A special salad can add so much to a simple supper of fish (like this Dijon Crusted recipe) or Grilled Chicken Breasts! A fabulous salad may be all you need to add to the protein you’re serving. The good news is that it doesn’t take lots of effort to come up with a salad that is a special addition to your meal! I love making my own salad dressings to make my salad really delicious, and I’ve shared many different varieties here on my blog.
Recently I made another kind of dressing – Honey Dijon, that was the perfect blend of tangy and sweet! I also lightened it up a bit by using a light Mayo.
My favorite sandwich in the world is a good BLT – slightly crispy bacon, garden tomato, fresh lettuce, on toasted sourdough bread with a little mayo! When I read my recent Southern Living Magazine and saw the BLT Pasta Salad they shared, I knew I had to try it! It’s a spin-off from the sandwich and we loved it! I served it as the main dish for our supper the first night, and then as a side dish after that. This is so versatile, scrumptious, and had all the flavors of that delicious BLT!
Yesterday for Mother’s Day I had the joy of inviting my daughter and her family to our home for dinner. She’s a busy mom with little guys, and I felt like she needed a break. It was such a fun time together. The menu was important because we are “foodies!” We want to have delicious food, worthy the occasion. We decided I’d make the meal and she would make dessert! I was excited already!
My sweet grandson was so proud of the plastic goblets I got them to drink from. I wanted them to have a “special” glass for holiday dinners without having to make everyone nervous about them drinking from crystal. The boys definitely approved!
We eat lots of salads at our house, so that means we need salad dressings. I like Ranch, but that can be pretty boring after a while! I love to make my own dressings for three reasons:
To add variety and freshness to our meals
To add the right flavors with the type of salad I’ve made
To be able to control the ingredients.
I’ve recently tried two new dressing recipes and they were so fresh and delicious that I just have to share them with you!
These hot August days sometimes turn my appetite away from heavy, hot foods to cold, refreshing salads. But when you need some protein, and you want more than a garden salad, what do you do?
You add ingredients to the salad that have the taste of a Big Macwithout the heaviness or the calories of a burger! This Big Mac Salad is basically a deconstructed hamburger without the bun. But it’s hearty and delicious!
Here’s how you make it:
Big Mac Salad
Ingredients
1 lb Ground beef
1 tsp Sea salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
8 ozRomaine lettuce (or iceberg if desired)
1 cup Tomatoes (chopped)
3/4 cup Reduced Fat Cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup Pickles (diced)
DRESSING
1/2 cup Light Mayonnaise
2 tbsp Pickles (diced)
2 tsp Mustard
1 tsp White vinegar
1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 1/2 tbsp sweetener of choice
Brown ground beef, adding salt and pepper. Break beef up into small crumbles as it cooks.
In a large bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and pickles. Top with cooked ground beef. Top with dressing just before serving. You can also assemble each salad on the plates as I did in the photos here.
For Dressing: Mix ingredients in a mason jar. Add warm water or oil to make it a pouring consistency .
This meal is also super fast and can be on the table in less than 30 minutes – probably faster than you could run to the local fast food restaurant and get served! It’s the perfect meal on a hot day, or a day when you want something delicious, but healthier than a hamburger!
RefreshHer 