Greek Orzo Salad

One of my favorite shows and cooks is the Barefoot Contessa. I had some free time the other day and she just happened to be on tv. Her summer orzo salad called to me through the tv. Hers was made with roasted shrimp, such a quick and easy way to cook them. However, I tweaked the recipe a tiny bit for my taste and what was in the house. It is nice and refreshing cool, flavorful salad that is perfect for these hot summer days and leftovers can be taken to work the next day since flavors merry even more with time.

Greek Orzo Salad
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced
8 pitted kalamata olives, chopped

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 Tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the orzo. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving. 

Taco Salad

With the holidays upon us, there are so many cookies, desserts, and goodies around the house, office and parties. It can be really hard to resist them at every turn. We are trying to have at least one healthier meal at home and a packed salad is a good opportunity to do so. Normally, we would have tacos, but the shells can add up to a lot of calories and fat. Jason was making dinner tonight and found this recipe for taco seasoning to keep sodium down. It is packed full of flavor with a little kick, but nothing to be afraid of. We used ground turkey instead of beef and layered it on a bed of shredded lettuce, you can buy it pre-shredded or save some money and slice it yourself. Then top with your favorite add-ons like shredded cheese, peppers, corn, salsa and a few tortilla chips for crunch. You don't even miss the the beef or taco shell, all of the flavors are here! This is a quick and easy meal, perfect for a busy weeknight! 

Taco Seasoning
Serves: 10
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl combine all ingredients. Store any remaining in an airtight container.

Arugula Salad with Penne and Chick peas

Some days you just feel like a light salad as your meal. Having one with arugula is a little bit different for us since I don't normally have it in the house. Yet the peppery flavor of the arugula gives the salad a nice flavor, pasta gives it some substance and you get a lot of protein from the chick peas. If you don't have itme to make your own dressing you could easily toss it with lemon juice and olive oil, salt & fresh ground pepper. Home-made salad dressing is not only better for you, but makes the salad feel/taste that much fresher.

Arugula Salad with Penne and chick peas
Slightly adapted from Skinnytaste
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 cups baby arugula
6 oz Ronzoni Smart Taste penne pasta
1/4 cup craisins
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained
4 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly shaved 

Directions:
Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions for al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

Meanwhile, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. You will have extra dressing left over so do not put it all on the salad.

Toss the pasta with baby arugula, sun dried tomatoes, chick peas, half of the cheese, dressing and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Divide between 4 plates and top with remaining shaved parmesan cheese.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

I love to have big salads for lunch or even dinner when we go out. For some reason they always taste so much better when they are mixed together with the dressing and all of the fun additional items than when I make them at home. Not anymore! This recipe is a copycat version of Panera's Asian Chicken Salad and is just as good if not better at home. I made the salad dressing earlier in the day since I was taking a class at the gym and wanted as little work to prepare this when I got home. Then pulled together the marinade and chicken before hitting the showers. This was the perfect amount of time to soak up the flavors before Jason got home to take over the grill. Be sure to let the chicken rest for 5 minutes so the juices don't run out the moment you go to cut it up. The dressing is sweet from the sugar but still a bit tangy from the vinegar, which I really liked. I didn't have any wontons so I used tortilla strips which lose the asian flavor but provide a crunch. Next time I might opt for the crunchy noodles you can find in the ethnic aisle. Overall this was an extremely flavorful and filling salad that is great for lunch or dinner.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

Serves 4

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

1 bag pre-washed romaine lettuce

1 bag pre-washed baby spinach

4 medium chicken breasts

For the chicken marinade:

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar (or agave nectar, or honey)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon garlic powder

For the dressing:

½ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup sugar

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil, toasted in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown

½ teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
Salad toppings:

Chopped cilantro (optional)

11oz can mandarin oranges packed in water or 100% juice (rinse in water if packed in syrup)

¼ cup sliced almonds

Baked or fried wonton strips (I only had tortillay strips)

Sesame seeds

Directions:
1. For the chicken: Whisk together chicken marinade ingredients and put in a gallon ziploc bag. Prick the chicken with a fork to allow the marinade to be absorbed. Add chicken to the bag and marinate for 15 minutes. Grill, or cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet until done, then let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Cut into slices.

2. For the dressing: Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, then add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool. Combine with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a jar, and shake to combine.

 

3. Divide lettuce and spinach between four plates. Top with sliced chicken, salad dressing, and toppings.

Grilled Vegetables and Orzo

It was another nice night in Florida so I was able to go for a relaxing run outside while I waited for Jason to get home from work. Since we are going to be traveling and eating most of our meals out this week/weekend we wanted something healthy for dinner. We both love zucchini and yellow squash on the grill so that was Jason's job. He sliced them up, mixed with olive oil, salt and pepper and put on the grill for a few minutes per side. I thought it would go nicely with some orzo that is more substantial in size than couscous but not as heavy as penne or another noodle.

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow squash, sliced

1 fresh lemon squeeze

3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt &Pepper

Garlic Powder

 

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil.

2. Wash and slice the zucchini and yellow squash. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and flavor with salt and pepper then place on the grill for a few minutes per side.

3. Add orzo to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Drain the orzo and place in a bowl with the grilled vegetables. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Southwest Salad

This is a good day... J came home early and surprised me with gorgeous multi-color roses for now reason. And he even went for a run outside with me after work to take advantage of one of the "cooler" days in Florida. Since we were on a roll I decided to make us a light and refreshing salad for dinner. I had recently found Chipotle Ranch salad dressing at Whole Foods which I had been looking for a good one for a while and was very excited to use!

This year J planted a small herb garden in a big pot in our backyard! After years of living in an apartment and killing all plants I was so excited to have one and J to keep it alive. I was able to use some of the fresh cilantro in our salad tonight. Although after washing it I went to cut it up and a tiny spider crawled out!

 Southwest Salad
1/2 cup drained and rinsed black beans (no salt added)
1/2 cup drained canned corn
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
Cilantro to taste
1 1/2 Romaine Hearts (washed and cut)
Chipotle Ranch Dressing

I drained and rinsed the corn and black beans. Then diced the red pepper and cilantro and mixed it all up in a bowl ahead of time. I added the mixture to the salad and tossed with the salad dressing. I wish I had some tortilla chips in the house to add for crunch but was still delicious anyway. After our healthy dinner we are ready to watch Biggest Loser!