Our Canada Day Picnic (...cont'd)

This has been one of my long time favorite pasta salads and I'm glad to get to share it with you...

Greek Pasta Salad

Ingredients
8 ounces rotini pasta
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 lemon juiced (3 tbsp lemon juice)
2 cloves large garlic crushed
2 teaspoons crushed dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium cucumber peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water and drain.

In a bowl combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; whisk well and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, cucumber, tomatoes and olives. Mix with dressing; toss well to coat. Gently fold in feta cheese. Refrigerate until served.

Enjoy!

In a Caribbean frame of mind...(cont'd)

I also made this Cucumber and Carrot Salad to help tone down the heat in the jerk chicken. What a great summer salad if you are looking for one!

Cucumber and Carrot Salad

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

1 x cucumber, sliced thinly
2 x carrots, grated
Half a red onion, sliced thinly
2 x fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
salt and pepper

Directions:

Put ingredients into a medium sized bowl and toss well. Adjust seasoning.

In a Caribbean frame of mind...(cont'd)

Caribbean Salad

For the Salad Base:

6 cups of mixed salad greens
3 x green onions, sliced
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup shredded coconut, toasted
1 x mango, peeled, pitted and sliced

For the Coconut Lime dressing:

Zest and juice of 2 limes
1/2 cups of coconut milk
1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated Salt and pepper

Directions:

Put dressing ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the greens.

Enjoy!

Quick Lunch

I remember being in college and I came across a recipe in a Chatelaine magazine that had a twist on the classic tuna salad. I had passed on the recipe to my family and since then this recipe has gone through many changes, deletions and additions. This has been my take on the recipe and a favorite around here whenever a quick lunch is needed.



Tuna Salad

Ingredients


1 cup of rigatoni, penne or elbow macaroni pasta
1 tbsp salt
2 small cans of tuna, drained
¼ cup chick peas
¼ cup of chopped stuffed pimentos
4 mini pickles, sliced
¼ red onion, chopped (or ¼ cup green onions, chopped)
1 tbsp of hot pimento paste
2 tbsp of mayo

Directions

Bring water to boil. Add salt and pasta. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Drain.


In a bowl add tuna, chick peas, pimentos, pickles, green onions, pimento paste, mayo. Mix well. Then add pasta and mix well. Place in bowls .


Serves 2


Enjoy!

A Short Road Trip...

Yesterday, Hubby and I went for a short road trip to visit the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in New York. It was absolutely breathtaking...

But no road trip is complete without taking along some sandwiches and salads to munch on. So I decided to make some ham & swiss cheese sandwiches (made with a french stick) and 2 side salads: coleslaw and chickpea salad. Sorry no pictures today but here's the recipe:

Prosciutto and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (or Portuguese salami)
1 medium red onion, cut in half and sliced
½ red pepper, sliced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tbsp Red wine vinegar
Romaine lettuce

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Cut prosciutto into thin strips. Combine ham, red onion, red pepper, and the chickpeas and mix.

Whisk together mustard, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the vinaigrette with the chickpea mixture and serve on a bed of romaine lettuce, washed and cut in thin strips.

Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

A Rainy Saturday...

Thought I'd start the day being very productive and preparing Stuffed Shells for the upcoming busy weeks ahead of us. It's a great freezer dish (thanks to Giada...) and very yummy!

Turkey and Mushroom Stuffed Shells

1 box jumbo pasta shells (approximately 40 shells)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
4 ounces jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon of pimento paste
1 package of mushrooms, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
½ - 2/3 of (454 g) container ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta on a cookie sheet (to cool down faster).

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, and spray pan with olive oil as it is heating. Add ground turkey and brown, breaking it up to cook evenly. Drain fat from pan. Bringing turkey back to the pan, add pimento pepper, garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add roasted peppers and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine. (Optional: Run a hand blender through mixture for thinness to better stuff the shells).

Bring all ingredients to room temperature before stuffing the shells (if you want to freeze it).

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a baking dish with 1 cup of tomato sauce. Take a shell and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 1 tablespoon. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full. Drizzle the remaining tomato sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen).

Today the shells were served with a spinach salad, thinly sliced red onions, 1/4 cup of mandarin oranges and 1 tbsp of dried cranberries. I like to serve the salad with a light poppyseed dressing on the side so that the dressing can be placed on the salad using the fork prongs.

The rest of the day was rainy and gloomy so hubby and I decided to have "bar food" at home. Made a quick nacho dish (wholegrain Tostitos, diced red peppers, sprinkling of salsa and shredded cheddar cheese - served with some salsa and sour cream on the side). We also had some Buffalo Wings & Buffalo chicken breast strips - a quick seasoning bag that I always have on hand in the cupboard made this a quick dish to prepare.