By JJ

May 12, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this

In the summer time, and year round for that matter, I am a salad junkie. I love salads.

I especially love a good chicken salad, on a bed of lettuce. I am been having so much fun coming up with things to put in my chicken salad. Saturday I made some with a rotissiere chicken from The Fresh Market. I cut up some cucumber, celery, dill pickles, I chopped up two boiled eggs, and added toasted almond slices. Salt & Pepper, and a bit of fresh basil, and my secret ingredient. I’ve also been known to add dried cranberries to my chicken salad. Actually cranberries are great in all salads too……

By Stan

May 12, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this

JJ, do you add mayo too your chicken salad? and what is you secret ingredient? (I had to ask)

We often add more salads during the warmer months, I think it is pretty common. I usually go for this salad in no order(green(s) of some type, choppped turkey/ham/chicken, boiled egg, cheese, croutons, bacon, onion, bell pepper, cukes etc) ranch/honey mustard dressing.

We’ll still eat those heavy foods that we love, just not as often.

Stan

By JJ

May 12, 2008 12:47 PM | Link to this

Stan - yes I do use mayo, but very little, just for “coating”. Too much mayo, and you can’t taste the “salad”.

As for my secret ingredient, you know I’ll have to kill you once I tell you…….so I won’t tell you…..just kidding. I add a tiny little bit of curry……maybe 1/8 teaspoon…..you have to be VERY careful using curry. Too much will ruin the chicken salad, and, it gets into your pours and you can smell it for days…….

I also forgot to mention that I add shredded FRESH parmesean cheese to the chicken salad…..(not the parmesean cheese in the little cans). The real stuff……

There are so many wonderful ways to make chicken salad……

By Stan

May 12, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this

JJ, Thanks for sharing. I might have to play around with chicken salads this summer. I’m on a cummin kick…I bet that would be a tasty addition

Stan

By JJ

May 12, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this

Stan - A “texmex” chicken salad with cummin sounds delicious. You could make the chicken by using taco seasoning. I think I’ll have to try that one too…….also, do you put onions in your chicken salad? I don’t, as I don’t care for raw onions. However, I thought about cooking them down in with the chicken……

I also like to put my chicken salad on a bed of lettuce……

I went to the grocery store yesterday, and bought nothing but fruits, veggies & salads. We are eating salads every night this week. I am tired of trying to come up with new dinner ideas for the hot weather, so this week it’s salads…. and I must say the produce at my Publix was beautiful yesterday!!!!

By Stan

May 12, 2008 5:19 PM | Link to this

I love raw onion in salads. Slightly softened or even carmelized could be a really intresting touch, though I think I’d play around with the “theme” of the salad for carmelized onions.

My wife and I had to eat out all last week so we are doing nothing but soup and salads this week.

By Kat

May 13, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this

Yes, we are eating a lot of salads these days, especially now that the weather is warm and it stays light longer. We are getting out in the evening, walking & playing tennis. So there’s not always time to cook. Plus, my teens have lot of activities and we don’t always eat at the same time, so salad with a variety of toppings is a good choice for us.

But here’s the thing about salads: a lot of the yummy toppings some of you have described are awful for you. If you take something healthy like salad and top it with regular dressing, crutons, cheese, bacon, mayo etc. you can easily end up with as much fat as a double cheeseburger! I try to keep the toppings healthy, too, and add dark greens (raw spinach) to iceberg lettuce, which I love because of the texture but it has virtually no nutritional value.

By Stan

May 13, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this

I admit I do tend to take a healthy salad and make it unhealthy. I need to get better about preparing onions/bell peppers/ other veggies that I like + ones my wife likes (that I don’t) on Sunday so they are ready for the week.

By JJ

May 13, 2008 10:29 AM | Link to this

Kat - I hear ya…..I used to use a ton of salad dressing on my salads. Now, I barely use 1 - 2 tablespoons.

I cooked up a bunch of chicken breasts last night, and cut them up to store for future salads this week. Last night I put some on our salad, along with cucs, carrots, celery, sliced almonds, and my new love, freshly grated parmesean cheese, a little basil & some parsley.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, Salad was about the only thing I could keep down. I lived on salads and mexican food……

By FCM

May 13, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this

There was a place over by the Michael’s in Merchant’s Walk…cannot recall the name and they are out of business now….made the absolute best Chicken Salad I ever put in my mouth…even better than the Swan House in my opinion…and that hard to do.

JJ’s sounds good, but I agree you have to be careful with curry….My previous neighbors had a heavy hand with it and I got the point I cannot stand the smell of it now.

I do a summer salad where you put cooked tri-color pasta (rotoni) over mixed greens, julienned carrots, slices of celery, shredded colby-jack, and top with sliced toasted almonds and grilled terryaki chicken. Drizzle a good honey mustard dressing (I make mine) over the top. A glass of white wine and some bread…yum!

Unfortunately I have one child who thinks salad is akin to asking her to eat slugs. The other child even eats salad at school as a lunch choice!

I do more cooking in the toaster over (no not heat and eat)in the summer, keeps the house from getting over hot and portions are smaller because the oven is not that big.

I have made some really good ‘Dump the Fridge’ salads too…unfortunately they cannot be duplicated. Like my “Clean up Pizza’….its made of whatever is in the fridge that must be used.

The orange or cherry flavored craisins are a good pairing to a salad.

I just counted 8 different kinds of dressing in my fridge.

Another good salad: Take broccoli slaw and mix with a can of drained white meat chicken. Add some mandrin oranges and slivered almonds (I use the salad almonds by sunkist) and mix with a ginger dressing (I used Marie’s)….let it sit for 10 minutes or so to meld the flavors…yummy! Full of fiber, low calorie, good for meal or side dish.

