Yum Yum Crab Salad

1 pkg. Imitation Crab, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
Yum Yum sauce

In a bowl combine imitation crab and onions.  Add Yum Yum sauce until creamy.  Chill and serve with crackers.

Comment:  I love this stuff.  I was buying it frequently at the grocery store but decided to see if I couldn't copy the flavor and make my own.  The Yum Yum sauce did the trick.  You can also add a little chopped celery and a sprinkle of paprika if you like.  You can increase or decrease the amount of onion to your own taste too.  If you don't know what Yum Yum sauce is you'll find it in the Oriental section of the grocery store.  This is a delicious, quick and cheap dish to make for yourself or maybe your next party/cookout.

Shrimp Salad

1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
1 cup chopped celery
1 large carrot, chopped
1/4 cup green onion, chopped (white and green tops)
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine all ingredients.  Chill until ready to serve.

Comment:  I found this recipe in an allrecipes booklet.  I made just a couple of changes.  I chopped my carrot instead of shredding it.  I used only 1/4 cup of chopped green onions instead of 1/2 cup of regular.  And I decreased the mayonnaise from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup and could probably have cut that down to about 1/4 so I recommend adding the mayo a little at a time.  I wasn't sure that I would like this.  I simply couldn't imagine mayo and shrimp but some people do dip their shrimp in tartar sauce which has mayo as an ingredient.  I wasn't sure about the boiled eggs and shrimp but used them anyway.  What I found when making this dish was 1 - you can taste each ingredient individually which makes it unique.  2 - it's a perfect light meal served on a bed of lettuce with crackers.  3 - this dish is simply delicious!

Apple Walnut Salad With Poppy Seed

Salad (serves 2)

4 cups baby spinach
1 Gala apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red grapes, halved
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces
1/4 cup Gorgonzola crumbs

Poppy Seed Dressing (makes 2 cups)

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. red onion, finely grated
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds.

Salad - in a large salad bowl, combine all ingredients and toss.

Dressing - In a food processor combine sugar, mustard, salt, vinegar and red onions.  While processor is running, add olive oil to emulsify.  Once olive oil is mixed, add poppy seeds.  Pulse once or twice.  Pour into container, store tightly sealed in the refrigerator.  Dressing will keep up to 1 month.

Comments:  As you can see form the picture I made a change or two in the actual salad.  I used Romaine instead of the spinach.  I used Golden Delicious apples, they were on sale.  I didn't include the grapes but added dried cranberries instead and for the cheese I used Blue Cheese which was a little cheaper than the Gorgonzola.  I also added some grilled chicken.   No matter how you prepare your salad, it's the dressing that impressed me the most.  This has to be one of the best Poppy Seed Dressings that I've ever eaten.  This is a salad that I'll be enjoying quite often.  And it doesn't take much to flavor the whole salad.  There was only 1 change that I made in the recipe and that was with the processing.  My small blender wasn't cooperating so I used a shaker which worked with no problems at all.  For my finely grated onion, I have a small grater that I save just for onions.  This grated it super fine and allowed the flavor to flow through the dressing.  For the origin of this recipe visit visit Jessica's site Oregon Transplant.

Fruit Salad

1 can (20 oz.) unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted
crushed nuts and cherries for garnish

Mix all but garnish in a large bowl.  When serving, sprinkle with crushed nuts and a cherry.  Serves 8.

 

 

Comment:  This is a mixture that you can use your imagination with.  If you don't like pineapple, use a cup of grapes that you've sliced in half.  If you don't like orange, you might add chopped apples.  If you don't like cranberries, use raisins.  You can use walnuts instead of pecans.  Or you can eliminate the pineapple and oranges and use 2 cans of drained fruit cocktail instead.  Think with your taste buds on this one and when you do and maybe decide to add cherries in the salad remember they carry a strong taste and will overpower other tastes, that's why I only use them for garnish.  And don't forget kiwi and strawberries as possible ingredients.

Shrimp Salad

2 1/2 cups macaroni (low carb)
2 Tbsp. Dijonnaise mustard
2 large eggs (boiled)
2 stalks celery (diced)
2 lbs. shrimp, cleaned, boiled, cut into pieces
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. mayonnaise (low fat)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

Cook macaroni according to package, drain and cool.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients tossing to mix well.  May be served warm or chilled. 

Comments:  This recipe came from an author friend of mine Lawrence Johnson, Sr. - The Budget Gourmet.  Larry has written 4 novels, so far, Escape 2 Earth, Terror on Telderan, Planet of Doom and Return 2 Earth.  As well as being an author he holds a cooking class for healthier eating.  This is one of his recipes.  When I made this dish I did, of course, make a change or should I say an addition.  I added about 1 tsp. of horseradish which made a great dish even greater.  This is also a dish you can tone down or spice up.  I cut the garlic and onion powders down to 1/2 tsp. each and did ad an extra Tbsp. of mayo.  Plus I used penna pasta instead of elbow, for no real reason.  This would also be good with a sprinkle of Old Bay.  Think With Your Taste Buds when playing with this recipe.