Creamy Berry Cheesecake Salad

I'm not even sure what to call this. It's all over Pinterest with different names but the recipe is the same, and boy is it good. I made this for a potluck and one of the gals called it "crack salad" because you can't stop eating it. It's that good. I even ran across a blog that called it Poop Salad. Yup, don't get me started. The idea was that you make it the night before and the pudding is white, and overnight while the berries thaw, they "poop" their colors into the salad and make it pink. The idea is the same, but I have a hard time eating anything with the word "poop" in it, even though it is kind of funny, and even funnier when I told my kids that was the name of it. Oddly, it didn't phase them all that much!

I swear, make this, eat it, love it, and name it whatever you want. It's just yummy and easy and a great side dish all year long and perfect for potlucks (only if you want to share it!) so the name is not important.

The best part? You can make this relatively fat free. Or low fat. (Or full fat if you just want to live a little!). Just use fat free or low fat Cool Whip and low fat yogurt. So easy, right?

Also, if anyone knows me, I was running super late for the potluck (seriously, I can't be on time for anything) so the pictures aren't the best, but just humor me and go with it. Like I said, it's delicious. Trust me :)

I mean, just look at it. Creamy- check. Sweet- check. Berries (so it's "healthy")- check.

Mix your pudding, whipped topping and cheesecake pudding mix together.

Add your berries. I used two smaller bags, the amount is up to you. I'm pretty sure they were 32 oz each. If you are in a hurry, you can thaw them on your counter for about 10-20 minutes to get the juices flowing.

Seriously, folks. Look how pretty it is? My whole family loves it and it's a great side dish no matter what time of year it is!

Creamy Berry Cheesecake Salad

1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip

1 (32 oz) vanilla yogurt

1 box Jello cheesecake instant pudding mix (I can only find the sugar free and it's fine)

2 bags (32 oz each) frozen berry mix (or one larger bag)

Mix the Cool Whip, yogurt and pudding mix together well. Add the berries and mix. Refrigerate at least an hour, then stir again to distribute the berry juices. Serve chilled.

Citrus Chicken Salad with Sugared Walnuts, Feta, and Blackberries

As many of you know I'm a bit of a Bountiful Baskets junkie. I think the reason I like it the most is because it forces me to eat fruits and veggies I wouldn't normally buy (my poor family was on a banana/carrot diet forever!) and it forces me to be creative with the way I use them. Kale turns into Kale Chips, Butternut Squash is roasted or turned into soup, plums get put on the grill and topped with ice cream (yum!). Then I got blackberries in my basket. I was NOT just going to eat the blackberries. I was going to USE them in a recipe dang it! Thankfully I "like" Bountiful Baskets on Facebook, and they posted this salad from the Martha Stewart website. And it used blackberries! The whole thing sounded perfect for a summer night, and really anything with feta and sugared walnuts sounded pretty much right up my alley. I added a citrus marinated chicken to the recipe to make it more filling. And seriously? The dressing is to die for. Why BUY dressing when you can MAKE one that tastes this good? Really, it will change your life.

Also, don't be afraid of the amount of ingredients! Most of them are dry spices you probably already have on hand! I did have to go out and get the walnuts and feta, but everything else is pretty basic! And the salad is something I would buy in a restaurant! Feel free to switch up the blackberries too - strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries would all be delicious in this salad!

Citrus Chicken Salad with Sugared Walnuts, Feta and Blackberries

by Girls in Aprons, adapted from Martha Stewart

For the chicken:

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or thyme
2 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredient; mix well. Pour half of the marinade into a resealable plastic bag. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade; add chicken to the bag. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat or broil 6 in. from heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear; basting occasionally with reserved marinade.

For the salad:

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice (I just squeezed an orange)

1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 ounces mixed salad greens, such as baby spinach and red-leaf and Boston lettuces

1 small container blackberries

9 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Sugared Walnuts (I found them at Trader Joe's - they are oh so good...)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Whisk together vinegar, orange juice, and salt. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified.

Put salad greens, blackberries, feta, and walnuts into a bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette, and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. Place sliced chicken on top of each salad. 

Spring Fruit and Feta Salad

When my husband and I lived in Cleveland, we had a great group of friends. Well, we still have that great group of friends, we are all just scattered across the globe now that we're all done with graduate school. Anyway, one of my favorite memories from Cleveland are the barbecues we used to have. And we had a barbecue for pretty much any occasion- baby showers, birthdays, last day of school, Saturdays.... and we had lots of food! It was insane how much we ended up with. It was BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) plus a side.

One of my favorite (like of ALL time) sides was a salad my friend Janean would bring. The first time she made it, I asked her for the recipe and then I made it all the time. All. The. Time. It's one of those perfect summer salads that goes great with any holiday or get together. It gets tons of compliments when I bring it anywhere. And I love finding excuses to make it!

I promise I will take a better picture when I make it this weekend for Easter!

Spring Fruit and Feta Salad

by Girls in Aprons

Quick note about this salad- It is completely up to you how much of everything you add to it. I've added how much I usually add, but you can totally add more or less depending on taste or what you have on hand.

