Wild Rice Salad
August 11, 2010 - Written by Diana
We knew there were going to be vegetarians at my son’s graduation party. I’ve been feeding his vegetarian friends whenever they came to visit. I don’t like picky eaters, people who don’t eat because something looks funny, or because it isn’t made the same way as their mom makes it. However, I do believe in accomodating dietary restrictions, and choices. These kids are not problem children and will find a way to help make things work, but for my son’s party I wanted there to food they would love, because I wanted them to know that they are always welcome and that I was thinking specifically of them. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a hardship, this dish is really an easy to make no fuss dish. I quadrupled and changed up a recipe I found in Cooking Light – Kitchen Secrets for Quick and Easy Meals. This booklet ( thicker than a magazine) is packed with plenty of great tasting and looking dishes. I love the dill, green onion and feta combination, it’s fantastically delicious and fresh.
Wild Rice Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon
- 2 cups cooked wild …
Deb’s Top 4 Salad Fails
August 1, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
I’m sure I’m not the only one who leans towards making and eating salads over the summer over cooking a heavy meal. I’m not sure how it is in your neck of the woods, but here on the East Coast, we’re having one of the hottest summers on record and the last thing anyone wants to do is to turn on appliances that make the house hotter. My family has been grilling and rocking the salads as a way to keep cool.
I have to admit though, I’m not much of a tossed salad girl. I don’t like lettuces, especially those that turn my salad into something representing lawn clippings. However, I’ll also admit that there are other items that make or break a salad and that I can live with bitter, purple lettuces if the rest of the salad is filled with good stuff.
Here are my top 5 salad fails. Tell me how many you agree with:
1. Mayonnaise
My cousin used to eat salad manually. He would take each individual lettuce leaf and top it with a glob of mayonnaise and eat it that way. I …
Grill Once, Dine Twice
July 16, 2010 - Written by Diana
We like grilled food, and grilling, but cooking a full meal every night can be time consuming and we are an easy prep/cook family. Most days I assign a person, and then that person tries to figure out a meal that won’t take up a lot of their time. Of course with my son it means Mac n cheese and hot dogs, plus something that’s not baked beans – because he doesn’t like them. If I can during the week I try to figure out something quick too. Grilling is great because not only does it taste good, but if you do it right, you get two meals out of one grilling.We had a meal or I should say meals lately that were fantastically good, simple and yet clean tasting all at once. We grilled some salmon, and veggies, just brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper. Really simple. Then for dinner the next night, I chopped up the salmon and the veggies, added a cucumber, some dressing and then spooned it on top of a bed of bulgur. My son both nights, waved his hand over the food, and …
Deb’s Tortellini Salad
July 4, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
Everyone has a few tried and true favorite BBQ dishes they cook up for a party or bring to share. My tortellini salad is one of my Barbecue staples.
Before I share the recipe, I want to discuss pasta salad fails. These are, in my opinion, common pasta salad mistakes:
- Pasta is way too al dente. It’s one thing if it’s being served hot and will cook to perfection once sauce is added. It’s a whole other story to under cook. Hint: Pasta should not be crunchy.
- Pasta is too soft: Pasta shouldn’t be mushy, it should be firm. When boiling pasta remove when it just starts floating to the surface. For a pasta salad, rinse with cold water to stop cooking. It should never bloat to three times its original size.
- Using cheap pasta: I’m a frugal gal, but I also believe we get what we pay for. Cheap pasta yields cheap results. If using tortelli or ravioli take care to buy a premium brand. Fresh pasta is the best.
- Mayonnaise: Mixing pasta with mayonnaise does not a pasta salad make. It’s just fattening, artery clogging, mayonaisy pasta that you’ll have to …
Tuna White Bean Confetti Salad
June 3, 2010 - Written by DianaTuna is one of our favorite ingredients (and the cats too), but I’m not always in the mood for heavy mayo. Tonight I wanted a lighter salad with lots of veggies and to me these veggies look like confetti all diced up. My husband was the sous chef du jour, doing most of the dicing though I diced the onion or it wouldn’t have been allowed into the bowl. I think the carrots probably would be a little better if they were shredded instead of diced, because their texture is tougher when diced compared to the rest of the veggies, but this was still delicious. This recipe makes enough for 6 or 8, however I had one serving and my husband and daughter shared the rest, splitting the end of the bowl together. I whisked together red wine vinegar and olive oil, for a shortcut you can use your favorite red wine vinaigrette if you like. I hoped for leftovers for lunch, but alas, not one bit left, darn it. The lettuce is from my garden. We never planted the seeds, they self seeded from last years and have taken over one of the beds. That’s a good thing!
