Mom's Broccoli Salad

2 bunches fresh raw broccoli (2-3 c chopped)

1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup chopped red onion
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 pound bacon, cooked crisp, cooled, and drained

Mix all ingredients together in large mixing bowl. (Either cut the bacon in small pieces before cooking or crumble before adding to mixture.)

Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix together with wire whisk and pour over vegetable mixture, stirring to coat thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Taco Pasta Salad

1-12 oz pkg. Tri-color Pasta (I like radiatori or rotini)
3-4 Chicken Breasts
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can Kidney Beans-drained
1 can Garbanzo Beans-drained
1 pkg. Frozen Petite Corn
1 small Onion, finely chopped

Chopped Tomatoes
Grated Cheese
Corn Tortilla Chips
Olives

Dressing:
2 Cups Mayonnaise
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dip Mix (if you can't find this, use a pkg. of regular Ranch Dressing mix and 1/2 a pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix).
Mix together and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Brown in small amount of oil. When chicken is cooked, add taco seasoning mix and 1/4 cup water. Simmer about 5 minutes. Drain and cool. Cook corn in small amount of water, drain and cool. In large mixing bowl, combine pasta, chicken, beans, onion and corn. Mix with dressing. Place salad in bowl. Arrange chips around edge of salad. Garnish with grated cheese, olives and chopped tomatoes.

*Notes: To make this easier, I either use chicken I have already cooked, or I throw the chicken and the taco seasoning and water in the crockpot and cook on low until done.
You can substitute milk for the buttermilk in the dressing. I usually make the dressing a day ahead.

I serve the tomatoes, cheese, olives and chips on the side and let people add their own...otherwise the salad can get kind of soggy if you have leftovers to store.

Autumn Fruit Salad

2 Granny Smith apples
Zest of 1 lime
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments, drained
1 cup halved seedless red grapes
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 carton (8 ounces) vanilla low-fat yogurt
2 T. chopped nuts (optional)

Peel and cut up apples. Combine yogurt with lime zest in a large bowl and mix in apples, mandarin oranges and grapes. Add marshmallows and mix gently. Sprinkle nuts over top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: 12 servings

Roman Salad

Roman Salad

4 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 c. slivered almonds toasted
(To toast, bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees)

4 cooked chicken breasts (2 cups)
1 16oz bag cole slaw mix
6 stalks green onions sliced thin
6 stalks celery sliced
2 pkgs chicken flavored top roman noodles (uncooked and crumbled)

Combine all above ingredients in a large salad bowl. Mix salad dressing and pour over cole slaw mixture.

Dressing:

4 Tbs. Vinegar
1/2 c oil
4 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 pkgs chicken flavored top roman seasoning

Beat or whip for 1 minute.