Ceci Bean Salad

Both of my kids are not overly fond of mayonnaise; however, Gab will eat it on occasion in certain salads and lightly smeared on bread when eating a turkey sandwich. Which is why I find it very odd that one of her favorite salads to eat is this Ceci Bean Salad. 

There is a Japanese Hibachi restaurant not far from our home where we like to go out to eat once in a while that serves this type of salad on their salad bar. She always makes me get some on my plate for her to eat and has been begging me for years to make it at home. I finally got around to making it for her recently and she loved it. As you can see, it's a very simple recipe with little ingredients. In fact, at first I didn't even use vinegar until she said it was missing something and she was right. It definitely added that little extra "zing" it was missing. 

Ceci Bean Salad
19oz. Ceci Beans (garbanzo beans or chick peas)
2 Stalks Celery, washed and sliced
2 tbsp. Hellmann's® Mayonnaise
1 tsp. White Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

Directions: 
1. Rinse ceci beans under cold water; drain.
2. Place the beans in a bowl, then add in the celery, mayonnaise, vinegar and salt; mix well.
3. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Makes 5-1/2 cup servings. 

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 159, Carbs 19.4g, Fat 5.3g, Protein 6.4g, Fiber 4.8g, Sugar .5g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy! 

Low Fat Ranch Dressing (Copycat)

After those Hooter's Chicken Wings, I needed to have a snack that was a little healthier. And when I saw this recipe for Better-for-You Ranch Dressing from The Fountain Avenue Kitchen a few weeks ago, I printed it right away and couldn't WAIT to try it. I mean really, who doesn't like veggies dipped in Ranch dressing? Ann has such a wonderful site this recipe did not disappoint...delicious! 

There are so many different vegetables you can use in your crudite like peppers, broccoli, jicama, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, asparagus, cucumbers, baby radishes, carrots, cauliflower, and mushrooms to name a few. Ann didn't specify which brands she used in her recipe so for nutritional data purposes, I used Hellmann's mayonnaise and canola oil in mine. 

Low Fat Ranch Dressing (Copycat)

The Fountain Avenue Kitchen

1/3 c. Low Fat Buttermilk

3 tbsp. Chobani 2% Plain Yogurt

3 tbsp. Hellmann's Mayonnaise

1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tbsp. Canola Oil

1/2 tsp. Kosher Sal

Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

3 tbsp. Chives, minced

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Makes 1cup; serves 8. 

*Nutritional Information per 1oz Serving: Calories 62, Carbs 1.2g, Fat 5.9g, Protein 1.1g, Fiber 0g

Enjoy!

Waldorf Chicken Salad

Isn't if funny how food trends change? Growing up, I can't remember a picnic without Waldorf Salad, which is a salad made with apples, walnuts, grapes and was mayonnaise based (And for those of you who have never heard of it, it was very popular back in the early 70's).  Though as an adult, I don't think I've eaten it or even seen it as an option on a menu or picnic in years. It's not the healthiest salad you can eat, but I always loved the combination of flavors in the salad. 

I decided a while back that I was going to give it a try this summer but here it is, the end of August , and I still hadn't gotten around to it! I had made a roasted chicken for dinner last Sunday and wanted to make a chicken salad for lunch out of the leftovers, but didn't want the same type I usually make. I decided to combine my favorite chicken salad with Waldorf Salad and this was a hit! It was slightly sweet, crunchy and nutty. I happened to have some apple yogurt to give it a little extra apple flavor, but you can use plain yogurt instead. 

Waldorf Chicken Salad
2 c. Cooked Chicken, diced
1 Apple, washed and cored
1-2 Stalks Celery, rinsed and chopped
1/2 c. Chopped Walnuts
Prepared Dressing

Directions:
1. Add the chicken, celery and walnuts to a bowl. 
2. Next, chop the apple into bite-sized pieces and add to the chicken. 
3. Add the prepared dressing and mix well. Keep refrigerated. Makes 4 cups. 
Dressing:
1/2 c. Hellmann's Mayonnaise
1/4 c. Yoplait Light Apple Yogurt
2 tsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Add all ingredients to a small bowl; then whisk together until creamy. 

Enjoy! 

Sun Dried Tomato Turkey Salad

I wanted to make a different type of salad using the rest of the turkey I had left. And since it was Sunday and I needed some ideas for lunches the next day, turkey salad it was. There is only one mayo I serve in this house and for us, it's Hellmann's or nothing! I've tried the other brands and they're too "salad dressing" like. I also use the regular brand, not the light. We don't eat a lot of mayonnaise so if I am going to make a salad with one, I'm going to use the real deal.  This salad was delicious with the sun dried tomatoes and rosemary but my hubby still likes the version with the cranberries and walnuts the best. You know what they say "Variety is the spice of life" and he certainly can't complain our meals are boring or monotonous!  :)

Sun Dried Tomato Turkey Salad
2 c. Fresh Turkey Breast, chopped
1/2 c. Celery, washed and chopped
1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c. Hellmann's Mayonnaise
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste


Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serves 4. 

For those of you on the West Coast, Hellmann's is the same as Best Foods. According to this recent article by the Huffington Post, Best Foods bought Hellmann's in 1932 and didn't want to lose customers by changing brand names. Rather, they kept the independent names and just made both logos look the same. They also have the same advertisements and slogans. The company claims that the two mayonnaise products are identical, and the ingredients lists are exactly the same. A Best Foods representative did state that Best Foods mayonnaise and Hellman's mayonnaise are "the same great product" with ingredients sourced from the same location. 


On another note, I found an article from the Mayo Clinic on some other uses for mayonnaise. Click here to read the full article in more detail! 
1. Polishing ivory piano keys
2. Conditioning dry, brittle hair
3. Exfoliating your skin
4. Cleaning up crayon marks (Gee,  I wish I knew this one a few years ago!)
5. Strengthening fingernails
6. Removing tar, sap and sticker residue
7. Restoring wood furniture
8. Removing rings left on furniture by wet/damp glasses
9. Polishing houseplant leaves


Enjoy!