Cilantro Chicken Salad

So, I think you all realize how much I love coconut.  So, now it's time to move to my other favorite in life; Cilantro.  Cilantro is one of those love it or hate it foods. If you love it though, this chicken salad is a must-try. It's full of flavor, low on mayo, and goes together really quickly.

Cilantro Chicken Salad

Adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Makes 2 sandwich servings. Or serve in a hollowed out tomato!


7 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced (Use leftovers or a rotisserie)
2-3 Tb light mayonnaise
1 small green onion, chopped 
2 teas lime juice
4 Tb chopped cilantro
salt and pepper
pinch garlic powder
pinch of cumin
pinch of Chile powder

Combine chicken, mayonnaise, scallions, lime juice, and cilantro. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and Chile powder.

Slide Ridge Giveaway! **CLOSED**

The winner is Jenny L! Congrats! 

  Are you ready for a Giveaway? 

I am giving away 1 bottle of Slide Ridge Honey Wine Vinegar! This stuff is just amazing. Drizzle it on sandwiches, salads, even ice cream!  The smooth sugary taste of honey combined with the bite of vinegar is ingenious.  

For dinner last night I drizzled my Honey Wine Vinegar over this salad: 

Salad with Spiced Pecans, Apples, Feta, and Cranberries

Can I just say "Yum!"  The salad was full of sweet vs. tangy, and the dressing fit perfectly. 

How to Enter:

Mandatory:

1 entry: Leave a comment saying what you would like to try the vinegar on.

If you need ideas, Slide Ridge has lots of recipes! 

Extra Entries: (leave a comment for each)

1 entry: Follow The Double Dipped Life's blog

1 entry: Follow The Double Dipped Life on facebook

1 entry: Follow Slide Ridge on Facebook

The winner will be announced on Friday, September 30th.  

I did receive a free bottle of Honey Wine Vinegar, but the opinions are my own.  The giveaway is provided solely by me.

Spicy Baja Beef Tortilla Wraps

Yum. This is a quick and easy lunch, or light dinner. You might even have most of the ingredients on hand.  I made some of the Creamy Chipotle Dressing for another meal, and had some leftover. The spiciness it adds to this wrap is just so good!

Spicy Baja Beef Tortilla Wraps
Adapted from: Cooking Light,  fresh food fast

Creamy Chipotle Ranch Dressing

1/2 -1 cup light ranch dressing (start with 1/2 cup- add more if it ends up too spicy!)

1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

1 green onion, cut into 2-inch pieces

Place ingredients into a blender; process until smooth.  Taste, and add more Ranch dressing if it's too spicy!

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Wraps:
6 inch flour tortillas
Lettuce
Monterey Jack cheese (or your favorite), shredded
Avocado - cubed
Pico de Gallo
Roast Beef deli meat, cut into bite sized pieces
chopped Tomato

Warm your tortilla in the microwave for 15 seconds. Spread the Adobo sauce over the tortilla. Layer the rest of the ingredients on top. Eat as a salad, or close the tortilla for a wrap. Enjoy!

Creamy Chipotle Ranch Dressing

 

Growing up, I was not a fan of salads. I was forced to try them again and again, but they just weren't my first choice. Then my mom told me once that I needed to find a dressing that I liked. Then, the salad would follow.  Seems backward, but it worked! I realized that I loved Ranch dressing. Ok, so not the healthiest, but it got me eating salads! 

Today, my tastes have expanded to some vinaigrette's, but my first love is creamy dressings. This recipe is perfect creaminess meets spicy. It's great on a salad with some Mexican food, or drizzled over a chicken salad. I had the leftovers on a Baja Beef Wrap-recipe coming soon!

Chipotle Chilies in Adobo sauce can be found on the Mexican food aisle in your grocery store. They are wonderful, spicy little critters. Since you only use one (or less) you can portion out the rest into ice trays and freeze for later use! 

Creamy Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Adapted from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast

1/2 -1 cup light ranch dressing (start with 1/2 cup- add more if it ends up too spicy!)

1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

1 green onion, cut into 2-inch pieces

Place ingredients into a blender; process until smooth.  Taste, and add more Ranch dressing if it's too spicy! 

This should keep at least 1 week in a covered container in the fridge.

Enjoy! 

Healthy Salad for a New Year!

