lettuce

Garden Salad with Herbed Vinaigrette

Leah Short — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 14:41:42 +0000

This is the last side dish of my awesome 420 calorie meal. I told you about the delicious Baked Sage Breaded Pork Chops and gave a rave review of Creamy Corn with Chives. This Garden Salad with Herbed Vinaigrette needs some time in the spotlight, too. It’s really a very, very basic salad and to be honest I wasn’t excited about it. You see, I like my salads full of cheese and bacon and croutons and dripping with a creamy dressing. I wasn’t so sure about one with just veggies and a homemade vinaigrette. Happy to report it was full of flavor and completely surprised me with how much I loved it.

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Taco Spaghetti

Leah Short — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:29:14 +0000

Taco Spaghetti? That sounds weird. That’s what you’re thinking right? I’ve mentioned this dish before to friends and they turn their noses up as if I’d said, “Hey for dessert let’s dip broccoli in chocolate.” I know it sounds strange, but trust me, merging taco salad and spaghetti is magnificent. There’s no tomato sauce involved, no Parmesan, so it’s not a true merging, but that probably helps you picture it’s goodness better. It’s like taco salad with the added bonus of pasta.

So, how’s it taste?

I’ve been making taco spaghetti for a long time. It really is just like taco salad, but with spaghetti. I love everything about it, all the cheese, the hearty beef, tangy olives. Plus any dish I can top with sour cream is always a winner. You can turn up the heat level with the type of salsa you use and certainly a great addition would be jalapenos. This dish is fairly low calorie for quite a big serving using beef, but if you make it with turkey it’s even lower. Both meats are fantastic.

It’s a really filling casserole and the leftovers are even better. It sounds strange, but I’m telling you, it’s worth trying. A great conversation piece when someone asks, “What’s for dinner?”

Taco Spaghetti

Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking for Today Pasta
makes 6 servings
per serving: 438 calories, 36g protein, 42g carbs, 21g fat

Ingredients:

5 oz. dried spaghetti, broken
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp. taco seasoning mix
11 oz. can whole kernel corn with peppers, drained
1 cup sliced pitted black olives
1 cup colby jack or cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup salsa
4 oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
shredded lettuce
tortilla chips
tomato
sour cream, optional

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, olives, half of the cheese, salsa, and green chili peppers.

3. Transfer mixture to lightly greased 2-quart round casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until melted.

4. Serve with shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, tomatoes, and sour cream, if desired.

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Autumn Chopped Salad

Leah Short — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:58:40 +0000

I love Pinterest. You know I originally turned my nose up to yet another social media outlet, but finally caved and I’m so glad I did. There’s some visits to Pinterest that turn into longer stays than I intend because there’s so many goodies. Time really gets away from me in the food and drink category. I pinned this Autumn Chopped Salad and finally made it (yes, folks actually make the stuff they pin!).

So, how’s it taste?

I knew it sounded good or I wouldn’t have pinned it, but I had no idea it would change my life. Yep, life-changing salad. It’s now a thing and here it is. It rocked my world and it couldn’t be easier to make. I’ve slightly adapted the ingredients, but feel free to experiment yourself. You could use pears instead of apple or almonds instead of pecans. The key is the dressing combination. It’s a mix of poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinaigrette and it’s genius. I can’t even remember that dressing that starts with an R.

Everything in this salad is just plain good. I like all the ingredients by themselves, but put them together over butter lettuce, mix, and it creates this fantastic meal. I swear to you I had it every meal in a row until I ran out of ingredients and then I bought more ingredients and ate it again. It’s light, it’s refreshing, it’s crunchy, it’s savory, it’s a bit sweet. It’s perfect. During this time of year when meals can get really heavy, try this salad for a nice change of pace.

You’ll notice I don’t give you measurements for the ingredients. It’s really just building the salad with as much or as little of each ingredient as you like. You can make it for one or for a crowd. Experiment with the mix of the dressings to see if you like a little more of one over the other. Enjoy!

Autumn Chopped Salad

slightly adapted from Espresso and Cream
makes as much or as little as needed

Ingredients:

butter lettuce (or your favorite lettuce)
apples
dried cranberries
chopped pecans
bacon, cooked crisp & crumbled
blue cheese, crumbled
hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
poppy seed dressing
balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the two dressings in a bowl and mix well.

2. In a small bowl, combine the two dressings. I like a 50/50 ratio, but experiment to suit your taste.

3. Add dressing to salad; toss to combine.

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