Picnic Salads

Here are a couple of our favorite summer picnic salads for you.

From Myrna:
I needed to use some of the farm eggs we got from Sue's brother-in-law so I made Macaroni Salad for supper. Since I used 5 eggs total and some vegetables left over in the fridge this helped use some leftovers as well as the eggs. Along with hot dinner rolls fresh out of the oven and butter everyone was happy. The three extra hard boiled eggs are for me to eat, as I cannot have the macaroni or the rolls.

Macaroni Salad

4 cups cooked (8oz uncooked) small macaroni: rings, shells, etc

about 1 1/2 cups sliced celery

1/2 cup cut up green onions or regular onions (if using regular onion, use a little less)

1/4 cup sliced radishes

diced green or red pepper (the red looks nice)

2 TB snipped parsley

2 hard boiled eggs cut up

4 hard boiled eggs sliced to decorate top

Paprika sprinkled over top when all mixed

Dressing

1 cup mayo

2 TB vinegar

2 tsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp celery seeds

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

Mix ahead so it is well chilled. I usually use white wine vinegar as we like the flavor better than white.

I also use Miracle Whip instead of mayo, again just personal taste. Do use the celery seed as it adds a good flavor.

From Sue:
This refreshing salad is perfect when cucumbers and peppers are ready in the garden or Farmer’s Market. I use home-canned chicken or turkey, but any diced cooked chicken or purchased canned chicken work, although the purchased canned chicken has much more sodium. I don’t know where I found this recipe, but I have been making it for most of our marriage.
I purchase roasted walnut oil for a delicious bread recipe I have, and am always on the lookout for other ways I can use it to boost the flavor of a recipe that has nuts in it, so I can use the oil before it gets rancid. It adds a nice touch to this salad, but olive oil or salad oil is a good substitute, and not as expensive.  Choose a gluten-free mayonnaise if necessary, like Duke's or Mrs. Clark's.

Chicken Rice Salad
2/3 cup Instant Brown Rice or long grain white rice
1 Cup Chicken Broth -- From chicken, add water to make amount
12 ounces Canned Chicken -- drained , or 1 pint home canned
2 tablespoons Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoons Roasted Walnut Oil or olive oil
2/3 cup Celery -- diced
1/4 cup Sweet Red Pepper
1/4 cup Cucumber -- diced
2/3 cup Green Grapes -- halved
4 tablespoons Pecans -- or walnuts (broken)
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
Cook the rice in the chicken broth. While still warm, mix in oil and vinegar and chicken. Chill 2 hours or overnight. Add remaining ingredients and mayonnaise, cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until well-chilled. Serve. Yield: "5 Cups" 5 to 6 main dish servings

Summer 2013 Cost: $3.20 or 54¢ per serving if grapes and vegetables must be purchased and home-canned chicken is used; less if you have garden cucumbers and peppers.
Per Serving: 301 Calories; 20g Fat (59.1% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 38mg Cholesterol; 482mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 2 Fat; 0