Summer Salad with Israeli couscous

My dear friend Candace shared this recipe from the Los Angeles Times with me.  Electronic communication makes it so much easier for us to communicate though we are hundreds of miles apart.  During the hot weather this turned out to be a good choice for a hot day, and even better the next day as left overs.  This will be what accompanies me to potlucks for the rest of the summer!

Russ Parsons, who authored the article in the Times, said that you can interchange the grain using quinoa, farro or barley.  Just adjust the cooking time accordingly.  I learned that Israeli couscous is not really a grain, but a pasta.



Yield:  6 servings
Time:  20 minutes plus cooling time

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 to 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped, green part only
1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
3 cups water
2 Persian cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/3 to 1/2 inch slices
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) crumbled feta
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1/3 cup chopped parsley
Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions:
1. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the salt, garlic, jalapeno, olive oil, lemon juice and green onions and stir to combine.  Set aside to let salt draw out the tomato juices.

2. Toast the couscous in a dry medium sauce pan over medium high heat  and cook stirring frequently until it smells nutty,  3 to 5 minutes.  Add 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and cook, partially covered, until the couscous is just tender, but still a little chewy, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool running water and shake well to remove as much moisture as possible.

3.  While the couscous is still slightly warm, add it to the tomato mixture and toss to coat.  Add the cucumber and set aside to cool completely.

4.  Add the feta, mint, and parsley, just before serving and stir gently to combine.  Add black pepper to taste and stir that in.  Taste again and add more salt or lemon juice if you feel it necessary.

From The Los Angeles Times

Click here for printable recipe

The Best Macaroni Salad Ever

I've searched for the best macaroni salad recipe to no avail, but now I think I've found it.  It has just the right amount of tang and all the right ingredients.  The original recipe served 12, what follows serves 6. This will be dinner tonight along with Turkey Burgers with Chipotle-chili Tartar Sauce.  My search has ended!

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Elbow Macaroni
• 2 whole Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped (more To Taste, Can Also Use Pimentos)
• 1/4 cup Black Olives, Chopped Fine
• 6 whole Sweet/spicy Pickle Slices, Diced (about 1/3 Cup Diced, I use Wickles, available at Safeway)
• 2 whole Green Onions, Sliced (white And Dark Green Parts)
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 Tablespoon Red Wine Or Distilled Vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• Plenty Of Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons milk (more If needed)
• Splash Of Pickle Juice (spicy Sweet Pickles)
• Extra Pickle Juice To Taste 

Preparation
Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside. Mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Splash in enough milk to make it pourable. Splash in pickle juice for extra flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside. Place cooled macaroni in a large bowl and pour 3/4 of the dressing. Toss and add more dressing if you'd like. (Dressing will seem a little thin, but it will thicken up as salad chills.) Stir in olives, roasted red peppers (or pimentos), pickles, and green onions. Add more of any ingredient if you'd like more stuff going on! At the end, splash in a little more pickle juice and stir. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sliced green onion to serve!

Click for printable recipe

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Cherry and Butter Lettuce Salad

You'll have to excuse the picture, I took this to work today and had adapted this picture to be vegetarian, but took no picture.  For now you have to pretend the chicken is not in the picture.  I love the flavors of the dill and dijon in the dressing, and thought it might work....so I tried it for a pot luck today on the first day back at work.  When I found the picture I (listen to the gasp) realized I forgot the radishes, that's what happens when you try to cook at 6:30 a.m.!  I guess that means the radishes aren't that important, although I found them to be a tasty addition.  When fresh cherries aren't available I plan to try with dried.

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 Tablespoons honey  

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Put  first 5 ingredients in jar, add oil, shake.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Salad Ingredients:

5 ounces of Goat Cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup of candied pecans (Trader Joe's) broken into pieces

4 thick slices of rustic bread, torn (or cut) into 3/4 inch pieces

1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted and lightly crushed (I used about 1 1/2 cups)

2 bags of butter lettuce, cored and torn into pieces 

4 radishes 

2 tablespoons of chives

Directions:

Spray bread with Pam and toast in oven to make croutons.

Remove chicken skin and bone, tear into pieces.  Place cherries, lettuce, radishes,  pecans, and goat cheese in bowl.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss.  Sprinkle with croutons and chives.  

Printable Recipe

Butter Lettuce, Chicken and Cherry Salad

This has become my go to salad this summer.  My wonderful friend Candace made it for us for lunch we we were finally able to visit her new home while visiting Orange County earlier this summer.  She is so much better than me about reading a new recipe in a magazine and then making it!  It was so yummy I dug out the magazine and bought the ingredients at our local produce market and made it the night we arrived home.  I can imagine it in the winter with dried cherries and without the chicken with goat cheese as a side salad, the dressing really helps make this tasty.

Serves 4

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 Tablespoons honey  

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Whisk first 5 ingredients together, gradually whisk in oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Salad Ingredients:  ( I halved these, using one head of lettuce and about 1 cup of cherries for two of us)

4 chicken thighs, grilled

4 thick slices of rustic bread, torn (or cut) into 3/4 inch pieces

1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted and lightly crushed

3 heads of butter lettuce, cored and torn into pieces 

4 radishes 

1 tablespoon chives

Directions:

Spray bread with Pam and toast in oven to make croutons.

Remove chicken skin and bone, tear into pieces.  Place chicken in large bowl and cherries, lettuce, radishes and chives.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss.  Sprinkle with croutons and chives.  

Printable Recipe

This recipe is adapted with fat reduced from Epicurious

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Seems we just don't have the time to take the pictures and cook the recipes right now, so I've decided to start posting the recipes sans pictures with the hopes of adding pictures in the near future.  My quest since Mark came home from the hospital has been for recipes that are low fat and low salt.  This salad is both and yummy at the same time.  If I weren't keeping it low fat goat cheese would be a nice addition.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt

For the salad:
Baby spinach leaves, rinsed and dried
Sliced almonds, for topping
Sliced fresh strawberries, for topping

Directions:
In a blender or food processor, combine the strawberries, vinegar,  sugar and salt.  Process until the mixture is well combined and completely smooth.  Transfer to an airtight bottle or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve, portion baby spinach leaves out on salad plates.  Drizzle with the strawberry champagne vinaigrette.  Top with sliced almonds and strawberries.  Serve immediately.

Print Recipe 

From Annie's Eats