Veggie Pasta Salad

This recipe is so simple and so good! You can really add whatever you want. You can make it vegan, vegetarian, or throw in some ham or salami chunks. It is perfect for picnics, pot lucks, sack lunches, or even main dishes. I hope you like it as much as we do! Here is what I threw in there today:

Ingredients:

1 lb of whole wheat pasta, cooked, drained, and rinsed with cold water

2 cups of black olives, sliced

1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

8 (ish) green onions, sliced

2 cups of raw broccoli and 2 cups of raw carrots, pulse chopped in the food processor

8 oz of Kerry Gold (grass-fed, Irish, SUPER yummy) cheese, cubed- optional

1/2 cup (or so) of Italian dressing (homemade or bottled)

Combine all of the ingredients. Season with sea salt, if necessary. Chill for one hour. Re-taste and add more dressing, if needed. Dressing should coat the ingredients, but not make the dish too soupy. Enjoy!



Arugula Salad with Orange Juice Vinaigrette

Yes, another salad. But it's summer and I don't have to turn on my oven! Plus I am lucky that my children will all gobble up salads- just have to vary it up a little and they are happy, healthy campers. :)

Ingredients:

1-2 heads of Arugula

1 head of Butter Leaf

2 fresh mangoes, diced

2 avocados, diced

Several Tbs of sliced almonds per bowl

Chop arugula and lettuce coarsely and top with fruit and nuts.

 

Vinaigrette:

I just kind of eyeballed this ,but I added approx 4-6 Tbs of O.J. concentrate to approx 2 Tbs of rice vinegar to approx 1 Tb of olive oil. I did add a small amount of water too, but you can just mix and keep tasting it until you like it. We like it tangy with a hint of vinegar so we add more O.J.

Like I said, super easy but really, really good!

Summer Salad

Is it just me, or aren't salads beautiful? I love the different flavors and colors you can throw into a salad. This is one of our all-time favorite salads. We actually learned the recipe at a Pampered Chef party I threw a few years back! It is delicious and filling, and is the perfect meal or side dish for a warm summer day.

Ingredients:

Mixed greens- I used Romaine, Butter Leaf, Red Leaf, and a little Spinach

Strawberries, sliced thinly

Shredded Carrots

Red Onion, sliced thinly

Cucumber, sliced thinly

Blueberries

Pecans, chopped (I think I used walnuts in this picture because we were out of pecans)

Poppyseed Dressing (We love Brianna's Rich Poppyseed Dressing)

This looks beautiful in a large, glass, Pampered Chef trifle bowl. Layer all of the ingredients evenly throughout the bowl, top with the dressing, and it is ready!

A Simple Salad Bar

My kids love any kind of "bar." Salad bars, burrito bars, taco bars, breakfast bars...they love having lots of choices and putting together their own unique meal! Even if all the choices are good, healthy ones like veggies, nuts, beans, and whole grains, they get excited! We have been doing a salad bar once a week. I pull anything and everything out of the fridge, chop it up, and leave it out all day for the kids to snack on. It takes a little prep time but we usually end up eating it for lunch and dinner, so in some ways it's easier for me.

This salad bar we made recently had:

romaine lettuce

hard boiled eggs

garbanzo beans

sprouted sunflower seeds

olives

pickles

carrots

red bell pepper

parmesan cheese

homemade dressings

cucumber

green onion

peas

corn

broccoli

sprouts

whole grain crackers

mushrooms

That's just what we had in the house. Add some different kind of beans and guacamole and salsa and it can become a taco bar. Add some whole wheat tortillas for a burrito bar. Add some fresh fruit . Add some baked potatoes for a potato bar- the possibilities are endless. And you will be surprised at what you have on hand!