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Cerignola Olives

2 May

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I always forget what olives I like except for calamatta.

All the others look the same BUT I found these cerignola olives and it was love at first bite.

Olives are grown and served in Italy and they are on every table.

The cerignolas are my favorite.

They are a meaty, firm olive that are not heavily brined.

They are not too salty and go with everything.

Marshalls and TJ Max carry them in their gourmet section for a good price but you can also find them in the grocery store.

Great snack with a cheese and salami tray and a glass of wine.

Listen to me, I’m drinking wine now.

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Blackberry Salad

12 Mar

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The blackberries are gorgeous so this is the time to take advantage of them.

They are wonderful in salads.

6 handfuls of any type of greens

I put arugula in everything  so I mixed it with field green.

1/2 cup blue, goat or feta cheese

1/2 to 1 cup of blackberries

2 diced scallions

2 cooked crumbled chicken sausage or 6 to 8 slices crumbled cooked bacon

One sliced hot pepper (optional). You can use a sweet pepper.

6 basil leaves

Dressing

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

One clove minced garlic

Put all the greens in a bowl

Top with the scallions, meat, cheese and basil

Set aside

Put the vinegar, oil, garlic, honey and basil in a magic bullet and mix well.

Add the dressing sparingly because it is sweet.

The sweet dressing goes so well with the berries

The pepper can be put on the side but I like the hot and sweet combination.

Arugula, Mushroom, Basil Salad

28 Feb

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I love basil.

I love anything I can make with basil.

I was watching the Chew on TV and Michael Symon made this with chicken.

I turned off the show and made it immediately with just a couple of changes.

4 big handfuls of arugula

40 basil leaves. Yes, I said forty leaves.

2 diced scallions, just the green part.

One baguette cut into one inch cubes

3/4 cup olive oil divided

Two cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

10 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms

10 ounce package white sliced mushrooms

1 Tablespoon thyme leaves

salt and pepper

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoon honey

One tablespoon Dijon mustard

Toss the bread with the 1/4 cup oil, garlic, cheese and a sprinkle of salt and black pepper

Pan fry the bread till it is toasted and crunchy

Place in a salad bowl

Add the arugula, basil and scallion greens to the bowl

Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet that you used to toast the bread.

Add one package of mushrooms in a single layer

Sprinkle with 1/2 of the thyme

Don’t touch them for 5 minutes or until the bottoms are crisp.

Turn over and brown the other side

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Pour them over the salad

Do the same with the next box of mushrooms

Pour over the salad

Put the remaining oil in the skillet

Add one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, the red wine vinegar and honey.

Mix well and taste

I added a little more vinegar and honey but taste and adjust to your liking.

Pour the warm dressing over the salad

Add some extra cheese curls on top

This is so delicious.

The original recipe had grilled Dijon mustard chicken on top.

Thank you Michael Symon for a great lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

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Vietnamese Vegetable and Noodle Salad

20 Feb

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This recipe I found on Pinterest.

It was from foodie crush.com

I added just a couple of things

6 ounces  rice vermucelli noodles, cooked and set aside

3 shredded carrots

One seeded cucumber

One sliced red pepper

1 1/2 cups clean and washed bean sprouts

One cup thin sliced cabbage

6 diced green onions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Mix everything together

Put everything in a paper towel and squeeze dry

Keep it in a towel till you are ready to dress it.

Dressing;

1/2 cup fish sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 lime juiced

1/2 lime garnish

Put everything in a food prosessor and blend well.

Put the salad in a big bowl and mix with the dressing.

This salad gets really soggy so serve it right away once you have dressed it.

I just put the shredding blade on my food processor and shred all the vegetables except the bean sprouts and put them in a bowl.

Then change blades to make the dressing.

Sugar snap peas and jalapenos would be a good garnish.

I would put this salad on any sandwich.

Wrap the salad in rice paper for a meatless roll.

Toss it with any grilled meat or shrimp.

 

 

 

Quinoa Salad

29 Jan

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I am the worst person take out to lunch.

If I order something and really like it I disect it until I can figure out how to make it myself.

This is what happened yesterday.

So today I tried to make this salad.

Not bad for the first try and I saved myself $14.00.

1/2 large diced onion

2 tablespoons butter or oil

3/4 cup dry quinoa

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups roasted seasoned butternut squash

3 ounces dried cranberries

4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

3 cups baby arugulla

One cup walnuts

Heat the butter and add the onions.

Cook till the onions are soft.

Add the chicken broth and salt.

Bring to a boil

Add the quinoa, stir and cover the pot

Simmer until the quinoa is cooked and all the broth is absorbed.

This only takes about ten minutes

Add the cranberries.

Keep the cover on and take off the heat to cool

The quinoa has to be cool or the goat cheese will melt and the arugula will wilt.

Add the goat cheese, arugula, roasted butternut squash and walnuts.

Gently toss together

Add more walnuts on top.

The resteraunt dressed this with a maple syrup dressing.

2 ounces canola oil

2 ounces apple cider vinegar

2 ounces maple syrup

Mix everything together and shake well

Only put a couple of teaspoons on your portion because the salad can stand by itself.

Serve with sliced apples , grapes, orange slices or whatever fruit you like.

I had this for supper last night and loved it all over again.

 

 

 

Winter Warm Chopped Salad

17 Jan

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I’m trying. I’m really trying BUT in the winter I need comfort food.

So I took my summer salad and changed it to be a winter meal.

Two containers of grape tomatoes

One sliced onion

One chopped red pepper

4 cloves of chopped garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

8  tablespoons oil

12 big fresh basil leaves

One seeded jalopeno pepper (optional)

1 Kaiser roll cut into cubes

One cubed roasted garlic french stick

10 slices lean dime size cut ham

10 slices  dime size cut Genoa salami

1/3 pound dime size cut mozzarella cheese

6 slices  muenster cheese

6 slices provolone cheese

8 slices  American cheese

Sliced banana peppers  and olives for garnish

Two handfuls of greens

I liked arugula and spinach with diced red onion

Mix the tomatoes, onion, garlic , garlic powder, oil, red pepper, salt, oregano, cubed bread and optional jalopeno together

Bake in a 425 degree oven till the tomatoes have blistered about 15 minutes. Stir once to mix everything.

Add ham and salami for another ten minutes

Let cool for five minutes then add the cheeses and fresh basil

Put all your greens plus the red onion in a dish and top with a balsamic dressing lightly.

Spoon three or four heaping spoonfuls of warm salad on the greens.

Garnish with the banana peppers and olives.

Try very hard not to eat all of it.

This is also great leftover as a special treat for lunch.

**Cook tips

The bread absorbs the tomato juice and oil when it is cooked so make sure you stir the cooked tomatoes before you put it on the greens. This toasted bread is so delicious.

 

Brussels Sprouts in Bacon

27 Dec

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This is a great appetizer, snack or vegetable side dish.

All you need is a ton of washed  Brussel sprouts and sliced bacon.

Take the bottom stem off the sprout

Slice a pound of bacon into three  sections

Wrap the bacon around the sprouts and place seam side down in a drip pan.

Bake at 375 degrees till the bacon is crisp,

Drain on a paper towel

I serve these all by themselves but  a beau monde or ranch dip would be good.

I ate a tray of 16 which is the equivalent to 4 slices of bacon.

It was a great lunch and no carbs.

 

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