Chickpea Salad

This has become pretty much my favorite thing ever this summer. I love making it at the beginning of the week and having it to snack on when I get hungry. The chickpeas provide plenty of protein and the olives and feta give it a delicious saltiness.

This salad is really easy to make with whatever you have on hand. I had sun-dried tomatoes that I needed to use up but I think it would also be great with slow roasted cherry tomatoes. Some toasted pine nuts would also make a great addition.

Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas (about 15 oz), rinsed and drained
• 1 can of artichokes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup of kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup of feta (I used reduced fat), diced
• 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbls basil, chopped
• 1 - 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbls red wine vinegar
• 1 tbls lemon juice, optional (just add a little vinegar if you don't have lemon)
  
• Salt & Pepper to taste
  

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir together. Add salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate and serve cold or at room temperature.
   

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

This summer, in an effort to eat healthier I've gotten in the habit of making side salads like this to have around the house. I'll make way more than I need, serve some of it as a side dish for dinner, then put the leftovers in the fridge. Salads like this are great cold and I love having them around any time I want something to munch on between meals. It's a lot easier to avoid junk food when you open the fridge and have a healthy, colorful, ready made snack staring you in the face.

(All the grilled veggies, chopped up and ready to get mixed into the couscous)

One great thing about this recipe is that it made me realize that I actually like peppers! I always thought I didn't care for peppers, but it turns out I just don't like green peppers or raw peppers. Marinated and grilled red/orange/yellow peppers are a completely different story! As a matter of fact, a lot of the peppers went straight from the grill to my mouth!

This is a Bobby Flay recipe that I found on FoodNetwork.com. It has great reviews all around and is incredibly adaptable. It's a perfect summer recipe with all those veggies, and it would make a great veggie drawer clean out recipe if you have vegetables that you need to use up before they go bad. I ended up changing it up quite a bit. Here are my notes on the recipe:

1. I ended up using almost the same amount of veggies as the original recipe, but much less couscous. The recipe calls for 1 pound of couscous and I ended up using about 6.3 oz because that was the only package of israeli couscous I could find. I think it works great better with a higher veggie to grain ratio. The directions for cooking the couscous in the recipe were pretty vague, so just use as much couscous as you want, just follow the directions on the package.
2. Instead of using water to cook the couscous, use vegetable stock or chicken broth to give it more flavor. I needed about 2 cups of liquid so I used 1 can of chicken broth and a little bit of water to get to 2 cups.
   
3. I added feta cheese because... well... feta makes everything feta.
4. The original recipe calls for asparagus which I'm not really a fan of so I left it out and added an extra pepper instead.
5. And finally, I'm a complete idiot and somehow managed to forget to add the fresh herbs to the couscous. It's suppose to have basil and parsley in it, which I'm sure would have made the salad even better, but it was still great without it.
   

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables
Recipe: Adapted from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 green zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 1 yellow zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 12 cherry tomatoes
  
• 1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 orange bell pepper, quartered and seeded
  
• 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, chopped
  
• 2 tbls basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into thin strips)
• 2 tbls cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package Israeli couscous, prepared according to package directions (See Recipe Notes above)
• Chicken broth or vegetable stock
  

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 the marinade over the vegetables and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
   
2. Preheat the grill. Remove the vegetables from the marinade and grill the vegetables until just cooked through.
3. Cut the zucchini and peppers into 1/2-inch pieces, cut the tomatoes in half. Set aside.
   
4. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the couscous and toast until lightly golden brown. Cover the couscous with the hot stock/hot water and bring to a boil, cook until al dente and drain well. Place in a large serving bowl, add the grilled vegetables, feta, and herbs and toss with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature

Tomato, Corn, Avocado Salsa

I'll pretty much eat anything if it has tomato and avocado in it. Now that it's summer and tomatoes are flavorful, plentiful, and cheap I find myself making salsas all the time. This is one of my favorite because it screams summer!
'
So what do I do with this salsa? Pretty much everything. I've thrown it on top of grilled mahi mahi. I've served it as an appetizer with some blue corn tortilla chips. Last night I served it with black bean quesadillas. And more often than not, I just eat it with a spoon.

The recipe is more of a guideline than a recipe. Feel free to add more jalepeno and onion if you want more heat. My only note: Don't be shy with the salt. All of the ingredients really need it to help their flavor come through.


Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Recipe
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of diced tomato (I used about 4 roma tomatoes)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 cup of corn (canned, fresh, or frozen)
• 1/4 of a small red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 of a jalepeno, seeded and diced
  
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbls chopped cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Grilled Corn Salad

The other day I went to the store and fresh corn was on sale. It was 10 ears of corn for $2! Clearly, I had to buy some corn. I had no idea what I was going to make with it, but I knew I'd figure something out. And I did. And it was so good, I went back to the store 2 days later so buy even more corn and make the same dish again. Yes, you read that right. I might this corn twice in 2 days!

The recipe is pretty simple, but requires a little time and labor. This was my first experience grilling corn, so I read a lot of different methods before beginning. It seems like the preferred method is to keep the husks on, remove the silks, soak in water for about 30 minutes, then grill for about 20 minutes. That's exactly what I did and they came out so good!

I took bits and pieces from different corn recipes I saw and ended up with this. Some recipes call for mayo, sour cream, or creme fresh to be mixed in with the corn but I wanted the freshness of the corn to stand out so I just used a tiny bit of butter. The recipe calls for cotija cheese and I definitely encourage you to seek it out instead of replacing it because it really takes the corn to a whole new level!

Grilled Corn Salad with Cotija Cheese
Ingredients

• 8 - 10 ears of corn, silks removed, husks on (soaked in water for 30 min)
• 1/2 tbls butter
• Juice of 1 lime
  
• 1 tbls chopped, fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp ancho chili pepper (I'm a wimp with spice, add more if you want)

Directions:

1. After soaking the corn, grill on medium high for about 20 minutes.
2. When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the husks and cut the corn off the cob.
3. Saute in a pan over medium high heat with the butter, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, chili powder, and chili pepper.
4. Add the cotija cheese just before you are ready to serve.
   

Roasted Red Pepper White Bean Dip

I'm back! Sorry for the huge gap between posts. Two weeks ago I went on vacation to Las Vegas and since I practically ate my way through the city I decided to take the next week off from baking.

Last week we had a few people over for a poker game during the week, so I wanted something that I could make that was easy and healthy. I didn't have high hopes for this because, to be honest, I don't really like red peppers (or green, or yellow, or orange for that matter). But I had a jar of roasted red peppers in my pantry that was begging to be used so I through this together. Wow! It was actually really good. It was such a crowd pleaser. Everyone kept going back for more.

This is ridiculously easy to put together. You pretty much just open up a few cans and pop everything in the food processor with some lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, and olive oil. Seriously, it doesn't get any easier. Not to mention, it's such a pretty color!

Recipe: Adapted from Closet Cooking Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small jar of roasted red pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add everything to the food processor and puree until smooth. Add more olive oil (or water) to thin to desired consistency.
   

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with a Honey Lime Dip

I absolutely love sweet potato fries. If I'm at a restaurant and they're on a menu, chances are that I'm ordering them. I even manage to convince myself that they're "healthier" since you know, they're sweet potatoes not evil white potatoes. Never mind the fact that they are fried and oily.

With these fries I don't have to convince myself that they're healthier because they are. No frying here! These "fries" are baked in oven. They came out a lot better and crispier than I had expected. The real trick to these is to make sure that they're all cut the same size so they cook evenly. I like my fries a little on the skinnier side so I cut mine pretty small. You definitely don't want them big like steak fries otherwise they'll never crisp up the way you want. Also, make sure that you have a really good knife to work with because cutting through raw potatoes can be a tough job. These fries are worth it though!

The dipping sauce is completely optional because the fries are great without it, but we all know that having something to dip your food into makes it more fun (and tasty)!

Recipe: Baked Sweet Potato Fries with a Honey Lime Dip
From: Our Best Bites
Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1/2 t coriander
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1 t parsley
• fresh ground paper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray.
2. Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. About 1/4" (maybe a tad bigger). Check out this site for a picture guide on cutting the fries.
3. Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands to make sure they are evenly coated.
4. Add all the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.
5. Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. No opening the oven door! Not even for a quick peak!
   
6. After 15 minutes, take them out and flip them. Be careful as they may be a little soggy at this point.
   
7. Continue to cook for another 15 - 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and serve immediately.
   

Recipe: Honey Lime Dipping Sauce
Adapted From: Our Best Bites
Ingredients:

• 6 oz container non-fat greek yogurt, plain
• 1 T mayo (reduced fat is fine)
• 1/2 T honey
  
• Juice from half a lime (or more to taste)
• 1/4 t cumin
• 1/8 t oregano
• 1 t parsley
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 3/4 t salt

Directions:

1. Mix honey, yogurt, mayo, and lime together until combined.
2. Add in spices and herbs.
   

Japanese Cucumber Salad

There was this pan-Asian restaurant where I went to college that always served a side of cucumber salad with whatever meal you ordered. It was simple and it was perfect. Vinegary, slightly sweet, and slightly spicy. I've tried numerous times to recreate the recipe and while I've gotten close a few times, I always knew I just missing the mark. That is, until now!

I tried this recipe last night and it was exactly what I was looking for, nothing more and nothing less. This is really easy to throw together and can be made ahead. It's a very light and refreshing salad that is a great side to any Asian influenced meal. I served it alongside a honey-ginger grilled chicken breast and brown rice.

Recipe: Japanese Cucumber Salad (Adapted from: For the Love of Cooking( Ingredients:

• 1 english (hothouse) cucumber, peeled
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Peel the cucumber then cut in half lengthwise. Take a small spoon and scoop out all the seeds from the cucumber. Cut into bite size pieces and place in a colander, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Drain 1 hour. Place on several layers of paper towels. Let stand for 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Rinse and pat dry.
2. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to 1/3 cut (about 10 minutes). Remove vinegar reduction from heat; cool. Combine cucumbers and vinegar deduction in a medium bowl; toss well. Enjoy.

Coleslaw

Let me start by saying that I don't particularly like coleslaw (and on that note I don't like macaroni salad, potato salad, or egg salad). I basically don't like mushy things that are held together with copious amounts mayonnaise. This coleslaw is different though. It has a much lighter, fresher taste. It has the perfectly balance of sweet and tart.

I first stumbled across this recipe when I was having a bbq last summer and needed a quick side dish that I could make ahead. I wasn't even expecting to like the coleslaw, much less be making it again and again. But I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it. It was nothing like the mushy, slimy stuff I had come to expect when hearing the word "coleslaw". I made it again last week for the super bowl to accompany some sliders I made. So, if you're a coleslaw hater, give this is a try. You may be surprised at how much you like it!

Recipe: Adapted from AllRecipes.com
Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package coleslaw mix *(See notes)
  
• 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• 1/4 cup white sugar *(See notes)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• A sprinkling of poppy seeds (optional)
  

Directions

1. Combine the coleslaw and onion in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar and lemon juice; mix until smooth. Pour mixture over the coleslaw and onion; stir well and chill for 1 hour.

Notes:
1. All I found was a 14 oz package of coleslaw mix. So I still made all of the liquid, I just didn't pour it all over the coleslaw. I'd suggest pouring about 2/3 of it, mixing it, and then going from there. You can always add more.
2. The original recipe called for 1/3 cup of sugar. Some of the reviews stated it was a tad too sweet so I cut it back a little. I think it could be cut back even more if you like a more tart coleslaw.

Mango Jicama Slaw

As Summer is nearing its end I'm trying to eat as many summery foods as I can. I'm looking forward to cooking with all the Fall flavors that I love (apples, pumpkins, butternut squash, ginger), but I am not looking forward to the cold weather the comes along with it.

When I was at the store the other day I have no idea why but I decided that I wanted to buy a jicama. The result is this delicious, fresh salad. It's really easy to throw together; it just involves a little chopping.

We ate this along side chicken tacos and it was a perfect compliment. When you're buying the mango make sure you buy one that isn't too ripe otherwise it'll be slipping all over the place when you try to slice it.

Recipe
Ingredients:

• 1 jicama, sliced
• 1 mango, sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Half a jalepeno pepper (seeds removed), finely diced
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Just combine all the ingredients and you're good to go!

Black Bean & Corn Salad

I first made this about 1.5 years ago when we were having a "no carb BBQ" a couple months before our wedding and I needed some healthier side dishes. Since then, literally every time we have friends over and I'm trying to decide what to make Ross always says, "Why don't you make the black bean and corn salad?" I don't know whether to be insulted or glad that his favorite thing ever comes from dumping a few canned ingredients and some spices in a bowl.

It's pretty much just black and beans and corn. It gets a little zing from a balsamic vinegar sauce that it marinades in, as well as some chili powder, cumin, and cilantro. It's really good as is but if you want to add a little more I'm thinking diced red pepper, avocado, or even tomato. A splash of lime probably wouldn't hurt either.


Recipe
Black Bean & Corn Salad (From AllRecipes.com)
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8.75 ounce) can sweet corn, drained

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together black beans and corn. Toss with vinegar and oil dressing, and garnish with cilantro. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.