Barbecue Chicken Salad

Have you ever had barbecue chicken salad at California Pizza Kitchen?  It's one of my favorite entree salads to order out a restaurant.  I've had it at other restaurants and I think the CPK salad is hands down the best version.  All the flavors complement each other...sweet, tangy, crunchy, cheesy.  It's a filling (a half order is plenty for me or if Hubby wants to share we get the full order) and oh so delicious meal.

Hubs and I eat salads for dinner (as our entree) at least 1 or 2 times a week.  Most of the time it's a basic salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, red pepper, sometimes mushrooms, topped with grilled shrimp or chicken.  I sometimes add a sprinkle of feta or cheddar cheese and or some croutons if I have them.  Our favorite salad dressing is one I get in the produce section at my grocery store by Litehouse.  They have a lite ranch dressing that is low in calories and doesn't taste like a "light" ranch dressing.  I was getting a little bored with our basic salads so I started thinking about alternative options...

I had ranch dressing and barbecue sauce in the fridge and chicken in the freezer and thought why not make barbecue chicken salad at home?  I didn't consult a recipe for this one.  I went from memory and crossed my fingers. 

You start by baking the chicken in barbecue sauce.  Once it's cooled, chop it and toss it in more barbecue sauce.  There is one other cooking component to this recipe.  I like to roast sweet corn and it's easy to do right on the stove top.  I keep frozen white sweet corn on hand at all times (I have found the C&W brand to be the sweetest).  To roast, drizzle a little olive oil in a non stick pan and throw in the frozen corn (don't thaw) and cook about 10 minutes on medium high heat, stirring once in a while until the corn takes on a roasted, caramelized color on some of the kernels.  If fresh corn is in season that would be even better, just toss your husked corn cob right on the grill and turn every couple of minutes until that charred color starts to appear (also about 10 minutes).

The rest comes together easily.  While your chicken and corn are cooking, prep the rest of the ingredients. 

Tip of the day - Freeze Your Chips!

One of the ingredients in the salad is crushed tortilla chips.  I have a tip to share for storing chips.  Once you've opened the bag, use a chip clip to close the bag and store it in your freezer.  This works great for both tortilla chips and potato chips.  In our two person household it can take a while for us to eat up a bag of chips before they go stale.  The chips will keep nicely in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

*****

So how did my version of barbecue chicken salad compare?  Both Hubby and I gave it two big thumbs up.  In fact I've made it twice already and it's officially been added to our salad rotation.  I'm loving it! 

The salad is very similar to my beloved CPK version.  I just went to the CPK website to compare ingredients and I came pretty darn close.  The only thing my version didn't have was jicama and basil (which I didn't really miss).  At CPK avocado is an add on ingredient for extra money.  Since avocados were on sale at the market, they were a definite add in my version of the salad. 

Oh, and I can't forget to tell you, the squeeze of lime takes this salad up a level.  It gives it a little tang that goes nicely with the creamy ranch and sweet barbecue sauce from the chicken.  Don't skip the lime!

Enjoy!

Barbecue Chicken Salad
from The Ginger Snap Girl, inspired from California Pizza Kitchen

Serves 4 entree portions

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup barbecue sauce (I used Lucille's)
1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed, air dried, and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro (optional)
1 cup frozen petite white corn
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large avocado, peeled and sliced into chunks
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias (at an angle)
1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese
12 round tortilla chips, crushed
Ranch dressing, about 1 cup (I used Litehouse lite ranch dressing, found in the refrigerator section of the produce section)
1 lime cut into 4 wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray an 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half of the 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.  Place chicken breasts on top of the sauce and spread the remainder of 1/4 cup of sauce on top of the chicken breasts.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through and clear juices run out of the chicken.  Transfer chicken from the baking dish to a cutting board and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.  Once chicken is cooled, cut into 1 inch chunks and place in a medium bowl.  Toss the cut chicken with 1/3 cup barbecue sauce.

While the chicken is baking, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil to the pan.  Add the frozen corn (do not thaw) to the pan and stir.  Allow corn to cook over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You want to allow the corn to roast and get lightly browned.  You can also grill fresh corn on the cob if it's available.  Remove corn from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl toss the lettuce with the ranch dressing.  Add cilantro and toss to evenly distribute.  Divide lettuce amongst 4 entree portion bowls.  Top lettuce with tomatoes, black beans, roasted corn, avocados, cheese and green onions.  Divide barbecue chicken amongst the 4 bowls and sprinkle each evenly with crushed tortilla chips.  To finish place a lime wedge in each bowl.  Don't forget to squeeze the lime over the salad....it's what makes it!

Mushroom and Herb Chunky Tomato Sauce

I had every intention of getting this post published last Thursday night, desperately trying to stay on the schedule I committed to at the beginning of the year.  As you can see, that just didn't happen.  A busy week at work and preparing for a trip to Chicago, while fighting a cold, got in the way. 

Preparation for this trip was a little more involved because we had to get the house ready for my sister who graciously agreed to babysit our three kitty cats while we were away.  This is the first multi-day trip Hubby and I have taken since our newest feline family member, Oliver, joined us last June.  We have been on a couple of local trips, but those don't count since we we took little buddy with us. 

Oliver is technically still a kitten and quite frankly he can't be trusted when left alone for long periods of time.  I've mentioned before he loves to act quite a bit like a dog, eating toilet paper, rooting around in trash cans and even fetching.  His newest trick is pulling the drain stopper out of the bathroom sink and carrying it around in his mouth like a bone or the prey he just conquered.  He carried the thing all the way downstairs to show Hubby and I what he did last week. 

"Look guys! Look what I found!  Isn't it cool?"

