Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil

Made this last night with big cherry tomatoes. Yum! Lots of fresh flavor, good way to use up basil and would be an easy entertaining side since it is served at room temp.

Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil
1 cup Texmati brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's brown rice)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup Champagne or rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ripe tomatoes, large-diced
1 cup packed basil leaves (1 large bunch), chopped

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil and add the rice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Return to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Transfer the rice to a bowl.

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour over the rice. Add the tomatoes and basil. Mix well and check the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad

Found this recipe via Smitten Kitchen, but its originally from Bon Appetit. Yum! So good. Two things I did different: only had white wine vinegar on hand, used one regular cucumber instead of two hothouses.

Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad
6 T distilled white vinegar
4 t coarse kosher salt
2 1-pound English hothouse cucumbers, very thinly sliced
1/2 C plus 3 T chopped fresh dill
3 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 10 medium), unpeeled
Additional coarse kosher salt
1 C very thinly sliced white onion
8 radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
3/4 C mayonnaise
Small radishes with green tops

Stir vinegar and 4 teaspoons coarse salt in small bowl until salt dissolves. Place cucumbers and 1/2 cup dill in heavy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add vinegar mixture; seal bag. Turn several times to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Pour cucumber mixture into large sieve set over bowl. Drain at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Discard brine.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Cool potatoes completely. Peel potatoes; quarter lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle generously with coarse salt and pepper. Add drained cucumbers, onion, sliced radishes, and remaining 3 tablespoons dill; toss to blend. Let stand 1 hour. Stir mayonnaise into salad. Season generously with salt and pepper, if desired. (Salad can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Mound salad in bowl; garnish with whole radishes. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Rose's Vinaigrette

This is the first recipe I've made from my new cookbook, Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn. Yum!

Rose's Vinaigrette (makes 1 cup)
1 T minced shallot or garlic
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t light brown sugar
3/4 t coarse salt
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
1/4 t Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 T red wine vinegar
2 T fresh lemon juice
3/4 C extra-virgin olive oil

In bottom of well-sealable jar, mash together shallot, mustard, brown sugar, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Pour in vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Cover tightly and shake well to combine and emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately or store in refrigerator for up to six months.

I used garlic and I'm looking forward to making it with a shallot. I think it will give it a really lovely flavor.

Kale, Blood Orange and Hazelnut Salad for Two

Last night I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart, found via The Bitten Word, for two instead of ten.

For two
1 bunch of regular kale tied up like you find at the grocery store. Stems and ribs removed, shredded
2 blood oranges
Maybe 1/8 cup roasted filberts
1 2/3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 2/3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

I peeled one orange and sliced it up, then juiced the other one. My neighborhood grocery store only had filberts, so I roasted those for about 15 minutes @ 350 until they smelled roasted. Then I rubbed them together with my hands to remove the skin. I poured the orange juice over the kale, orange slices and filberts, then combined the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Poured that over and let sit for 30 minutes.

For ten
1 1/2 pounds Tuscan black kale or regular kale, stems and ribs removed, leaves shredded
4 blood oranges, segmented, juices reserved
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine kale, oranges and hazelnuts in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar, oil and reserved orange juice; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving

It was really good. The roasted nuts really take over and the blood orange is delicious. 30 minutes was enough time to break down the tough kale leaves. It was yummy and seasonal! And good for you: antioxidants, fiber, vitamin A, calcium, beta-carotene and lutein.

Photo from here.

Tomatoes!

It has only taken all summer to finally get some good tomatoes, right? Fresh tomatoes has to be one of the best things ever invented. Last week we had BLTs and the #44 salad from Mark Bittman's 101 Simple Salads.

44. Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool, then cut into croutons. Put them on anything, but especially tomato and basil salad. This you will do forever.

Here's what I did. Made four grilled cheese sandwiches in the George Foreman (we have a panini attachment). Tossed basil leaves and tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette, let it sit for 20 minutes or so. Sliced up the crispy grilled cheese and added to the salad. Yum. As Anthony said, its like bruschetta salad. My changes in the future: mozzarella cheese (I only had cheddar) and a lighter vinaigrette.

I'm planning on making Chicken Scampi this week, plus more BLTs. I can't refuse a BLT. Sometime soon I'd like to make this soup, but in the meantime, here are all of our food blog posts with tomatoes.

Bistro Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
BLT salad
Pork Chops and Rice
Mmmmm, Caprese!
Pastor Ryan's Mexican Lasagna
Spinach and Brie Chicken with Tomato Orzo
Favorite Pasta: Bucatini All'amatriciana
Roasted shrimp and orzo
Favorite Pasta - Salad Part 2
Lemon Fusilli pasta
Mother-in-law-to-be's Best Pasta!
Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese
Salmon with Lemon, Spinach, and Tomatoes
Lica's Corn Salsa

Anyone have any other great tomato recipes? Photo from here.

Greek salad dressing and the salad, too

This salad dressing is the root cause of why practically half of the meals I consumed in August either involved Greek salads or had me wishing I had a Greek salad in front of me.

I found it at a random TV station's Web site that popped up during a Google search for "Panera greek salad dressing recipe." Their recipe makes two cups, but since I half it and only make one cup at a time, I'm posting my halfsies recipe along with my modifications and secret ingredient. The original recipe is available at the link above.

Jennifer's WBIR Panera Greek Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced green onion
• 1 teaspoon oregano
  
• 1 teaspoon basil (I used dried, but you could do fresh, too)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon or whole-grain mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Squeeze of lemon juice (Secret ingredient that MAKES this dressing. Not sure how much I actually squeeze in here. Maybe about a small wedge's worth)
• 1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil in a mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking.

For the salad itself, I go with romaine lettuce, kalamata olives, red onions, grape or cherry tomatoes and feta. If you like cucumbers, those would fit in nicely as well. The salad is best tossed with the dressing so everything is coated. Drizzling the dressing on top just doesn't cut it. Enjoy!

101 Simple Salads

Saw this great article yesterday about 101 simple salads. I think pairing simple ingredients together is something that comes with time spent in the kitchen experimenting.



My favorite non-lettuce salad is a take on Noodles & Company's Tomato Cucumber Salad:

ripe tomatoes, quartered
cucumber, sliced and halved
red onion or green onion, chopped
rice wine vinegar
salt, pepper and Jane's crazy salt

Yum!

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

I've now learned the key to any good salad is vinegar. So good. I ate this on thin slices of sourdough bread. Yum, yum.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

4 cups cubed (1/2 inch) cooked chicken (I used a lemon rotisserie chicken)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (I used a mixed nuts combo since my store was out of walnuts)
1 celery rib, diced into small bits (1 cup)
2 or more tablespoons finely chopped shallot (I used green onions since I forgot to buy shallots)
1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons tarragon, champagne or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or herb or your choice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl until combined well.

What to Do With Fresh Mint

The bunches of fresh mint I'd intended for mojitos last Friday night turned into an adventure in finding fresh mint recipes. Last night I mixed together

10 or 12 strawberries, cut up
cantaloupe
handful chopped fresh mint
juice from two limes

YUM! so tasty and fresh. Here are the others I may try some day.

Chocolate Mint Torte
Fresh Mint Truffles (totally going to make this at the holidays!)
Fresh Mint Poundcake

Chicken and Blueberry Pasta Salad...hmmm?!

Not sure I ever would have thrown blueberries into a pasta salad but this recipe intrigues me- just saw it on MSN..

Chicken and Blueberry Pasta Salad
From EatingWell.com
Yes, blueberries and pasta. The addition of poached chicken and feta cheese makes this dish into a light and satisfying summer supper that's also great for a potluck. If you already have some leftover chicken, skip Step 1 and add shredded chicken in Step 4.

· 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast
· 8 ounce(s) whole-wheat fusilli or radiatore
· 3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 large shallot
· 1/3 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
· 1/3 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese
· 3 tablespoon(s) lime juice
· 1 cup(s) fresh blueberries
· 1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh thyme
· 1 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lime zest 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt

1. Place chicken in a skillet or saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Shred into bite-size strips.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions. Drain. Place in a large bowl.

3. Meanwhile, place oil and shallot in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Add broth, feta and lime juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the feta begins to melt, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add the chicken to the bowl with the pasta. Add the dressing , blueberries, thyme, lime zest and salt and toss until combined.

My Mom's 7 Layer Salad

This is a childhood favorite.

1 Cup mayo
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup milk
2 T Dijon mustard
4 Cups Romaine, chopped
1/2 Cup cooked ham
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 ozs of mostaccioli or other small, ridged pasta (to keep the dressing from sliding off the pasta)
1 small red onion, sliced or chopped depending on your preference
10 oz peas

Mix dressing. In bowl (glass if you have one), layer greens, ham, cheese, pasta, onions, peas and sauce. Set in fridge, and either serve as is or mix together if you prefer.

Lica's Corn Salsa

I'm pulling out all my old Minnesota friend recipes. This is my friend and former roommate Lica's recipe for corn salsa. It is hard to mess up and easy to customize by adding more of what you like.

A chopper is the best tool for this, though you can chop by hand as well. Just crank up the music and chop away.

Corn on the cob, cooked and cut off
Onion red is best, but white or scallions would work
Tomatoes be sure to cut out the seeds and other watery bits
Green, red and/or yellow peppers these tend to get watery like the tomatoes
Fresh lime juice
Cilantro
Jalapeno even if you don't like spice, a little gives it nice flavor
Avocado
Salt and pepper, to taste

Just chop everything up to your liking, make sure to add plenty of lime juice and seasonings. Like Lica, I tend to put lots of corn, cilantro and lime juice in mine.

I find it it best when it has mixed together overnight, but you could eat it right away. I love it best with lime Tostitos. This is a great side for entertaining or bringing up to a friend's lake place.

Karen's Salad

I got this recipe from my friend Sage's mom Karen. Likely the name of it is something like Romaine Sesame Salad or something like that. Do not be scared about the amount of sugar...this recipe is worth it.

3 large heads of romaine (or whatever leafy green you have)
1 small jar sesame seeds, toasted
3/4 lb bacon, crumbled
1 wedge blue cheese (I buy the blue cheese crumbles)

Dressing (shake it together in a container)
1 1/2 C vegetable oil
1 cup wine vinegar (I usually use red, but I have used white before)
2 to 3 cloves garlic grated or sliced
10 T sugar (yes, that is correct!)
1 T salt

Wash and tear lettuce. Add sesame seeds, bacon and blue cheese. Toss with dressing.

This is especially good for BBQs, showers and parties, but I have also halved it and served with dinner. I can't fully express how good it is.

MI Salad

I had never heard of these salads until I started dating John whose friends make this delicious salad in some variety.

Michigan Salad
Mixed greens
Toasted pecans
Crumbled blue cheese
Dried cherries
Served with a raspberry vinaigrette

I've also eaten this salad with walnuts instead of pecans and gorgonzola substituted for the blue cheese. Also had it with blueberries, raspberries and thinly sliced granny-smith apples. Lastly, you could top with a grilled chicken breast or salmon if you wanted a heartier dish. Bottom line, play around and add/subtract what you like and don't :)

Here's a recipe for the vinaigrette from allrecipes.com:
1/2 cup EVOO
1/2 cup raspberry wine vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar (I skip the sugar myself)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, oregano, and pepper. Shake well.

Potato Salad with Bacon and Gorgonzola

I think this potato salad from Bon Appetit was made for someone very special's baptism:) It is so good, I'm thinking I'm going to make some this weekend. Bear in mind, it has a way of disappearing very quickly.

5 pounds Yukon potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise, divided
3/4 pound bacon slices
2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes; return to same pot. Place over very low heat just until excess moisture evaporates, about 1 minute. Transfer hot potatoes to large bowl; Cool 10 minutes (minimum). Mix in 2 cups mayonnaise, low fat variety optional.

Cook bacon in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Cool bacon; crumble coarsely.

Mix remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise, cheese, green onions, parsley and half of bacon into potatoes. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Can be made 2 hours ahead.

Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

Mmmm, I'm going to have to try this recipe for Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese from Cooking Light soon.

Lettuce Salads?

This summer we are going to be on lettuce overload because we've planted a garden with lots of lettuce (and other good things, too) and we've also signed up for a crop share which starts next week. I'm really excited about the challenge of incorporating even more veggies into our menu but also know that I'm going to need to get pretty creative to use what we have.

Last night we had the sort of meal that I think will be more common than not this summer. I threw together what we had around the house with some fresh lettuce from the garden. It was tasty.

Chicken, Pear and Green Bean Salad

Two grilled chicken breasts (cut into bit sized pieces)
Sliced ripe pear
1 c. or so of steamed grean beans (so they are still very crunchy though)
Fresh picked lettuce

Toss with this dressing that I posted the other day.

Do you have a favorite lettuce salad that's a little out of the norm that you could share?

Salad Dressings

I've been experimenting with salad dressings lately and it's kind of fun. Sorry, I don't measure but my latest one contains:

Olive Oil
Pear-infused White Balsamic Vinegar (doesn't it just sound good??)
Tiny bit of garlic
Basil (dried)
Black pepper
Plain non-fat Greek style yogurt

I'd never thought of adding the yogurt until I saw it in another recipe and I really like it. It makes it creamy but in a healthy kind of way.

Any other good ideas for dressings???

Favorite Pasta (Salad)

I've been obsessed with making different variations of this pasta salad recipe all summer. The dressing is so delish and it goes well with everything. I found it on the Food Network website (Food Network Kitchens Get Grilling, Meredith 2005).

Pasta Salad with Dill and Ham (or anything else you want to add!)

Ingredients
1/4 medium red onion, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for salting water (I only use 1 tsp b/c 2 makes it way too salty, probably b/c I'm using regular salt rather than kosher)
8 ounces elbow macaroni (I prefer bowtie b/c it's prettier:)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
6 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1&3-inch cubes (have substituted chicken but think the ham was better)
3/4 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
2 ribs celery, with leaves, diced (don't like celery so I skip it)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions
To mellow the minced onion, soak it in cold water while you make the salad.
Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the macaroni (bowtie) and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the macaroni in a colander, put in a serving bowl, and toss with the milk. Allow the macaroni to cool slightly while you make the dressing.

For the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, mustard, the 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream to make a smooth, slightly thick dressing. Whisk in the sour cream.
Drain the onions, pat dry, and add to the macaroni along with the ham, peas, celery, and dill. Add the dressing and fold to coat the pasta evenly. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Know-How: Why the milk? When we left it out of the recipe, the macaroni absorbed too much of the dressing and the salad was overly acidic. Adding just a couple tablespoons mellowed the dressing and gave the salad a wonderful old-fashioned quality without being goopy or heavy. (This is really true! I tried it one time without the milk and it did end up overly tangy tasty).

My Variations: Use the same dressing, pasta, and dill but substitute steamed asparagus and goat cheese for the ham, peas, celery. I used squash and zucchini with goat cheese one time too which was also delish - left those veggies uncooked.

Mmmmm, Caprese!

Is there anything better than Caprese salad in the summer? I don't think so and in fact, we've been having them two or three times a week. Gotta love the fresh basil plant we bought at the farmer's market and the deal on Mozzarella at Costco!

Photo courtesy of http://www.initaly.com/