Cafe Rio's Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing

I love Cafe Rio's dressing. It's a popular fresh Mexican grill in Utah. I put the dressing on their salads. I even get a side of it when I get a chicken burrito and use it instead of getting my burrito smothered in the enchilada sauce. I also like to dip their homemade flour tortillas in it. Yum! This is the best copycat version I've found. Use the dressing on salads, chicken tacos, taquitos, or burritos.

Cafe Rio's Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing
by Chelsey W.

1 c mayonnaise
1/2 c milk or buttermilk
1 lime, juiced (about 2 Tbsp)
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (ignore package directions)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 c roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 c green salsa (comes in a small can in the Mexican food isle, look for La Costena or Herdez brands, the main ingredient is tomatillo)
Hot sauce (like Tabasco), to taste

Combine mayo, milk, lime juice. and ranch packet powder in a blender. Add garlic, cilantro, and green salsa and blend until thoroughly mixed. Add a little hot sauce until desired heat is reached. Refrigerate several hours before serving to allow dressing to thicken and flavors to blend.

Recipe Source: OurBestBites.com

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

This is probably my favorite fruit & whipped cream type of salad right now. It's delicious and easy to make. I've had several people ask for this recipe at potlucks so here it is. It's made the same way my Pina Colada Salad is made with yogurt, whipped topping, and pudding.

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
by Chelsey W.

12 oz. whipped topping
1 small package of cheesecake pudding (powder)
3 (6 oz) strawberry yogurts (I use Yoplait)
1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
3 bananas, sliced (add just before serving or they brown)
miniature marshmallows (add just before serving)

Thaw whipped topping and in a large salad bowl stir together whipped topping, yogurts, and pudding powder. Let this set up in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Wash and slice strawberries. You can add strawberries to salad or wait to add them with sliced bananas and marshmallows just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Pina Colada Salad

This is an easy recipe that tastes delicious. It's great to take to potlucks and people really enjoy it. Since this recipe uses pudding and yogurt as a base you can change the flavors and make different kinds of salads. I've made this pina colada one and I've also made a strawberry version that I'll share sometime.  I made this salad for Easter and added cute pastel bunny marshmallows. I've finally found a recipe that the colored marshmallows taste good in.

Pina Colada Salad
by Chelsey W.

12 oz whipped topping
1 small package coconut cream pudding
3 (6 oz) pina colada yogurts (I use the Yoplait kind)
1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
3 sliced bananas, add right before serving
miniature marshmallows (colored or white)
toasted coconut (optional)

Mix together the whipped topping, dry pudding powder, and yogurts. Refrigerate, and just before serving add drained pineapple, sliced bananas, desired amount of marshmallows, and toasted coconut.

adapted from RealMomKitchen.com

Yogurt Berry Salad

This is a quick and easy salad that I throw together really fast when I need to go to a potluck and have little time to prepare something. You just mix the four ingredients together and serve. This easy recipe came from my friend Aubree.

Recipe:
1 large conatiner (32 oz) of strawberry or raspberry yogurt
1 small container (8 oz) whipped topping
1 package of frozen mixed berries
(blend of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
miniature marshmallows (around 1/2 a package)

Mix all ingredients together in a large salad bowl and serve soon after. You want the frozen berries to be a little thawed but not completely.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is one of my very most favorite salads ever! The looks of it don't do it justice, but the flavor and dressing is delicious and this recipe is requested often. I got this recipe from my Aunt Mindy who makes it for all my families bridal/baby showers. I make it a lot for potlucks and there's never leftovers.

Recipe:

1 Large head or 2 normal heads of cabbage

or 2 pkgs of coleslaw

3 chicken breasts

2 pkgs chicken flavor ramen noodles

1 c slivered almonds

green onions chopped finely (optional)

1/2 c sesame seeds (optional)

dressing (recipe below)

Cut up cabbage, shredded like coleslaw. Boil chicken until fully cooked then cool in fridge until ready to shred. Toast almonds, ramen, and sesame seeds until golden brown. Watch them closely in the oven because they will burn quickly. (I broil them on a cookie sheet with the door slightly opened) set aside. Chop green onions and combine them with cabbage and shredded chicken in a large salad bowl. Make the dressing and keep it and salad in fridge until ready to serve. Just before serving combine the salad with the toasted items and stir dressing because it separates then pour it over the top, stir to coat everything. Don't wait to long before eating this salad because it will go soggy and the noodles eventually go soft and you want it to be crunchy.

I listed the green onions and sesame seeds as optional because I often leave them out and it tastes fine.

Dressing:

7 Tbsp sugar

1 c oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

8 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

2 tsp Accent (found by other seasonings at store)

2 packets from chicken flavor ramen noodles

Mix together, refrigerate and pour over salad right before serving. It will separate so just stir it again.

"The Best" Potato Salad

Living in Utah I attend a lot of potlucks and family get-togethers; so I've tried many versions of potato salad. To be honest I rarely like them. I greatly dislike biting into a chunk of raw onion and there always seems to be many mystery ingredients in them. This is a potato salad that I love. It has simple ingredients and great flavor. I get a lot of requests for this recipe and now I'm sharing it with you. Give it a try.

Recipe: (for a large salad)

Potatoes (I use a 5 lb bag)

12 eggs (lots of eggs make a great salad)

3 c Miracle Whip

1 T yellow mustard

1/2 c (about) sweet pickle juice

1/2 t celery salt

1/2 t onion salt

1/4 t pepper

optional: cucumbers, celery, green onions

Peel and cut potatoes into bite size chunks (they cook down a little). Boil until tender, easily pierced by a fork. Don't undercook potatoes but don't let them get mushy either. Drain and cool in the fridge. Hard boil the eggs and let cool. I make the dressing to taste adding more or less until I like it. I've tried to measure out my ingredients this time. For dressing water down Miracle Whip with sweet pickle juice until it's the consistency you want. Add in mustard and seasonings to taste. Slice the eggs, and chop up the optional ingredients. Stir together potatoes, dressing, eggs, and optional ingredients. Chill in fridge before serving. Can leave out a couple eggs to decorate the top or just sprinkle with paprika.

Jello Cottage Cheese Salad

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Kelli who makes it often for family get togethers and it's always a hit. It's cool, creamy, and fruity all in one salad. I made the orange version here which is great but the berry version is just as good. Simply choose your version (orange gelatin with mandarin oranges) or (strawberry gelatin with frozen mixed berries) or (raspberry gelatin with frozen raspberries). This recipe makes a big salad for a potluck, it can easily be halved by using a small container of whipped topping, a small container of cottage cheese, and a small box of gelatin.

Recipe:

1 large container of whipped topping

3/4 of a large container of cottage cheese

1 large box or two small boxes of gelatin (orange, strawberry, or raspberry)

1 can of crushed pineapple, drained

Fruit- mandarin oranges (drained), frozen mixed berries, or frozen raspberries etc.

 Mix the gelatin and whipped topping in a large salad bowl until gelatin dissolves. Drain the pineapple and add it, the cottage cheese, and fruit to the whipped topping mixture. Stir it together and keep salad in the fridge until it's time to serve to prevent it from going runny.