I’m all about quick and easy, and this recipe is both.

Can we all agree that homemade dressing always tastes better than store-bought?

The only thing better is when someone else makes it!

With minimal ingredients, this is bound to become your new favorite!

Add some grilled chicken and make it a nice lunch or dinner on a warm day.

I’m all about fresh, toasted croutons and simple salad dressings.

If you’re looking for a simple side salad that feels a little more special, this kale Caesar salad is always a great choice.

The homemade dressing is packed with fresh lemon, garlic, Romano cheese, and just enough anchovy to give it that classic Caesar flavor.

Tossed with crisp kale and crunchy homemade croutons, it’s a salad that’s hearty enough to stand up to grilled chicken, steak, seafood, or your favorite pasta dishes.

Ingredients for Simple Caesar Dressing

• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Garlic (minced or paste)
• Anchovies (another option: finely mince green olives)
• Dijon Mustard
• 1 egg yolk
• Romano Cheese, grated (another option: Parmesan Cheese)
• Avocado/Olive Oil
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Coarse Salt
• Coarse Black Pepper

You’ll also need

• Chopped Kale or Baby Kale
• And bread for croutons, it’s the best reason to keep the ends of bread, or bread that has gone stale, hidden in your fridge or freezer so you can make fresh croutons anytime you’d like.

One of the things I love most about using kale is that it holds up well after being dressed.

Unlike delicate greens that can wilt quickly, kale stays fresh and crisp, making it a great option for meal prep or gatherings. If you prefer a slightly more tender texture, massage the kale with a small drizzle of oil before adding the dressing.

The homemade croutons add the perfect crunch and are an easy way to use up leftover bread. Combined with the creamy Caesar dressing and plenty of grated Romano cheese, every bite is loaded with flavor. This simple salad proves that a few fresh ingredients can create something truly delicious.

This is the kind of side salad that can easily become part of your regular dinner rotation. It pairs especially well with grilled chicken, steak, pork chops, and pasta dishes. The bold Caesar flavors complement simple proteins without overpowering them.

If you’re serving guests, don’t be surprised when everyone wants to have seconds.

The combination of fresh lemon, garlic, Romano cheese, and crunchy homemade croutons makes this salad simple, classic, and always a favorite.

More great salad recipes

• Thai Peanut Chicken Salad
• Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad
• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Taco Salad

Don’t miss these Salad Dressing Recipes

• Lemon Saffron Salad Dressing
• Quick Creamy Caesar Dressing
• Green Goddess Dressing

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How to make Simple Kale Caesar Salad, Dressing, and Croutons

Quick and easy Caesar Dressing surrounds this Kale Salad. One of the things I love most about using kale is that it holds up well after being dressed.

Course Salad, sauce

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Salad, Salad Dressing, sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (or paste)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worsteshire sauce
• 1/2-1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3-1/2 cup avocado oil, or olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Romano Cheese or Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, add lemon juice, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, anchovy paste, egg yolk, and whisk to combine.
• Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking quickly until the dressing thickens.
• Whisk in cheese, salt, and pepper until it's completely combined.
• For kale salad, massage the leaves, then dress the lettuce with the dressing and place it in the fridge for about 10 minutes, then add additional cheese and croutons and serve. Add grilled chicken for a delicious high-protein salad.
• The dressing can be made ahead of time, or overnight too.

The post How to Make Simple Kale Caesar Salad, Dressing, and Croutons first appeared on Created by Diane.

Bright, Fresh, and Full of Flavor: The Ultimate Jar Salads You’ll Crave All Year Long!

If you’re looking for a healthy, easy salad recipes that pack a little more punch than plain salad, these jar salads are a real winner!

These high-protein mason jar salads are always a delight to see in the fridge. I sometimes wrap a plastic fork around the top with some twine and share them.

I love using 16 oz wide-mouth jars for making jar salads, storing leftovers like SOUP, making pickled vegetables, and so many more uses.

And these leakproof lids work well when we go camping, you don’t want any liquids leaking as things get rattled around on the road.

Ingredients

• Pearl couscous (another small pasta to use orzo, ditalini, or elbows)
• quinoa (I used red quinoa)
• chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)
• cooked diced chicken
• olives (black olives or kalamata olives)
• cucumbers (sliced and cut into quarters)
• tomatoes (small tomatoes or larger tomatoes, diced)
• feta cheese, cubed
• Add mint, chopped greens, and diced red onion if desired

Green Goddess Dressing is so yummy and just about the prettiest green ever!

And I’m listing the yummiest Greek Dressing below.

Using an immersion blender to combine salad dressing will emulsify it, creating a silky smooth and creamy salad dressing.

*Add an egg into the salad dressing to make it extra thick and creamy.

Greek Salad Dressing

• 3/4 cup oil (I use avocado oil)
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• pinch coarse kosher salt and black pepper

Add in some falafel for a fun Greek version. Another option is to add this couscous.

These salads look so appetizing!

All layered and pretty, grab-and-go meals are the secret to eating healthy when life gets busy. Whether you’re headed to the office, wrangling kids at home, heading to the beach, or just trying to keep your week on track, mason jar salads make eating simple, satisfying, and seriously delicious.

All the ingredients will be packed into glass jars or the container of your choice.

Don’t forget the salad dressing. I place the dressing in 2-oz containers.

I use 2-cup glass jars, go ahead and use a 3-cup jars if you want more room to shake them.

I use this mini tart shaper to press down items in the jar to level the ingredients.

You can eat them out of the jar or pour them out into a bowl.

The flavor possibilities are endless!

Greek recipes are some of my all-time favorites.

If I see the word KABOB, I have no self-control and must give it a try.

Greek Pasta Salad recipe here, mix it in a bowl or layer it up in these jars for the best meal prep!

More Greek Inspired Recipes:

• Pickled Turnips
• Mediterranean Marinated Chicken
• Whipped Feta Dip
• Greek Chicken Breasts
• Greek Spiral Cucumber Salad
• Quinoa Tabbouleh
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Greek No-Mayo Potato Salad
• Greek Chicken Meatballs
• Greek Chicken Salad + Tomato Dressing
• Sour Cream Chicken Thighs

When will you be making these mason jar salads? If you have leftover cooked pearl couscous or quinoa, go right ahead and freeze it for next time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• Make-ahead friendly – stays crisp for 4-5 days in the fridge.

• Protein-packed thanks to quinoa and couscous.

• Customizable – switch up the veggies or grains to match your mood.

• Perfect for lunch on the go or a quick dinner.

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Jar Salads

Say goodbye to lunch stress and hello to your new favorite meal prep hack, salads in a jar. Make these Green Goddess and Greek Jar Salads with quinoa and pearl couscous or other tiny pasta.

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Greek

Keyword chicken, pasta salad, vegetables

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Author Diane Schmidt - createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Pearl couscous or small pasta to use orzo, ditalini, or elbows
• 1 cup quinoa any color
• 1 16 oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans)
• 1 1/2 lbs cooked diced chicken
• 1 cup sliced olives, black or Kalamata olives
• 2 cucumbers, sliced and cut into quarters
• 1 cup tomatoes, small tomatoes sliced or larger tomatoes diced if desired
• 4 oz feta cheese, diced/cubed, or crumbled
• OPTIONAL: chopped fresh mint, chopped greens/lettuce, and diced red onion

Instructions

• Gather your jars (or container of choice), lids and forks if needed
• Cook couscous according to directions.
• Cook quinoa according to directions.
• Drain and rinse chickpeas
• All other items should be ready to add (cut any other items you'll be adding)
• Start adding items to each jar and press down with a long spoon or tart shaper, creating the layers.
• Place dressing in small containers and place them on top for easy transport.
• Add the lids, tie on the forks if desired with twine or ribbon.
• Place in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

The post Make-Ahead Magic: Jar Salads and Pasta Salads for Stress-Free Meals first appeared on Created by Diane.

Crisp, cool, crunchy, salty-sweet, and full of flavor.

This Chinese chicken salad will be on repeat from now through summer, so be sure to bookmark it, print it, share it, tell your friend, or whoever. Heck, invite them over and have a party.

It’s warm and sunny out and no better time to gather all the ingredients, fry up some crisp wonton,s and enjoy.

Add in vermicelli noodles if you prefer, or fry them for the crunch. I myself like fried wontons on top. They take only a couple of minutes to make, and they are crunchy and addictive in the best way possible!

Now onto the chicken. I like chicken breast for this salad. I also like it shredded. But you can easily served dice, chopped, or large strips of chicken if you prefer.

