Libby's Strawberry Salad & Poppy Seed Dressing

Oh man. This salad is amazing. I already have a different strawberry salad recipe on the blog (which is also good), but here is the difference:
I'm pretty sure I just heard angels singing. This dressing is super duper good. It could be used for a variety of salads, not just strawberry salad. Trust me. This dressing recipe is a keeper. :) I give my husband's cousin Callie (The On Call Cook) full credit here. Go check out her blog for the most amazing recipes. Seriously. Her blog is way better than mine :)

www.oncallcook.blogspot.com (I can't figure out how to make this a link because I'm cool like that so........just copy and paste).

Libby's Strawberry Salad
Source: Libby Coombs, a sweet old lady Callie knew from church

1 head of Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces (I used spinach)
1/2 red onion, diced (I didn't have red onion on hand when I made it)
1 1/2 c sliced strawberries (use more if you'd like)
1/2 c slivered honey roasted almonds

dressing:
3/4 c mayonnaise
1/3 c sugar
2 T milk
1 T cider vinegar
Optional: (I added 1/2 TBS Poppy Seeds, but you could add less or leave them out completely as Libby did.)

Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. I let mine sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes in the hopes that the sugar would dissolve to avoid the graininess, and it wasn't grainy at all. Score!

Pour about 1/4 c dressing on the salad at a time and toss to combine. Add more dressing until you've reached a dressingy-ness that you like.

Serve immediately.

Greek Salad & Dressing

This lovely salad and dressing was served with our Greek meal a family reunion this year. The dressing was A-MA-ZING!

Greek Salad:
greens, chopped and washed
olives
red onions
cucumbers, thinly sliced
tomatoes
feta cheese, sprinkled on top


Dressing:
1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic (or more :))
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 tsp. oregano fresh (1 tsp. dried)
ground pepper to taste

Finely mince garlic. Combine all ingredients in jar and shake well.

Photo Source: Life Tastes Like Food

Very Berry Spinach Salad

I'm in the process of trying to lose the baby weight I gained from my last pregnancy, so its always great to beef up on the greens and fruits. I love good salads and this recipe definetely doesn't disappoint! I also love a good home-made dressing and this one is so easy and good. Thanks to my friend Rachele L. for the recipe.



Very Berry Spinach Salad


Ingredients:
Spinach
Strawberries
Kiwis



Directions:
To make the dressing, mix ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar, and 2 tablespoons raspberry jam. Add to spinach, strawberries, and kiwis. Toss.

Photo Source: Hy Vee

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Here is another recipe we had at the baby shower. My friend Jamie made it and it turned out awesome. Strawberry Spinach Salad. Its incredible. Just trust me on this one :) Its sweet, but so good. The strawberries go perfect with the dressing. Its a perfect summer salad or something to have at a party/babyshower.



I got the recipe from my friend Cooking With Mandy. Her blog is really good so check it out. Since Mandy has used my pot pie recipe on her blog, I'm really hoping she is cool with me putting her recipe on my blog. :)


Strawberry Spinach Salad
1 (10 oz) bag of spinach
1 package of strawberries, sliced
2/3 cup sliced almonds
4 tsp. sugar


Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds


Mix all ingredients for the dressing. Place the almonds in a non-stick skillet. Sprinkle with sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until the almonds are caramelized. Set aside and cool. Toss the spinach, strawberries, and almonds together. When ready to serve toss the salad with the dressing.

Recipe Source: Cooking With Mandy

Tasty Taco Salad

:) I love taco salad because its EASY, can feed large groups and is fabulously fresh. For those out there familiar with TVP (textured vegetable protein), I used this in place of the ground beef. I added a can of chilies, some tomatoes and beans. Yum :) This dish is so versatile. You can throw whatever 'Mexican-like' food items on there that ya want.

Tasty Taco Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef.
2-3 C beans (kidney, pinto, black etc)
1 TBS taco seasoning
½ C water

Toppings:
fresh onion, diced
lettuce, shredded
tomato, chopped
green pepper, diced
olives, sliced
cheddar cheese, grated
tortilla chips or Fritos, broken in bite sized pieces

Dressing:
½ C mayonnaise
¼ C ketchup
1TBS sweet pickle relish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fry and drain ground beef.

2. Add beans, taco seasoning and ½ C water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a couple of minutes.

3. Prepare toppings. Line plate with chips.

4. Add toppings are desired with dressing on top. Enjoy!

Photo Source: Kraft

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite meals as it can be eaten for lunch or dinner. The cabbage makes it filling and healthy. I can't think of another way I'd ever eat a huge head of cabbage, except in this recipe.....unless you are a coleslaw fan. Me, not so much haha. The marinaded chicken makes it really good, but if you are in a pinch, just boil and shred some chicken or leave it out altogether for a vegetarian dish. Usually my husband and I will make up a big batch of the marinaded chicken and I'll set a piece or two aside just for this dish that we'll shred later that week. The above picture doesn't do this salad justice. It really is super tasty, but beware-it kind of takes awhile to make this salad since everything has to be washed, chopped and prepared. Keep that in mind. :) Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 head cabbage (I usually add some chopped romaine also)
2 bunches green onions, or more to taste
shredded carrots
2 C cooked chicken breast (can marinade, see below)
3-4 tsp sesame seeds
1 small package almonds
2 packages Ramen Noodles
1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
½ C oil
1 TBS sugar
3 TBS vinegar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
seasoning packets from the Ramen Noodles

Chicken Marinade (aka Soy Sauce Chicken):
½ C sprite or 7-Up
1/8 C vegetable oil
¼ C soy sauce
¼ tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash and chop cabbage, slice green onions and shred carrots. Place in big serving bowl.

2. Cook chicken by baking or barbequing if using the marinade. Marinade overnight for best results. If not using the marinade, boil chicken and salt it afterwards. Shred into small pieces with a fork. Add to bowl.

3. On a cookie sheet, roast almonds, sesame seeds and broken up Ramen Noodles in 400-degree oven until toasty and golden brown, usually just a few minutes. Watch them and/or set a timer so they don’t burn! Add to bowl just before serving to prevent sogginess.

Photo Source: here

Fresh Blackberry Vinaigrette Dressing & Spinach Salad

Fresh Blackberry Vinaigrette Dressing
4 oz fresh blackberries
2 tsp lemon juice
¼ C balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic
2 tsp red onion
½ C extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a blender, adding olive oil last and slowly. Serve over a bed of fresh spinach leaves garnished with feta or swiss cheese, toasted pecans and fresh blackberries cut in half.

Photo Source: Simply Scratch