Thursday, July 26, 2012

Exciting Chicken Salad Recipes

Salad is versatile and can be an appetizer, a lunch, a snack or a dinner. If you are going to serve salad as an entree, it will need to be satisfying and filling enough. Lettuce leaves are a nice garnish but they do not tend to satisfy a hungry person very much! If you enjoy grilled chicken recipes, what about making a grilled chicken salad for dinner?

Grilled chicken has an incredible flavor and you can use it to make the most delicious chicken salad recipes. One great idea is to serve a warm chicken salad. Make a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, chopped cabbage and anything else you want, for the base, and then top it with a mixture of warm grilled chicken and crumbled bacon.

Add blue cheese and walnut halves and serve some Caesar dressing or ranch dressing on the side. Chopped pineapple, pine nuts, maraschino cherries, black olives or raisins would also be nice with such a salad.
Instead of serving grilled chicken with a salad, what about a smoked chicken salad? Smoked chicken tastes fantastic and you can add it to any salad recipe to give an extra flavor dimension.

Even processed chicken slices can be chopped and added to a mixed salad, but cooking some boneless chicken pieces and adding those to a salad is the best way to make the most appealing and wonderful chicken salad recipes.

How to Make a Fancy Chicken Salad
If you are looking for chicken salad recipes which are suitable for a dinner party, you will also want them to look elegant. Use mixed salad leaves and arrange smoked chicken or grilled chicken on top.
For a buffet you will want to serve the dressing on the side, else the salad might go soggy after a while. Use fresh herbs for an elegant garnish and perhaps some colorful ingredients like cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh peach or fresh cilantro to add visual appeal.

Recipe for Grilled Chicken Salad with a Lime Dressing
This recipe is simple to make and the warm grilled chicken is served on a bed of lettuce which has been tossed with a lime dressing. A smooth, delicious peanut butter sauce is drizzled over the top and this Asian inspired recipe is sure to thrill anyone you serve it to. This recipe makes enough for two people.
You will need:
  • 2 warm grilled chicken breasts
  • 4 tablespoons hot water
  • 4 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 4 teaspoons honey mustard
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 7 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
How to make it:
Combine the peanut butter, hot water, soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil in one bowl. Mix together the lime juice, honey, honey mustard, salt, pepper, oil and garlic in another bowl and stir in the lettuce.
Divide the lime and lettuce mixture between two bowls. Slice the chicken breast and arrange it on top of the lettuce. Drizzle the peanut butter sauce on top and serve.

You can serve chicken salad recipes at any occasion and these recipes range from basic and healthy to luxurious and gourmet. If you enjoy grilled chicken recipes why not make a grilled chicken salad, pairing the warm, juicy chicken with your favorite salad leaves and salad dressing?
BonelessChickenRecipe.com - Chicken so delightfully moist, you can almost smell it through your monitor.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=KC_Kudra

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Tips For Making Impressive Salad Recipes

There is much more to making a salad than throwing some lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes on a plate. That does not mean that making impressive salads are difficult but they do require a bit of imagination. One great way of making a salad is to combine your dry ingredients in one bowl and make a dressing in another bowl. Just before serving the salad, pour the dressing over the top.

Another way to make an impressive salad is to cover the serving platter in a bed of salad leaves and fresh herbs, then make other salad dishes to go on top. Use a small cup as a mold for rice or pasta salad or for anything moist that will hold its shape. If you are a total beginner in the kitchen, you do not even have to cook anything. Just prepare some tasty ingredients and combine them for a wonderful and simple salad.

Ideas for Rice Salad Recipe

Rice salad is cheap, filling, and versatile and you can add anything you want to the rice. What about stirring in some sour cream, chopped bananas and chopped strawberries? Add a little sugar and you will have a sweet salad dish. Another option would be stirring in flaked canned tuna, raisins and Italian dressing or flaked canned salmon, peanuts and mayonnaise.

Add the ingredients, tasting as you go, and add some salt and pepper too. When the rice salad is ready, spoon it into a small cup, and unmold it on to the serving plate. The rice salad will keep its shape and look great as part of your salad. You can use a big mold or a little one for making individual portions.

Impressive Looking Salad Garnishes

Whatever kind of recipe you are making, it is fair to say that simple garnishes are just as impressive as elaborate ones. If you are serving a mainly green colored salad, why not add some fresh fruit as a colorful garnish? Strawberry slices, banana chunks or mandarin segments all work well. Add a couple of fresh mint leaves or a sprig of parsley and you have a colorful and tasty garnish.

Walnut halves, chunks of blue cheese, salted peanuts, and grapes are all great garnishes and these can be both the garnish and part of the salad itself. A great looking salad is colorful and vibrant and fruit always looks good.

Use brightly colored ingredients for visual appeal and mix and match the salad ingredients for variety and contrast. If you are making a variety of salad recipes to serve on the same plate, there is nothing wrong with serving a sweet and fruity rice salad next to a savory anchovy and shrimp mixture or some chopped fresh pineapple next to a scoop of egg mayonnaise.

More Mouthwatering Salad Ideas

Do not forget that a salad does not have to be chilled. You can serve warm sliced chicken breast and crumbled bacon over chilled salad leaves. This gives plenty of contrast, in terms of temperature as well as flavor and texture. Stir some grated cheese and sliced onion into warm boiled potatoes, then add some mayonnaise for a warm potato salad, which is perfect, served alongside any salad.

The great thing about salad recipes is that you can really unleash your creativity. Choose your favorite fruit, vegetables, and other ingredients and you can combine them as you like and make something really impressive as well as flavorful and nutritious.

If you want some ideas for great salad recipes why not browse some food blog websites? Perhaps you already know which ingredients you want to use, in which case a more specific recipe search would be a great way to find the perfect recipe.
RecipeDirectory.org Where the Web Searches for Recipe Sites
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=KC_Kudra

Quick Salad Recipes

Quick recipes are the simplest and fastest to prepare. It is ideal for people who have no time to prepare a full meal. A variety of salad can be prepared with simple recipes and procedures that will only take a few minutes.

Here are some quick salad recipes:

Grilled Ham Salad
Grilled ham salad can be prepared in 15 to 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
10 ounce of package salad green
½ pounds totally cooked ham steak slices
¼ cup of peach preserves
½ cup honey mustard salad dressing
1 ½ cup of cubed cheese

Prepare and heat the grill. Put the salad greens in a large bowl. Thoroughly brush the slices of steak with the preserves and put it on the grill. Cook in moderate heat for around 9 to 13 minutes. When it's hot already, turn the steak upside down and apply more preserves. Afterwards transfer the ham to a chopping board and chop it into cubes about 1 inch thick. Mix the chopped ham together with all the ingredients. It is now ready to serve. This quick salad recipe is ideal for 4 serving.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 pack of pasta
Celery
Broccoli
Onions
Garlic
Cheese
Chicken
Salt
Spices
Ingredients for the salad cream:
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoon of wine
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of basil
Salt and pepper for a little taste
Yogurt
¼ cup of salad oil

Boil the pasta noodles for 10 minutes. Drain the water from the noodles and allow it to cool.
While waiting for the noodles to cool down, chop the vegetables and make your salad dressing. When the noodles are already cool, add all the ingredients putting the salad dressing last. Mix all of the ingredients together. Store in the fridge for 1 and half hours before serving.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

Broccoli bacon salad is one of the traditional types of salad. In this quick recipe, we are going to use some red grapes as a replacement for raisins. If you want you can also include raisins or dried cherries.

Ingredients:

24 ounces bags of frozen broccoli florets
16 ounces bacon which is thick cut
1 red onion which is chopped into fine pieces
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of red grapes
½ cup sliced almonds
1 ½ cup of mayonnaise
½ cup of yogurt
1/3 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon of white pepper

Boil water in a big pot. Put the frozen florets then boil. Remove the broccoli and dip in ice water and drain using a paper towel. Cook the bacon until crisp. Afterward, drain with a paper towel. Remove the excess fat on the pan. Add garlic with the red onions and then cook for 4 minutes and allow the vegetable to soften. Mix the broccoli, onions, garlic, sliced almonds, grapes and bacon in a large bowl. Mix it gently.

Use a small sized bowl and mix all the remaining ingredients using a wire whisk. Add the mixture to the salad while stirring it gently until all salad is coated. Store the salad in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then serve.
For more information on Quick Dinner Recipes and Quick Meals- Salads and Sandwiches please visit our website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Urmann

How to Use Nuts to Make Easy Salad Recipes

Easy salad recipes are always worth knowing about because salad is a versatile dish. It can be served as an appetizer, a snack, lunch, dinner or at a party or buffet. Salad can be served on the side, with fish, poultry, or meat, or it can be a complete meal.

Nuts are a wonderful ingredient for making easy salad recipes. They are delicious as well as nutritious and you can choose from cashews, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and more.
You can use whole nuts, chopped nuts or even powdered nuts in salad recipes, depending what kind of flavor and texture you are after, how you want the salad to look and whether the nuts are being used for flavor or simply as a garnish. Walnut halves are often used as a garnish but peanuts are usually used to enhance the salad's taste.

