Baked Potato Salad

 https://thekitchengirl.com/loaded-baked-potato-salad/

• ▢ 3 pounds Russet Potatoes (uncooked), or baked potatoes
• ▢ 1 ½ cups Sour Cream, or plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ ½ cup Mayonnaise
• ▢ 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt, or to taste (I prefer Lawry's)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste
• ▢ ½ cup Crumbled Bacon, about 8 slices cooked
• ▢ 2-3 Green Onions, thinly sliced
• ▢ 4 ounces Cheddar Cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

Scrub and cook potatoes in instant pot for about 15-20 minutes. Cool, peel some, leave skins on some and chop into 1 inch pieces or so.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked POTATOES, crumbled BACON, GREEN ONIONS, and shredded CHEDDAR.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the SOUR CREAM, MAYONNAISE, VINEGAR, SALT, and PEPPER until smooth.

Pour dressing over the POTATO mixture and stir gently until well coated.

Serve warm or chilled. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Creamy Orzo

 https://www.savorynothings.com/one-pot-creamy-garlic-parmesan-orzo/#wprm-recipe-container-53261

Modified, per usual. Was an easy side dish with grilled chicken and veggies.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (finely minced (about 4 tsp)
• ▢ 2 cups orzo pasta (16oz)
• ▢ 3 cups chicken broth (used water and better than bouillon)
• ▢ salt & black pepper (to taste)
• ▢ 1 cup half-and-half (I had whipping cream so I added a lot less and just went till cream
• ▢ ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Dilly Red Potato Salad

 modified slightly:https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/creamy-dill-potato-salad/#wprm-recipe-container-17496

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 pounds small red potatoes
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt (to put on potatoes boiling)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ▢ 3/4 cup mayonnaise (Duke's or Hellman's)
• ▢ 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 TBSP dijon mustard (measure with your heart)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (lawry's)
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• A little maldon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 green onions, sliced
• ▢ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (more like 1/3 cup)
• chopped mini dill pickles (handful or more)
• bacon bits (optional)

Instructions 

• Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with water and add 2 teaspoons salt. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  I instant pot them. Place the tray in, cut larger potatoes in half. Run high pressure for 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, chop up into desired sized pieces with the skins on.
  
• Place potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with the vinegar.
  
• Add mayonnaise, sour cream, dijon, seasoned salt, celery salt, and pepper. Stir well to mix.
• Stir in green onions, dill and pickles. Sprinkle bacon bits over top. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Notes

Yukon Gold potatoes can be substituted for red potatoes.

Crunchy Kale Salad (Like Chick-fil-a)

 via Our Best Bites

https://ourbestbites.com/kale-crunch-salad-chick-fil-a-copycat/#wprm-recipe-container-77641

Love this Kale salad! Easy to make ahead!

Ingredients

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pinch garlic powder or a few grates of fresh garlic on a microplane

Greens

• 4 cups finely chopped kale
• 2 cups finely chopped green cabbage
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped toasted almonds
• fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Dressing

• Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar (or other similar tightly-sealing container and shake vigorously until combined. Set aside.

Salad

• Wash and dry your kale and cabbage. To prepare kale, run a knife along both sides of the stem all the way up the leaf to remove it and discard. Take your kale leaves and roll/scrunch them and chop finely. Continue to chop from different directions until it's finely chopped. 

  Chop cabbage into similar sized pieces. 
• Add toasted almonds and drizzle on dressing. Toss salad well to well-coat all the greens. I like to use food-safe gloves to massage and toss. If desired, finish salad with a few cracks of freshly cracked black pepper. 

  This salad is a great base for other inclusions as well. Some things you can experiment with are cheeses like feta or parmesan, dried fruits like craisins or yellow raisins, proteins like chopped steak or chicken, etc.

Cheese Sauce

 We had some pretzel bites and my kids really hate fake cheese. We whipped this up and it's delicious. It also reheats really well. Definitely Beschumel sauce vibes. 

via: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/278141/homemade-cheddar-cheese-sauce/ 

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup whole milk (used 2%)

• 1 ¾ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (used Colby-jack)

  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and salt until a paste forms.

  2. Slowly add milk; cook and stir until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add cheese.

  3. Cook and stir until cheese is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes.

  
  

Cottage Cheese Queso

 I've made homemade queso but I actually like this one better. It's super fast and easy and quite high in protein. CakebyCourtney shared it a few months ago and we've been making it ever since. 

1 cup cottage cheese

3/4 cup shredded cheese (ideally a Mexican blend) but I use Colby jack from Costco (sometimes I use less)

splash of milk to blend but let it be a thick as it can

taco seasoning to taste

Blend it all up, put in a glass dish and heat before eating. We keep it in the fridge and reheat until it's gone. 

No Mayo Coleslaw

We really liked this tangy take on a no mayo coleslaw. Full of flavor. One suggested a tiny bit more sweetness but we prefer the tang. From AmbitiousKitchen

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/best-healthy-coleslaw-ever-no-mayo/

Shredded green and red cabbage

shredded carrots

cilantro

green onions

pepitas (optional)

 Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, depending how sweet you like your slaw
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

5 Bean Salad

 This is from Clean Food Crush and although it makes a ton I have enjoyed every tangy bite. My family won't touch it but it is so easy and super flavorful. Packed with fiber and protein!

Ingredients

• 15 oz. red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz. chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 lb. fresh green beans (I used 1 can)
• 1 lb. fresh golden wax beans (or use 1,15 oz. can)
• 1 large red onion, finely sliced
• 3 Tbsps capers
• 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped (just used dried)

Dressing:

• 4 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 4 Tbsps apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsps raw honey, or pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano (I did use some fresh from the yard)
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or more to taste

Instructions 

1. Rinse the green and golden wax beans and trim off the ends, then cut them into about 1-1/2-inch pieces.
2. In a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, bring an inch of water to a boil.
3. Place your trimmed beans into basket, cover and cook until just tender crisp about 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool completely, or cool quickly in an ice bath immediately after steaming.
4. While the beans are steaming, gather all your dressing ingredients into a small glass bowl, then whisk briskly until all dressing ingredients are well combined.
5. Place all the prepared beans, onions, capers, into a large salad or serving bowl.
6. Drizzle your dressing on top and gently toss to coat well.
7. Garnish with fresh chopped Italian parsley.
8. Cover your bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, then refrigerate to enhance the flavors for at least 4 hours or overnight. If possible, toss your salad several times during the chilling process to keep everything coated with the dressing.
9. Prior to serving, taste test, then adjust your seasonings if desired.
10. Serve this salad cold.
11. Stays good in the fridge for up to four days.

via https://cleanfoodcrush.com/healthy-homemade-five-bean-salad/