Summer Squash Pasta Salad

A friend of mine recommended this recipe to me, so, after pilaging someone else's garden today (since mine isn't producing much, or at least not much is ripe yet...) I decided I needed to try this one out. However, me being who I am, I couldn't help but mess with the basic recipe. I think it turned out well, it's a recipe that could be used as a side dish, a vegetarian dinner, or a meat dinner depending on your mood, it can also be served warm or cold...see how versatile it is?! I added cooked chicken and some cheese to make mine a complete meal in one bowl.

Summer Squash Pasta Salad

13-16 oz. Whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 small zucchini, cubed
1 yellow squash, cubed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp. garlic, separated
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
handful of fresh basil , chopped
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
3 stems of cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper
1/2 lb. cooked chicken, chopped (opt.)
3 tbsp. feta cheese (opt. - could also use parmessan)

While pasta is cooking, saute garlic in 2 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar and salt and pepper until garlic is golden. Add cubed zucchini and squash and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped herbs and continuing cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add halved tomatoes and cook until skins start to peel away.

Toss cooked pasta with with 1 tbsp. olive oil, sauteed vegetables and cooked chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Baby Red Potato Salad

Of course we had to grill hamburgers and hot dogs for the 4th of July! I wanted to make a lower-guilt side dish to go along with it, but was craving potato salad...so I searched for something that would work, thinking that maybe a more vinegar based salad would be best, especially since I had a few "pickier" eaters who don't like mayonnaise that much! I found this recipe on a blog I frequent and went with it. I liked it, it has a nice crunch to it with the fresh pepper and onion, and it has just a little bit of mayo so it still had that "potato salad" feel, but much lighter and fresher.

Baby Red Potato Salad

4 cups baby red potatoes, cut into quarters (or small pieces)
1/2 cup green pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine red onion, green pepper, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add scallions and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.
salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta Salad with Baby Spinach

This recipe was conceived over IM. It was my night to cook dinner and I had thawed out a whole chicken and had it seasoned up and in the crockpot before I left for work. The only problem was that I was feeling very "uncreative" with a side dish or vegetable. So, I IM'd my sister and asked her what I should make with my chicken for that night. What followed was a back and forth conversation that eventually turned into this recipe.

Pasta Salad with Baby Spinach & Mixed Greens
5 oz. Baby spinach
8 oz. Whole wheat pasta (i.e. penne, bowtie, etc.)
12-15 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp. sliced black olives
2-3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1.5 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese

Cook pasta in salted water, drain and rinse under cold water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, spinach, mixed greens, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss well. Top with shaved parmigiano reggiano.

Bodacious Broccoli Salad

This is one of my favorite salads and it's a great potluck-pleaser. I actually got this recipe from my former roommate Julie so I hope she doesn't mind me sharing! This isn't actually a very "healthy" salad, however, I think there are definitely ways to lighten it up. Like using turkey bacon instead of regular, making sure to use low-fat cheese and mayo, etc.

Anyway, we made a batch of this up for our Memorial Day BBQ this past weekend and thankfully we still have some left over so I can have a scoop for lunch today! The recipe says it serves 12, but I think you will actually get more like 15 servings out of it. Hopefully you can find a time this summer to try it out!

Bodacious Broccoli Salad
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 heads of broccoli (approx. 3-4 cups), chopped into sm. florets
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups golden raisins

Dressing: (mix together)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice

Combine bacon, broccoli, onion, cheese and raisins. Pour combined dressing over salad. Mix everything together and chill.

Beet & Orange Salad

This is one of those recipes I've been wanting to try some version of for years. I used pre-cooked beets, but I eventually do want to roast my own. I just haven't been courageous enough to try it yet.

Roasted Beet & Orange Salad

1/2 lb. roasted beets
1 medium orange
2 tbsp. red onion
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cut roasted beets into 1/2" cubes and place in bowl. Cut off peel of orange and cut out sections over the bowl with the beets, add red onion, set aside. In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over beet mixture and toss. This makes about 2-3 servings.

Lebanese Chicken and Pita Salad

I borrowed a couple of Weight Watchers cookbooks from a friend a few weeks ago and have tagged a bunch of the recipes to try out. This was one of those recipes, although, true to my cooking style, I made a few tweaks and additions. I brought this in to the ladies I work with for lunch and I believe they all enjoyed it and it made a nice, fresh tasting lunch!

Lebanese Chicken and Pita Salad

1 lb. thin-sliced chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6 mini whole wheat pita breads, toasted
24 grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and chopped
2 green onions
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 - 8.45 oz. can garbanzo beans (my addition)

Season the chicken with 1/4 tsp. of the salt and 1/8 tsp. of the pepper. Spray a large pan with non-stick spray. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 5 minutes; transfer to a serving bowl. Set aside.

Tear the pitas into 1" pieces and add to the bowl along with the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, oil, cumin, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Toss to mix well.

Here's what I changed about the recipe: I omitted the mint (I'm just not a fan), and added some chopped parsley in its place and upped the amount of cilantro. To save time, I also used pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joe's which worked out pretty well. I had a small can of garbanzo beans in the cabinet, so I decided to add that in at the end just to bulk up the salad a little more. I also added about another 1/2 tsp. ground cumin and a splash more of lemon juice.

Chicken Salad

I make a pretty good chicken salad. I'm not going to lie, it's often requested, especially on wine tasting trips or Hollywood Bowl nights. It's one of the easiest things I've ever learned how to make and lasts for a while in the fridge so you can make it a day or two ahead of whenever you want to serve it.

Chicken Salad

1 whole store bought roasted chicken (or you can cook your own chicken breasts)
1 1/5 cups red grapes, halved
3/4 - 1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp. Mrs. Dash Table Blend, use to taste
1/2 - 3/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Remove skin from chicken, chop chicken into small bite sized pieces and place in large bowl. Add halved grapes, celery, mayonnaise and Mrs. Dash and mix together. Right before serving stir in slivered almonds. Serve on crusty bread, crackers, a bed of lettuce or inside a cantaloupe ring!

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Last night I made Taco Salad and instead of loading on the sour cream and guacamole I whipped up a fresh vinaigrette to drizzle on top and I have to say if you like a little zip on your salad, this cilantro and lime dressing will hit the spot.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

· 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

· 1 teaspoon grated lime rind

· 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

· 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

· 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

· 1 garlic clove, peeled

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well. I used our handy emulsion blender for this which makes for easier clean up!

Lists

So, the other day my sister posted a blog of "lists" and it inspired me to create my own for the year. Of course I'm going to make the lists appropriate for a "food blog", but I like her idea of making New Year's Lists instead of resolutions!

Twelve new recipes to try:

1. Engish Muffin Bread
2. Chimichurri Beef
   
3. Green Garbanzo Salad
4. Chicken Pot Pie
5. Homemade Hummus
6. Spicy Szechuan Tofu
7. Roasted Chicken with Bread Salad
8. Garlic Soba Noodles
9. Seared Ahi Tuna
10. Orange and Beet Salad
    
11. Dan Dan Noodles
12. Sweet Potato Latkes

Six kitchen gadgets to get:

1. Dough Blender
2. Microplane
3. Grill pan
4. Mango slicer
5. Pasta bowl
6. Medium sized ramekins

Three things to organize in the kitchen:

1. Spice cabinet
2. Tool drawer
3. Recipe Box

A kicky Spinach & Pistachio Salad

I love the kick that the japapeno jelly gives this salad and the pistachio nuts are a new salad addition that I hadn't thought of using before which is funny because I do love pistachio nuts and I can't resist a recipe that uses my favorite (gorgonzola) cheese!


Spinach & Pistachio Salad
adapted from Cooking Light
6 servings (serving size: 1 cup spinach mixture and 2 teaspoons nuts)

1/4 cup red jalapeno pepper jelly
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
dry-roasted pistachios

Place jelly in a microwave safe measuring cup or container. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds. Add cider vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cool to room temperature.

Combine spinach, red onion and cheese in a large bowl or arrange on a platter. Drizzle vinegar mixture over spinach mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve immediately.