By JJ

May 13, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this

FCM - good to see you over here…..

I printed out all your suggestions. We are salad junkies at my house, and I am ALWAYS looking for things to put in one.

As for the toasted Almonds, I enjoy toasting them myself. I buy the sliced almonds at Publix, then roast them when I get home, and bag them for later.

Mother’s Day, we tried to make candied pecans to go in one of our salads. We messed up bad on the first two batches, actually burned one batch to a crisp, and had to throw the smoking pan out on the grass, LOL, but I think we succeeded on the third batch. They were delicious. I couldn’t tell you what we did, as there were three of us working the pecans (and cocktails were involved)……

By Kat

May 13, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this

JJ, that’s funny, the combo of salad and Mexican food as the only things you could tolerate with all-day morning sickness! Stan, you made a great point, about doing all the cutting & chopping on the weekend when you’ve got more time. I try to do that sometimes. It makes for quicker stir-frys, too. A couple more thoughts on toppings: when adding cheese, you can get a lot of flavor for less fat if you use a strongly flavored cheese because you don’t have to use as much (blue vs. mild cheddar, for example). Other things, like almonds and avacodos, do add fat but it’s the heart-healthy fat, and they have nutritional value, so it’s easier to justify those! I didn’t mean to slam all toppings, it’s just that you really have to think about what you’re doing. Also, the best low-fat dressing I’ve tried is Wishbone Just 2 Good. Has anyone alse found a palatable brand? The regular dressings just have way too much fat, and the fat free are inedible no matter what the brand! So I compromise with a reduced fat dressing. Anyone alse want to recommend a brand?

By FCM

May 13, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this

Finally broke down and got a net connect at home…..without a job I was hesitant…but I will probably save the cost in fuel!

I make the Hidden Valley Ranch packet with Low Fat Sour Cream and Low Fat Helmans…Kat does that count as a low fat dressing recommendation?

Sweet Tomatoes does a wild rice chicken salad that is good too.

I stopped eating meat a few weeks back…I will eventually add it back in. So right now I am working on veggie options.

Simple Spinach Salad: Slice strawberries over Spinich…drizzle with Poppy Seed Dressing….add walnuts if you want some crunch.

oooooo…..candied pecans….I have a bag of pecans in the freezer…..good idea!

By Jeff

May 13, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this

I would recommend Naturally Fresh’s Raspberry Vinaigrette, found at Publix. Low calorie, low carb, zero fat, GREAT taste! Perfect for summer.

By JJ

May 13, 2008 2:29 PM | Link to this

FCM - if you do candied pecans, please let me know how you did them…let me know either here or over at Momania……

I see Jeff asked about the job situation..bless your heart, I don’t know how you are keeping sane. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for ya!!!! I am sure something will come your way very soon……

By Fred

May 13, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this

Salad has become my main staple for eating at night. Romaine lettuce, purple onion, mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes, and sliced grilled chicken. I’ve lost 22lbs in the last 6 months. I now crave salad rather than some heavy meal.

By FCM

May 13, 2008 2:53 PM | Link to this

@JJ—thanks….I keep believing that good things will happen before I get to panic mode…Please keep those fingers crossed etc….I am in front of a hiring manager Thursday, one wants to make a decision this week or next, another decision maker said to expect a call shortly to set up the interview. That’s all I know at this time.

By VoiceOfReason

May 13, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this

My best addition to salads…….wait for it……wasabi peas!! Yes, its delicious. No need for croutons or anything else. They’re crunchy and have a nice kick.

By Kat

May 13, 2008 3:43 PM | Link to this

Thanks for the dressing suggestions! Do regular grocery stores carry wasabi peas? In what section should I look for them?

By lovelyliz

May 13, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this

I can get marinated boneless chicken breasts at COSTCO which grill up quickly during the week or pre-cook on weekends. Add diced chicken to a bed of mix greens/spinach. Then throw on some toasted nuts (whatever you have on hand), fruit (blueberries, starberries, tangarine out of can no less, or dried cranberries)and finish it off which a bit of cheese (I like feta, goat or blue but those might fall under the category of acquired taste)

Easy, simple, nutritious and you’d be surprised how low in calorie!!!

By Dana

May 14, 2008 8:21 AM | Link to this

Yes! Salads totally saved my sanity when it came to putting dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.

Your grilled chicken caesar was a favorite.

Another is Salade Nicoise :)

http://www.xanga.com/hiddenart/492503408/summer-salad-fest.html

By A very light sprinkle of the bad stuff makes it oh so good

May 14, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this

We can still enjoy the “bad” toppings (bacon, cheese, egg, salty olives) by using a very light sprinkle, more like a seasoning instead of an actual topping, to enjoy a lot of different flavors and still keep it healthy. You can even skip the dressing if you mix up the salad well with all those different flavors. Happy summer salads, everyone!

By Gigi

May 15, 2008 10:35 AM | Link to this

First I put a steak on the grill, then let it rest. Slice it in strips and place them on a salad of Romaine, red bell pepper, purple onion, Roma tomatoes and topped with Asiago cheese curls. Serve with Caesar dressing — TODIEFOR.

By Gigi

May 15, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this

First I put a steak on the grill, then let it rest. Slice it in strips and place them on a salad of Romaine, red bell pepper, purple onion, Roma tomatoes and topped with Asiago cheese curls. Serve with Caesar dressing — TODIEFOR.

By Gigi

May 15, 2008 10:41 AM | Link to this

First I grill a steak and let it rest. Then I cut it in strips and place on a salad of Romaine, red bell pepper, purple onion, diced tomatoes, topped with French bread croutons and Asiago cheese curls. Serve with Caesar dressing - TODIEFOR!