Fresh Fruit Salad ~ Pineapple Dressing

Fresh fruit salad is a summertime favorite...and the recipe for this cooked pineapple dressing has been a standard at our home for decades. It is from the Mennonite Treasury of Recipes...and can be stirred into the fruit salad or served separately as a topping for the fruit.

Use fresh fruit of your choice...strawberries, pineapple, grapes, blueberries or peaches.

Pineapple dressing:

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup whipped cream

Method:

1. Beat eggs....add sugar, pineapple and lemon juice.
2. Cook in saucepan over medium heat...stirring constantly...until thickened. Chill.
3. Whip cream...and fold into mixture just before serving.

Enjoy!

Summer/Winter Chicken and Pasta Salad

In summer. . .we are always looking for ways to simplify so I regularly put a few extra chicken breasts on the grill when I prepare grilled chicken. I also enjoy changing the additions to the salad. For summer we use fresh fruits. . .and in winter we use canned and dried. Both are excellent ...I'm offering a few variations to this salad today.

Serving 4 . . .for main course

• 2 thinly sliced grilled boneless chicken breasts
• 1 bag baby spinach washed
• 1 small head of romaine washed and dried and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 of a small red onion. . .very thinly sliced
• 2 cups of cooked (according to package directions) pasta of your choice. (I used rotini with the fibre that no one sees.) Pasta is optional but makes it more of a meal.
• 1 cup of honey roasted peanuts or salted peanuts that have been tossed in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon water over heat until melted and glazed. (nuts are optional)
• 1 cup of dried cranberries. . .or for summer try raspberries
• 540 ml jar of mandarin oranges drained. . or for summer 1 large thinly sliced peach
• 1 cup of sliced seedless grapes. . . or for summer use blueberries
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
• a small handful of thinly sliced toasted tortilla shells. . (for garnish. . and optional)

Dressing

• 1/2 cup white or rice vinegar
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup purchased teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons warmed natural peanut butter .. . .(optional)

1. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small container with a lid. . .so you can give it a good shake.
2. To your drained pasta. . add half the dressing and allow to chill in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight.
3. Just before serving, toss the pasta with the romaine, spinach and onion. Add enough dressing to coat .. not too heavy .. don't add it all at once.
4. Just before serving. . .plate your salad. Divide the greens and pasta between your dishes. Add the sliced chicken, and then the rest of the goodies. . .

Taco Salads

Summer Supper solution - Taco Salads

A meal in a salad bowl. A great supper solution for

those days when you've worked all day in the yard and don't feel like cooking.

These recipes originated with friends and I've added a few ingredients

of my own. I've always used the bought dressings for these

but I'm sure they would be even better with homemade dressings.

Taco Salad

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 - 2 tomatoes

montery jack cheese

cheddar cheese

bell peppers- red, green, yellow - your choice

zucchini or cucumber (opt)

corn chips

Catalina style salad dressing

Brown the ground beef into a frying pan, removing the excess fat with

a spoon or baster. Add the taco seasoning, stir in well and fry a few minutes longer.

Set meat aside to cool.

Seed the tomatoes and chop.

Cut the cheeses into a 1/4" dice. You should have at least 1 cup combined.

Chop up the peppers - again about 1 cup chopped.

Chop the zucchini or cucumber into a 1/4" dice.

Tear the lettuce into a large bowl. Add the ground beef, tomatoes, cheese, peppers, zucchini

and corn chips. Toss with enough dressing to moisten.

Serve immediately.

This Taco Salad comes to me from my friend Debbie.

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad

1 head lettuce, washed and torn

2 cups crushed taco chips

2 cups shredded "TexMex" cheese

4 grilled chicken breasts, sliced

2/3 cup Peppercorn Ranch dressing

1 cup chopped red and green bell peppers

chopped tomato if desired.

Toss all ingredients together just before serving.

Note: chicken breasts grilled on the BBQ give this salad its special flavour.

Rainbow Pasta Salad

This recipe is posted for Vange, who reminded of this recipe recently. Over the years I’ve changed it up a bit, sometimes making it more of a Greek Pasta Salad by adding feta cheese and using Greek Dressing, or mixing it with a sundried tomato dressing.

Ingredients:

• 3 – 4 cups vegetable pasta
• 2 chopped tomatoes 
• 1/4 cup cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped 
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion

Dressing:

• ½ cup sugar ( I prefer less)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika

1. Cook pasta according to instructions on package. Do not over-cook. Cool. 
2. Mix dressing ingredients and then mix with pasta and vegetables.
3. Refrigerate and serve cold. Serves 8-10

Em's Rice Salad

Em's Rice Salad

1 1/2 cups long grained rice (short grain is fine too, matter of preference)

6 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

4 cups miniature marshmallows

1 398 ml (14oz) can of fruit cocktail

1 398 ml (14 oz) can pineapple tidbits or crushed if you prefer

1 pint whipping cream, whipped

1 tsp vanilla ( I use Mexican vanilla)

Bring rice, salt and 6 cups of water to boil in a covered pot, stir once, cover again and let simmer for 18 min.

Drain and rinse rice with hot water in colander and let drip. Put rice in large bowl together with the sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let sit in fridge for 6 hours.

Just before serving I add some fresh fruit like strawberries, grapes, blueberries, etc. Not necessary but it sure makes the salad look pretty!

I got this recipe from my good friend Em. The credit goes to her! ( hey Em I know you're checking this blog.. I have changed up your recipe somewhat) My Mom loved this rice salad and she would always ask me to bring it to every family gathering. It is a large recipe so make sure it's shared!

Some of our family prefers to eat it as a dessert.

Tabbouleh

Whether you serve it as a salad or stuffed into a pita....this middle eastern healthy entree is a must have...especially in the warm weather. There are many variations to the recipe (almost as many as the spelling of the name) and each one equally as good, although the original 'chef' will disagree. This is mine which I have changed from time to time over the years and even each time I make it, depending on my taste for spice that day. The key ingredients are bulgur (NOT couscous...never! :) , parsley, lemon, tomato and olive oil....after that you can experiment. In a pinch you could buy a package of CASBAH in the health food section of your grocers or any other brand that is 'pre-mixed'. Just make sure you then add plenty of fresh tomatoes and parsley.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup bulgur wheat, dry
• 4 cups parsley
• 4 roma tomatoes (others will do but not as nicely)
• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped (best to use seedless) - optional
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions - optional
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (if possible)
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a small bowl, add dry bulgur wheat to 1 cup of boiling water. Let stand for 5 - 10 minutes.
In a large bowl mix together the parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, mint and softened bulgur.
In a small bowl mix the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.

• Toss together. Chill and serve...yum!