Broccoli Slaw

I made this slaw to take to work with me for lunch. I halved the recipe since it was just for me, but below is the full recipe.

It was very tasty, and really brought back memories because of the ramen noodles! (I ate a lot of ramen in college. I think most people do?)

This is best day-of and next day. After that the noodles start to lose their crunch and it isn’t quite as good.

Broccoli Slaw

(Paula Deen)

2 bags (3-ounce) Ramen Noodle Soup in Oriental (other flavors will work, too)
3/4 stick butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 bags (12-ounce) bags broccoli cole slaw (in the bagged salad section of the grocery store)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Dressing Mix:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 ramen noodle seasoning packet

Directions
– Put the ramen noodles in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin while melting butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat.

– Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally (keep temperature at low/medium heat).

– Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

– Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds. – Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

– Garnish with chopped green onions.

Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Salad

I am — ashamedly — a member of the Lean Cuisine lunches club. For some reason, my biggest temptation to overeat is lunchtime, and those darn handy little meals prevent me from doing it!

Every once in awhile, I feel guilty about eating all the nastiness in those meals, and I make myself something at home. It’s always tasty — but unfortunately, the frozen meals continue to provide me with more variety than I can afford to provide myself during the week for lunches!

This salad is delicious and it’s a total meal in one package. I’m labelling it Mexican, but like Liz before me…well..it isn’t really mexican, per se. It’s just darn tasty!

Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Salad

(Liz’s Cooking Blog)

1 cup brown (or white) rice

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked with olive oil, kosher salt, and Adobo Seasoning, cooled and diced (I used 3 bone-in chicken breasts that I had in the freezer, and just removed the skins)

1 can (15 1/2 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

2-4 on-the-vine tomatoes, seeded and diced

3-4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno chili, seeds and ribs removed, minced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

– Cook the rice according to package instructions. Cool completely.

– Place cooled rice in a large bowl; add chicken, beans, tomatoes, scallions, jalapeno, vinegar, oil, and cumin.

– Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine

– Serve immediately, or refridgerate, covered, up to 1 day (I kept mine refridgerated for about 3 days..and it was admittedly not holding up so well by that 3rd day!)

Recipe Exchange: Watermelon and Basil Salad

Here is my recipe exchange recipe — thank you to whoever included it!

This was my first recipe exchange, and I was excited to get a recipe I probably would’ve NEVER chosen on my own — that’s the fun of it, right?

This salad has beautiful presentation with the fresh ingredients and colors.

AND it took me a whopping 5 minutes to put it together. ALWAYS a bonus.

However…I don’t think this one is for me. I excluded the goat cheese (replaced it with mozzarella) because goat cheese and I…well..I hate the stuff, to be honest.

I know. I know. I should’ve told the coordinator that. But I was so excited to participate, I couldn’t think of anything I didn’t like!

Anyway — I also discovered I don’t like the raw flavor of the basil with my watermelon. I LOVE mint on cantaloupe, and I figured it was the same idea — but the flavor just wasn’t for me.

I fed it to friends and everyone else liked it — so I’m probably just an oddball. I highly reccommend this recipe (even if *I* didn’t like it….because I know I can be difficult!)

Watermelon and Basil Salad

(Recipe Exchange)

1 medium seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 cup basil leaves, cut chiffonade style

1 log of chevre (I replaced with fresh mozzarella)

Directions

– In a large bowl, toss to combine the watermelon, lime juice, and half the basil

– Divide onto four plates, scatter pinches of chevre and the remaining basil on top

**At Joelen’s suggestion, I’ve entered this recipe into the Fruit Frenzy blog event! How fun!