Easy Summer Sides

I'm apparently so obsessed with taking pictures of my sweet baby boy that my iPhone is totally maxed out on storage, so no photos of these--you'll just have to use your imagination!  Both of these are super easy, healthy, fresh and light, which makes them perfect summer side dishes.

Cannellini Bean Salad

1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 zucchini, sliced
10-15 basil leaves, chiffonade
1/4 cup Parmesan
Lemon zest
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss all ingredients together.  Serve.

Inspired by a recipe on theglitterguide.com

Pita Bread Salad

2 pitas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 heart of Romaine, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
Mint, chopped (my grocery store was all out of mint, so I skipped it, which was fine but I think it would be tasty and will use some next time)
6 oz. crumbled feta
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Toss pita pieces with a little bit of olive oil, then put in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Toast in the oven for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway, until crispy and browned.  Meanwhile, put lettuce, cucumber, celery, mint and feta in a large bowl.  Pour vinegar into a small bowl, then slowly stream in olive oil while whisking to mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Top salad with warm pita, add dressing, toss and serve.

Inspired by a recipe on thewiegands.com

Roasted Two Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Today was pretty much a big pile of suck. So sucky in fact, that the only reason I didn't bail on cooking dinner altogether was because I had already hard boiled the eggs. I didn't want to waste my efforts on the eggs, so I went ahead and started roasting the potatoes. Once I got to the "chop the hard boiled eggs" step (original recipe found here), I realized that these lovely eggs were most certainly not hard boiled--who knew it was even possible to screw up hard boiling eggs??! Par for the course on this particular day, apparently. I checked the fridge for anything else I could add to jazz up this salad and came upon some feta. The feta actually worked out perfectly and I'll probably skip the eggs next time I make this anyway--finally a success today!

1 lb. red potatoes
1 large sweet potato
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup feta
Salad greens (I used spinach)

Preheat oven to 450. Chop red potatoes into bite sized pieces. Peel sweet potato and then chop into bite sized pieces. Put all potatoes onto rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice the red onion, then make the dressing. Put spinach, onion and feta in a large bowl. Top with warm potatoes and dressing, then toss and serve.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine honey, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Stream in olive oil while whisking to combine. Taste and adjust as necessary.

Source: acouplecooks.com

All American Meal--Buffalo Style

I'm not the world's biggest meat eater, but every once in a while I have a serious craving for a hamburger. I decided that I would go with a classic American meal--hamburgers, french fries and coleslaw. I don't typically like coleslaw, but I've learned over time that just about anything is better when it's homemade, so I decided I would try a coleslaw recipe myself and it was actually really good! The burger and fries both have a "Buffalo" twist (shout out to the Malchoffs!) for an extra kick and everything turned out really yummy. Craving satisfied!

Buffalo Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey
Blue cheese crumbles (I don't love blue cheese, so I subbed in a slice of provolone instead)
Frank's Hot Sauce
Breadcrumbs
Cayenne
Hamburger buns

Mix first 5 ingredients to taste (I like a lot of Buffalo sauce flavor, so I put in a ton of Frank's!) in a medium size bowl. Form mixture into 4 burgers. Put on the grill and leave until cooked through. Assemble burgers and top with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo Fries

2-3 medium potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1/8 cup butter
1/8 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for dipping

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange potato wedges on sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, until tender. Remove pan from oven. Combine hot sauce and butter in a bowl and microwave until melted. Stir to combine. Drizzle mixture over fries and return to oven for additional 15 minutes. Serve with dressing for dipping.

Classic Coleslaw

2 1/2 lbs. green cabbage, shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

Toss all veggies in a large bowl with salt and pepper. Whisk together mayo, vinegar and sugar. Toss with veggies. Chill, covered, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour.

Source: bigcitycooking.blogspot.com

Homemade Ranch Dressing

I have a love affair with Ranch dressing, just as any true Texan does. It is a tasty salad dressing and yes, I even love to dip both french fries and pizza crusts in Ranch. I'm also a girl who loves "homemade" anything more than the store bought version, so I was pretty sure that I would love this homemade Ranch recipe. Indeed I did and this will definitely be making regular appearances on my salads!

3/4 cup mayo (I used light)
3/4 cup sour cream (again, I used light)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup buttermilk
1 small bunch chives
small handful parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, starting with 1/4 cup buttermilk and blend for 10 seconds. Check the consistency and taste and blend in additional buttermilk as desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Source: annies-eats.com
FYI, I served this Ranch over the salad that Annie described on her blog: Romaine, tomatoes, red onion, homemade croutons and grilled chicken. Delicious!

Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

This was definitely good, but honestly, I think it would have been pretty much just as good with un-roasted strawberries and un-baked goat cheese--and it would have taken about half the time! I love this combination of ingredients and think in the future, I'll probably just stick with the simple route.

4 oz. goat cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 cups strawberries, stemmed and halved
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 handfuls Romaine, chopped
1 green onion, sliced
1 handful pecans, toasted and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Freeze goat cheese for about 20 minutes. Slice the goat cheese into discs. Dredge each slice in the bread crumbs and place on a baking sheet. Bake the goat cheese slices for about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, toss strawberries in honey and balsamic vinegar to coat. Place stawberries in a baking dish in a single layer. Roast strawberries at 425 degrees until slightly carmelized, about 10-12 minutes. Pour the juices from the pan into a bowl and mix with the olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper. Divide romaine onto plates and top with goat cheese, strawberries, green onions, pecans and dressing. Toss to coat and serve.

Source: closetcooking.blogspot.com

Caprese Salad Bites

I LOVE caprese salad! There's just something about the combination that is so delicious and I'm always a fan of fresh mozzarella. These are so easy and the perfect little bite-sized version of a caprese salad.

Grape tomatoes, halved
Basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Toothpicks

Put a tomato half on a toothpick, followed by a piece of basil and piece of mozzarella. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Arrange on a serving dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste.

Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad

We didn't take a major vacation this summer because we were planning on starting our kitchen renovations (updates to come soon!) in August, so we were in major saving money mode. We wanted to get away for at least a few days though, so we rented a cute little house near Lake Travis in Austin. In another cost-saving measure, we decided to take advantage of our house's kitchen and make most of our meals ourselves instead of going out to restaurants. Since this was our vacation, I wanted to keep it simple, but yummy, and this definitely fit the bill. The only problem is it makes enough to feed an army, and we ended up with more leftovers than we could eat! Here's the full recipe, but unless you're planning on feeding a crowd, I would cut this way down.

1 pound wagon wheel pasta (I'm sure other kinds of pasta would work just fine, but the recipe called for this and it's such a cute shape!)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 10 oz. package frozen corn (I used canned)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 oz. shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon cumin
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Cook pasta to al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa and cheese. Add pasta and mix well. In another bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over pasta salad, add cilantro and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving stir in diced avocados.

Source: carascravings.blogspot.com

Chicken Ceasar Salad

Sometimes it seems like the simplest meals are the best ones. I had been craving a chicken Ceasar salad for some random reason, so I decide to make an easy version of one for dinner. I used the recipe for

my salad with romaine ribbons, then added bite-sized pieces of chicken that I had just cooked with olive oil, salt and pepper. I made some croutons by tearing bread into small pieces, drizzling with olive oil, sprinkling with pepper and garlic salt and then broiling until they were browned and crispy. I added the warm croutons, tossed everything together, poured a glass of wine and had a delicious Ceasar salad that totally satisfied my craving!

Simple Salad with Sunny Vinaigrette

This is the perfect light, delicious summery salad.

For Salad:
6 cups Spring Mix salad greens
1/2 cup slice cucumber
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
2 small carrots, sliced
3 pink radishes, sliced

For dressing:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place salad greens in a large bowl, top with other veggies. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, salt and pepper, oregano and garlic. Whisking constantly, slowly add olive oil in a thin stream. Add more lemon juice, salt or pepper as necessary to adjust flavor to your liking. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.

Source: goodthingscatered.blogspot.com

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This is one of those perfect easy, light and summery foods that I love to make when it's literally 105 degrees outside. Yum!

1 cucumber, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces (I halved cherry tomatoes)
1/4 to 1/2 small red onion, cut into 1 inch strips
2 tablespoons crumbled feta

Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over chopped veggies and feta, refrigerate for several hours for the flavors to blend.

Greek Salad

I LOVE Greek salad and this is a really good, easy version of it.

Serves 8

6 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed (Colin requested fewer chickpeas next time I make this)
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup pitted kalamata olives (I omitted these)
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts only
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
6 oz. feta, crumbled

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, scallions and dill, then toss. Top with feta.

Source: Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Spinach and Apple Salad with Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

I wanted something besides a basic salad to go with our brunch and this was perfect.

