Candied Cinnamon Sugar Almonds (and Salad)

I love the Nuts About Berries salad at Cafe Zupas and tried to recreate it for a family dinner. It turned out awesome, and I've since made it again!

The salad part is simple:

1- your choice of greens (I like to chop up a head of lettuce with a bag of baby spinach)

2- a bunch of berries (any combo of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)

3- poppyseed dressing

And now for the Candied Cinnamon Sugar Almonds (this is from the Cafe Zupas blog):

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup honey

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 cups whole natural almonds

1. Spread the almonds out on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly roasted. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not burn. Stir occasionally.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and the honey to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add the almonds and simmer for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds from the saucepan to the sugar mixture. Mix until the almonds are well coated.
4. Transfer the almonds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put under the broiler for just a few minutes, just until sugar melts and caramelizes.
5. Let cool and break apart if neccessary.

*I found that putting the almonds in the cinnamon/sugar mixture worked best in small batches, like a spoonful at a time. When they were completely cool, I chopped them up for the salad.

Laurie’s Salad

2 heads lettuce (mix romaine and red leaf)
1 ½ cup grated Swiss cheese
1 cup Craisins
1 cup Cashews
2 medium pears (just before serving)
2 tart apples (just before serving)

*Dressing – Add just before serving:

½ cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. Poppy seeds

Caprese Skewers

Not only are these SO cute-- but they are super yummy too! I brought them to a bbq potluck and they were all gobbled up.  It is painfully obvious that I have the lamest camera out of all my sisters and mom on here because my pictures of these darling yummy bites suck.  Sorry.  Use your imagination because they really are darling, and oh-so-good! :)
(Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe- of course!) :)

Caprese Skewers

Cherry tomatoes, red or yellow
Basil leaves (about 18-30 leaves, the big ones can be cut in half)
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Toothpicks/skewers

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half so you end up with two half-basketball pieces. Slice the mozzarella into bite-sized chunks. Slide a piece of mozzarella onto the toothpick. Place a piece basil leaf and nestle it up next to the mozzarella (large leaves can be cut into thirds or more). Slide a tomato onto the bottom of the skewer, cut side down. Move the mozzarella and basil down to meet the tomato if needed. You want the flat side of the tomato to be right at the end of the toothpick so it stands up straight. Place all the finished skewers on a plate or tray. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve!

Salad Dressing

This is the spring salad dressing from Jessie's baby shower. Delish!

1/4 C Balsamic vinegar

1/4 C Canola oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp sugar

Mix everything except the oil together in a food processor. Drizzle the oil in while mixing until well blended. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

Mix Baby Spring greens and cut up green pears. Add crumbled feta cheese. Pour dressing over just before serving.

Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad

Recipe from Sister's Cafe
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Haas avocados, diced

shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar
crispy tortilla strips

Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Of course you can use less or more sauce, it's up to you! I like quite a bit since I love the smoky flavor of BBQ sauce in a salad. Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy!

*to make crispy tortilla strips simply slice about 10 corn tortillas in narrow strips and place on cookie sheet. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Place under the broiler and let bake until crispy and brown around the edges. 

My variations: I did not have corn tortillas so I made my tortilla strips with flour tortillas.  Still really good.

Pomegranate Fruit Jello

2 6oz pkg. cherry jello

2 pomegranates, seeded (reserve 1/3 C)

2 apples, peeled, cored, chopped (any kind)

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple

1 15 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce

Topping

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese

12 oz Cool Whip

1/3 C sugar

Mix jello according to directions. Pour into a 9x13 pan and place in the fridge. Let set up partially and then mix in the pomegranate seeds (reserve 1/3 C), chopped apples, crushed pineapple, and cranberry sauce. Put in fridge until firm.

Mix topping ingredients together and spread on top. Sprinkle reserved pomegranate seeds on top. Chill until ready to serve.

This is Jessie's recipe and it is soooo good! It's crunchy and not too sweet and very festive.

Creamy Red Jello Salad

I don't make Jello a lot. I sort of feel like I'd be fulfilling the ultimate cliche: mormon housewife with a pyrex full of jello. But when I do make it, this one's really good. No chunks of anything. Just a great flavor.

1 large box raspbery Jello
2 c. water (boiling)
1/2 can frozen OJ concentrate
2 c. applesauce
cool whip
cinnamon

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Stir in frozen concentrate and applesauce until well blended. Pour into 9x13 and set overnight (it takes forever to set up). To serve, top with cool whip and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

*Note: the original recipe was double the ingredients, and it really filled up the 9x13. It was a lot. That's why I suggest doing half and still filling a 9x13. More room for cool whip.

Bruschetta Salad

(From my friend, Jenny)
1 loaf dense bread cut into cubes.
1-2 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers
1-2 large tomatoes cut into chunks
1 ball of mozzarella cut into chunks
1/4 cup fresh basil

Dressing:
1-2 cloves garlic finely chopped
6 T olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Put bread pieces on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 350 for 15 minutes. Not quite croutons, but toasted on the outside.
Meanwhile put all veggies and cheese in bowl. Pour dressing over top of veggies to marinate. Add bread and mix right before serving. SOOOO yummy!

Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

I made this as a side salad the other night, so I omitted the chicken. It was so good, make sure you do the homemade dressing, it is heavenly!

Dressing Ingredients:
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
2 teaspoons white sugar

Salad Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package bow tie (farfalle) pasta
1/2 cucumber - scored, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 diced Roma tomatoes
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 (6 ounce) bag fresh spinach
1 or 2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin orange segments, drained
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (can make this without chicken for a side dish)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, candied and toasted (mix 1/2 cup almonds on stove top over low heat with around 4 Tablespoons sugar. Don't let it burn, stirring until lightly golden and sugar is melted and coating almonds.)

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the dressing, blend together the ginger root, rice vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix, sugar, and garlic until well blended. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the bowtie pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and rinse under cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl.

3. To make the salad, toss the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, carrot, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken, and almonds with the pasta. Pour the dressing over the salad mixture, and toss again to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Poppyseed Dressing

(From my friend Julie)

1 1/2 c sugar or Splenda
1/2 medium red onion
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2/3 c cider vinegar

2 C oil
1 T poppyseed
Red food coloring

Blend first five ingredients together. Add 2 c oil, 1 T poppyseed, and red food coloring (optional, some people like it pinker than others:))
Keeps in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. The dressing works best with any kinds of berries or fruit and especially feta cheese. My grandparents occasionally put nuts in the salad as well, just whatever you think sounds yummy.

Chicken Pasta Salad

12 oz noodles – 8 oz of bow tie noodle and 4 oz of curly or other
1 bag baby spinach (over by packaged salads)
1-2 red bell pepper
1 can olives
2-3 Chicken Breasts
Fresh grated parmesan cheese, around 1 cup (can use feta cheese instead)
1 bottle Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Cook noodles, drain and cool. Cook chicken and dice into bite-sized pieces. Dice pepper, cut olives in half. Combine everything in a large bowl and pour ½ to 2/3 bottle of dressing over and mix. Serves about 6-8. Very yummy!!

Homemade Caesar Salad

1 package romaine lettuce
1 tub of shredded parmesean cheese (buy in specialty cheese area of store) (you'll only use about half)
1 bag of cesear croutons (again, 1/2-3/4 will be used)
1 bottle of Albertson's brand Cesear Dressing (use as much as you like)
Ground pepper

Combine and serve ~ very, very yummy and actually tastes better than a package salad.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

1 small package sliced almonds
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 small bag spinach leaves
1 head lettuce, chopped
1 small carton strawberries, sliced
Poppy seed dressing (Kraft's Creamy Poppyseed is good)

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar and stir, then add almonds. Keep stirring until sugar and butter caramelizes and the almonds turn golden (it takes a little while). Spread onto wax paper and let cool. Combine spinach, lettuce, strawberries, and almonds, then toss with dressing. You can play with the spinach/lettuce combination however you like it. I usually make a lot of almonds (I use a big bag and double the sugar/butter ratio) because I eat most of them before I put them in the salad! Serves about 8-10. If you do a large bag of spinach and two heads lettuce, you can get about 10-15 small servings.