He was so proud, I just couldn't be angry with him.  But I must admit, I am completely perplexed at his choice of "prey". Of all the potential things he could have gone after in the house, how did he decide the bathroom sink drain plug was the way to go?   An answer I'm sure I'll never know. 

But isn't he just adorable?  I may be a little biased. 

What I do know for certain is our little guy still needs a watchful eye, so I was thrilled when my sister agreed to supervise the three musketeers.  Thanks Katie (& Luis)!

These three have a rough life huh?

From top to bottom: Kit Kat, Oliver and Chloe

With our kitties well taken care of, we set off for the mid west last Friday morning.  Luckily we landed in Chicago just in time for a snow storm. Guess that's what we get for visiting the windy city in February!  This trip was busy with family activities (Hubby is from Chicago),  catching up with friends (we lived in Chicago for a brief 3 1/2 year stint), lots and lots of eating and trying to squeeze in some time in the city.  Internet connectivity was spotty, so my hope of finishing this post when we arrived was put off a few days.  Despite the chilly weather, we have had a great time.  We spent Monday afternoon at the Art Institute in downtown Chicago and we managed to eat at our our favorite sandwich place, Potbelly's, 3 days in a row!  (I really wish Potbelly's would come to California.)  I do love Chicago.  But I don't miss the weather.  Next time we'll come back in the fall, when the temperature is a little more moderate for this wimpy California girl.

Now that I've brought you up to speed on our kitty cats and our trip, you probably want to hear about the food?  I saw this recipe for mushroom and herb pasta sauce on Sally's blog, A Food Centric Life and it caught my eye for 2 reasons.  One, it looked like a warm, rich, hearty sauce.  Two, I had all the ingredients in house already and it would be a great way to use up a lot of left over parsley (that otherwise would have ended up in the garbage).  I also liked that this chunky sauce was meatless (though I am certain it would taste pretty amazing spooned over homemade meatballs).

The sauce lived up to my expectations of being hearty and flavorful.  Hubby gave it a thumbs up too! And it was easy to make (once you get all the chopping out of the way).  The sauce is very versatile in that you can tweek it to your liking.  If you like more garlic, throw in a couple of extra cloves.  If you like other veggies, such as red peppers, toss those in too.  I did a few tweeks myself, which are noted in the recipe below.  You could easily freeze the sauce in ziploc bag and defrost it in the fridge the evening before you want to get a quick meal together. 

I definitely plan to make this sauce again.  We served it over thin spaghetti topped with a few shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese, alongside a simple green salad.  But it doesn't have to be limited to just pasta or a pure vegetarian approach.  As mentioned above, it would be great with meatballs or for a meatball sandwich.  It would also pair nicely with a panko crusted eggplant or chicken cutlets, Parmesan style.  So many options!

Enjoy! 

Mushroom and Herb Chunky Tomato Sauce
Adapted from A Food Centric Life

Yields about 1 1/2 - 2 quarts sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh parsley, about 1-2 bunches (it was one for me)
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced (I added to the original recipe because I had some shallot to use up)
3 celery ribs, finely diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 28-ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
1 28-ounce can of tomato puree
1 teaspoon sugar (I added this to the original recipe because my tomatoes had a very acidic bite)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I omitted)
1/2 cup dry red wine

Heat oil in large saucepan or a dutch oven.  Add parsley, onion, shallot and celery and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Add all remaining ingredients (mushrooms through wine) and bring to boil.  Reduce to low and simmer covered for 45 minutes.  Remove cover and continue to simmer uncovered for an additional 20-30 minutes, allowing some of excess liquid boil off.  Serve with pasta, chicken cutlets or meatballs.

Quinoa Tabouli Salad

Have you tried quinoa?  Do you know how to pronounce quinoa?  Cause I sure didn't.  I've been calling it "quin-noah" in my head for a while now.  But apparently I've been saying it all wrong in my head.  It's actually pronounced "keen-wah." 

Keen-wah. 
Keen-wah. 
Keen-wah. 

I just keep saying it over and over hoping that it will stick.  But I really want to keep saying it the way it's spelled. Oh well, any way you say it, I'm glad I finally gave "keen-wah" a try.     

What is keen-wah anyway?  It looks like a grain.  But it's not, technically.  It's a seed.  But you can call it a grain if you want.  I plan to.  It's a little weird to say you are going to eat seeds for dinner.  This funny sounding little grain-like seed originates from South America according to Wikipedia.  It cooks a lot like rice, using a ratio of 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water (or chicken or vegetable stock). It puffs up into fluffy little bits that have a slightly chewy texture and mildly nutty flavor.  It looks super healthy.  And apparently it is.  It is rich in nutrients, like essential amino acids, phosphorus and iron.  It also boasts a high protein content, making it a healthier alternative to rice or couscous. 

One of my goals this year is to incorporate some new foods into our household.  Not like new candy bars or ice cream flavors (though there are plenty of flavors out there I wouldn't mind trying).  New foods, like healthy stuff.  Healthy stuff that still tastes good, like a candy bar.  Okay, quinoa does not taste like a candy bar.  But it is a great substitute for couscous or rice.  And it does taste good!

I've cooked quinoa 3 times now.  The first time was a bit of a disaster.  We ended up with quinoa mush.  The liquids did not absorb properly.  I'm certain it was operator failure.  The other 2 times have gone much better and the quinoa fluffed up just like it was supposed to.  It can be served hot or cold.  It serves as a blank canvas for whatever flavors you want to combine with it. 

I didn't want to get too crazy in my first attempts cooking with quinoa, so I substituted it in a recipe that I make all the time and normally has couscous as the base.  Tabouli salad.  The funny thing is I actually like the salad even better with my new best friend, "keen-wah." 