2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 apples, cored and chopped or sliced lengthwise
8 cups torn fresh spinach
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Optional: walnuts, pecans, almonds, feta, bleu cheese (I added walnuts)

In a small bowl, whisk together water, vinegar, olive oil, honey, mustard and pepper. In a large bowl, add the apples and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add remaining dressing, spinach and onion and toss to coat.

Source: Sparkpeople.com

Grilled Romaine

This was a yummy and more exciting alternative to the usual salad. Colin wanted to break out the grill for the spring, so he fixed some delicious salmon and grilled corn on the cob and this was the perfect accompaniment.

1 Romaine heart (1 heart=2 servings)

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

Ground pepper
Grated Parmesan

Red wine vinegar

Cut each heart in half lengthwise so that the root keeps each piece together. Lightly brush the cut side with olive oil. Season with pepper, place the cheese in a shallow pan large enough to lay the romaine in. Press the cheese firmly on the cut side until it adheres. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat. Place the romaine in the pan and cook until the cheese turns golden, 1-2 minutes. Place the romaine, cheese side up, onto plates and sprinkle with the vinegar. Serve immediately.

Source: Alton Brown

Autumn Apple Salad

This would be the perfect chicken salad recipe with some chicken added, but it was really good without it too!

3-4 apples, cut into small cubes

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

Chopped walnut pieces

Mayonnaise

Chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss.

Source: Parade Magazine

Greek Spiced Baked Shrimp with Greek Orzo Salad

Greek Spiced Baked Shrimp
Source: Gourmet Magazine (suggested by Graham)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice and chopped
Pinch of sugar
1 1/4 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 lb. feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped dill

Preheat oven to 375 with rack in the middle. Cook onion and garlic in oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4 quart heavy saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spices and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes with juice and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then stir into tomato sauce. Transfer to a 2 quart shallow baking dish and top with feta. Bake until just cooked through, 18-20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill.

This was so good! It was super flavorful and I will definitely be making it again.

Greek Orzo Salad

Salad
8 oz. orzo
4 cups baby spinach, chopped
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved (I skipped these since I'm not a huge olive fan)
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
4 oz. feta

Dressing
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup olive oil

Cook orzo until tender, 8-10 minutes. Chill 20 minutes. Add remaining salad ingredients to chilled orzo. In a separate container, mix together dressing. Pour dressing over salad and let chill for 30 minutes.

Warm Cous Cous Salad

For some reason that I don't understand, Colin absolutely hates cous cous, so I figured the perfect time to make it was while he's still in Chicago. This was really good and very fall-ish. I'll definitely make this again (although I might have to wait until the next time Colin is out of town)!

1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 cup instant cous cous

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 green onions, chopped (I didn't have these, but it was just fine without them)

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh mint (I also didn't have mint)

In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the chicken broth and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in the cous cous and return to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork to separate the grains. Add the carrots, green onions, dried cranberries and raisins (I also added a few almonds just because I thought they would add a little pizzazz, and I was right!). In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir into the cous cous mixture. Sprinkle with mint and serve warm.

Shrimp Arrabiata with Romaine Salad

From Cooking Light

6 oz. linguine (I used whole wheat penne because that's what I had on hand)
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. large shrimp peeled and deveined (I used frozen because I'm scared of that whole "peeled and deveined" process!)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta, drain and keep warm. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt, add shrimp to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done (skipped this since I was using pre-cooked shrimp). Transfer shrimp to a bowl. Heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in pan. Add onion, garlic, basil and crushed red pepper to pan; saute 1 minute. Add tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, or just until sauce begins to thicken. Return shrimp to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Add parsley to the pan, stirring well to combine. Serve over pasta.

The sauce was really good and I wouldn't have minded it being a little bit spicier. Served this with a simple salad for an overall pretty healthy meal.

From thenest.com

Romaine Ribbons with Parmesan-Lemon Dressing

Serves 5-6

For the dressing:
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2-3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
1 head Romaine lettuce, coarse leaves removed, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

To make the dressing: In a food processor (my mini one is perfect for this job!), combine all ingredients and process until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for 1 hour to blend the flavors.
To make the Romaine ribbons: Stack 6-8 leaves at a time and cut widthwise into ribbons 1/2 inch wide. Place ribbons in a large salad bowl, drizzle with the dressing and toss well. Garnish with Parmesan and serve immediately.

This salad is one of my favorites and I make it often. It's tasty and it may not seem like much, but the Romaine ribbons somehow make it feel more "special".