Chicken and Zucchini Salad

I have decided that zucchini is quite delicious raw. I don't know why I never realized this before, but having so much zucchini to use has really made me appreciate the many ways it can be delicious.

This salad was something I threw together quickly on a weekday afternoon for lunch before we went for our daily swimming adventure. My son thought that the zucchini was cucumbers and when he tasted them, he didn't revolt! I guess that they passed for cucumbers even though he knew they weren't. The raw factor added that crunch that he was looking for.

We all really liked this one. I was surprised by how much we liked it. I loved the freshness the little bits of fresh mint added and the pecans were a fun little crunchy item as well.

Here is the recipe for Chicken and Zucchini Salad
* I used less oil than the recipe called for
* I used a spinach & arugula mix for the greens
* I used less pecans than called for

Shaved Summer Squash Salad with Crisp Pancetta

I've got summer squash (otherwise known as yellow squash and/or crookneck squash) and zucchini coming out of my ears! Last week alone we picked over 20 zucchini/summer squash from our plants. It's really fun to go out in the morning and see how many there are waiting to be picked and once in awhile to find one that somehow stayed out of sight until it was huge!

Anyway, the whole point is, I have a ton of these green and yellow guys and have been trying lots of different recipes to use them.

This has got to be one of the most delicious ways that I have had summer squash. This salad takes moments to fix and it is amazingly amazing. It is so simple, yet so good.
The summer squash and zucchini are shaved with a vegetable peeler into thin strips and combined with a simple dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, fresh mint, salt and pepper.
Add a little pancetta- which I used because I like it better than prosciutto, and top it with some feta. Delish and ready in minutes, without slaving away in the kitchen on a hot summer day.
Perfection!!


Here is the recipe for Shaved Summer Squash Salad with Prosciutto Crisps
* I used cubed pancetta instead of prosciutto
* I used feta cheese

Mint Brownie Ice Cream Pizza Pie

This is the last thing I baked before my brother left. It's a crazy concoction that we decided to call Mint Brownie Ice Cream Pizza Pie.

I'm not sure how this idea came about but my kids started talking about Ice Cream Pizza and I wanted to make the idea come to life. When thinking about it in my mind I decided that brownies would be the "crust", ice cream would be the "sauce", whipped cream and Peppermint Patties would be the "toppings" and sprinkles would be the "cheese". This was a thick pizza.

First, I made a batch of Thin Mint Brownies, but with Grasshopper Cookies instead of Thin Mints, in a 9-inch springform pan.
Then, I mixed chopped Cool Mint Oreos into some vanilla ice cream that we had in the freezer. I prefer lots of mix-ins when it comes to ice cream, so this ice cream was loaded.

I let the brownies cool and then I spread the ice cream mixture on top of the brownies and put the whole thing back in the freezer so the ice cream could firm up. This was not a good idea.

When I was ready to serve a piece of this pizza thing and top it with the whipped cream and sprinkles, cutting through it was an absolute joke. The brownie was rock hard.
So, I did what any person might do to save the dessert and scrapped off the ice cream layer from the brownie base. I put the ice cream back in the freezer and let the brownie thaw for a little while.
When the brownie was unfrozen and cut-able, I cut wedges of it and topped them with ice cream by spoon.
Then I piped the whipped cream on top of the ice cream, sprinkled sprinkles and put a Peppermint Patty on top.

Here is a diagram.
This dessert was quite decadent. It was a complete hit with my brother, my husband and my son. One of my daughters just ate the ice cream, whipped cream and sprinkles/candy. I thought the brownie was a little too much with all the other elements. I would've been just as happy with just the ice cream and a Peppermint Patty, but it was fun to create and certain members of our family ate more than one piece (I don't know how they managed it, because this was one heck of a sugar overload). Thank goodness we had a healthy dinner (just the vinaigrette over lots of mixed salad greens) before trying this dessert.

There isn't really a recipe for the entire thing, just a method to the madness. If nothing else, at least it will be a fun experiment!


