Seafood Rice Salad

This is a variation of a recipe that I got from my friend, Asta, from Lithuania. It can easily be tailored to suit individual tastes, and is quite healthy. This is how I prefer to make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 1 corn on the cob
• cucumber, diced
• small onion, diced
• red or yellow bell pepper, diced
• salt
• pepper
• seafood of your choice, fresh or canned
• light miracle whip

First, you’ll need to cook the rice (I prefer to use brown rice), and allow it to cool. I like to add corn to my salad, and prefer fresh cooked corn on the cob, cooked, cooled, and then cut off, but canned or frozen corn works too. In a large bowl, mix the cooled rice and corn. Add remaining ingredients to your taste, and mix thoroughly. I use about half a cucumber, half a medium onion, and about one-eighth of a bell pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. To add a little extra zing, I like to use my garlic salt grinder instead of regular salt. Add your preferred seafood. I typically have used shrimp or crab, but most recently I use a seafood medley of fresh shrimp, crab and calamari. Finally, add miracle whip to taste. I prefer to use light miracle whip. Serve as a main dish, or as a side salad. Enjoy!

Wild Rice Mix ‘n Match Salad

Cook three-fourths cup washed wild rice until done, about 45 minutes. Drain, rinse and cool. To this add:

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cream, whipped
• 2 kinds of fruit of your choice, for example:
• 2 bananas and 2 cups pineapple tidbits; OR
• 2 bananas and 1 pound fresh pitted and halved cherries; OR
• 2 bananas and green or red seedless halved grapes; OR
• 2 bananas and 2 cups diced apples; or
• Any mixture of fruit you love including strawberries and oranges

If what you come up with is not very colorful, top the bowl with colorful maraschino cherries. Refrigerate.

Chicken Salad

Salad:

• 3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• one-fourth cup green pepper, diced
• 2 tsp. sweet onion, chopped fine
• two-third cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 cups seedless grapes, cut in half OR 1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

Dressing:

• one-fourth cup half and half cream
• 1 tsp. salt
• pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• two-thirds cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise

Serve over a bed of lettuce or in a hollowed out cantaloupe half. It is also very good in a bun or croissant.

Seven-layer Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head lettuce, torn into small pieces (be sure it is dry)
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 12 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 cups small cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

• 1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside until cool enough to chop into small pieces. In a 9×13 inch pan layer the lettuce followed by the peas, green pepper, bacon, cauliflower and celery.
• 2. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise and the sugar. Spread mixture over salad. Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover and chill for at least 8 to 12 hours before serving.

Wild Rice Waldorf Salad

• 3 cups cooked wild rice
• 2 cups peeled and chopped apples
• One-half teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup chopped celery
• One-half cup chopped walnuts
• One cup mandarin oranges, drained
• One-fourth cup chopped maraschino cherries

Combine above ingredients and fold together:

• One-third cup mayonnaise
• Three-fourth cup whipped cream

Blend into ingredients. Refrigerate and chill completely before serving on a lettuce leaf.

Fruited Chicken Salad

• 4 cups chunked cooked chicken
• 1 large can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 large can pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 T. finely minced onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper (optional)
• sliced almonds or cashew chunks (amount as desired)

Mix all together and add 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 T. mustard

Mix chow mien noodles into salad right before serving. Use as many as desired. Sometimes I serve the chow mien noodles separately so each person can put as many in their salad as they like. They get soggy so you don’t want to have them mixed into more salad than you will use at the meal. I really like serving this with banana bread or muffins. I have even mixed white rice into this salad for a little extra fill, and it was great that way too.