Cherry De Heather Salad

From Heather L.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. pecans
3 T sugar
8 cups lettuce (I use spring mix)
1/2 c. feta cheese (crumbled)
1/2 c. dried cherries
1 small red onion (sliced or diced)

Dressing
4 T raspberry vinegar
1/2 t. Tabasco sauce
1/2 c. oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 T dried parsley
4 T sugar (or Splenda)

Instructions:
Carmelize pecans with sugar. (Stir in frying pan over medium heat until sugar melts).

Whisk together dressing ingredients.

Toss greens, feta cheese, dried cherries, onion and sugared pecans. Pour dressing over salad just before serving. Serves 8.

Cucumber Salad

from Jo and Sue blog

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 Tablespoon light sour cream
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon fresh dill
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:
Peel your cucumber (not not if you desire) and slice into fairly thin slices. Place in a colander and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Set on something to catch the water than drains off and set aside.

Mix together sour cream, onion, dill, vinegar, and sugar. Cover and place in fridge. Let cucumbers drain and dressing chill for at least one hour, up to 2 hours.

Before serving, rinse cucumbers under running water briefly. Pat dry with paper towel. Toss dressing with cucumbers and serve.

Entire recipe:
Calories=50
Fat=1.7
Carbs=7.9
Protein=1

Homemade Croutons

I wanted to have a salad tonight but we didn't have any croutons so I whipped up some of my own. I think they were quite tasty. Next time I have bread that's a little hard I'm going to make some of these and store them for future use. Delicious. I made half the recipe and it made plenty for at least 5 salads.

(Found at cooks.com)

Ingredients:
1 lb loaf french bread (I just used regular whole wheat bread)
1 stick butter
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese (I used the shaker kind)
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions:
Cut bread into 1 inch chunks. Melt butter and add remaining ingredients. Toss over bread in large mixing bowl. Spread croutons over ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown (I baked for 4 extra minutes). Stir occationally during baking. Cool. Store in airtight container.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. sesame seeds
1 T. poppy seeds
1 1/2 t. minced onion
1/4 t. worcesterferie sauce
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1/4 cup vinegar


Instructions:
Whisk all above ingredients by hand.

Mix With:
2 bags baby spinach
sliced strawberries
sliced alomonds