Here is the recipe for the Thin Mint Brownies via the Food Librarian
* I used Grasshopper Cookies
* I baked my brownies in a 9-inch springform pan

I mixed 1/2 pkg of chopped Cool Mint Oreos into some Vanilla Ice Cream and returned it to the freezer until needed

I topped it all off with sweetened whipped cream- a tsp of vanilla extract and a few Tablespoons of powdered sugar- to taste- beat into heavy cream until stiff peaks form

Sprinkles and York Peppermint Patties were the final topping

Vietnamese Salad

The other night when I made this delicious Vietnamese Soup, I decided that I wanted to make it a soup and salad night. I googled vietnamese salad and chose from the different links that came up. I have never looked at Goop before, but this salad sounded perfect because it included lots of the same flavors as the soup.

I had purchased a bunch of baby bok choy at the farmers market the weekend before I made this salad. The combination of the bok choy and napa cabbage made for a really great texture in this salad.
The flavors were unbelieveably delicious. So tasty. My whole family loved this salad.

Vietnamese Salad from Goop

This healthy, quick salad has great crunch and lots of refreshing flavors. It’s wonderful on its own and also takes well to simply prepared proteins; grilled fish, shrimp, chicken or tofu are great.

SERVES: 4
TIME: 15 minutes

• 4 large bok choy leaves, rough bottoms discarded, stems cut into ¼" bias and leaves shredded (I just sliced these very thinly)
  
• 4 big leaves Napa cabbage, shredded (I just sliced these very thinly)
  
• 1 bunch watercress (discard thick stems), roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• the leaves from about 8 stems each basil, mint, cilantro, roughly chopped
• ½ small cucumber, thinly sliced on the bias
• 1 red Thai chili (or more…or less), thinly sliced (I used less - omitting it from the kids)
  
• ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Vietnamese Dressing (see recipe below)
• grilled fish, shrimp, tuna, chicken, or tofu for serving (optional)

Toss the bok choy, cabbage, watercress, carrot, herbs, cucumber, chili and ¼ cup of the peanuts together with enough dressing to coat. Serve sprinkled with the remaining peanuts and whatever protein you like.

Vietnamese Dressing

A perfect balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet, this dressing is like a flavor knockout—also a great dip for summer rolls.

SERVES: about 4
TIME: 5 minutes

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sesame oil (I used plain sesame oil)
  
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar (I used honey)
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion or shallot

Mix everything together.

Mint Limeade

I planted some mint in a pot outside my front door a couple of months ago and it is trying to take over the front steps!

This was one of the recipes that I wanted to try from a recent issue of The Food Network Magazine and since I had all that mint, I decided it would be a good way to some of it up.
We had this for our Father's Day dinner and it was pretty good.

The limes that I purchased for this weren't very juicy, so I had to really work to get enough lime juice. It was really strange, how hard the limes were. I thought I had seen a tip from somewhere about warming the limes in the microwave and rolling them on the counter to get more juice out of them. That technique did work, but it made for a very hot, lime-y mess.

The flavors in this were pretty strong, so we added lots of ice.
It's nice to have a cold, flavorful drink every once in awhile and this was definitely flavorful.


Recipe for Mint Limeade

Watermelon-Cucumber Salad

Watermelon. There is nothing better.
I love it so much. It might be a big part of the reason that summer is my favorite season.

I discovered a yellow watermelon and decided to try it in this salad, along with a red one.

I found the recipe in The Food Network Magazine and thought it would be a beautiful + delicious side dish to round out our Father's Day feast.

I really like the ingredients in this salad. Watermelon, cucumber, cashews, feta, lemon juice, mint. They all come together and make a very tasty combination. The sweetness of the watermelon is balanced by the crunch and salty flavors that the other ingredients add.

Other family members weren't so sure about this salad. Some people in my family are a little bit fussy about mixing certain foods, but everyone gave it a try and it was victorious in a couple of mouths.

I was fine with it not being the most popular dish of the day because that just meant that I got to enjoy the leftovers a different day.

Recipe for Watermelon-Cucumber Salad
* I reduced the amount of red onion
* I reduced the amount of olive oil to 1 Tbls
* I used feta cheese instead of goat cheese

Recipes from Gale Gand's Brunch

Have you seen this book, Brunch by Gale Gand? Well, it is a really good one, full of delicious pictures and great recipes.

It has been sitting on my book shelf for quite a while and I decided it was time to give some of the recipes a try.

