Tony's Texas Slaw

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 lb bag coleslaw mix
1 c thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 c thinly sliced green bell pepper
1 med onion thinly sliced
1 carrot coarsely shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk sugar, vinegar and oil in large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients toss to combine.  Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours tossing occasionally.  Makes 8 servings.  SLAW CHEAT:  - make dressing add to all ingredients in gallon ziplock.  Place in refrigerator and turn a couple of times.  Makes for easy transport.

This comes from a family friend - he always goes home with a empty bowl!  Enjoy!

CHAMPAGNE SALAD

Made this for a "girls" lunch at work.  Didn't have fresh basil, used cheese sticks (use what you have, right?).  This was delish!  The avocados turned a little, but what you would expect if you were cutting them for your lunch in the morning.

2 avocados, cubed

2 tomatoes, cubed
Fresh mozzarella, cubed
Fresh basil, sliced into thin strips
Girard's Champagne dressing
salt & pepper, to taste
Combine avocado, tomato, mozzarella, & basil in a large bowl.  Top with dressing and toss to coat.  The dressing is available at Kroger or Target.   This salad is best served fresh, although I've made it at night & eaten it for lunch the next day.

Cherry Vinaigrette

This comes from Jessie at the  Vanderbilt Wife.

I made this dressing and it was great!  I had rasberry jam and cranberry juice.  I think any combo would work.  We had a mixed salad of romaine and spinach, wish I had added a few dried cranberries and crumbled bacon bits.  Best thing it made just a small amount.

Cherry Vinaigrette

2 TBS cherry whole-fruit jam, such as Smuckers Simply Fruit
1 TBS pomegranate or pomegranate-cherry juice
olive oil
salt and pepper
Whisk juice into the jam until jam is broken up and smooth. Whisk in olive oil until you reach desired dressing consistency. (I like just enough oil to make it runny so it is still very acidic, but it's up to you.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over salad and toss. Makes 4 side salad portions.

 
This is linked to Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight
 

Orange-Almond Salad

Lettuce
2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin orange sections, drained
½ c sliced celery

¼ c thinly sliced green onions

½ c sliced almonds

   Dressing:
¼ c oil

2 TBS vinegar

2 TBS Sugar

Dash of salt

1/8 tsp almond or vanilla extract

Clean and tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Place the lettuce, orange sections, celery, green onions, and almonds in a bowl. In a screwtop jar, combine the salad oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and almond extract; shake to combine well. At serving time, pour dressing over the salad and toss gently. Serves 6-8. 

We have been known to put this all together, with the drained oranges in a bowl the salad dressing in a jar and have it ready WELL before dinner, all we do is dress and toss!

This is from my aunt and goes GREAT with "The Casserole".

This is linked to Eat at Home  Ingredient Spotlight.

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

¼ c uncooked orzo
3 c grilled chicken breast, chopped
1 ½ c arugula
1 c grape tomatoes, halved
½ c red bell pepper, chopped
¼ c red onion, chopped
2 TBS fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 ½ oz goat cheese, crumbled
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. Combine pasta, chicken and the next six ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well. Combine vinegar, oil, salt and black pepper in a small bowl, and combine with a whisk. Drizzle mixture over pasta. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm or cold. (I did end up substituting baby spinach for the arugula and I used fresh mozzarella in place of the goat cheese. However, I did keep the spinach out when I stored it. I didn’t want it to wilt. I will bring the spinach in a separate Ziploc bag and add it when I’m ready to eat it.)

Ok, so Walmart looked at us like we had grown 3 heads when we asked for arugula. We subbed Walmart's Herb Mix Salad Blend and Tomato Basil Feta Cheese (not real fond of goat cheese).  We did chiffon the salad blend to be more the "size" of the salad.  This was quick and easy to put together.  Will be great for lunches for several days.