Greek Chicken Salad With Cucumber Dressing

I found this recipe from my local grocery store's free magazine. It seemed like something I could easily make for one person. I must admit I did go out and buy skewers because of this, but I figured I would use the skewers more than once anyway. I have the space, so I'm thinking about investing in an outdoor grill. Might be a good time because grills are going clearance soon.



This is chicken marinated for 30 minutes then either grilled or broiled. You make a quick cucumber yogurt sauce and serve on lettuce. I hate iceberg lettuce because there's no flavor and no nutrients, so I served it on spinach. This recipe is pretty easy I think. It takes a little time mainly because of marinating the chicken, but you could probably marinade ahead of time and freeze it. The dressing takes a few minutes to chop and mix. Any leftover dressing you can use for future salads.

Greek Chicken Over Spinach With Cucumber Dressing



2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

Dressing
Half cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp dried parsley

Skewers
Spinach

In a bowl, combine oil, uice, garlic, and rosemary. Add chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat grill or broiler. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers. Grill/broil for 8 minutes, turning halfway through.

Meanwhile, mix together cucumber, yogurt, and parsley. Toss finished chicken pieces with spinach and top with cucumber dressing.

Amish Macaroni Salad

When I was in Ireland, I learned that the first thing people think of when I tell them I'm from Pennsylvania is the Amish. Even when I was at Kate Voegele's concert, her opening act was amazed that she saw Amish people. Now, Pittsburgh's side of the state isn't really Amish country; it's more towards the Lancaster area. However, I have seen Pennsylvania Dutch (dress just like the Amish but believe in technology) near where I went to school and at the zoo on the carousel. If there is one thing I'm glad they invented, it's their macaroni salad. Amish macaroni salad? What is that, you ask. I have grown up eating this from the Wal Mart deli. Yes, I said Wal Mart deli. I have no clue if it's only our WMs or if all WMs sell it, but their macaroni salad is based off of an Amish recipe. What makes this so amazing? Mustard. I hate mayonnaise and although I can tolerate it in tuna salad, potato salad, etc., I cannot just simply put it on a sandwich like my dad does.

This macaroni salad still has mayo, but because it's combined with mustard, vinegar, and sugar, I can still have the creaminess without the taste. I am tempted to make homemade mayo, just to see if I like it because we buy Miracle Whip, which isn't -exactly- the same as regular mayo. After doing some Google research, it sounds like the two are different in taste. Any thoughts? The sugar in the dressing makes it sweet, so some people thought it was the right amount while others said I should cut back next time.


Amish Macaroni Salad


It's more yellow than what this picture shows. I hate the kitchen lighting.

1/2 lb. elbow macaroni (I just guessed)
1/4 cup chopped celery or green pepper (or both)
1/4 cup grated carrots
2 Tbsp chopped white onion
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (yolks optional)
Paprika
1 cup mayo
2 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup sugar (you can cut back to 2 Tbsp if needed)
1 Tbsp yellow mustard

1. Cook macaroni as directed. Drain and let cool.
2. After the macaroni cools, mix with celery, green pepper, carrots, onion, and eggs.
3. In a small bowl, combine mayo, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Fold into macaroni mixture. Sprinkle the top with paprika and stir a couple of times to mix it in. Cover and let chill at least 2 hours, although overnight is best.

Source: Recipe Zaar

Makes a lot of servings. 10-12 perhaps? We just kept eating.

Una Ensalada Refreshcante

With the hot weather upon Pennsylvania, sometimes you just want a nice, refreshing salad. The cool lettuce, the juicy tomatoes, the taco meat. Ok, so there is a little bit of cooking involved, but the balance of hot and cold makes this meal acceptable in June. Well, my family at least accepted it. Plus it doesn't take long to assemble. I didn't measure the produce. I just eyeballed it until the bowls looked full.


Taco Salad Bowls




4 flour tortillas, 8 inch
1 Tbsp chili powder
3/4 lb ground beef
1 cup carrot sticks, julienned (very thin sticks)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp salsa
2 Tbsp sour cream or mayonnaisse
4 cups torn lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Crumple 4 pieces of foil to make four 3-inch balls. Place on baking sheet. Drape one tortilla over each ball. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 tsp chili powder. Or brush each tortilla with melted butter and 1/2 tsp chili powder. That means 1/2 tsp chili for 4 tortillas, not 1/2 tsp each. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown. They will harden as they cool.

2. While the tortillas are baking, brown meat with carrots and remaining 2 1/2 tsp chili powder. Once brown, drain grease and add 1/2 cup salsa. Cook for another 2 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix sour cream or mayo with 2 Tbsp salsa.

4. Once tortillas are cool, put lettuce into each one. Top with tomatoes. Add meat mixture. Top with salsa mix. Finish with some cheese.

Serves 4.

Source: Kraft Food and Family, Spring 2008, p. 19

It's All About The Seasoning

I was recently browsing through numerous cookbooks and recipe sites, looking for dinner ideas. I had lettuce and tortillas that I needed to use before they went bad, but I didn't want to make quesadillas (again). So I eventually stumbled across a chicken fajita taco salad. Found my dinner idea! However, the recipe called for fajita seasoning mix, and I wasn't going to spend any more money than I had to. I googled for a fajita seasoning recipe, hoping that I had all the spices; I did. I put my salad together without following the recipe except for the seasoning, so the recipe is half mine (inspired, of course)


Chicken Fajita Salad




1 chicken breast, chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp powdered chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup lettuce
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
2 tortillas, torn into strips
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Ranch dressing

Fry chicken breast in skillet until cooked. Add chili powder, bouillon, garlic salt, cumin, and lime juice; toss to coat. Place 1/4 cup lettuce onto plate. Top with 1/8 cup onions, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/2 of the tortilla strips, 1/2 of the chicken, 1/4 cup cheese, and ranch as desired. Makes 2 servings

Source: Me; Fajita seasoning from About.com


What is your favorite type of salad?
I love the buffalo chicken salad they serve at my campus. I also enjoy a chicken caesar salad and the chicken bbq ranch salad from The Cheesecake Factory.

It's A Tart, Not A Pie!

Happy birthday America!

According to my dear pal Wikipedia, a tart is an open-faced pie. Since it is a type of pie, my family (me included) kept calling it a pie rather than a tart. Whatever you want to call it, it's delicious. I made it for my family's mini 4th of July picnic. If you really wanted it to be patriotic, you could sub strawberries and blueberries for the peaches. I also made a variation of macaroni salad, but I suggest making your own cheese sauce because the packaged mac and cheese has a high sodium level. Next time, I'm going to make Amish macaroni salad.

EDIT: This is a galette, not a tart.


Peach Galette




1 prepared pie crust
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 peaches, sliced
1/4 sugar
2 Tbsp flour
3/4 tsp sugar + 1/4 tsp cinnamon
8 oz whipped topping

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Grease 10-inch pie plate. Place pie crust into plate. Spread cream cheese on top of crust.

2. Toss sliced peaches with sugar and flour. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Fold edges of pie crust over peaches, leaving a big circle in the middle. Sprinkle cinnamon + sugar over peaches and crust. Bake 25 minutes. Crust should be golden brown and juices should be bubbly. Serve warm with whipped topping.

Source: Kraft "Food & Family" magazine, Summer 2007, p.16


Macaroni and Cheese Salad




1 pkg (14 oz) macaroni and cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup each red, green, and yellow peppers, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup onions, chopped

1. Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed.

2. Meanwhile, chop peppers, eggs, and onion. Toss with prepared macaroni and cheese. Add milk and mayo; mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Source: Kraft "Food & Family" magazine, Summer 2007, p.5