Archive for the ‘Sides – Salads’ Category
BLT Pasta Salad
This is really good! I made this for a party the family had on 13 Aug 2018, only one small portion left over for me the next day. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry elbow macaroni, or any small pasta
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, or cider vinegar
- 8 slices bacon, chopped and fried crispy
- 1 cup lettuce, chopped, or spinach
- 2-4 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
- 3/4 cup mayo
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until tender, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain some more. Add the cooked bacon and mix in.
- Gently mix in the rest of the ingredients to combine. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Ready to serve.
Notes
German Cucumber Salad
This sounds really good, and is very low cost. The vegetables, as well as the parsley and dill are all grown locally here. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
For the Dressing
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Place the cucumbers, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients, pour over the vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
Notes
Green Olive Coleslaw
This is a basic slaw recipe that has green olives and spring onions added. I do not buy anything precut like salad in a bag, so this is made with 3 fresh vegetables, jarred olives, and a homemade sauce, and it is delicious! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 head cabbage, see Step 1
- 1/2 carrot, shredded
- 4 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
- handful green olives with pimento, sliced
- 1 bowl coleslaw dressing, shortcut is listed below
Instructions
- Cabbage in Thailand is much smaller than what I remember in the US, I bought two, weighed them each was about 450 grams, about a pound, where as cabbage in the states is about 2 pounds per head. I only used one head as this is only for my wife and I.
- To prepare the cabbage, peel off the outer leaves and cut the bottom of the core off, this gives you a clean cabbage before you chop it. Leaves and bottom of the core on the left, nice clean head of cabbage on the right.
- Cut the cabbage in half from top to bottom, then cut each piece in half again so you have four pieces. Take each piece and cut the core out at an angle, then lay a piece down and cut in 1/4 inch slices, then cut the pile cross ways 2 or 3 times, do this for all four pieces and you have shredded cabbage. Place in a large bowl.
- Shred 1/2 the carrot with a box shredder and place that in the large bowl. Slice the spring onion and the olives and place those in the large bowl.
- Prepare the dressing from the shortcut for the coleslaw, shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
- Pour the dressing into the large bowl and mix to coat everything. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to blend the flavors.
- Serve as a side with any main dish.
Notes
Homemade Chick-Fil-A Cole Slaw
Can be written as coleslaw or cole slaw, either way, this does sound good!
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mayo
- 500-600 grams cabbage, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrot, finely chopped
Instructions
- Whisk vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt together until sugar is dissolved. Add the mayo and whisk to combine. Pour this over the chopped cabbage and carrot and mix to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
I do like a good pasta salad, and dill pickles, and this is nothing short of excellent! I made this on 14 Jan 2017, it is easy to make, and can be adjusted with what you have on hand. This is now my new standard pasta recipe. It was so good, I did not even get photos. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 250 grams dry elbow macaroni, or shell, spirals, or any bitesize pasta would work
- 3/4 cup dill pickles, sliced, OR make from a shortcut
- 2/3 cup Cheddar cheese, cubed
- 3 tablespoons onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 cup dil pickle juice
For the Dressing
- 2/3 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup sour cream, see Step 2
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until tender, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool it off. Toss the pasta with 1/2 cup pickle juice and set aside for 5 minutes then drain and discard the juice and place the pasta in a large bowl along with the rest of the Salad ingredients and toss to mix together.
- In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together. If you do not have sour cream, start with the amount of mayo stated and add more mayo as needed to coat everything yet not be dripping with mayo either. Pour this onto the pasta in the large bowl and and toss to coat everything. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Quick Fridge Dill Pickles.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Amish Broccoli Salad
Sounds really good!
Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 250 grams bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large bowl toss together the broccoli and cauliflower.
- In another bowl mix together the mayo, sour cream, sugar, and salt until creamy. Pour this on to the broccoli and cauliflower mix, stirring to coat the vegetables. Then stir in the bacon and cheese (reserving a bit of each to garnish the top of the salad when serving). Serve as a side or a light lunch.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Kathy McAllister.
United States.
United States.
