Italian Garden Pasta Salad
It’s Summer BBQ season with the 4th right around the corner many of us are getting ready to light up the grill. Just like me, I am sure many of you have a go-to Summer salad recipe. For a little fun for the 4th, I invite all of my blogging friends to share their favorite Summer salad recipes. This can be a new or old post just has to be a Summer salad recipe.
Here is a simple Summer salad recipe for Italian garden pasta salad that I use when the last minute BBQ happens. To share your recipe click the “add your link” button below.
Ingredients
Instructions
Fill a large pot with water and one tablespoon of olive oil and bring to a boil. Once boiling at pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until done. Drain pasta and let cool.
Add pasta to a large bowl with tomatoes, spring onions, salt and pepper; toss well. Drizzle with Italian dressing till desired coating; toss well again. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until cool and serve.
http://mooshujenne.com/italian-garden-pasta-salad/Vivid Salad in a Jar
Ever since the new revelation of salads in a jar on Pinterest, I have been dead set on making different salads to go in jars and eat through out the week for lunch. Trying to talk the teenage boys in my house into taking them to school for lunch rather then a PB&J. I love to use what is in season. For a cheat sheet to see what is in season before going to the store monthly have a look at Food Network’s Produce Guide. It helps with ideas and what to buy that should be fresh.
What’s great about the jar is it keeps the salad fresh longer. I have many variations of these salads and you can get just as creative. Have a look at my Green Salad for another salad that can go into the jar. Soon I hope to add more salad recipes for healthy lunches. If you come up with one please feel free to put a link in the comments as I would love to try it out!
Ingredients Instructions In a medium bowl, add all your sliced fruits and vegetables. Drizzle with Italian dressing to your preferred amount. Salt and pepper and toss. Add to glass jar and seal tightly. Store in fridge for up to a week.
Looking forward to seeing your combinations! Let me know how you like my vivid salad in a jar.
Strawberry Lemon Basil Dressing
Are you super picky about dressings? I know I definitely pick apart dressings. Ranch dressing is huge here in Texas but it definitely is not my favorite. I love the red house dressing all Italian restaurants serve. I can never figure out what’s in it, in which that is why it is my next quest.
I was very lucky to receive the chance to review OXO’s new Salad Dressing Shaker. I love this product! It serious keeps my homemade dressings fresher longer and is a simple storage device that fits perfectly into the fridge door. The little lever on the top makes it easy to use and I love the suction that helps keep it fresh. The even cooler aspect is they gave me one for one lucky winner to win here on the blog (more below).
But before I just lead you right into the contest, I want to show off my new recipe for Strawberry Lemon Basil Dressing. It is completely vegetarian, healthy and tart!
Ingredients Instructions Wash the strawberries. Take off tops.
In a food processor, add in strawberries and basil. Blend for about 1 minute until pureed. Add in lemon juice and zest; careful not to let the seeds drop in. Add in the 4 tablespoons of yogurt and process till mixed well. Slowly drizzle olive oil into processor while running, stopping periodically to check the consistency; it should be thick but running, not too thin. Add in salt and blend to mix well. Store dressing in container or glass jar in fridge. Saves for up to two weeks.
To enter the giveaway follow the instructions below on the Rafflecopter. This giveaway is sponsored by OXO.
Red Grapefruit Parmesan Salad
What a heck of day here in North Texas! Pick up the teens early due to tornadic weather reports. Glad I got them home before the schools went on lock down. My daughter’s school thought it would be a bright idea to just leave the kids in the classroom cause their is glass in some of the hallways. Though I agree, I don’t think the classroom is a good place either. Why not the gym? Not to mention it took them over 30 minutes after the sirens went off (and were still going off) to decide to move the kids. The sirens went off after I decided to go get my boys (as I was walking to the car) and I went to their school first, which had them in the hallway, and then headed to my daughter’s school; in which I encounter chaos and mayhem. The secretary had the nerve to tell us that we had to wait while they handled the kids. My first thought, you should have handled the kids thirty minutes ago and there would be no chaos. Wow!
After that we headed home and watched the show outside unfold and the reports on the TV of over 12 tornadoes that touch down around our area. The closest two were Grapevine and Coppell. Both are less then 15 minutes from me. I am glad there is no reports of badly injured people. I feel horrible for those without power. I did manage to take a few shots as the storm died off, in which, they will be on the blog tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday.
This a simple red grapefruit parmesan salad I make when the power goes out or just for a easy, quick lunch at home. I used a bottled vinaigrette salad dressing but I hope soon to have a homemade version up on the site!
Ingredients
Instructions
On a plate, add lettuce and top with grapefruit slices and red onion rounds. Grate Parmesan cheese over the top and drizzle with French Vinaigrette dressing.
http://mooshujenne.com/red-grapefruit-parmesan-salad/Apple and Carrot Hearts Salad
This morning I came across a site that gave me the perfect inspiration for a recipe involving carrots for the Fall Fest at FN Dish on Food Network. V’s family is from Prague and they make a wonderful salad involving carrots and apples. The dish is scrumptious but generally not visually appealing. I wanted to put a twist on the dish but I wasn’t sure just what to do till I stumbled upon this interesting carrot art “how to” at Sophistimom. For a tutorial on how to cut the carrots in hearts as featured below please check out her website. This is a simply fresh way to serve up carrots and apples with a cuteness factor. Our family loves this recipe and even eat it at breakfast!
Ingredients
Instructions
Sliced up all of the carrots and apples and place in a medium size bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over apples and carrots. Drizzle sugar over and toss to coat.
http://mooshujenne.com/apple-and-carrot-hearts-salad/
For more Fall Fest Recipes please visit the FN Dish – Fall Fest on Food Network or check out the list below for more recipes from the Fall Fest including carrots.
Thursday Night Dinner: Pickled Carrots
Virtually Homemade: Roasted Red Onions and Carrots With Pomegranate Gremolata
Haute Apple Pie: Carrot, Apple and Radicchio Slaw
What’s Gaby Cooking: Thyme and Honey Roasted Carrots
Glory Foods: Honey-Carrot Bread
Daily*Dishin: Carrot Cake Hawaiian-Style
FN Dish: Quick Carrot Sides for Thanksgiving
Cooking With Elise: Spiced Carrot Marmalade
Dishin and Dishes: Roasted Honey Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Daydreamer Desserts: Carrot Cheesecake
Mooshu Jenne: Apple and Carrot Hearts Salad
The Sensitive Epicure: Maple Bourbon Glazed and Braised Carrots
Daydreamer Desserts: Carrot Martini
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Carrot Slaw
Radish and Chive Salad ‘Retiisi-Ruohosipulisalaatti’
Through Foodbuzz, I’m super excited to have the opportunity to enter to win a trip to Greece, sponsored by FAGE. I have always wanted to travel to Greece, such a spiritual place. This post is about the Greek tradition of “good living,” and what it means in my life. Scroll to the bottom of this post for more details and find out how you can also enter to win a Greek getaway!
My first experience with Fage Original Greek Yogurt was wonderful, but my recipe kind of just went kaput! Good living is the importance of staying true to who you are and your family. My loving honest kids told me they liked the recipe but it is just wrong to mix potato and pasta. Yeah, they are a bit eccentric when it comes to food. My other half told me that is was to bland and needed more spice. See, what kind of good cook would I be without them being my subjects.
One fantastic point about my family, that lives in my household, is that they are supportive of me. When I decided I wanted us all to stop eating unhealthy “boxed” foods and eat fresh ingredients they supported the idea. Though sometimes they are bit reluctant about their potato chips but they have found organic candy to be just as tasty. Good living is about eating healthy and exercise. In addition, good living is how you appreciate friends and family. That is why I picked a Finnish recipe to mix with Fage’s Greek original yogurt; because I wanted to mix some of my heritage with Fage. I promise to add a picture soon of the salad.
Ingredients
Instructions
Slice radishes and place in a medium bowl. Chop your green onions and place in same bowl. Add the yogurt and toss. Add sugar and salt and stir. Serve immediately as the salt will wilt the vegetables over time by drawing out the liquid.
http://mooshujenne.com/radish-and-chive-salad/Disclosure: *As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/
Mini Taco Salad
With the heat wave stretching across all of the states and from what I hear from my friend Jen, even Canada is warmer then usual; I thought it would be great to post a simple stove top recipe. Slaving over the stove after being in the Summer heat is just not my forte! So, I brought back a recipe we used to make when the kids were little. However, I used to make it with baked tortillas over foil balls in the oven. This time I wanted to actually fry the tortillas, since my frying skills are better, and to make mini taco salads. Perfect for small dinners in the hot Summer heat or a super fun appetizer for a house party!
Ingredients
Instructions
In a stir fry pan or deep frying pan put in a tablespoon of olive oil, chopped garlic, half of the chopped onion, and ground beef. Brown the meat till you see no pink. Add in taco seasoning, this should dry up some of your grease. You do not want to dry up all the grease as it will make the tacos dry.
Preheat oven to 180F. In a second large pot fill about half way with vegetable oil and heat to about 350F. Using a large spoon or ladle, put your tortilla underneath and press down into hot oil. The tortilla will then curl around the spoon forming a small taco salad bowl. You can also use tongs to pull up the sides. Having someone else help is key in preventing either of you getting burned by hot oil. After you pull the bowls out of the hot oil just put them upside down on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. You can have the baking sheet in the oven to keep shells warm. As soon as your done be sure to turn off oven or the towels will burn!
Once your shells and meat are done just add the ingredients to the bowls that you would like. Sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, and salsa are great options.
http://mooshujenne.com/mini-taco-salad/
