Allison's Salad

Dressing:

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 medium onion, pureed

3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c. aged balsamic vinegar

2/3 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. hot sweet mustard

1/2 t. dry mustard

1/3 c. poppyseeds

There are two ways to serve this:

Arugula and spinach mix

Candied walnuts

Pears

Feta

OR

Spinach

Strawberries

Blueberries

Blackberries

Candied almonds

Feta or blue cheese

Oriental Marinated Chicken Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce

2 pkgs. cherry tomatoes

2 cans sliced olives

1 small red onion sliced

Won-ton wrappers (cut into strips and deep fried - this is a good addition but the salad is just as good without these, I usually omit these)

Rip the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add. Drain the olives and add those. Add the red onion - small pieces are better than bigger ones.

Dressing:

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled* and shredded

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1 cup organic virgin olive oil

2 TBSP sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 TBSP soy sauce

4 TBSP sesame seeds

8 TBSP sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a canning jar and add the chicken last. Let it marinate for a couple of hours, turning the jar throughout to make sure you get all of the chicken. Add to salad just before serving. (I use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken into the salad and pour some of the liquid on - I don't use it all it makes it really soupy.)

*The best way to boil chicken is to put a pot of water on the stove with a lid on it and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken and bring it back to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it just sit for one hour still covered. It makes the chicken moist and tender.

I sprinkle the sesame seeds onto the salad instead of adding it to the dressing.

Cranberry-Pear Salad (AKA "Bryce's Salad")

This is Bryce's favorite salad, so we have come to call it "Bryce's Salad." He was caught eating the leftovers by Jerianne once, and its become a little joke in our family now. (Kind of like the "Brian eating desserts on the front porch after Sunday Dinner" scenario). he he he...

Cranberry-Pear Salad

1 large head romaine lettuce, torn

1 cup fancy shredded swiss cheese

Craisens

Dressing:

½ cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 T. poppy seed

1 apple chopped

1 pear chopped

1/3 c. lemon juice

1 t. Dijon mustard

2/3 cup oil

In blender container, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Cover and blend. Slowly add oil. Add poppy seed.

Asian Chicken Bowtie Pasta

I got this recipe from Colby's sister Ashli, and it is really yummy.  It has a few random ingredients, so you need to know you're going to make it ahead of time.

Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried and chopped (I used 2 heads)
1 box bowtie noodles cooked and drained
2 chicken breast cooked and cubed- season with lemon pepper and fry in a little bit of olive oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
4 T white sesame seeds (these are expensive, so I skipped them, and we didn't miss 'em)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl

Dressing:
(Keep separate or mix right before serving)
1/2 C oil
1/2 C sugar
1 teaspoon salt (I omitted this)
1 t sesame seeds
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1/2 t sesame oil
1/2 t garlic powder

Mix well and set in fridge for at least 5 min.  Stir well, and serve with salad