Spinach Mushroom Salad

8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

At least 3 hours ahead (I usually let it sit overnight), marinate mushrooms in:

Dressing

½ C vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar)

¼ C salad oil (I like olive oil)

1 ½ tsp grated or minced onion

1/3 C sugar

½ tsp dry mustard

½ tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp salt

At serving time, toss mushrooms & dressing with:

2 bunches fresh spinach (washed)

½ head lettuce (iceberg adds a nice crunch)

1/3 lb Swiss cheese, grated

¼ lb bacon, cooked & crumbled (optional, but yummy)

1 bunch green onions, sliced

Makes one large salad. Best if eaten immediately.

~Marcie Norton

Cafe Rio Sweet Pulled Pork (Served at the RS Birthday Dinner)

3 lbs. pork roast (we used pork shoulder)
1 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 can red enchilada sauce

Cook all of the ingredients (except for the brown sugar and enchilada sauce) in a crock pot on low for about 8 hours.  One hour before serving, take the roast out of the crock pot and shred the meat and remove any fat.  Drain the crock pot and put the meat back in and add 1 can red enchilada sauce and 1 cup brown sugar.  Finish cooking the last hour.  Put on a tortilla with romaine, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, black beans, rice, etc.  (We also added crushed lime chips and topped salad with Cafe Rio Ceamy Tomatillo Dressing.)

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

3 fresh tomatillos, peeled and cut into quarters
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
6 stalks green onions, with ends
2 cloves crushed garlic
5 cross-section slices of jalapeno pepper

Place the ingredients in a blender.  Combine well and refrigerate for one hour.  Great on pulled pork burritos and salads.

~Tamara O'Brien

Garden Salad

This salad has a "chunky salsa-type" texture to it, so keep that in mind as you chop the various veggies. All the ingredients are equal volume, so what I do is empty a can of green beans into a large bowl and then used the empty can to measure the remaining ingredients.

You may include any or all of the following that you have on hand (equal volume):
green beans
wax beans
great northern beans
black beans
green olives
black olives
tomato
red onion
cucumber
green pepper
corn
broccoli
sugar snap peas
zucchini
a few craisins, sprinkled on top at time of serving (optional)
any other veggie that you may like
You may also add a protein source just before serving, such as bacon, ham, or hard cheese.

Dressing
Sprinkle with Seasoning Salt (how much depends on volume, but add more rather than less)
Truvia, or sweetener equivalent to cut vinegar taste, unless you like that flavor (optional)
Robusto Italian bottled dressing, shake well (use less rather than more)

Serve with one of the following:
crackers
flour tortilla
taco chips

~Denise Bound

Chili Spiced 3 Bean Salad

1 can kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can corn

1 large stock celery, diced

5 green onions, thinly sliced – including tops

¼ C fresh, chopped parsley (or equivalent)

1 4-oz. can diced green chiles

Dressing:

¼ C olive oil

¼ C wine or cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano leaves

¼ tsp ground cumin

dash pepper

Drain & rinse the beans & corn. Place ingredients for dressing in a jar and shake to mix. Pour over bean mixture and stir. Cover & refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

**I added a can of black beans, but then I needed another ½ batch of the dressing.

I used chives instead of green onions and cilantro instead of parsley.

~Marcie Norton

Blueberry Spinach Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)

2 tsp. prepared Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 heaping Tbsp. Raspberry jam (I used Raspberry All-Fruit)

1 tsp. sugar (I used 2 pkts. Truvia)

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Fruits and Vegetables
1 (10 oz.*) package fresh spinach, torn (I cut the leaves in a julienne fashion because I like smaller pieces)

1 (4 oz.) package feta cheese, crumbled

2/3 cup fresh blueberries

2/3 cup apple, chopped (can also use fresh pear if you like)

2/3 cup crasins (dried cranberries)

2/3 cup glazed pecans, rough chopped

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, well drained

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine dressing ingredients and shake well. (I mixed mine in a blender and that emulsified the ingredients). In a very large salad bowl toss remaining ingredients. Add dressing a bit at a time until salad is coated to your liking; serve immediately.

~Denise Bound

Steak and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Olive Oil
1 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces
1 large red pepper, cut into 1 inch strips
1 medium red onion, cut into 1 inch wedges
16 mushrooms
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 pound beef tenderloin steak or boneless chicken breasts
mixed salad greens
low-sodium, etc. Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad dressing

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Lightly coat a large baking pan with olive oil using a paper towel moistened with olive oil. Place vegetabels in pan. (not the salad greens)
In a small bowl combine vinegar, minced garlic, rosemary and black pepper and toss with vegetables. Roast in oven for 18-20 minutes until tender, stirring once.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heart until hot.
Trim fat from meat and place in skillet. Cook 12-15 minutes depending on desired degree of doneness, turning once.
Slice meat into thin strips.
Arrange meat and roasted vegetables over salad greens.
Serve immediately with dressing drizzled on top.

~Loralee Darley

Candied Walnut Salad (Served at Christmas dinner)

2 heads of leafy greens; 1 can be a bag of spinach (I like 1 bag of spinach and a head of Romaine or just 2 heads of Romaine)
3/4 c. Craisins
2 crisp apples
Orange juice (enough to toss apples in to prevent browning and add a little flavor)
2 oz. blue cheese or Gorgonzola (I prefer Gorgonzola; it's milder, but harder to find and more expensive)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1/4 c. sugar
1 recipe Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

1. Wash and chop lettuce. Set aside to drain.

2. To candy the nuts, combine walnuts and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly. After a few minutes, the sugar will look very fine and then a few minutes after that, it will start to liquefy. This is when you have to be absolutely vigilant about scraping the bottom of the skillet and making sure everything gets stirred around. The syrup will begin to darken and will coat the nuts. When they reach a golden brown color, remove from heat. Stir occasionally as the nuts begin to cool. After a few minutes, spread candied nuts onto a greased piece of parchment or wax paper or a greased cookie sheet and allow to cool completely. Set aside.

3. Chop blue cheese or Gorgonzola very finely. You want crumbles, not chunks.
If blue cheese absolutely gives you the ookies and you CANNOT handle the thought of it (the flavor in the salad will be very mild, I promise!), you can use another strong cheese like feta. But I really, really think you should use the real thing... :)

4. Chop apples and toss in orange juice.

When ready to serve, toss lettuce, cranberries, walnuts, apples, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Add dressing if desired; it really is better all mixed together rather than on top, but the dressing will wilt any leftovers.

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. honey

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (really, that’s pretty optional; it all goes in the blender)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 c. canola oil

In a blender, combine vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place lid on blender and blend on high. While blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Store in refrigerator for about 2-3 weeks. Shake well before serving.

~Tamara O'Brien

(Recipe from http://www.ourbestbites.com/)