White bean and tuna salad

I was excited about this recipe, hoping it would pack a ton of flavor and be something awesome for lunches. However, there was way too much onion, and I used a small red onion! I might try it again, but the texture of the tuna and beans was also a bit too much to deal with.

White bean and tuna salad-adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis
Total time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna in oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

In a large bowl add tuna, salt and pepper. Using a fork, break up the tuna into bite sized pieces, then gently toss in the beans and onions. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and season with more salt and pepper to taste. 

German Cucumber Salad

I made this recipe as I had accidentally bought too much yogurt and needed to use it up. It didn't hit anything out of the park, but maybe I'd like it more in the summertime?

German Cucumber Salad-adapted from Stumbling Upon Happiness
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 2

• 1 cucumber
• 1 large tomato
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• Pinch of salt

Slice the cucumber, tomato and onion into thin slices. In a large bowl, mix together dill and salt. Add yogurt and lemon juice until well combined. Mix in vegetables until well combined. 

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

One of our favorite things to have a gathering (i.e. Packer party) is the Steakhouse Potato Salad from Pick 'n Save. I came across this recipe and decided to try it on my own. It turned out great, I think better than the premade kind from the store!

I also have to say, I kind of cheated and didn't actually bake the potatoes. I also kept the skins on, but you could surely peel them if you prefer.

Prep of the potatoes

Final product

Loaded Baked Potato Salad-adapted from So, How's It Taste?

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Serves 12

• 6 red potatoes
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Cut potatoes into quarters and boil for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and cut into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl and toss with apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Gently stir in remainder of ingredients to coat entire potato salad. Keep cool and serve immediately.

Tuna Chef's Salad

For one of my shower's my cousin gave me a wonderful salad set. I was so excited to finally use it! When I made this salad, I figured it was going to be just another salad-nothing special about it. Was I wrong! I thought the tuna really added to it and made it flavorful. We also made some killer hard boiled eggs to go with it!

Tuna Chef's Salad-adapted from 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes by Pillsbury
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 4

• 9 ounces iceberg lettuce
• 10 ounces tuna, drained if in a can
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Croutons and dressing of your choice for serving, optional

In a large salad bowl, arrange tuna, eggs, carrots, cheese, and crutons over the lettuce. Serve on four plates with dressing of choice on the side.

Tex-Mex Chicken Salad

I could not believe how unbelieveably good this chicken salad was. It's a Weight Watcher's recipe too, so if you follow the serving guidelines it's good for you as well! It's super fast and keeps well as leftovers too, so you could definitely make it at the beginning of the week for your lunch!

Tex-Mex Chicken Salad-adapted from Weight Watchers
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken in a casserole dish for about 25 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cumin and chili powder. Stir in the remainder of ingredients. You can chill for up to two hours for best results, but we ate it right away. 

Greek Quinoa Salad

This salad puts two of our favorite things together-Greek flavors and quinoa. It's super hearty and protein-packed.I could probably make it every week and be happy!

Greek Quinoa Salad-adapted from Lulu's Recipe Box
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/3 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

In a medium saucepan add water and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for about 5 minutes. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. 

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, tossing to coat. Add cooked quinoa and toss thoroughly.

Kale Salad with Bleu Cheese

My work has been partnering with Growing Power to allow us as employees access to fresh produce every week. And it has been awesome. I've been getting kale almost every week, and this was the first recipe I tried. I received it from my aunt. The chef featured in the original link's video is someone she works with!

I absolutely LOVED the dressing and will definitely be making that again. I went a little heavy handed with the bleu cheese, but, what can I say? I love that stuff. I didn't toss the salad, so I was able to eat this for a few days afterwards with dressing on the side.

Kale Salad with Bleu Cheese-adapted from Kare 11
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 4 cups kale, destemmed and chopped
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 cup bleu cheese crumbles

In a blender, combine cider vinegar, honey, salt, black pepper, olive oil and ground mustard. Blend on high for one minute. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients and toss to mix. If desired, toss in salad dressing, or serve on the side.

Italian Chicken Salad

So I'm back on again. I'm terrible at getting busy and not blogging. It also sometimes gets me into not cooking as well. I feel like since I can't keep up on the blog I shouldn't keep up on the cooking new things (I resort to tacos...a lot). Silly I know, but oh well. Back to it, like I said!

This recipe was made back in February (gawd, I'm so behind!), but I remember really liking it! I made the chicken the same day, which adds to the recipe time, however, if you have leftover chicken it's a great mixture too! Use your favorite lettuce and I'm also thinking that next time we'll be adding some sun-dried tomatoes!

Italian Chicken Salad-adapted from Super Simple Chicken Recipes by Betty Crocker

Total Time: 25 Minutes if cooking chicken, 10 if using pre-cooked chicken

Serves 4

• 2 cups cut-up chicken
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 4 1/4 ounces sliced kalamata or black olives
• 1/4 cup Italian dressing

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients until well coated. 

Tortellini Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette

Pasta salads are probably my favorite thing to take to parties. They're just so easy to put together ahead of time, and you don't have to worry about keeping them particularly cold or hot, as long as they aren't out so long you have to think about bacteria issues (yuck). Tortellini is one of my favorite pastas to put in pasta salad simply because it's so hearty and gives extra texture to the dish.

I loved this particular recipe. I thought the vinaigrette was sweet yet tangy, and adding the peperoncini's just added a little something extra. I also liked that the dressing can be added up to a day before, without worrying about sogginess. Using the tri-colored tortellini brought some extra color to the dish which is always fun too!

Tortellini Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette-adapted from That's Some Good Cookin'
Total Time: 20 Minutes + time for chilling
Serves 10
Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Pasta

• 20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped peperoncini

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse, and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk well. 

Place pasta in a large serving bowl, and add in other ingredients for the pasta. Drizzle with dressing and toss lightly to coat. Refrigerate at least one hour to cool completely.

This can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Just stir the pasta before serving.

Recipe Redo: Salad with Green Beans and Peanut Dressing

I decided to try this recipe again. The second time around this turned out great! I love the flavor of the peanut butter. It tastes so fresh, but this makes a lot of salad, so cut it in half if there aren't a lot of you eating! In the original recipe, I didn't write where I found this, so I guess this is an original now??

Salad with Green Beans and Peanut Dressing
Serves 6
Total Time: 15 Minutes

• 1 bag (16 ounces) frozen french cut green beans
• 1 head lettuce
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 tablespoons bottled minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon sliced ginger
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 jar (18 ounce) smooth peanut butter
• 1-2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jar (8.5 ounce) hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Thaw green beans in a colander and pat dry to remove excess water. Clean lettuce and cut into bite size pieces if necessary; set aside.

In a food processor, combine the green onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Process until uniform. Add the oil and process briefly to form a paste.

Transfer paste to a large bowl. Add peanut butter and 1 cup warm water. Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon or so at a time, if necessary to make dressing a smooth consistency. Whisk in cilantro, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.

Pad Thai Chicken Salad

Thanks to this recipe, I think my new favorite is adding some noodles to a salad. I just gives it some extra oompf! The flavors of this were great and it was overall pretty easy to make.

Pad Thai Chicken Salad-adapted from Good Housekeeping
Total Time: 35 Minutes
Serves 6

• 7 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 pound chicken breast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cup mixed greens
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1 cups shredded carrots
• 5 radishes, sliced into half-moons
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

Cook noodles according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook, over medium heat, in a large skillet, about 6 minutes, or until center is no longer pink. Let cool, then dice into bite size pieces

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, canola oil, cider vinegar and salt. In a large bowl, combine all cooked ingredients and veggies. Then toss to coat with dressing.

Greek Pasta Salad

Greek pasta salad i just one of those things. Just awesomely delicious. This recipe was simple and I loved the vinaigrette!

Greek Pasta Salad-adapted from Daydream Kitchen
Total Time 30 Minutes
Serves 6

Pasta Salad

• 6 ounces pasta of choice
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing

• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon basil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool. Place in a large bowl and stir in additional pasta salad ingredients.

Meanwhile, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over pasta salad ingredients and toss to coat.

Artichoke, Edamame and Asparagus Salad

I made a mistake when I bought the ingredients for this recipe. For some reason, I didn't think to grab the shelled edamame from the freezer section. This made it a bit harder to eat as you can't really eat the shells, but you could still tell the flavors that were there and I'd definitely make this again.

Artichoke, Edamame, and Asparagus Salad-adapted from Health Magazine
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 14-ounce can artichokes, quartered and drained
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 pound medium asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into pieces

In a salad bowl, combine garlic, oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper; whisk well. Add artichokes and toss gently. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the edamame and cook for 2 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until asparagus and edamame are crisp-tender, another 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

Add asparagus and edamame to artichoke mixture and toss to coat.

Asian Chicken Salad

Making hearty salads for dinner is one of my new favorite things. They're light but filling all at the same time. Thanks to this recipe, I now have a new favorite dressing-sesame ginger dressing! It's tangy but sweet at the same time! If you have left over chicken, this recipe will only take a few minutes to throw together and can be eaten with your favorite choice of dressing.

Asian Chicken Salad-adapted from Five Ingredient, 15 Minute Recipes by Weight Watchers
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 can mandarin oranges
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 3 cups dice cooked chicken breast
• 1 cup sliced snow peas
• 1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots
• 1/3 cup sesame-ginger dressing

Mix all ingredients, except dressing, in a large salad bowl. Serve with dressing.

Mango Chicken Quinoa Salad

If you haven't tired quinoa yet, give it a try! It's so good! This salad had a lot of flavor and was so filling! Although, I still don't think I know how to properly cut of a mango. What can I say, some things are hard!

The sweetness of the mango, citrus of the lemon dressing and tangyness of the blue cheese just worked so well. You could use this as a main dish (as we did) or a great side to share!

Mango Chicken Quinoa Salad-adapted from Picky Palate
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1 large ripe mango, diced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Simple Lemon Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook quinoa according to package directions, and let cool for 30 minutes.

Add chicken, mango, kalamata olives, and cheeses to a large bowl with the quinoa. Mix well.

To make the dressing, whisk the dressing ingredients until well combined. Toss with quinoa mixture until well coated.

Asian Chicken Salad

I've been looking for a good, warm spinach salad for awhile now. I think I found it! The flavors in this Asian-inspired salad were absolutely amazing. It didn't feel like you were eating a salad. And I'm not going to lie, I wanted to eat the entire pan (I promise I didn't).

The best part about this recipe? You could add pretty much any of your favorite stir-fry veggies into the mix! Get creative!

Asian Chicken Salad-adapted from 300 Under 300 by Hungry Girl
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 2

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon red chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 8 ounces chicken breast, cubed
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 2 tablespoons water
• 6 cups baby spinach

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, red chili sauce, and garlic. Mix well and set aside.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and turn on stove to medium high heat. Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper and add to the skillet with mushrooms, carrots, sprouts green onions, and 2 tablespoons water.

Stirring occasionally, cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in sauce mixture. Cook until sauce is evenly distributed and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve over spinach leaves.

Clubhouse Salad

My new favorite thing is hearty salads for my meals. Adding some awesome protein and a bit of sweetness is just the most tasteful and filling thing that doesn't weigh you down. Although this is a super basic recipe and you could add whatever you'd like to it, I'd certainly follow it again!

Also, in the picture is Wishbone's Guacamole Ranch. Go try it. It's amazing. That reminds me. The one thing I would add to this recipe--avocado!

Clubhouse Salad-adapted from 5 Ingredient, 15 Minute Recipes by Pillsbury
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 6

• 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 10 ounces chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
• 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 ounces dried cranberries
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 3/4 cup ranch dressing (or your favorite dressing), on the side

For next time:

• 1 avocado, sliced

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients with the exception of the dressing. Serve with dressing of choice.

Lemon Orzo Salad

Orzo is one of those pastas that I had no idea what it was before I really got started cooking. It reminds me of a mix between pasta and rice as it's tiny, but a noodle all the same. This recipe has to be one of my favorites. The vegetables included in this recipe and oil-dressing reminded me of Greek-inspired dishes. It was so fresh and filling all the same. Trust me-give it a try!

Lemon Orzo Salad-adapted from Reader's Top Rated Recipes by Cooking Light
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 4

• 3/4 cup uncooked orzo
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain and place in a large bowl. 

Combine lemon juice and next five ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over orzo; toss to coat. Add chicken, vegetables and cheese and toss gently to combine.

Herbed Quinoa Salad

I haven't cooked with the superfood ingredient, quinoa, until NOW! And, let me tell you, it was totally worth it! The flavors in this were greek-inspired and just awesome. This was a huge hit at the Memorial Day party we went to.

Herbed Quinoa Salad-adapted from What's Gaby Cooking
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cups chopped parsley
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup halved kalamata olives
• 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Bring chicken stock and quinoa to a boil in a large pot and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 15 minutes, until all the water evaporates. Remove from pot and set aside.

In a food processor, combine the spices and olive oil until it resembles a pesto. Combine the herb mixture and quinoa. Add in cucumber, tomato, olives and feta cheese. Gently toss to combine.

Spinach, Strawberry and Grapefruit Toss

Here is another fresh salad for this summer! I found out, from this recipe, that Scott nor I are the biggest fans of grapefruit. It's a little bit too tart for the two of us. This salad was relatively simple, and that may have been part of the reason I wasn't a huge fan.

Spinach, Strawberry and Grapefruit Toss-adapted from Pillsbury's, 'Fast and Health Cookbook'
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 12

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup slice almonds
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Dash ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 10 ounces fresh spinach leaves
• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

In a 6 inch skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat until hot. Add almonds; cook and stir until lightly browned. Add 1 tablespoon honey and cinnamon; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until almonds are glazed and golden brown. Place aside to cool.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, shake remaining oil and remaining honey, lime juice, mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and sugar until well blended.

In a large serving bowl, mix spinach, strawberries and grapefruit; top with dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.