Candied Walnut Salad

2 heads of leafy greens; 1 can be a bag of spinach (I like 1 bag of spinach and a head of Romaine or just 2 heads of Romaine)

3/4 c. Craisins

2 crisp apples

Orange juice (enough to toss apples in to prevent browning and add a little flavor)

2 oz. blue cheese or Gorgonzola or Feta

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. sugar

1 recipe Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

 

 

1. Wash and chop lettuce. Set aside to drain.

2. Now…Sara’s method for caramelizing nuts is awesome, and it’s especially good for oily nuts like macadamias and cashews. However, walnuts are lower in oil and I like doing them this way because I don’t have to worry about putting them in the oven. Because, you know, one less dish to wash is never a bad thing in my house.

Anyway, to candy the nuts, combine walnuts and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly. After a few minutes, the sugar will look very fine and then a few minutes after that, it will start to liquefy. This is when you have to be absolutely vigilant about scraping the bottom of the skillet and making sure everything gets stirred around. The syrup will begin to darken and will coat the nuts. When they reach a golden brown color, remove from heat. Stir occasionally as the nuts begin to cool. After a few minutes, spread candied nuts onto a greased piece of parchment or wax paper or a greased cookie sheet and allow to cool completely. Set aside.

3. Chop blue cheese or Gorgonzola very finely. You want crumbles, not chunks.

 

 

 4. Chop apples and toss in orange juice.
 
When ready to serve, toss lettuce, cranberries, walnuts, apples, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Add dressing if desired; it really is better all mixed together rather than on top, but the dressing will wilt any leftovers.

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. honey

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (really, that’s pretty optional; it all goes in the blender)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 c. canola oil

In a blender, combine vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place lid on blender and blend on high. While blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Store in refrigerator for about 2-3 weeks. Shake well before serving.

Orzo Salad With Shrimp (Optional) and Feta

From Rebekah Snedekar

Ingredients

Kosher salt
8 ounces orzo pasta (about 2 cups)
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed), coarsely chopped  (We leave these out sometimes)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground pepper
Grated zest of 2 lemons, plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup diced English cucumber
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons halved kalamata olives

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (about 2 minutes less than the label directs). Drain and rinse under cool water; shake off the excess. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside while you make the shrimp, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping.

Toss the shrimp on a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste; arrange in a single layer. Broil the shrimp, turning once, until opaque and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.



Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/orzo-salad-with-shrimp-and-feta-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

From Darla McCoy

SHREDDED SWEET PORK FOR CAFÉ RIO SALADS
1 3-4 lb pork roast        
1 can coke
3 cups salsa (I like La Victoria)
1 cup brown sugar

Place roast in a crock pot with the coke and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. Drain off coke and shred meat. Combine salsa and brown sugar and toss with pork. Let simmer in crock pot for another hour on low.

CAFÉ RIO RANCH

1 1/3 cup sour cream            4 Tbl salsa verde
3/4 cup mayonnaise              2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 bunch cilantro                 1/8 tsp Tabasco
1 pkg Ranch dressing            juice of one lime

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Store in fridge. It taste better if you make it the day before and let the flavors blend.

SALSA

4 Roma tomatoes Chopped into small pieces
½ of a White Onion Chopped fine
1/3 bunch Cilantro leaves, chopped
½ of a lime squeezed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Seasoned Pepper Blend

Mix all ingredients together and let set a little while before you eat 


CAFÉ RIO RICE

3 cups water                             1 can green chilies
4 tsp chicken bouillon              3/4 tsp salt
4 tsp garlic minced                   1 Tbl butter
1/3 bunch cilantro                    ½ onion, diced
1 1/2 cup rice

Blend cilantro, green chilies, and onion in blender. Bring water to boil. Add all ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. (I just put everything in my rice cooker, I do not blend the cilantro, green chillies, and onions).        

To make your Cafe Rio Salad, fry the tortilla until lightly golden brown. Thaw and reheat the shredded Pork (you can do this in a crock pot, or on your stove top), place warmed pork on top of tortilla, then add black beans (I do one can of black beans and one can of water and heat on stove top use a slotted spoon to dish out beans), rice, cut up romaine lettuce, and top with dressing. (I usually buy one head of cilantro and divide into three parts, using some for salsa, some for the rice and the rest for the dressing).

Spinach Salad

From Tisha Flora

Famous BYU-Idaho Spinach Salad

1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of spinach
1/2 lb of Swiss Cheese

Red Onion for garnishing (I don't use much)
3/4 lb of sliced mushrooms
1/2 lb bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 lg can mandarin oranges (drained)
1/2 c sugared almonds (see recipe below)

Mix lettuce, spinach, cheese, onion, and mushrooms together. Lay bacon and oranges on top; add dressing and sugar almonds just before serving.

Sugared almonds:
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/4 c butter
3 T sugar

Melt butter and sugar. Add nuts. Stir until nuts are coated. Bake on cookie sheet at 300 for 20 min, stirring every 5 minutes to avoid burning.

Poppy seed dressing:

3/4 T poppy seeds
1/3 c white vinegar
3/4 c oil
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c onion (chopped)
3/4 5sp salt
2 T prepared mustard

Put all ingredients in a mixer to blend.