You can bake, boil, steam, pressure cook, slow cook, use rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, leftover cooked chicken, cast-iron cooked chicken, and grilled chicken. I also have an Asian Chicken recipe that would go great in this.

Pretty much… any way you want to prepare the chicken, it’ll go well in this salad.

OMG, I love going to Chinese food restaurants and having them with spicy Asian mustard and a little duck sauce. the spicy-sweet combo is my favorite.

Which leads me to the wontons, dipping them in the duck sauce and mustard, made going to the restaurant all the more fun, but I was so happy that if you ordered takeout, they packed them up too.

How to cook the crispy wontons

To make the wonton strips, buy square wonton wrappers in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, slice them 1/2″ thick, then separate them so they don’t stick together. They are typically well cornstarched and will easily be separated.

Heat an inch or so of oil in a small pot, a 2-quart pot works well with high sides to avoid splashing and oil going everywhere, but small enough that you don’t need a ton of oil either. You’ll heat the oil to 350°, drop in some wontons to cover the bottom of the pot, and give them a toss, they’ll fry up quickly, about 2-3 minutes. Use tongs and keep moving them.

• Pork Lo Mein
• Beef with Snow Peas
• Szechuan Chicken and Vegetables
• Pork wontons 

You can find more of my Asian Recipes Here.

I love the cold orange pieces, use fresh slices or canned mandarin orange segments.

Other fun toppings for this salad are cashsews or sliced almonds.

Add some sesame seeds as well.

Print

Chinese Chicken Salad

A tasty, satisfying, crunchy salad with a salty-sweet flavor combination. Filled with chicken, vegetables, and topped with a delicious dressing and crunchy wonton strips.

Course Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Asian, chicken, Chinese, vegetables

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Cost $15

Ingredients

• 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 1 very large head or 2 smaller heads of lettuce
• 4 cups green cabbage, shredded , napa cabbage is another option
• 2 cups red cabbage, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, julianned
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro , start with a small bunch
• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast , options in post
• 1 11oz can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/3 cup cashews or sliced almonds
• 1-2 cups fried wonton strips , instruction in post
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds , toasted and black can both be used

Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing

• 1 tablespoon oil, avocado , I use avocado oil
• 1 tablespooon sesame oil , I use toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar , or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar , honey or maple syrup
• 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, or 1/4 tsp dry ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice , orange juice or lemon juice
• pinch salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place all cut salad items into a large bowl.
• Mix the dressing in a measuring cup or glass jar with a whisk, allowing the sweetener is dissolved and the dressing is well-blended.
• Pour the dressing over the vegetables and chicken and toss to uniformly distribute the dressing.
• Top with nuts, wonton strips, sesame seeds, and mandarin oranges.

The post Chinese Chicken Salad first appeared on Created by Diane.

Oh, the many reasons I love this pasta salad. First of all full of veggies, second it comes together quickly making it great for meal prepping food for the week. Third it tastes amazing. It’s one of those recipes you wish you had sooner. I love Mexican food and I’m always looking for a side dish to prep ahead of time that will go with empanadas, tacos, and carne asada.

Pasta salad itself has been for many years be sure to take a look at:

• Classic macaroni salad
• Blt macaroni salad
• Greek pasta salad
• Pepperoni pizza macaroni salad
• Bbq chicken macaroni salad
• Mexican corn macaroni salad

This recipe is not only bursting with fresh flavor it is so colorful, which makes it the perfect summer pasta salad to bring to cookouts, parties, and BBQs.

You’ll need:

• pasta
• black beans
• tomatoes
• peppers
• black olives
• cilantro
• red onion
• cotija cheese
• jalapenos

Now onto the sauce:

the secret is always in the sauce, the sauce is what pulls the whole recipe together, keeps the pasta salad from drying out, and creates a flavor profile that will have you diving your fork in for more.

• sour cream
• mayonnaise
• taco seasoning

This creamy taco pasta salad has a great sauce without being overly heavy tasting. The sour cream and mayo combo on this is perfect. Other options are to use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. You can make homemade mayo to make the sauce. Add a dash or two of hot sauce, to make the sauce spicier!

Add some fresh lime juice squeezed over the pasta salad for some zesty fresh flavor!

With all the fresh flavors in this Mexican Pasta Salad, this will go well with summer cookouts. Grill up some Carne Asada, Pollo Asada, or make plenty of Carnitas, and serve up this tasty side dish.

This taco salad without meat is the perfect side dish, a vegetarian option, and a real crowd pleaser.

I prefer making my own taco seasoning for a couple reasons.

I get to control the salt, which I don’t add to the mix, I add salt as needed to the recipe.

Tell me I’m not the only one who loves a delicious pasta salad.

There really are so many reasons for that love…

the fresh ingredients, not too time-consuming, and can be eaten for days or great for a party (that may be the best part)

Be sure to grab my taco seasoning recipe. I’ve tried many store bought varieties, but I really do prefer to make my own.

I put some of the pasta salad into containers, I knew I wanted to have one the next day and other were a couple others. So anyone who opens the fridge knows they are up for grabs. My non-vegetable eater (ok they eat like 3 vegetables) really like it, and I’m telling you, this recipe is jam packed with veggies. I used yellow and orange peppers, so I added peppers to the picky eater veggie approved list. New veggies for the win, and raw… interesting. That goes to prove you never know what someone will like. And my opinion on a picky eaters is just keep trying to give them options. By the way, the picky eater is not young, FYI they are in their 20s and I’m always happy to hear they are enjoying new items.

Add grilled corn for a nice flavor to this meatless taco pasta salad. Add cooked diced chicken to make it a protein packed meal!

NOTE: If you mix everything in the sauce it will not look like bright color toppings, I suggest you mix the pasta with the sauce, then layer on the topping to keep it pretty!

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Taco Pasta Salad

Get ready to dive into this fresh flavored pasta salad with all sorts of Mexican flavors. Colorful and perfect for dinner or a party!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword pasta,, vegetables, vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta reduce carbs by using 1/2 lb pasta
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 oz can black olives sliced
• 1 cup diced peppers, yellow/orange baby peppers or bell peppers
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 12 pieces cilantro stems and leaves, chopped
• 2-4 tablespoons cotija cheese
• 1 whole jalapeno, diced (optional) remove seeds for less spice
• 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup is 6 oz
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup is 6 oz
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• pinch salt and pepper to taste I prefer coarse kosher salt and coarse black pepper

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and soak in cold water for 5 minutes, drain
• In a bowl, prepare sauce, mix sour cream and mayo with taco seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut/prep all remaining ingredients, beans, tomatoes, peppers, olives, onion, cilantro, jalapeno (if using) and crumble the cheese.
• Blot pasta with paper towels if it's really wet, so the sauce with stick to the pasta.
• Choose to chill pasta then mix the remaining ingredients before serving. Or you can mix it all together, I like this recipe to remain colorful and place the remaining ingredients in a separate container and layer the ingredients before serving.
• Keep chilled until serving.

Notes

If you want more “sauce”  add an additional 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup mayo and 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. This comes in handy if you make it ahead of time and certain varieties of pasta absorb more sauce than others.

The post The Ultimate Taco Pasta Salad Recipe first appeared on Created by Diane.

I’m all about pasta salad, just saying those words makes my mouth water.

This is a fun twist on Caesar Salad, it turns it into a tasty meal.

This pasta salad is more than pasta, it includes salad… which you don’t typically find leafy greens in pasta salad recipes. I use Romaine lettuce, kale is another great option.

This recipe revolves around this easy homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing it’s one of my tasty go-to salad dressing recipes.

Let’s start with the main pasta salad ingredients

• Romaine lettuce
• shaved Romano or Parmesan Cheese
• Croutons
• Homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing
• pasta
• cooked chicken (grilled, sauteed, or rotisserie chicken breast)

Depending on how many servings you’re looking for this recipe can be easily customized, I made 4 servings with 1/2 lb of pasta, you can easily add the whole pound and some more salad dressing to make more filling servings or additional servings.

This has become one of my go-to pasta salad recipes. It takes minutes to prep, it’s great for making lunches ahead of time. It comes together so easily you can make it if someone stops by and you’re sitting and chatting and decide to make some lunch!

Adding cooked chicken to this recipe is just perfect for when you want that added protein a meal.

Get ready to dive your fork into this deliciousness!

BIGGEST tip when making this pasta salad- do not toss the lettuce in the dressing. It will wilt the greens and they’ll become soggy. You’ll want to keep the lettuce as crisp as possible. And you can even enjoy this the next day. Super-Bonus! The croutons will get less crisp if they are in the container for a leftover, it’s often better to place them in a bag and put that into the container so they stay crunchy when eating it at a later time.

Pasta salads that have been refrigerated develop a deeper flavor.

To do that for this recipe, mix the pasta with some dressing and refrigerate it, you can cut and prep out the other items and keep them separate, and mix just before serving. That way you can add some additional salad dressing if needed. It’s also nice to drizzle some Caesar Dressing over the top of the final dish too.

This recipe can certainly be enjoyed when just made! Be sure to soak the pasta in cold water for 3 minutes, so the pasta is cold. Then blot the pasta dry with paper towels so the salad dressing won’t slip off! Or place the pasta in a salad spinner!

More great summer salad style recipes to try

• potato salad
• macaroni salad

If you’d like more info on enjoying resistant starch… and reasons why pasta get better once completely chilled, read this.

Add this to your meal prep for fun lunches, to take to the park, or beach, or to drop by to see a friend. If you’re not serving immediately do not add the croutons, place them in a bag and tuck them inside the container when you take it out of the fridge to keep them crunchy.

Be sure to check out more pasta salad recipes here:

• Greek Pasta Salad
• Green Goddess Pasta Salad
• Feta Basil Balsamic Pasta Salad
• Creamy Lemon Pasta Salad
• Pesto Zucchini Pasta Salad

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Caesar Pasta Salad

Your favorite Caesar Salad turned into a meal with chicken and pasta, totally delicious! And tips for it to stay crisp for meal prep.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Cellentani pasta or similar spiral pasta use a lb if you want more pasta
• 6-8 large romaine lettuce leaves chopped
• 1-1 1/2 lbs cooked chicken breast, chopped grilled, sauteed, or rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/3 cup Romano or Parmesan Cheese, shaved additional 1 oz grated cheese for dressing if desired
• pinch salt and pepper to taste you'll add to both the dressing then the pasta salad
• 1 cup homemade creamy caesar dressing recipe follows
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 dashes hot sauce for zing

Instructions

• Prepare the pasta according to package directions, and drain.
• Soak in cold water for 3 minutes, to completely chill the pasta.
• Prepare the dressing while the pasta cooks.
• Mix the sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and salt and pepper until blended. (for extra cheesy dressing add 1 oz grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese.
• Blot the pasta dry with a paper towel so the dressing will coat that pasta and not "slip" off. Add 1/2 the dressing to the pasta and stir well.
• In a medium bowl, add 1/2 the dressing to the pasta and stir well. Add more dressing as needed as desired.
• If serving immediately mix a couple of tablespoons dressing with the chicken and stir that into the pasta, stir in the chopped lettuce, top with grated cheese and croutons, salt and pepper, and serve.
• I usually prepare the pasta the day ahead when making pasta salad and allow the dressing time to absorb a bit, then add additional dressing before serving.
• In this recipe do not mix the lettuce with the dressing until closer to serving. Add additional dressing if desired.
• When meal prepping place the dressed pasta in the bottom of the dish, add the lettuce and cheese on top. Place the chicken on top. Then place the croutons in a bag, and tuck it inside the container so they stay crunchy.
• Top with salt and pepper and serve.

The post Caesar Pasta Salad first appeared on Created by Diane.

Why you’ll love this recipe: It’s full of flavor and a low-carb option to eating an Italian sub.

What you’ll need

You’ll need all the items you’d enjoy in a sub to make this chopped Italian sub salad.

This Italian chopped salad is full of lettuce, tomato, onion, salami, and provolone, and I had stuffed green olives (pickles would have been great, but I ate them all the night before).

A crispy crunchy salad full of Italian sub flavors, add all your favorites and make it just the way you’d order a sub. You’ll chop it all up and dive your fork right into it!

As you can see this salad only needs some simple ingredients, any style of lettuce will work. I used iceberg lettuce, which you typically find in sub sandwiches. you can chop it thick or shred it fine.

No onto the tomatoes… I used grape tomatoes, you can use Beefsteak tomatoes or slice up some grape tomatoes like I did.

Italian meats are next… I used salami, you can add some prosciutto, ham, capicola, Calabrese Salame, or pepperoni are all good choices.

Now onto the cheese… provolone is my go-to for Italian sandwiches, use what you like best.

Substitutions

Add:

pickles

pepperoncini

pickled red onions

roasted red peppers

banana peppers

black olives

or your favorite sub topping

Go ahead and grab everything you’d like…

and add it to your chopped Italian sub salad, and begin chopping.

How are you going to make this crazy good Italian chopped salad… you’ll need a delicious dressing.

I drizzle the salad with avocado oil (olive oil is another option or oil of your choosing) then add red wine vinegar, dry oregano, salt, and pepper.

Give the salad a toss and you’re all set to dig in. If you don’t want to make dressing just grab some sub dressing at the store. I can suggest Boars head dressing, or Beanos are nice options.

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Italian Chopped Salad

You'll love this crispy crunchy Italian Chopped Sub Salad it's full of all your favorite Italian sub items, tossed in the perfect dressing. Every bite is full of flavor.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 2-4 cups iceburg lettuce chopped
• 6-8 grape tomatoes sliced, or other tomato variety
• 4-6 oz Italian meat I used salami
• 1-2 oz provolone cheese
• 2-4 tablespoons onion chopped (white or red onion)
• 6 green pimento stuffed olives sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons oil avocado oil (olive oil is another option or oil of your choosing)
• 2-4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
• pinch coarse salt
• pinch coarse black pepper

Instructions

• In a medium to large salad bowl add the salad items.
• Drizzle on the dressing (mix the dressing in a jar or add the items over the salad.
• Toss the salad to mix the dressing completely and serve. If prepping this salad ahead of time add dressing right before serving.

Notes

Salad dressing: I drizzle the salad with avocado oil (olive oil is another option or oil of your choosing) then add red wine vinegar, dry oregano, salt, and pepper. Or use purchased sub dressing if you prefer.

Substitutions: add pickles, pepperoncini, pickled red onions, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, black olives,

The post Italian Sub Chopped Salad first appeared on Created by Diane.

You can never go wrong with pasta salad… 

Let me repeat that (just kidding) there are so many options. Cold pasta has Resistant Starch, which if you haven’t heard is considered good for low-carb eaters, and diabetics as it’s resistant to digestion and acts like soluble fiber… good news there.

If you love the thought of pasta salad be sure to check out these other pasta salad recipes. 

Be sure to check out my latest video… this recipe is in it!

Continue reading: Greek Pasta Salad

The post Greek Pasta Salad first appeared on Created by Diane.

Comfort food isn’t always complicated.

In fact, one of my favorites is the simple Caesar Salad. And it’s due to this that I began experimenting with my own dressing. I found the bottled versions to either be too tangy or lacking in any real flavor at all.

I wanted something that I can turn to again, and again. That I can make quickly. And so, this Caesar Salad Dressing fits the bill on every level!

Continue reading: How to Make Quick Easy Creamy Caesar Dressing Recipe

The post How to Make Quick Easy Creamy Caesar Dressing Recipe first appeared on Created by Diane.

Thailand has a way of taking the simplest food items and turning them into masterpieces of flavor. And this Thai Peanut Chicken Salad is the same way!

This salad plays around with different textures, it has the crunch of the cabbage and the tender juicy chicken. And the fresh flavors really pop out on this one! Cilantro and lime juice adds liveliness to the salad while the peanut and sesame oil add flavors of roasted goodness. The chili paste brings a depth of flavor, while not being too spicy. And the honey sweetens blends in to make the whole dish delicious.

Continue reading: Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

The post Thai Peanut Chicken Salad first appeared on Created by Diane.

Salads are great, I love them but I always want more than just a simple green salad. This flavor explosion is great all year long, apples are readily available and the added flavor of delicious cheese, dried cranberries, and nuts with a simple dressing puts this salad over the top.

In the summer the heat can really make you feel heavy and tired, but the right food to put in your body can lighten you right up. This salad provides key nutrients to help you stay energized. Kale contains vitamin C and Iron, and walnuts add a dose of protein while apples add fiber. 

 And because it’s a cold dish with ingredients that won’t sit heavy, you’ll feel refreshed! It’s the perfect lunch to take with you to work as everything can be prepared ahead of time. Just throw it in a container, your balsamic dressing in another, and you’re ready to go!

Continue reading: Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Salad

The post Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Salad first appeared on Created by Diane.