Fresh Italian Pesto Pasta Salad

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We are still hanging on to summer in Los Angeles as the weather is alternating between very hot, to mild.  It's that time when it is noticeable that the season is starting to change. 

We've eaten salads all summer long and I'm not stopping yet.  I'm going to make all my summer favorites until the leaves fall.  Pasta salad is a classic dish and I love it.  So I thought I'd make one more for good measure.  Something a little different this time, just for fun.

I must confess that I'm addicted to visiting Barnes and Noble and sitting there having an iced tea and pastry while reading special edition cooking magazines.  I also might be know to buy a few!  So browsing one by BHG I came across a wonderful Italian Pesto Pasta Salad.  I also found the recipe on line and you can view it here.

This recipe was calling my name, and I know that MGG loves pesto.  I decided to make this Fresh Italian Pesto Pasta so we could munch on this throughout the week.  I followed their recipe with the exception of substituting the elbow macaroni with rotini.  The jarred pesto really helps pulling this together quickly.  I also wilted the arugula on the hot pasta as it was draining to give it a different texture. 

Fresh Italian Pesto Pasta Salad - Another summer staple

Tender white beans, spicy arugula and toasted pine nuts really go well with the pesto.  Topped with fresh grated parmesan set's this off with a salty bite that finishes this dish beautifully.

Serve this along side grilled chicken or fish. You can easily make this in 30 minutes.   It's light and flavorful and has the fresh ingredients that go so well together.  If you love pasta salads then this will need to be in your recipe box.  It will quickly become a family favorite.

Enjoy!




Fresh Italian Pesto Pasta Salad

serves 10

8 oz of rotini pasta
1 7oz jar of basil pesto
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 15oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby arugula
1/4 c pine nuts, toasted
Freshly grated parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside.

In a large bowl stir together pesto, vinegar, and salt. Add beans, pasta, arugula, and the pine nuts. Toss well. At this point you may serve it or refrigerate several hours.  Top with freshly grated cheese before serving.

20 Amazing Labor Day Recipes

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Labor Day is around the corner so I wanted to bring to you
20 Amazing Labor Day Recipes!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!! 

Salads

Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad




Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce




Springtime Pasta Salad




Summer Corn Salad




Cheese Focaccia Panzanella with Grilled Ratatouille

Main Dishes

Grilled Chili Lime Fish or Chicken Tacos




Jamaican Jerk Chicken Kabobs




The Mushroom Swiss Burger

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Grilled Flank Steak in Adobo Tomato Sauce

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

Side Dishes

The Best Grilled Corn Ever!




Grilled Vegetables




Grilled Green Beans




Simple Cheddar Biscuits

Desserts

Grilled Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberries and Vanilla Ice Cream




Banana Pudding Jars




Red Velvet Berry Parfaits




Banana Bundt Cake




Grandma Landon's Strawberry Cake

Workout Night Dinners: Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

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Weeknight dinners are a popular subject.  You come home late, your tired, and you still have to cook?  You want dinners that are on the table fast, everyone likes, and will satisfy your hunger. 

MGG and I have found a sub-set of that "weeknight dinner"  that we call WORKOUT NIGHTS. We have a workout regimen 2-3 nights a week in which we rush home from work and get ready for a vigorous aerobic workout.  Then comes dinner...

I'll tell you, after a workout I'm not all that hungry for at least an hour, plus I'm tired as a dog chasing butterflies all afternoon!  So dinner on those days?  Well lets just say they need to be really light, but recharge us and our sore muscles.  SALAD TO THE RESCUE.   Add a little protein to the mix and we are refueled in a healthy way.  Ready to pass out to face another day! 

In comes my "to make" list of goodies from Pinterest.  I found that Karina from Café Delites really knows how to do protein and salads.  This week I decided to make my version of her Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad (barely tweaking it)  HOLY COW!  I think that this marinade/dressing has to be the best one EVER.  I love it so much that I'm making this my go to marinade for everything grilled, baked, or pan fried.  It's that good.

To make this salad work for us on Workout Nights, I did some of the prep work while I was waiting for MGG to get home.  I made the marinade and prepped the veggies with the exception of the avocado.  As the chicken is grilled I used the grill pre-heating time to marinate the chicken for 15 minutes while it came to room temperature.  This worked out perfect and was so flavorful that it really didn't need much more time. 

About an hour after our workout MGG lit the grill outside and I threw the chicken in the marinade.  15 minutes later he threw the chicken on the barbie and I decorated the salad platter and sliced the avocado.  Chicken done, rested, and sliced and dinner was served!

The best part of all that?  The flavors of this salad were outstanding.  Seriously outstanding.  You need to make this now.  It is a great 30 minute meal, the perfect salad, and weeknights never tasted so good!

WORKOUT NIGHT DINNER ACCOMPLISHED!

Kitchen Note:  Lemon juice (acid) will cook your protein as it sits in the marinade.  For chicken it should not be left on more than a couple of hours or it will break down the protein too much and affect the texture of the chicken.  Beef and pork can be left in the marinade up to about 4 hours as they take longer to break down.






Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

adapted slightly from Café Delites

serves 4

Marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
cracked pepper, to taste

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, slice in half to make thin cutlets

4 cups lettuce leaves, washed and dried ( I used Lafayette mix)
1 large English cucumber, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced

Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a re-sealable storage bag.  Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (or you can use and indoor grill pan).  Add the chicken to the marinade in the bag and allow to sit while coming to room temperature on the counter 15 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator).

Prepare all of the salad ingredients and add to a large bowl or serving platter.  

Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through. thin sliced chicken about 4-5 minutes on the first side and about 3-4 on the other side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. 

Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange in the salad. Drizzle the entire salad with the remaining dressing. Serve with lemon wedges if you like.

Jicama Radish Slaw

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I keep hearing that summer is over.

I'm not sure where this person lives...certainly not Southern California because it's still 100 degrees here everyday.  In my book that is summer still going strong!

I wonder why people want to rush into the next season?  All the stores have fall clothes and Halloween items already and I'm still in my bathing suit.  Even people pinning to Pinterest have joined the fall band wagon.  All the pins are of PUMPKIN already and it's not even Labor Day!

Well I'm going to slow things down a bit and bring you a summer dish that would be perfect to serve at your upcoming Labor Day bash.  Jicama Radish Slaw is a wonderful side dish that it easy to take along to a party, or quick enough to throw together for a backyard cookout.

The prep is easy, and will serve a medium crowd of about 8, but you can double this recipe if you plan on having a lot of people to feed.  Oh, and the flavors...a little pop of Asian flair will hit you when you take that first bite into a slaw that's crunchy from the jicama and carrots, and brings a little heat and earthiness from the radishes.  This light and fresh side dish will be the perfect compliment to hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, or even kabobs.  It really goes well with anything.

Summer is still calling, so enjoy this salad and savor the last days.

You may also like:

Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce

Springtime Pasta Salad

Tomato Tabbouleh Salad

Jicama Radish Slaw

serves 8

1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 of a medium jicama, peeled and cut into thin matchstick size pieces (about 3 cups)
3/4 cup radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup julienne or packaged coarsely shredded fresh carrots
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Lime wedges (optional)

In a large bowl whisk together cilantro, vinegar, oil, salt, and crushed red pepper. Add jicama, radishes, carrots, and green onions. Toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 hours. If desired, garnish with lime wedges.    

source:  Diabetic Living Guilt Free Potluck Favorites, slightly adapted

    

Summer Drinks: Tropical Green Tea Cooler

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I've found my drink love for the summer. 

I was wandering around the mall parched from all the shopping, when I stopped in a random coffee house to get something to quench my thirst.  They had a wonderful array of cold drinks.  Typically I gravitate to iced tea.  That's my main stay.

But today something came over me and I decided to try their Green Tea Specialty Drink.  I was blown over by the light refreshing taste.  So much so that I new I had to try and recreate this at home.  After several tries I got it down.  I dare say, mine is even better!

You don't need a fancy blender for this recipe.  Nope!  Just a couple ingredients, a tall glass and some ice and you are set.  This will become your drink of the summer as well.  Just one taste and you'll be hooked.  Promise.

This is the perfect non-alcoholic drink, so it's kid-friendly.  Serve this at a BBQ, picnic, or a potluck.  It's versatile and oh so tasty!

Kitchen Note:  This recipe is based upon a ratio of liquids instead of exact measurements.  This will allow you to use this ratio for a glass or a pitcher of drinks.  Also, I used a sweetened ice tea.  If you use one that is unsweetened you may need to add 1 tsp of sugar to the drink.  Try it first unsweetened and then add to taste.

Enjoy!



Tropical Green Tea Cooler

serves 1

Ice cubes
Green Iced Tea ( I used Gold Peak Green Iced Tea)
Mango Puree ( such as Kern's)
1 tsp lime juice
optional:  sugar to taste, if not using sweetened tea

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.  Pour in 2/3 of the glass with Green Iced Tea.  Fill in the last 1/3 of the glass with Mango puree.  Add the lime juice and stir to combine.  Serve immediately.

Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce

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Summer fruit is everywhere and what a better way to use it than in a cooling fruit salad.

This salad isn't any old fruit salad though.  No, it is one that is tossed in a wonder sauce.  Yes, a sauce that just lends another layer of fruit flavor to the mix. 

Recently I had the leisure of attending  a Cool "No Cook" Sauces cooking class taught by Phillis Carey (one of my favorite chefs) down in San Diego.  She made some fabulous sauces using oils and vinegars from Vom Fass.  I love them all but new that I would make the Red Currant Raspberry Sauce first.  She placed it on a fruit salad and I loved it so much that I kept my dish simple as well.  

We had this for Memorial Day, but guess what?  The 4th of July holiday is coming up next week and this would be the most PERFECT dish to serve at any BBQ festivities you may be having.  Perfect for a picnic, grill, potluck, outdoor concert, beachside, lakeside...you name it.  Everyone loved this fruit salad so since it was such a hit, I wanted to share it with you today.

Kitchen Notes:  This uses a Red Currant Jelly.  Bonne Maman' make a good Red Currant jelly.  You also may find it from Knott's jelly.  If you can't find the red currant use a good grape jelly.  It tastes delicious as well.  This also uses raspberry vinegar which I've seen at most major grocery stores as well as Walmart.  You can also get one here. It's also perfect in salad dressings.  The 3rd item is that she uses grapeseed oil.  This is a great base to the dish as it a healthy choice and has a clean, light mild taste which is perfect for a dish where you want the fruit flavors to shine.  This can be bought at most grocery stores, Walmart, and Trader Joe's.

This serve a crowd but you can adjust this to suit how many you are serving.  I used little ice cream cups to serve our in.  They look adorable!

Enjoy!




Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce

5 cups of mixed fruit ( I used watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew melons)

Sauce:
1/4 cup red currant jelly, melted and slightly cooled
2 T raspberry vinegar
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup grapeseed oil

Place the mixed fruit into a large mixing bowl.  To make the sauce, whisk together the melted jelly, vinegar, sugar, mustard, paprika and salt until well mixed.  Slowly whisk in the oil.  At this point the sauce may be chilled until serving time.  When ready to serve, pour over fruit and toss to combine.  Serve immediately or may be refrigerated up to 4 hours before serving. 

Source:  sauce if from Phillis Carey Cool 'No Cook' Sauces cooking class

Springtime Pasta Salad

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The weather is warming up, we are grilling outdoors more and I'm in the mood for summer.

Summer is "salad season".  Actually every season is salad season for those people trying to eat healthy.  I try, I really try. Fresh foods are our daily goal and we've been doing a great job of cutting out the processed foods.  Yea!

Summer reminds me of farmers markets with their abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables.  So this does spur me on to eat a lot more light and fresh salads.  

A sub-category of salads is Pasta Salads.  Hurray for pasta! I really like my pasta salads.  You can use all types of different pasta shapes and then you can customize what goes in it! Make a theme of it....are you feeling Greek today? How about a Greek pasta salad.  Or maybe you feel a little Mediterranean or even straight up American.  You can tailor a pasta salad by the veggie or ingredients you use to fit your theme.

Today, I'm feel Springy.  Fresh and light.  So I created a Springtime Pasta Salad loaded with asparagus, artichoke hearts and more.  It is the perfect as a side dish to a picnic, BBQ, or pot-luck.  

It's made with a vinaigrette so it keeps really well, and since there is "no mayo" you don't have to worry about the temperature.  

The 4th of July is coming up soon....keep this in mind.

Enjoy!




Springtime Pasta Salad

1/2 lb tri-color rotini pasta

1/2 bunch of asparagus
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 c cherry tomatoes halved or quartered if large
1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts, chopped

1/3 c feta cheese, crumbled (more for sprinkling)
1/2 package dry, Italian-style salad dressing mix
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper 

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Cook al dente. During the last 1 minute of cooking add the asparagus to the water with the pasta. Allow to cook 1 minute and remove with a slotted spoon to a cutting board. Drain pasta. Allow to cool 5 minutes. Cut asparagus in 1 inch pieces and add to a large bowl.

Add red and orange bell peppers, tomatoes, chopped artichoke hearts and feta cheese to the bowl. Add cooled pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the dried salad dressing mix and cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

In a small mason jar add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Shake to combine. Set aside.

When ready to serve toss the pasta salad with enough dressing to coat well. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.