Combining Nuts with Other Ingredients

Use your own judgment when deciding which nuts to use. Walnuts are great with goat's cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Cashews are nice with Asian style salads, as are peanuts. Almonds are good in Middle Eastern type salads, with rice or couscous, with maybe raisins and chopped dried apricots.
Use chopped nuts to garnish any salad recipe. From a chicken and bacon salad to a basic green salad or even a ham, cheese and spinach salad, using nuts adds to the overall look of the dish and adds a mouthwatering crunch.

Rice Salad with Nuts

If you want to make a very simple salad, stir some mayonnaise into some chilled, cooked rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in a handful of peanuts or chopped cashews, some raisins and a few diced, dried apricots or diced fresh berries.

Add some cinnamon or nutmeg for a great flavor. You can add nuts to a chicken rice salad, if you like, or a tuna rice salad. You do not have to use the sweet ingredients if you prefer something more savory.

Recipe for Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad

This is quite a simple salad recipe, blending lettuce, walnuts, blue cheese and a dressing, but you will definitely be impressed with the flavor of this salad. It is special enough to serve as an appetizer at a dinner party, yet easy enough to prepare in under ten minutes. The following recipe serves four people.
What you will need:
  • 2 chopped hearts of romaine lettuce
  • 2 cups trimmed arugula leaves
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup lightly toasted walnut halves
How to make it:
Chill four salad plates. Mix the romaine and arugula leaves and divide them between the chilled plates. Scatter the walnuts over the top. Whisk the olive oil with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the blue cheese, then pour this dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

You can use a recipe search engine to search for salad recipes with nuts if you like, or just browse a food blog or two for some inspiration. Nuts are healthy and flavorful and can be used to make many delicious recipes, including easy salad recipes.
RecipeDirectory.org Where the Web Searches for Recipe Sites
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Szalay_Kudra

Typical French Salad Recipes

French cuisine is all about using classic cooking techniques and fresh produce to make mouthwatering dishes. French cooking is famous all over the world and dishes from French onion soup to duck a l'orange are served all over the globe.

Perhaps you are more familiar with those dishes than French salads but if you are looking for ideas for spring and summer recipes, French salads are exciting, vibrant, healthy and really flavorful.

Ideas for the Best Salads

Fruit is popular in French salads and you might find recipes calling for pear, apple or melon. Citrus dressings and vinaigrettes are also used to make French salads. Raspberries or strawberries with a balsamic vinegar glaze can be served in French salads or similar seasonal fruit with the sharpness of balsamic vinegar and perhaps some sugar and black pepper to draw out the juices.

Vegetables are always popular in salads and these might be grilled, steamed or raw. There are various recipes for potato salad and French potato salad tends to be flavored with dill or another fresh herb and served warm. Seafood, meat or poultry might also feature.

Top Ingredients for Delectable Salads

Roasted beets are another example of a popular French ingredient. What about a famous carrot salad with a lemon and mustard dressing? These salad recipes make wonderful side dishes.

Walnuts, blue cheese, fennel, cucumber, tomatoes, fresh mint and more can be combined to enhance these recipes and there are literally hundreds of French salads that you can recreate yourself. You can bulk out a salad with fava beans, lentils or another type of pulse, or you can use rice or potatoes. If you want to serve a salad as an entree, it is good to use some filling ingredients so the salad will be satisfying.

Recipe for Salad Nicoise with Seafood

This delicious authentic French salad recipe serves four people and the combination of grilled seafood, fresh salad vegetables, French vinaigrette and more is a winning mixture and this salad is really impressive, both in terms of appearance and flavor.
What you will need:
  • 16 romaine lettuce leaves
  • 12 oz salmon fillet
  • 4 hardboiled eggs
  • 16 black olives
  • 1 zucchini
  • 3/4 lb green beans
  • 8 jumbo shrimp
  • 8 sea scallops
  • 1 tablespoon capers
  • 4 Roma tomatoes
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons French vinaigrette
  • 8 leaves chopped fresh basil (optional)
How to make it:Cut the salmon fillet, eggs and tomatoes into quarters. Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Shell and halve the shrimp. Cut the bell pepper into strips. Cut the beans into two inch pieces and steam them until they are al dente.

Brush 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette over the zucchini and seafood, then grill it six inches above glowing coals or over a low to moderate heat. Grill the zucchini and scallops for six minutes per side and the shrimp and salmon for four minutes per side.

Divide the lettuce, eggs, olives, beans, capers, tomatoes and bell pepper between four chilled salad plates, and then arrange the warm grilled seafood on top. Drizzle the rest of the vinaigrette over the salad and serve with the basil sprinkled over the top.

