This Tossed Salad Goes
Beyond The Greens

Quite often I am the recipient of thought-provoking e-mail messages that go beyond the surface and cause me to think outside the box, or as in this case, beyond the greens. This message is called “Tossed Salad,” and I hope you enjoy it, along with the salad recipes that follow:

One day as a mother was scraping and peeling vegetables for a salad, her daughter came to ask her permission to go to game room that had a bad reputation. On the defensive, the daughter admitted it was a questionable place, but “all the other girls were going.” As the teenage daughter pleaded to go, she suddenly saw her mother pick up a handful of discarded vegetable peelings and toss them into the salad. Startled, she cried, “Mother, you are putting garbage into the salad.” Her mother replied, “I know, but I thought that if you did not mind garbage in your mind and heart, you certainly would not mind a little garbage in your stomach.” Thoughtfully, the girl removed the offending material from the salad, and with a brief, “Thank you” to her mother she went to tell her friends that she would not be going with them. If you have spiritual indigestion and a poor testimony, maybe it is because you have tossed too much garbage in the salad. ~Author Unknown

Definitely, “food for thought” this week.

Easy Marinated Salad

2 cups whole mushrooms, sliced in half, if desired
1 onion, sliced in thin rings
1 pkg. small cherry tomatoes
1 cup (approx.) green & black olives, pitted
1 small bottle Italian-style dressing
¼ cup fresh Parmesan, grated
¼ cup fresh chopped basil

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

Simple Chef’s Salad

Iceberg Lettuce (about 2 cups)
3 hard boiled eggs - sliced
Small strips of ham
Cheddar cheese, sliced into thin strips

Serve with favorite dressing and croutons. Makes a nice light supper with garlic bread or muffins.

Rio Grande Turkey Salad

2 cups ziti pasta
½ cup sour cream
½ cup salsa
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. milk
2 cups cubed turkey
½ cup sliced olives
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 cup cubed Pepper Jack cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large bowl mix sour cream, salsa, mayonnaise and milk. When pasta is cooked, drain well and add to sour cream mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix gently. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Seven-Layer Salad

1 head lettuce
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
2 cups frozen peas, thawed and drained
4 to 5 tbsp. sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 to 6 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

Mix sugar and mayonnaise together, set aside. Layer lettuce, celery, onion and peas. Top with sugar/ mayonnaise mixture, cover with cheese and sprinkle crumbled bacon. Let set in refrigerator 3 to 4 hours.

 

 

Don’t forget your copy of “Lovin’ Spoonful . . . Cooking With Family and Friends,” a compilation of nearly 400 mouth-watering recipes by Sherrie Norris. It is available at all locations of High Country Media – Boone, Banner Elk, West Jefferson, and at The Avery Journal in Newland, all Boone Drugs, Black Bear Books, Trailway Laundry, Wilcox Emporium,( top level, booth 312-W,) and beginning June 15 at Mast Store locations.