2 bags salad- "Spring Mix" works best
2 cups pecans
1/2 cup sugar
Strawberries, sliced (about 1 heaping cup)
Grapes, quartered (about 1 heaping cup)
Feta (a small tub)
Craisins (1/2 cup or so)

Dressing:
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine salad ingredients to your liking. For pecans, melt sugar with pecans in a pan on low until sugar melts and crystallizes (see note at bottom). Watch closely, as this will burn quickly after it melts. Mix dressing ingredients and shake well in a container. Pour on salad just before serving.

(**Note: You can buy candied pecans at the store to save you time and a headache. Seriously, I hate making my own candied pecans. Trader Joe's sells a bag of Candied Pecans that is to DIE for! Just break them up and add to the salad!)

Bean Salad

We had a church gathering the other day and the refreshments were an array of salads. Everyone had signed up under "spinach salad" and "fruit salad" and "pasta salad" and then there was the "bean salad" and no one had signed up. When you think of a salad party, do you really think of a bean salad? Maybe you do, but I certainly didn't. But I felt compelled to sign up since no one else did. Poor bean salad just doesn't get the praise it was meant to.

This was delicious!

The dressing is a basic viniagrette - oil, vinegar, salt, and Dijon mustard, although I added some sugar just to sweeten it up a little.

Even my kids, who I'll admit are pretty good eaters, but still...even my kids are in love with this salad. That sort of makes it a winner in my book.

In this recipe, the green beans need to be blanched. If you don't know what that means, all you need to do is throw the trimmed and chopped green beans into a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then immediately transfer the beans using a slotted spoon into a bowl of ice water. This shocks the beans and stops the cooking process.

Bean Salad
by Girls in Aprons

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb green beans, ends removed, chopped into bite-size pieces, and blanched
1 English seedless cucumber, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Whisk together and toss with bean mixture.

Chicken Salad Sonoma

So way back in my former life in Cleveland, we had a Relief Society dinner that has stuck with me for a long time. I may not remember exactly what it was said (I'm pretty sure it was a celebration of the Relief Society's birthday), but sadly I do remember what there was to eat. And I am the first to admit, I usually only go to partys or functions for the food. I am a foodie at heart and the way to get my attention is to serve me something yummy! Anyway, on the table ready for us was a gigantic chocolate covered strawberry (they really could have just stopped there), a salad, a huge cupcake for dessert, and a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant.

I have to tell you, my previous experience with chicken salad had been less than stellar. I had used the canned chicken (like you get from Costco) and mixed it with some mayo and a little mustard, then added a few things here and there, usually some almonds and Craisins or something. It had the consistancy of tuna sandwiches, which I actually don't like very much. I don't know why I never thought of using actual chicken that I cut up myself. Duh.

So I got the recipe from the gal in charge (who always made amazing food!) and tweaked it a little here and there and I have made it so many times. It feeds a crowd, but if I make it for my family it is perfect for dinner and then to have for the husband's lunch the next day.

And since I didn't know where the actual recipe came from, I googled the name I was given for it and found out that it is from a Whole Foods cookbook. So there you go, it has to be healthy, right?

Here's your lineup. Most of this stuff you would normally have in your pantry anyway. The only thing I had to buy was the pecans. And please don't substitute almonds. I think almonds are amazing too, but the pecans, when toasted, add a great flavor to the salad!

Your sauce. I always make this in a large bowl and refrigerate it until the chicken has cooled, then I dump everything into the same sauce bowl. This is the sauce with the curry in it. I like the flavor of curry with the grapes and celery, but it is completely optional and the salad tastes amazing without it (in fact, this is the first time I've added it. Ever.) so if you don't like curry or don't have it, just leave it out.

After your chicken has cooled, add it it to the sauce. The pour in the pecans. To toast them, break up the pecans into pieces (if they are whole) and put in a cool pan. Turn your pan on medium-low and stir the pecans periodically. When they start to become a little darker and fragrant, they are ready to be taken off the heat. Rachael Ray always says "Your nose knows" and she's totally right. You'll see and definitely smell when they are toasted right.

Add in your celery. I love the crunch of the celery and it doesn't overpower the other flavors at all.

Add in your grapes. And make sure they are red grapes, not green. Green are way too tart for this.

Everyone together. Just mix, mix, mix until it is coated. You can serve immediately, or refrigerate it until you are ready. We really like these on rolls or croissants. They are also super yummy wrapped in tortillas and that is how I pack them in my daughter's school lunch since it's portable that way.

It's also a pretty salad. This was served at my sister's baby shower and was an instant hit.

Chicken Salad Sonoma

by Carissa, adapted from Whole Foods Cookbook

Dressing:
3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise (light is fine, and I usually don't add a whole cup)
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (optional)

salt and pepper, to taste

Salad:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Prepare the dressing by thoroughly mixing together all dressing ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad.

Cook chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Cool in refrigerator for about two hours (You can also use some rotisserie chicken). Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.

**Optional method** You can make this salad without the grapes, since they can be pricey when they are off-season. Simply chop an apple into small chunks and add a 1/2 cup or so of Craisins in as a replacement. Omit the curry (which is optional anyway).