Teriyaki Chicken Salad

As the weather warms up, I like to look for recipes that are on the light side to serve to my family for lunch and dinner. This is an easy recipe to make; especially on those warm days when you don't want to heat up your kitchen. This Grilled Teriyaki Chicken recipe is tossed with green onions, tropical fruits and mixed in a creamy teriyaki sauce. Serve this salad on a bed of crisp lettuce or on sliced croissants.

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

recipe adapted from ourbestbites.com

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

11/2 c. Kikkoman Teriyaki baste and glaze

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/3 c. sliced green onions, chopped

1/3-1/2 c. light mayo

1 mango, cut into small cubes or 1 (6 oz. can) Mandarin Oranges

1 (8 oz. can pineapple tidbits or roughly chopped chunks

1/4 c. sliced almonds

salt and pepper to taste

Croissants or pitas

Lettuce leaves

Directions:

Reserving about 2/3 c. of Teriyaki sauce, marinade chicken in the remaining sauce for at least 4 hours. Grill chicken on medium heat for about 7 minutes per side, basting regularly with some of the reserved sauce. While the chicken is grilling, combine the celery and green onions in a small mixing bowl or a plastic storage container with a lid. When the chicken is done, allow to stand for about 10 minutes and then cute into bite-sized pieces. Toss with celery and onions and then add may and mix thoroughly. Start with 1/3 c. and go from there. Add 2-3 T. Teriyaki sauce to taste. You want some of the teriyaki flavor, but you also don't want it to be overwhelming. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours. Just before serving, add mango or oranges, pineapple and nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lettuce in a croissant or pita or on a leaf of lettuce.

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Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

Summer in Sicily Salad

I recently tried this salad while visiting my parents in Southern Utah a few weeks back. Whenever my parents know that me and my little family are coming for a visit, they roll out the red carpet for us. My mom especially goes the extra mile and cooks us delicious things to eat while we are there. My mom is one of the best cooks I know and I always look forward to going home for one of her home cooked meals. During our stay, My mom served this light salad. I love that it is versatile and you can use whatever fruits are in season: apples, strawberries, mandarin oranges etc. I also really love the crunch this salad has with the Caramelized nuts that are scattered throughout. The dressing also is tangy, so it is a nice compliment to the caramelized nuts. I love the sweet with the salty. This salad is really easy to make but takes some prep work. All the prep work is worth it though!! Try making this light salad for your next picnic or summer get together.

Summer in Sicily Salad

3/4 c. Red Wine Vinegar

3/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (must use extra virgin)
1/2 c. Sugar
3-4 cloves of garlic, freshly pressed
1/2 teas. paprika
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 teas. white or black pepper ( I use black because it is what I have on hand)
1 head of Romain lettuce, shredded
1 c. of desired fruit: Sliced strawberries, mandarin oranges(drained), apples, craisins.
Caramelized Nuts

Whisk together the first seven ingredients together. Store the dressing in the refrigerator until ready to use. Meanwhile, wash lettuce leaves and pat dry. Shred lettuce into salad bowl of your choice. Add fruit of your choice and mix around into the lettuce leaves. Add caramelized nuts. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 30 minutes before serving remove dressing from the fridge and let sit at room temperature. Whisk dressing and pour over salad. Enjoy!
* The dressing makes more than enough for this salad, I only use about 1/2 of the dressing to coat the salad. Save the rest of the dressing for those that may want to add more to their salads or keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Caramelized Nuts

2c. pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds
1/3 c. mayo
1/3 c. Brown sugar, packed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating up, mix mayo and brown sugar together in small bowl until well combined. Then add nuts and mix until well combined. Spread nuts evenly into a greased 9X13 pan. bake for 10-15 minutes until bubbly and light brown. Let cool for several hours before adding to your salad.

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Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

Cherry Delight Salad

I grew up eating this salad and I love it! It is one of those salads my mom made for our spring and summer BBQ's. It is light, creamy and irresistible. In my opinion, it is almost a dessert instead of a salad. When I took a cooking class in college, we all had to do a food demonstration for one of our assignments. One of my friends/classmates at the time made this salad for her food demo. She had a slight variation to the recipe that she grew up on. Her recipe called for mini marshmallows. I love both variations!!

Cherry Delight Salad

1- 20 oz. Crushed Pineapple, Drained
1- 12 oz. Cool Whip
1- 8 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 -20 oz. can Cherry pie Filling
2 c. mini marshmallows(optional, but I love them in this salad)
1- Drain your pineapple to remove excess pineapple juice.
2- In a Bowl, Mix sweetened condensed milk with Cherry pie filling until well combined.3- Add crushed pineapple to the bowl and mix into cherry/milk mixture.4- Fold Cool whip and mini marshmallows until all ingredients are combined.
5- Chill in Fridge until ready to serve.

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Ashlee, The Culinary Queen