There is no doubt that French cuisine is one of the most flavorful in the world. If you want to try this cuisine for yourself, what about starting with a classic recipe like French onion soup? A recipe for the best French onion soup makes a great supper or appetizer for a dinner party and it is so easy to make.
FrenchOnionSoups.com - Simple, Elegant, Perfection; Soup the Way it Was Meant to Be!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=KC_Kudra

Potato Salad Recipe: Two Delicious Potato Salad Recipes

Are you looking for a tasty and delicious potato salad recipe? There are tons of salad recipes available. These salads are great, because they are very versatile. You can serve a potato salad as a side dish with many different dishes. You can serve it with ribs, burgers, chicken salad, grilled chicken, baked chicken, sandwiches and many other main dishes. There are lots of different salad recipes to choose from. Read this article for potato salad recipes that taste great and look great!

And how about potato salad recipes without mayonnaise? You can make a salad without mayonnaise, and it will be very tasty as well. They key here is to use very flavorful ingredients, such as onions and cheese. A great dressing will also make your dish taste great, even if you do not add mayonnaise.

If you are looking for recipes that do not contains mayonnaise, there are tons of recipes to choose from as well. For example, you can create a Greek style potato salad that has feta cheese and a tasty dressing that does not contain mayonnaise.

Or, here is another great idea for a salad that you can make with potatoes. You can combine blue cheese, with potatoes and onions, and you will get another delicious dish that you can serve.
If you are looking for a tasty and flavorful potato salad recipe, check out these two great salad recipes:

1. Greek Style Salad Recipe With Potatoes, Feta, Onions And Herbs.

Take a look at this great looking and great tasting dish! It has red potatoes and red onions, and it looks great, and it tastes great. The combination of feta cheese, red onions makes this salad great to look at, and it also makes the salad very tasty! Plus, when you add herbs such as parsley and dill, which add green color, you will make this dish even tastier and even more colorful.

Here is how to make the Greek Style Salad. Cook and cool the potatoes. Chop the onions, dill, and parsley. Crumble feta cheese.

Combine potatoes and onions. Make salad dressing and combine with potatoes and onions. Mix, then add dill, parsley, and feta cheese and mix. The salty feta combined with potatoes, onions, dill, parsley and dressing made from vinegar and olive oil, makes an extremely flavorful and delicious dish!

2. Potato Salad With Blue Cheese.

Here is another very easy to make salad without mayonnaise. If you are looking for potato salad recipe without mayonnaise, you should check out this great tasting recipe as well. For this salad you will need red potatoes, onions, blue cheese, dill, and parsley. You will also need to make a salad dressing.

Here is how to make this great tasting and colorful salad with blue cheese. Cook and cool the red potatoes. Chop the onions, dill, and parsley. Crumble blue cheese.

Just like with the other recipe, combine potatoes and onions. Add the dressing and mix. Then, add blue cheese, dill and parsley and mix again. What you have a great tasting salad, and it does not need mayonnaise in its dressing to taste great!

And here are step-by-step potato salad recipe, Greek Style Potato Salad Recipe. Here is information on salad bowls for making the salads.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Biana_Babinsky

Healthy Cooking Meals Can Be Fast, Simple, And Easy

By Fernando Rybicki


Healthy cooking recipes are in high demand right now. Every cook really wants to create food that looks and tastes very good but they also desire to raise the health value of the dishes at the same time. There are many ways that a healthy recipe can be converted from an unhealthy recipe, and there are also recipes that were created from scratch to provide the most health benefits possible. Several of these dishes and snacks can be fast and simple to make, yet they taste delicious and sinfully abundant at the same time.

A typical technique utilized is to make substitutions to an original recipe. Lower fat items may be picked instead of full fat versions, and salt may be replaced with herbs and spices for excellent flavor without the high blood pressure risks. Several dietary professionals believe that the American diet is high in red meat and other fatty sources of protein. Some recipes call for poultry or fish to offer high numbers of protein without a large amount of cholesterol.

Many nutritious cooking recipes call for huge amounts of vegetables and fruits, and then this base obtains small quantities of protein and some whole grain options. Utilizing whole wheat pasta instead of the white version can boost the fiber and nutritional value of the food significantly. The same is true if brown rice is used instead of white grain. Sandwiches on whole wheat or multi grain bread are a much healthier version, especially if the mayonnaise is omitted.

Any recipe that is regarded as nutritious must have a low fat ingredient. It's not just the quantity of fat found in the food but also the type of fat used that is important. Olive oil is generally a remarkable option to vegetable oil or lard. There are other healthy oils that can also be substituted as well.

Some recipes may say that they're healthy when in fact they're not. Check out all of the substances utilized and then determine the health advantages of the recipe followed.




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