I am looking forward to more quinoa experimentation. 

Enjoy!
 

Quinoa Tabouli Salad
adapted from Central Coast Outdoors

For the salad:
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed well
3 cups water
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 english cucumber, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 15 ounce can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste (I usually add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper)

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan.  Add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium/low and cover pan and simmer for 12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.  Let stand covered for 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and set quinoa aside until you are ready to assemble the salad.

In a large mixing bowl add quinoa, green onions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes and garbanzo beans and stir to combine.  Pour dressing over salad and stir until evenly distributed.  Lastly, top with feta cheese.

Sun-dried Tomato BLT Bites

When I was planning our menu of New Year's Eve appetizers I wanted to include a little something green.  But I wasn't sure what.  I had planned to make Ina Garten's sun-dried tomato dip with rosemary crackers.  I was also making a baked sweet onion dip with crackers and rosemary cheese straws.  Too many carbs. 

I opened up the fridge for inspiration. 

Persian cucumbers jumped out.  I knew they would be a good alternative for crackers and serve as a nice canvas for the tangy sun-dried tomato dip. I was going to leave it at that. But then I caught a glimpse of pre-cooked bacon slices that I had bought to use in salad...

Bacon, Cucumber, Tomato...BCT

Cucumber is green, cool and crisp....a lot like lettuce, right? A play on the BLT came together in this little crunchy, creamy, tomatoey bite. It was a refreshing veggie addition to our all appetizer dinner.

These flavorful bites are easy to put together and can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.   I used a decorating tip to pipe on the sun-dried tomato dip.  If you don't have a tip, you can place the dip in a zip top bag and cut the corner off and pipe it on the cucumber slices.  It doesn't need to be perfect because it gets topped with bacon bits and sliced green onions. 

The sundried tomato dip recipe makes a lot of dip.  You can serve it with crackers or cut up veggies.  It would also make a nice spread on a turkey sandwich or really gear up a classic BLT sandwich. 

Enjoy!

Sun-dried Tomato Dip
from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped (about 8 tomatoes)
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
10 dashes hot red pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Add all the ingredients except the scallions to a food processor and puree.  Add scallions and pulse twice.  Serve dip at room temperature

To make sun-dried tomato BLT Bites

Quantities can vary depending on how many you want to make.  I cut up 4 Persian cucumbers and used 2 slices of bacon and 1 scallion for Hubby and me.

Persian cucumbers cut into 1/2 inch rounds
Slices of crisp bacon broken into small pieces
Sun-dried tomato dip
Scallions, thinly sliced

To assemble:

Place sun-dried tomato dip in a pastry bag fitted with a large star attachment.  Pipe a dollop of dip on each cucumber slice.  It doesn't have to be perfect because....the next step is to top each bite with a piece of bacon and sprinkle with scallions to garnish.

These can be assembled ahead and stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Blue Cheese Wedge

Every year my family gathers at my Aunt's house for a Christmas Eve feast and celebration.  Most every year we have the same delicious meal...prime rib with horseradish cream sauce, twice baked potato casserole, a salad, a veggie and dinner rolls.  And every year it's my job to bring the salad.  Though we have a similar meal each year, I always hem and haw about what kind of salad to bring.  What will most people like? (This year there were 16 adults and 8 kids).  I mean let's be real, the salad is not the star of the meal.  It's an accompanying side show.  But I always want it to be just right.   

As I was thinking about what salad to bring, I was inspired by my Grandma.  When Hubby and I spent a few days with my Grandparents this past Thanksgiving, they took us out to dinner one night at Sullivan's Steakhouse.  If you've never been to Sullivan's, it's a treat.  It's a traditional steakhouse with most everything served a la cart.  Except the salad.  A blue cheese wedge salad comes with each entree.  It's a big wedge and the dressing is cheesy and creamy with a bit of tang, which is what makes it different from most blue cheese dressings I've had in the past.  Grandma said one of the reasons she liked coming to Sullivan's was for the salad.  Forget the steak and fork over the wedge!

I consulted Bing and searched for a copy cat recipe of Sullivan's famous blue cheese wedge.  And I think this is pretty darn close.  The dressing gets its tang from the buttermilk, sour cream and red wine vinegar.  It's rich and creamy from the mayonnaise, olive oil and blue cheese.  And it's rounded out with minced garlic and freshly cracked black pepper.     

I love the cool crisp iceberg lettuce drenched in cheesy dressing.  The Sullivan's wedge is served simply with lettuce, dressing and tomatoes.  I added sliced green onions and bacon pieces to the salad I served on Christmas Eve (bacon not pictured above).  I think the addition of the fresh mild green onion and salty crisp bacon finish off the salad nicely.

A mark of a good recipe is if I will make it again.  This salad hits the mark.  In fact I've already made it once since Christmas Eve.  I'm sad to say Grandma didn't get to taste the dressing to give her seal of approval because she came down with a bad cold the morning of Christmas Eve.  But luckily she will get to taste it next year since I have officially decided this salad is "the one."

This one's for you Gram!
   


Blue Cheese Wedge Salad
adapted from foodiekitchen.com

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Dressing:
7 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk, well shaken
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 large head of iceberg lettuce, with core removed, washed and chilled
6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
3 diced seeded plum tomatoes
6 green onions thinly sliced, white and green parts

Place all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and process until you reached the desired consistency.  Process longer if you want a smoother dressing.  I left mine with a little bits of blue cheese in it.  Refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 3 days.

To prepare the salad, cut the head of lettuce in half.  Cut each half in 3 wedges, or 2 if the head is small.  Place the wedges on chilled salad plates.  Spoon about 1/3 cup of the dressing over each wedge allowing the dressing to run over the sides.

Sprinkle each wedge with tomatoes, green onions and crumbled blue cheese, divided equally among each salad.  Finish with a crack or two of freshly ground black pepper. Serve chilled.

Optional: Brown 1/3 pound of bacon until crisp in a frying pan, on a baking sheet in the oven or in the microwave.  Crumble bacon into small bits and sprinkle over each wedge.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

Delicious.  Easy.  Quick.  And healthy.  What more can you ask for in a dinner? 

My best friend sent me an email last week sharing this recipe.  She recently discovered it in her Cooking Light magazine and it's already been repeat meal in her household several times.   And I can tell you this will definitely be a repeat recipe in our house too.  Hubby loved it.  I loved it.  Those 2 things don't happen every day when it comes to food.

When I make a recipe for the first time, I am especially slow in getting it all together.  It usually involves me reading and re-reading the recipe about 50 times.  I tend to fumble around with the ingredients and my cooking utensils.  Realize I forgot to take out like 3 things.  Despite this being the first time I've made this recipe, it came together in about 30 minutes.  Which is fast for me.  Seems like all the meals that are supposed to take 30 minutes, like Rachel Ray's meals, never go down that way for me.  It's like you have to be an energizer bunny with mad knife skills to pull it off.  But this one really is so simple, and fast. 

A couple of notes.  I used feta cheese, because that is what I had on hand, and it was yummy.  I was anxious to get my pictures taken before the light disappeared so I didn't think to mash up some of the cherry tomatoes to make more of a light sauce on the spaghetti.  After the photos were taken and I sat down to eat, I poked all my cherry tomatoes with my fork and they burst open creating a tasty sauce to coat the pasta.  So imagine the spaghetti in the photos covered in a light red sauce.  If you want to add a little protein some marinated grilled shrimp would go great with this.

Already thinking about when I will make it again.  Must buy more cherry tomatoes.

Thanks for a great recipe Crystal (and Andy too!).


Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti
adapted from Cooking Light

4 quarts water
2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 2/3 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped or torn fresh basil
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled semi soft goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven.  Add 1 tablespoon salt and the uncooked spaghetti to the boiling water.  Cook for 10 minutes or until spaghetti is al dente.  Reserve at least 1/3 cup of cooking water and set aside.  Drain spaghetti and then return to the pan and keep warm.

While the spaghetti is cooking, toss the tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, vinegar, 3/8 teaspoon salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and sliced garlic on a jelly roll pan or baking sheet.  Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes or until they are soft and lightly charred in places.

Add the tomatoes and any juices from the baking sheet into the pot with the spaghetti.  Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to the pan and using a wooden spoon scrape any browned bits off the pan.  Add this water to the pan along with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and warm over medium heat.  Add remaining cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the spaghetti is moist, tossing frequently with tongs.  Stir in basil and parsley.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Earlier this week I posted Nancy's Mexican Cornbread.  A recipe I received from my close friend, Shannon's Mom, Nancy.  When Shannon sent me her Mom's cornbread recipe, I found it was not your standard side of cornbread...it was in fact a main dish attraction, filled with ground beef, onions, jalapenos and lots of cheese.  Nancy and Shannon both recommended serving this dish with a good salsa.  I decided a jarred salsa would not do, and remembered that I had bookmarked a recipe from Brown Eyed Baker for homemade restaurant style salsa a few months back.  Both the cornbread recipe and the salsa shared some of the same ingredients (onions and jalapenos), so I figured why not make them both at the same time.  Homemade cornbread deserves homemade salsa, right?

When I saw the recipe called for canned tomatoes, I was a bit skeptical.  I had assumed most fresh made salsas were made from fresh tomatoes.  But my skepticism was unfounded because this salsa is as fresh tasting as it gets and totally delicious.  I loved this salsa!  It is light years and universes away from anything that comes out of a jar.  It really is like the fresh salsa you get in a good Mexican restaurant.  What I like most about this recipe is how easy it is to make.  No cooking involved...just throw everything into your food processor.  Pulse, pulse, times 3 and done!  All future salsa served at this house will be fresh made.  Or at least I'll try my best.  Cause this is the good stuff.

If you haven't popped over to read the post about Nancy's Mexican Cornbread yet, go take a peek.  It's about more than cornbread (which is yummy, by the way) and tells the story of mine and Nancy's recent battles with breast cancer and how my friend Shannon was inspired to take on a 60 mile walk to support a great cause.  Shannon is walking in the 3-Day for the Cure as I type this post and will be doing so today, tomorrow and Sunday.  See Shannon below at the opening ceremony.  She is front and center with a cutout of Nancy, both sporting cute pink bows in their hair!  Go Shannon!

I want to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who left comments, well wishes and contributed to Shannon's 60 mile walk.  She has now raised a total of $3,385!  My friends, family and readers are awesome!

Thank you!!!


Restaurant Style Salsa
adapted from Pioneer Woman via Brown Eyed Baker

28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
2 10 ounces cans Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1/3 cup chopped white onion (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, stem removed, quartered and sliced thin (I also removed the seeds and ribbing to reduce the heat...even with the seeds gone, this is still a very spicy salsa.  If you like a milder salsa try using 1/2 a jalapeno or even use a milder chile such as anaheim or poblano)
1/2 cup cilantro
Juice from 1/2 lime (if large or whole lime if small)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. (Note: I have an 11 cup food processor and this was pushing max capacity...if you have a smaller food processor, be sure to work in batches).  Transfer salsa to a bowl or resealable container, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.  The salsa keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Summer Tomato Salad with Basil, Goat Cheese and a Balsamic Reduction

Have you ever had a caprese salad?  Thick sweet juicy tomatoes topped with basil leaves, soft creamy fresh mozzarella and finished off with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  It's one of my favorite salads and one of my favorite ways to enjoy ripe summer tomatoes.  I decided to do a play on this delicious salad and twist it up just a bit using some fresh made basil goat cheese that Hubby and I picked up at last week's farmer's market in place of the mozzarella.  The other twist was to use a balsamic vinegar reduction that I saw recently on the The Pioneer Woman Cooks (check our her site to see a gorgeous caprese salad).  The balsamic reduction is so sweet and lovely and perfectly compliments the basil goat cheese, fresh basil and luscious tomatoes.

This summer tomato salad with basil, goat cheese and balsamic reduction is the final salad in the Trio of Summer Salads that Hubs and I enjoyed last weekend.  Since I love caprese salad, it's no surprise this was one of my favorites in the trio.  This salad is all about the tomatoes.  Maybe you have some nice ripe fat sweet tomatoes growing in your garden, or available from your local farmer's market? 

I really loved how the creamy mild basil goat cheese enhanced the tomatoes and balsamic reduction.  Simple ingredients, yet bursting with flavor.

One note about the balsamic reduction.  It thickens quite a bit after it cools...so be careful not to overcook.  I started with 1/2 cup if balsamic vinegar and ended up with way more than I needed.  I recommend using 1/4 cup and cooking it no more than 3 - 5 minutes if you don't want your balsamic to turn into tar. You can make more reduction if you have other dishes to use it on and you can store it in the fridge.

This salad is easy to make and incredibly delicious!  Give it a try!


Summer Tomato Salad with Basil, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Serves 2

2 large ripe tomatoes
6-8 medium/large basil leaves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 ounce of goat cheese (you can use an herb cheese or plain chevre as well)
2 teaspoons of good extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Using a small sauce pan on medium low heat, cook down balsamic vinegar until slightly thickened, stirring with wooden spoon frequently, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Stack basil leaves on top of one another and starting at one end, roll the stack up into a little mini cigar.  Using your knife cut 1/4 inch thick ribbons starting at one end of the roll until you make your way all the across.  Wash tomatoes and dry.  Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick, discarding the slice containing the stem end of the tomato.  Place tomatoes on serving plate and season the top side of each tomato slice lightly with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Using a fork, crumble generous bits of goat cheese on top of the tomato slices, ensuring that each slice has least a teaspoon of cheese.  Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the tomatoes.  Use as much (or little) as you like.  Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and lastly, top with the ribbons of basil.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Corn Summer Salad

Grilled Corn Summer Salad is part 2 in the Trio of Summer Salads.  To see part 1 click here.  Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of the array of wonderful vegetables that are in season.  I love to pick up fresh fruits and veggies from our local farmer's market.  The bounty of goods we brought home were the inspiration for this and the other salads in our trio. 

Grilled Corn Summer Salad is tasty and easy to  make.  We grilled our corn and some sweet onions on the barbecue.  But you could easily cook your corn indoors on a grill pan or even in a regular non stick pan.  I love the addition of the smokey grill flavor in the salad.  The other ingredients in this salad were inspired by what was fresh from the market, but you could easily use other veggies or fresh herbs that inspire you.  Maybe some roasted red peppers or cilantro and minced jalapeno?

This salad is sweet, simple and light.  It would make a great side dish for your next summer BBQ!  The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled depending on the size of your crowd.  Enjoy!

Up next in the final part of the Trio of Summer Salads is Tomato Salad with Basil, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction. 


Grilled Corn Summer Salad

Serves 3-4 small portions

3 ears white or yellow fresh corn, husks and silk removed (we used white corn)
1 inch thick slice from a large sweet onion (any other onion type is fine too)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chiffonade of basil (chopped into long thin ribbons)
1/2 cup grape or small cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Juice from 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon melted butter
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Olive oil

Preheat your barbecue to medium/high heat.  Rub olive on husked corn and onion to lightly coat. Note: we grill a whole onion cut in 1 inch thick slices and use the extra onion for other meals during the week.  Place onion on the grill turning every few minutes until tender and lightly charred.  At the same time place corn on your grill and cook on all sides turning every couple of minutes, for about 10 minutes.  Once the corn onion are nicely browned from the grill remove and set aside to cool.Once corn is cool enough to handle use a large chef's knife to slice off the bottom where the husk was attached so that corn stands up flat when turned on it's end..  Position your ear of corn standing in a wide somewhat deep bowl and use a sharp knife to slice off the kernels as closely to the cob as possible.  The corn tends go flying and the bowl catches the strays.  Repeat with all your ears of corn.

If you don't have a barbecue you can use a grill pan following the same instructions above.  Or you can cut the raw corn off the cob (getting as close the cob as possible to extract all the sweet corn nectar) and heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a non stick pan on your stove stop to medium/high heat.  Saute the raw corn in the pan, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through and some of the corn looks lightly browned.  You can put the onion in the pan at the same time as the corn and flip using a spatula, cooking until onion is tender all the way the through and lightly browned.

Chop the grilled onion into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces and add to the corn.  Add the tablespoon of melted (still warm) butter and stir to evenly distribute.  Add chopped green onions, basil, tomatoes and lime juice and stir.  Season with salt and pepper to your taste.  Add additional lime juice if you like a little more acidity. 

Serve at room temperature.

Trio of Summer Salads

I heart farmer's markets.  Hubby and I made a trip to our local farmer's market this past Sunday morning.  The market was bustling with people and bursting with abundant colorful harvests of summer.  We picked up a few things, with no particular recipes or meals in mind.  We selected our small bounty based on what looked most ripe and delicious!  They had stunning large red tomatoes, a mountain of zucchini and yellow squash, fresh herbs, corn on the cob and perfectly sweet white nectarines that all made it into our bags along with small container of fresh made goats cheese seasoned with basil. 

Both of us were recovering from a completely glutenous and indulgent meal from the previous day.  See, we had gone to a new gourmet burger restaurant and started off with a truly evil appetizer called "Vampire Dip" which is served in a toasted bread bowl alongside hunks of fresh crusty bread and fried pita wedges.  The vampire dip is a super cheesy, creamy concoction laced with an obscene mount of garlic (which we love) and diced artichoke hearts.  It was insanely delicious.  We devoured it and only a couple of hunks of bread and 1/3 of the bread bowl remained on the plate. 

Then....let's just say I ate (half of) their famous 50/50 burger (50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon).  Yes, ground bacon!  That was a first for me.  The burger was topped with avocado mash, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo all nestled between a warm, soft brioche bun.  Wow.  It was pretty tasty, but was almost too decadent.  I think my tummy went into shock after all that crazy rich food.  I shudder to think about the number of calories we consumed!  I am certain we set some type of record!

Needless to say, we had been detoxing from that ridiculous meal for the next 24 hours and a light farmers market meal seemed like the right thing to do for the following night's dinner.  As I inspected our farmers market haul I started thinking about fresh summer salads.  And the trio of salads was born... 

1. Grilled corn salad with grilled onions, basil, tomatoes and lime

2. Shaved zucchini salad with toasted almonds and parmesan in a lemon dressing

3. Tomato salad with basil, goat cheese and balsamic reduction

  
It was a delicious meal.  Light.  Refreshing.  Yet satisfying (despite the absence of meat/protein).  And healthy to boot!  A chiffonade of basil tied all three salads together beautifully.  Hubs didn't care for the shaved zucchini salad for reasons he can't quite put his finger on.  Not to worry, I ate his portion.  He did, however like the others.  I really enjoyed all the salads and would make them all again.  Though they all ranked highly in my book, my favorite salad by a hair was the shaved zucchini (went back for thirds), followed by the tomato salad (went back for seconds) and then the corn salad (also went back for seconds).  Good stuff!  And my conscience was magically cleared (after the dip and burger induced food coma), so I finished off my meal with a generous scoop of homemade strawberry ice cream. What's a meal without dessert?

Check back over the next several days to see individual posts featuring each salad and the recipes.

Have you been to your local farmer's market this summer?  Let the market tell you what yummy dishes to create in your kitchen.  :)

Secret Recipe Club: Summer Gazpacho with a Nutty Twist

A cool refreshing soup bursting with flavor is perfect on a hot summer day.  Especially one that requires no cooking.  Gazpacho is a delicious chilled vegetable soup that originates from Spain.  I found this recipe for Summer Gazpacho with a Walnut Twist from Cheap Ethnic Eatz.  I had a blast browsing through Evelyn's blog as my first assignment with the Secret Recipe Club! 

What is the Secret Recipe Club you might ask?  It's a very cool online group founded by Amanda of Amanda's Cookin'.  Each month the participating food bloggers are each assigned another persons blog in the group to make a recipe from.  Everyone posts the recipes they made on the same day at the same time. The cool part it is a secret and you don't know who has been assigned who's blog until the post date.   It's a great way to get to know other food blogs, take on new recipes and increase exposure for everyone.  If you are interested in joining or just learning more head over the Secret Recipe Club.  And don't forget to scroll all the way to the end of this post to see the blog hop linking to what everyone made this month.

I have spent quite a bit of time perusing Cheap Ethic Eatz over the past month.  Though I'm a big fan of cheap (and delicious) food, I have to admit I'm not overly adventurous when it comes to ethnic cuisines.  I guess compared to my mom I'm a word traveler of cuisine, but compared to the truly adventurous, like Evelyn, I'm pretty basic.  I like, Italian, Greek, Persian, Lebanese, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, French (to a certain extent).  I'm bit more leery of other types like Ethiopian, Korean, Thai or Indian.  The great thing about Evelyn's site is she has a range of diverse dishes.

When deciding which recipe to make, I must have changed my mind at least 56 4 or 5 times.  Some of the recipes I was debating on were homemade jalapeno hot sauce, aranci (Italian fried rice balls), peach salsa and fig ice cream.  In the end I went with Summer Gazpacho with a Walnut Twist.  I admit, I played it a little safe by making gazpacho....but I couldn't resist.  I came across it when we were in the middle of a mini heat wave here in Southern California and this no cook soup sounded like a perfect accompaniment to grilled mahi mahi I was planning to make.

The gazpacho was wonderful and this offered a twist I haven't seen before...topping your soup with herb toasted walnuts.  I didn't have walnuts on hand, but I had some pecans and they were a great addition to the soup, adding a nice texture and flavor.

The nuts give a little extra heartiness to this very light soup.  Hubby is not a fan of nuts so I also did a version with garlic croutons so his soup would have a little extra crunch.  And that was delicious too! 

If you have never tried gazpacho before, I highly recommend it.  Thanks for sharing a great recipe Evelyn!

Summer Gazpacho with a Walnut Twist
from Cheap Ethnic Eatz

For the gazpacho:
5 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped (I left the skin on as I was using an English cucumber)
1 small red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped (I used red onion)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For toasted walnuts:
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (I used walnuts)
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped herbs (I used fresh flat leaf parsley and a bit of minced garlic)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt (optional)

To make soup:
Combine tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, garlic, onion, vinegar and tomato juice in a large bowl.  Transfer batches of the mixture to a food processor and pulse until coarsely pureed.  Transfer pureed soup into another large bowl and stir in salt and pepper, cover and chill in the refrigerator.  When serving if soup seems too thick, stir in more tomato juice.  Top with toasted nuts and serve.

