Chinese Chicken Salad

1 cup sunflower seeds 
1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix 
2 packages Beef Top Ramon dry, save the packets 
1 bunch green onions chopped 
2 cups cooked and diced/shredded chicken (I refrigerated this after I cooked & shredded it until it was cold.)

SAUCE
1 cup peanut oil 
1/2 cup sugar 
1/3 cup white vinegar 
2 packets beef seasoning from Top Ramon packages listed above

1. In a large mixing bowl, toss sunflower seeds, coleslaw, chopped green onions and chicken.
2. Smash Top Ramon packets with fists until they are crushed into small pieces. Reserve beef packets for sauce. Add Top Ramon pieces to salad and toss to evenly distribute.
3. In blender, combine peanut oil, sugar, vinegar and beef packets. Blend until evenly mixed.
4. Toss the dressing and salad together until coated with dressing and you reach desired flavor.

* This was amazing! My husband and I both could not get enough of this salad! The flavor was perfect and this was a super easy recipe. The most time consuming part was boiling and shredding the chicken. There was a small portion leftover that I refrigerated and ate for lunch the following afternoon and it was still just as good. I can't wait to make and eat this one again!

Recipe from Chef In Training
Photo from Amber's Delectable Delights

Five Cup Salad

1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup sour cream

Mix together and chill for several hours.

* We loved this simple and super fast salad. It was the perfect addition to our Easter dinner.

* Recipe from The Essential Mormon Cookbook
* Photo from Mom to 3, Wife to 1

Wingers Sticky Finger Salad

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup bread crumbs
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
2 tomatoes
croutons
cheddar cheese, grated
ranch dressing
craisins
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup Frank's Hot Sauce(Original)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Dip chicken breasts into the sour cream and then into bread crumbs. Place on a sprayed/greased sheet pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and crispy.

While the chicken is baking, prepare salad and make the dressing. To make the dressing, combine the 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1/3 cup Franks Hot Sauce, and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let boil for one minute, but no longer! If you boil too long it will turn hard.

When the chicken is done dip into sticky sauce and place on a plate. To serve, place sliced strips on top of salad with any additional toppings (cheese, croutons, tomatoes, craisins, etc.) and drench in ranch dressing. Save the additional sticky dressing as an extra topping for the salad...it adds a little more tang!

* WOW! This salad was incredible! We really could not get enough of it. It tasted exactly like we had gotten it from the restaurant. The sauce and chicken was to die for! We drizzled extra sauce on the salad before eating it for some extra amazing flavor. I could eat this everyday for a week. This recipe will definitely be repeated in our house!

Recipe from Sisters Stuff
Photo from Ptit Chef

Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad

Salad
4 cups cooked chicken
16 oz. bow tie pasta
20 oz. baby spinach
sliced green onions
12 oz. honey roasted peanuts
mandarin oranges
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Dressing
2 cups oil
1 1/3 cups Teriyaki sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend ingredients for dressing.
2. Marinate chicken in some dressing for a few hours.
3. Cook pasta al dente.
4. Bake or Grill chicken.
5. Mix all salad ingredients together.
6. Toss salad with dressing and serve.

* This salad was yummy! It was a fast and easy meal with a light flavor. I cut all the ingredients in half and we still had leftovers. It is filling but still a light meal. We felt the dressing called for way too much oil so next time I am going to reduce the amount of oil I use in the dressing/marinade. I also think it would be good to add croutons and craisins. I found that this is even better the second day!

Recipe from Dayna Jamison
Photo from Karrissa's Kitchen

Grandma's Chicken Salad

2 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced celery
1 cup seedless grapes
2 hard cooked eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice and salt. Chill for several hours. Combine chicken with remaining ingredients and serve.

* This has been a family favorite for as long as I can possibly remember. I hate most any recipe that calls for hard cooked eggs but this one is delicious! This recipe is used as more of a base in our family. If we use canned chicken, we use less salt than the recipe calls for. We often use more grapes, more eggs, and ore more nuts than it calls for as well. We just do whatever suits our fancy! Serve on salad greens or as a sandwich filling inside croissants or rolls. Every time I make or eat this salad, it reminds me of my amazing and sweet Grandma.

From My Grandma

Cookie Salad

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup buttermilk
2 8oz containers frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 8oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1 pkg fudge-striped cookies

In a medium bowl, combine the pudding mix and buttermilk. Stir in thawed whipped topping. Add drained oranges. Stir in crushed cookies. (To crush the cookies, I leave them in the package and mash it against the edge of the counter; you can also just break them with your hands.) This salad can be served immediately, but it's still good the next day. makes 8-10 servings. Note: For variety, add bananas, grapes, or other fruit.

* This is one of my favorite dessert salads! I have also added bananas (which I will never eat alone) and it tastes just as yummy! Kids love it because it has the pudding and cookies but they are also getting some fruit in there too. :-)

From Julie Hougaard
Copied From Leissa Mahedy - Worldwide Ward Cookbook by Deanna Buxton (2009)

Fruit and Feta Green Salad

8 cups assorted greens
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup toasted pecans or almonds

Combine ingredients in large salad bowl and toss with Brianna's Vinaigrette just before serving.

(I like adding chicken and bread/rolls to make it a meal but it's also great as a side salad.)

Jessica Seinfeld's Tri-Color Farfalle Chicken Caesar Salad

8 oz tri-color farfalle pasta
1 cup Caesar salad dressing, divided
6 oz shaved parmesan cheese, divided
6 cups chopped romaine or Italian lettuce blend
4 cups Roma tomatoes cut into wedges
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup Caesar croutons
2 medium chicken breasts, grilled and sliced

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and stir to separate pasta. Do not rinse.
Combine pasta and 1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing in a salad bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Add halve of the parmesan and all of the lettuce, tomatoes, ground black pepper and croutons to the chilled pasta. Mix well.
To serve, place sliced chicken on top of the salad, sprinkle with remaining parmesan and drizzle with the remaining salad dressing.
Makes 8 servings.

Berry Spinach Salad

8 cups spinach leaves, rinsed and spun dry
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups halved fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blackberries
1/4 cup broken pecans, lightly toasted

DRESSING:
1/2 cup halved strawberries
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
grated peel of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon light agave nectar or honey
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine spinach, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries in a large bowl and toss gently.

To prepare the dressing, in a small bowl mash strawberries into pulp. Add vinegar, lemon peel and juice, agave and olive oil. Stir well with a whisk.
Arrange the spinach and berry mixture on plates and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with toasted pecans. (Or drizzle the dressing over the spinach/berry mixture in the bowl, add pecans and then toss.)
Makes 6 servings.

Debbie Mosher's Salad Dressing

1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 pkg Italian dressing powder
1 pkg ranch dressing powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix and refrigerate.

* This salad dressing recipe was created by one of my favorite college professors. Super easy and delicious!

From Debbie Mosher

Chicken Bow Tie Salad

1. Boil chicken breasts until tender in seasoned water.

2. Remove chicken from water, but save water.

3. Bring water back to a boil and add bow tie pasta. Cook until tender.

4. Tear lettuce and add cooled chicken and pasta.

5. Top with Caesar salad dressing, grated parmesan, mushrooms, and croutons.

* This recipe is similar to my favorite salad at one of my favorite local restaurants. It's pretty much fool proof and always good! It's best with everything served cold.

Japanese Chicken Salad

4 oz wonton skins, sliced, & deep fried
1 head lettuce, sliced
2 chicken breasts, cook & tear into strips
1/2 cup torn parsley
2 bunched green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons white sesame seeds, roasted
1 pkg sliced almonds
1 can water chestnuts, sliced

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons accent
1/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons salad oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Don't add dressing until ready to serve!

Oriental Chicken Salad

cooked chicken breasts cut into small pieces
1 head green cabbage slices (remove core)
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
2 pkgs Top Ramen noodles, Oriental flavored, toasted
slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:
6 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar
2 Oriental flavor packets

Optional Topping:
Wonton skins cut into strips and fried in oil until golden brown. Serve over top of salad.

Cool Summer Salad

1 lb cauliflower, cut into flowerets
1 lb broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 red onion, diced
1/3 cup vinegar
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
bacon bits (optional)

Combine vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar and salt. Toss with cauliflower, broccoli, onion, and bacon bits just before serving.

Holiday Raspberry Jello Salad

Crust:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 Tablespoons sugar

Melt butter. Add pretzels and sugar. Mix well. Spread in 9"x13" pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350*. Cool.

Middle Layer:
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
8oz cool whip

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip. Spread on top of pretzels. Set.

Top Layer:
1 large pkg. raspberry jello
2 cups boiling water
12oz (or more) frozen raspberries

Mix jello with water. Cool. Add raspberries to jello. Pour on top of cream cheese mixture. Let set.

* It was always a tradition to serve this fun and festive side dish at our Thanksgiving feast.

From Mom

Pistachio Salad (Green Puffy Stuff)

9oz cool whip
3oz pkg instant pistachio pudding
1 large can crushed pineapple
small marshmallows
nuts (optional)

Combine pineapple (with juice) and pudding mix. Fold in cool whip & nuts. Fold in marshmallows. Do not stir too much - just fold in until mixed. Chill until ready to serve.