Fourth of July

                   It will be the 4^th of July in three days.  A time for picnics, family gatherings, and fireworks.  This is a favorite summer salad in my family.

Vegetable Rotini with Sopressata and Cheese

1 lb Dry Vegetable Rotini Pasta

1/3 lb Sopressata or other Hard Salami

1/3 lb Smoked Provolone or other Cheese

1 6 oz. can pitted Black Olives

1. Cook Rotini per package instructions.
2. Cut Supressata and Provolone into ½” cubes.
3. Slice Black Olives into rings.
4. Put the Sopressata, Provolone, and Black Olives into a large bowl.

Dressing

1/2 c. Olive Oil

¼ c. Red Wine Vinegar

2 Tbsp Italian Herb Blend OR 1 Tbsp dry Basil and 1 Tbsp Italian Oregano

1. Pour the Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar together in a small bowl.
2. Grind the herbs between your hands and add to the Olive Oil/Red Wine Vinegar mixture.
3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
4. Pour dressing over the other salad ingredients that are already in the bowl.
5. When the Rotiini is done cooking, drain and wash with cold water to stop the cooking.
6. Once the pasta is cool, add to the other ingredients in the bowl and toss.
7. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

This makes 6 to 8 servings.

Vegetarian Version: Replace the Sopressata with 2/3 lb of Cheese.

Lactose Intolerant Version: Either eliminate the Cheese or use Soy Cheese.

Gluten Free Version: Use Quinoa Vegetable Rotini.

Birthday “Cake”

           It is my daughter’s birthday.  This is one of her favorite desserts so I thought I would share the recipe for her birthday “cake”.

Crust

3 c. Chocolate Chex

1 Tbsp Chocolate Powder

3 Tbsp Butter, melted

1. Preheat Oven to 350°.
2. Put Chocolate Chex in a food processor and process until the cereal pieces are crumbs.
3. Add the Cocoa Powder and process again.
4. Pour the melted Butter through the tube of the food processor lid as it runs.  Blend until the crumbs look a little moist.
5. Press the crumbs into a 9” pie pan on the bottom and up the sides.
6. Put into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Filling

2 boxes Silken Firm Tofu

12 oz. Chocolate Chips, melted (For instructions on how to melt chocolate, see the Valentine’s Day Tart post from February 1, 2013)

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Crème de Cacao (optional)

1. Put Tofu into the food processer and blend until smooth.
2. Add the melted Chocolate Chips until blended into the Tofu.
3. Add Sugar and blend again.  If using Crème de Cacao, put through the feed tube while blending.
4. Put the mixture into the prepared pie crust.  Cover with plastic and chill for at least 4 hours.

Raspberry Coulis

6 oz. fresh Raspberries

1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar, sifted

1. Using a spoon, crush the Raspberries through a sieve.  Make sure a bowl is underneath to catch the juice.
2. After crushing the Raspberries, add the Powdered Sugar to the juice and blend together.
3. Drizzle the Coulis on top of each "cake" piece once it is cut and ready to be served.

 

Another Summer Salad

              It’s now the first of June and it’s time to really think about hot weather and not cooking so as not to heat up the kitchen.  Here is a salad that can be made ahead of time during the cooler times of day.

Cauliflower Salad

2 lb. Cauliflower cut into florets

½ c. sliced Olives, black or Kalamatas

2 Tbsp chopped Flat Leaf Parsley

¼ tsp Anchovy Paste

1 tsp Capers stored in vinegar

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. Steam Cauliflower until done.  Then to stop the cooking, put the Cauliflower in a bowl of cold or ice water.  Once cooled, drain.
2. Find a different large bowl and put in the Cauliflower.  Add the Parsley and Olives.
3. In a blender or mini prep food processor put together the Anchovy Paste, Capers, Vinegar, and Olive Oil.  Blend until all the ingredients are incorporated to make a vinaigrette.
4. Pour the vinaigrette over the Cauliflower mixture.  Toss to coat.
5. Cover and refrigerate the salad for about four hours to overnight.
6. Remove from the refrigerator before serving and let it sit until it reaches room temperature.

      To add some color to the salad, think of using the orange or purple cauliflower with the white.

Lemonade

                It’s going to be Memorial Day soon, the “official” start of summer.  It’s been cold and sometimes snowy this May but hopefully the first legal summer holiday will be bright and sunny.  What could be more refreshing than ice cold lemonade?  Here is a recipe for lemonade with a twist.

1 12 oz can Lemonade, frozen

12 oz Orange Juice, fresh squeezed is the best

1 Lemon, thinly sliced

1 Lime, thinly sliced

1 Orange, thinly sliced

1. Make the lemonade per package directions.
2. Add the orange juice then stir.  I use the now empty lemonade can as a measuring cup.  Put into the refrigerator to chill.
3. About an hour before serving add all the fruit slices.  Continue to refrigerate until it is time to serve.

I hope this will quench your thirst on a hot, sunny day.

Summer is Coming

      It has started to get warm and now you have thoughts of eating outside.  This is when you start thinking about food that seems to go with summer.  This is one of my favorites.

Kidney Bean Salad

1 15 oz. can of Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

2 Hard Boiled Eggs, diced

10 Bread and Butter Pickles, diced into small pieces

1 small Onion, diced into small pieces

2 Tbsp Miracle Whip

1. Put the first four ingredients in a bowl.  Stir them together.
2. Add the Miracle Whip.  Toss the salad until the Miracle Whip coats all the other ingredients.
3. Refrigerate for an hour or two before serving.

Welcome to summer.

Deli Counter Dinner

              Don’t ignore the deli counter as an addition to your dinner menu.  I recommend trying those spicy chicken or turkey meats as part of a flavorful and quick meal.  Here is a favorite of mine.

Turkey Quesadillas

¼ - ½ lb. thinly sliced Spicy Turkey

¼ lb. thinly sliced Cheese (I like a Pepper Jack)

2 medium Tomatoes thinly sliced

1 pkg. 6” or larger Corn Tortillas (The package I purchase has 12 tortillas)

Canola Oil

1. Heat a skillet or grill pan.
2. Away from the heat, assemble the Quesadilla.  First place two slices of Cheese on one Tortilla.  Then put two slices each of the Turkey and Tomato on top of the Cheese.  Follow with two more slices of Cheese.  Finish with a second Tortilla.
3. Use about a teaspoon of Canola Oil to coat the hot skillet or grill pan.
4. Place the prepared Tortillas in the pan.  Cook until the bottom tortilla is brown and flip.  Once the other side is brown, remove from the pan and cut into four pieces for serving.

Options:

Chicken is an easy and great substitute for Turkey.

Soy Cheese can be used in place of regular Cheese.

Enjoy!

Egg-cetera

         Ham and eggs, that is what you usually think of when you think of the food served for Easter.  The ham sandwiches the next day always taste so good, but what about those extra hard boiled eggs you colored?  Well I love Deviled Eggs which are a great way to use those eggs.  Here is my recipe.

Deviled Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs sliced the long way and the yolks removed

¼ c. Miracle Whip

3 dashes of Tabasco Sauce

Sweet Paprika

1. Mash the egg yolks.
2. To the mashed yolks, add the Miracle Whip and Tabasco Sauce.
3. Fill the egg halves with the yolk mixture.
4. Sprinkle the tops with Sweet Paprika.

Optional Flavors:

Chipotle Tabasco Sauce

Smoked Paprika

Serve along with your ham sandwich.