Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Another recipe inspired by Paula Deen. (I think it was the same episode as the Oven Fried Chicken). I used the basic ingredients but changed up the dressing. An excellent salad: hearty, filling and fresh.

Black Bean and Avocado Salad



Ingredients:
2 cups Chopped Romaine
1 Avocado (peeled and sliced)
Juice of One Lemon
1 cup Corn Kernels (drained)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
Salt and Pepper

Mix all the vegetable ingredients in a large bowl. Top with juice of lemon, salt and pepper. I served with my Homemade Ranch Dressing drizzled over it. My husband was actually a fan of this salad (which is probably a good thing since he didn’t eat much of the chicken I served with it. LOL)

Ranch Style Dressing/ Dip mix

So why do I call it Ranch Style? Because its not true ranch. If you been reading this blog long, you know I tend to steer clear of spices, peppers and pork due to past allergy experiences (beginning of the year).

One of the things I’ve been missing most this year is Ranch dressing. I LOVE ranch. Cucumbers and carrots and wedges of lettuce dipped in creamy ranch. Ranch on spaghetti, chicken tenders in ranch. If you can dip it, I like it in ranch.

So I finally broke down, researched what is in Ranch and created my Ranch Style safe version. What I love about this is it is a dry mix that can be stored for months in a dry place or the freezer and you can whip up a dip or dressing in the blink of an eye. It has gone over big time at my parties and I’ve already given the recipe out to half a dozen people they loved it so much. So I am going to share it with you! (Don’t you feel special?)

Krista’s Ranch Style Dressing/Dip Mix
8 tsp minced onion
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp garlic powder

Dump all ingredients into a small Tupperware container. Place the lid on and shake well. Store in a dry dark place or the freezer until ready to use. Shake Well before each use.

For DIP:
1 Cup Mayo
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 ¼ TBS Ranch Mix

For Dressing:
1 cup Mayo
1 cup Buttermilk
1 ¼ TBS Ranch Mix

For either one, add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk till blended and smooth. Chill.

I love, no, make that LOVE peas. As a child I actually loved mixing peas into the Hamburger Helper Beef stroganauff (I know, it pains me to admit my love for the boxed stuff too). That was one of my favorite meals though. As an adult, I am finding all kinds of new dishes with peas. I put them in EVERYTHING. A frozen bag of peas (about 15 oz) is only 97 cents. Why NOT put them in everything?

A month or so ago I ran across a Pea Salad recipe at www.singforyoursupperblog.com. I had to try it despite the fact I don’t eat bacon. So I bought some low sodium turkey bacon as a substitute. When it came time to make it however, it was late, I had been in the garden all day and I was exhausted. So I nixed the bacon and instead whipped up a handful of tiny pasta shells to add body to the salad.

I admit, I was a little skeptical at the raw simplicity of the salad. I started out with a tiny little bit. I went back for thirds and I brought it for lunch today. I did not share or leave any for my husband (but since its all green I doubt he would have tried it anyway unless I shoved it down his throat). I can not wait till the next potluck or party because this will definitely be on the menu throughout the whole summer. I may even venture the bacon and leave out the noodles for a zippy gluten free version!

Creamy Pea Salad
Ingredients:
15 ounce bag of frozen peas thawed
2 sticks of celery, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup tiny pasta shells, boiled in salted water till al dente
½ block of sharp cheddar cheese cut in very small cubes
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
I did not add salt and pepper but you can to taste

Directions:
I had all the ingredients (minus the pasta) in the fridge so everything was cold to begin with. Even adding the hot noodles did not heat it up much so I served as is which was still pretty chilled but you can chill before serving. Just dump everything together and stir. Great for a make ahead meal/dish.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette

At the farmer's market, one of the vendor's has a KeyLime Vinaigrette. It looks and sounds amazing but there are things I really can't pronounce in the ingredients, so I'm a little timid of buying it. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and go for it next week.

Tonight though, I decided to do a simple Honey Lime Vinaigrette. It didn't have nearly the flavor Lemon does and was a little too mild. I served it over grape tomatoes, iceberg, leaf lettuce and sweet peas.

I'm not a great fan but give it a whirl. Maybe you can improve on it and let me know!

Honey Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Lime Juice (fresh squeezed about three limes)
Some Lime zest
4 tsp honey
1 tbs rice vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbs chopped onion

Directions:
Combine all ingredients either in an Italian dressing bottle or mini food processor/chopper. Shake or mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.