Honey Mustard Salad Dressing (dairy free)

I love homemade salad dressings. This was beyond easy to make:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

It really as simple as mix it all together and pour onto salad.

Audrey :)

French Salad Dressing (dairy free)

My idea of making my own salad dressing is a packet of dry ranch and some mayonnaise. I love Catalina salad dressing and so decided to make one myself.

1 cup salad oil
1/2 cup Splenda or a little less or 3/4 to 1 cup of white sugar
1 can of tomato soup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Put everything into a blender and mix. As I said, this was really easy and I think it's delicious.

Audrey :)

Cole Slaw (dairy free)

My daughter wanted a BBQ dinner. We made ribs, corn, cole slaw and baked beans.

When I was growing up, my mom made the best cole slaw. She spoiled me, in that I could not eat anyone elses cole slaw. She never measured, she just made a very sweet dressing.

I can share what I did, but like my mom I did not measure. I poured a bag of slaw into a large bowl. In a small bowl I began with about one cup or mayonnaise. I added in one tablespoon of vinegar and about a half cup of sugar. I tried it and it wasn't quite sweet enough. I added a bit more sugar. I drizzled half of the dressing on the slaw and mixed. I then added the remaining dressing and thoroughly mixed. I like a very sweet, creamy dressing on cole slaw. It wasn't quite as good as moms, but it was close.

 

Audrey :)

Cucumber and Tomato Salad (dairy free)

So many salad and vegetable dish recipes ask for some form of dairy. This is one english cucumber, one tomato and one-third of an onion.

Mix with salt, pepper, two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and about one tablespoon red wine vinegar. If you like lemon, add in about one teaspoon lemon juice.

This makes a wonderful side dish, instead of a lettuce and tomato salad.

Audrey :)

Green Bean and Artichoke Salad

1 pound fresh green beans
1 can artichoke hearts, not the marinated ones
1/2 cup pesto
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

Cut the ends off the green beans and then cut each bean into thirds. Basically you're wanting bite sized pieces. Boil about 5 minutes or until they are the consistency you want in your salad. Drain the water. Mix in the remaining ingredients and stir to coat the veggies with the pesto.

Audrey :)

Asian Broccoli-Noodle Salad

2 packages ramen noodles, chicken flavored (set aside flavor packets)
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 cup toasted slivered almonds

Toss together. Then add dressing:

1 seasoning packet from ramen noodles
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

Mix together and pour over salad. Chill before serving to allow flavors to mix.

Audrey :)

Broccoli Soup

Keeping in mind that I live in Santa Barbara, it's been cold lately. When I have ice on my windshield in the morning, I know it's cold!!! This is a very simple broccoli soup recipe:

1 1/2 pounds of broccoli
7 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Chop broccoli into small chunks. Bring the broth to a boil and add the broccoli. Simmer about 10-12 minutes. Broccoli should be soft. Puree about half of the soup. Once pureed add back into pot and then season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Right before serving, make garlic bread. Cut bread into quarters and add one or two quarters to each bowl of soup.

Audrey :)

Easy Salmon Caesar Salad

This is a simple way to throw together a great looking and great tasting salad:

1 caesar salad kit
1 small bell pepper, red or yellow, cut into strips
1 small cucumber, quartered lengthwise, then sliced
6 ounces smoked salmon, canned works fine
3 lemon wedges

Toss everything except the lemons in a bowl. Right before serving squeeze lemon on each salad. I actually tend to put the salmon on top for the color.

Audrey :)

Rice Salad with Nuts

6 ounces long grain rice
2 ounces frozen peas
2 ounces raisins
2 ounces toasted almond slivers
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Cook rice in boiling water about 20 minutes. Add peas and cook another 5 minutes. Drain liquid and rinse with cold water. Pour into salad bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Chill and serve.

Audrey :)

Hot Avocado Soup

I'm told that outside of California, avocados are not as popular as they are here in California. I do know that we almost always have avocados in the house. This is a very simple to make soup:

2 large avocados, ripe
1 1/4 cups sour cream
4 cups chicken broth

Cut up the avocado and place in blender. Add four tablespoons of the sour cream. Process until smooth.

In a soup pot, heat the chicken broth. Do not boil. Add the remaining sour cream and stir. Reheat. Again, do not boil. Slowly add in the avocado mixture and heat just to before boiling. Remove from heat and serve.

Serve each soup bowl with a small spoon of sour cream or a small amount of black pepper on top.

Audrey :)

Chicken, Rice and Raisin Salad

3 cups instant brown rice - cook according to package directions
3 cups chopped chicken
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Mix cooked rice with remaining ingredients. Toss with mayonnaise and serve.

Audrey :)

7 Cup Salad

This is a really fun salad to make. It's one cup of seven different ingredients, all tossed into a bowl:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup fruit cocktail
1 cup frozen coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows

Mix everything together and chill over night.

Note: try mandarin oranges instead of the fruit cocktail

Very Easy Chicken and Potato Soup

With the weather getting cooler, I love a hot bowl of soup.

3 chicken breasts
5 potatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup half and half

In a soup pot, boil the chicken. Save the chicken water. Place the potatoes and onion in the chicken water and cook on high about 20 minutes.

Cut the chicken off the bone and cut into small chunks. Add the chicken and half and half to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.

Note: I love to add something crunchy on top when I serve the soup such as croutons. I also sprinkle a bit of cheese on top.

Audrey :)

Cottage Cheese Raspberry Jello Salad

1 package raspberry jello
1 cup hot water
1 small can pineapple
1 pint cottage cheese
1 cup cool whip

Mix the jello and hot water. Stir until dissolved. Drain the pineapple, saving juice. Pour juice into measuring cup and add enough water to make 1 cup. Add to jello. Put into refrigerator until it begins to set. Mix the cottage cheese and pineapple together. Blend into jello. Mix in cool whip. Refrigerate until firm.

Audrey :)

Chilled Avocado Soup

3 ripe avocados
1 cup light cream
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
white pepper to taste

If you prefer the soup less salty, use onion powder instead of onion salt

Peel and slice the avocados. In a blender, blend the avocados with the soup broth. Add in seasonings just to blend. Pour into airtight container and refrigerate over night. Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

Audrey :)

Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad sandwiches. This is just one recipe for chicken salad:

3 large chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup sweet pickles, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise

Mix everything except mayonnaise in a bowl. Coat with mayonnaise, chill and serve.

If you don't like sweet pickles, try dill, or try pickle relish. I'll also use chopped green olive instead of sweet pickles. If you have carrots, try shredding some into the chicken salad. If you don't have pineapple, try raisins or cranberries. This is a really fun recipe to play around with flavors on. Enjoy!!

Audrey :)

Salad Topper

This is a fun way to top your salad. Slice up left over hot dog and hamburger buns. Cut them into sticks. Brush the sticks with melted butter, then sprinkle on a combination of garlic powder and paremesan cheese. Bake until toasty, then sprinkle on salad. Break up if your pieces are too big.

Audrey :)

Cantaloupe Jello Salad

Cantaloupe Jello Salad

2 of the 3 ounce packages of lime jello
2 cups boiling water
2 cups ginger ale
1 cantaloupe, cut into small bite sized pieces
3 bananas, sliced

Dissolve jello in the boiling water. Add the ginger ale. Partially chill. Add the cantaloupe and banana and pour into mold. Chill completely.

Audrey :)

Broccoli Noodle Salad

Broccoli Noodle Salad

2 packages chicken flavored Ramen
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
12 ounces of broccoli slaw

Mix everything together.

Dressing:

3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 packets of seasoning from Ramen

Mix together and pour over salad. Allow to chill several hours.

Audrey :)

Italian Soup

I'd like to thank Crystal for sharing today's recipe with all of my readers.

Recipe Background

I got this recipe for Italian Soup from a neighbor a number of years ago. My nine year old son was visiting her house when she was serving this soup for dinner. He loved the soup so much that he asked her to give me the recipe. He came home that night with the recipe and a Tupperware container full of the soup. Ever since I've been making this soup, especially in the summer with vegetables from my garden or whenever zucchini and tomatoes are on sale. Thanks for the recipe Nora!

Italian Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 small to medium sized zucchini, diced with skin on
1 garlic glove, minced
4 large (or 6 plum) ripe tomatoes, diced
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 Tablespoons fresh basil or 2 teaspoon dried basil
Cooked pasta of your choice (I use small pasta such as orzo)

In a large pan, sauté onion in olive oil. Add the zucchini and continue to cook until zucchini is softened. Add the tomato and garlic. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Cook and place mixture in a blender or use a hand held blender to mix ingredients well. Return blended mixture to pan, add sugar and salt and chopped basil. Serve over hot pastaServes six

Make Ahead Tip: This can be made ahead and reheated or even complete the first 4 steps and refrigerate. Complete the rest of the recipe 15 minutes before serving.

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Thanks again Crystal

Audrey :)