LAYERED SPINACH SALAD

This is not yo' mama's spinach salad...cheese filled tortellini, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, green onions, bacon and ranch dressing strut their stuff when paired up with the fresh spinach!

1 (9oz.) pkg. refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
2 cups shredded red cabbage
6 cups lightly packed torn fresh spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 (8oz.) bottle Ranch dressing
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cook tortelini according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.

Layer cabbage, spinach, tortellini, tomatoes, and green onions in a 3-quart trifle bowl or 9X13 baking dish. Pour dressing over salad. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon just before serving.
Serves: 6

“He that sups upon salad, goes not to bed fasting”~Thomas Fuller, English clergyman (1608-1661)

LAYERED MEXICAN SALAD # 2

Lively layers of kidney and garbanzo beans pair up with onions, green chiles, olives, tomatoes, avocados, cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, sour cream, taco sauce and crushed tortillas.

You can easily double the ingredients in this colorful salad to feed a crowd. If you do, an 8-qt. punch bowl is the perfect size to hold the salad and show off its layers.

1 (16oz.) can kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons canned chopped green chiles
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained
2 large tomatoes, chopped*
1/3 cup sliced ripe olives
2 avocados, mashed*
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 (8oz.) carton sour cream
1/2 cup taco sauce
1 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Layer ingredients in order listed in a 4-qt. glass bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serve with additional tortilla chips.
Yield: 5 servings

*Substitute 3/4 cup salsa for tomatoes and 1 (8oz.) container guacamole for avocados, if you so desire.

“To remember a successful salad is generally to remember a successful dinner; at all events, the perfect dinner necessarily includes the perfect salad.”~George Ellwanger (1848-1906)

FRUIT AND YOGURT LAYERED SALAD

Only the freshest fruit will do for this low-fat salad that looks best served in a trifle bowl so the layers are visible.

1 (8oz.) container strawberry low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup light cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 (8oz.) container reduced-calorie Cool Whip
2 cups diced red apple (Braeburn is nice)
1 (15oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
3 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
2 cups seedless green grapes
1 cup diced pear
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 kiwifruit, peeled, halved, and sliced
3 whole fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Add Cool Whip; beat until thick and smooth.

Place apple in a 3-quart trifle bowl or deep glass bowl. Layer oranges, 1/3 of yogurt mixture, peaches, grapes, 1/3 of yogurt mixture, pear, sliced strawberries, and remaining yogurt mixture. Arrange kiwifruit around top edge of bowl. Cut 3 strawberries into fourths; arrange on top. Fill in remaining space with blueberries. Chill until ready to serve.
Serves: 12

“To remember a successful salad is generally to remember a successful dinner; at all events, the perfect dinner necessarily includes the perfect salad.~”George Ellwanger 1848-1906)

WINTER WHITE SALAD

Layers of Belgian endive team up with pears, hearts of palm, chickpeas, cauliflower, turkey, and Havarti cheese to form this special salad. Top it all off with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette and listen closely...for when the first fork full passes over your taste buds...you just might hear them singing.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 Belgian endive, thinly sliced
8 stalks of hearts of palm, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2/3 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped pea-size
8-oz. can of pears, drained well and diced
2/3 cup thinly slced turkey
2/3 cup Havarti cheese, cubed

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

In large glass bowl layer 1/4 of the endive, all of the hearts of palm and chickpeas, another 1/4 of the endive, all of the cauliflower and pears, another 1/4 of the endive, all of the turkey and Havarti, and the remaining endive. Top the salad with the dressing. Refrigerate for 4 hours prior to serving.

Toss it all together to serve.

“What is more refreshing than salads when your appetite seems to have deserted you, or even after a capacious dinner - the nice, fresh, green, and crisp salad, full of life and health, which seems to invigorate the palate and dispose the masticating powers to a much lorger duration.”~Alexis Soyer 19th century French chef.