Basil-Lime Fruit Salad

I made this for a neighborhood bbq over the weekend. It was a huge hit! The original recipe called for 1/2 cup sugar, but I reduced it to 1/4 since the fruit has enough sugar. I love the fruits in this recipe, but you could use any fruits of your choice. Next time I'd add blueberries too.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light March 2008
Serves: 12

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup basil leaves, packed
1 tbl lime rind, grated
4 cups pineapple, cubed (1 medium)
3 cups strawberries, quartered (1 lb)
4 kiwi, peeled and sliced (1.5 cups)
2 cups mangoes, peeled and cubed (2 large)

Directions:

1. Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook for a minute until the sugar is dissolved.



2. Remove pan from heat, stir in the basil and lime rind. Cool. Strain to discard the solids.



3. Combine the fruits in a large bowl. Drizzle with the simple syrup. Toss gently.

Hearts of Palm with Beets and Blue Cheese

Source: Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
4 cups (packed) mixed baby lettuces
1/2 of a 14-15 oz. can hearts of palm, drained, each cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1/2 large red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
8 canned pickled beets, halved
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 3 oz)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup bottled balsamic dressing

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except dressing. Toss well. Add dressing, toss again to coat.

Asian Coleslaw

Ingredients:
3 packs of Oriental Ramen Noodles
3 packets of Oriental Ramen Noodle seasoning (found in each pack)
2 bags coleslaw (they are usually found next to the fresh lettuce – not the bagged lettuce section for some reason..)
½ cup sugar
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup rice vinegar
Lightly Salted Party Peanuts

Directions:
Break/crunch Ramen Noodles while still in the closed pack
Mix Ramen noodles and coleslaw together in large bowl
In a separate bowl, whisk together oriental seasoning, sugar, olive oil and rice vinegar. Pour mixture over coleslaw and noodles and toss – really toss until everything is coated. Add peanuts, toss again and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before serving. Toss again before serving.

Its very easy – the key is to make sure you keep mixing everything so the wet mixture doesn’t just sit on the bottom of the bowl…

Zesty Spaghetti Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 16oz. bottle zesty italian dressing (I only used about 8oz.)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 purple onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup pepperoni slices, halved
1 can ripe olives, well drained and sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 Tbsp. salad seasoning spice
Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Before cooking, break spaghetti in small pieces. Drain and rinse with cold water, drain well.

Mix spaghetti and all veggie ingredients. Add pepperoni if desired. Add salad seasoning, italian dressing and sprinkle with parmesan. Marinate in refrigerator at lesat 2 hours, the longer the better. Stir cheese in when ready to serve.

Italian Vegetable Salad

Source: Kraft foods
6 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients:
1 pkg. italian dressing mix (such as Good Seasons)
1/4 cup plus 3 TBL. water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup oil
1 pkg. (9 oz) refrigerated three cheese tortellini, cooked, rinsed and drained
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, diagonally sliced

Directions:
Place dressing mix, water and vinegar in cruet or other container with tight fitting lid. Add oil; cover. Shake until well blended.

Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing; toss lightly. Cover.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Stir before serving.

Orzo Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
15oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes (halved)
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup red wine vinaigrette (see below)
salt and pepper

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
3/5 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Stir in the orzo, cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm, stirring frequently (about 7 minutes). Drain the orzo and transfer to a large bowl. Toss until slightly cool.

When cooled completely, toss the orzo with the beans, tomtoes, onion, basil and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Cape Cod Chopped Salad

Ingredients:
8 oz. thick-cut bacon
8 oz. baby arugula
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup toasted walnut halves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Dressing:
3 TBL. good apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. grated orange zest
2 TBL. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 TBL. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup good olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and lay the bacon slices on the rack. Roast the bacon for about 20 minutes, until nicely browned. Allow to cool.
In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, apple, walnuts, cranberries, and blue cheese.
For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
Chop the bacon into large pieces and add it to the salad. Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and toss well. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Salad:
1 bag spinach
4 oz. feta cheese (any variety)
Strawberries
Sliced almonds

Dressing:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tbl. poppy seeds
1 tsp. paprika
2 tbl. sesame seeds (optional)

Mix all salad ingredients. Pour dressing over salad immediately before serving.