Black Bean Taco Salad w/ Lime Vinaigrette

This recipes is from my sister Katie. She says, "This salad is crazy good but time consuming to make the dressing. You can double the recipe and then freeze it in 1 cup portions for later."

Black Bean Taco Salad: Chop as much of these things as you like then toss with the dressing.

Head Romaine lettuce

Chopped cooked chicken

Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Chopped red onion

Frozen white corn, thawed

Can black beans, rinsed and drained

Shredded cheese

Avocado, chopped

Tortilla chips

Lime Vinaigrette: Combine these ingredients and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.

1⁄2 cup seeded tomato (I usually use 1 can diced tomatoes with its juice)

1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro

1⁄4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1/2 large lime)

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder

1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled or minced

Lemon-Parmesan Vinaigrette & Lillian's go-to salad

For the salad:
1 pack spring mix (in this salad I used "herb mix" from Walmart and really liked it)
1/2 C loosely packed flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 red onion, sliced as thin as possible
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 ~ 1/2 C sliced almonds (or any chopped nuts you like--hazelnuts are really good in this, too)
1/2 C dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries (cranberries are my favorite)
1 firm bosc pear, sliced thin
1/4 C finely grated Parmesan cheese (I used Pecorino Romano instead, but any hard Italian cheese works well here)
Lemon-Parmesan dressing (recipe follows)

1. In a medium bowl, place the sliced onion and cover with cold water.  Let soak, draining and replacing the water as needed, for about 20~30 minutes, drain and set aside.  (This will remove the harsh bite that raw onions have, while maintaining good flavor and texture)
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Place the sliced almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer, and place in the preheated oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 10~15 minutes.  Let cool completely.
3. In a large serving bowl, combine all ingredients and toss with dressing just before serving.

For the dressing:
2 T fresh lemon juice (juice of about 1 lemon)
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper--to taste
pinch of sugar or 1/8 t honey or agave nectar
3/4 C extra virgin olive oil (or a more neutral oil can work better, depending on the salad)
1/4 C fine grated Parmesan cheese

Place all the ingredients into a jar large enough to hold 1.5 C of liquid.  Shake until emulsified.  (or you can use a blender) Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.  Shake before using.

Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach or Romaine lettuce
Mandarin oranges
Cranberries
Apples – chopped
Poppy seed salad dressing

Sesame Orange Cold Chicken Salad

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 c. onion, diced and sautéed
1 c. celery, diced and sautéed
¾ c. cucumber, diced
Zest of 2 oranges
½ c. toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Sauce:
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Juice from 1 orange

Seasoning:
¼ tsp. ground mustard
½ tsp. ground fennel seed
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. ground clove
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. kosher salt

Directions

Mix the chicken, onion, celery, cucumber, orange zest, and walnuts. Mix the sauce ingredients together. Add the seasoning to the sauce. Pour sauce over the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Excellent with wheat pita or in a wrap.

Black Bean Salad with Fresh Corn

Black Bean Salad with Fresh Corn
Ingredients

* 2 cups black beans, cooked, rinsed
* 1 ear corn, boiled, kernels removed from the cob
* 1/2 medium red onion, diced
* 1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
* 1/2 medium poblano pepper, diced
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (leaves and stems)
* 1/2 cup lime juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

Combine the beans, corn, onion, peppers, and cilantro in a large bowl. Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the bean mixture. Chill the salad for 2 hours before serving.

Orange Jello Salad

1 small box tapioca pudding
1 small box orange jello
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
3 cups water

Mix and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes.
Cool.

Add:
2 cans mandarin oranges - drained
9 oz cool whip - thawed

Pomegranate Salad (from my aunt, Maralee Gardner) ~ Marcie Francis

This is a good "make-ahead" side dish/dessert for special occasions, like Thanksgiving.

1 large box cherry Jell-O brand gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 large can crushed pineapple (don't drain)
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 pomegranate, seeded (reserve a few seeds)
4 apples, peeled and finely chopped

Combine and put in 9 x 13 pan. Refrigerate until set. Then spread topping (recipe follows). Sprinkle with remaining pomeg. seeds if desired.

Topping:
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whipping cream

Whip the cream cheese, then mix it with the pwd sugar & vanilla until smooth. Then add the whipping cream, and stir until smooth (don't whip the cream).

Romaine Salad also from Everyday Food, Oct 2006~Marcie Francis

{This would feed a very large crowd. Halving the recipe seems about right.}

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 romaine hearts (from 1 package), thinly sliced crosswise, washed and dried
Directions
• In a large bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, and Italian seasoning until combined; season with salt and pepper.
• Add romaine; toss to coat.

Autumn Pasta Salad~Lisa Esplin

I found this on Vera Bradley's website. Very easy to make and works well to make ahead of time for an easy dinner. It is a yummy salad and goes great with Parmesan Breadsticks. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
1 (16-ounce) box tubular pasta
1 bunch spinach, cleaned and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 large red onion, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small can sliced olives, drained
1 (16-ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
¾ cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a large bowl, combine pasta, spinach, onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Mix well. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and Parmesan cheese. Pour vinaigrette over pasta salad and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.