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but I'm all sugared out. I'm craving a big, crisp salad with lots of fruits and veggies. This salad has it all! Yes, there are cranberries in this dish. I'm not a cranberry fan, but they are perfect in this salad. You could also substitute raisins.

This is a re-post from last May. With trying to get my blog back up and running after some changes, new recipes won't be up until later this week. For now, please enjoy this yummy salad!


Spinach Salad with Spiced Pecans, Apples, Feta, and Cranberries

Fresh spinach leaves, washed and stems trimmed off.
Dried cranberries
Granny Smith apple, cut into thin slices or cubes
Spiced Pecans (Regular Pecans are fabulous as well! Or, you can buy the candied ones in the store.)
Feta cheese
Balsamic dressing

Salads are so easy! Just mix all of the ingredients together in the quantities that you like! Easy peasy!

Tangy Parmesan Dressing

I love making my own dressings and dips. So, when I saw this recipe at Mindikamoments I knew I had to try it.

 I followed her recipe, but when I tasted it, I wasn't totally lovin' it, so I made some changes. This dressing is great on a simple salad of romaine lettuce, maybe some tomatoes and croutons.  I served this dressing last weekend when friends came over, alongside lasagna. It was a great, tangy dressing!

Tangy Parmesan Dressing 

1/2 cup sour cream (I upped this amount to cut down on the super tanginess!)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tb mayonnaise
2 Tb white wine vinegar
2 Tb minced fresh parsley (1 Tb dried)
1/2 teas Dijon mustard
1/8 teas (or just a few drops) Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teas (or just a few drops) hot sauce
Juice from 1 lime (my addition)
1/2 teas crushed red pepper flakes (my addition- they are optional if you use the hot sauce)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, croutons

Whisk together all of the ingredients. Taste dressing, and adjust seasonings as needed.  Let your dressing sit for 4-8 hours in the fridge.

Toss with the lettuce right before serving, or let diners serve themselves!

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

I love Chicken Salad. When I say that, I mean regular, boring chicken salad. No grapes or other things crowding out the basics. This recipe has a little flair, but not too much! I was skeptical about the pineapple, but went with it. It added a nice flavor to the salad. Try it!

This recipe was found on Rara Bakes, and used with her permission.

I did not follow the quantities listed exactly. I am the only one in my family that will eat this, so I used less chicken, and much, much less pineapple! Make it to your own tastes!

6 chicken breasts (or leftover chicken, or rotisserie chicken...)

1 (20oz) can crushed pineapple

3/4 cup diced celery

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (I used more!)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup ranch dressing

3/4 cup slivered almonds

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add chicken breasts and cook for 30 minutes, or until done. Dice or shred chicken into small pieces.

Add drained pineapple, celery, onions, salt and pepper. Stir well.

Add mayonnaise and ranch dressing. Stir well.

Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Stir in almonds just before serving.

Happy Eating!

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Tropical Salad

I found this great salad and chicken recipe from Eat at Home. She got it from For the Love of Grub. Pairing the chicken with the salad gives you a sublime main dish!

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups pineapple juice
2 TB. Worcestershire sauce
2 TB. soy sauce
2 TB. brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate. The longer the chicken marinates, the better. (up to 24 hours) Cook them on the grill or bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. While the chicken cooks, you can put the salad together!

Tropical Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, torn
I added some spinach leaves as well
3 green onions, chopped
6 slices of bacon, crumbled
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained and reserved for dressing
1/2 cup macadamia nut pieces
1/4 cup toasted coconut **

Salad Dressing

1/4 to 1/2 cup pineapple juice ***
3 TB. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 completed recipe of the Hawaiian Chicken


** To toast coconut: Pour the 1/4 cup shredded coconut into a small frying pan. Toast on Medium heat, stirring occasionally, until coconut is browned. Watch carefully!! It can go from toasted to burned pretty quickly!

*** The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of pineapple juice. I ended up using more, but didn't measure.

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Add more or less of the ingredients to fit your taste!

Get the Macadamia nuts you need before they are invaded...

In a container with a tight fitting lid, combine the other ingredients. Shake to mix. Pour over the salad right before serving. Serve Hawaiian Chicken over the top!

Daughter preparing dressing! See- it's easy!


Enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

A few days ago, I posted a recipe for my family teriyaki sauce. If you used chicken, and managed to somehow have leftovers; here is a great way to use them up!

