Smoked Mozzerella and Penne Spinach Salad

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend!  We had such a wonderful few days.  On Saturday we went to a family party of a BBQ and flying kites with the cousins.  It was so much fun.  I brought this incredible salad to share that I found on this site.   It was scrumptious and I am trying to find another excuse to make it, I have been dreaming about it ever since. 


INGREDIENTS:
Parmesan Dressing:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup white whine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
12 ounces penne pasta
3 cups packed baby spinach
12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
4-6 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced
DIRECTIONS:
For the dressing, combine the Parmesan cheese, parsley, mayo, vinegar, garlic, cayenne and salt and pepper in a blender and process until the dressing is smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The dressing can be made up to two days ahead of time.
To prepare the salad, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until just tender, al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander and run cold water over it and drain well. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, spinach, roasted red peppers and smoked mozzarella. At this point, the salad and dressing can be refrigerated for a couple of hours separately before serving.
Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving.

Crab Macaroni Salad

Once upon a time my husband was on a soccer team (isn't that a great beginning to a story?) Our friends had decided to bring a picnic for their kids to eat during the game. They had this salad, shared some with me and I fell in love with it, got the recipe, and now I am giving it to you. The end. Okay not really because I still have to give you the recipe! It isn't like most of the pasta salads you have had before, it is much much better (as long as you like crab, which I do).

12 oz large shell cooked macaroni
2 cut up carrots (not baby carrot size, big size)
1 bag frozen peas
1 can cut up olives
1 small sliced purple onion (I dice mine)
3/4 lb crab meat (I prefer imitation crab)
celery (to taste, and it is optional)
1-2 tomatoes, cut up

Mix it all together

Dressing:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. salad dressing
1/8 c. pickle juice
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion salt
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp seasoned salt.

mix all dressing ingredients together and then mix into salad above.

Brocccoli Salad

Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl:
2-3 bunches of raw broccoli (chopped into small pieces)
1 bunch of green onions (finely chopped)
18 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1 cup sunflower seeds
8 ounce can water chestnuts (drained and chopped)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Whisk the following dressing, pour over broccoli mixture and mix well:
1 cup mayo
4 T. apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar

By Kathy Ruggiero

Quinoa Pasta Salad

Have you heard of Quinoa? I hadn't until my awesome SIL Stacey (she has some great recipes) gave me this recipe to try four my family's Fourth of July picnic. Quinoa is a supergrain. It is super healthy for you, gluten free and pretty cute (when it is cooked it gets a curly tail). You can find Quinoa at a health food store and I have heard that Winco might carry it in their bulk section.

This recipe makes a ton so I halved it.


3 c. small shell pasta (I use whole wheat pasta)
1/2 c. red Quinoa
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 can pineapple tidbits
2 gala apples (add these last)

Cook the Quinoa in a small sauce pan with 1/2 c. water for 15 minutes. You may have to add more water.

After Quinoa has been cooked, combine it with all of the ingredients together adding the gala apples last.

dressing:
2 tbs lime juice
3 tbs honey
c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. cream cheese softened
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Coat above salad evenly.

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

I made this salad for a Fourth of July picnic. It is so good and tastes so fresh. Also really easy to throw together. I got it on My Kitchen Cafe. I love the taste of the lime zest in it. Although it isn't as pretty the next day, I think the lime taste intensifies and I LOVED it.

*Note: This fruit salad is best served right away (or at least within an hour of making) because the strawberries tend to stain the light colored fruit.
Serves 4
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained well
1 can mandarin oranges, drained well
2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Zest from one lime, about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
Combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. Drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve.