Antipasto Pasta Salad

A delicious pasta, meat and cheese combination with a homemade dressing. It serves a crowd and is great for a picnic.

1/4 pound Genoa salami, chopped
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped
1/2 pound Asiago cheese, diced
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and cool under cold water.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.

Spinach And Strawberry Salad

 

 This delicious salad will satisfy your vegetable AND fruit cravings!

2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

 

Vegetable Enchiladas

 

They pack almost all your daily vitamin C.

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 12 corn tortillas (6 inches each)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 cup roasted or thawed frozen corn
• 1 cup roasted red peppers
• 1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cooked shortgrain brown rice
• 1 can (8 ounces) enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded lowfat pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 6 sprigs fresh cilantro

 Heat oven to 300°F. In a bowl, toss potatoes in 1 tablespoons oil; spread on a baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are soft and browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Wrap tortillas in foil; bake 10 minutes. In a large pan over medium heat, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil. Add onion, chili powder, chipotle and cumin; cook until onion is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add corn, peppers and black beans; cook 5 minutes. Set aside half of corn mixture. Add potatoes, rice and enchilada sauce to pan; cook 6 minutes. Place 6 tortillas on a baking sheet. Spread potato mixture and 1/2 cup cheese evenly among tortillas. Top with remaining 6 tortillas, remaining 1/2 cup cheese and reserved corn mixture; bake 7 minutes. Divide avocado, scallion and cilantro among enchiladas.

Spring Pizzas

This recipe is different and light. Perfect name for it because it reminds you of spring. Very tasty. This is definitely one of my favorites!

 

1 pound pizza dough
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
6 ounces ramps or scallions, trimmed
Kosher salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Coarse sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Divide the dough into 4 pieces on a floured surface. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Stretch the dough into four 6-inch rounds; place on the baking sheet and bake until golden, about 12 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Toss the ramps or scallions with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with kosher salt. Saute until just wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into pieces.

Mix the ricotta, lemon zest, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and some sea salt and pepper in a bowl. Brush the crusts with olive oil (this will protect them from getting soggy), then spread with the ricotta mixture and season with sea salt. Top with the ramps or scallions. Return to the oven until warmed through, about 2 minutes.

Top the pizzas with basil, parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

30-Minute Parmesan Chicken

 

This is a favorite in my house. We make it all the time.

 

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Summer Spicy Shrimp Salad in Tortilla Cups

 This recipe is great in tortilla bowls or as a dip with toasted baquette pieces. It can be prepared in larger tortilla bowls or smaller ones that you can make in a muffin pan for hor douevres.

1 lb cooked shrimp, chilled and coarsely chopped

1/2 c mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 c minced red onion

1/4 c minced celery

1/2 c real bacon bits (4-5 slices chopped)

1/4 c fresh parsley chopped

Mix all salad ingredients together. Chill for at least 1/2 hour. Fill Tortilla cups or bowls or use as dip with toasted baquette slices.