Macaroni salad

1 lb elbow macaroni, boiled according to directions and cooled
3 green peppers chopped
1/2 C diced onion
3 celery stalks diced
1 bag of shoestring carrots
3 1/2 C mayo
salt and pepper

Broccoli salad

1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups finely chopped broccoli crowns
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds 

Whisk garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar and sugar in a large bowl.  Add broccoli, water chestnuts, bacon cranberries and sunflower seeds; stir to coat with the dressing.

Best if made the night before.

Pea Salad

Serving Size: 16

Ingredients:
1 head iceberg lettuce, sliced thinly
8 ounces bacon, cooked & crumbled
5 ounces frozen peas, thawed
8 ounces swiss cheese, shredded
2/3 cup green onion, finely chopped
6 whole hard-boiled eggs, diced
4 whole roma tomatoes, diced

dressing:
2 tablespoons frank's hot sauce
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup miracle whip
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Toss all ingredients for salad together. Make dressing and add it to
salad right before serving.

Notes:
Put the dressing on the salad right before serving otherwise gets soggy.

Rocky Mountain Salad

1 Tb dried onion

3 TB apple cider vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

3/4 C olive oil

Whisk together in a bowl.

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into pieces

1 head green leaf lettuce, torn into pieces

1 (14 oz) can artichokes hearts, drained and chopped

1 large avocado, chopped

1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 tomatoes, chopped

4 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients.  Add dressing to coat and serve immediately.

Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

Serve wrapped in lavash bread or a tortilla. Use more or less jalapeno as desired.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1 to 2 whole jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced

5 cups chicken breast, cooked boneless skinless

Salt

pepper

Directions:

Combine mayonnaise, cilantro, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, bell pepper, and jalapeno in large bowl. Add chicken and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Chicken and Mint Lahb Gai (Cold type chicken salad)

2 tablespoons rice powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 tablespoons shallot, minced

1/2 cup mint leaves, handful, shredded

1 whole spring onions, diced

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons tamarind sauce, 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate mixed with 5 teaspoons water (this makes tamarind juice)

1 teaspoon granulated white sugar

1/4 cup water, or chicken stock

300 grams ground chicken



Directions:

Put water in wok and heat, do not boil. Add chicken and cook until done. Add the other ingredients.

To make rice powder, toast rice on a dry pan with no oil until brown. Grind into a powder.

Chicken lettuce wraps

Recipe By: bridgette server
Serving Size: 8

1 head iceberg lettuce, or Bibb lettuce
1 package rice sticks, Budda Brand. prepared
1/4 cup vegetable oil

mushroom mixture:
6 medium dried shiitake mushrooms, really small ones
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained, minced
1/2 cup pickled cucumber, chinese style
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 stalks green onion, finely minced, separated white & green
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
2 small dried red chilies, optional, crushed

reserve sauce:
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons pickled cucumber, juice of (or 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon mushroom seasoning powder, chinese style

chicken mixture:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground chicken, you can use pork or shrimp or dried bean curd

garnish sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chinese hot mustard
1-3 teaspoon garlic chili paste
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil



Soak lettuce in advance. Cut lettuce in half, then cut out the core. Then soak in ice water and drain on a paper towel until ready.

Boil water and then soak the dry black mushrooms in the water to cover for at least 30 minutes up to 3 hours or until soft.

Cut the rice noodles into manageable pieces about 1-2" with scissors. Prepare the rice noodles by heating oil and then adding a very small handful into the hot oil. They will puff up a lot. Make sure your oil is very hot, test with one noodle, it should immediately puff when put in the oil. Once puffed strain out and place on a paper towel.

To make the sauce, dissolve the sugar in the water in a small bowl. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, hot mustard, garlic chili paste, and sesame oil; mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve the lettuce wraps. You can do this a week or two before.

Combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, pickled cucumber juice, and the mushroom powder. Set aside.

Heat your plan and when hot place the two teaspoons of oil in the pan. Heat and then put the ground chicken in the pan and fully cook. Set aside. If doubling the recipe only do one pound at a time, unless you have a large pan.

Rinse and drain the mushrooms. Trim off and discard woody stems of mushrooms then set aside. Chop the following ingredients one at a time in a small food processor. First the mushrooms, then the water chestnuts, and then the pickles (save the juice).

Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Add white part of the onion, ginger, and fresh chili if using and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Save the green part of the onion for garnish.

Add mushrooms, to the onion mixture and stir-fry for a second then add the pickles (save juice), and the water chestnuts. Stir-fry again to get everything combined and seasoned. Then add the cooked ground chicken, and the green part of the scallion. Stir and then pour in reserved sauce mixture. Simmer until combined and heated through. Remove the mixture to a serving dish.

To serve cover bottom of serving dish with the fried rice noodles. Place a few cooked rice noodles in lettuce leaf. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and then spoon the garnish sauce inside of a lettuce leaf and roll it up tightly like a wrap. Place wraps on top of noodles. Eat with your fingers.

Insalata Grande

Serves 12
1 pound mixed greens, costco size
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced and roasted
1 bag pine nuts, toasted
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, quartered, not marinated
6 medium tomato, cut in half, sliced in half-moons
olives
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
parmesan-reggiano, shaved curls

Directions:
Roast mushrooms per linked recipe. Mix extra-virgin olive oil,
balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper together. Dress the mixed greens
with some of the dressing. Should be lightly coated. Use some of the
dressing to coat the tomatoes once cut, also use some on the
artichokes. Then combine the mushrooms, pine nuts, tomatoes, and
artichokes in the salad and toss. Using a vegetable shave parmesan
onto the top of the salad.

Toasting any type of nuts
Turn your oven on to anything under 299 degrees, don't do 300, 299 is the magic number, your nuts will never burn.
Using whatever type of nut you want spread them on a cookie sheet in a single layer. They can be touching. Then if it is at 299, you can roast for a shorter period of time like 20-40 minutes depending on your nut, fatter nuts like almonds take longer to cook than lets say pine nuts. Set your timer for 15 minutes and check every 15 minutes to see if they are as dark as you want. If you want to do it low and slow, set your oven at 200 and then leave them for 2 hours, checking them every 30 minutes.


Roasted Mushrooms
1 pound sliced white mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss mushrooms with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Arrange in a single layer on a large low-sided roasting pan or jelly-roll pan. Roast until released juices have nearly evaporated and mushroom surfaces facing pan are browned, 12 to 15 minutes. If you pick one up the bottom will be caramelized. Remove pan from oven and turn mushrooms with a metal spatula. Continue to roast until mushroom liquid has completely evaporated and mushrooms are brown all over, about 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serve.

Green Beans and Feta Salad

2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup prepared Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing
1/4 cup Feta Cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onion

Cook beans in boiling water 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; rinse with cold water.
Place beans in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat.
Serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate several hours or until chilled