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

2 Chicken Breasts*
1 jar of Teriyaki sauce, or 1 recipe Teriyaki Sauce*
2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped (you can use the whole onion, including the green part!)
1 small can pineapple tidbits
1/3 to 1/2 c. light mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper to taste

*You can use your leftovers from the teriyaki chicken, or use pre-made teriyaki baste.

For more variety, you can add nuts, mango, grapes, etc.!

Cut chicken in bite sized pieces. Marinate chicken in teriyaki sauce for at least 4 hours. (or use leftovers!)
Grill chicken.

When chicken is done, place in a medium bowl, and add other ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
Add 2-3 TB of teriyaki sauce to taste.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Refrigerate for several hours. (If you can wait that long!)

Serve on top of salad greens, or in a roll or pita with lettuce and tomato!

Grandma's Potato Salad

When I was eleven, my Grandparents bought me a ticket to come and visit them in California for one week, all by myself! I was thrilled! We had so much fun; shopping, visiting candy factories, and sleeping in late. One thing I remember was us making Grandma's wonderful potato salad together. This is my absolute favorite potato salad, and I've never found another one that matches it in taste. I don't remember whose idea it was to make the salad on this visit, but let me tell you, it was quite a shock.

You see, at eleven, I had no idea what actually went into the salad. Just a few weeks ago, I was talking about this memory with my Grandma, and we discovered that we remember different things about that time. She remembers that we made way too many potatoes, so we ended up with a TON of salad! I remember being totally grossed out by the ingredients, but forcing myself to remember that it was truly the best. But, I had to grimace when she started adding the toppings. At eleven, I hated mustard. I hated sweet pickles. Actually, I still do! And ketchup?? In potato salad? The thought crossed my mind that my Grandma had gone insane. But, when it was done, and I forced myself to try it, thinking that there was no way that this was her wonderful salad, I discovered that the mix of all of those ingredients can sometimes create heaven.

So, here is my Grandma's recipe. I've tried different substitutions; such as using dill pickle juice instead of sweet, but really, there are no substitutions for greatness.

Grandma's Perfect Potato Salad

12 potatoes
Salt and pepper
Sweet Pickle Juice

9 eggs, boiled and chopped (See how to make perfect boiled eggs)

1 cup red onion, diced

1 cup celery, chopped

1 TB (roughly- you can use more if needed) each of:

Mustard

Ketchup

Dried Parsley

Sweet Pickle Relish

Mayonnaise

Wash potatoes. Boil potatoes, whole with skins on, in salted water until tender. Cooking them with the skins on keeps them intact, and insures that you don't end up with potato mush instead of potato chunks. (believe me- been there, done that!)

While still hot, peel and cube potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Salt and pepper each layer of potatoes as you cut them.

Add Sweet Pickle Juice to taste.

Add in chopped eggs. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and mix into potatoes and egg mixture. Mix until coated. Feel free to add more ketchup or mayo if needed!

When everything is mixed, pick up that fork and take a huge bite. Sigh in pleasure... and fill up a bowl!

Maria's Sunshine Salad

Isn't this salad just beautiful? I found this recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod by Maria. Hence, the name: Maria's Sunshine Salad! I think it's the perfect Spring salad. Bright and cheerful, plus it tastes amazing!

Maria's Sunshine Salad

Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
1 can Black Beans- low sodium- rinsed and drained
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, diced *
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 limes- squeeze fresh juice over salad

Place the romaine on a plate or bowl. Top with all of the ingredients, except for the limes juice. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the salad. If you want a little more dressing flavor, try topping with Salsa or Cilantro Lime Dressing! Enjoy!

*For a helpful article on how to cut a mango, see Our Best Bites!

Tangy Chicken Thai Salad

This Thai salad has a lot of "specialty" items in it. You will need to shop at an Asian store to find most of them. Those ingredients are marked with a *. However, the shopping and prep time required for this is all worth it!

Here are some pictures of ingredients not previously mentioned in the Thai Tips post.


Kaffir Lime Leaves (can freeze)


Galangal- looks like Ginger, but has a very different taste. I actually made this dish without the Galangal and it was fine!

Tangy Chicken Thai Salad

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB vegetable oil
1/2 cup coconut cream*
2 TB fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup cashew nuts, roasted and finely chopped
4 shallots, thinly sliced *
4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced *
1 lemon grass stalk, thinly sliced *
1 teas chopped fresh galangal *
1 large red chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
10-12 mint leaves, torn
lettuce, to serve

Spinach leaves to serve

1. Place the chicken in a large dish. Rub with the garlic, soy sauce, and 1 TB of oil. Cover and marinate for 1-2 hours.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a wok or frying pan and stir-fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked. Remove and set aside to cool.

3. In a pan, heat the coconut cream, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved; set aside. This is your salad dressing!

4. Assemble the salad: Prepare a bed of lettuce. Shred the cooked chicken and add the water chestnuts, cashew nuts, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal, red chili, spring onions and mint leaves.

5. Pour the coconut dressing over the mixture and toss well.

Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I love discovering new recipes. Especially when I'm not looking for them, and they are easy and brilliant! I was making my son sloppy joe's with Ground Turkey, and this recipe (or the base anyway) was on the back of the package! I quickly canceled my plans for lunch, and made these lettuce wraps instead!

Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

1 lb ground turkey
1 bottle of Teriyaki sauce
Lettuce leaves (I used Romaine)
Shredded Coconut
Cubed Pineapple
1 Carrot (or a few baby carrots) shredded
Peanuts

Brown Ground Turkey; rinse. Mix in teriyaki sauce until the desired consistency. (Sorry- I just pulled this together and didn't measure!) You want just a coating- not a soppy mess!

Spoon Turkey mixture onto a large piece of lettuce. Top with shredded coconut, pineapple, carrot strips, and peanuts.

Now... try to eat it without making a huge mess! :)

Dinner Party!

I co-hosted a wonderful dinner last week. We were supposed to have 3 women and their kids come, but only ended up with 1. It was a great night, and I have tons of yummy leftovers!

Here is my menu, plus links to the recipes! Enjoy!

The main course was a Minestrone soup made by the co-host. Sorry, I don't have her recipe! She also provided a yummy green salad.

For sides, I made:

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips - Also from OurBestBites.com. (Can you tell my new obsession?) This dish was absolutely fabulous. I did Strawberries, Mango, Kiwi, Pineapple, and Blueberries. Squirted some Lime juice, and added Sugar. The fruit was amazing on it's own, but eaten with the Cinnamon Chips brought it to a whole new level. Everyone took home leftovers, and I finished up the rest in about a day. A healthy and super yummy treat!

Pesto Alfredo with Roasted Vegetables- The original recipe was found on OurBestBites.com, but I will make it a different way next time! It was good, but needed a few more things.

Croissant Rolls- again, a little bit of a disappointment here. I wanted to make my Challah Bread, but for some reason, my bread maker didn't want to cooperate. It ended the cycle, and instead of a nicely risen bread, I had a pile of goop. :( So, I used the Croissant rolls in a can as a substitute.

Lemon Bars - The perfect "light" ending to a fall meal! I don't have a picture, but the recipe comes from my good friend, Bonnie.

White Chip Lemon Bars

Bonnie

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white chips

2 eggs slightly beaten

The zest and juice from one lemon

Powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Stir together 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture onto the bottom of 9-inch baking pan.

3. Bake 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chips.

4. Stir together eggs, lemon juice, lemon peel, remaining 1/4 cup flour and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in medium bowl; carefully pour over chips and crust.

5. Bake 10 minutes or until set (you can touch center and it's springy). Cool in pan on wire rack; sift with powdered sugar when completely cool. Cut.

Cheesecake Chocolate Pudding. Okay, this desert was so easy, it was ridiculous. However, when I told the ladies it was "just" pudding, they laughed at me. It's all in the presentation folks!

How to make:
Pour 2 3/4 cup of COLD milk in a large bowl.
Mix in one dry box of Instant Chocolate pudding mix and 1 box of instant cheesecake pudding mix. Stir for 2 minutes, and pour into serving dish.
I used a large, shallow serving dish. When set, I sprinkled candied pecans on top! You can also do fruit, coconut, graham crackers, etc!
The cheesecake flavor was hard to distinguish, but you can do any flavor puddings together!

Lastly, we topped it off with cold Lemonade.

It was a terrific night of food and friendship.

What is your favorite party food?