Farro Salad

IMG_5507I made this last night combining my recipe which is on my blog “Summer Salad-Farm Fresh Farro” and Charlie Bird’s Famous Farro Salad. My blog post was from a few years ago long before I ever saw Charlie Birds version.  Please feel free to add veggies at your own discretion. It’s a loose recipe but this is what I did. This would make a great addition to any BBQ and perfect for Fathers Day 2017.

Special thanks to Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad @nytimes cooking site by Melissa Clark

cooking@nytimes.com – one of the best cooking sites I know

Ingredients:

1 cup Farro

1 cup apple cider

2 cups of water

2 teaspoons kosher salt, and more to your own liking

2 bay leaves

8 Tablespoons extra -virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice- I used 1 large lemon

app. 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan Cheese , I used a vegetable peeler but I do know you can buy Parmesan Cheese shaved this way ( time and mess saver)

app. 1/2 cup shelled Pistachios–I used salted pistachios and chopped them myself. You can use raw pistachios but they’re a tad tasteless. Just check for salt when salad is finished.

app. 2 cups Arugula

app. 1 cup torn Basil Leaves

app. 1 cup Mint leaves-cut up into smaller pieces

2 large radishes sliced thinly or rough chopped

Directions:

Farro:

In a medium saucepan, bring farro,  apple cider, bay leaves,  salt , and 2 cups of water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If farro is cooked but there is still water I put in a colander/strainer and leave it till it cools down. If on the other hand the water evaporates before the farro is done, you’ll have to add a little more water. You can always strain it so no worries–but don’t overcook. Let farro cool down and discard the 2 bay leaves.

Salad:

In a salad bowl (large enough to fold in arugula and mix) whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, I use a wire whisk, it’s an amazing kitchen tool. Add the cooled down farro, parmesan cheese and chopped pistachio nuts, mix well.

This salad base will sit for a few hours at room temperature. I made it that afternoon for that evening and never put it in fridge. Salad is always best at room temperature so if you do refrigerate, just bring to room temperature before serving.

Just before serving, fold in the arugula, herbs, radishes and taste for salt. If not salty enough sprinkle a little flaky sea salt or kosher salt. You’ll thank me for this recipe.IMG_1779IMG_1780

 

 

 

Lemon Marinade (perfect for Chicken Breasts on Grill)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 – 5 small lemons) (2-3 large)

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tsp. Kosher salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

I use a large measuring cup to put all the ingredients into and use a small whisk to combine.

2 lbs Chicken Breasts (I prefer not too thick. Thin ones are good and are usually available. If not, ask the butcher to pound them.)

Let chicken sit in marinade overnight . I use a large baggie and squish it around. The longer it sits, the better. Before I put it on the grill, I usually put it into a glass Pyrex (easier to put on grill from Pyrex than baggie) and when it’s in the Pyrex I lightly sprinkle it with a little kosher salt, you’ll need to do this for a bit more flavor.

Put chicken on the hot grill and cook. Don’t overcook. Turn them so you get nice grill marks. They cook rather quickly–a few minutes on each side–especially the thin ones. Cut into one of the pieces if you’re not sure. These have to be watched on the grill. The thin cutlets go quickly, but I really do prefer them .

When they’re finished, put them on a platter, add some lemon slices, and serve! You can garnish with a few sprigs of fresh thyme if you’d like.  These are awesome leftovers next day served on top of any salad.

*something I discovered not too long ago was a grill pan. If you don’t have access to a grill or it’s raining and you don’t want to be out there grilling. I bought a really nice one and you get beautiful grill marks and the food tastes really good. Something good and worthwhile to buy.

Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce

FullSizeRenderThis is one of my old tried and true recipes and also one of our family’s all time favorites.   I will be making this delicious side dish for our Father’s Day Barbecue.  Perfect for a large get together and totally tasty. There are a lot of ingredients but it is very easy to put together and it’s always a hit! I made the sauce a day ahead which I highly recommend doing, it gives flavors a chance to really come together.  I had all the ingredients in the house and day of I will cook the noodles and mix together. If making sauce ahead of time , take it out of refrigerator and let the sauce sit at room temperature before mixing with noodles. I used 1 teaspoon of cayenne, but because I wasn’t sure of everyone’s taste buds for hot and spicy I left out the chili oil. If you want it spicier you can always add some hot chili oil, or more cayenne pepper.  You can actually make the sauce a few days ahead of time. Enjoy this oldie but goodie. I have played around with the recipe a lot, and have found these ingredients work the best for me. I also like to put a little fresh cilantro on the side for those who love it ( like me) and don’t leave out the chopped peanuts they give it that extra yummy crunch. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 lb. linguine or spaghetti ( or you can use Chinese egg noodles)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

