that is surprisingly filling! Give it a try tomorrow for a yummy Mexican meal!

Mexican Chicken Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette
recipe from 4 Little Fergusons

FOR THE CHILI-LIME DRESSING:
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice (about 2 Small Limes)
1 teaspoon Grated Lime Zest
1 teaspoon Chopped Garlic
½ teaspoons Chili Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Pepper
¼ teaspoons Cumin
⅓ cups Olive Oil

FOR THE PICO DE GALLO:
1 whole Red Pepper, Diced
1 whole Yellow Pepper, Diced
½ whole Red Onion, Diced
⅓ cups Fresh Cilantro, Snipped
1 can Corn, Drained (15 Ounce Can)
1 can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed (15 Ounce Can)
1 whole Large Tomato, Diced

FOR THE SALAD:
8 cups Mixed Greens Of Your Choice
4 whole Grilled Seasoned Chicken Breasts, Cubed
1 whole Hass Avocado, Mashed
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
Mexican Cheese To Taste
Your Favorite Ranch Dressing
Crunchy Tortilla Strips

1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients and mix well.

2. Combine all of the pico de gallo ingredients and mix well.

3. To assemble salad: place mixed greens on each plate, add a generous helping of pico, some grilled chicken cubes and cheese. Add a dollop of mashed avocado (mix the avocado with the lime juice and some salt, to taste) to the top of each salad.

4. Drizzle with mostly ranch dressing and a small amount of the lime dressing. Top with tortilla strips.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Cast Party Wednesday.

BBQ Chicken Salad

I have been trying to create light but satisfying lunches to eat during the week that are still quick and easy to prepare with a little man running around. And this was a total winner. The great thing about this meal is that it can all be prepared ahead of time then thrown together right before you are ready to eat. That’s my kind of weekday lunch!

You could either eat the chicken cold (if made the night before) or warm on this salad. I prefer it warm because for some reason it just seems more satisfying to me. But when summer comes around I’m sure I will like it cold for a nice, light and refreshing meal.

This actually isn’t too much of a recipe. It’s more of an idea featuring flavor combinations that I enjoy. You can switch out or add different ingredients to suit your taste. I think black beans would be a great addition to this salad. An extra little drizzle of barbeque sauce would be great too.

BBQ Chicken Salad

1 chicken breast, pounded thinly
3 Tbsp. barbeque sauce
½ head iceberg or romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces handful of frozen corn, thawed
¼ English cucumber
¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp. red onion, thinly sliced (I don’t like raw onion so I skipped but thought others would enjoy them)
handful of tortilla strips (found by the croutons)
ranch dressing

1. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken on one side then flip and generously slather with barbeque sauce. Flip and slather the other side. Cook until chicken is done and juices run clear. Remove to cutting board and let it sit for a few minutes for the juices to redistribute. Slice chicken into bite size pieces.

2. Layer lettuce, corn, cucumbers, onion, cheese, chicken and tortilla strips. Drizzle with desired amount of ranch dressing.

The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

I don’t know about you, but whenever I made hard-boiled eggs for salads or deviled eggs I always ended up with a unappetizing gray ring around the yolk. This also meant overcooked, dryness that was hard to get past. Luckily, I came across this little tip a year or so ago in my Betty Crocker Bridal Cookbook and haven’t seen that nasty ring since. It yields a perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg.

Fill your pot with cold water and gently place your eggs in with about an inch of water above them (add more water if needed). Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Try not to boil them as it could crack the egg shells. Once the water is simmering, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid. Let the eggs sit this way for 20 minutes then immediately remove to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Peel, cut in half and see the awesome results!

Lemon Vinaigrette

I’ve been on a salad kick lately. Before I had Noah, I hated salad. I wouldn’t eat it. Once I got pregnant, I was trying to eat healthier and make better choices. I started choking down salad and as the time went by I actually started to enjoy it. I know you all are thinking “Who doesn’t like salad? What is wrong with her?” Well, now you don’t have to think that. Until I reveal the next thing I am weird about. Don’t worry, you probably won’t have to wait too long. Anywayyyy.

I love the idea of making my own dressings. You are able to control the quality of ingredients, make it more healthful and it’s so much cheaper. This dressing definitely fits the bill. It is light and refreshing with a nice zing from the lemon juice and vinegar.

Lemon Vinaigrette
recipe from Betty Crocker Cookbook: Bridal Edition

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard (I used Dijon)
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

In a tightly covered container, shake all vinaigrette ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Recipe linked to the following wonderful blogs:
Recipe Sharing Monday
Mangia Monday
Totally Tasty Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Full Plate Thursday

Cucumber Salad

This is one of my favorite foods ever.  I love cucumbers and this is such a delicious, vinegar-y side dish that I could eat all by myself.  And I do since my husband doesn’t like cucumbers.

I’ve never had a recipe for this salad.  It’s one that I learned watching and helping my mom in the kitchen.  I once again had to measure as I made this so that I could give you all the correct ingredients. This is really one that I just taste as I go and add more of an ingredient until it tastes just right. 

The amount of ingredients really depends on your tastes.  I love vinegar so I put quite a bit in to make it zippy.  If you prefer a more mellow cucumber salad, add less.  The sugar also helps balance the zing of the vinegar.

Cucumber Salad

1-2 English cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup mayo (I use light)
1 1/2 – 3 Tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. milk
1 1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper, freshly ground

Combine mayo, vinegar, milk, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in cucumbers. This is best if it’s made the night before.