Fajita Bowtie Salad

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Simple and full of great flavors this pasta salad would be a fabulous addition to any Cinco de Mayo celebration!

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My Fajita Bowtie Salad is perfect when you’re looking for something people haven’t been served a million times before. Simple and full of great flavors this pasta salad would be a fabulous addition to any Cinco de Mayo celebration!

This pasta salad also makes a great lunch. Of course you can also make it for dinner, simply round it out with a bowl of fresh fruit, and maybe some cornbread. Dinner is served!

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Spicy Ranch Chicken Tortellini Salad

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My Spicy Ranch Chicken Tortellini Salad is a great salad when it’s warm outside! It’s easy to make and pretty much perfect for Summer!

2015-07-06-6235 Spicy Ranch Chicken Tortellini Salad

This salad is great when you want to have something easy for lunch or dinner, and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen! Okay, that’s pretty much every meal for me during the Summer. :)

During the Summer we love having a cold salad in the fridge, that’s completely ready to go. If you’re in the mood for something more with your meal, cut up some fresh fruit and you are set! Then all you need is dessert of course!

When I put this salad together I knew I wanted a spicy ranch dressing, but feel free to go as bold or as mild as you want. I have tried it both ways, and both are very good.

There are just days you want a little more kick, so go for it!

My Spicy Ranch Chicken Tortellini Salad is definitely worth checking out!

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Here’s a line up of your basic ingredients. You may choose to sprinkle your salad with a little chopped parsley, or cilantro.

I used parsley on my salad only because my guys absolutely will not eat cilantro. They have that gene that causes it to taste soapy to them, or so they say!

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The tricolor refrigerated tortellini is always so much fun. Your tortellini doesn’t have to be tricolored. But I would definitely use refrigerated pasta, cooked the way you like it.

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Absolutely love the different textures in this salad! Can’t complain about the touch of bacon either. :)

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Spicy Ranch Chicken Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:                                                                 2015-07-06-6235 Spicy Ranch Chicken Tortellini Salad

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated tricolor cheese tortellini, uncooked

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup rotisserie chicken or roasted chicken, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1-2 green onions, finely chopped

2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup cubed or shredded Marble Jack cheese, optional

1/2 cup spicy ranch dressing (or 1/4 cup ranch and 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa)

Parsley or Cilantro, to sprinkle on top, if desired

Directions:

Cook refrigerated tortellini according to package directions. Add peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. You will need the room to stir once everything is added.

Add the peas, celery, green onions, chicken and bacon. Stir in cheese if using. Pour dressing over mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley before serving.

Makes 6-8 Servings 

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Strawberry Kale Salad

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strawberry kale salad

strawberry kale salad

Welcome to my first blog post about kale!

Never in my life did I think I would be blogging about kale; how much I like kale, or about how good it is. But, here I am, so never say never! :)

So, this is the first year we’ve ever had kale in the garden. I always thought kale was very bitter. But the kale we have planted is called baby kale (or so the seed packet said). This kale is mild and almost sort-of sweet. Not sweet like a carrot, but definitely not bitter, and that’s all that matters!

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 I know kale has been around forever, I know it has been big down South for a very long time, and I know kale is very, very good for you! I also know some kale can be bitter, but I guarantee you this baby kale is wonderful!

What else do I know about kale? I know that we all really enjoy kale at our house, and even my youngest (Sir Picky Pants) loves kale! So we’ve been doing a lot of different types of kale salad lately.

Kale is also a great source of vitamin C! From a mom’s perspective, that’s pretty much all I need to know. :)

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 This fresh crisp kale salad is so refreshing with a nice Summer dinner from the grill. This Strawberry Kale Salad is also one of my favorite spins on kale. If this isn’t your thing, don’t worry, I have other kale salads coming soon.

Strawberry Kale Salad

Ingredients                           

copy of 009 2 cups baby kale (kale leaves, stems removed, thinly sliced)

2 cups baby spinach or torn romaine lettuce

1/2 small, thinly sliced red onion

1 cup fresh halved strawberries

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds, pecans or walnuts, whichever you prefer 

2-4 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (I did not use Gorgonzola here because my husband is lactose-intolerant. But the Gorgonzola really does add a nice touch to the salad).

DRESSING

Strawberry Poppyseed Simply Dressed by Marzetti (all natural vinaigrette)

* You could make a creamy poppy seed dressing, your favorite vinaigrette, or any dressing you choose. Due to my husband being lactose-intolerant we use a vinaigrette for this salad. Plus, we love the natural taste of this dressing!

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the kale, baby spinach, red onion and strawberries. Shake the dressing well; drizzle desired amount over salad and toss to coat.

2. Sprinkle with toasted nuts, and crumbled Gorgonzola, if desired.

Makes 4 Servings, for a side salad

* Megamommy Notes

Toasted nuts in general always add a nice touch to a salad. If you are looking for something a really special you could caramelize any nut you want to and sprinkle it on top of the salad right before serving.

 

Megamommy ѽ

 

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