Chicken Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Dressing

I've been making this salad pretty consistently this summer. It's sweet and salty with a bite of Parmesan and crunchy toasted pecans. Mmm. I found a recipe for Arugula Salad with Figs, Prosciutto, Walnuts, and Parmesan in the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook and doesn't that sound dreamy? All but the walnuts, yes ;)  I never have figs or prosciutto on hand, and my fridge was bare of arugula, so this salad was born. I basically took their dressing and subbed raisins for figs, and onion powder and garlic powder for a shallot then poured it over a ton of veggies and chicken and said "Voilà! Dinner." So thank you, Cook's Illustrated, for a delicious dinner! I love the leftovers from this. I know, weird, to love leftover salad that could possibly be wilty. I think I mostly just love sitting down to something yummy I didn't cook myself that same day. The best combination on the fork, I think, is a piece of chicken, celery, raisin, Parmesan, and pecan, all in one bite. Yumm 

You can use pretty much any veggies you have on hand and I think any flavor of jam would go too. It's just the sweetness you're looking for. 

Chicken Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Adapted from The Cook's Illustrated Cook Book, Arugula Salad with Figs, Prosciutto, Parmesan, and Walnuts 

Serves 4 as a main dish

Ingredients 

1/4 c balsamic vinegar 

1 heaping Tbs raspberry jam (any jam really)

1/2 c raisins

1/4 c canola oil

1/8 tsp onion powder 

Dash or 2 of garlic powder 

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 heads romaine hearts, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1/2-1 cup sliced cucumber 

1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped 

1 cup shaved Parmesan 

3 chicken breast 

Directions 

In small bowl, combine vinegar, jam and raisins. Cover with plastic wrap and puncture a few holes for ventilation. Microwave about 30 seconds-1 minute just until raisins are plump. 

Add oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix well with fork until oil is evenly dispersed. 

If your pecans aren't already toasted, heat a small pan over medium heat and toast them until they are slightly browned and fragrant. 

In a large bowl combine veggies.

Heat medium pan over medium high heat. Spray with oil. 

Dry off and salt and pepper the chicken and cook about 8 minutes per side. (Or grilled on a preheated grill sprayed with oil) 

Pour dressing over salad and top with sliced chicken, pecans, and Parmesan. 

Serve immediately 

Macaroni Salad

The weather is starting to really warm up here down in southern Utah. I imagine in about a month the northern states will feel the warmth and people will start to pull out their grills. This macaroni salad is pretty addictive for me. It's sweet, salty, and tangy all at once, perfect for any outdoor party. Why buy a macaroni salad at a store deli when this one can be whipped up so quickly? The bits of small chopped veggies give a good texture change to the macaroni. 

I'm pretty sure it was my sister-in-law that introduced my family to this macaroni salad. I got the recipe from my mom a few years back. Delicious. 

Macaroni Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients 

4 cups uncooked macaroni 

1 cup mayo

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 1/2 T yellow mustard

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Small chopped onion (I prefer a few dashes of onion powder so you don't chomp down on raw onion)

2 stalks celery, chopped 

1 small green pepper, chopped 

1 large carrot, grated

Directions 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until just al dente. 

While its cooking mix all the other ingredients in large bowl. 

Drain and rinse pasta to cool it off.

Add pasta to the large bowl and stir together. 

Refrigerate until needed. 

 

Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

I needed something new and cold for dinner tonight. We are sweating our way through the middle of our first St. George summer. Every time I put my kids in the car I feel like they may suffer from heatstroke just from the time it takes me to strap them in then walk around the car to get in and start the AC. The sweet, sweet AC. 

I saw vegetables in my fridge and contemplated what I could make with them without having to use any heat. I guess I used a little flame to boil my water and cook pasta but I still count this as a win because my 3 year old had seconds and my husband had thirds. This pasta would be good as a side dish or a main entree with a baguette on the side. While eating it I imagined it would be great to take to a barbecue and have it along side a nice juicy steak. Mmmm

Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette 

Serves 4-5 as a main dish, or plenty to go around as a side. 

Ingredients

1 lb cooked and drained pasta (shells, penne, spirals)

7 oz kielbasa diced small 

1 lg bunch broccoli chopped very small

1 red bell pepper diced very small 

1 celery stalk diced small 

1/2 small English cucumber diced 

1 tablespoon very finely chopped red onion

Vinaigrette 

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup prepared blue cheese dressing (I used Lighthouse Chunky Blue Cheese) 

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Stir together vinagrette ingredients in a small bowl.

Stir together chopped vegetables, kielbasa, and pasta in a large bowl.

Pour dressing over the salad and stir until everything I coated.  

Refrigerate if not eating right away. 

Asparagus and Pea Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

With the 100 degree temperatures I need something cool for dinner. The vinaigrette turned out to be delicious with the pasta, and bread used to wipe my plate. The peas were a great sweet accent to the tart lemon. If you were to make dinner in less than 100 degree weather I'd say grill up some chicken to serve with it. But I'm too chicken for that right now. Or just too darn lazy :) This is what I call a happy summer meal. 

Asparagus and Pea Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette 

Serves 4-5 as a main course

Ingredients

1 lb pasta such as rigatoni or penne

1 bunch asparagus, sliced

1 small head romain lettuce, chopped

1 1/2 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

Vinaigrette 

Juice and zest of 2 lemons 

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon minced roasted garlic

1 heaping teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

Pinch of fresh ground black pepper plus more to taste

Directions

Mix together all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a lid. Shake well. 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the asparagus. 

Bring water back to a boil and allow to boil for about 30 seconds more temove from heat.

While keeping the water in the pot, remove asparagus to a colander and rinse with cold water. 

Bring the water back to a boil and add pasta and cook according to package instructions to al dente.

Put pasta, asparagus, and peas in a large bowl.

Pour half the vinaigrette over it and stir.

Refrigerate. 

Add lettuce and remainder of vinaigrette just before serving. 

Serve with chicken, fish, or just a little Parmesan. 

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

When summer comes around I love salads, it's refreshing. This Pasta Caesar Salad is big enough for a meal in itself! Mixing pasta with lettuce really is delicious, a little different but good!

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

Ingredients-- Customize to fit what you like

1-2 Heads Romaine Lettuce
Chicken-- about 1/2 breast per person
Cooked Bowtie Pasta-- about 1/2 cup per person (uncooked)
Bottle of Caesar Dressing
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes-- optional
Croutons-- optional

Directions

Cook the pasta and rinse with cold water. Let it sit to cool.
Chop the lettuce and place in a large bowl and set aside.
Grill or cube and cook the chicken until it is no longer pink in the middle and set aside.
Add the tomatoes, Parmesan, croutons, and cooled pasta to the lettuce and coat with some dressing.
Layer the chicken on the top and serve.

With some french bread and some lemonade, this makes for a perfect summer dinner!