Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad

If you’ve ever been to Hawaii (or a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant on the Mainland) you know that virtually everything is served with a side, or scoop of ‘mac salad’.  The Hawaiian plate lunch consists of the main entree, generally two scoops of rice and macaroni salad.  It might seem like a strange combo to some, but it’s just the way it is.  Everyone has their version of this picnic food and the folks in Hawaii are no different.  This might seem too soft (overcooked) and too mayonaisy (made that word up) to some but that is generally how it is served.  I have to say that I like macaroni salad in most forms, but Hawaiian style is my favorite.  This recipe was adapted to one I found a while back from Cook’s Country Magazine.  While writing this post, I am also imagining myself eating it in Hawaii so it is a little mental getaway for me!  Be warned this recipe makes a lot (serves 8-10) so it’s good for a potluck.  Didn’t want you to have it coming out of your ears!

HAWAIIAN STYLE MACARONI SALAD

Ingredients:

-2 Cups Whole Milk

-2 Cups Mayonaise

-1 TBS Brown Sugar

-1/2 Tsp  Plus 1 TBS Salt

-2 Tsp Black Pepper

-1 Lb. Large Elbow Macaroni

-1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar*

-1/3 Cup Shredded Carrot

*Original recipe called for 1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar but I feel that is too much.  Some don’t add it at all, so it is really up to you and your personal taste.

Directions:

1.  Make a dressing by whisking together, in a small bowl: 1 1/2 Cup Milk, 1 Cup Mayonaise, Brown Sugar, Salt and Pepper.

2.  Boil Macaroni, adding 1 TBS Salt to the water, and cook for 15 minutes.  The pasta will be very soft, this is okay.  Drain it and return to the pot.

3.  Add vinegar to the Macaroni and toss – let cool for about 10 minutes.

4.  Stir in prepared dressing and cool completely.

5.  Add the Carrot, remaining Milk and Mayonaise to the cooled Macaroni and mix well.  Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

6.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, can be chilled up to two days.

Cali Roll Salad To Go

Foodie Jr. LOVES California Rolls.  He would eat them all day, every day, if I let him.  He isn’t too fond of salad though.  This was my attempt to compromise with him on a very busy night that had us on the go.  We keep a pretty busy schedule around here and being able to whip these up while he was at school for quick assembly  at dinner time was a big help.  I normally would make these with real crab but I had the surimi on hand the day I made these and no time to get to the store to buy lump crab meat.  (Shrimp would be just fine to use as well.)   Foodie Jr. will eat them either way, so I luck out there.  I do not think this is an earth shattering recipe or anything, but it might be a helpful idea to some, especially busy families.  You could easily replace the crab with tofu or simply load it with more avocado if you do not like seafood.  Mr. Foodie and I enjoy these as well and they make for a great, light meal or a quick appetizer for a gathering.  I generally make a platter of them at a time but it is fun to let your guests make their own as well.

CALIFORNIA ROLL SALAD TO GO

Ingredients:

-Lump Crab Meat (flaked) or Surimi (chopped), lightly tossed with Japanese or regular mayonaise.

-English Cucumbers, peeled, sliced thin and marinated in Mirin (or rice wine vinegar)  and black pepper for a few hours

-Avocado, chopped or slice per your preference

-Nori Komi Furikake (Japanese Rice Seasoning)

-Hearts of Romaine, broken in half to form a sort of lettuce cup to hold salad

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients onto romaine lettuce cup, I usually go crab, avocado, cucumber and top with furikake.

Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad

I was lucky enough to be selected to try the Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken through the FoodBuzz Tastemaker Program.  Sometimes things around here get busy on weeknights so I was really looking forward to having an easy go-to food like this to create  recipes for the family.

We love Thai Peanut Chicken  and this recipe would work well not just as a salad but also a pasta dish or even just the chicken mixed with the peanut dressing over rice.  The ease of the Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken makes it very versatile.

