Spinach, Chicken and Bowtie Pasta Salad for 100

Salad for 100, anyone?

Last summer, I made this salad three times, in two months, for groups of 100 or more.

Spinach, Chicken and Bowtie Pasta Salad is one of my all-time favorite pasta salad recipes. Here's why:  It sits well at a gathering (no mayo in the dressing). Perfect for weddings, funerals, missionary farewells and homecomings, Girl's Camp, family reunions, church parties and school events.  It's easy to make in large quantities.  Even though it looks summery it can be made year-round. AND last, but not least, everyone loves it.
The original 12-15 serving recipe is posted here . I've had oodles of requests over the years for a large quantity recipe, so I decided it would be best to re-post the recipe with directions to feed 100.
Make sure to read my tips short story (below the recipe) for all of the info you'll ever need (or want) to make pasta salad for the masses.
Happy salad making, my friends.

Got Chicken?

First three layers. 

Starting to look like something I'm interested in eating...

This was taken at Girl's Camp. I think we served 300 with these salads.
It was like the loaves and fishes. Kind of. 

Spinach, Chicken and Bowtie Pasta Salad for 100

A Bountiful Kitchen, adapted from Favorites cookbook
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Pasta:

5 lbs Bowtie pasta

Salad dressing:

2 2/3 cups vegetable or canola oil

1 1/3 cups Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce, shaken

2 2/3 cups cider vinegar

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

Salad ingredients (veggies and fruit) :

4 Costco tubs of Spinach ( 1 lb each)
8- 8 oz cans water chestnuts, drained and chopped into matchstick pieces
6 bunches green onions, chopped

48 oz - (1 large bag) Craisins 

12 cans mandarin oranges, drained well

2 cups sesame seeds, toasted

48 oz honey roasted peanuts or cashews

15 lbs chicken breasts, marinated (ingredients below), cooked, cooled and sliced

Teriyaki marinade for chicken:

6 cups soy sauce

2 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon or about 4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped

1 Tablespoon pepper

Mix teriyaki marinade for chicken. 

Marinate chicken overnight, or at least 6 hours. Place the chicken in Ziplock bags and mix the marinade in a bowl, then pour into the bags over the chicken. The chicken may be taken directly from the freezer and set in the refrigerator in marinade for up to two days before cooking. 

After the chicken is marinated, place the drained chicken on baking sheets and broil the chicken for about 7-10 minutes (about 2-3 inches from element), or bake at 350 for about 45  minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.  Cool completely, trim off any fat and cut into slices. Set in refrigerator until ready to assemble salad. The chicken may be cooked up to three days before serving salad.
Discard any leftover marinade, DO NOT use the marinade in the salad dressing. 

Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse quickly with cold water and toss with a tablespoon olive or canola oil  or a little of the Veri Teriyaki sauce and place in refrigerator in covered containers (I use gallon Ziplock bags) until ready to assemble salad. May be cooked up to three days before serving.

Blend the salad dressing ingredients together using large bowl or blender. Mix well. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Assembly:
May be done early in the day, or the day before serving.
Using two large containers, layer the ingredients to the salad in the following order (see photos)
Pasta, chicken, spinach, chopped water chestnuts, chopped green onions and Craisins. Make sure the water chestnuts are drained well.
Cover and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, add the following to the top of salad:
Drained mandarin oranges, toasted sesame seeds, honey roasted peanuts.
Mix the prepared salad dressing well, pour about 2 cups onto each container of salad, tossing gently so the mandarin oranges do not break apart. Add more salad dressing, sparingly, as needed.
Serve individually onto plates, or in a salad bowl.
Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and nuts if desired.

Tips:

-This salad may be prepared in advance. When I'm making salads in large quantities, I usually start the day (or two) ahead with any of the steps that can be done early. Read this recipe carefully for instruction on make ahead.
-If you are serving this with a main dish, say at a barbecue, you may leave out the chicken. Or half the chicken (and marinade).
-This salad is a hearty serving of a main dish salad. It will yield 100 generous lunch size portions of salad. If served with a roll and dessert, it should satisfy most appetites. If you are serving the salad on a buffet, with other salads or sides, this should serve up to 150 as a side dish. 

-For the chicken, I buy Costco 10 lb bags of frozen- boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Usually the Tyson or Foster Farms brands. They are generally trimmed of most fat so the prep work is minimal regarding trimming the chicken. I use the chicken right out of the freezer, no thawing needed.
If you are trying to cut costs, use less chicken. This recipe may be adjusted to serve 100 with 10 lbs of chicken (instead of 15). Cut the teriyaki marinade for the chicken in half as well.
-Teriyaki Sauce for dressing on the salad- I like  Soy-Vay "Veri Veri Teriyaki"  for this recipe. It is highly concentrated, so you will use less than when using another brand. It can usually be purchased at most grocery stores and Walmart or Costco. I've also seen it online at Amazon.  Make sure to shake the bottle before using.

- Purchase Honey Roasted Planters Peanuts at Walmart in large size containers compared to the containers sold at the grocery, they are quite a bit less expensive. I love this recipe made with honey roasted cashews, but they cost quite a bit more than peanuts, so I usually stick with peanuts when making a large quantity.
-Less is more with regard to salad dressing. Use less dressing than you think you need initially. Let it sit for a few minutes and see how much has soaked into the pasta, and how much has settled to the bottom of the serving bowl. Add more dressing if needed. I rarely use all of the dressing.
-Purchase sesame seeds in bulk at the grocery in the health food aisle or in the Asian section of the grocery. The cost is significantly less than if purchased in the spice section.
-Toss the peanuts and the sesame seeds last onto the salad to preserve the crunch of the nuts.

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Harvest Salad with Buttermilk Sage Dressing

Tuesday night I made a salad for a creative group of crafters and bloggers who attended
"Spark Your Holidays Soiree" put on by Margie Romney -Aslett (Justagirl) and hosted by Jamie Soucy.  I didn't stay for the festivities, but heard the ladies who attended had a fabulous time! I was amazed at Jamie's  gorgeous fully decorated Christmas house and the work Margie put into assembling craft kits. It was all so festive, that I may have to sign up next time they have an event and try my hand at creating outside of the kitchen...

I wanted to share a salad that was savory and a reflection of the season. I started with greens and decided on three main ingredients for toppings: roasted butternut squash, pomegranates and avocados. Keeping the dressing harvest-style, I topped the salad with pumpkin seeds and made a basic buttermilk dressing and added fresh sage. It was simple, fresh and a bit out of the ordinary.
This dish is perfect for your holiday table, not your mother's ho-hum green salad, and also a change from the fruit-candied nut-cheese salad we see at  almost every holiday gathering.
One week till Thanksgiving!
So excited.




Harvest Salad with Buttermilk Sage Dressing 
A Bountiful Kitchen
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Salad:
8-10 cups Romaine Lettuce, chopped
8-10 cups spinach (preferably baby spinach)
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 ripe and slightly firm avocado
1 large pomegranate, seeded or about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (green type, roasted, salted)

Buttermilk Sage Dressing:
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayo ( light is ok, but regular is better)
5-7 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth or place ingredients in container and shake or use an immersion blender. The dressing will keep for a week refrigerated.

To assemble salad:
About 1 hour before assembling salad-
Preheat oven to 450 convection, or 500 bake. Move rack to middle of oven.
Place butternut squash on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast just until squash begins to turn color and get a nice brown edge. This usually takes about 15 minutes on convection or 20 in a regular bake setting. Watch closely so it does not burn.
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Place greens on a  large platter or  bowl.
Top with cooled roasted squash, chunked avocado and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
When ready to serve, sprinkle generously with pumpkin seeds.
Serve with dressing on the side.
Serves about 20+ as a side dish.

Tips:
-I doubled this salad for a group of 50-60 women. I used 3 heads of Costco regular (not mini) Romaine heads, 1/2 box of baby organic Spinach and 1 container of pre-cut butternut squash. I also used about 1 1/2 containers of pre-seeded pom seeds also purchased at Costco.
-For buttermilk dressings, I like to purchase Winder Dairy buttermilk. It is a bit thicker than other brands and whips up nicely in dressings. My second choice is Meadow Gold. Both brands found in Utah.

