Crab And Shrimp Pasta Salad

from Rachel Hall

This recipe is extremely easy to make and is very versatile and can be amended to personal tastes. I like to add more flavors by adding dill weed, garlic, and salt. Have fun with this recipe and find your favorite combo. My mom sometimes makes this with ham or sausage instead of crab and shrimp.

1 pkg of your favorite pasta (wagon wheels, rotini, shells, etc)
carrots, grated
cucumber, peeled and chopped
tomato, chopped
broccoli, blanched **
peas, fresh or frozen
Crab, lump style
mini shrimp, cooked
1/2 C. real Mayo
Italian dressing to taste
1 Tb. salt

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt to water. Boil pasta until cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to cool, and stash in the fridge.

2. Put your veggies, crab and shrimp in a large bowl. Add mayo and Italian dressing and mix together.

** to blanch broccoli separate broccoli into small florets and place in a a pot, add hot water and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, turn off the heat and pour into a strainer, rise with cold water. Your broccoli should look cooked but when you bite into it, still crunchy.

Cashew Chicken Pasta Salad

from Da'nelle Robins

1 pkg colored spiral pasta
2 c chopped celery
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
3 chicken breasts boiled and chopped (or 2 cans canned chicken, drained)
1 c purple grapes, cut in half
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup mayo
½ - 1 bottle Kraft coleslaw dressing
small can of cashews

Mix everything together, adding cashews right before serving.

My Sister's Won Ton Salad

from Sarah O'Gwin

2 chicken breasts, cooked with salt and pepper, diced
1 package of won tons- deep fried in vegetable oil (you can do this on the stove, they cook really fast, like in 30 seconds. Be sure not to use a plastic spoon to get them out of the hot oil. I learned this one from experience!)
1 can mandarin oranges
1 head romaine lettuce
2 hand fulls of spinach leaves

dressing
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup TOASTED (it has to be toasted, and comes in a smaller bottle, like soy sauce)sesame seed oil
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package chicken ramen noodle spice packet

You want to wait until the last minute to put the dressing on.

Potato Salad

from Sarah O'Gwin

Serves: 12
6medium potatoes cooked, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/3 cup sliced green onions
6 hard cooked eggs
1/3 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 cups mayonnaise [more if needed]
1 teaspoon beau monde
1/4 teaspoon dry basil
1/4 teaspoon dry marjoram
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dijon style mustard
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Place potatoes in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; cook until tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.

While potatoes are still warm, peel and cube; place in a large bowl. Add the celery, onions and hard boiled eggs. In a small bowl combine the salad dressing, vinegar, sugar and salts; mix well. Add the salad dressing mixture to the warm potatoes and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, seasonings, pepper, mustard and horseradish. Pour over potato mixture; toss to coat. Arrange sliced hard boiled eggs and fresh parsley on top [optional] and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate until serving, at least 2 to 5 hours so the dressing can blend with the potatoes.

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Ricotta

from Kim Larsen

INGREDIENTS:
1 seedless watermelon
1/2 pound ricotta salata
1/4 bunch basil cut into thins strips or torn
1 bottle balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

METHOD: Cut the watermelon into 1/2 inch thick slices. With a ring mold, cut a circle of watermelon about 3 inches in diameter. Repeat same step for the ricotta salata. Brush each side of the watermelon with olive oil and grill each side for about 1 minute. Meanwhile, in a saucepan reduce the bottle of balsamic to a nice syrup consistency, similar to honey.

ASSEMBLY: Take one watermelon round as the base, top with ricotta salta and repeat step. Drizzle reduced balsamic reduction and olive oil over the plate. Garnish with basil.

Sesame Pasta Salad

from Jessica Cannon
This tastes great right away, and even better if you let it marinate for a while.

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.

3. Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in cilantro and green onions.

Spinach Salad

from Kim Larsen

2 C. torn Spinach
3 Chicken Breast, cooked
2 C. purple grapes, halved
2 1/2 C. celery
3/4 C. red pepper
1 C. snow peas
7 oz. tricolor pasta
green onions

Combine above ingredients and add dressing.

Dressing
1/2 C. Olive Oil
1/4 C. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. minced onion
1 tsp. lemon juice

Hawaiian Salad

from Kim Larsen

1 can 8oz. pineapple tidbits
6 -8 C. torn salad greens
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 TBS sugar

Drain pineapple, reserving 1 TBS of juice. In a large bowl, combine greens, pineapple and cheese. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sugar and reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing

This was served at the Visiting Teaching Appreciation Dinner.

Ingredients:
1 cup Mayo
2/3 cup Milk
1 1/3 pkg of Ranch Dressing Mix
3/4 bunch of cilantro (remove the bottom inch of the stems of the cilantro)
2 small jalapeno or 1 large jalapeno (remove top and seeds)
Juice from 1 1/2 limes
1 tsp ground cumin

Add all ingredients to the blender and mix on high until smooth. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving. If the dressing thickens too much add either a little more milk or lime juice.