Southwestern Chopped Salad With Cilantrol Lime Dressing

Ingredients
Large head of romaine
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
5 green onions
Optional: avocado

Dressing:
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), more to taste
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
Optional: cumin, honey/agave

Directions
Make the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Toss with desired dressing.

Recipe and image from http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/04/southwestern-chopped-salad-with.html?_szp=343154

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Ingredients:

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1/4-1/2 cup of barbecue sauce to marinade (optional, but recommended)
Salad:
1 head bibb lettuce, washed & chopped
Succotash:
1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
1/2 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2-2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed (unless you plan to let this thaw & marinade all day like I did!)
salt & pepper to taste
Dressing:
2/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular (I used Miracle whip then left out the vinegar)
1/3 cup sour cream or nonfat greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar (left out when I used Miracle whip)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 BBQ sauce

Directions:

Succotash:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add beans & corn, season with salt & pepper. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Chicken:
Marinate chicken in BBQ sauce about 6 hours (optional). Preheat grill (we used the George Foreman), and cook chicken until done. Remove from heat and let "rest" for about 5-10 minutes. Chicken can even be made ahead of time & refrigerated.
Make dressing:
Combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Assemble lettuce, black bean & corn succotash and top with chicken. Drizzle with additional BBQ sauce, followed by the Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing.

~recipe found on www.erinsfoodfiles.com

Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta and Corn

 This recipe is courtesy the Pioneer Woman.  Love her website and love her recipes. You can find her post of this recipe here.

A friend made this one first when I was over for dinner, so I had to make it at home too!  Perfect for summer BBQ's, such great flavor combination.  I added a few extra things to mine just to fill it out more.

Ingredients

4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
3 stalks Celery (inner Light Green Stalks), Finely Diced (I opted out of this and replaced it with red pepper, not a huge celery fan)
2 ears Fresh Corn (I only had frozen and it was fine)
1/4 whole Medium Red Onion, Finely Diced
1-1/2 cup Blueberries
3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, Minced
4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
4 Tablespoons Sour Cream
1/4 cup Half-and-half
1 whole Lemon
1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)
Salt And Pepper (additional) To Taste
3/4 cups Crumbled Feta

Preparation Instructions

Place chicken breasts into large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4 inch uniform thickness. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat grill and drizzle chicken with olive oil. Grill chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Remove from pan. Allow to cool.
  (I actually just broiled mine in the oven, it was good too!)
 
With a very sharp knife, shave kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the onion and celery. Set aside.

Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, feta, and half-and-half. Stir in sugar, squeeze in lemon juice, and add salt and pepper. Stir, then taste. Add more salt if necessary; do not undersalt!

Slice chicken on the bias to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into a bowl with celery, onion, and corn. Stir to combine.

Pour half the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don't overcoat the salad; should be light!

At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing. Serve, then sprinkle individual helpings with feta.

Posted by Ree on April 27 2011

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This is great served as an entree as well.   It is good both warm and cold.

2 cups water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 large cooked chicken breasts - cut into bite size pieces
1 large red onion, diced and cooked with chicken
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Bring the water, bouillon cubes, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the garlic clove and scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.
2. Gently stir the chicken, onion, bell pepper, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

Couscous salad with black beans, mushrooms and corn

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Israeli couscous (you can use regular couscous or orzo pasta, too)
course salt and ground pepper
1/2 lb sliced button or cremini mushrooms
1 small bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn)
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno (optional, but delicious in it) thinly sliced (I chopped it)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add couscous and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown and fragrant (about 4 minutes).

Add 1 1/2 cups water, season with salt, and bring got a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender (about 15 minutes)

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and then transfer to a large bowl.

Add 1 tsp oil to the skillet and cook the scallion whites and corn, stirring occasionally, until scallions are soft and corn is browned (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and then add to the mushrooms.

Add couscous, black beans, lime juice, jalapeno (if using), and scallion greens to the mushroom mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve with avocado slices on top.

Recipe found in the "Everyday Food" Magazine

Confetti Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups 25%-less-sodium chicken broth

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 cup cooked fresh corn

1 each green, yellow and red pepper, chopped

1/3 cup Kraft Signature Mandarin Orange with Sesame Dressing

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup Back to Nature Sea Salt Roasted Almonds, coarsely chopped

 

How to:

 

Bring broth and quinoa to boil in saucepan on high heat; simmer on medium-low 15 min. or until liquid is absorbed. Spoon into large bowl; cool.

Add all remaining ingredients except nuts; mix lightly.

Top with nuts.

Nutrition information:

 

Calories 170 , Total fat 6, Dietary fibre 3
Makes 8 servings, 3/4 cup (175 mL) each

Recipe from What's Cooking.com

Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

I found this recipe when I was searching for summer BBQ ideas. It intriqued me because I have always wanted to try Quinoa.

The flavor is really fresh and I think it would be a real crowd pleaser. I am going to take this to the next BBQ we go to. I did not have the jalepeno, so I did not include it the first time I made this, but I will definately try it next time.

3 cups water
1-1/2 cups quinoa
2 teaspoons table salt

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Zest & juice from 3 limes (about 5 tablespoons juice)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups frozen corn (no need to thaw or cook)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), chopped

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan over medium high. Rinse quinoa well under cold running water. Add salt and quinoa to water, return to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add quinoa. Taste and add salt if needed. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 8 cups
NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Half Cup Serving: 153 Cal; 5g Protein; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 23g Carb; 4g Fiber; 449mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points
Recipe found on the Kitchen Parade Website.

Apple-Walnut Salad with Honey-Balsamic Dressing

1 Head Romaine Lettuce, cut in bite size pieces
1/2 Cup blueberries
1 granny smith apple, cut in bite size pieces
1/4 cup Goat cheese crumbled
1/4 cup walnuts

Layer all ingredients in a bowl, serve immediately.

Dressing:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; stir well

Mesa Chicken Salad

In a bowl prepare a head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped. Set aside for later.

3-4 chicken breasts cubed
2 tbsp taco seasoning.
Sprinkle 2 tbsp taco seasoning over the chicken and cook in a frying pan. Set aside to cool

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups corn
1 large red pepper, cubed into small pieces
1/2 purple onion chopped into small pieces
1 avocado, cut into small pieces
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Add chicken
combine together in a bowl

Dressing:
1 Cup salsa
1 Cup ranch dressing
4 tbsp taco seasoning


Plate lettuce and bean/chicken mixture on individual plates, add desired amount of dressing to taste.