Salads

Quick: If someone says Salads, what's the first thing that comes to mind? If you're like me, it's something with tons of lettuce, tomatoes, and (maybe) onion slices, along with some form of dressing.

But salads can be so much more, as today's post proves. Check out the Black Bean and Corn Salad, the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, and the rest of today's recipes. Enjoy!

EASY CHICKEN SALAD

This is from Lidey Heuck at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yummy recipe, Lidey wrote, "This simple chicken salad makes great use of leftover chicken, though you can certainly use a rotisserie chicken or roast or boil chicken breasts for this recipe. The recipe calls for classic crunchy mix-ins such as grapes, celery and pecans, but feel free to make it your own: Use a diced tart apple in place of the grapes, or toss in a handful of dried cranberries. Chicken salad gets better as it sits, so make this at least a few hours in advance if you can, or make it on Monday to have on hand for lunches all week long."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Yield: 4 to 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025482-easy-chicken-salad. While you're at it, if you haven't already signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend doing so. Great recipes, guides, and more.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

3 cups diced cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about 1 large stalk)

1/2 cup seedless grapes, quartered

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped (see Tip)

1/4 cup minced red onion (about 1/4 small onion)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Toasted bread, lettuce cups or crackers, for serving

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; whisk until smooth. Add the chicken, celery, grapes, pecans, onion and parsley and mix well. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on toasted bread or lettuce cups, or with crackers. Chicken salad will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Tip

Toast pecans on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

HAWAIIAN MACARONI SALAD

This yummy macaroni salad is from Christin Mahrlig on her very cool site, Spicy Southern Kitchen. If you’ve never heard of her site (or you have, but never checked it out), I suggest you check it out ASAP. Go ahead, I’ll wait…(Tap, tap, tap…).

Anyway, the recipe begins, “Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is so fabulously creamy and simple. This mayonnaise-based pasta salad makes a wonderful side for summer bbqs and picnics.”

Prep Time: 10 mins; Cook Time: 10 mins; Total Time: 20 mins; Servings: 10

To view this online, go to https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/hawaiian-macaroni-salad/.

Ingredients

16 ounces elbow pasta

1/4 cup grated onion

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon sugar

2 shredded carrots

salt and pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoons kosher salt. Cook pasta according to package directions.

Place onion in a large bowl. When pasta is done, drain it well and add it to the bowl. Add garlic powder and apple cider vinegar and stir. Let sit 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, milk, and sugar.

Set aside about 1/2 a cup and add the rest to the macaroni along with carrots. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate both the bowl of macaroni salad and the reserved 1/2 a cup of mayonnaise mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Stir in the reserved mayonnaise mixture just before serving.

Recipe Notes

Be sure not to overcook your pasta or it will have a mushy texture.

If you to dress it up some, add diced ham or chopped pineapple.

EGG POTATO SALAD

This is my version of potato salad. While there are undoubtedly fancier versions of potato salad, this is the one that my family loves and asks for. While I’d love to say that the leftovers refrigerate well overnight, I wouldn’t know; it never lasts long enough!

Ingredients

5 pounds potatoes (I use regular white potatoes)

6 – 8 eggs

1 – 2 onions, diced

3 – 4 cups mayo (if you usually use a vegetarian version, go for it)

1/2 cup mustard

Directions

Peel potatoes and cube into bite-sized pieces. Place in large pot, cover with cold water, then boil. Once water reaches a boil, turn heat to medium and cook for 20 – 30 minutes. Potatoes should be cooked through, but not mushy.

While potatoes are cooking, place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water and turn stove on high. Once water begins to boil, let boil for 10 minutes. Turn off stove, place pan in sink and run cold water over the eggs to cool off.

Drain potatoes and rinse in cold water. Place in large bowl. Peel and cut up eggs and add to potatoes, along with diced onions. Add mayo and mustard and mix well. Can be served either slightly warmed (now) or, if served later, cooled in refrigerator.

LUCALI SALAD

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking newsletter. Sam wrote, "Mark Iacono sometimes serves a version of this salad at Lucali, his candlelit church of pizza in Brooklyn. It’s what he calls a “bottom of the bowl” salad, reminiscent of what’s left after a long Sunday dinner with family, with tomatoes, black olives and red onion deeply marinated in a vinegar-heavy dressing. He layers these above and below cold, crisp lettuce, adds a final drizzle of dressing and serves the salad with a meatball on top of it. But it goes as well plain alongside a pizza or under a sausage that’s been simmered in sauce, with stuffed shells or lasagna or eggplant Parm. You don’t need fancy tomatoes or lettuce with bona fides, just strong vinaigrette and enough time to allow the tomatoes to bleed out in it before you assemble the salad and serve."

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 40 minutes

This was featured in "Most House Salads Are Terrible. Make Yours Shockingly Superb.", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019208-lucali-salad.

Ingredients

For the salad:

5 smallish tomatoes, halved and cut into fifths

1/2 smallish red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 rib celery with leaves, ideally from the heart, chopped

18 canned, pitted black olives, plus 2 tablespoons olive brine

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

1 head iceberg lettuce, outer leaves and brown bits removed, roughly torn

For the dressing:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup red-wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

Preparation

Combine the tomatoes, red onion and celery in a large bowl. Add the olives, bruising each slightly between finger and thumb, and the olive brine.

Add the salt, peppers, olive oil and red-wine vinegar to the bowl, and mix gently with your hands or a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Wash and dry the lettuce, then put in a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad.

Make the dressing. There will be a lot left over, which you can cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks. Combine the olive oil, red-wine vinegar, salt, black pepper and lemon pepper in a jar or large bowl. Cover the jar, and shake until emulsified, or use a whisk to achieve the same result in the bowl. Set aside.

Assemble the salad. Spoon onto a large platter enough of the tomato mixture and accumulated juices to cover its bottom. Arrange some of the iceberg across the top of the tomatoes, and drizzle a little dressing over it. Add some more of the tomato mixture, then another round of the iceberg. Drizzle with some more of the dressing, and then repeat. Serve immediately, so the lettuce does not wilt, either with Italian bread or topped with meatballs, perhaps alongside spaghetti or pizza.

BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD

This comes from Rachel Ray, star of The Food Network's 30 Minute Meals. Total Time: 25 minutes; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Inactive Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/black-bean-and-corn-salad-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups frozen corn kernels

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palm full

2 teaspoons hot sauce, just eyeball the amount (recommended: Tabasco)

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, eyeball it

Salt and pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!

BUSH’S® BEST BLACK BEAN SALAD

This comes from Bush's® Best's emailed newsletter. Check it out for more recipes! This one starts off, “This colorful Black Bean salad is dressed with a light, lime vinaigrette and only takes a few minutes to prepare. Serve with tortilla chips or as a side dish.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 0 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Servings: 6 to 8

Note: This would be a great recipe for Labor Day – or any other summer/early fall cookout!

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) BUSH'S® Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 can (15.25 oz) corn, drained

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp cilantro

1/4 cup olive oil

4 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Tortilla chips

Directions

In a small bowl, combine peppers, onion, corn, garlic and cilantro.

Add olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add black beans and toss well.

Serve with tortilla chips.