Build a better salad with a Salad Party!

Happy Sunday all!  How are you all doing??  I completely & totally unplugged this weekend turning everything off.  I cannot remember the last time I went an entire weekend without turning the computer on or checking email.  It is kind of crazy how much we got done even if I am completely and totally behind with you all now.  I will be playing catch-up all week, but, it was totally worth it.

I DID miss you all, but, I can say, I am back in action and have so many FANTASTIC things to share….like this delicious Salad Party we hosted today!

The folks at Wish Bone asked over the summer if I would like to host a Salad Savvy Party and create some tasty new recipes using their new dressings. I am a pretty big fan of Wish Bone Dressings because they are truly versatile.  I LOVE using them for quick marinades, pasta salads and of course on my BIG SALADS since they are only 1 points+ each.

We thought it would be fun to have our nephews over to our salad party and let them Build a Better Salad!  This was definitely a stretch since our 7 year old nephew pretty much only likes ranch with sunflower seeds and lettuce.  I definitely think it helped get them both excited about “cooking” in the kitchen because we let them pick out all the ingredients they thought would be fun in salad.

The goal of each of our salads was to make sure they were delicious no matter what new Wish Bone Salad Dressing you used.

A special Thanks to Wish Bone for providing us with everything we needed to host our Salad Party including the dressings, plates and gift cards to buy the ingredients.

The first salad up was our “GROUP” salad.  The first thing that came to the boys mind when we told them it didn’t have to be ALL vegetables was pasta salad.

I absolutely LOVE this pasta salad ~ it might be my favorite in the group.  The Bruschetta dressing is slightly sweet and slightly tangy, so we decided to include all of those delicious flavors in our pasta salad.  I think the thing that makes this pasta salad fun is all the little “treats” you come across as you eat it….from the mozzarella balls to the sun dried tomatoes and garlic stuffed green olives.

BRUSCHETTA PASTA SALAD (print here)

INGREDIENTS

• 6 oz ratatouille pasta
• 2 oz fresh mozzarella balls
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup snap peas, diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 10 black olives
• 5 garlic stuffed green olives
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 4 artichoke hearts, sliced in half
• 1/3 cup Wish Bone Bruschetta Vinaigrette
• Sea salt & black pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS

1.  Cook the pasta according to the packaged directions.  Rinse in cold water and place in a large bowl.

2.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine.

3.  Chill for 1 hour and enjoy!

Makes 8 servings, 1 1/2 cups, 5 points+ each

Nutritional information per serving

Salad # 2 included all of my FAVORITE things in a salad.  Your first bite is the crisp greens and sweet beets, followed up with the smoky bacon, sweet & nutty pecans and salty feta cheese.  This salad is actually perfect “naked” without dressing, but, adding in the Mediterranean or SuperFruit Berry Vinaigrettes really make this one FANTASTIC salad.

MEDITERANNEAN BEET, BACON & PECAN SALAD (print here)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups organic mixed greens
• 1 cup roasted, fresh beets, quartered (I used Trader Joe’s roasted & fresh beets!)
• 1 oz fat free feta
• 1/4 cup roasted pecans, roughly chopped
• 2 pieces turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup Wish Bone Mediterranean Italian Dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  In a large bowl, build your salad starting with the mixed greens and finishing with the turkey bacon.

2.  Toss with dressing just before serving.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/4 cups, 3 points+ each

Nutritional information per serving

Salad #3 was developed entirely by our middle nephew who is 11 years old (can you tell even by the title?!) He put everything into the bowl that he LOVES but made sure to balance out the rich mozzarella & garlic stuffed green olives with sweet and tangy pomegranate seeds & salty sunflower seeds.

GET ME TO THE “GREEK” SALAD (print here)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups organic mixed greens
• 2 oz fresh mozzarella balls
• 4 garlic stuffed green olives
• 4 black olives
• 2 artichoke hearts, sliced in half
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 1/4 cup Wish Bone Greek Vinaigrette

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, build your salad starting with the mixed greens and finishing with the pomegranate seeds.

2. Toss with dressing just before serving.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/4 cups, 3 points+ each

Nutritional information per serving

Who says that you can’t have salad as dessert?  The Husband had the “grand finale” salad and he really did take this Waldorf inspired fruit salad over the top.  The soft butter leaf lettuce was the perfect addiction to all the crunchy, sweet fruit and rich nuts.  The SuperFruit Berry Vinaigrette actually brings together all of the flavors in the salad with a little tang and a little sweetness.

WALDORF INSPIRED FRUIT SALAD (print here)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cup butter leaf lettuce
• 1/2 cup English cucumber, quartered and sliced
• 1 nectarine, diced
• 1 large pluot, diced
• 1/2 cup large red grapes
• 2 Tbsp roasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 1/4 cup Wish Bone SuperFruit Berry Vinaigrette

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, build your salad starting with the butter leaf lettuce and finishing with the pomegranate seeds.

2. Toss with dressing just before serving.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/4 cups, 3 points+ each

Nutritional information per serving

The BEST PART about having a Build a Better Salad Salad Party……

Having fun making the salads, getting to try them ALL and knowing they are all less than 5 points+ per serving!

Want more salad party ideas? Wish Bone has a TON of recipes and ideas on their site.

HERE IS WHAT IS ON THE MENU THIS WEEK

I AM cooking ~ Now that I have week 1 under my belt, it’s time to find my routine again! Recipes to post when I make them for the items not linked.

• Italian Sausage & Pepper Pasta, garlic bread, salad
• Ginger Teriyaki Shrimp Skewers, Brown Rice, Cucumber Salad
• Grilled Soy Honey Glazed Pork Chops with Jicama Hashbrowns & stuffed zucchini or green beans
• Lazy Chicken Enchiladas with salad
• BREAKFASTS ~ Summer Vegetable Frittata
• LUNCHES ~ Ginger Soy Chicken & Edamame Stir Fry with Brown Rice

Get READY TO WIN your own Wishbone Salad Savvy Kit coming up tomorrow.

Night all!