The other day we had Backwards Day at our house. We ate brownies for breakfast, read our bedtime story after that, went to the library in our pajamas, etc. and we finished off the day by eating brunch instead of dinner.
I chose 4 recipes from this book for our menu- Pineapple-Blueberry Smoothie, Roasted Pears & Rhubarb w/ orange, Bacon Waffles, and a variation of the cover recipe- Egg Cups.
I don't like cooking with bacon and usually don't, but my kids love it when they get the chance to have some and I figured this was a fun way to use it.
We spent the afternoon swimming, so when I started making all these recipes, everyone was starving. I was almost out of eggs, so I used egg substitute in the waffles. (not by choice, I couldn't run to the store at that point)
The batter was light and airy, which made delicious waffles.

The smoothie was one of the best I have ever had. I don't know if it was simply because we had been out in the hot sun for hours and I was overly thirsty or just the wonderful combination (I am leaning towards this explanation) but it was great. The frozen pineapple and mint just added a delicious zing to the smoothie. My girls always like having their smoothies in "fancy" cups.

The egg cups were delicious. I didn't really use her recipe, but it was the same idea. I added some spinach to get some sort of vegetable in there.

The roasted fruit was really good. I liked the rhubarb part better because the sweet roasting liquid really went well with the tartness of it. The pears were a little too sweet. I would reduce the sugar in that one next time. The roasted fruit would be a great topping for vanilla ice cream or filling for a crumble/cobbler.

Overall, this was a really fun brunch, even if it was for dinner and we loved it.

Bacon Waffles (* I used 1/2 cup egg white substitute and low fat buttermilk)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup whole milk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
maple syrup, for serving

Heat a waffle iron.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour and next 3 ingredients.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and next 3 ingredients.
Stir crumbled bacon into the wet ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients all at once, just until combined.
Don't overmix- it should be lumpy.
Make waffles according to manufacturer's directions; serve with maple syrup.


Egg Cups
I kinda did my own thing here.
I combined 3 eggs, 4 egg whites and 1/3 -1/2 cup skim milk in a bowl, then seasoned it with salt and pepper.
I sprayed a jumbo muffin tin with cooking spray and press a ham slice in each of the muffin cups.
I steamed some spinach and placed that at the bottom of the ham cup.
I poured the egg mixture into the ham cups and then added cubes of mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes to the egg mixture.
I baked them at 375 degrees F, until the egg was completely cooked, about 17-20 minutes.

Pineapple-Blueberry Smoothie * I used Apple Passion-Mango juice concentrate and Stonyfield Blueberry Low-fat Yogurt
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 fresh mint leaves

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Roasted Pears & Rhubarb with Orange (I halved this recipe)
4 medium pears, ripe but firm
4 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and washed
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbls honey
2 Tbls red wine ( I used cranberry juice)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split open
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Quarter and core the pears (do not peel them). Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces.
In a large bowl, combine orange juice and remaining 6 ingredients. Add the pears and rhubarb, and toss to coat.
Pour into a casserole or gratin dish and bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

For St. Patrick's Day this year we had our usual green food, but I also wanted to try something that was naturally green. I had a ton of mint leaves and found this recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, which looked absolutely delicious and sounded fabulous.

I made the custard and when I reached for my ice cream maker, I realized I had forgotten to freeze the canister. I could have just put it in the freezer right then and let the custard hang out in the fridge for a day, but we had to eat the green ice cream that night!! That's when these instructions came to the rescue. This ice cream is proof that this method works- You can make creamy ice cream without an ice cream maker.

The mint flavor in this ice cream was better than any other mint flavored ice cream I have had. It was completely different from store bought mint chocolate chip, but tasted so real. My kids LOVED it. Hubs wasn't a fan, but the rest of us didn't care! More for us.
If you are familiar with fresh mint and like the flavor, I highly recommend this ice cream. Plus, it has a beautiful light green color that comes completely from the leaves themselves.
The flavor was so clean and refreshing. This ice cream was a winner for us in every way.

* I used semi-sweet chocolate in my ice cream

Recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

How to make Ice Cream without an ice cream maker

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh.
I don't remember the first time I tried it, but it was love at first bite.
It combines some of my favorite things- tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and lemon juice- to make a very light and refreshing salad.

