Garden Tomato Salad

Just like with zucchini a surplus of tomatoes happen as well. Our neighbor has brought over about 40 fresh tomatoes in all, so I'm searching my cook books and finding things to make. His tomatoes are so good, a little sweet, juicy, tender, just lovely little things. They even smell wonderful. Anyway here's a recipe we keep going back to because it's so good. We grew our own basil this year so we like it because of that too.

3 to 5 tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced (I chop mine)
2 to 3 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
2 to 3 tbls red onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt (I used 1/2 tsp minced garlic and added plain salt)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbls olive oil

Mix all ingredients together. Let stand for awhile before serving.

Marie's Pasta Salad

This amazingly delicious recipe comes to us via my mother in law, Marie.  Pasta salad is one of the best meals for summer time.  When my mother in law brought this to me on my birthday, she topped with some tuna that had been mixed with mayo - and that was even better!  You should try it.  Really.  It's yummy.

Marie's Pasta Salad

Just cook, drain and rinse the pasta.  Add whatever veggies you want and toss in this dressing:

2/3-1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/2cup vinegar

1/4 tsp onion juice or 1/2cup finely chopped onion

1 cup salad oil

1/2 Tbsp celery seed

The recipe suggests marinating it all together overnight so the flavors can mix.  Then, if you choose to use fresh tomatoes, add them just before serving so that they don't dilute the dressing.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This recipe is from my cousin Elaine and it's always been a big hit so I thought I'd give it a shot for a reunion we have going on today.

For Salad:
1 lb fresh spinach (2-10 oz bags)
1 pint strawberries slice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (I like sliced almonds)

For Dressing:
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp poppy seed
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp powdered onion

To prepare:
Combine all dressing ingredients EXCEPT poppy in a blend until thickened slightly. Add poppy. Just before serving, pour dressing over the mixture of spinach, strawberries, and pecans.

***My [her] personal preference is to pour the dressing over the salad at least an hour before and let it soak in. This really doesn't serve too well the next day after sitting in the dressing and this is a very big recipe. Don't make more than you can eat the same day.***

Copy That! - Olive Garden Salad

This salad is so good!

I now live in a place where there are no Olive Gardens (I know, hard to believe), and my favorite part of going there was the salad. So I was very excited when I saw this recipe in the newest Food Network magazine (June/July 2009). My husband and I both really liked the homemade version, but he thought it tasted like the real deal, and I thought it was so close but something was missing. Either way, it's a great summer salad!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Miracle Whip
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

For the salad:

• 1 10-ounce bag American salad blend (I actually just used Romaine)
  
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 small pickled peppers, such as pepperoncini (I used sliced,mild banana peppers, chopped)
  
• 1 small vine-ripened tomato, quartered
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives (I used about 10 whole black olives, but I REALLY like black olives)
  
• 1/2 cup large croutons
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Combine all the dressing ingredients and 1 to 2 tablespoons water in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth.

Place the salad blend in a large bowl and top with the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle with the dressing, and toss.

Small & Simple Discoveries

I recently discovered some things in the kitchen that everyone else probably already knows about. But just in case and so I don't forget and because this blog is all about food:

My mom put together this simple non-lettuce salad for me last summer when she was here, helping us get settled. It is so good, easy and nutrious:

Cut up one cucumber. Thinly slice some onion, just a bit for the flavor. Chop half a red pepper. Combine in a bowl. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat and squeeze half a lemon over veggies. Add some salt and pepper if you want. Yummy. I also substitute tomato for the red peppers when they're not on sale because those things are expensive.

I also realized recently how changing one part of a meal can spice things up considerably. For example having a regular sandwich at lunch time but using pita bread instead of regular bread is exciting enough to pretend that I'm eating out. I usually buy two loaves of bread at my biweekly shopping trip but for the summer months I think I'll buy one loaf and then a different bread item for sandwiches: pita bread, bagels, croissants. All those are breads that I usually only get when I go out to eat! What kind of bread do you use for sandwiches?

Spring Recipes

Spring has arrived, and here is a fantastic way to take advantage of the fresh veggies. Serve this at your next barbecue!


Spring Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Asparagus and Mozzarella

*1 lb penne pasta
*1/2 lb fresh Mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
*1 large bunch of scallions, about a dozen, sliced into thin rounds
*2 dozen ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half and drained for 20 minutes in a colander to remove excess liquid
*1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*zest and juice from 1 lemon
*1/2 lightly toasted cup pinenuts
*large handful fresh basil leaves, lightly chopped


1. Put up a large pot of salted water for cooking the pasta and bring it to a boil. Add the asparagus and blanch it until just tender, about 3 minutes. Scoop the asparagus from the water with a large strainer spoon and place in a colander. Run cold water over it to stop the cooking and to preserve the bright green color. Drain well and slice into small pieces on the diagonal, leaving the tips whole.

2. Bring the water back to a rapid boil and cook the penne until just al dente (tender but slightly firm to the bite). Run the pasta under cold water and drain very well.

3. In a large serving bowl, add the pasta, the blanched asparagus, and all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, and toss well until all the pasta is well coated with dressing. Taste for seasoning. This is best served at room temperature. Serves 4 to 5 as a main course, or 6 to 7 as a first course or side dish.

4. Note: Another lovely addition to this pasta is about 3/4 cup freshly shelled spring peas. Blanch them for 1 minute in the boiling pasta water after you blanch the asparagus. Drain well and add them to the bowl along with the other ingredients.

My Version of the Santa Fe Salad

I attempted to copy a salad from The Cheesecake Factory menu called Santa Fe Salad. I had it in December and it was always in the back of my mind, saying "you can make this". So here is my version. Obviously, if you don't like something on here, don't put it on. I'm sure it will still taste delicious.

*This list of ingredients will make about 4 dinner plate size salads.*
Ingredients
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 pound of chicken (I used chicken tenderloins, but breasts are fine too)
spicy ranch dressing (It's not really spicy, but you can use plain ranch if you would like)
1 small red onion, chopped
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped
2 limes
cilantro

Directions

1. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken, cook it a skillet. .
2. Assemble your salad. Here is the order I used: lettuce, spicy ranch dressing, red onion, tomatoes, corn, black beans, avocado (I used about a fourth of one for each salad), chicken, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime (a little less than half of a lime each salad).

*Any leftover avocado, squeeze the rest of your lime juice on it to keep it from oxidizing.

**Some things I didn't put on it, but were on the restaurant salad are shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla strips.

ENJOY!

Just Popping in...

I'm so afraid I'll lose my membership through lack of posting! :D I haven't been baking as much as I'd like (turns out, I have a baby who likes to be IN the sling, but hates BEING PUT into it...hmmm. Most days it's easier to not bother and just carry him around on my hip, like Mom used to!) and The Elimination Diet has reduced my dinnertime repertoire to Variations of Chicken/Fish plus green beans. BUT! I do have a fun and fast little trick to zest up an otherwise boring dinner: Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Dried Figs, and Honey Mustard dressing!

I know dried figs can get expensive ($4.99/lb in the bulk section of the health food store) but you only need a small handful, sliced in half. Toss the spinach leaves (baby spinach is best - no tearing needed) with crumbles of goat cheese*. In a (preferably glass, so you can watch the levels) measuring cup, pour 1/3 c. olive oil, salt, and pepper, and add honey and mustard by the tablespoon to taste, muddling as you go. Dump in the dried figs. When the oil starts to get low in the cup (meaning, of course, that the figs are soaking up the oil-honey-mustard goodness) toss the figs in the leaves and cheese. Serve immediately. SO delicious!

*If you don't like goat cheese, or it's prohibitively expensive, of course substitute your favorite salad cheese! Goat cheese happens to be MY favorite! :)

Simple Salad

We had pizza last night at my parents house for Dan's birthday. I decided to make a salad to balance out the meal.

Ingredients:
1 head of romaine lettuce
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 of a green pepper, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 hard boiled eggs
1 cup low-fat bacon-bits
1 cup feta cheese

Directions:
Toss everything in a bowl and serve with your choice of dressing.