The Akers

(from the Five a Day Kids Cookbook that we got at a garage sale for 25 cents)

• 1 cp prepared low fat Ranch salad dressing
• 1 cp prepared salsa
• 10 oz pkg romaine lettuce (or any other type, we use our garden lettuce when it’s available)
• 10 oz pkg shredded carrots (we shred our own, about 1 cp)
• 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 cp shredded low fat cheddar cheese
• 1 cp baked tortilla chips, crushed

1. Combine ranch dressing and salsa; set aside.

2. In large bowl, layer romaine/lettuce, then carrots, black beans, corn, red onion, cheese. Pour dressing/salsa mix on top.

3. Chill 45-60 minutes in refrigerator.

4. When ready to serve, top with crushed tortilla chips.

Serves 8, but we often double the recipe so we can have leftovers.

245 calories per serving. 8 gm fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 797 mg sodium, 560 mg potassium, 37 gm total carbs

Karen Fritzjunker

• 3-4 chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing, grilled and chopped.
• 2 head chopped Romane lettuce
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• Croutons as desired

Mix all together and use Ceasar salad dressing to moisten (about 1/3 jar).  I prefer “Newman’s Own” creamy ceasar salad dressing

Sweeney

Peg and I argue about whether or not to chop up the shrimp and how finely to chop the cabbage—otherwise this is fun and easy to make. Good with any kind of beer.

• 1 1/2 pounds cooked shrimp, with tails off (I like to chop up the shrimp and disperse it through the salad, but Peg likes it whole)
• 1 large bell pepper; can use yellow, red or green (seed, core and dice into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 2-3 T. capers, drained

Toss above ingredients into a large bowl and set aside.

Next, make the dressing, by placing all the ingredients below (except the oil) in a food processor or blender and processing briefly:

• 2  eggs
• 2 T. cider vinegar
• 1 t. dry mustard
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1 – 1 1/2 c. corn oil
• 1/2 t. cumin

Then, with the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the feed tube and process until thick and smooth. Reserve 1/2 c. dressing to serve on the side. Mix about 1 cup of the dressing with the shrimp, bell pepper and capers in the large bowl.

Chop a head of cabbage fine (the way I like it) or medium/coarse (Peg and I argue over this, too). Put the cabbage into the large bowl with the other ingredients and toss thoroughly before serving. Slice some lemon wedges on the side if you have them. Editor’s note: You could also stuff the shrimp salad into a tomato or avocado to avoid arguments.

Serves 4.