Crunchy Almond Green Salad

(Sharon Whitaker’s recipe)

1 head iceberg lettuce
1 bunch red tip lettuce
1 bunch green leaf lettuce
Green onions, sliced
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 avocado, sliced or cubed (optional)
1 small red onion, diced
2 tbsp. butter
3 to 4 tbsp. sugar
1 small pkg. sliced almonds

Wash, dry, break up lettuce, and mix together. Toss in the green onions, mandarin oranges, avocados, and red onion. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large frying pan. Sprinkle in the almonds. Sprinkle sugar over almonds, and stir constantly over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the almonds look caramel in color. Spread almonds out on waxed paper and separate. Let cool. Break up the bigger chunks of almonds. (Note from all of us: double the almonds because they are yummy!)

Dressing:
2 c. salad oil
1 c. sugar
¾ c. cider vinegar
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. regular mustard
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
¼ to ½ c. minced yellow onion

Blend all ingredients except the poppy seeds. Add poppy seeds. Pour dressing over salad right before serving and toss. (This makes a lot of dressing!)

Cookie Salad

1 package fudge-striped cookies
1 large vanilla instant pudding (dry)
2 c. buttermilk
2 cans mandarin oranges
1 can pineapple tidbits
12 oz. cool whip

Mix all together except cookies. Crush cookies and add to salad just before serving.

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 head cabbage, shredded
3 green onions, chopped
1 ½ c. sliced roasted almonds
1 c. sunflower seeds, roasted
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 pkg. Ramen noodles, toasted
2 to 3 c. diced, cooked chicken

Dressing:
½ c. oil
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
¼ c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Ramen seasoning packets

Chicken Won Ton Salad

Dressing:
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup + 2 tsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
¾ cup sugar
4 Tbsp sesame oil
4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 ½ tsp dry mustard

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.

Salad:
2 heads iceberg lettuce
1 head romaine lettuce
4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2-3 stalks green onions, cut
½ green and red pepper, cut
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1 box bow tie pasta, cooked
sesame seeds sprinkled on bow tie pasta
1 can mandarin oranges
Won Ton skins, cut into strips and fried, cooled
handful of snow peas

Put small amount of dressing onto chicken and marinate for a short time. Tear up iceberg lettuce and mix with romaine lettuce. Layer lettuce, chicken, peppers, tomatoes, pasta, orange and onions. Repeat layers (about 3). End with snow peas. Right before serving, add fried wontons and dressing. (You may not need all the dressing.) This recipe is HUGE and feeds about 30 people.

Chicken Salad

2 ½ c. diced, chilled, cooked chicken
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. sliced seedless grapes
½ c. cashews
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1 c. mayo
½ c. heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks. Combine meat, celery, grapes, nuts, parsley, salt, and mayo. Fold into the whipped cream. Chill and serve on crescent rolls.

Caramel Apple Salad

4-5 tart apples (around 2 lbs)
5-6 regular sized Baby Ruth candy bars
1 pint whipping cream OR 1 tub Cool Whip (softened)

Chop the green apples and the candy bars into bite sized pieces. Whip the cream and add to the apples and candy bars. Serve chilled. Use either the cream or the Cool Whip but not both! These amounts are approximate.

Brianna’s Spinach Salad

1 head lettuce, washed and torn
1 bag spinach, washed and torn
1 red onion, chopped
Mushrooms, sliced
Bacon pieces
Almonds, sliced and toasted
1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 bottle Brianna’s poppy seed dressing

Mix everything together except dressing. Pour dressing over just before serving and toss well.