Summer Pasta Salad

During the hot months, pasta salad is at the top of my list for an light, yet satisfying lunch. I often make a large batch and have it carry over for a few days. Last Saturday it was hot and I was on my own for lunch so this hit the spot! The recipe I have listed makes enough for 2 or 3 people as an entire lunch or more for side dishes. It can easily be increased to meet your needs! There are a number of ways you can change up this salad and some of my personal choices I have included with ** throughout the post. The salad that is featured in the photos is a fairly basic version that doesn't have any of the extra additions.

Summer Pasta Salad

For The Salad:
225 g dried whole wheat penne
1/4 cucumber, diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/3 cup broccoli florets, cut in small pieces
1/3 cup carrots, cut in small pieces
1/4 cup sliced black olives
** Canned artichoke hearts are delicious cut into this salad as well, I just didn't have any in the pantry :( **If you want to add meat, you can add some flaked tuna or chicken - also good.
1/4 cup crumbled light feta cheese

For The Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp oregano
**This dressing is a very light coating on the salad, which is the way I prefer it. Let the flavor of those veggies shine! If you are looking for a heavier dressing, you may want to double this.

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, chop and prepare veggies.

2. Drain pasta and run cold water over to cool.

3. Whisk together evoo, vinegar, salt, pepper, minced onion and oregano for dressing.

4. Pour over pasta and toss to coat.

5. Add veggies and cheese. Toss to coat.

Chill for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 large, lunch sized servings or a number of side dish servings (also a great potluck or summer picnic option!)

Enjoy on the patio with a big glass of sweet tea.

Teryaki Shrimp Salad

Sometime last week, we enjoyed a delicious "summery meal" that consisted of grilled teryaki shrimp skewers, a big leafy salad and baked potatoes.

The next day for lunch, I topped my salad with the leftover shrimp and really enjoyed the combination. It's nothing fancy, but it was delicious! I would definitely make this again as a meal time salad, and grill the shrimp immediately before dinner rather than using leftovers. It would be perfect paired with a few wedges of pita, brushed with olive oil and garlic and toasted on the grill!

Teryaki Shrimp Salad
4-5 large grilled teryaki shrimp (I used PC 5 Spice Teryaki Marinade)
Mixed greens
Diced cucumber
Diced tomato
Diced red onion
Diced carrot
Diced celery
*And any other veggies you like to include in your salad
Homemade Ranch Dressing

Mix diced veggies with your leafy greens. Top with shrimp. Drizzle with dressing.

Enjoy a quick, easy and delicious lunch (or supper)!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

A few weeks ago, my friend Jackie posted a recipe for homemade ranch dressing. We're not usually huge ranch people, but I needed to have some veggies and dip ready to go so I decided to whip it up the very same day she posted it to use as a dip. Oh my goodness. Remember when I said we aren't ranch people? Well, I've made this ranch dressing four times since she posted it. That means I have basically had it in the fridge at all times since that first day. It is that good. I will never ever go back to store bought ranch. The best part is that it uses all ingredients that I always have on hand so it can be made in a pinch.

Homemade Ranch Dressing - from Jackie
1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon cilantro (I use frozen, minced cilantro)

1 teaspoon minced oregano (dried)

1 tablespoon minced onion (I use dried)

2 teaspoons minced garlic (fresh)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2 cups low fat mayonnaise

Combine the buttermilk and all dry ingredients, whisking until combined.

Add the mayo and whisk until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Dressing keeps for about a week. I dare you to try to make it last that long.

Spring Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

I was never really a fan of fruit in my salad until I was introduced to this salad by Aunt Linda. It is so fresh, so easy, and most importantly so delicious. I haven't specified amounts for the salad ingredients because that really depends on how much salad you are making. It can be adjusted for one serving or for a large bowl to serve to a group, just use your judgement.

Spring Salad
Spring mix greens
Bartlett pear
Strawberries
Pecan pieces *it is especially good with toasted, spiced or candied pecans.
Crumbled goat cheese

Place greens on a plate or in a salad serving bowl. Top with pear, strawberries, pecan pieces. Toss gently. Add crumbled goat cheese to the top. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette dressing (recipe below) and serve.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing - from Emeril
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a sealable jar and shake to combine. Use immediately or store in refrigerator for future use. Shake well before pouring. Makes one cup.