CRUNCHY THAI CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients for Dressing:

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

Juice and Zest of 1 Lime

2 Tsp Dark Sesame Oil

3 TBS Mirin

2 TBS Soy Sauce

3 TBS Light Coconut Milk

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 TBS Ginger, minced

1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

1 TBS Sriracha (or less to suit your spice tolerance)

Water

Directions for Dressing:

1.  Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.  Add water a little bit at a time to thin the dressing out to desired consistency.

Ingredients for Salad:

1 Package of Tyson Ready and Grilled Chicken

2 Cups Iceberg or Romaine lettuce, chopped

2 Cups Napa Cabbage Chopped

3 Carrots, Shredded

1 Cucumber, seeded and diced

3 Hearts of Celery, diced

Black Pepper Roasted Almonds (Available in produce section)

Ginger Garlic Wonton Strips (Available in produce section)

Directions for salad:

1.  Add lettuce, cabbage,carrots, cucumber and chicken to a large bowl.

2.  Add dressing a little bit at a time and toss so salad is lightly coated throughout.

3.  Top with desired amount of almonds and won ton strips before serving.

Happy Halloween – Snickers Salad

This recipe came out of Mr. Foodie’s family cookbook. But, from what I understand, it is popular in the Midwest.  Whatever it is, it is good.  We have traditionally made it for our Halloween parties.  We partied with friends tonight and it was our contribution to the dessert table, so ‘salad’ is a little misleading…  I read somewhere that whether you call it a salad or a dessert depends on which end of the table you put it on – pretty funny.  This is such a simple thing to throw together, great for potluck type events.

I opted to photograph the ingredients instead of the finished product because frankly, creamy white food stuff doesn’t photograph very well…

SNICKERS SALAD

Ingredients:

1 Tub Extra Creamy Cool Whip, thawed

1 Large Box Vanilla Instant Pudding, prepared per box instructions

1 Bag of Fun Size Snickers Bars, unwrapped and chopped

4-5 Green Apples, cored and chopped

Directions:

1.  Toss all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

2.  Chill until ready to serve.

Harvest Salad

This is my modified version of an old Pampered Chef recipe that I have been using for years.  This is a great ‘meal’ salad and packed with flavor, perfect now that the Fall season is upon us.  It’s great for entertaining and I have used it many a time to make a meal for a new mother or friend in need.  I find that it’s easy to substitute with this basic recipe – chicken for turkey, a different type of nut or apple, a different type of lettuce, etc…  Enjoy!

HARVEST SALAD

Ingredients:

Dressing

2 medium-sized oranges (You will need these for zest and juice)

1/3 Cup of Mayonnaise

2 TBS  Stone Ground Mustard

1-2 Tsp Sugar (depending on your personal taste, I use 2)

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Course Ground Black Pepper

2 Small Garlic Cloves, Pressed

Salad

Romaine Lettuce (I generally use a pre-packaged bag of the hearts, about 6 oz.)

2 Cups of Cooked Chicken, diced (leftovers and rotisserie chicken work well)

3/4 Cup Diced Celery

2 Medium Gala Apples, washed and diced

1/2 Cup Red Onion, diced (optional)

1/2 Cup Sweetened Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Toasted Pecans

Orange segments and Croutons, both optional

Directions:

1.  For the dressing, zest orange, gathering about 2 Tsp.  Juice both oranges, you will need approximately a 1/2  Cup of juice.  (Note:  If you choose to use commercial orange juice, cut down/out the sugar.)  Combine zest, mayonnaise,  mustard, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic and whisk until smooth.  Slowly stream in orange juice, whisking continuously.  Set aside.

2.  For the salad, place lettuce in the bottom of a bowl.  Layer remaining salad ingredients on top of the lettuce.

3.  Drizzle the salad with dressing and toss.  If desired, garnish with the orange slices and croutons.  Serve immediately.