Cafe Rio Pork Salad

Ingredients:
pork tenderloin, 1-2 lbs. (I bought mine at walmart)
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. fresh salsa

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (dry mix)
1 c. buttermilk
1/3-1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2-1 small jalapeno (remove seed) or equivalent of jarred jalapenos
1 c. mayo (I only had 1/2 c. and it worked out fine)
1 t. lime juice
1-2 tomatillos (remove outer papery skin)
1 garlic clove

Directions: Mix sugar and salsa, pour over pork. Cook in crock pot for 8 hrs. on low. When done shred with two forks and return to juice in crock pot and allow liquid to absorb. Add water as needed and if needed to keep it juicy. For the dressing, put all ingredients in blender. Serve pork on a bed of romaine lettuce and add dressing.

(Submitted by Janis Hansen, from your homebasedmom.com)

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:
Strawberries
Red onion
Spinach
Slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:
½ c. sugar
2 T. white vinegar
½ c. mayonnaise
¼ c. milk
poppy seeds

Directions: Mix all dressing ingredients. Toss with salad!

(Submitted by Tara Romney)

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 large tomato
1/3 c. red onion
1 can corn (or 1 c. frozen corn)
½ c. chopped cilantro
1-2 avocados, chopped
Monterey Jack cheese, cubes

Dressing:
1 clove garlic
1 T. lime juice
2 T. olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: Put all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix dressing ingredients and toss with salad.

(Submitted by Tara Romney)

24-Hour Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:
4 c. torn lettuce of your choice (I like green leaf)\
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
½ c. frozen peas
1 c. broccoli flowerets
1 c. shredded carrot
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained & crumbled (1/4 lb.)
¾ c. shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese
2 green onioins, sliced
¾ c. mayonnaise
1 ½ tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. dill weed

Directions:
Place lettuce in the bottom or a bowl about 8 inches in diameter (ideally, for presentation’s sake, a clear glass bowl, but I’ve also used a glass 9x13 pan as well). If desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer mushrooms, broccoli and peas on top of lettuce. Then layer carrots. Arrange egg slices and bacon over vegetables. Top with ½ c. of the cheese and green onions. For dressing, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, and dill weed. Spread dressing over top of salad, sealing to edge of bowl. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Before serving, toss to coat vegetables. Makes 6-8 side-dish servings. I’ve also put in fresh diced tomato and sometimes cauliflower. Really, anything goes! Enjoy!

Feta Apple Salad

Ingredients:
Green leaf, red leaf, or Romaine lettuce
red onion, sliced
1-2 apples, cut into bite-sized chunks
craisins
feta cheese, diced or crumbled

Dressing:
1 c. sugar
2 t. dry mustard
2 t. salt
2/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 T. dried onion
2 c. salad oil
1 T. poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients for dressing and mix well. Toss with salad right before serving or add to individual servings.

(Submitted by Tara Romney)

Potato Salad

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, boiled and cubed
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 can beets, diced into slivers
Peas - a handful or more, steamed if you are serving immediately, but if you are serving it the next day you can add frozen and they will thaw in the salad
Mayo - enough to cover it
Salt
Pepper

Toss all ingredients together. It tastes much better the next day. It is also prettier because the potatoes are dyed purple.

(Submitted by Shannon Nielsen)

Hawaiian Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1 C oil (not olive oil, or just a small part olive oil)
1/2 C cider vinegar (increase the vinegar to oil ratio for snappier taste)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 Tbs. salt
1/2 Tbs. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cloves garlic
1/4 small onion (or more to taste) (red onion makes it pink)

Directions:
Blend it all together in blender for a minute or so. Keep refrigerated.

(Submitted by Marianne Sonntag)