Google+ talkinginallcaps@gmail.com
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Talking in ALL CAPS

  • Food
    • 52 Salads Recipe Index
    • 52 Soups Recipe Index
  • Photography
  • Travel
    • Travel
    • US National Parks
    • Washington DC
    • Disneyland
  • Thoughts
    • Thoughts
    • Motherhood
    • Parenting
  • Calgary
  • About Me

recipe

11 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group

April 1, 2019 by danawyyc 2 Comments

12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

1. Southwestern Bean Salad 

Bean salads can often be quite bland but this one is definitely not. Using canned beans makes it easy to prepare and helps the salad stretch a long way.

Southwestern Bean Salad - 12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group

2. Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

Using brown basmati rice will keep the nutrient content of this salad but keep the soft texture that you get from white rice. You can easily feed a big crowd with this fresh salad without a lot of work.

Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs - 12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

3. Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad 

This is not your typical pasta salad but it is just as easy to make. This salad uses salsa as a dressing, pumping up the flavor and reducing the calories too.

 Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad -12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

4. Orzo Salad 

Another fresh take on pasta salad, this salad uses tiny orzo pasta and mint to make a nice light side dish.

Orzo Salad - 12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

5. Mexican Street Corn Inspired Quinoa and Corn Salad

Looking for something a little different? This salad has just the right amount of heat.

Mexican Street Corn Inspired Quinoa and Corn Salad -12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

6. Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Want a salad just bursting with nutrition? It’s hard to beat this one. It makes a ton so you can easily feed a large group.

Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad -12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

7. Retro Cauliflower Salad with Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Cauliflower has never tasted so good as in this creamy salad with cheese and tortilla chips.

 Retro Cauliflower Salad  -12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group

8. Rainbow Fruit Salad

This fruit salad is easy to put together and makes a large bowl full without a lot of work. Substitute the fruit for what’s in season and you can’t go wrong.

 Rainbow Fruit Salad - 12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

9. Asian Lentil and Mango Salad 

A little bit sweet and a little bit crunchy, this salad is a definite break from your everyday salad. It keeps really well so you can make it ahead of time or enjoy the leftovers the next day.

Asian Lentil and Mango Salad -12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

10. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad 

Quinoa makes a perfect base for a little bit of a twist on the traditional Tabbouleh salad.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad  - 12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

11. Salad on a Stick

Want a salad that you can eat without utensils? Try one of these options for a salad on a stick.

 Salad on a Stick -12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

Filed Under: 52 Salads, Food, Popular Posts, Recipes, Salad, Salads Tagged With: recipe, salad

Books and Bites: Cafe Rio and 419

April 30, 2013 by danawyyc 8 Comments


This post is a little about books and a lot about a really fantastic dish called Cafe Rio.

Cafe Rio

I’ve always been a voracious reader. I’ve always considered myself to be a bookworm but it turns out I’m not as a big of a book geek as I thought. Until recently, I’d never met an author of a novel I’ve read. I’ve now met two, but failed to prove myself as a proper book geek both times. The first time I should have been prepared. I knew that Bradley Somer, author of Imperfections (a weird, thought provoking satire of the beauty industry that I both loved and hated – and yes I did tell him)  was coming to our book club that month. But I forgot to bring my book and obviously didn’t get him to sign my copy of the book.

You might think that this would begin my learning process but you would be wrong. Even though one of the women in our book club mentioned that she knew the author of the book that was chosen (419 by Will Ferguson) and was going to see if he would be able to come, I still didn’t bring the book to our book club. Now, in my defence, I didn’t think he was actually coming but this is my only picture: Book Club with Will Ferguson

And no, I am not in that picture (Will Ferguson, is the guy in the centre of the photo).  The book itself is not one that I would normally pick up I’ve been reading a lot of YA fiction lately but it is definitely a book worth reading. It centers around a Nigerian Scam nick named 419 from the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code and relates both the perspective of the Nigerians involved as well as the Canadians (the Canadian sections are set in Calgary). I found it really helped me to better understand how people get taken in by the scams as well as how heartbreaking it can be on both sides.

If you want to read more about Will Ferguson crashing my book club you can read my friend Heather’s post “The Time I Met a Giller Award Winner in my Pajamas”

 

Since I was unable to prove myself as book geek, I thought I’d centre my post on the amazing food that was served at our book club that night. (Which had absolutely nothing to do with 419 in any way. At all.) And I did not think to take a picture of it. So I ended up making it all again myself. It is definitely worth making, but it is a great meal to make for a crowd because then you can split up the work. It is not a trivial amount. The origins of this recipe are unknown to me. I got it from my friend Catherine who writes the blog The Dabels Divulge (which you should all go check out because she is hilarious) and she got it from her friend Angi.

I’m going to keep most of the recipe as it was given out for the book club and annotate it with any thoughts or changes that I made when I cooked it up myself.

Cafe RIo

Café Rio Recipe

  • tortilla shells
  • crispy tortilla strips
  • Romaine or other dark leafy greens chopped or shredded
  • Tomatoes, chopped
  • Cheese shredded
  • fresh limes to squeeze on top

 

Print
Seasoned Chicken
 
Ingredients
  • 5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 5 or 6 breasts and it made a ton of chicken)
  • 1 large bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • Fresh lime juice
Instructions
  1. Put everything but the limes in a crock pot and stir to coat. Cook on low 4-6 hours, or high 2-3 hours. ½ hour before serving, shred the chicken with two forks  and add the juice from 2 limes. (I accidentally bought bone-in, skinless chicken breasts. Sometimes shopping with kids is not all it's cracked up to be. I do not recommend that. You will be picking out little pieces of bone for ages. I also missed that I was supposed to put the lime in last, but it still tasted great).
3.2.2925

Print
Green Chili Rice
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups of water
  • 4 tsp. chicken bouillon (I used 2 large cubes- that make 2 cups of broth per cube)
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 can mild diced green chilis with the water
  • ½ bunch chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ onion chopped
  • 3 cups rice (not instant)
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
  1. (I switched out the chicken bouillon and water for chicken stock. I'm pretty sure this should totally work, but I was using a different kind of rice than I normally do and ended up having to add a bunch more stock. You should be able to just swap it out 1 for 1 with however much water your rice needs).
3.2.2925

Print
Black Beans and corn
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1⅓ c tomato juice
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
  • 1 can of corn, drained
Instructions
  1. In a nonstick skillet, cook cumin and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continue to stir until it is heated through. Add corn- if you choose. Stir in cilantro just before serving.
  2. (I had somehow thought this didn't need to be cooked when I started putting it together. So I ended up just mixing everything together and then cooking it a bit. It was good but I found that there was a lot of tomato juice. I don't know if that would still be the case if you did it according to the actual directions.)
3.2.2925

Print
Creamy Cilantro Dressing
 
Ingredients
  • 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
  • 1 can of diced green chilis
  • 1⅓ cup sour cream
  • ¾ cup mayo
  • ½ bunch fresh cilantro
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • juice from 1-2 limes
  • ⅛ tsp. Tabasco sauce (I added a bit more because we like it a bit spicy)
Instructions
  1. Mix everything is a blender or food processor.  Best if made the night before.
3.2.2925

Putting It All Together

Layer everything on top of the tortilla. Or you could wrap it up like a burrito. Squeeze some extra lime on top.

I totally underestimated how much work this would be. If you are going to do it all yourself, I’d recommend doing some of it (like the dressing) a head of time.
Cafe RIo

Cafe RIo

 

Have you read Imperfections or 419? What’s your favorite dish to serve for a crowd?

 

Filed Under: Books and Bites, Chicken, Food, Recipes Tagged With: book club, books, recipe

Primary Sidebar

About Me

I'm an experiential playground expert and mom to three young kids. I live with my husband in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When I'm not looking after people, I'm reading all the YA fiction I can get my hands on and am attempting to learn photography. My laundry-folding suffers due to more interesting pursuits.

You can also find me over at:
12 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group - talkinginallcaps.com

11 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group

Sriracha tomato soup - easy meals - talkinginallcaps.com

12 Easy Meals That are Great for One or Two (or more!)

Asian Lentil and Mango Salad 3

Salad #49 – Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Salad #42 – Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Disneyland Photography Tips - 11 Tips for Getting Great Photos Your Family Will Treasure

Disneyland Photography Tips – 11 Tips for Getting Great Photos of Your Disneyland Vacation

11 Tips for Taking a Toddler and a Preschooler to Disneyland

Categories

Archives

Footer

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress