Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

1 package Hidden Valley Buttermilk ranch Dressing mix
2/3 buttermilk
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
2 tomatillos (remove husk, cut quarters)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
juice from 1 lime
1 jalapeño pepper ( no seeds)
Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend well. Refrigerate

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, spinach and feta

I made this for dinner tonight and it was SO good. So very good. And easy. Walmart (yuck) was out of spinach (what!? I know) so I added a cup of frozen peas instead. It was amazing.

1 cup orzo
Salt-about 1/2 tsp. for boiling water

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup packed fresh spinach
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the salt. Stir in orzo. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain orzo and set aside.

2. In a small sauce pan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add in asparagus pieces. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cook until asparagus is tender and the spinach shrinks down.

3. Put the orzo in a medium bowl and add in the vegetables. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the orzo and vegetables. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Taste-add more lemon juice if you wish. The lemon I used was huge, so I only needed to use one lemon. If you need more juice, go ahead.

4. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top of the salad. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Black Bean + Grilled Corn Salad

I'm taking over this week with the summery food posts, sorry!

Dressing:

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp cumin
zest and juice of 2 limes
salt + pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Whisk it all together and set aside

Salad:
2 ears grilled corn, cut off the cob
2 cans rinsed and drained black beans
1 red pepper, diced
1 mango, diced

Toss everything in the dressing. Delicious served alongside a quesadilla or grilled chicken breast. If you half it like I did, it's perfect for two.

California Fruit Salad

This is the perfect winter fruit salad. I got this recipe from my great-aunt Shirley Standford. She brings this to family events and there are never any leftovers.

2 large cans pineapple

1 can mandarin oranges

1 large package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding

Bananas

Kiwi

Maraschino cherries

Drain oranges, discard juice. Drain pineapple, keep juice. Cooke pudding with pineapple juice until pudding thickens. Pour pudding mixture over oranges and pineapple. Let set several hours or over night. Add other fruit right before serving.

Couscous Vegetable Salad

Another great recipe from Essential of Healthful Cooking! This salad has great textures, colors and flavors and is really easy!

1 cup couscous

Kosher salt

1 1/2 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup thawed, frozen petite peas or blanched fresh petite peas

1/2 cup thin sliced green onion

1/2 cup minched red bell pepper

1/2 cup finely diced English cucumber

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup firmly packed chiffonade-cut romain lettuce leaves

In a heatproof bowl combine the couscous, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the boiling water. Stir to blend. Cover tightly and let stand until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Uncover the couscous and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon water and a grind of pepper until blended.

Add the peas, green onion, bell pepper, cucumber, parlsey and all but 1 tablespoon of the dressing to the couscous. Toss to mix.

Place the romain lettuce in a separate bowl. Add the remaining dressing and toss to coat.

To serve, divide the couscous mixture evenly among individual bowls or plates. Top each serving with an equal amount of the romain lettuce.

Calories: 190 Protein: 5 grams Carbohydrates: 26 grams Total Fat: 7 grams Saturated Fat: 1 gram Cholesterol: 0 Dietary Fiber: 3 grams Sodium: 280 mg

Rachel's Spinach Salad Dressing

I got this recipe from Rachel Williams and it is my all-time favorite dressing.

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1 c. of vegetable or canola oil
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tbsp. grated onion (KJ doesn't like onions so I usually skip this)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 lb. cottage cheese (I have found that the more cottage cheese you put in the thicker the dressing is, so you may just want to slowly add some in until you get your desired consistency.)

Salad ideas:

spinach
purple onion
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded swiss cheese
stawberries
mandarin oranges
crumbled bacon
grilled chicken