Macaroni Salad

I got this from a friend of mine many years ago.  It is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:
12 oz. small shell macaroni (cooked and drained)
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper (chopped)
2 green onions (sliced thin)
1 medium tomato (cut up)
1/2 cup cheese (grated)
1 can tuna (drained)

 Combine in a large bowl

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 tsp mustard

Mix dressing together and add to salad.  Mix well.

Orange, Orange Fruit Salad

This is for Rebecca and Dalene. This is the salad I had at Colton's birthday party. It's very easy and tastes delicious.

4 – 1 cup servings
1 pt per serving

1 box sugar free/fat free instant vanilla pudding
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
8 oz. fat free cool whip
1 box sugar free orange jello

Dissolve jello in 1 cup boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add 5 ice cubes to water to make 1 cup. Add water to jello and stir until the ice cubes are melted. Let set 5 to 10 minutes in the refrigerator, 'til barely soft set. With electric mixer whip in pudding mix (dry). Beat until well mixed. Let stand for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Fold in cool whip and oranges. Let set.

Lemon Pineapple Salad

Rebecca and Dalene, this is for you. This is the salad I had at Colton's birthday party. It's very easy and tastes wonderful.

1 box instant sugar free vanilla pudding
1 can crushed pineapple; well drained
1 8 oz container Fat Free Cool Whip
1 box sugar free lemon Jello

Dissolve Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water. Add 5 ice cubes
to a cup and fill with cold water; add to Jell-O.
Stir until melted. Set aside in refrigerator so it
sets a little bit (about 5 or 10 minutes).
With electric mixer, beat dry instant pudding mix into
Jell-O, beating until pudding is well mixed. Let stand
for 15 minutes in refrigerator. Fold in thawed
cool whip and pineapple.
Makes 4 one cup servings. 1 point per serving.

I drain the pineapple in my colander and press it with a rubber spatula so that it is very well drained.

Lazy Days Potato Salad

This one is for you Diane. It is really quick, and tastes good.

1 can (14 1/2 oz) sliced potatoes, drained
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 Tbsp chopped dill pickle
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder and pepper. Drizzle over potato mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Yield: 4 servings

2/3 cup (prepared with fat free mayonnaise) equals 93 calories, 3 g fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 780 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein

2/3 cup = 2 WW points

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

One of my friends was bemoaning the fact that they can't buy this dressing in the grocery store. So I decided I needed to figure out how to make it. Here's my version. It's great on salad. We also enjoyed it on chips as a dip, although it's not quite thick enough for dip.

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pkg Dry (unmixed) Ranch Dressing Mix (I used Hidden Valley)
3 fresh, chopped Tomatillos
1 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
6 stalks fresh green onions, white and green, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
3 teaspoons sugar
1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped
Juice from 1 lime
Mix buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Stir in Ranch Dressing Mix. Add the tomatillos, cilantro, green onions, garlic, sugar, and jalapeno. Mix well. Stir in sugar and lime juice. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Serve on burritos, salad, or with chips.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

This dressing is wonderful. It's especially scrumptious on the Southwestern Chicken Salad. It's also good on Taco Salad.

1 pkg of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tomatillos, peeled
1 clove garlic minced
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed

Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

This salad is wonderful and so easy. If you want it to be extra special, instead of ranch or French dressing, use the recipe for Cilantro Lime Dressing. I'm sure you and your family will love it. It's great for summer or can be used as a side dish.
You can use the Southwest Seasoning Mix instead of the Taco seasoning mix.

Makes: 4 servings

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 Lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 can (11 oz) corn, drained, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 oz)
1/2 cup ranch or French dressing
1 cup corn chips (1 1/2 oz)
Salsa, if desired

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, place chicken and reserved liquid from corn. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until blended and chicken is done.
Mix chicken mixture and lettuce. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Drizzle with dressing; top with corn chips. Garnish with salsa.
For a variation add a can of drained black beans.

Jamaican Pasta Chicken Salad

This chicken is the same as the Jamaican chicken. Cook extra when you make it and cook once for two meals. (Or three if you also make the Jamaican Chicken Salad.)
It's a great salad for summer. And I love cooking once and eating three times, three different meals. Delicious!

Serves 6

1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP Jerk seasoning
1 LB Chicken (tenders or boneless, skinless)
1 fresh pineapple
1 bell pepper
3 green onions (white and light green parts only)
1 LB Rotini pasta (or kind of your choice)
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
DRESSING:
2 limes
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 TBSP pineapple juice (from pineapple)
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the oil and jerk seasoning. Add chicken; mix well to coat and set aside.
Peel pineapple, remove core, and slice. Cook chicken in skillet 3-5 minutes on each side, until done. Remove from pan, set aside. Add pineapple slices to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side. Remove from pan. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Thinly slice bell pepper and green onions. Drain and rinse beans. Set aside.
For dressing, zest one lime. Juice both limes. Mix lime zest, juice, mayonnaise and pineapple juice in small bowl.
Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain.
Mix pasta, beans, bell pepper, chicken, pineapple, bacon, and green onions in bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss gently.

Jamaican Chicken Salad

The chicken in this salad is the same as the Jamaican Chicken recipe. When you cook the chicken cook some extra and you can make two meals while cooking only once. This is delicious and great for an easy, cool, summer meal. The dressing is great.

Serves 6
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP Jerk seasoning
1 LB Chicken (tenders or boneless, skinless)
1 fresh pineapple
1 bell pepper
3 green onions (white and light green parts only)
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
DRESSING:
2 limes
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 TBSP pineapple juice (from pineapple)
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the oil and jerk seasoning. Add chicken; mix well to coat and set aside.
Peel pineapple, remove core, and slice. Cook chicken in skillet 3-5 minutes on each side, until done. Remove from pan, set aside. Add pineapple slices to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side. Remove from pan. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Thinly slice bell pepper and green onions. Tear lettuce and place in bowl. Drain and rinse beans. Set aside.
For dressing, zest one lime. Juice both limes. Mix lime zest, juice, mayonnaise and pineapple juice in small bowl.
Mix lettuce, beans, bell pepper, chicken, pineapple, bacon, and green onions in bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Frozen Fruit Salad

This is the recipe for the salad I took to school. It's really delicious and easy to make. I love having it in my freezer, so that I can have just 1 serving when I want a fruit salad treat. It's yummy enough to be dessert.

1 Pint whipping cream
2 Cups sour cream
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 Cups sugar
dash of salt
4 bananas, diced
1 small bottle maraschino cherries, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
1 can crushed pineapple, drained (20 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) I didn't add these

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. (The peaks need to hold their shape.) Blend in the sour cream. Add lemon juice, salt, and sugar.
Fold in the remaining ingredients.

Spoon into paper lined muffin tins and freeze. After they are frozen, you can store them in plastic bags.

Makes 30 to 36 servings.

The foil cupcake papers don't stick as much as the paper liners, but you can use either.

If you get 36 servings, they are 3 points each. Use Splenda and they are 2 points each.

Yummy Fruit Salad

1 lg can crushed pineapple w/ juice (no sugar added)
1 sm box sugar free fat free instant vanilla pudding
3 small apples (cut up)
1 cup red grapes (cut in half)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
3 oz cool whip free

Mix pineapple with juice into dry pudding. Add apples, grapes and cool whip. Fold in marshmallow. Each cup is 1 point.