Southwestern Black Bean & Corn Salad

This is for Day 3 of 30 Days of Creativity and the theme is corn, so I chose to make a corn salad.  The recipe is based on this recipe at "Shannon Makes Stuff"; however I adapted it to use the full cans of corn, bean and tomatoes.

Recipe:

• 1 14-15 oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
• 1 14-15 oz can  black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 14-15 oz can diced tomato
• 2 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 4 tablespoons vinegar (original calls for white vinegar, I used balsamic vinegar)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all items together and allow to set in the fridge to marinate for at least two hours.  Can be served as a side salad or as a salsa with chips.  It starts out with a clean fresh taste tomato and corn taste then there is a mild kick due to the jalapenos and chili powder.

Easy Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad

A crisp, sweet salad that only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and very low in calories if artificial sweetner is used.

Thankfully we have had unseasonably warm weather where I live which left me yearning for summer, so I made I made what is traditionally more of a summer salad to brighten up lunch.

This is based on a recipe at Recipezaar:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Easy-Cucumber-Tomato-and-Onion-Salad-82461

• 1 1/2 cups chopped cucumbers
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 6 packets artifical sweetener (or 3 TBSP Sugar)
• 1/2 cup vinegar 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed  

How you chop the cucumber and onion is a matter of preference; I usually cut lengthwise half, then each half in half horizontally.
 



Chop up cucumber












Chop up onion

Open up can of diced tomatoes, drain off excess liquid (I used Fiesta Mexican, which made it have a more hot and spicy flavor, but if you have never made anything like this before, you would probably want to just try plain diced tomatoes.

Combine cucumber, onion and tomatoes in large bowl

 In a separate bowl, add 6 packets of artificial sweetener (or you can use 3 TBSP of sugar)

 Add 1/2 cup water

Add 1/2 cup of vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

 Add 1 tsp. of Dill

Mix water, vinegar and Dill together to make the dressing

 Pour the dressing over the cucumber mixture and toss until well coated, then refrigerate at least 2 hours (best if left to sit overnight).

Serve with at slotted spoon to drain excess liquid.

WALDORF SALAD - TRAILER PARK VERSION

This is the trailer park version of the famed salad that was served and made famous at the Waldorf Hotel in NY as it uses cheap peanuts instead of pricer walnuts and Miracle Whip and whipped topping instead of real mayonnaise.   This makes large bowl suitable for a carry in or family get together.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups apples diced
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1/4 lemon juice (or juice from 2-3 fresh lemons)
• 1 cup peanuts
• 3/4 cup Miracle Whip
• 3/4 cup Whipped Topping
• 3 TBSP Sugar

Chop apples into cubes - I used an apple corer first to remove the core, then cut the wedges into cubes.

Pour the lemon juice over the apple wedges and toss (prevents the apples from turning brown)

Dice the celery (sorry, pic for this did not turn out)

In a separate bowl, mix the whipped topping, Miracle Whip and sugar together to make the dressing.

In a large bowl combine the apples, celery and dressing mixture and stir until apples and celery are well coated, then add the peanuts and toss until well mixed.   Put in the refridgerator for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the dressing to soak in.

Broccoli Salad

Good way to sneak in broccoli to a meal that kids will eat and it is quick and easy to make. It is best if made the night before and allowed to sit for the dressing to seep into the other ingredients. Ingredients

• 1 12oz bag broccoli slaw or rainbow salad
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 3 oz bag of bacon bits or a few strips of fried bacon, crumbled
• 1 cup of Miracle Whip
• 2 1/2 TBSP white vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup shredded cheese

Mix the Miracle whip, sugar and vinegar together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Add in the packaged broccoli slaw, bacon, sunflower seeds and toss until mixed, then put in the fridge until ready to be served.

RANCH BLACK OLIVE BOWTIE PASTA SALAD

This is a good alternative to a standard ranch pasta salad to take on a picnic or barbeque as it does not contain any mayonnaise and holds up a bit better as the pasta is firmer. 1 lb box bowtie pasta Cook according to directions on the box, drain and place in large bowl. Add 2 tbsp of margarine, olive oil and and toss to distribute (keeps pasta from sticking together). Put in fridge while you prepare dressing.

Dressing:

• 1 pkg. Ranch dressing packet (Hidden Valley brand is recommended)
• 1 3 oz can finely chopped black olives
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1/2 cup shredded paremsan or Italian cheese

Mix dressing together throughly using the above ingredients.

Remove the pasta salad from the fridge and pour in 1 1/2 cups of the above dressing and toss. If you want your salad to be creamier, you could use the entire 2 cups of the above dressing that was made.

Other add-ins to this salad are:

• Sunflower seeds
• Green olives
• Finely chopped red or green pepper

If pressed for space in small cooler, you could put the pasta salad in a zip lock bag.

If it is going to be left out for a period of time, you could take a larger bowl, fill it full of ice and pour the pasta salad into a smaller bowl that you put inside the larger one and cover it with a plate for easy access (but keep the bugs out).

Thai Cucumber Relish - Ah Jaht

I found this recipe over at One Perfect Bite and like all of the ingredients (although I am the only one that I ever serve food to that does). The author of the recipe advised that they make this as a salad and serve it with Thai Coconut Curry. It is crisp and cool with a hot kick. http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2009/04/thai-cucumber-relish-ah-jaht.html Thai Cucumber Relish - Ah Jaht Ingredients: 1/2 cup white or rice wine vinegar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 large hothouse cucumbers or 1 pound garden cucumbers 3 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots or coarsely chopped red onion (I used a yellow onion) 2 teaspoons thinly sliced small red or green chilies (I substituted Red Pepper flakes)

Yield: 3 cups. Combine vinegar, water,sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside. Cool.

The recipe advised to cut cucumbers into 4 long strips then each strip crosswise into bite size triangles - I just cut it into small cubes. I then chopped the onion into small bits and measured out the red pepper flakes then poured into a container and mixed everything together.

Add cooled dressing.

Can be served at room or chilled. I served mine chilled.

Hearts of Romaine Salad

• 2 heads romaine lettuce hearts
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seed
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated romano cheese
• 1/4 cup lite ranch dressing (optional)

Rinse the lettuce in cold water and tear into bite sized pieces into large salad bowl.

In another bowl, mix the Sunflower Seeds, Shredded Cheddar Cheese and Grated Romano together. Pour this mixture on top of the lettuce and toss until mixed, then toss in in dressing.