Three Bean Pasta Salad

For the salad:
2 c. dry ziti or penne
2 c. fresh green beans, trimmed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 oz. Genoa salami, diced or sliced thin
2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c. red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c. black olives, sliced
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/4 c. fresh basil, minced
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced

For the vinaigrette:
1/3 c. Parmesan
3 T. olive oil
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 t. garlic, minced
1/2 t. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked pasta to a colander. Cook green beans in the same boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; drain. Rinse pasta and green beans under cool water; transfer to a large bowl.
Add garbanzo beans, salami, tomatoes, onion, olive, mozzarella, basil, and parsley to bowl with pasta; toss until well combined.
Combine all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar with a tight fitting lid; shake until well mixed.
Drizzle vinaigrette over salad just before serving; toss until evenly coated. Serve cold.

Makes 12 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
It is good. That is all I have to say about that.

Chicken Tostada Salad

Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas
3 t. olive oil
3/4 c. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/2 small red onion, diced small
1/2 t. chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-size pieces
coarse salt and pepper
1 T. plus 1 t. fresh lime juice
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced small
fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with 2 t. oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 minutes. Divide cheese among the tortillas and return to oven. Bake until cheese is bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Heat 1 t. oil in a large skillet. Add half the red onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 c. water and season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently, until chicken is warmed through and water is almost evaporated, 2 minutes. Stir in 1 t. lime juice and remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine lettuce and 1 T. lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and divide among tortillas. Top each tortilla with chicken mixture, tomato, avocado, remaining onion and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 25 minutes.

Verdict:
So good. I am not just saying that because I love tostadas, because I do, but these taste similar to something that you would get in a Mexican restaurant. Except in a restaurant they are normally soggy from sauce. I liked these so much we are having them again next week. Perhaps I am just really loving Mexican food.

Hot Potato Salad

For the casserole:
2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
1 1/2 pkgs. cream cheese, softened (12 oz. total)
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 c. cheddar, shredded
2 T. green onions, chopped
1 T. parsley, chopped
1 T. dill, minced
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

For the topping:
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. parsley, chopped
1/4 t. paprika

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425; coat a 2 qt. casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water over high heat until fork tender, 12-15 minutes; drain and set aside.
Combine cream cheese and buttermilk in a large bowl until blended. Stir in cheddar, green onions, 1 T. parley, dill and cayenne; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in hot potatoes into cream cheese mixture until coated; transfer to prepared baking dish.
Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, 1 T. parsley, and paprika in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle topping over potato salad.
Bake until potatoes are completely soft and topping is golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings. Total time 1 hour.

Verdict:
Oh, have mercy. This is rich and flavorful and oh so yummy. I loved this and so did Blake. I do have to say that it does make a lot of food. We ate ours as a side dish along with hamburger patties.

Pork Satays With Cucumber Salad

For the satays:
1 jar hoisin sauce (8oz)
1/2 c. chili garlic sauce
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. rice vinegar
2 T. Asian sesame oil
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed

For the cucumber salad:
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
2 c. cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/2 c. red onion, thinly sliced

For the satays:
Preheat grill to med-high.
Combine hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a large bowl.
Prepare pork, trimming it of fat and silverskin. Then cutting it into thirds lengthwise to make 12 strips, each 4-6" long. Toss the strips in the marinade. Let sit for a 10-15 minutes, then thread on skewers.
Arrange satays on the grill. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes. Flip satays, baste with marinade, then grill until cooked through, 3-4 more minutes.

For the cucumber salad:
Combine sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper flakes in a bowl. Add cucumber and onion; toss to combine. Chill until ready to serve. (Can be made up to 1 hour ahead.)

Makes 12 satays. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
These are a favorite at our house. I think they are so yummy. They do have a little kick to them but nothing that should scare you. When you BBQ them make sure that the edges are blackened slightly, it makes them.

Thai Noodle Salad

For the dressing:
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. peanut butter
1 T. water
1 T. honey
1 T. fresh gingerroot, minced
1 t. garlic, minced
1 t. chili garlic sauce

For the salad:
1 pkg. refrigerated yakisoba noodles (7.7 oz)
2 c. romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
2 c. cabbage, shredded
1 c. sweet potato, shredded
1 c. bell peppers, sliced into rings
1 c. bean sprouts
1/4 c. green onion, chopped
fresh basil, cilantro, and/or mint leaves

Directions:
Whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, peanut butter, water, honey, gingerroot, garlic, and chili garlic sauce in bowl; set aside.
Remove and discard the seasoning packet from yakisoba noodles. Loosen noodles; heat according to package directions.
Divide romaine, cabbage, sweet potato, bell pepper, and sprouts between two plates; top each salad with half of the warmed noodles. Drizzle salads with dressing; sprinkle with green onions and herbs.

Makes 2 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
When I was making the dressing it would not mix together so I put it in the blender. That worked like a charm. It tasted fresh and is a good meal without meat. If you can't find yakisoba noodles or are just lazy like me you can use ramen noodles, cooked without seasoning packet.

Tandoori Chicken With Peach-Ginger Chutney and Cucumber Raita

For the chicken:
1/4 c. plain low-fat yogurt
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. each brown sugar, ground cumin, garam masala, paprika, and ground turmeric
1 t. each minced garlic and minced fresh gingerroot
1/4 t. each kosher salt and cayenne pepper
2 chicken breast, boneless, skinless

For the chutney:
1 ripe peach, pitted and diced (about 1 c.)
1 T. scallions, sliced
1 T. peach preserves
1 T. rice vinegar
1 t. fresh gingerroot, minced

For the raita:
1 c. cucumber, seeded, and sliced into half moon slices
2 T. plain low fat yogurt
1 T. fresh mint leaves, minced
1/2 t. honey

Directions:
Combine 1/4 c. yogurt, lemon juice, brown sugar, cumin, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, 1 t. garlic, 1 t. gingerroot, salt and cayenne in a bowl. Add chicken; stir to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Combine peach, green onions, preserves, vinegar, and 1 t. gingerroot for the chutney; transfer to a small saucepan. Simmer chutney until liquid is nearly evaporated, 5 minutes; chill.
Combine cucumber, 2 T. yogurt, mint and honey for the raita; chill.
Preheat grill to high; when it is hot, oil grill well. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over direct heat for 5 minutes; brush with reserved marinade. Turn chicken; grill 5 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve chicken with chutney and raita.

Makes 2 servings. Total time 1 hour.

Verdict:
It was a little dry for my liking. The chutney was good and that is mostly what the kids wanted to eat. I used peaches that I had sliced and frozen so the chutney was a little more saucy than it is suppose to be. The raita was OK.

Stuffed Squash with Sausage and Gruyere Cheese and Red Grape Waldorf Salad

For the squash:
2 acorn squash, about 1 lb. each
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. pork sausage
1/2 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. sherry
4 c. fresh spinach
1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
3/4 c. Gruyere cheese, shredded
balsamic vinegar
1/2 t. rubbed sage

For the salad:
1 c. red grapes
1/2 c. celery, sliced thinly
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped, toasted
1/4 c. sour cream
2 t. honey
1/2 t. lemon juice
pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Slice each squash in half horizontally; scoop out the seeds. Cut a thin slice off of the bottom of each half to allow squash to sit flat.
Drizzle squash flesh with oil; sprinkle with salt. Place squash halves on a baking sheet, flesh side down. Roast squash 15 minutes. Flip squash and roast 10 minutes more, until the flesh is tender and the edges begin to brown and caramelize. Remove squash from oven. Heat broiler to high and place an oven rack 2 inches below broiler.
Heat 1 T. oil in a skillet. Add sausage to the skillet.
Saute sausage, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon, sprinkle sage over meat and cook until meat is browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Add onion and cook until onion is translucent about 3 minutes.
Deglaze with sherry; simmer mixture until most of the liquid is evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Add spinach to skillet; stir and toss until spinach leaves are wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in bread crumbs and 1/2 c. of the Gruyere.
Scoop 1 c. of the sausage mixture into each squash half.
Sprinkle remaining Gruyere over sausage mixture. Return stuffed squash to the baking sheet.
Broil until Gruyere melts, 2-3 minutes. Remove squash from oven and drizzle balsamic vinegar lightly over each squash half.

For the salad:
Combine grapes, celery, and walnuts in a bowl. Whisk together sour cream, honey, lemon juice, and salt. Toss with grape mixture.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 45 minutes.

Verdict:
Blake thinks I am crazy making him try all these things with squash. But he didn't think I was crazy once he tasted it. It is so good. We even ate it the next day. My squash took longer to cook than the directions say. I would just test the squash with a fork to see if it is tender in the thickest part. I think mine could have cooked a little longer but they were still good. Acorn squash doesn't have a ton of flavor. I would almost liken it unto a potato. So don't be a hater. Try it. The salad reminds me of family reunions when I was little. It made me happy.

Soba Noodle Salad With Chicken

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles)
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
3/4 lb. cooked chicken, shredded
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 1/4 c. red cabbage, thinly sliced

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling water, cook soba according to package instructions. Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, and ginger.
Drain soba, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Transfer to a bowl with soy mixture and toss.
Add chicken, scallions, and cabbage and toss to combine.

Verdict:
Even though when I was cooking this I knew it was a cold salad, when I first took a bite it still caught me off guard. When I was over the initial shock I enjoyed this quite a bit. It is super easy, and yummy.

Cobb Salad Muffuletta With Baked Potato Chips

For sandwich:
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. feta
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. dijon mustard
2 chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 strips bacon
1 loaf focaccia, halved horizontally
2 T. olive oil
2 cups arugula or spinach
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 eggs, hard boiled, sliced

For potatoes:
1 russet potatoes, sliced into paper thin rounds.
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For sandwich:
Preheat grill.
Whisk 1/3 c. oil, feta, vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Grill chicken over high heat, turning occasionally until cooked through. Remove from grill and let rest then slice.
Cook bacon until crisp. Brush both sides of focaccia with 2 T. oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down until toasted.
Brush focaccia with vinaigrette. Toss arugula with 3 T. vinaigrette to coat.
Layer avocado, tomatoes, chicken slices, eggs, bacon and arugula on bottom half of focaccia. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette, top with remaining focaccia and cut into wedges.

For potatoes:
Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Soak potato slices in ice water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels.
Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper then arrange on a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
Bake until golden and crisp about 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Makes 6 wedges and 3 c. chips. Total time 50 minutes.

Verdict:
This is a good sandwich. It also tasted good with the chips. It makes for a good meal. If you like cobb salad and chips you will like this.

Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad

For salad:
1 1/4 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, thinly sliced crosswise
coarse salt
3 1/2 oz. Chinese rice noodles, broken in half
1 T. vegetable oil
2 carrots, sliced into ribbons, with vegetable peeler
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 c. fresh basil, torn
bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, fresh mint, sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

For the dressing:
4 green onion whites, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. lime juice
1/2 t. anchovy paste
1/2 t. red pepper flakes

Directions for dressing:
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.

For the salad:
Marinate chicken using half of the dressing and place in a resealable plastic bag. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to overnight.
Boil salted water in a medium size pot and cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Transfer to a platter.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Working in batches cook chicken until cooked through.
Top noodles with chicken and other toppings. Drizzle with reserved dressing.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 50 minutes.

Verdict:
I am a fan of Asian noodle bowl meals. I like them. I didn't use anchovy paste in the dressing because I didn't have any but my dressing tasted good with out it. If you don't want the dressing to be too spicy then you can decrease the amount of red pepper flakes that you put in.

Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers With Zucchini Salad

For the zucchini salad:
2 T. vegetable oil
3 medium zucchini or yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 T. lime juice
coarse salt and pepper

For the burgers:
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
2 t. chili powder
4 oz. sliced pepper jack cheese
4 slices country bread, halved
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
store bought salsa for topping

For the salad:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let zucchini salad marinate at room temperature for 15 min. (or refrigerate up to 1 day.)

For the burger:
Preheat grill.
Form turkey into four patties. Using your thumb make and indentation in center to prevent burgers from rounding on top. Sprinkle patties with chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the patties are cooked through out.
Top burgers with cheese. Continue to grill until cheese has melted. Meanwhile grill bread until lightly charred. Place burger on a piece of bread top with avocado, and salsa. Serve with zucchini salad.

Makes 4 burgers. Total time 30 min.

Verdict:
We ate these burgers open faced with toasted french bread. I enjoyed them quite a lot. Turkey good. Jalapeno cheese good. Avocado good. We ran out of propane in our grill so I had to cook them on the stove top in a skillet but they still were delicious.

Asian Ragu With Rice Stick Noodles and Quick Pickled Cucumbers

For the ragu:
8 oz. dry rice-stick noodles or rice vermicelli
2 T. peanut oil
1 c. shallots, diced
2 T. garlic, minced
2 T. ginger root, minced
1-2 tsp. red curry paste, or chili garlic sauce
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 T. fish sauce, or soy sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
fresh basil and mint
chopped dry roasted peanuts

For the cucumbers:
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste
2 c. cucumbers, thinly sliced


For the ragu:

Cook rice sticks according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and ginger to pan. Saute until shallots are translucent, 3-4 min.
Stir in curry paste until combined with shallot mixture.
Add ground beef to pan and cook until browned breaking up bigger pieces.
Whisk together broth, fish sauce, and brown sugar until sugar dissolves. Stir into meat mixture. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 min. Serve ragu over cooked rice stick noodles.
Top with basil, mint and peanuts.

For the cucumbers:

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes for the marinade. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add cucumbers to bowl . Toss and chill until ready to serve.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
First off I used red curry paste and soy sauce. I only used 1 tsp. of the curry paste because I didn't want it to be too spicy. I should have used less. It still was too spicy for my kids to eat or like. This was really good besides that. The cucumbers on the side took away some of the heat and added a nice fresh flavor. I will make this again...but I will only use 1/2 tsp. curry paste.

Pasta Salad With Feta and Arugula

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. gemelli pasta, cooked and drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 c. crumbled feta
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon
1 bunch arugula, torn
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
Cook pasta in salted water until done. Drain and rinse pasta in cold water.
Toss pasta with beans and feta.
Make dressing in a bowl, whisking together oil, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve by tossing salad mixture with dressing, arugula, and onion.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
It was cool and fairly light. My noodles were a little undercooked for my liking and the beans that I had seemed to be a little hard too. I think I would have liked it more if those two things didn't play a part. I probably won't make it again. I spent a little more on the Arugula than I would like to. I think that that played a part too.

Chicken, Rice and Black Bean Salad

For the salad:
1 cup brown or white rice
1 cooked chicken (I use the Costco rotisserie), shredded
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 plum tomatoes, seeded, and sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

For the dressing:
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

For the salad:
Cook rice according to package directions. Mix together all salad ingredients including cooked rice.

For the dressing:
Mix together all ingredients and toss with salad.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 40 min.

Verdict:
We eat this a lot at our house. It is easy and fresh. We like it by itself or wrapped in a tortilla with some sour cream. You will like this too. I promise.

Southeast Asian Pork Loin with Pad Thai Salad

For the marinade/dressing:

1/3 c. rice vinegar

1/4 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin roast (I used 3 pork chops)

For the pad thai salad:

8 oz. dry rice vermicelli (these are the asian rice noodles)

2 c. napa cabbage, shredded

(you can choose any of the following ingredients to put on your salad)

sugar snap peas

diced tomatoes

bean sprouts

sliced cucumber

sliced red or yellow bell pepper

grated carrot

sliced green onions

basil leaves

cilantro leaves

mint leaves

peanuts, chopped

For the pork:

Preheat grill.

Whisk together all ingredients for marinade in medium bowl reserving some in a separate bowl for salad dressing.

Place pork in marinade.

Grill pork until cooked through. Rotating every couple of minutes and basting while cooking. Slice pork and serve with pad thai salad.

For the salad:

Boil water in pot and cook vermicelli according to package directions. Serve with any ingredients that you choose with pork sliced on top and dressing.

Makes 6. Total time 45 min. (or less if using pork chops)

Verdict:

I did a couple things different. I used pork chops instead of a roast because I wanted it to cook faster and I had pork chops on hand. I also only used the noodles, cabbage, basil, cucumber, and bell pepper. This was good. I like asian food and I tend to like when you mix cabbage and noodles. The dressing is good and you definitely need it for the salad. If you have never used fish sauce before don't be afraid. You can't taste anything "fishy." It will smell fishy when you first mix it into the dressing but once it is mixed in you won't be able to tell that it was there. I also liked the basil mixed into the salad. I normally don't use basil. Not because I don't like it, because I do, but because it is expensive. But it was a welcome addition to this salad. Fresh and light. The kids ate their ingredients separately and Blake ate with out complaint.

Recipe and picture from Cuisine at Home grilling.

Greek Salad with Shrimp and Edamame

For the salad:
2 lb. edamame (soy beans. I bought them frozen and then steamed them in the bag.)
1/2 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 c. mint, chopped
1/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. feta
2 Tbsp. kalamata olives, chopped
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preheat grill.
Steam edamame and remove them from shell.
Stir together edamame, parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, mint, onion, feta, and olives in large bowl. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. olive oil over salad and toss.
Toss shrimp with remaining lemon juice and olive oil. Grill shrimp uncovered until cooked.
Add shrimp to salad mixture and serve.

Makes 4. Total time 20 min.

Verdict:
Let me preface this by saying that I love Greek tasting food. So I thought for sure that I was going to like this and that Blake wouldn't. He is not huge on chopped up green things. (I am wearing him down though.) I was right, mostly. I liked it. It was light and flavorful and very summery. What I didn't expect was that Blake really liked it too. The kids picked out the edamame and ate that and the feta. Laney liked the cucumbers but didn't want any little green things to be on them. Gavin asked for some more feta. What can I say, our kids like feta.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling