Best California Salad Recipes

CALIFORNIA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; Drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the vegetables and olives. , In a large bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Drizzle over spaghetti mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon.

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHENS BBQ CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• To Make the Fried Tortilla Strips: In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until evenly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.
• To Make the Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: In a mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the mustard and cold water, forming a paste. Set aside for 10 minutes. Add the remaining dressing ingredients to the bowl and, using a handheld electric mixer at low speed or a whisk, blend together just until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too much air into the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To Make the Grilled Garlic and BBQ Chicken: Preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in this marinade and leave to marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Grill or broil the chicken breasts until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4-inch cubes and, in a bowl, toss with the barbecue sauce to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To Make the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the lettuces, basil, jicama, Monterey Jack cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, dressing, and half of the Fried Tortilla Strips. Transfer the salads to chilled serving plates. Surround each salad with diced tomatoes and the remaining Fried Tortilla Strips. Top each salad with chunks of Grilled Garlic BBQ Chicken and drizzle the chicken with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with the scallion.

EASY CALIFORNIA ROLL SUSHI SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse rice in a strainer under cold water until water runs clear. Transfer rice to a medium saucepan, add 3 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook under rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine rice wine vinegar, sugar, and sake in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute.
• Place cooked rice in a large bowl. Stir in vinegar mixture until well combined and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir again. Add imitation crabmeat, cucumber, and chopped avocado; mix well. Use soy sauce to season individual portions.

CALIFORNIA ROLL SUSHI SALAD

Steps:

• Bring water and rice to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool, about 15 minutes.
• Stir rice wine vinegar, pickled ginger juice, mayonnaise, soy sauce, sugar, wasabi powder, and sesame oil together in a bowl. Pour over cooled rice; mix to coat and break up clumps.
• Dice pickled ginger. Fold ginger, crabmeat, avocado, cucumber, and nori gently into rice. Chill until serving.

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• For salad, toss together the ingredients in a large bowl and chill in your refrigerator.
• For dressing, whisk together ingredients in a small bowl and chill for an hour.
• Just before serving, toss dressing with salad and serve on small individual plates.
• Can serve 4 for a main dish or 8 for small side salads.

CALIFORNIA CRAB STACK ON JAPANESE PICKLED CUCUMBER-MACHE SALAD DRESSED WITH TARRAGON DIJON DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine the sourdough bread crumbs and Dungeness crab meat, set aside. Combine remaining ingredients, except olive oil, and mix thoroughly. Gently fold in the crab and bread crumb mixture. Shape into patties approximately 1/2-inch thick. Heat olive oil in a non-stick saute pan. Cook crab cakes over medium heat to a golden brown about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Combine all ingredients except flower confetti and refrigerate.
• Whisk together all ingredients and refrigerate.
• Place 1/4 cup of the salad mixture in the center of each of 4 plates. Place a crab cake on top of each salad. Drizzle each plate with Tarragon Vinaigrette and sprinkle with a garnish of flower petal confetti.

CALIFORNIA "SUSHI" RICE SALAD

Steps:

• In 3-quart saucepan, cook rice in water as directed on package. Spread rice in 13x9-inch baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until completely cool.
• Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, mix vinegar, sugar and salt. Microwave 20 to 30 seconds; whisk until sugar is dissolved. Stir in gingerroot.
• In large bowl, toss cooled rice with vinegar mixture. Stir in cucumbers, carrots, green onions and crabmeat; mix well. Top with avocado.

"CALIFORNIA ROLL" SALAD

Steps:

• Into a large saucepan of salted boiling water stir rice and boil 10 minutes. Drain rice in a colander and rinse. Set colander over a kettle of boiling water (rice should not touch water) and steam rice, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 10 to 15 minutes (check water level in kettle occasionally, adding water if necessary).
• While rice is steaming, in a small saucepan bring 1/4 cup vinegar to a boil with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and remove from heat. In a dry small skillet toast sesame seeds over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant and transfer to a small bowl.
• Transfer rice to a large bowl and stir in vinegar mixture. Cool rice and stir in sesame seeds, remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar, oil, ginger, scallions, carrot, and cucumber. Salad may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before proceeding.
• Dry-roast nori, 1 sheet at a time, directly above moderate heat (gas or electric burner), holding it at opposite corners and moving it back and forth, until it turns bright green, 30 seconds to 1 minute. With scissors cut nori into thin 2-inch-long strips.
• Peel and pit avocado. Quarter avoado and cut crosswise into thin slices. Add avocado to salad with surmimi if using and two thirds of nori strips and toss well.
• Make dressing:
• In a small bowl stir wasabi powder into hot water and stir in cold water, soy sauce, and ginger juice.
• Serve salad sprinkled with remaining nori strips and drizzled with dressing.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN SALAD (CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN COPYCAT)

Steps:

• To make the spiced chicken: combine coriander and cinnamon with olive oil to make a paste. Spread on chicken breasts with a bbq brush or fingers; cook chicken in pan or grill (I used my Foreman grill and it worked well) until fully cooked. Let chicken cool and slice.
• While chicken is cooking, roast diced squash in a 400 degree oven for about ten minutes (I used my toaster oven).
• Toss all other ingredients together with the champagne dressing to taste. Top with sliced chicken & almonds.

CALIFORNIA QUINOA & AVOCADO SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment. Tip the butternut squash onto the tray, drizzle with 2 tsp oil and season well. Roast for 20 mins, then push the squash to one end of the tray, add the broccoli to the other end and drizzle with 1 tsp oil. Season and roast for 10 mins more.
• Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor, add 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt. Blitz to make a loose dressing, adding a little more water if necessary.
• Squeeze the pouch of quinoa to separate the grains, then tip into a large bowl. Add the herbs, spring onions, pomegranate seeds and pistachios. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, season and toss everything together. Add the roasted veg too.
• Divide the salad between two plates and drizzle over the dressing. Halve the avocado and remove the stone, then slide a dessertspoon between the skin and flesh to remove it in one piece. Place on a chopping board, rounded side up, and thinly slice. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then slide a knife underneath and lift half the avocado onto each salad. Top with the sprouts and grind over a little pepper, if you like.

CALIFORNIA COBB SALAD

Steps:

• For the blue cheese dressing: Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon, honey, Worcestershire, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 cup of the crumbled blue cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Stir in the chives and the remaining 1/2 cup blue cheese. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Hold in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• For the salad: Toss the romaine and quinoa with 2 tablespoons of the dressing in a serving bowl. Arrange the bacon, eggs, tomatoes, avocados and radishes in even sections over the top of the lettuce. Drizzle with more dressing and serve immediately.

CALIFORNIA ROLL SALAD

Steps:

• Place rice and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Set aside to cool.
• In a large serving bowl, toss together the lettuce, cucumber, avocado and imitation crabmeat. Stir in cooled rice. In a small bowl, stir together the wasabi powder, mayonnaise, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Toss salad with dressing (recommended), or serve with dressing on the side.

CALIFORNIA-STYLE CHOPPED SALAD WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• For the salad: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a large bowl add the romaine lettuce, corn, zucchini, and shrimp and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill the romaine lettuce, turning occasionally, until crisp-tender and browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Coarsely chop the grilled lettuce and add it to a large salad bowl. Grill the corn and zucchini for 2 minutes on all sides until crisp-tender. Remove the kernels from the corn and add to the salad bowl. Chop the zucchini into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Grill the shrimp until the meat is opaque and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cool slightly and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the chopped shrimp, butter lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado to the bowl.
• For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and agave nectar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Garnish the salad with tortilla strips and serve.

CALIFORNIA GREEN SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk dressing ingredients; cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, toss together romaine, avocado, onions, almonds and blue cheese in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Whisk the dressing and pour the over salad; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

CALIFORNIA CHICKEN BLT SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on box.
• Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.
• In large bowl, stir together seasoning (from Suddenly Salad™ box) and mayonnaise. Stir in drained pasta and remaining ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining salad.

CALIFORNIA SALAD BOWL

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, mix avocado, lemon juice, mayonnaise, hot pepper sauce, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Process until smooth.
• In a large bowl, toss together romaine lettuce, Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, green onions, green olives, and corn chips. Toss with the avocado dressing mixture just before serving.

CALIFORNIA CLUB SALAD

Steps:

• Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well.
• Cover and chill thoroughly.
• Place shredded lettuce on a large serving platter.
• Arrange chicken, tomatoes, avacado, bacon and egg over lettuce.
• Spoon chilled dressing over salad just before serving.

CALIFORNIA RICE SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare rice according to package directions.
• Drain pineapple; reserve 1/4 cup juice.
• Combine rice, pineapple chunks, arugula, bacon and onion in large bowl.
• Whisk together olive oil, reserved juice and mustard in small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over rice mixture; toss to evenly coat.

CALIFORNIA SALAD WITH HARD-BOILED EGGS

Steps:

• Put the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the chickpeas are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the pepitas and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes; let cool.
• Make the dressing: Whisk the yogurt, 2 tablespoons water, the vinegar, chives and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Peel and roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs. Toss the greens, sprouts and radishes in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Top each serving of salad with the chickpeas and pepitas, eggs and sliced avocado. Drizzle with the dressing and top with more chives.

CALIFORNIA CLUB PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Mix ranch dressing and MIRACLE WHIP until blended.
• Combine all remaining ingredients except bacon in large bowl. Add dressing mixture; mix lightly.
• Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with bacon just before serving.