Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year? In our family even if my mom is the one preparing the main meal we all chip in by bringing a dish to pass. For some reason I’m always told to bring the salad. (Likely because one year I brought burnt pie to Thanksgiving.)
I’ve since redeemed myself with the following salads. Both are super simple to make and have proven to be major crowd-pleasers—–even those who say they hate salad end up having seconds and thirds. And what’s nice about these recipes is that you can prepare them the night before, leaving you free to enjoy the holiday with your friends and family.
This year I’m the one in charge of cooking the turkey, but I still plan to make the Chop Chop Salad as well as a traditional green salad for our holiday meal. Meanwhile, I am making the Firecracker Noodle Salad to take to our playgroup’s pre-Thanksgiving feast.
If you are looking for an easy and affordable dish to pass this holiday season I highly recommend the following:
CHOP CHOP SALAD
Ingredients:
2 heads Romaine lettuce, finely shredded
1 can (16 ounces) corn, drained
1 can (6 ounces) black olives, drained and sliced
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 red onion, finely sliced (optional)
1 handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced
15 slices of salami, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
Directions:
Layer ingredients — except chips and dressing — in large bowl.
Just before serving, top with chips, drizzle dressing over top and toss. Serves 12.
FIRECRACKER NOODLE SALAD
Ingredients:
1 head romaine, chopped
2 cups cooked Japanese soba (buckwheat) noodles (you can find these in the Asian section of your grocery store)
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cucumber, julienned
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup shredded red cabbage
Pineapple-Ginger Dressing:
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup minced yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1-1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon
White pepper, to taste
To prepare dressing: Combine all ingredients; whisk until well blended or throw it in a blender. Chill several hours or overnight.
Arrange all of the salad ingredients in a bowl. Just before serving, top with dressing. (By the way, the dressing is also great over pasta, chicken and fish.) Serves 8.
Related Articles: