For week seven the them was salad. It couldn't have come at a better time because I was not in the mood to cook at all today. I was craving a barbecue ranch chicken salad like the one a The Cheese Cake Factory, but I couldn't find a recipe the was similar. So, I opted to make my own version which I will leave you a few photos of and the ingredients. I did make a ranch pasta salad that I found on recipezaar to fa-fill the "assignment".
First, is my barbecue ranch chicken salad. I decided to pick up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the market since I wasn't in a cooking mood.
In my salad I included ice berg and roman lettuce, tomatoes, jicama, avocado, cucumber, corn, hearts of palm, cheese, rotisserie chicken, corn chips, cilantro and to top it off a drizzle of ranch and barbecue sauce.
I loved every bite of this salad. It was everything I had been craving! I will make it again fore sure!
On to the ranch pasta salad. I have to say I have never been a fan of pasta salads, but I thought I would try making one anyways. On recipezaar there was good reviews for this dish so I gave it a whirl and I have to say it didn't sway my feelings toward pasta salad.
Ingredients
- 1 (10 ounce) package pasta, cooked and drained
- 3-4 tomatoes, diced
- 2 cucumbers, sliced thin
- 10 ounces bacon bits (use a jar "or" you own)
- 1 cup of hellmans mayonnaise
- 1 package hidden valley ranch dressing mix
- salt and pepper
Directions
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Mix mayo and ranch seasoning until well blended.
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Set aside.
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In large bowl combine pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mayo mixture.
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Add salt, pepper, and bacon bits.
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Let pasta salad set 4-6 hours or overnight if possible.
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Add more mayo if needed before serving (the creamier the better!).
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Serve chilled.
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My husband is a cheese lover and likes me to add 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar.
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For a change of color, I use garden blend spiral pasta.
The only change I made to this was omitting the cucumber and using corn instead. I did this so John would eat this dish too.I knew he could pick out the tomatoes,but if I added cucumbers to the mix he would have turned his nose up, so corn it was.
This recipe was very easy and it was great on a night when I didn't feel like cooking. I just didn't care for the flavor of it though. I wanted to make sure the it wasn't just me so I had John try it and he said it was ok. I wont make this recipe again. I will taste it again tomorrow once it had had a chance to set. If I change my mind and end up liking it I will let you know, but I for see that happening.
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