Green Bean Salad

This week's chef for the Food Network Cooking Chef's Challenge is Aida Mollenkamp. Since I was away a bit last week, I didn't have much time to peruse her recipes and so I had to pick one quickly, using recipes I had on hand because I knew I wouldn't be able to go grocery shopping until after I had made the recipe. I settled on Simple Green Bean Salad, because as I mentioned yesterday, I'm at a point where I'm looking for new ways to serve beans from the garden. I had to make a number of changes to the salad, so I'm not sure if it is really fair for me to make a review of the recipe, but I will say that what I came up with tasted delicious.

Simple Green Bean Salad
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 T EVOO
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lime zest (I didn't have any lemons so I had to use bottled juice and a lime for the zest)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered.
Salt
Pepper
2 tsp dried parsley

1. Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Once water boils, add green beans until cooked but still firm, about 4 minutes. You will notice my beans are purple. The beans we grew are purple and turn green when they are cooked. They are tasty tasty.

2. Prepare a water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice water. Place beans ice water bath until cool. Drain and shake off excess water.

3. In a medium bowl, mix olive oil, juice, zest, and salt and pepper.

4. Add green beans, tomatoes and parsley, and mix well; taste, adjust seasoning as needed. Salad can be served immediately though flavor improves as it sits.

We both loved this salad. The fabulous dude thought it would be good with slivered almonds in it. I agree with him but I also think it would be tasty with shallots and black olives, as the original recipe suggested. I'm completely content with my decision to omit the anchovies. :D

Honey Pecan Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

I found this recipe for Honey Pecan Chicken from Kim. I thought it sounded so tasty and would be delicious on top of a salad. I was right. This is yum-o.

Honey Pecan Chicken Strips - modified from Kim's Cuisine.
1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
2 T honey
2 T soy sauce
Salt and Pepper

1. Chop/crush pecans. Mix bread crumbs and pecans.

2. In a separate bowl, mix honey and soy sauce.

3. Cut chicken into thin strips. Coat completely with soy sauce/honey mixture.

4. Coat with pecan mixture.

5. Arrange in a single layer in a greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until cooked.

Serve on a fresh spinach salad with honey mustard dressing. Serves 4.

Honey Mustard Dressing - modified from Better Homes and Gardens
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine in a jar with a screw-top jar or a salad dressing jar. Cover, shake well. Refrigerate and use within two weeks.

Southwestern Roasted Potato Salad

I was looking for something a little bit different than my normal potato salad to take with me to a potluck. At first, I was hoping to find a recipe that used something other than a creamy base but the fabulous dude was not very interested in that idea. I scoured through every single potato salad recipe on the Internet and in my plethora of cookbooks many potato salad recipes and came up with something new and fun to try. A great potluck dish! Sorry about the blurry photos ... not sure what the deal is with that.

Southwestern Roasted Potato Salad
12-15 medium potatoes (new potatoes would also be delicious)
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp basil
Salt
Pepper
4-5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 ranch dressing
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chili powder
Salt
Pepper

1. Wash and cube potatoes. You can peel them if you like, but I didn't. Place in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

2. Cover and roast at 375 for 1-1.5 hours, until potatoes are cooked. Let cool. Meanwhile, cook bacon. Let cool and crumble. Chop green onions and shred cheese.

3. When potatoes are cooled, add bacon, green onions and cheese to the roast pan. Reserve a few green onions for garnish. Mix.

4. Mix together sour cream, mayo, ranch dressing, dijon mustard, chili powder, salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes. Stir well. Garnish with remaining green onions. Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving.

Makes 10-12 servings.

This recipe is being linked at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Chick Pea Salad

I know I haven't posted many recipes lately. I haven't been cooking much at all. We are only going to be home for two nights this week and then we're heading up north for a wedding so I don't want to have a lot of food kickin' around.

I do still need to eat lunch, however, and we've got lots of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden so I threw together a cool, refreshing, quick salad to last for a few days. I love chick peas. Growing up, I used to open a can of them and eat them as a snack. I'm also a huge fan of cool, chunky salads so this one hit the spot! Sorry about the horrible photos - I'm not sure what's wrong with my camera (blame it on the camera, right?)

Chick Pea Salad
2 cups cooked chick peas (or one can, rinsed and drained)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 T dried dill or parsley
Salt and Pepper
Red onion (if you've got it - would have made a great addition)
Dressing of your choice, if desired.

1. Place all ingredients, except dressing in a medium bowl and mix together. Ta da! If you pour the dressing over the entire salad, it might only stay fresh for a day. If you just leave the salad as is and put the dressing on each serving, it will stay fresh, covered in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. I prefer this salad on its own with no dressing but I know that most people would find that too bland. It is also good with an oil and balsamic vinegar dressing or Kraft's Pesto Parmasan dressing.

It's not fancy, it's not complicated, it's not even very creative. But it's just right! Paired with a tall glass of ice cold water, it makes the perfect lunch on a hot summer day.

This recipe will be linked up at the Ultimate Recipe Swap: Chill Out Edition

Sesame Chicken Salad

Tonight, chili was on the menu. But, when the fabulous dude arrived home from work and asked what was for supper, I received a "ughh" in response when I told him. Normally, I would say suck it up Sally, and serve the chili anyways, but I wasn't really in the mood for it either. It was frozen from last time we had this exact same experience, so it will just be saved for yet another day. I had to act fast and decide what we would have instead. I decided to stick with a light, summery dinner because it was a hot day today.

Sesame Chicken Salad
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken (I had some BBQ chicken cut up in the freezer)
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup thai chili sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Fresh garden salad (with the fixin's of your choice - ours included romaine lettuce, cucs and beet tops from the garden, tomatoes, green onions, green pepper and carrots)

1. Place chicken in a frying pan with a light drizzle of olive oil. Sautee until warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine hoisin sauce, thai chili sauce and soy sauce.

3. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine. Add sesame seeds. Reduce heat to low until heated through.

4. Divide garden salad into serving size of your choice. Top with chicken.

Serves 4. (Although I divided the chicken in two, there definitely would have been enough to cover 4 dinner sized salads).

This is a really yummy salad. In fact, I got so excited while making it that I forgot to keep taking pictures. It's a shame really, because it was quite pretty and colourful in the end. I guess I will just have to make it again so I can take photos.

There is no need for dressing on this salad. The sauce on the chicken is very flavourful and blends well with the vegetables. The husband was raving about this meal. And, if you know my husband, it takes a LOT to make him rave about a meal that does not include meat and potatoes.

You could also serve the sesame chicken over rice as a main dish, if you'd prefer.

This recipe is being shared at Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

Barley Lentil Salad

This recipe is healthy, inexpensive and most importantly, delicious! What a great combination.

Barley Lentil Salad
4 cups water
8 cubes vegetable broth (I think this is about one cup)
1 cup green lentils**
1 cup pot barley**
1-2 tsp ground ginger
1-2 tsp garlic powder
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
1/4 cucumber, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped (red onion is also good)
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/8-1/4 cup feta cheese
Parsley, for garnish

For dressing:
Just less than 1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger
Salt and pepper, to taste

** you can use all lentils or all barley if you dislike one or the other.

1. Wash and rinse lentils and barley.

2. Place water, broth, lentils and barley in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 45-60 minutes, until soft but not mushy, adding more water if necessary. Drain and rinse with cold water. Remove bay leaf.

3. Place lentils and barley in a large bowl and allow to cool.

4. Add cucumber, tomato, chickpeas, onion and feta cheese (I didn't have any onion which is why it's not seen in the picture but it really does add a lot to the salad. And the chickpeas were frozen which is why they look like that). Mix.

5. For dressing, add all ingredients to a one cup measure and whisk to combine. Or, if you wish, you can also use any oil based bottled salad dressing. Greek feta with oregano, sun dried tomato and Italian work well.


6. Pour over salad and mix. Cover and chill in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Serves ... a lot. This will make enough for us to eat with dinner one night and then in our lunches for a few days. It is a really nice summer salad to serve with any grilled dish or on its own.

Cucumber Dill Salad

Cucumber Dill Salad
1 medium cucumber, sliced thinly
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tsp dried dillweed (or 2 tbsp fresh)
4 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Place cucumber slices in a colander over a large plate. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes, stirring once. Rinse and drain well.**

2. In a large bowl, combine vinegar, dill, sugar and pepper. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat. Cover, refrigerate and chill for at least 4 hours. The longer you let it chill the better. Overnight is best!

** You may be tempted to skip this step in order to decrease the salt content of the salad. I urge you not to because the salt draws out the extra liquid in the cucumbers and allows them to retain their crispness after being soaked in the dressing.

This recipe is being linked up at the Ultimate Recipe Swap: Salad's On Edition