Chicken Club Pasta Salad
Sounds really good, I do love a good Club Sandwich. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 250 grams pasta, spirals, shells, penne, any bite size pasta works here
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
- 1 tomato, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, cubed
- 2 cups Ranch dressing, OR make from a shortcut
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until tender. Drain and set aside to to cool.
- When the pasta is cooled, add the rest of the ingredients except the Ranch dressing and toss to mix. Mix in the dressing a tablespoon at a time to your desired taste. Chill the salad in the fridge for at least an hour, serve as a side or a large portion for a easy meal.
Notes
For the chicken I will guess about 40 Baht, everything else is minimal, well under $1 per serving.
Shortcut: Ranch Dressing.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Pizza Pasta Salad
This sounds really good, and what you put in it is up to you, what you like on a pizza, can go in here. Very versatile and I would call this a base recipe that you can change up every time you prepare this. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 250 grams pasta, spirals, shells, penne, any bite size pasta works here
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, diced, about 1/2 of a 200 gram block
- 1/2 cup red onion, think shallots, chopped
- 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing, Tesco brand is inexpensive and good
Instructions
- In a pot of boiling water, add the pasta and cook until just tender. Rinse and put in a large bowl, drizzle with just a bit olive oil and toss that in to prevent the pasta from sticking sticking. Let this cool a bit.
- While the pasta is cooling, go ahead and get your ingredients chopped, diced, etc. Add all the ingredients to the large bowl except the dressing, basil, and Parmesan cheese. Toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss to coat, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and basil, serve.
Notes
The Mozzarella cheese will run about 70 Baht to make 1 cup of diced from a 200 gram block, if you like cheese, feel free to use more. This is about 52 cents per serving for 4 servings. Great value.
Variations: You can remove any ingredient listed and you can add any combination of your favorite pizza toppings, such as pepperoni, salami, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled bacon, cooked mushrooms, diced ham, pineapple, cooked shrimp, and you get the idea.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad
Sounds really good, lot of ways to serve this as well, think as a sandwich with lettuce and tomato, in a green salad, or even a tortilla. A must try for me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken, cooked, cold, diced
- 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 tablespoons Ranch dressing, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, basil, or rosemary, OR 1/2 teaspoon of each if using dried
- 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
Instructions
- Mix everything in a small bowl except the dressing, once it is combined, mix in the dressing 1 tablespoon at a time to make a consistency of your liking. Chill for about an hour in the fridge.
- Serve as is, with some lettuce, as a sandwich with lettuce and tomato, or even in a tortilla.
Notes
Minimal cost here, use the shortcut for greater savings.
Shortcut: Ranch Dressing.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Shrimp Pasta Salad
Pasta salads I love, pasta salads with shrimp, even better! Ingredients are easily available, and if you are near the coast, the local caught small shrimp is very inexpensive. This is a base recipe, meaning change this up with anything you want, such as crab, imitation crab, more or less bell peppers for color, with our without relish or change to chopped pickles. Very easy dish to put together. I made this on 12 Oct 2016, modified to what I had on hand, and it is very good! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Main Ingredients
- 250 grams dry elbow macaroni, or shell, spirals, or any bite size pasta
- 1 tablespoon onion, minced
- 2/3 cup celery, use import or local
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/3 cup shrimp, peeled,tails removed, cooked
For the Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, OR chopped dill pickle, OR make from a shortcut
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a pot of boiling water, add the pasta and cook until just tender, drain and rinse under cold water. (I made this using #32 Maccheroni.)
- While the pasta is cooking, mix the dressing ingredients in a large bowl, then add the pasta and the rest of the ingredients and gently mix with the dressing. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to chill before serving. (I added the chopped items on top of the drained pasta, I like eggs in a pasta salad so I added a few chopped eggs as well.)
Notes
If you can get small White shrimp from a local fisherman, this is minimal cost. If you get from Tesco, the small Whites will run about 48 Baht for 250 grams, which is plenty. This is easily about 23 cents per serving for 6 servings. More than reasonable for a side dish with shrimp.
Variant: I think real or imitation crab would work well in this, either with or without the shrimp.
Shortcut: Dill Pickles.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
