Italian Herb Dressing

My husband gave me a wonderful Christmas gift this year.  He knows that I love to cook and I also love salads.  His other reason for getting me this gift has a bit of a story!  If you have seen the Claim Jumper Thai Coleslaw recipe in this blog then you saw the recipe for the dressing.  I brought the coleslaw to a BBQ this summer but didn’t put the dressing on until we go there.  I put the dressing in a small water bottle that I’v had for several years (it’s from Starbucks when they first came out with water bottles)!  Well that wasn’t the best idea because the smell of the dressing leaked into the plastic in the water bottle.  So now when ever the water bottle gets used, you smell the dressing as you go to take a drink!  Oops!!

So in an effort to combat that little problem my husband found this salad dressing bottle and bought it for me!  The cool thing about it is that it has recipes right on the bottle and shows you where to fill the liquid up to instead of measuring with another container.

This dressing that I made a few nights ago, I used on a spinach and chicken salad.  It was really good but I still have plenty leftover.    I don’t have a picture of the dressing but I’m assuming you know what salad dressing looks like!  Enjoy!

source: Storables salad dressing container

Ingredients:

Dash of Salt and Pepper

3 tsp groung Thyme

3 tsp ground Oregano

3 tsp dried Basil

3 TB Olive Oil

6 oz Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

Put in a container and shake well.  Serve.

Thai Coleslaw – Claim Jumper recipe

A few months back my husband and I went to dinner at Claim Jumpers with his parents while they were in town. I forget what I ordered that night but I do remember seeing that Thai Coleslaw was a choice for one of your side items instead of fries or potato chips. I wasn’t too sure if it would be spicy or not so I decided against it but I asked if I could sample it. The waiter said yes, but forgot to bring me a sample. Oh well! I still was curious if it was any good or not, so off to the internet I went! There are actually several sites that have copy cat recipes from restaurants.

I’m always on the look out for Coleslaw recipes and this one might just be my new favorite. We went to a barbecue at a friends house this past weekend and this was our contribution. The picture was taken the day after the barbecue but it was still good! I even left the leftovers with my mom because we were going out of town the next day and she said it tasted great still!

Enjoy!

Thai Coleslaw – Claim Jumper recipe

source: Groups Recipes

Ingredients

1/2 head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 zucchini, julienned
2 jumbo carrots, julienned
2 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons shaved coconut
3 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons toasted almonds
–THAI COLESLAW DRESSING–
8 ounces Thai sweet chili sauce (Lingham’s brand is good)
8 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cilantro, chopped fine
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions

For salad: Combine cabbage, zucchini, carrots, onions, sesame seeds, coconut, peanuts and almonds in large bowl. Chill until ready to use.
For dressing: Place ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Slowly add sesame oil while whisking. Pour desired amount, about 1/4 cup, over chilled salad vegetables. Serve.

Asian Chicken Salad

I made this a few weeks ago when I was craving, what else, but an Asian Chicken Salad. I found this recipe on Cooking Light’s website. That site really has become my go to site when I need a recipe. My mom subscribes to the magazine and she gives me them when she is done. I just go through them and tear out the recipes I like, which is just about all of them and toss the magazine. I love it! I don’t have a picture to go with this recipe because my camera was on the fritz at the time.

Enjoy

Asian Chicken Salad

source: Cooking Light: My Recipes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1 teaspoon honey
6 cups gourmet salad greens
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise into thin strips
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation

1. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and honey in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add salad greens, chicken, carrots, and snow peas; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with almonds.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Emeril’s Macaroni Salad

I found this recipe in my newest Everyday Food magazine and instantly knew I had to make it for the potluck we were going to on the 3rd. We have some family friends who have a house on a local lake (Big Lake, unique name, I know! It gets better, we also have Little Mountain and Clear Lake!). The Big Lake Fire Department puts on a show on the 3rd of July and it is always great. We won’t talk about the cloudy, muggy weather that made it difficult to see the bottom half of the fireworks!!

This recipe was easy to put together the morning of the party! I also liked this recipe because it didn’t contain any mayonnaise, which is always a bit scary to bring to a sunny picnic or barbecue. Enjoy!

source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

Serves 6

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup pitted Cerignola olives (or your favorite olives), sliced
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni until al dente. In a small skillet, cook prosciutto over medium until crisp; discard fat.
2. Combine shallot, vinegar, and mustard in a large bowl; whisk in oil in a slow, steady stream. Add tomato, cheese, prosciutto, olives, and capers.
3. Drain pasta; add to bowl with tomato mixture, and toss. Add parsley; season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature, and serve.