5 cup fruit salad

Just a simple yummy fruit salad to serve at anytime of the year!

Ingredients:
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup crushed pineapple or tidbits (drained)
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup mandarin oranges (drained)

Directions:
Gently fold all ingredients together and chill for 2 hours. Serve and Enjoy!

Light Chicken Salad

Ever heard of P90X? Well, my husband and I started this program on Monday. It consists of about an hour workout each day and a healthy eating regiment. Nothing bizarre, just a well rounded diet of just the right amount of fruits, veggies, dairy, carbs and protein. No sugar for the next 90...well 85 days! And if you know me, you know my biggest weakness is sweets. Surprisingly, I am doing pretty well. My fresh strawberries are fitting the bill for now! Ok...so that is the reason for some new lighter recipes you'll find coming from me. Feel free to keep submitting all your other yummie recipes...I'll try them eventually! :)
On to my new version of an old favorite.

Ingredients:
1 breast of chicken, 6 oz (cooked in the crockpot...directions below)
1 T fat free plain yogurt
1 t mayonaisse
1-2 T chopped red onion
1-2 slices cooked turkey bacon
1 t crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Directions for cooking chicken:
Place 3-4 fresh or frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot. Sprinkle with about 1/4-1/2 t garlic salt
a couple twists of freshly ground pepper
1 T extra virgin olive oil poured over top
1/4-1/3 cup water to just cover the bottom of the crockpot
cook for 4-6 hours on high (6 for frozen breasts) or 8-10 on low (10 for frozen)

Directions for chicken salad:
Shred chicken and mix all ingredients together.
Serve on top a bed of romaine or iceberg lettuce and chopped tomatoes or wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla, with the lettuce and tomato.
Enjoy!

Crab Salad

My friend Jennifer wanted to make a crab salad a few weeks an couldn't find a recipe anywhere... so she started with a package of crab meat and just started throwing stuff in until it tasted good!! Thank you for submitting it for the contest! Yet another great entry...wish I could have given you all prizes!

Ingredients:
1 16 oz package imitation crab meat
1 cup mayo
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons horseradish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2/3 cup of finely chopped onion
2 cup of celery
1/3 cup of sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of hot sauce

Directions:
Chop packaged crab meat into bite size pieces. Finely chop the onion and celery. Mix all ingredients and chill for 2 hours before serving. Serve with crackers or small pieces of toasted bread!! Top with sharp cheddar cheese for added taste!! Enjoy!

Oriental Chicken Salad

This is a recipe that one of my best friends family used to make when I was growing up. It is a great recipe especially for summertime. The dressing has a sweet and sour type flavor and is just all around good! It does take a bit of time to prepare, but I think it is worth it.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs chicken (I like to use tenders)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c cooking sherry (or dry white wine)
1/2 - 1 t dried tarragon (I really like tarragon, so I use about 1 t tarragon)

1 can crunchy chow mein noodles
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1 1/2 lbs leaf lettuce (approx 2 heads...I like one green and one red)
8 green onions

1/2 c vegetable oil
1/3 c tarragon vinegar (or 1/4 t tarragon + 1/3 c white vinegar)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 c sugar

Cut chicken in bite sized pieces. Poach in cooking sherry, 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 t tarragon.
Cook on med for 25 minutes until cooked thoroughly.
In small bowl, combine last 5 ingredients for the dressing.
In large bowl, toss chicken, lettuce, onion, noodles, and sunflower seeds.
Top with dressing, toss and serve immediately.

Five-Cup Fruit Salad

Another BH&G fruit salad. Not as healthy as the waldorf (see directly below), but mightily delicious! :)

Ingredients:
1 8oz can pineapple chunks, reserve 1 T juice
1 11oz can mandarin orange sections, drained
1 C shredded coconut
1 C tiny marshmallows
1 8oz carton sour cream
2 T chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
Drain pineapple chunks, reserving 1 T juice. In a medium bowl combine reserved juice, pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, coconut, marshmallows, and sour cream. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with pecans.

Waldorf Salad

This is one of my favorite summertime recipes...straight out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I like to make it for people who have recently had babies or to take to picnics. And "the critics" (*note their pictures to the right) love it !! It is another recipe that you can adapt to your liking...add more or less nuts, leave out the celery, etc. I like it just as it is written below, but you can find just the right mixture for your family.

Ingredients:
2 C chopped apples or pears (I prefer tart apples)
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1/4 C chopped celery
1/4 C chopped walnuts or pecan, toasted
1/4 C dried raisins, snipped putted whole dates or dried tart cherries
1/4 C seedless green grapes, halved (or red grapes)
1/3 C vanilla, lemon or orange low-fat yogurt (I use vanilla)
2 T mayonnaise

Directions:
In a medium bowl toss apples with lemon juice. Stir in celery, nuts, raisins, and grapes.
For dressing, stir together yogurt and mayo. Add dressing to apple mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 8 hours.

