Sesame Ginger Dressing

2/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup light flavored oil(I used a light flavored extra virgin olive oil)
1/3 cup raw agave syrup
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
6 drops doTerra Ginger Essential Oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a shaker or blender and mix well.  Refrigerate any unused dressing.

Pomegranate Spinach Salad

Potluck size:

10-12 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed & spun dry
1.5 cups Salted Caramel Walnuts, chopped
1 cup Pomegranate infused Craisins
1 cup Feta Cheese(or Bleu Cheese, my fave)
Pomegranate Dressing(recipe follows)

Combine spinach leaves and dressing JUST before ready to serve.  Top with walnuts, Craisins, and Feta Cheese.

Pomegranate Dressing:
2 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbl. Dijon Mustard
4 Tbl. Pomegranate Infused Vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbl. honey
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. soy sauce

Whisk all ingredients well.  Store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Shake or stir well before using.

Dana's Grape Salad

3-4 pkgs of red and green seedless grapes(just get a good mix of each)
8 oz cream cheese, softened (Fat-Free OK)
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and enjoy!

Cranberry Delight Salad

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (either regular or light)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
3/4 c chopped pecans
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

In a large mixing bowl, combine cram cheese, mayonnaise and sugar; mix well. Stir in cranberry sauce, pineapple with its juice, and pecans. Fold in whipped cream. Pour mixture into an 8x8x2 inch pan. Freeze until firm. Let thaw 5-10 minutes before serving.

Broccoli Salad

Salad:
1 lg. head broccoli, cut into small pieces
6 oz. dried cranberries
1 pkg. chopped walnuts
1/2 cup reduced fat bacon pieces(such as Hormel)

Dressing:
1/2 bottle Maple Farms Fat Free Raspberry Dressing
1/2 bottle Maple Farms Fat Free Poppy Seed Dressing
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 lg. clove garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 tsp. reduced calorie soy sauce
1 packet stevia sweetener
3 packets True Orange

Combine salad ingredients in large bowl and set aside.  For the dressing, combine all ingredients in blender until smooth.  Pour over salad and mix well.  Let sit for at least an hour in refrigerator and serve.

I didn't realize Maple Grove had high fructose corn syrup listed in it's top ingredients.  Next time I make this I'll be trying another brand.  If you prefer a creamier broccoli salad you can also add light mayonnaise.  This is unbelievably high in anti-oxidants and fiber with just a little guilty but lower fat bacon.

My Favorite Salad Dressing

We love Melissa D'Arabian from Food Network's Next Food Network Star.   I've started making my own salad dressing for all of my salads now.  I use a lot less olive oil though, or even some homemade chili oil or white truffle oil.  It has SO much flavor!  Sometimes I'll throw in a splash of agave nectar or honey, even a packet of Stevia to have a sweetened dressing.  Play with your vinegars too!  Rice Vinegar is REALLY good.  I also use a golden balsamic almost daily, and champagne vinegar.  And try different mustard types, Jack Daniels is good, and there's a cranberry mustard that is really tasty too.  Just play, it's really hard to go wrong!  The soy sauce was a surprise, but I found it really does make a difference.  Yummmmm!

LINK

Ingredients

Mustard Vinaigrette:

• 1 garlic clove, sliced in 1/2
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Small splash soy sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

3 cups mixed greens, the darker the better (not iceberg)

Rub the inside of a large wooden bowl with the garlic clove and then either discard it or save it for another use. Put the mustard in the bowl and whisk in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce (a French secret!) vigorously for about 10 seconds to get a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle in the olive oil as slowly as possible with 1 hand while whisking as quickly as possible with the other hand to emulsify. Lay the salad greens on top of the dressing and toss just before serving.

Summer Pasta Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup white balsamic vinegar(or your fave)
3-4 Tbl. Honey Mustard(or your fave)
3 Tbl. Gourmet Garden Basil
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. each sea salt & ground black pepper
Combine with wire whisk and set aside.

1 Box Rotini Noodles cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1 lb. salami cut up into small triangles/wedges
1 each green & red pepper, diced
1 bunch of green onions, green part sliced
1/4 cup small capers, rinsed
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese(NOT the green Kraft stuff)

Combine all ingredients and dressing and serve!

Missing Mo Sunday Night Dinner....

Sunday=Day of Rest: Slow-coookers, make aheads, and paper plates! I LOVE afternoon church because I get to sleep in. I put the pork in the slow-cooker before I even take my shower for our first meeting at 1:00. Then when I get home, just throw it all together and pull the make-aheads out of the fridge. The most difficult part of this dinner was getting the oil up to the right temp, which I can't say it actually ever did. We rarely cook with anything other than olive oil, and I think the last time I deep fried something I was trying to impress my now husband making a tempura dish before we got married probably 19 years ago(which was so good!). There's a restaurant in San Luis Obispo, CA, Mo's that is our go to place for BBQ. Mo(L.K.) passed away a few years ago, but his menu items and the good times there will live on forever. I have no idea if I even came close to any of his recipes, but I could taste some Mo "touches" in these recipes. Enjoy!!!!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
2-3 lb. lean pork loin roast
cajun spices
chili flavored olive oil
Coat all sides of pork loin with spices and place in small slow cooker. Drizzle chili flavored olive oil over pork. Cook on low 6 hours.

Caramelized Onion, Jalapeno, & Honey BBQ Sauce
1 Tbl. Olive Oil
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 large jalapenos, finely chopped, leave some seeds for heat
sugar
1/2 cup non-alcoholic white wine(or Tequila)
1/2 cup honey
2 cups favorite bottled bbq sauce
2 Tbl. good Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
1/2 sea salt
2 Tbl. butter

Sautee onions and jalapenos in olive oil in 2 qt. saucepot until translucent and slightly caramelized, sprinkle some sugar on the onion/jalapeno mixture to caramelize faster. Add wine and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture is reduced by half. Add BBQ sauce, honey, balsamic vinegar and spices, simmer for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree sauce in pan. Remove from heat, add butter, and let cool.



Add about a cup of bbq sauce to the pulled pork and mix. Fill sourdough rolls with pork mixture and drizzle additional bbq sauce on top before adding cole slaw mixtures.

Cole Slaw
2/3 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise
6 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbl. sugar
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbl. Caraway Seeds
1/2 head each green cabbage and purple cabbage, finely sliced
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add caraway seeds and cabbage, mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

"Mo-jos"
There's no recipe, just slice scrubbed, cleaned, and dried potatoes on a mandolin. Deep fry in canola oil at a temperature around 350'(use a candy thermometer) until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon put on brown bag on cookie sheet to soak up extra grease and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.

Corn & Bean Cilantro Salad

This is one of my favorites, because I feel full for hours, it's full of fiber, protein, and lots of healthy stuff, it's also low fat. I'll try to figure out the nutritional info later and get a picture. It's also something all of my kids will eat! To make it a bigger meal, try stretching with some rice, chicken, avocado, or egg, or even scooping up on chips.

1 pkg. Trader Joe's Frozen Roasted Corn(or any package of frozen corn)
2 cans of black beans rinsed and drained
2 cans of kidney beans rinsed and drained
2 cups of frozen peas
1 large red pepper diced
1 large sweet onion diced
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 jalapenos seeded and diced
white balsamic vinegar(regular works just fine too, this just has a lighter taste)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 packets of Splenda(the yellow kind only)
2-3 fresh limes or 6 packets of True Lime
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt & pepper to taste(I use the McCormic grinders)

In an extra large bowl, mix together the corn, peas, both variety of beans, chopped red peppers, onion, crushed garlic, lime powder(or juice of several limes and lime zest), Splenda, salt & pepper, and about half of the cilantro leaves broken into small pieces. In a blender combine diced jalapenos, about a cup of cilantro leaves, 1/3 cup of EVOO, 1/3-1/2 cup of white balsamic vinegar. Blend until smooth. Pour over mix and combine well. Let sit for at least an hour to absorb the flavors.

Fumi Cabbage Salad

2 pkg. cabbage slaw
3 pkg. Top Ramen noodles, uncooked and broken into small pieces
2-3 Tbl. toasted sesame seeds
1/2-1 c. Toasted Slivered Almonds
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 c. Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 c. oil(Olive, Canola, or Enova)
1 tsp. each of salt and pepper
1/4 c. sugar

Add cabbage, noodles, seeds, and nuts in a large mixing bowl and mix well. In a blender add diced onion, rice wine vinegar, oil, salt & pepper, and sugar and mix until well blended. Pour over salad mix and stir well. Refrigerate for an 2 hrs. before serving, overnight is best.

Asian Noodle Salad

This recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman who adapted it from Jamie Oliver. Page made this at one of our Park City Sistas Get-Togethers and it was DELISH.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers (I didn’t have a cucumber for the photos above, but they’re yummy in the salad)
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet (again, I didn’t have them for the photos, but have used them before and they’re…sublime.)

DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.

You can totally do without the oil to make it figure friendly. Replace with more lime juice, rice vinegar, water, or broth.

Marinated Flank Steak Salad

I LOVE the Flank Steak Salad at Diamondback Grill in Sonora, CA. I have a hard time ordering anything else there, it is just SO yummy. Every bite! It consists of a mixed lettuce salad with thinly sliced sweet onions and mushrooms sauteed in a balsamic(I'm assuming) reduction sauce next to it on the plate(In this case, my food can touch), perfectly thin sliced grilled flank steak, and topped with a blue cheese dressing. Here is my version of this salad using leftover bbq boneless beef ribs. Of course you could use any meat fresh of the grill, but this is where leftover steak that has intensified in flavor overnight from it's grilling the night before is great put to use.

Mushrooms & Onions (This is great on top of any grilled meats, not just this salad)
2 sweet maui onions cut in half and then sliced very thin.
2 lbs. sliced mushrooms
olive oil
1/8 cup sugar
sea salt
white pepper
balsamic vinegar

Bring a large sautee pan to high heat and pour in just enough olive oil to coat the pan. Spread onion slices in pan and stir occasionally. Just as the onions start to become translucent add mushrooms and drizzle approx. 1/4 cup-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar over the mixture, add dash of ground sea salt, sugar, sprinkle white pepper over, and toss to mix. Cook the mushrooms and onions, stirring/flipping occasionally until the mixture cooks down. Turn off heat.

Lay out lettuce on plate, top with sliced meat(warm), serve some mushrooms and onion on the side of the plate. Top with blue cheese dressing, or your favorite.

My favorite dressing now(thank you Shelby!) is a mixture of poppyseed and red wine vinaigrette. What turned me onto this is mixing equal parts Brianna's Rich Poppyseed (has a peach on the front label) and the Blush Wine Vinaigrette(has the strawberry on the label). But, in watching the waistline, I mix any lowfat poppyseed, my new favorite being Safeway's "Eating Right" Onion Poppyseed. Mix that with any fat free or lowfat red wine vinaigrette, and it's really close!

Diamondback Grill serves this salad up with some sliced garlic toasted ciabatta bread. I would have taken a picture, but I was too busy pigging out. Oh, and my kids ate every last bit on their plates.