Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle Salad-Pasta Food Storage Recipes

If you think spaghetti noodles are only for spaghetti…think again! This is honestly my new favorite summer “salad” recipe and I plan on bringing it to potlucks, family events, friend events…well you get my drift. It is so different (and by different I don’t mean disgusting, I mean different as in not the same old thing you see at family get togethers). It is good warm or cold…so you know, perfect for leftovers. You’ve got to give this try it’s one of my favorite food storage recipes! It has a little zip, a little zang, and a lot of taste!

Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle Salad

1 C. Asian Sesame Dressing (I use Ken’s Steakhouse light version)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. crunchy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 pkg. (1 lb.) thin spaghetti
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Toss cooked chicken chunks with 1/4 c. Asian Sesame Dressing. Mix remaining dressing mixture, peanut butter, honey and crushed red pepper.

Drain spaghetti. Add to chicken mixture with peanut butter mixture and all remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Serve warm or chill in fridge for 4 hours before serving.

Strawberry Molded Salad: Cracked Wheat Food Storage Recipes

Did you know that you can use cracked wheat to extend your ground beef, to substitute for nuts or RICE? The nice thing about using it as rice is that it is MUCH FASTER to cook than brown rice. (15-20 minutes MAX!) Watch this short video to learn how to crack wheat in your blender. Coffee grinders are the best for cracking wheat so if you find yourself needing to crack a lot of it I would pay the $10 bucks to buy a coffee grinder. Make sure when you’re cracking wheat in the blender that your blender is completely (and when I say completely I mean COMPLETELY) dry or it won’t crack the wheat. Also, make sure to use small amounts like no more than a little over 1/4 cup at a time.

Practice using cracked wheat as nuts I tried this Strawberry “Nut” Jell-O salad. This is my ULTIMATE FAVORITE Jell-O salad in the WHOLE WORLD. (Have I convinced it tastes awesome yet?) It is different from anything else you’ve seen at a potluck and the cracked wheat in the salad gives a really great texture. It almost tastes like little bits of strawberries in the salad. You’ve got to try this, you’re family will LOVE it and no one NOT NO ONE will guess there is wheat in it!!!

Strawberry Nut (Wheat) Molded Salad

1 small pkg. strawberry Jello (I cheated and used raspberry and it was still DELICIOUS)
1 C boiling water

Combine Jell-O and Water & refrigerate until syrupy, then add to the rest (word to the wise-you have to watch this like a hawk. It goes from syrupy to jelled very quickly. I would check it between 15-20 minutes after you put it in the fridge)

1 C cooked cracked wheat for mock nuts
1 C whipped cream or Cool Whip Whipped Topping
1/2 C sugar
2 C mashed fresh strawberries
Refrigerate until firm or over night. Serve on a bed of lettuce with a dollop of whipped cream/topping sprinkled with cooked cracked wheat as your mock nuts.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

Whole Wheat Berry “Pasta” Salads: Whole Wheat Food Storage Recipes

Ooh…la…la…has anyone else noticed that wheat berry salads are all the rage right now? It is so great that the whole “whole grain” thing is so in, you know what I mean? Thanks so much to Charlene for sending me these VERY DELICIOUS salad recipes. They will knock the socks of anyone you serve them to.

This salad was so delicious! It had such a unique blend of flavors that were very fresh tasting and I loved the little kick from the cranberries. I picture this salad being an absolute hit at a baby/wedding shower or luncheon.

Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Cashews

1 C wheat berries (wheat berries are the whole kernal of wheat, like what you get at the cannery) or brown rice
5 C water
3 T vegetable oil
½ C orange juice
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t ground coriander
½ t ground cinnamon
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, diced (I cheated and used 1 C. dehydrated apples, simply re-hydrate in 2 C. warm water and dice)
2 T fresh mint, finely chopped
½ C cashews, toasted, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, minced (you can use a green onion or chives if you don’t have a shallot)
1 C dried cranberries
feta cheese (optional) Charlene doesn’t ususally add this but I did because I LOVE feta

Pick over the wheat berries for any foreign bits. Rinse and bring wheat berries to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour or more until tender. Drain and cool.
In a small bowl, mix the vegetable oil, orange juice, vinegar, coriander, and cinnamon. Set aside.
To the wheat berries, add apples, mint, shallots, and cranberries. Toss with the dressing to coat. Prior to serving, add the roasted cashews.

Note from Charlene: If I make this ahead of time, I sometimes find that I need to add more dressing, as it absorbs the liquid.

Forget the ordinary pasta salad. This was amazing and has a lot of room for variation! I didn’t have time to run to the store to buy some of the ingredients so I used 1 avocado diced, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 C. artichoke hearts, and regular olives and it was so delicious with the dressing listed below! I can only imagine how good the original recipe must be! I also think it’s good enough that you could add in some grilled chicken and call it dinner.

Feta Wheat Berry Salad Adapted from “The Best of Gourmet 1994”.
1 C whole wheat berries
½ C Feta cheese, diced (I like the basil and sun-dried tomato variety)
½ C red onion, minced
½ C cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
¼ C roasted red peppers, julienne strips of drained bottled peppers, chopped
¼ C pepperocini salad peppers, chopped
¼ C mixed fresh herbs, minced (I like parsley, mint, thyme, and basil) plus some for garnish
1 T Kalamata black olives, pitted, brine-cured, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 T olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T balsamic vinegar

Pick over the wheat berries and remove any foreign bits. Rinse and add the wheat berries to boiling salted water and reduce to a simmer. Cook the wheat for 1 hour or until it’s tender.

Drain and cool.

Stir together the wheat berries, Feta, onion, cucumber, roasted pepper, pepperocini, herbs, olives, and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Mix everything together. Garnish with herbs.
Serves 4-6.

Note from Charlene: Sometimes I need to add more dressing if it absorbs a lot as it sits.

Presentation tip: Whenever you have a salad that doesn’t have a lot of color in it or needs more green in it to really WOW the people you’re serving, line the bowl with romaine lettuce leaves. It’s so easy and such a nice touch.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

Carribean Sunrise Salad: Three Month Supply Food Storage Recipes