To make herb walnuts:
Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and toss nuts, herbs, cayenne and salt and pepper with your finger to coat.  Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until nuts are lightly toasted. 

Tabouli Salad and a Kayak Adventure

Going back to work is tough after a vacation.  Everyone says you are supposed to be refreshed and ready to dig back in.  I must have gone wrong by taking too few days off.  A week really flies by in no time.  Despite it rushing by so quickly, Hubby and I had a great time on our recent trip to the central coast of California.  We can't get enough of the beautiful rolling hills that line Highway 1 on the east and the sweeping rocky coastline on the west.

After leaving the hustle and bustle of southern California the largely undisturbed expanse of mother nature is a breath of fresh air.  It's quiet, peaceful and pristine. 

Part of our trip included a kayaking adventure in Morro Bay given to Hubby as a birthday gift by his mom through a cool website called cloud9living.com. 

The adventure started just before 6 pm on a Monday evening where Hubby and I boarded a 2 man kayak and set out with our guide Mandy.  The weather was cool and a bit windy so we bundled up with several layers. We kayaked around the bay to observe the local wildlife, like the egrets and herons that inhabit part of the coast line.  Mandy was amazing and provided us a ton of information about the bay and estuary.  Eventually we made our way across the bay to the sand dunes also known as the sand spit.

We beached our kayaks and our guide unloaded her (just over 200 pounds of ) gear and prepared a dinner for us on the beach as we explored the dunes with beers in hand.

Our guide (right) leading Hubby (left) and I to show us where we could explore

Our guide setting up camp and grilling dinner

When we returned from our tour of the sand spit, dinner was served.  The accommodations weren't fancy...we ate off fun summery plastic type plates and sat on the sand, but the food was really delicious.  Our guide grilled gourmet chicken sausages, zucchini and red peppers to go with pear, blue cheese and walnut salad, tabouli salad and homemade brownies.  The food was awesome and we went back for seconds. 

If it hadn't been foggy out the dinner would have been accompanied by a sunset.  The fog was kind of nice though and a little mysterious...

The best part of the trip was the kayak ride back...the winds died down and the bay was completely calm as we made our way in the last bit of lingering daylight, bordering on darkness.  Our paddles pulled through the water with ease and everything was so quiet and serene.  It was pretty magical. 

It was an awesome adventure.  

All the food was great, but the tabouli salad really stood out.  I knew I wanted to make it when we got home.  It is a simple and delicious, no cook, summer salad.  It comes together quickly and it tastes even better the next day.  Give it a try!

Tabouli Salad
adapted from Central Coast Outdoors

For the salad:
2 cups couscous
1 7/8 cups water, just shy
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 english cucumber, peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 3.8 ounce can sliced black olives (I omitted)
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (I omitted)
8 ounces of crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Place dry couscous in a large bowl and cover with cold water.  The water will moisten the couscous...no cooking required!  Allow couscous soak in the water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  It will be completely absorbed and ready to go by the time you are done prepping.  When the remaining ingredients are ready, fluff up the couscous with a fork.  Gently stir in the green onions, mint, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, garbanzo beans and feta cheese with the couscous.  Pour dressing over the salad and mix until fully combined.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

I'm all about appetizers.  Appetizers can make up a meal as far I'm concerned. The more flavors I can sample, the happier I am.  We had an appetizer lunch on Sunday.  Our lunch consisted of Boursin cheese and multi-grain crackers, crudite plate (a fancy word for veggie tray) with ranch dressing and tomato basil bruschetta with freshly baked roasted garlic Italian bread from La Brea Bakery.

Bruschetta is a roasted, toasted or grilled bread, typically rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I didn't realize it was that simple.  For most of my life I thought bruschetta was grilled or toasted bread topped with a delicious tomato, basil, balsamic mixture.  That's the way my family always made it. 

Tomato basil bruschetta is an incredibly simple dish to make, yet the flavors make your mouth sing.  It's key to use ripe tomatoes.  Cherry or grape tomatoes are my go to tomatoes.  They have a ton of flavor, right up there with a home grown tomato.  Cherry tomatoes can be a bit tedious to cut up, but the effort is worth it based on the amazing flavor packed into these petite little tomatoes. 

Sea salt, pepper, aged balsamic vinegar, a bit of sugar, a splash of olive oil and freshly chopped basil bring these tomatoes to life.  Freshly toasted bread is the perfect vehicle to soak up the balsamic goodness.  Freshly grated parmesan cheese is the ultimate finishing touch.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

2 cups diced grape or cherry tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons of good quality aged balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of good fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil
1/4 cup finely grated parmigano regiano cheese
Freshly baked baguette or bread of your choice
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half (optional)

Squeeze excess juice and seeds out of the diced tomatoes and discard.  Place tomatoes in a medium bowl and season lightly with sea salt and pepper and stir.  Add sugar and stir.  Stir in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Let the tomatoes marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour.  Just before serving stir in basil.

This recipe is very flexible.  If you like more balsamic, by all means, use more. 
While the tomato mixture is marinating, prepare your bread.  Pre-heat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil.  Slice baguette at an angle in 1/4 inch thickness.  If you like, you can brush the slices lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place bread in the oven and bake for 6-7 minutes.  Turn bread over and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes until lightly toasted.  I prefer my bread just slightly toasted, not crunchy.  But you can adjust your baking time according to your preference of toastiness.
When bread comes out of the oven, take the cut side of one half of the garlic and rub it over the warm bread. 