Cranberry Cous Cous

Here is a way yummie recipe straight from MckMama's Blog! She is a mama of 4...that's right, 4 children. Her last little guy, Stellan, wasn't even supposed to be born (according to the doctors) due to heart troubles . However, he was born and is now 6 months old! He did spend just about his entire 5th month, short of one day, in the hospital due to some of those heart issues, but the Lord is working mightily in their lives and Stellan continues to thrive! This sweet mama blogs about her marriage, children, nutrition, photography, parenting, and her very strong faith. Check her out...she is a hoot! :) Now on to the recipe...
I think this has the potential to be really versitile...sweeten it up with apple juice instead of broth...add more dried fruits...add chicken or fresh tart apples? Change it up and make it your own! Just have fun :)

Ingredients:
2 cups instant couscous
1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or toasted halved almonds)
2 teaspoons white onion, very finely chopped
1 32 oz. can chicken broth (I think next time I'll try using apple juice)
dash salt
dash black pepper

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine couscous, dried cranberries, onions, salt and pepper.

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Pour in couscous mixture. Allow to sit, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all the broth.

Once broth has been absorbed, fluff with a fork. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over couscous. Serve immediately.

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

You can substitute bottled coleslaw dressing for the ingredients that are listed here, however I have never tried it myself. It is really good with all kinds of extras. I like adding sunflower seeds and raisins. Others have added peanuts and dried fruit.

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli florets, in small pieces
1 bunch cauliflower florets, in small pieces
*if you don't like one or the other you can do 2 bunches of broccoli or 2 of cauli
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1 16 oz package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sugar
2 T wine vinegar (i used 1 T white vinegar, 1 T red wine vinegar)
I added 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
Combine salad ingredients, toss with dressing and chill several hours before serving.

Crunchy Romaine Toss with Sweet and Sour dressing

Here is a yummie Summery (if that is a word) recipe that we enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli ( i used 3 small)
1 head romaine
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup walnuts (chopped...I buy the walnut chips b/c sometimes they cost less and you don't have to chop them)
1 package ramen noodles (uncooked)
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup (or more to taste) sweet sour dressing

Directions:
Break up ramen noodles and discard flavor packet (unless you can find some other use for it)
Brown walnuts and noodles in butter, cool on paper towels
Combine noodles and walnuts with broccoli, romaine and onions
Pour dressing (*see recipe below) over and toss to coat well.

Sweet and Sour Dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil (it originally called for 1 cup but that was WAY too much for our fam)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup wine vinegar (i used regular white vinegar)
1`Tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients well.

Bacon & Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Wraps

This is Cooking Light recipe that I am absolutely crazy about. For our family it is a meal that my husband and I eat after the kids go to bed on nights that the kids eat something early by themselves. However, I think that some kids would definitely like this recipe...in fact next time I make it I will have our oldest give it a try. The blue cheese is almost unnoticeable. It is not a real pungent flavor, just REALLY yummy!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 T light mayo
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t garlic salt

3 cups chopped romaine
1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked chicken (6 oz)
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1 medium tomato, chopped and seeded
Tortillas or pita pockets (we prefer tortillas)

Directions:
Cook chicken and bacon. We use the George Forman for the chicken and do the bacon in the microwave.
While meat is cooking, combine first 5 ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cut lettuce and tomato and combine in a large bowl with chicken, bacon and tomatoes. Pour all of the dressing on top and toss to coat. Fill tortillas and serve immediately.

Ranch Pasta Salad

Here is a recipe from Jennifer. This is one that her family has in their regular rotation.

More recipes from Jennifer to come :)

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

· 2 cups of wagon wheel pasta (or I use whatever pasta we happen to have)

· 1/2 cup of ranch salad dressing

· 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt

· 1 teaspoon basil

· 1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut into fourths

· 1 cucumber quartered

1. Cook pasta according to package directions

2. Drain and rinse and put in a large serving bowl.

3. In another small bowl, combine ranch dressing, yogurt, and basil. Pour over pasta and lightly toss. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

4. Before serving add cucumbers and tomatoes and lightly toss again. We like to serve with turkey pastrami sandwiches.

Spinach Salad

I've had so many requests for this salad recipe so I thought I'd share it with you. I've made this for small group and even the men rave over it. It's a good way to get your greens in and it's super yummy and versatile. I've made many different versions of this salad simply using what I can find in the fridge.

Spinach Salad

Dressing:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
sugar(to taste)
1/2 cup canola oil
celery seed (dash or two) --not crucial, if you don't have it leave it out
salt & pepper to taste
(Tip: If it seems too bitter, add a touch more sugar. If it's too sweet add a little vinegar.)

Salad:
1 bag of baby spinach
2 peeled and diced apples or pears (tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning)
4-6 oz. gorgonzola or blue cheese
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
**Optional: Dried cranberries

You can prepare the salad a couple hours before the party and keep it chilled but don't toss it with the dressing until just before serving.