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Quinoa Berry Salad
May 31, 2010 - Written by DianaWe went to a family/friend gathering at my brother in law’s today. Though the day was a little warm, sitting under the shade trees, it was a pleasant cookout with lots of great food. My contribution was Quinoa Berry Salad. I went out and picked some parsley and mint to add a little hint of something. When I asked my husband if I should add some walnuts, the answer was a resounding yes. I’m not a big fan of syrup for the berries, I want it less sweet, so that I can taste the sweetness of the berries, so instead I added Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette. This salad went over so well, the two year old little boy from next door kept coming back for more.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup strawberries sliced
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 tbs minced parsley
- 1/2 tbs minced mint
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette to taste
Put all the ingredients into the bowl (except the vinaigrette) and toss. Pour the vinaigrette over top, and toss a little more.
Starkist Salads – Dinner is NOT Going to be Hectic in My House
May 13, 2010 - Written by DianaSeriously, I need to stop and get off the bullet train that is running my life right now. It’s not bad enough to travel 1200 miles round trip to visit family for a long weekend, but throw in proms, track meets, band concerts, work, laptops that mess up, and worse a dog that decides to run off, get sprayed by a skunk. Really, it’s time for layover… though with my son’s graduation looming, I doubt it. How about an easy to make dinner? We don’t get many of those lately, because we’re not home enough or it’s late, or busy. These salads by Starkist, are great make ahead dinners, that you can sit down with the family and enjoy without a lot of frantic activity. Pasta and Tuna salads are one of our family favorites and I’m also looking forward to the Southwest Tuna Salad for lunch. Enjoy!!
Pasta Primavera Salad
Ingredients:
1 (6.4-oz.) pouch StarKist® Chunk Light or Albacore in water
2 cups frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and red pepper, steamed and chilled
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup creamy Italian or ranch dressing
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 cups penne pasta, …
Cucumber & Fennel Salad
August 14, 2009 - Written by Diana
I have a bunch of cucumbers that my neighbor dropped off for me. I’m a big believer in share the wealth, especially if you are sharing with me. My mom is visiting and has been doing most of the cooking, but today I was done with work early. I told her we had to do something with the cucumbers and thought about the cucumber salad my grandfather loved. I wanted to throw in some fennel and dill because it was in the garden and would add a little more flavor. My mother threw in some paprika and I asked her about it. She said – the salad was Hungarian in it’s roots (which means my grandfather learned it from my grandmother or great grandmother who immigrated from Hungary) and she mentioned she had it that way in a recent visit to a Hungarian restaurant. If you have Hungarian Paprika – throw a little in. I sliced my cucumber and fennel using a mandolin, then my mom cut them a …
Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad
July 14, 2009 - Written by DianaLots of cool ideas come to fruition when you’ve got the ingredients growing right in your own backyard. I wanted a side salad to go with a Turkey Tenderloin we barbecued on the grill. Quinoa is such an amazing grain, and perfect for a summer salad. The tomatoes, basil and parsley were in the raised beds, but my onions disappeared from the bed, so if you have them, finely dice a few and add it in too if you like.
Ingredients:- 1 cup Quinoa (pre cooked)
- 2 cups water
- 3 small tomatoes diced
- 1 handful of basil chopped
- 1 handful of parsley chopped
- salt
- pepper
- balsamic vinaigrette
Rinse Quinoa until it runs clear to get rid of saponin then drain with a sieve. Put the Quinoa in a pot with …
Red Ruby Cabbage Slaw
July 4, 2009 - Written by DianaThis is my contribution to the Independence Day Celebration at my brother in laws. I wanted something bright, something kind of healthy that make use of some of the cabbage we have in the garden. This slaw has a nice wine vinegar sauce that you sauté it in and is a cool side for your picnic plate and it’s lovely to look at too. This recipe came from my Joy of Gardening Cookbook
that is about 15 years old and. Decent gardening cookbooks can last you a lifetime, with recipes to enjoy right away as well as giving you ideas on how to put things up for the winter.
Ingredients:- 3/4 cup of wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of water
- 2 tbs fresh tarragon …
