Hearty Healty Chicken Salad

1 cup small macaroni, cooked
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2-3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
3 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4- 1 cup chicken broth

1. In a large bowl mix together chicken (while still warm), macaroni, tomatoes, celery, red pepper and green onion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano.
2. Place chicken broth and garlic in small saucepan, bring to a boil over light heat, boil for 10 minutes or until broth is reduced to 1/2 cup.
3. Add vinegar and pour over salad. Mixing well. Chill until cold.

I thought the "dressing" sounded a little too tart so I only used 3/4 cup vinegar and it was still really tangy. It needs some tweaking but I haven't figured it out yet, so if you give it a try and find something that works let us know!

Also I used fun cellentani noodles instead of macaroni, and added more green onions and celery in place of the pepper.

Thai Beef Salad

1 packet Ranch Dressing Mix
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 lb thinly sliced roast beef
1 cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Combine mayo, coconut milk, dressing mix and lime juice in small bowl or jar; chill at least 30 mins. Arrange beef, cucumber, cilantro and bamboo shoots on a large platter. Pour dressing in a thin stream over salad. Sprinkle with peanuts.

I used left over roast from the cross rib roast for this and it was great. I also had to substitute water chestnuts for the bamboo because the store was out, and I used light coconut milk to cut down on fat and calories and it worked great (and then I used the left over coconut milk in a smoothie mmm mmm good). Also we halved the dressing recipe and still had some leftover. I also added more salad greens to the salad served it with bread sticks. It was pretty tasty!