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BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Memorial Day weekend kicks off the start to Summer. Summer. Summer.
It's been a long Spring here in Utah. One of those keep 4 blankets,boots,hat,gloves,scarf and portable heater at all times in your car for the baseball game seasons. So glad it is finally warming up.
Summer means salads. I've been looking for an excuse to try out this recipe I Pinned a while back.
Verdict? Loved it. My new favorite.
I think there is a similar salad at CPK? This salad comes from the blog Erin's Food Files. She adapted the recipe from Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, but added her own twist, by throwing in some roasted sweet potatoes and succotash (a dish consisting of corn and any type of beans cooked together).
Hello Summer. So glad you're almost here.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing
Adapted from Erins Food Files and Mel's Kitchen

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Chicken* early in the day, or day before prepare chicken in marinade:
4 chicken breast halves, any fat trimmed off
3/4 cup of barbecue sauce to marinate chicken

Salad:
1 large head romaine

12 cups lettuce Spring Mix or Spinach (about 1/2 of a Costco box of Spring Mix)
2 sweet potatoes, baked or grilled on bbq  just until soft

olive oil for brushing on sweet potatoes

Succotash:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 2 limes
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2-15 oz cans black beans, drained & rinsed ( I like S&W brand regular or organic)
3 cups corn, frozen
1 teaspoon each sea salt & pepper

Dressing:
1 1/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular, I used light Best Foods
2/3 cup buttermilk, sour cream, or nonfat greek yogurt, I used light sour cream
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
few generous dashes fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (you may use either home made or bottled) and additional for drizzling on salad
2-3 tablespoons milk, if needed for thinning dressing

The day before serving salad or early in the day:

Chicken:
Marinate chicken in BBQ sauce at least 6 hours. I like to use a large Ziplock bag. After marinating, preheat grill, and cook chicken until done.  Barbecue the chicken on low heat for about 8-9 minutes per side, depending on thickness of meat. Remove from heat, check for doneness. If cooked through, let rest for about 5-10 minutes. Slice after cooled.

Succotash:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add beans & corn, season with salt & pepper. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Dressing:
Combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. I used a blender and pulsed the ingredients.

Assembly:

Place lettuce on platter or large bowl. Layer on top of lettuce with black bean & corn succotash, sweet potatoes, and chicken. Drizzle with additional BBQ sauce, followed by the Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Tips:
-Great dish for make-ahead. I made the entire salad the night before and bagged all of the ingredients separately. Then in the afternoon, took to a luncheon and assembled it in just a few minutes.
-You may use any combo of ingredients for the succotash. It would be delicious with red or yellow peppers, chopped onion (red, yellow or white) or tomatoes. I added  small grape tomatoes and loved the color and flavor.
-This serves about 20 as a side dish, and is easily halved.
-I like to make my own bbq sauce (recipe found here), but didn't have any on hand, so I used 'Sweet Baby Rays" bottled sauce in this dressing, and for the marinade.
-For the sweet potatoes, I wrapped the potatoes in foil and grilled them on my bbq (350 degrees) for about an hour. After they were softened, I cut them into about 3/4 inch slices, brushed both sides with olive oil and grilled them just until they were cooked a bit more and had grill marks on the outside of the potatoes.
You can eliminate the step of wrapping in foil and baking the potatoes. Simply place the peeled, sliced potato onto a greased baking sheet and bake or broil until softened. Or grill pieces on the bbq grill.
After the potatoes are cooked, gently chop.
-If you are a cheese lover, grate some cheese on top - Monterrey Jack would work well. I don't think this salad needs cheese, there are lots of flavors in the salad, and with the creamy dressing, I think cheese is a little overkill. Just my two cents :)

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Cape Cod Chopped Salad and promises

Promises, promises. I know. I told you days ago I would post two more salads and an appetizer for your Mother's Day menu, which is THIS WEEK. It's been a little hectic around here.

For one, Stephen returned home from his mission to Puebla in March. That deserves its own post (later). Here's a little glimpse of the "most wonderful day, ever" .

That was the most anticipated hug, ever. Two years is a long time.

