20

Mar

Make it a Pasta Salad Night

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 20-03-2009

Tagged Under : , ,

 Make it a Pasta Salad Night

 
In recent years pasta salads have taken center stage on salad bars everywhere. People are bringing them to potluck dinners, creating them for family reunions and ordering them in their favorite restaurants. Why not create your own pasta salad for the dinner table at home? It’s easy and even better, they are delicious.
 
Pasta comes in many shapes, sizes and colors these days. From angel hair pasta to spaghetti and elbow macaroni to tiny shells, pasta has claimed its place on the grocery shelves. Pasta comes in so many different varieties it might be hard to decide which one to use.
 
Here are a few examples to help get you started, but one favorite pasta salad that has been around for years at picnics and family reunions is macaroni salad. It can be made in many different varieties. With a little mayonnaise, mustard, dill, sweet pickles and even hard boiled eggs you can make macaroni salad in no time. Add onion or even cubes of cheese to give it your own personal touch.
 
Tired of those mashed potatoes or rice dishes every night? Why not make a pasta salad in their place. Pasta salads make great side dishes. They go well with pork, beef, chicken and fish. Everyone will enjoy the change.
 
When making pasta salad, remember to cool the pasta before adding any vegetables or dressings.   Fresh or frozen vegetables can be added to these great creations. For the dressings most pasta salads are made with Italian or Ranch dressing but you can always use your favorite to see how it tastes.
 
Pasta salads are a great take along for a potluck dinner or family picnic. These salads are simple to make but taste great. Shrimp works well in a salad of this type. Orzo or Tabbouleh make wonderful bases for picnic style salads. 
 
Orzo and Tabbouleh are a type of pasta that resembles rice grains. These types of pasta can be used to create warm or cold salads that will stretch to feed a crowd. 
 
Pasta salads can be quite healthy also. Use wheat pasta, add fresh vegetables and a low calorie or low fat dressing. It will taste so good no one will even realize just how healthy it is. 
 
Pasta salads are easy to make and the possibilities are endless. Start with your favorite pasta as the base line. Add your favorite vegetables, nuts or other favorite ingredients and a dressing. Before you know it you will have a salad that everybody wants the recipe for. 
 
Pasta salad is a dish that anyone can create. There are plenty of pasta salad recipes that we already know and love. Mix up the menu a bit and add pasta salad as a side dish or main dish every once in a while.

No Comments
Read More
18

Mar

Using Leftovers to Create Great Salads

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 18-03-2009

Tagged Under : , ,

 Using Leftovers to Create Great Salads

 
How many times have you heard someone in your family say this? “I don’t want that for dinner. We just had the same thing last night.” More often than not when it comes to making use of leftovers this is a common occurrence in most households. What happens next? The food stays in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days then it hits the trash. What a waste of good food and money.
 
There’s a way to use those leftovers that’s quick, saves money and will keep the whining and complaining to a minimum. Create a salad. That’s right a salad. How? It’s pretty simple when you think about it. Here are a few salad ideas made with leftovers you can try the next time you’ve got food in the fridge that no one wants to finish off.
 
Take a look at the meat you have from previous meals. That roast beef can be sliced and added to a salad for a hearty lunch. What about pork? Add it to a salad with some sesame seeds and coleslaw for an Asian side dish. 
 
Left over hamburger can be added to a bit of lettuce to make a taco salad. Add tomatoes, cheese, black olives and onion with a little dab of sour cream. Toss in some tortilla chips or use the ingredients to fill a taco salad bowl and you have the perfect taco salad to delight the whole family.
 
What about chicken or turkey leftovers? Don’t throw that carcass in the trash just yet. Remove the meat from the bones. Add some mayonnaise, celery, hard boiled eggs and pickles and you have the perfect lunchtime salad or after school snack.
 
Leftover vegetables always seem to be pushed to the back of the fridge. Nobody wants to eat broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or peas again. Place these items in a salad and watch your family dive right in. Add their favorite dressing and you’ll have a hit on your hands.
 
Leftover fruit can also be made into a yummy fruit salad. Add a few marshmallows, some nuts and a dab of whipped topping and you have the makings of a perfect dessert. 
 
Leftovers can be more of a love than hate relationship with the entire family. By using leftovers to make delicious salads you save time, money and can get one over on even the pickiest leftover eater. Give it a shot and see what great combinations you can come up with to make those leftovers end up in the belly instead of the garbage can.

No Comments
Read More
11

Mar

Beloved Salad Dressings

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 11-03-2009

Tagged Under : , , ,

 Beloved Salad Dressings

 
It’s salad time! We’ve got the lettuce, the vegetables, the cheese, the egg, the bacon bits and croutons. Oh no! – Can’t decide which dressing to have? There are so many choices, how do you know which one to choose? Let’s delve into the world of dressings to help with the decision.
 
We all know that no salad is complete without the salad dressing. Many of us go to extremes when it comes to dressing and think the more the merrier. That’s perfectly fine if health or weight is not something you’re worried with. However, bear in mind that many dressings contain tons of calories so you might want to pay close attention if you are. Let’s talk about the different salad dressings to help you decide which is best for you.
 
You can walk into any salad section of a grocery store and see shelves lined with salad dressings. The brands are numerous and the flavors out number the brands. Kraft, Wishbone, Hidden Valley and even a few named after some celebrities top the list. It’s a little overwhelming sometimes trying to find just the perfect flavor. The sky is the limit, unless of course you are talking about a specific type of salad. Sometimes only one flavor will do.
 
A Caesar salad for instance, works best with a Caesar style dressing. Cobb salad is enhanced with the ever tasteful Green Goddess dressing. Often times it’s easy to find the right dressing to recreate that perfect restaurant taste just by determining which type of salad you’ll be eating.
 
If you’re trying to create your own unique taste the dressing decision might be a little trickier. Often times when it comes to store bought dressings your own preferences will do the trick. Find the dressing that makes your taste buds tingle or one that you crave. You can’t go wrong when you choose a salad dressing you already know you like.
 
Salads are meant to be a healthy way of eating. When it comes to the dressings though, we forget that some are just not as healthy as others. We pour that dressing over the top of our salad until the fixings are hardly visible. All the while we’re thinking of the taste instead of the health factor.
 
It is important to read the labels on salad dressing bottles. When it comes to measuring dressing one serving usually means 2 tablespoons. Most regular dressings contain up to 11 grams of fat in 2 tablespoons. That’s not a real healthy choice for many of us.
 
How can we find healthier dressings? Look no further than the same grocery store shelf. Many companies are now adding low fat, low calorie dressings to their product lines. For many the taste is not that much different and the price is about the same, making them worth the difference for your health.
 
You can also try making your own version of your favorite dressings at home. Olive oil or canola oil along with flavored vinegar can be the base of a really great tasting dressing. Add some lemon or lime juice, pepper, poppy seeds or other spices to find just the right one for your salad.

 

No Comments
Read More
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »