Jamie's Asian Noodle Salad

This is a recipe that is making its way around the food blogs.
Have you ever seen the tv show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? Messy brown hair, english accent (not to be confused with Guy Fieri's spiky blonde hair or Curtis Stone with the Australian accent)? I've only seen it once, and I watched him bury a family's deep fryer. That was kinda weird.
Anyway, this is one of his recipes... it is sooo good. Even my "I'm not a rabbit" husband liked it. Perfect blend of sweetness and spice.
Do you think Jamie would approve that I served it with grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches? Probably not.
Asian Noodle Salad adapted from Jamie Oliver

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small bag bean sprouts
3 sliced green onion
1 peeled, sliced cucumber (no thanks)
chopped cilantro-to taste
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet (didn't use either)

DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped

Mix together salad ingredients in LARGE bowl. Whisk (or use blender, or put in a jar and shake)together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs and serve in a big bowl or platter.

Summertime Salad

I love me a good, complicated recipe every once in awhile, but for some reason come Summertime, I'm all about simplicity and lightness.  Hello, salads!  I love combining different ingredients to try new tastes together. Plus, most of our Summer recipes involve pasta, because I've got to provide for my kids energy and endurance somehow.

It seems that whenever I've failed to plan ahead, and dinnertime creeps up on me before I'm ready, and I'm smack dab in the middle of a huge project that I just can't step away from for more than ten minutes, and I've asked the kids what sounds good to them...inevitably they announce unanimously, "Pasta salad!"

Usually our fall back salad is this one, but I experimented a little this time and came up with this winner.  The kids loved it and I couldn't wait to have it for lunch the next day.  We ate it warm for dinner, but it was just as good cold for lunch.  See, versatile!

SUMMERTIME PASTA SALAD

16 oz. penne pasta

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 lb. small shrimp

1/2 green pepper, chopped

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2-3 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Italian dressing

salt and pepper

- Cook pasta al dente

-While pasta is cooking, steam shrimp

-Chop veggies and place in bowl with parmesan cheese

-Add hot shrimp and rinsed pasta

-Season with salt, pepper, and Italian dressing to your taste. Serve warm, or cold, it's good either way.

Chinese Salad

It's Summer, and it's averaging 100° every day. That's before you add in the humidity, which has been unreal this year (though Karen's got it worse, I know!).

That means most nights we've been trying to eat cooler and lighter. Like salads...LOVE salads!

My new favorite?

Chinese Salad

1 large head Napa cabbage

1 bunch green onions

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 pkgs. Top Ramen

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/3 cup margarine

3/4 cup Canola oil

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

(opt) 1 chicken breast grilled with salt and pepper, cooled and diced or sliced

• Chop cabbage and slice onion. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
• Crush Top Ramen, without seasoning packet, and mix with almonds, sesame seeds and melted margarine. Toast in oven on cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 350°. Store in air tight container.
• Mix Canola oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar together until mixed well.
• Serve salad either mixed together and coated with dressing, though serve within 1 hour of mixing or it will get soggy. Or, my favorite way to serve this salad is have each item in separate bowls and let people add the ingredients they're interested in. (I'm not a chicken on salad sort of girl, usually)

See, yummy, refreshing, cool, light, delicious Summer meal!

A New Chicken Salad

This picture and recipe I got from Williams Sonoma. It's a good summer dish and different from your regular chicken salad. I love mangos!

Chicken & Mango Salad

Ingredients:
2/3 cup peanut or canola oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 to 3 tsp. Asian chili oil (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup mango chutney
2 cups shredded roast chicken, homemade or purchased
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup roasted salted cashews, coarsely
chopped
1 mango, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Directions:
Make the vinaigrette:
In a food processor or blender, combine the peanut oil, vinegar, mustard and chili oil and process until blended. Add the garlic and chutney and continue to process to form a smooth puree.

Assemble the salad:
In a bowl, combine the chicken, celery, onion, cashews and mango. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Divide the lettuce among individual plates, top with the chicken mixture and serve.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Weeknight, by Melanie Barnard (Oxmoor House, 2006).

