13 Asian Sesame Ginger Salad Wraps!

Growing up, I did not like salad.  To me, eating lettuce was like eating leaves off a tree and nobody would do that....

My mom finally forced convinced me to eat an iceberg lettuce leaf.  After a bite, I decided it needed salt.  For awhile there, that's all I would eat with my dinner.  A lettuce leaf with a sprinkle of salt.  I would sit there for the longest time, munching on that salted lettuce leaf, feeling like a rabbit...

In high school, I discovered Ranch Dressing.  It changed my life.  Of course, I would still pick out the "weird" things like the purple shredded stuff...

Fast forward to today.  I have discovered that I love chicken in my salad and could eat it as a main meal.  Hubby, however, refuses to eat a main course salad unless it is wrapped up in a homemade tortilla. 

I love the ginger soy dressing at Costco, but don't need a whole quart of it.  If you love an Asian dressing, you will not believe how easy it is to make this perfect balance of  tangy and slightly sweet Ginger Sesame dressing.

Brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, rice vinegar and onion powder (or green onions) are thrown into the blender.

I love using fresh ginger and love the freezer tip to use it when I need it.  It takes this dressing to a whole 'nother dimension!

Not sure how much ginger I shredded.....but this looks good!

When blended, it looks like this...I gave it a taste and added just a wee bit of Real Sea Salt.

In the summer, I love to grill chicken on the BBQ.  You can easily use some of this dressing as a marinade for extra flavor.

Whip out my kitchen shears and cut some cooked chicken into bite size pieces...

The best way to assemble a salad is to put all your ingredients into a bowl...I love the extra crunchiness of crispy Chinese noodles tossed in.

Feel free to toss in some Mandarin oranges....

take a spoonful of dressing, and mix it up.  That way, everything gets coated.

Put the tossed salad onto a fresh tortilla...

Wait!    It's missing something....Oh, yeah.  Carrots.  Gotta have carrots!

So much better!

There you have it.  One of my all time favorite salads for summer.

Enjoy!

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Asian Sesame Ginger Salad Wraps 

by Frieda Franchina 06-21-2013

Light and refreshing, this salad dressing is perfect for a marinade or in a chicken & lettuce sandwich wrap.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced or 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• Fresh grated ginger
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• salt to taste
• Flour tortillas
• cooked chicken, cubed
• lettuce
• shredded carrots
• crispy Chinese noodles

Instructions

1. Pour vegetable oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil into a blender.
2. Add brown sugar, onion, and fresh grated ginger. Blend till well combined.
3. Stir in sesame seeds and salt to taste.
4. Refrigerate dressing for 30 minutes to blend all the flavors.
5. In a bowl, combine lettuce, chicken, shredded carrots and Chinese noodles.
6. Pour desired amount of dressing over lettuce mixture and stir till coated.
7. Put salad mixture into a flour tortilla, roll, and enjoy! 

Details

Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 32 mins Yield: 2/3 cup dressing

1 Picky Eaters, Ranch Dressing & A Cause for Kids

As a child, I was a picky eater.  Hmmmm....I'm still a picky eater, but nowhere near what I was as a child.  When I was younger, my diet consisted of Cheerios, Jelly sandwiches (no peanut butter), and whatever I could pick out of dinner that night.  Fruit and veggies made it to my plate, but never to my mouth.

My mom desperately tried to get me to eat a variety of veggies.  She succeeded with corn (off the cob), and buttered carrots, but peas and any other green veggie simply stayed on my plate.  I remember looking at a single iceberg lettuce leaf and thinking, "people eat leaves??"  I took a bite and all I could remember was that it was bland and bitter.

I sprinkled a little bit of salt on it and took another bite.  Okay, that's a little bit better.  I ate my lettuce leaves this way until I discovered .....

Oh, I had never tasted anything so good!  Score one for my mom!  Score another point for Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing!

Next, I was able to try this:

Raw carrots with Ranch Dressing!

I give credit to this dressing as the one ingredient that has helped me eat more veggies and can help your kids eat healthier, too!

Lunch Break for Kids, a national fundraiser, (October 15-19) highlights ways for parents and kids to come together with chefs and schools to learn how simple, good food and stronger family connections. Funds donated will go to support the creation of nutrition based education materials, community outreach projects and grants. Check out any fundraising events in your area to support this great cause!


Do you have picky eaters in your family?  How do you like to use Hidden Valley Ranch dressing?

Stay tuned for a fun recipe made with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing that you and your family will love!


The Hidden Valley® Original Ranch®, dressings & dips has provided me with free product to help with my review, but anything I receive from Hidden Valley does not affect my thoughts on its company or their product.

3 Van de Kamp's New Parchment Bakes!

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, along with Van de Kamp's, I was selected to try their new Parchment Bakes.

Baking in parchment is not a new thing in the professional chef world or popular restaurants, but it is in the frozen seafood department.  Baking in parchment paper  ensures a moist and fully flavored dish.

Parchment Bakes come in four flavors:  Classic Grilled, Garlic Butter, Lemon Pepper, and Roasted Garlic.  I opted to try the Classic Grilled as it looked like it was the mildest flavor.  I was able to find this and the other flavors at my local Walmart for under $4.

The box opens from the front and you will find two individual servings encased in heavy duty parchment paper.

It does not include microwave instructions, only baking instructions.

Put the parchment packets seam side up onto a baking sheet. 

Twenty-two minutes later, this is what I pull out of the oven ... a puffed up parchment pocket!

I used scissors to cut the parchment open and grabbed a fork to test for doneness.  Stick a fork in the middle and give it a slight twist.  The fish should look opaque and flake easily.  You can see how easily it flakes on this corner ...  looks like it is done!

Okay...you know how cooked frozen food NEVER looks as good as the picture on the box?  Well, I think this actually looks BETTER than the picture on the box!

I paired this with some rice and sat down with hubby for a taste test.

Oh my.  This is good.  I mean, really good!  The sauce is not sweet, more savory with mild spices (I detected a hint of cajun and paprika), with a kick of pepper.  Plenty of sauce and the tilapia was very moist. 

This is a great way to have more fish in our diet, and at 80 calories per serving, we will definitely stock up!  Hubby loved it ~ too bad it is not microwaveable ... but ... he can cook it at home and warm it up in the microwave, right?

Want to try this? I bet you do.

For a limited time, you can click HERE for a special Buy One, Get One Free coupon!

Thanks, Foodbuzz and Van de Kamp's!



I received a coupon from Foodbuzz and Van de Kamp's to try this product with no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

2 Alexia Seasoned Waffle Fries

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I was able to try a product from Alexia All Natural Foods.

I chose their seasoned waffle fries.  All natural, the ingredients include canola oil, sea salt, onion powder, black pepper, garlic, and paprika.  1 cup of these fries are 160 calories with 7 grams of fat with no transfat and ony .5 grams of saturated fat, due to canola oil.  These potatoes pack in 2 grams of fiber and 0 sugars.  To find a store near you that carries Alexia's products, visit here: Where to Buy Store Locator.

The directions say to put a single layer of potatoes in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.  I didn't have a whole lot of time and we were really hungry ... so I did what my mom has done for years with frozen french fries ... put them under the broiler.

I put the potatoes 6" from the broiling element for 6 minutes on one side, then flipped the potatoes over to bake an additional 6 minutes, shaving half of my baking time!

The fries were hot, crispy and had a very mild flavor, which surprised me.  I expected them to be as spicy as seasoned curly fries, but the flavor was way more subtle.  This is great news for families with kids who may not like overly spicy fries. 

Alexia is "Reinventing a Classic" and you can cast your vote for the next french fry flavor on the Alexia Foods FaceBook page.  Click on the Reinvent a Classic tab and cast your vote!

1 Triple Chocolate Raspberry Parfaits

It's late.

You're tired.

You are craving chocolate and you need a quick treat ~

Duncan Hines to the rescue! 

Thanks to FoodBuzz & Duncan Hines, I received some coupons to try through their Tastemaker Program.

Did you know Duncan Hines has specialty cake mixes?  There is a decadent German Chocolate, an Apple Caramel, a Carrot cake mix, and this one...

Did you know Duncan Hines also makes fruit fillings?  Now you know!  With over 25 different fillings to choose from, this is what I picked:

What I came up with is this parfait.  This is a fun, presentable dessert that people would think you spent hours on.  Nope.  Try under an hour. 

Here's how:  Crumble some baked cake in the bottom of a clear glass, add a layer of instant chocolate pudding, whipped cream, raspberry filling, more crumbled cake, finish it with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish it with a dab of raspberry filling. 

My mom commented that this was a very good raspberry filling ... much better than any other she has tried.

 

So easy.

So fast.

So good.

13 Easy Whipping Cream Potatoes with Simply Potato Shreds

When I tasted this dish many, many moons ago, I was struck by how creamy, melt-in-my-mouth, and tasty this was.  I just had to have the recipe!

I asked my friend for the recipe and was simply stunned by how .... well ... simple it was.

Get this.  Four ingredients:  shredded potatoes, whipping cream, salt and pepper!

When you make this recipe from peeled, shredded potatoes, you have to rinse them several times in clean water each time to remove the starch, and pat them dry.

Thanks to Simply Potatoes and the FoodBuzz Tastemaker program, making this recipe just got easier and, well, ...  simpler!


First, you butter an 8"x8" pan.

Then you open a package of Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns ...

Layer a few shredded hash browns on the bottom, sprinkle some salt and pepper, and repeat layering, till you have used the entire package.

Pour 2 pints of whipping cream (or heavy cream) on top.

It looks really soupy, but the potatoes will absorb every drop ...

Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 50 minutes and this is what you'll get ...

Excuse me while I polish this off and walk a million miles on the treadmill ...

Oh, you want the recipe?  Okay, here it is.  I didn't know what to call it, but I think the name fits...

Whipping Cream Shredded Potatoes

(4x6 recipe download)     (full page printable recipe)



Want to win a year's supply of Simply Potatoes?  A winner is chosen every month on the Simply Potatoes website.  Go ahead and enter!





I received a coupon for a Simply Potatoes product from Simply Potatoes through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  I received no compensation for this post. The recipe and the loaded calories are totally my fault.  Enjoy!

2 Buffalo Chicken Sandwich: KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade

After making a successful Buffalo Chicken pizza made with KC MaterpieceⓇ Buffalo Marinade, I decided to make a chicken sandwich.

I love using my FoodSaver to marinade meats.  It only takes 20 minutes and a couple of tablespoons of sauce.

The chicken was cooked on a propane grill on high for 20 minutes, turning it every 5 minutes.


While the chicken was cooking, I got the fixins' ready ... A chewy, soft, French Bread hamburger bun is perfect for this sandwich.

I made a sauce of blue cheese mixed in with additional KC MasterpieceⓇ Buffalo marinade.  You can adjust the heat by adding as much or as little marinade as you want.

Ready ...

Set ...

Enjoy!

Thanks to the FoodBuzz Tastemaker program and  KC MasterpieceⓇ, we have another winning meal on our hands!
 

2 Clorox Back To School Kit Review

Thanks to Daily Buzz Moms Tastemaker program and Clorox, I received a back to school kit:

CloroxⓇ Disinfecting Wipes, pkg. of 35 wipes

GladⓇ To Go Lunch Containers, (4) 4 c. bowls, lids and 2 T. dressing cup

BritaⓇ Bottle, 24 oz. with filter

As a teacher, I know first hand how important it is to keep germs at bay.  We would teach the students to cough or sneeze into their elbows instead of their hands.

Think of all the things that are shared by students in the classroom:  door knobs, scissors, computer keyboards, backs of chairs, etc.

Clorox disinfecting wipes can also help keep germs from spreading.  A local news station did a study of germs left behind on shopping carts and found that these Clorox wipes kill 80-100% of the bugs in 17 or the 23 samples.  These wipes are available at Amazon for around $3 for a package of 35 wipes.  Works for me!

I'm excited about these To Go lunch containers.  When I was teaching, I always packed a lunch and loved having salads, although it was tricky to pack the dressing.  I searched the big name clubs to find small packets of dressing, to no avail.  I ended up getting a mini-fridge for my office to store a bottle of my favorite dressing.

No longer ~ these To Go lunch containers have the perfect 2T. size cup that snaps into the lid for easing packing and pouring....what a life saver!  When snapped securely, the dressing does not leak!

These containers hold 4 cups are sturdier than their "disposable" counterparts, BPA free, dishwasher and freezer safe.  I found these on Amazon for $17.24 ... a little pricey, but remember, these are NOT disposable...you can re-use them over and over again.

In the newer schools that I have taught in, the drinking water has always tasted "metallic" (new pipes?) to me.  I have used Brita water pitchers for years and was thrilled to see a personal bottle version.  The filter is conveniently located under the lid ... fill with tap water and you're ready to go!

The first time you use the bottle, you need to "activate" the charcoal filter by squeezing a full bottle of water through it.  The first squeeze came out with gray-ish water, but turned clear after the second and successive squeezes.

The water tastes great, but the bottle is difficult to squeeze...not great for someone with arthritis or young kids.  The filter will need to be replaced every two months or up to 20 gallons of water.  I've heard that using one of these Brita bottles can save you up to 300 bottles of store bought water!

Remember, this is filtered water, not purified water, a good thing to remember in an emergency situation.  The bottle costs around $7-$10 and the filters are around $8 for a 2 pack.  At Costco, you can buy 24 bottles of water for about $5.  I'll let you do the math.




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