And then, there is/was baseball, baseball, and more baseball. 

My cute mom came to visit...

Cuddling with my favorite 6 month old grand baby. 

Brookie graduated from the U. Two college graduates. Check. 

All good stuff. Just not a lot of blogging time.
Alrightly. The Mother's Day Menu 2013:
Salad number one. Loved this recipe. All of the main ingredients are my favorites alone, but this combo is one of those "match made in heaven" deals. Creamy Roquefort cheese, soft butter lettuce, toasted sweetened walnuts, dried cranberries, a crunchy apple, and bacon.
Your mom is going to love this.

Cape Cod Salad

adapted from Barefoot Contessa
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8 ounces thick-cut bacon
12 ounces baby arugula, or butter lettuce
1 large apple, I like Gala or Granny Smith, skin on, sliced thin
1 cup toasted walnut halves, 1 tablespoons sugar if desired
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled

Dressing:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place walnut halves on lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until fragrant. If desired, sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sugar right after removing from oven. 

Remove bacon from package, keeping bacon in one slab, lay on cutting board and slice into 1 inch thick slices. Fry in non stick pan over medium high heat, separating pieces as you cook. When bacon is cooked and crispy , remove from heat. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

In a large bowl, toss together the greens, apple, walnuts, cranberries, bacon and blue cheese.

When ready to serve, toss all salad ingredients with just enough dressing to lightly coat leaves of lettuce. 

Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Serve immediately.

Serves approximately  6 as a side salad.

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Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad with Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette

Here's a recipe for a fresh and simple salad, perfect for brunch. I served this at a gathering last week and it was a hit. Inspired by one of my favorite salads at Plates and Palates in Btown. They serve something similar, without the pasta. It's a great make-ahead salad if you are looking for a recipe you can throw together just before serving.

Happy Easter weekend!

Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad with Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette
A Bountiful Kitchen
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3 chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped about 3-4 cups total

3/4 pound pasta, cooked according to package directions any shape
bottled poppy seed dressing, optional (such as Brianna's brand)
1 quart fresh strawberries, washed, sliced and drained*
green onions, chopped, optional
8-12 cups fresh spinach or a mixture of spinach and greens, washed and dried

1 cup dried cherries or Craisins
1 cup salted cashews

Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette:

1 cup canola oil

1/2 cup white balsamic or cider vinegar 

1 fresh lemon, juiced, about 1/3 cup

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

The night before or early in the day before serving:
Cook the chicken breasts, trim off any fat, chop and set aside. I like the chicken to be in 1/2 inch chunks.
Cook the pasta and drain. Let cool. If desired, pour about 1 cup poppy seed dressing over pasta and store in fridge until ready to assemble salad.
Prepare the strawberries and layer in a pan, such as a 9x13 cake pan, to prevent the berries from bleeding onto each other or the salad. This method will insure the berries are completely dry before assembling the salad.
Chop green onions, set aside.
Make the dressing:
Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a blender or in a bowl using an immersion blender or whisk. Set in fridge until ready to use. When ready to assemble, whisk again, just before pouring.
To assemble salad:
Place spinach in bowl or platter, or assemble on individual plates. Layer the following on top of greens:
Pasta (you may toss with additional poppy seed dressing if the pasta has soaked up most of the dressing),  chicken, strawberries, green onions and dressing. Top with cashews and dried cherries.

Tips:
-*Making sure the strawberries are washed, sliced and drained is essential. If the strawberries are not drained, they will bleed onto the chicken and pasta, giving off the appearance of red chicken or pasta with red or pink spots. Trust me :o
-I made this recipe up without any cheese, but if would be yummy with a little blue, Gorgonzola or goat cheese sprinkled on top.
-If you would like the dressing to be thicker, add about 1/4 cup of mayo (light or regular) to the recipe.
-You may also substitute honey for the sugar in the dressing recipe.

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Balsamic Dressing and the Mystery of Ranch Dressing on Pizza

Homemade Balsamic. A thing of beauty. 

If you are the type who prefers anything BUT Ranch dressing on your salad, I think it's safe to say you'll love this recipe.

Not that there's anything wrong with Ranch. 