You can serve it family style or pre-assemble the bruschetta.
1. Family style: Place tomato basil mixture in a serving bowl and arrange bread on a plate.  Place parmesan cheese in a small bowl and have your guests assemble their bruschetta, topping a piece of bread with the tomato basil mixture and sprinkling with parmesan cheese

2. Pre-assemble:  If you decide to pre-assemble them take into consideration that the tomato mixture will soften the bread.  I don't recommend this approach unless the bruschetta will be eaten immediately.  To pre-assemble top each piece of bread with a generous spoonful of tomato basil mixture and finish with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce

This is one of those recipes that always impresses me. The first time I made it I took the first bite and paused...then I turned to my husband, and said "Wow!". For some reason (that I cannot figure out)I haven't made it for probably a year....and tonight, I said to hubby, "Damn, this is good!". Heavenly really. I'm still reeling in the delight of tonight's dinner. The sauce is luscious and has a wonderful depth of flavor. Garlic and red onion almost melt into the pureed tomatoes. A pinch of red pepper flakes give the sauce just the slightest note of heat deep in the background. This goodness simmers for a bit, marrying all the flavors together. The sauce is finished by stirring in cream and evaporated milk. Then topped with fresh chopped basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese and this dish reaches perfection.

Want to hear the cool part? This is a healthy version of Penne Vodka and comes from the Cook Yourself Thin Ladies over on Lifetime. They call it Penne alla "Not-Ka." If you are interested in tasty lower calorie versions of recipes, I recommend checking out the recipes on Lifetime's website or the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook. One of my other favorite CYT recipes is their absolutely delicious Meatballs. I have even served the meatballs with penne alla not-ka in the past. The meatballs are light and pair nicely with the tomato cream sauce. Of course I think the tomato cream sauce is good enough to drink straight up. Man, this is a good sauce!


A few tips for this very easy recipe. Use red onion. Not yellow, white, sweet or spanish. It's gotta be red. Don't overcook the pasta...it will continue cooking when it gets transferred to the sauce. Remember to set aside some of the pasta water to get just the right consistency of pasta and creamy sauce. And lastly, I almost always double the recipe to ensure lots of tasty leftovers for lunch or another quick dinner.

Enjoy!

Penne Alla "Not-Ka"
from Cook Yourself Thin

Serves 4, Calories per serving: 371

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes in juice, pureed in a food processor
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces penne
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

3. Meanwhile, after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the drained penne to the saucepan and simmer until the penne is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.

4. To serve, divide pasta among 4 serving bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Tomato, Cucumber, Onion Salad

Simple. Refreshing. Healthy. Tasty. In honor of this simple salad, this post will be short and sweet. This salad is a wonderful accompaniment to any dinner. Cool cucumbers, sweet tomatoes and a little oniony bite pair really well together and is a nice departure from a traditional lettuce salad.

Tomato, Cucumber, Onion Salad

1 english cucumber, peeled and diced into quarter inch chunks
1 cup of diced grape tomatoes (or any variety of tomato)
1/4 cup diced white or red onion
2 teaspoons of Italian salad dressing dry mix (I use Good Seasonings)
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk dressing mix, lime juice and olive oil together. Toss with chopped veggies. Refrigerate until serving (at least one hour if possible).

You can adjust all the dressing ingredients depending on your taste. I like mine a little on the acidic side.

Garlic Basil Shrimp with Orzo Pasta

I'm always looking for new healthy dinner options. I have had lots of success with Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave cookbook. Several months ago I also purchased her newest book, So Easy, but haven't made much out of it to date. I recently honed in on a recipe that I thought both hubby and I would enjoy...Garlic Basil Shrimp.

I have made it twice now and it's official. It will be making regular appearances in our dinner line up. I asked hubby this evening if he liked it again the second time. He said, "I really, really, really like it a lot...very much". Let me translate that for you. He freakin loves it. Hubby is somewhat stingy with praise on food. It's something that I used to take personally, but I realize that it's not personal. He is equally stingy even when we dine out...at some pretty amazing restaurants. It takes a lot for a compliment above "it's ok" to come out of his mouth. There are literally a handful of dishes that hubby truly loves. And I'm super excited to add one to the list because I really enjoy this dish as well.


The shrimp is basked in a white wine sauce with fresh garlic, basil, and grape tomatoes served over orzo pasta. Of course I made a few modifications to the recipe. I added a bit of chicken stock and increased the wine...I'm a sauce girl. I would rather have extra than not enough. The other changes I made were to increase the garlic by a couple of cloves and to season the shrimp with salt and pepper before cooking them rather than adding the salt and pepper to the sauce at the end. Oh, and I also omitted the red pepper flakes. We're pretty wimpy when it comes to spicy stuff. The end result is a luscious sauce that has a wonderful depth of flavor but is light at the same time. Delicious!

A side note about shrimp. Do you ever use frozen shrimp? It's wonderful! We buy frozen uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp from Costco. We buy the 21-25 shrimp. 21-25 is a reference to the size of the shrimp. It means there are approximately 21-25 shrimp per pound. Some charts refer to this as jumbo and others say large. To me, large is a more appropriate description. Frozen shrimp are cinch to thaw and cook up in just minutes. It's one of our go to proteins for dinner!

Anyway, if you want a simple, easy, fresh delicious shrimp in garlic white wine sauce dinner try this recipe out!


Garlic Basil Shrimp
by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp (20 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced (a little extra garlic doesn't hurt!)
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used 1 cup plus 1/2 cup chicken stock)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in skillet and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in basil and tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Return the shrimp to pan and cook just until heated through.