Chicken Fiesta Salad

In our continual attempts to try to eat healthier, my husband and I are trying to eat more salads.  But for him to really be on board with that, I need to keep them somewhat interesting and tasty!  He loved this Fiesta Salad.  I know you all probably don't really need a recipe for salad, but I always find it helpful to see salad recipes to inspire me!  So, I thought I would share.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

Mixed greens

Chicken, shredded (I used rotisserie chicken.)

Easy Corn Black Bean Salsa

Carrot, shredded

Cheese, shredded 

Black olives, sliced

Ranch (We like Wishbone Ranch and Chipotle Ranch.  They are egg-free and gluten-free.)

In a large bowl, combined desired amount of each ingredient, omit some, add others, depending on your tastes.  I find that if you add a little dressing and mix it into the salad, then you can get away with using a lot less dressing.

Thanksgiving {Egg-free}

Ah... Thanksgiving week!  Are you getting ready to cook your feast?  It can be a little stressful, especially when food allergies are involved.  Here is a list of some of the holiday favorites you can find on our egg-free Thanksgiving Menu.

Herb Turkey Breast {Slow-cooker} (EF, DF, GF)

Cornbread Dressing (EF, DF)

Cinnamon Jello Salad (EF, DF, GF)

Pumpkin Pie (EF, GF)

Need cooked chicken for a recipe?

Do you need cooked chicken for a recipe in time for dinner?  I did when I made Pesto Pasta with Roasted Veggies (EF, DF, GF).  This worked great!  It really speed up my dinner cook time.

If you like this recipe, you may also want to try Shredded Chicken {slow-cooker} (EF, DF, GF).
  

 

Easy Cooked Chicken

1 – 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ c Italian Dressing

Put one package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your slow-cooker.  Pour your favorite Italian dressing over the chicken.  I used about 1/2 cup.  Cook on low for about 6 hours or on high for about 3 hours.  I even cooked mine from frozen.  I started cooking them on high for a few hours then switched to low.

Cole Slaw {Egg-free}

Cooking out is a great way to spend the last warm days of the year, especially on a game day!  Last weekend, my husband smoked a delicious brisket.  I wanted some authentic barbecue sides.  I made cole slaw, these slow cooker pinto beans and this cornbread.  Most cole slaw recipes have mayonnaise, which contains eggs or at least egg whites.  You can buy vegan/egg-free varieties but they aren't always easy to find and tend to be a little expensive.  So, I decided I would make a vinegar based dressing for my cole slaw.  This recipe was the result.  Do note that as it sets, the cabbage releases a lot of liquid so it needs to be drained prior to serving.

 

Cole Slaw {Egg-free}

16 oz package cole slaw (shredded green cabbage with carrots)

1 bunch green onion, chopped

½ c canola oil

½ c vinegar *

1 c sugar

1 t ground mustard

1 t celery seed

1 t salt

½ t black pepper

The night before, toss green onion with cole slaw in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined.  Pour dressing over cole slaw.  Gently stir until cabbage is evenly coated with dressing.  Cover and refrigerate cole slaw overnight.  Drain excess liquid and stir prior to serving.  Serves 8

*Make sure the vinegar you use is gluten-free.  Most of the white distilled vinegars are at risk of having gluten in them.  I recently made this rice wine vinegar.  Becuase the rice vinegar has a milder taste than the distilled white, I found the cole slaw to be sweeter.  I thought it was a good subsitution but I would recommend reducing the sugar to 2/3 cup or 3/4 cup.  {Update 1/3/15}  

Balsamic Vinaigrette

I have been making this dressing for years.  It is good, easy and very allergy friendly!  I adapted it from a recipe I found on the Food Network by Emeril Lagasse.  I reduced the oil and salt and used garlic powder in place of fresh garlic.  Using garlic powder makes me think I can keep it in my refrigerator longer and get more use out of it.  We were invited over to our friends' house for pizza night this week.  To go with our pizza, I tossed up a yummy Italian salad made with romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, seedless cucumber, mini sweet bell pepper, pepperoni and a mozzarella/provolone cheese blend. (I forgot the black olives but they would have been a nice addition).  I hope you enjoy this dressing on your favorite salad!

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Adapted from Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette by Emeril Lagasse on Food Network 2003

¼ c balsamic vinegar

½ c olive oil

2 t brown sugar

1 t garlic powder

¼ t seasoned salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in an airtight container and shake to mix.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours prior to serving.  Shake before each use.

Makes 6 2 Tablespoon servings

Ranch Dressing {Egg-free}

When you are on an egg-free diet, ranch dressing can be tricky, as most recipes contain mayonnaise.  It pretty much has to be avoided when dining out.  While I have found a few brands that are egg-free, they just don't taste all that good.  So, I thought I would try making my own.  Before coming up with a recipe from scratch, I checked the dressing mix labels.  While most of the the dressing mixes contained egg or instructed you to add mayonnaise, most of the dip mixes didn't have egg and usually added sour cream.  So, why not use a dip mix and just thin it out?  This is exactly what I did!  I thinned it out with milk and added a little extra garlic and black pepper.  It turn out great! 

Ranch Dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dip*

16 oz light sour cream

2/3 c skim milk

1 t freshly ground black pepper

½ t garlic powder

Mix and refrigerate at least 4 hours prior to using.  

As written, this is A LOT of dressing.  I usually make a half recipe.  I think this would keep pretty well in the refrigerator for about a week.  If anyone thinks it stays fresh longer, let me know.  I also lightened it up a little with light sour cream and skim milk.  I am sure it would be great with regular or even fat free sour cream and regular or low-fat milk.  You may just have to adjust the amount of milk to get the desired consistency.

*Per the company website, this brand of dip mix is gluten-free.