Just as long as it's not from a bottle. 

And it's no where near the top of my pizza. 

What is up with that? If you are reading this and you are not from the Beehive State, you probably had to re-read that sentence. True story. People in Utah LOVE to smother their pizza with Ranch dressing. I'm not sure why or how this started. It's one of those Utah phenomenons. I'm trying to picture people out to dinner (somewhere back in the mid 80's), ordering up pizza, looking at the Ranch dressing on the table and thinking, "Gee, wouldn't this delicious, cheesy pizza be so much better drenched in Ranch Dressing??!!" 

Speechless. 

Well, not really speechless, just not able to follow that thought process. Hmmm.

Homemade Balsamic dressing? Takes about 2 minutes to make, and goes with almost everything.
Chicken, Fish, Beef.
Pizza.
Ok, maybe not on top of pizza.


Balsamic Dressing
Food.com
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4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix together all ingredients except olive oil in a blender or bowl.
When all ingredients are incorporated, add olive oil and blend well.
This dressing keeps in the refrigerator for one month.

Tips:
-I made this dressing for a large gathering recently and needed enough dressing to feed about 75 people. We tossed the salad with the dressing, and there was plenty of leftover dressing.
On the Food.com website there is a cool little tool showing the amount of servings in the recipe. You can place your cursor over the up or down arrow and increase or decrease the serving sizes. Once you hit enter, the recipe will update the amount of ingredients you need.

Balsamic for a crowd:

1 1/2 cup balsamic
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
12 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
3 cups olive oil

Mix together as recipe states above. 

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Bleu Cheese Dressing

Have you ever made your own Bleu Cheese dressing? Once you make this, you'll never, ever want to eat bottled again.
Just sayin.

Bleu Cheese Dressing
Davidlebovitz.com
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*Note David Lebovitz is a brilliant chef who has authored several cookbooks and lives in Paris. He blogs under his name David Lebovitz.

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
a few turns freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1/4 cup sour cream, regular or lowfat
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
a few drops of red wine vinegar

In a medium bowl, mash the blue cheese with the salt and pepper with the back of a fork until the pieces of cheese are finely broken up.
Stir in the chives, sour cream, buttermilk, and lemon juice or wine vinegar until well mixed.
Add a few drops of red wine vinegar. Taste, and adjust any of the seasonings to your liking and if the dressing too thick, add a bit more buttermilk.
Makes 1 cup, about four servings

Tips: (from David)

-If you can’t get buttermilk, mix one part milk (whole or lowfat) with one part plain yogurt (regular or lowfat) to approximate the taste. Any kind of blue cheese, domestic or imported, should work well.

-The touch of red wine vinegar gives the dressing a little extra acidity, and if you don’t mind the faint pink color, you can use that in place of the lemon juice or white wine vinegar. I like chunks of cheese in the dressing but if you want it smooth, feel free to run it through the blender or food processor.

from me:

Bleu or Blue? What's the difference?

from the source of all knowledge (not Facebook, Wiki):

Bleu is the traditional French word, where the "fromage bleu" was invented. Blue is English. In American stores it can be spelled either way, though many bleu cheeses are imported from Canada or France. If it's from a local dairy, you'll probably be buying blue cheese.

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Poppyseed Dressing

One of my resolutions for 2013. Cook more.
Ok, for reals.
You know what's so great about making your own salad dressing?
You can pronounce all of the ingredients.
I'm posting three recipes this week I tried recently. Loved all three: Poppyseed, Bleu Cheese and Creamy Balsamic. Each one takes about 5 minutes or less to throw together. So simple.
Want to feel accomplished in 2013? Forget about your resolutions; make your own salad dressing. People will praise you. Your lettuce will thank you. You'll feel like a new person.
Serious.
Home made dressing.
Its that good.


Poppyseed Dressing
adapted from Allrecipes.com

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1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup mayo, light or regular (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 teaspoon grated onion (white, yellow or sweet onion)
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard and onion and process for 30 seconds.
With blender or food processor on high, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream.
Stir in poppy seeds.

Tips:

-If you don't have a blender or food processor, you can make this in a large bowl using a whisk or a hand mixer. 

-You may make the dressing without the mayo and add it after all of the other ingredients if you prefer. If the dressing is not as creamy as you would like, or too tart, add the mayo.
-Keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.

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Cobb Salad with Creamy French Dressing

Don't you love a good Cobb Salad? Cobb Salad usually consists of a combo of bacon, chicken, avocado, tomatoes, green onion, eggs and cheese on top of a bed of greens. I love the way it looks with the toppings lined up in neat rows.  Why is this appealing to me?
I like to make Cobb Salad without chicken, because I usually serve it with a main dish. Traditionally it is served with French or Roquefort dressing. I made three dressings last month: French, Roquefort, and Balsamic. All keepers.  I'll post the Roquefort and Balsamic soon, so you can whip some up on your own.
I know you want to make your own dressing.
Yes. You do.






Cobb Salad with  Creamy French Dressing
A Bountiful Kitchen
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1 lb bacon, cooked crisp, drained, cooled and chopped
6 eggs, hard boiled, cooled and chopped
Green, washed, dried and chopped about 12-15 cups or two large heads of lettuce
4 medium tomatoes or grape tomatoes, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
3-4 avocados, chopped (still fairly firm)
two cucumbers, seeds removed and chopped
2-3 chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped (optional)
Roquefort cheese or other grated cheese (optional)
green onions, chopped, (optional)

Place the greens in a large bowl. Layer all desired ingredients in rows on top of the greens.  Chill thoroughly and serve with home made dressings.
Serves about 25 as a side dish.


French Dressing

4 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon  red pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable, canola or olive oil

Place all ingredients in blender or bowl and blend on medium or using beaters or immersion blender for about 2-3 minutes. Mixture will thicken. Cover and store in fridge for up to three weeks. Stir before serving.
Makes about 2 2/3 cups or twenty-two 2 tablespoon servings.

Tips:
-Make sure to wash and dry the greens and toppings thoroughly. You don't want water in the bottom of the bowl.
-I like to use either Romaine or a combo of Romaine and other greens. Although Cobb Salad is traditionally made with Iceberg lettuce, I think it looks better when made with a dark lettuce. And it's better for you :)
-If at all possible, serve this with a home made dressing. Trust me, you will be glad you took the extra two minutes to make your own.

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Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

What's a Cafe Rio salad without the dressing?  While other copycat recipes use Ranch packets, this recipe is all home made. Tomatillos are found in the refrigerated section of your produce department. You're going to love this.
Promise.


Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing
A Bountiful Kitchen
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2 cups mayonnaise (not light)
2 cups sour cream
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, washed, stems removed
3 tomatillos, quartered (remove outer paper-like skin)
2 stems green onion, green parts
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeno, seeded
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon

Place all ingredients in a blender or use a hand immersion blender and blend until smooth.
Store in refrigerator.
Yield, about 20 servings.
Keeps in fridge for about 10 days. 

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Southwest Salad with Cilantro Honey Lime Dressing

LOVE this salad. Sheri made it for Stephen's mission farewell.  A few days later, I made it again. Then I ate it three days in a row for lunch. No meat or chips, just veggies and cheese. Could not get enough of the dressing.  Fresh, tart, sweet, a little spice.  It's life changing.
Ok, so it may not really be life changing, but it's a change from the usual cilantro-lime dressing.  The honey gives it a sweet twist that hooked me from the first bite.
Try it, I know you'll love it too.

P.S.
Come back Friday, I'm having a giveaway. If you have Jimmer Fever, you'll love this one.






Southwest Salad with Cilantro Honey Lime Dressing
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Salad:
1 1/2 large heads Romain lettuce, washed and dried
1 can Mexican Corn, drained well, or 1/2 of a small bag of frozen corn (un-thawed)
1 can black beans, washed and drained
2 avocados, chopped (not too soft) choose avocados that are fairly firm
1 bunch green onions, sliced
4-5 Roma tomatoes, chopped, or about 3 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 red pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cup Pepper Jack Cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups Colby cheese, grated

Dressing:
1 cup cilantro, rinsed, remove stems
1 cup mayonnaise
4-6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
lime zest from one lime
2 tablespoons honey
sea salt
pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne


For Salad:
Chop lettuce into bite size pieces. Place lettuce in large serving bowl.
If not using immediately, layer in the following order:
Lettuce
black beans
corn
peppers
green onion
avocado
tomatoes
grated cheeses

For Dressing:
Chop cilantro. Whisk together in bowl rest of ingredients, add fresh cilantro. Add more lime, honey or cayenne to taste.

Toss salad with dressing just before serving, or serve dressing on the side of salad. If serving on side, double dressing.

Tips:
-Use Romaine full heads, not Romaine hearts (Costco) You will be happier with the dark green color.
-Important to drain veggies well and spin salad until dry. If you take the time to do this, the salad will last for up to three days if not tossed with dressing.
-Layering in the order given will insure that the cheese won't get soggy, and the avocados will stay fresh(er) with the tomatoes layered on top.  Romas, or grape tomatoes are best for this salad.
-I like the look when hand chopping  part of the Cilantro for the salad. You can throw all of the ingredients into a blender or use an immersion blender to make the dressing, then chop a few tablespoons by hand to get the larger leaf look in the dressing.
-If you want more of a Taco-style salad, add some chopped chicken and chips.

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Erin and Misty's Basil Couscous Salad aka- my new favorite salad

My amazing friend Erin (who recently left our neighborhood for Cali, can't even get started on how much we miss her and her fam) , gave this recipe to me last fall. Erin inherited this recipe from her little sis, Misty . I filed it away until this summer because I thought it looked like a great summer salad. Tried this recipe out the other night, when I needed to make a salad for 60. It was a wedding shower, and perfect for the event. First try, I used the spring mix suggested, but I really dislike it when a salad goes limp. Don't you hate that? I like using romaine in salads that are heavy on other filler ingredients. Reason being- I like the green to be substantial enough to support the other ingredients. Salads are like shows. In this salad, the greens are support, and all of the other ingredients are leads. Melinda, my show-a-holic friend, who is turning 48 (yikes, you're old!) this week will love this analogy.

Anyway, tonight, I made the salad again, with romaine and spinach. Loved it. The Romaine was firm and crunchy. No problem tossing the dressing with the salad. No limp leaves. Hooray for firm lettuce! I know you think I'm weirdly obsessive about ridiculous things.

Basil Couscous Salad
Erin Blake and Misty Mayfield

printable recipe
1 package Olive Oil and Garlic Couscous
12 cups Romaine lettuce (about 1 large or two medium heads)
1/2 cup Craisins
1/2 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups or 3-4 medium ears fresh white corn, cooked, cooled and cut off cob*
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Fresh Basil Dressing:
(enough for a double batch of salad)
1 cup fresh basil leaves*
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 shallot, chopped (optional)
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

For best results- a day before, or at least a few hours before:
Cook couscous according to package directions. Cool completely. Refrigerate.
Wash and dry lettuce, set aside in refrigerator.
Cook corn, rinse with cool water. Cut corn off cob and place in refrigerator to cool completely.
Make dressing by mixing all ingredients in blender or by using a hand immersion blender. Refrigerate.

When ready to serve:
Place cooked couscous in a large bowl. Chop lettuce into bite size pieces. Add lettuce and rest of salad ingredients into bowl. Just before serving, drizzle dressing (I only use about 1/2 ) and toss. You may serve additional remaining dressing on the side.

Tips:

- When I say "large" head of Romaine, I'm not talking about a Costco head of Romaine. Those are Romaine hearts. If you are using Costco Romaine, probably about 4-5 heads will do.

-Misty said this salad was originally served with chopped chicken as a main ingredient. Great for a main dish salad.

-The first time I made this salad, I tried to cook the couscous and cook the corn and let both cool before adding to the salad. It really works best to cook both several hours or the day before and refrigerate. Also best to use really cold lettuce and dressing. I tried both ways, and had the best result when preparing ingredients the day before and then toss the ingredients when all completely chilled.

-*You may use frozen corn. I won't be as delicious, but you won't know the diff if you don't use fresh first. ;)

-*Don't even think about using dried basil.

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