7 tablespoons Peanut Butter ( creamy ) by the way I always use the low-fat one, it’s perfectly fine

2/3 cup warm water

6 tablespoons soy sauce ( use low sodium)

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or more to specific taste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic

3 to 4 scallions , finely chopped

*1 sliced cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned (optional) but tasty and crunchy

*fresh cilantro chopped (optional)

*sprinkle of chopped peanuts ( optional) but extra added crunch if you have them on hand

*dash of hot chili oil ( to taste) I usually just throw in a dash of this.

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, using a fork or a small wire whisk, beat the peanut butter together with the water until it is smooth. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt. Beat till smooth. If you’re adding hot chili oil this is when you would add that.

Add the chopped garlic, and stir well. Because I was using it the next day, I left out scallions till I cooked pasta .

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water, until noodles are cooled down sufficiently. Place noodles in a large bowl, drizzle with the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and toss well. Refrigerate noodles until you are ready to serve. About an hour or so before I am ready to serve, I pour sauce over noodles and mix well. Make sure sauce has been left out at room temperature for a while till it’s not too cold.  Add the scallions and cucumbers and mix well. Right before serving you can sprinkle the cilantro and chopped peanuts if you like. I pour about 2/3 of the sauce over noodles and mix well, adding more sauce as I feel necessary. I definitely didn’t use all of the sauce that I made, add slowly and taste as you go along.  Right before serving I usually add some more sauce, but leave it out at room temperature. This is a deadly go to leftover the next day.

Summer Corn Salad with Feta

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I am flat on my ass after having partial knee replacement surgery . I have plenty of free time to peruse through my own blog and re post some really wonderful summer time recipes. This is a delicious and easy one which sometimes gets overlooked because I always make my Fresh Corn Salad but this is a bit different because it has Feta Cheese and some thinly sliced radishes. I suggest you try both of these wonderful recipes — super easy and super delicious for summertime cooking at it’s finest.

. This is what I did. You might want to check out my other wonderful corn salad which is titled Fresh Corn Salad it’s a little different and might be more to your liking. I like both just fine and I think you will too! There are so very many variations of corn salad out there and especially in the summer when the corn is so fresh and delicious.

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh corn ( it’s so amazing in the summer) I actually used 6 ears of corn –boiled it for 3 mins and plunged into an ice bath to stop cooking. I did it the night before because it’s just easier that way

1/3 cup of fresh cilantro chopped–if you don’t like cilantro you can omit it, but it packs a  lots of flavor–just saying…..

3 Tablespoons Lime Juice –I used my juicer because this is a lot of squeezing. Or buy the fresh lime juice in those little green bottles. (see photo) but nothing beats fresh in my book

1- 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, I used 1 . Feta was plenty salty here. You might want to add more, you can taste as you go.

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil–Extra Virgin is the way to go

1 cup thinly sliced radishes — they are amazing this time of year but if you hate them you can substitute with a little red onion or scallion. I love radishes and I love the pop of color and crunch they provide

1 cup cherry tomatoes–sliced in 1/2 or into 1/4’s

1/2 cup crumbled Feta— I used a 6oz. container

Directions:

Cut corn off cobs–I know it’s work but it’s worth it and mix the corn with all ingredients adding cheese last. Yum!!! refrigerate and take out before you’re eating and let sit at room temperature.  I put salad together early in the morning and refrigerated all day. You can make it and serve it right away  but it will be better after flavors marinate a bit. I still cannot believe that I forgot to put this wonderful side dish out!!!!!!! It happens to the best of us.

Enjoy!

Champagne Vinaigrette and Kale/Brussels Salad

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Dressed Salad

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Ingredients

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Joel’s Salad with lots of Parmesan Cheese–hey he ate it!

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This Champagne Vinaigrette appeared on my blog back in 2012. It’s really perfect on any kind of greens and this is the salad that I made along with it. I love Kale but I don’t like feeling like I’m eating the front lawn. I like my kale very finely chopped and massaged with dressing. I use my food processor to chop the kale and I dress the salad ahead of eating it and let it sit for a while so that the kale can absorb as much of the dressing as possible. This salad was really delicious and I know this is almost impossible to believe but I got Joel to eat some of it! The way I did that was to add a lot of parmesan cheese to his plate and he ate it.  Enjoy this dressing it is perfection in a bottle and good on almost anything you put it on. I will be making this salad for Father’s Day this year–it’s a winner.

Champagne Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard (Maille makes a wonderful mustard)

1/3 cup Champagne Vinegar

1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Honey

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt to taste app. 1/4 teaspoon to start

freshly ground black pepper , a few grinds of the mill to taste

Ingredients for the Salad:

1 bunch of Kale or a bag of washed and chopped kale , baby kale is great as well

1/2 lb. of Brussels Sprouts, washed and cut thinly–now you can buy brussels already sliced which makes prep super fast and easy!!!

*this is optional but it adds pretty color and some more crunch. 1/2 small head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced

1/2 cup of Grated Parmesan or Shaved Parmesan

1/2 cup of dried fruit, I used dried craisins, but raisins, cherries, any of them will do

1/2 cup pignoli nuts, I roast them in the oven for about 4 minutes till they get toasty. ( in oven at 350 degrees for about 4 mins.)

*add any seasonal fruits or vegetables or protein you may like,  this is just a basic salad idea.

Directions:

Using my blender I threw all vinaigrette ingredients  except for the olive oil which I slowly streamed in through the top of blender until dressing emulsified. Taste for Salt and Pepper and you’re good to go.

Wash and Dry the Kale, remove the stems and ribs and just use the leaves. Even better you can buy triple washed kale already chopped. I still put that through my processor because it’s not chopped enough for me.

In the food processor I chopped up kale slowly, you don’t want to over chop the kale either. As soon as it starts to break down I stopped and removed it and added more.  I do it in sections till it’s all chopped.

Slice Brussels very thinly into slices , they will fall apart as you slice and mix them into salad.  Add Brussels to Kale with all other salad ingredients except for Parmesan Cheese. I added cheese when I was ready to serve to individual plates.

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Raw Chopped Salad pre dressing

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Sesame Cukes

A very big thank you goes out to Jessica Seinfeld and her new cook book “Food Swings”.  Thoroughly enjoying this book and trying to cook my way through it. The other night I made a delicious simple salmon and wanted a nice light “virtuous” accompaniment to go with it.

Well here it is for all you gluten-free, dairy free and light eaters . Nothing difficult here and you can do it in 10 minutes. Of course it tastes best after it sits for a while but you can prepare and let sit for an hour or so.

Thanks again to Jessica Seinfeld and Food Swings cookbook which is available wherever great books are sold.

Ingredients:

1 English Cucumber, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds – available in the spice department

1/2 to 1 Jalapeno Pepper-seeded and thinly sliced or diced–I always suggest wearing gloves to seed and cut up Jalapeno to avoid any problems with those jalapeno seeds.

2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 -1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt-Taste after 1/4 , I added a little more

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill–I didn’t have in the house but next time I will add because I love dill and it will add a delicious fresh layer of flavor. If you don’t like dill you can omit.

Directions:

Put the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Cook , tossing for about 3 minutes, until toasted. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the cukes, jalapeno, lemon juice, oil and kosher salt. Stir in the dill and sesame seeds.

*little note on the salt– I started with 1/4 tsp. and after all was said and done added another 1/4 tsp. This is completely up to the cook depending on how much you like salt .

 

 

Lime Shrimp with Corn and Avocado

IMG_8249 (2) IMG_8233 IMG_8228 (2)All I can say is Wow!!!!  I cooked about a lb.of beautiful shrimp and I wanted to use it in a delicious light salad incorporating some fresh corn and avocados. This salad has some of most favorite ingredients in it.  I used fresh corn, fresh tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, and shrimp! Limes are the secret ingredient here because they add all the flavor to this super light dressing.  This has got to be one of the healthiest most delicious salads.  Totally not fattening but filling because of the shrimp , corn and avocados. If you’re into these ingredients this is a must go to for summer entertaining. Light and Fresh , low in calories and so so easy to make.

If you like cilantro I would chop some up and add it, but a lot of people hate it so much I chose to not add. I removed all the seeds from the jalapeno and probably used 3/4 of a large one. One small seeded jalapeno is perfect and not hot at all. Be careful handling the peppers and the seeds,  I’ve taken to wearing surgical gloves to cut up the peppers.

This is a perfect summer salad, just don’t add avocados till you’re ready to serve,  everything else can be assembled ahead of time. I put together in the morning of the day I was serving and then added my avocados right before I served. This is what I did.

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked shrimp (after cooking it should be 1 lb.) I then cut it up into smaller pieces. I probably cut each shrimp into 4 pieces. Remember I used under 10’s. So that’s 10 shrimp to a pound. You want the shrimp pieces to be bite size but not too small.

1/4 cup chopped red onion

3 cobs of fresh cooked corn ( just put cobs in boiling salted water, bring to a second boil and remove and plunge into an ice bath) let corn cool and remove kernels from cobs.

2 limes-juiced , I use my juicer to juice because it’s tough with limes and you need as much lime juice as possible from 2 limes. I squeezed a third lime over at the end, but it’s probably not necessary. The citrus helps keep avocado from turning brown as well.

1 Teaspoon Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

a few grinds on the pepper mill–to taste

I put in about 1/2 pint of small grape tomatoes, but you can eyeball if using larger tomatoes, I didn’t want tomatoes to over power the other outstanding flavors –if you prefer you can cut tomatoes in 1/2. I sometimes do this if I am not using the small grape tomatoes.

2 avocados–sliced and cut into cubes

1 small-medium jalapeno–seeded and minced

*a handful of chopped fresh cilantro if you love it

Directions:

  • We Cook shrimp- peel and de-vein or buy it cleaned and de-veined whichever works best for you. I like cooking my own shrimp but you can certainly use a “cooked shrimp” readily available in most markets. I cut shrimp up into bite size pieces but not too small.

Cook corn and allow to cool down. When corn is cooled completely down I cut kernels off.

In a separate small bowl, place chopped red onion, lime juice, olive oil and salt and a little black pepper. Whisk together .

I placed Shrimp, Corn, Jalapeno and Tomatoes into a large bowl. About an hour prior to serving I poured the lime juice combination over the bowl of Shrimp.

Mix well and allow to sit and marinade. You’ll want to mix a few times before adding avocados to circulate the marinade.

Taste for Salt and Pepper but it should be good.

I added the 2 Avocados right before serving and squeezed a little more lime over it, probably not necessary but I did. If you’re adding the cilantro go ahead and add it now.

That’s it–perfect summer salad.

Pasta with Avocado and Tomatoes–Fresh and Easy

IMG_4523 (2) IMG_4528photo 5 (54) photo 3 (73) Thinking about what to make for dinner and I find myself with some tomatoes, some avocados and I always have pasta. Don’t want to go out, don’t want to really cook a lot and I had lemons and garlic. I love avocados, its possibly my most favorite fruit yes, it is technically considered to be a fruit.  I sometimes have them for breakfast , lunch and dinner . I don’t care, I love them. So for all of you avocado people this one is for you for sure.  I think this whole thing took me all of 20 minutes from start to finish. I used 1/2 a box of spaghetti so I would double for 1 lb. Hate to admit it but I ate almost the whole thing by myself. It was that good! The avocado made like a creamy sauce using a little pasta water which is key . Enjoy! this is my new summer staple.

*Remember this is for 8 oz. of pasta–double up for 1 lb.

Ingredients:

recipe based on 8 oz. of any kind of spaghetti , I think spaghetti is best because of the way it holds on to the avocado. Having said that use whatever pasta you like or have in the house.

1 large ripe avocado, scooped out

1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated . I finely chopped mine.

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

I used a handful of little plum tomatoes but you can use as much or as little tomato as you like. If using a regular tomato use 1 large tomato and I  would scoop out the seeds and discard them.

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to directions. Once pasta is cooked, reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water which you’ll definitely need to thin out sauce.

Cut tomatoes in 1/2 or 1/4 if using the little ones. If larger tomato just chop into small pieces.

Scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl and using a fork mash into a chunky paste. (think guacamole consistency)

Add the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix together and taste then adjust the salt and pepper as needed.

Add the drained cooked pasta to the bowl with about 1/4 of a cup of pasta water and the tomatoes. Using tongs or spoons toss the pasta. The avocado will thin out as it coats the pasta. Add more pasta water as necessary to thin out sauce to desired consistency.

This was amazing!

Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes and Lots of Good Stuff – Vegan

DSCN0190 DSCN0195 DSCN0194 DSCN0199Most perfect summer salad and it is a vegetarian delight. totally vegan. I am not a vegan so I was grilling steaks for dinner and wanted to do a cold salad on the side. I had 2 beautiful ripe avocados on hand and all the ingredients for this yummy salad.  I had some fresh corn so I just brought the water to a boil threw it in and when it turned yellow took it out and threw it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.   Of course I love  jalapenos , use your own discretion and this would be amazing without as well but it was kick ass with them.  You can make the salad ahead and let juices meld but don’t add the avocados till you’re ready to serve.  You can give them a little squeeze of fresh lime juice so they won’t turn brown so fast.  I like to serve salad at room temperature, you just don’t get the flavors when it’s too cold. It will keep in fridge for a few days, but you’ll have to take out the leftover avocado since it will turn brown. I cut this salad in 1/2 for the 2 of us. This easily will serve 6 as a side. By the way Joel took a bite but too much healthy stuff going on in here for his liking, although he’s gotten better he’s not quite up to this yet, it’s OK because there was more for me with leftovers.

Enjoy Memorial Day Weekend and be safe!

I was inspired for this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa recipe for Guacamole Salad. The corn was my idea.

Ingredients:

2 cobs of fresh corn ( cook and then shuck corn off the cob) if no fresh corn available use frozen . I use frozen when I have to and 1 small bag is usually sufficient. The frozen corn will defrost very quickly so just take it out and when you mix in with other ingredients it will start to completely thaw by the time you’re ready to serve. You want to serve at room temperature anyway.

1 pint grape tomatoes , halved

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced into small pieces ( app. 1/2 “)

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup small diced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded ( app. 2 small jalapenos) use at your own discretion . Remove Seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes.

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over the vegetables. Toss well. In the meanwhile cook the corn , bring water to a boil throw in for a few minutes to turn bright yellow, then I throw in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking and lock in flavor and color. Then remove corn from cob. I let the salad sit for about an hour before adding avocados into the salad. Just fold avocados into the salad when you’re ready to serve. Check for seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Summer Sangria on the Light Side

It is the un-official start of the summer season so if the weather would cooperate it might just feel that way. Well this drink could help you kick off Memorial Day Weekend whether you’re inside or outside.

This is a light cool drink for when the weather turns warm. Sangria and Summer!  Perfect to make for a large crowd, easy as could be and light because it’s made with sugar-free Lemonade .  If you don’t want to use sugar-free just use regular lemonade, it’s no problem. I remember making Sangria and it was messy and required a lot of different ingredients plus a lot of sugar. My friend Carol has been making this for years and I have called upon her many times to re-create this Sangria. It can be made with white or red wine. It makes 2 quarts without ice, so that goes a long way . You can cut up whatever fruit you like , peaches are beautiful , oranges, apples, pears, strawberries whatever you like. I like to make the Sangria in the afternoon just so the fruit gets the full  flavor of the wine and marinates for at least a few hours. It’s not critical though. I think you’ll like this one. Again, thanks Carol so much for sharing and promise I won’t annoy you anymore now that I have it written down .

 

Ingredients: 

1 Bottle Wine Red or White ( I used Pinot Grigio but you can use whatever you like or have) I wouldn’t use a very expensive bottle for this.

1 Bottle Club Soda ( not the very large bottle ) 1 quart bottle

Fruit of your choice , peaches , pears, oranges, nectarines, apricots, apples ,etc. I slice into thin slices which are easy to eat . Slice them up and eyeball it. Whatever you like, I used peaches, apricots, apples and oranges .

1 packet Sugar Free Wylers or Crystal Light Lemonade , I use Yellow Lemonade for White Wine and Pink Lemonade for Red Wine , if you’re opposed to using sugar substitutes you can certainly use fresh lemonade.

You’ll need a 2 quart pitcher, I use a nice glass pitcher . It can be kept for a while in fridge in a plastic 2 quart container. Sometimes for a very large gathering I make an extra one and keep in refrigerator without the fruit, just as a back up.

Directions:

Cut up fruit into slices/pieces for Sangria. I take a 2 quart pitcher pour in the bottle of wine, put in the packet of Wylers or Crystal Light, add the Club soda almost up to the top of the container or pitcher leaving room for fruit, so you may not need whole bottle . Add fruit and Stir, I usually add the rest of the club soda after fruit goes in . Put in refrigerator and let flavors meld together for a few hours and get cold. Serve in glasses with ice, you can add additional fruit like raspberries at the time you serve. It’s delicious , refreshing, low in calories and did I mention super easy???