Cucumber Salad (Keto)

So yummy!  I got this recipe off of Wholesome Yum.  I brought this to a church potluck, and a lot of people said they really liked it and a few asked for the recipe.  Don't put the dressing on until you are ready to serve because over time it makes the salad watery.  Even making the dressing on the side as a dip for cucumbers or other vegetables would be yummy!

Ingredients
6 cups cucumbers, chopped (I used mini cucumbers)
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp dried dill (or 2 Tbsp fresh - I used dried because it's what I had)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Cut up cucumbers and onions.  Mix rest of the ingredients for the dressing and add right before serving.

Taco Salad (Keto)

We eat taco salad almost every Tuesday in my house.  It's a very simple recipe, but we love it around here.  We cut up all the toppings and everyone can personalize their bowl.  Before I went Keto, I ate it over corn chips (like Fritos), and my kids still eat it this way.  I make 3-4 pounds of meat for my family of 6.  This recipe includes my homemade taco seasoning.  I make large amounts and use 3 Tbsp per pound of meat.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Optional toppings:
lettuce
cheese
salsa
tomatoes
avocado
sour cream
guacamole
cucumber
black olives
corn chips (if you're not doing low-carb or keto)

Directions
Brown ground meat, drain, and return to pan.  Add all the seasonings and the water and bring to a boil but then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes.  Top with whatever taco toppings you choose.

Raspberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

This is yummy and super easy to make.  I love that it doesn't have any added junk in it and it's natural and clean and it tastes better than store bought stuff too!  You could also use a blackberry or another berry of your choice in place of the raspberry spread.

Ingredients
1/3 cup red raspberry fruit spread (I used Smucker's Natural)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I used Pompeian)
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp honey (I used raw, local)
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Blend all ingredients, except the oil, in a blender (I used my ninja mini food processor).  Add oil and process until everything is well blended.  Pour into a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Will keep about 2-3 weeks in the fridge.

Apple Craisin Salad

When I had my very first baby, Craig, one of the meals that was brought to us included this delicious apple salad.  I had to have the recipe.  Unfortunately she doesn't write down the amounts so I had to do it by taste.  I usually make this with walnuts as well, but it's delicious without them too.  You can add more sugar or less lemon juice to make it sweeter if you like, but I wanted to keep this lighter and with the sweet apples and craisins, it balances out well.  This recipe is for a single serving, but I have made it for a large group and everyone loves it.  You could use different apples as well.

Ingredients
1 apple (I like gala)
3 Tbsp craisins
1 -2 Tbsp walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup Kraft mayo made with Olive Oil (or another mayo if you prefer)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves

Directions
Cut up your apple into small chunks and put in a bowl.  Add craisins and walnuts.  In a jar or small bowl, mix together mayo, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cloves.  Pour 1 Tbsp of mixture over apple salad and put the rest in the fridge.

WW points/Calories:  3 points for the whole salad or 174 calories (without walnuts)

Light Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

I set out to find a delicious light dressing.  I love my Nana's poppy seed dressing, but it is not really diet friendly.  I am doing Weight Watchers and needed to find a yummy dressing.  This is more than I could have hoped for.  I am not a huge salad person.  I like a good salad, but I'm not one to go order one at a restaurant usually or anything.  I LOVE this dressing!  I will eat this on a diet or not!  I have been eating it almost every day on a salad, sometimes twice a day.  My favorite combo so far is romaine, sunflower seeds, and craisins with this dressing.  I actually went to the store and bought 2 other light dressings that I found a website had rated as some of the top best light dressing.  I do not even want to touch those now due to this dressing.  It is a sweet and creamy, delicious dressing!  I know this would be wonderful on a spinach and strawberry salad.  I've also put grilled chicken on my salad and it's yummy that way too!  It is also super easy to make!

Ingredients
1/2 cup light mayo (I like to use the Kraft one made with Olive Oil)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk (1% or fat free)
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions
Combine all in a small jar, put on lid, shake vigorously until combined.  Store in fridge.

Weight Watcher Points/Calories: 2 Tbsp is only 1 point or 61 calories!

Light Chicken Salad

I have started making this for my lunches a lot now, and I love it!

Ingredients

10oz can white chicken, drained well (I actually like to rinse my chicken too to get more of the fat off it)

1 large celery stalk, diced

2 Tbsp green onion or chives, chopped (I didn't have that much for this picture)

2 Tbsp + 2 tsp light mayonnaise (I like Hellmann's)

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (optional)

pinch of salt, to taste

Directions

Put chicken in a bowl and shred with the back of a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well. 

I like to serve this on bread as a sandwich.

Weight Watcher Points: 1/2 of the total recipe is only 3 points!

Low-Yolk Egg Salad

So I usually avoid eating egg salad while on Weight Watchers because whole eggs plus mayo adds up really fast.  Well, I found this recipe on Skinny Taste, and it is delicious!  I thought I would really miss all the yolks in the eggs, but I didn't.  I also now love the discovery of light mayo!  It's only 1 point for 4 tsp vs 1 point per 1 tsp!  I honestly can't tell the difference, but I know many people don't like light mayo.  I bought Hellmann's because it was on sale, but I've heard different brands taste different.

Ingredients
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
4 tsp Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp chopped green onions or chives
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Separate the yolk from the egg whites and discard 3 of the yolks.  Chop up eggs and combine with the rest of the ingredients.  I like to use my potato masher to chop up my eggs.  I think it makes it a lot easier than the back of a fork.

WW points: 1/2 of the salad = 2 points!  or 81.2 calories

Makeover Spinach Salad Dressing

I was looking for a light, sweet dressing I could put on my spinach salad I made the other day. I modifed this dressing a little bit by using dried onion instead of fresh due to what I had on hand. I also ended up adding splenda to it because I felt it wasn't sweet enough. The end result was very yummy. I made my salad with baby spinach, sliced strawberries and blueberries, and it is delicious!

Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup splenda
1 small onion, finely chopped OR 4 Tbsp dried minced onion
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 tsp mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Store dressing in refrigerator.

WW points/Calories: 2 Tbsp is only 1 WW point or 56 calories

Nana's Poppy Seed Dressing

This a sweet poppy seed dressing that my Nana makes. It is absolutely delicious! I love this especially on my Summer Salad or really on any salad. :-) My husband, who never ate dressing previously, only likes this dressing. The garlic juice can be difficult to find sometimes, but I have found it in Publix, or sometimes I buy big jars of the minced garlic, and I will drain the juice out of that.

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar (I have made this with splenda before as well for sugar-free)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 cup red cider vinegar (you can replace with apple cider vinegar)
3/4 cup canola oil *See bottom for low fat version
1 1/2 Tbsp onion or garlic juice (I always use garlic)
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Store in a jar in the fridge.  Makes about 2 cups of dressing.

*Low fat version: Instead of 3/4 cup of oil, use 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and only 2 Tbsp of oil.

Summer Salad

I am in love with this salad. I've made it 3 times recently for company and received many compliments, and I can't get enough of it. I got the basic idea from my Mom, but then I changed gorgonzola cheese for feta. Gorgonzola has a stronger flavor to it, and I found it harder to find in the grocery as well. I topped this with my Nana's poppy seed dressing, but some of my friends ate it without any dressing and enjoyed it that way too. Feel free to modify the amounts according to your tastes, and this easily doubles for a larger group.

Ingredients
1 bag of chopped romaine lettuce (6 cups, I believe)
6-7 medium sized strawberries or more, sliced
1/2 -11oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1oz chopped pecans (leave out for nut free)
3oz or half container of reduced fat crumbled feta cheese (leave out for dairy free)

Directions
Mix all ingredients gently together and top with favorite dressing if you desire. I recommend my Nana's poppy seed dressing.

Oriental Salad

This salad is so yummy! It is my mother-in-law's request for her birthday. :-) It was originally from a friend, Adriana Walker. I really like to make it with Hawaiian Chicken Skewers but it is great anytime! I've brought it to potlucks before and it gets gobbled up. Just make sure you add the dressing shortly before you serve it. Sometimes I have a hard time finding bok choy, but they do sell it at Walmart, Publix, and other grocery stores. If you like this salad, you might also check out Mandarin Orange Salad.

Ingredients
3/4 cup oil (I use canola)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (can use apple cider or white if you don't have it)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 large head bok choy (white stems chopped up, discard the green leaves)
1 bunch green onions, use the whole onion minus the root
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 pkg. Ramen noodles, crushed (discard the seasoning package)
1/3 cup sesame seeds, or less
2oz package sliced almonds, or more

Directions
Mix oil, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a jar, shake and refrigerate.

Chop the bok choy and green onions and put into a large bowl.

In a fry pan set on medium heat, cook the butter, sugar, Ramen noodles, sesame seeds, and sliced almonds until light brown. Stir often or constantly. Once this starts to brown, it can burn very quickly, so watch carefully. I remove from the heat once I see it just starting to brown. Mix it with the bok choy and onions. Add the dressing prior to serving.

Mandarin Orange Salad

I went to a baby shower a few weeks ago, and they served this wonderful Mandarin Orange Salad. I told them I had to have the recipe, so I got it from them and made it with my Balsamic Rosemary Chicken the other night. It is so delicious! I like salad, but I am not a big salad lover, but I love this salad! The rest of my family liked it too. My hubby said he thinks he would prefer it without the mandarin oranges, so I would like to try it with some strawberries or another fruit next time and maybe put the fruit on the side so we could pick and choose what we want on it, but if you like mandarin oranges, go ahead and do it like this. So, so yummy!

Ingredients
salad
4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (I used 1 bag of romaine hearts)
2 medium green onions, chopped
11oz can mandarin oranges, drained

dressing
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash red pepper (optional, I did not use this)Directions
-Mix all of your dressing ingredients in a small jar, shake up, & put into fridge.
-Heat sugar and almonds in small pan until sugar is melted and almonds are covered. This is called caramelizing your almonds. Stir constantly as once the sugar starts to melt, it will burn if you aren't stirring. Let cool (they will harden) and put together the rest of your salad.
-Mix chopped lettuce, green onions, & mandarin oranges together in medium sized bowl. Once almonds cool, break into pieces, and mix into salad.
-Top with dressing before serving and toss.