Soup 'n Salad

We usually have company for dinner at least once a week. It's typical. However, we've had the same people for the past few weeks, and it'll continue for months to come, I'm sure. While the company is great, it's becoming a little wearing coming up with a special menu that is exciting yet different so that you ensure you're not repeating anything for the company. Add to that the fact that all the food has to be easy to prepare, because it's always being prepared with at least one child underfoot.

Last week I took it easy...Soup and Salad.

Menu:

Romaine Salad

Chili

Broccoli Cheese soup

Homemade bread bowls and bread sticks

Cupcakes

It was great! So easy and the bread bowls actually worked out way better than I thought they were going to. Now, to come up for the menu for tomorrow...I'm thinking Mexican.

Here's the recipes:

Romaine Salad

Duh, romaine lettuce (with the nasty centers removed), topped with chopped tomatoes, green onions, green peppers, croutons and a little shredded cheese.

Chili

Want the easiest way to make a great sweet chili?

2 cans of chili con carne

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of pork and beans

1 can of sweet corn (drained)

1 can crushed (or stewed) tomatoes

Broccoli Cheese Soup

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

1 large package frozen broccoli

1 qt. half & half

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

4 oz. velveeta (I always use about twice this much...)

Combine broth, onion, salt, and broccoli in large pan. Cook until broccoli and onion are tender. Add half & half to broccoli mixture. In a small saucepan, combine butter and flour and cook until mixed well and bubby. Add to broccoli mixture. Add velveeta to soup. Heat and stir until soup thickens.

Variation - instead of broccoli add chopped potato.

Bread bowls/bread sticks

I used this recipe...remember, the one that is so very versatile? Here's two more ways to use it!

Cupcakes

I totally cheated on this one...boxed Strawberry cake mix and pre-prepared strawberry frosting...I know, I know....I should have at least added fresh cut strawberries or something.

Hot Weather Relief

Summer Chicken Salad

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup pecans

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 onion, minced

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 heads bibb lettuce - rinsed, dried and torn

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

Lightly oil baking sheet. Broil chicken breasts on medium-high for 8 minutes, each side, until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool and slice.

Meanwhile, place pecans in a dry skillet over mediu-high heat. Cook pecans until fragrant, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a blender, combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, onion, mustard, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

Arrange lettuce on serving plates. Top with grilled chicken slices, strawberries, and pecans. Drizzle with the dressing to serve.

Spring Salad

Strawberry, Avocado and Spinach Salad

 

3 heads of Spinach or a large bag of Spinach

3 pints of Strawberries

2 large Avocado

 

Dressing- Mix the following in a blender:

 

1/2 cup of sugar

1 1/2 tsp of minced onion

1/4 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 tsp of Paprika

1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

 

Chill the dressing. Cut the avocados in generous size chunks and mix into the spinach leaves. Add the strawberries. Pour the dressing over the salad when ready to serve. Garnish with 2 Tbs of Sesame Seeds and 1 Tbs of Poppy Seeds.

M = Mom

I miss my mom, a lot! So today's M post is my homage to my mom. She is wonderful, amazing and everything anyone could ask for in a mom, except for the 1000 mile distance... She was a home economics teacher, so everything I know about cooking was initiated by her. We didn't cook a lot at home (we were on a first name basis with the pizza guy, seriously!), but she taught me the basics and made me curious for more. She encouraged me in my curiosity and taught me that you can't often go wrong when you experiment. Today's recipe is another one of her simple, yet yummy, recipes. My kids can't get enough of this recipe, thanks mom! I love you!

Shrimp Pasta Salad

1 package garden rotini pasta
2 cans tiny shrimp
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
2 tablespoons Lawry's season salt
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 green onion chopped
1 cucumber chopped

1. Boil pasta until al dente.

2. While pasta is cooking mix together all other ingredients.

3. Rinse pasta in cold water, until completely cooled, then drain completely.

4. Mix pasta into mixture and serve!