I found this particular recipe in a cookbook I have on my shelf, The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook: Eating Well for Better Health.
This cookbook is full of beautiful pictures and healthy dishes.
Some of the recipes can also be found online at MayoClinic.com

This particular recipe has more "vegetables than grain" and it is suggested you serve it on lettuce leaves or in a pita.
I think it is great on its own.
I made this as a side dish to take to a family dinner and lots of people tried it for the first time and loved it.

This can be made ahead and it really didn't take me very much time to throw it together.
The bulgur has to soak for about 15 minutes, but during that time you can chop the herbs, vegetables and get everything else together.
I was secretly hoping that there would be lots of leftovers, but everyone enjoyed it so much, that I only had a little bit left to have for lunch later that week.

I will definitely be making this version of Tabbouleh again. It was perfect.

* you can find bulgur at health food stores in the bulk section, or you can buy a box of Tabbouleh and save the seasoning pack for something else, just using the bulgur.

Recipe for Tabbouleh from the Mayo Clinic

Mint-filled Brownie Cupcakes

Okay, we have almost made it to the end of the 7-treat baking day treats. Just one more after today.
I chose these Mint-filled Brownie cupcakes because I needed to make something chocolately, they are super easy-you mix them in one pan, and once again, the single servings were already in the recipe.
These are a basic brownie batter with a York Peppermint Patty in the middle.
The recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. Which I can honestly say I have gotten great use out of so far.
You can find this recipe all over the web, just by typing in Mint-filled Brownie Cupcakes and I have linked to one of those posts if you want the recipe and for some reason do not have this cookbook yet (It is a good one!)

Martha says to melt the chocolate and butter together over a pot of simmering water, but I didn't do that. When I was young, we always made brownies in a pot on the stovetop. Yes, the pot was right on the heat. It worked every time. I figured it would work this time and it did. I saved an extra dish from having to be washed.
Go ahead and do it her way if you want, but just know that it works the other way too.

Make sure you completely cover the peppermint patty with batter, so it won't leak through.
I doubled this recipe and my kids actually had to taste test these. They were a hit.

I was thinking they might be good with other kinds of candy in the middle too, but didn't have time to experiment.


Recipe for Mint-filled Brownie Cupcakes

One Year Ago- Caramel Peanut-topped Brownie Cake

Brownies with Mint Buttercream and Chocolate Glaze

We made it to Georgia! We arrived here on Thursday night after driving through 10 states. It took us about 4 days all together. We stopped at the Grand Canyon and a few other places along our way and it actually was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. The kids really didn't seem to mind the fact that they were in the car for days on end. We unloaded our stuff yesterday morning and today we are off to find a house. Wish us luck! Thanks everyone for continuing to check out my blog. I haven't had a chance to really read the comments or visit any other blogs, but hopefully soon I will be able to do that. Now on to the goodies.
I always seem to be making baked goods and giving them away. That was the case with these brownies. Desserts were needed at some sort of function and I volunteered to make a couple of items.
I made these a couple of months ago, in March.
I had leftover mint buttercream from these cupcakes, and found this recipe that would use up the frosting.
Everybody likes the combination of chocolate and mint, right?
From what I heard, these brownies were very popular and I had a couple of people who called me for the recipe.
That is all I can really think to say. If you like brownies, try these and let me know what you think.

Rosie's Award Winning Brownies from Rosie's All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

8 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tbls all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan with baking cooking spray.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water. Cool the mixture for 5 minutes.

3. Place the sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl and pour in the chocolate mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix until blended, about 25 seconds. Scrape the bowl with a rubber scraper.

4. Add the vanilla. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time, blending after each addition until the yolk is broken and dispersed, about 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl after the last egg and blend until velvety, about 15 more seconds.

5. Add the flour on low speed and mix for 20 seconds; finish the mixing by hand, being certain to mix in any flour at the bottom of the bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup nuts, if using.

6. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

7. Bake the brownies on the center oven rack until a thin crust forms on top and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb, about 35 minutes.

8. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a rack to cool for 1 hour before cutting the brownies.

Mint Buttercream
1 cup confectioners sugar

4 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tsp peppermint extract

Chocolate Glaze

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1. To prepare the buttercream, using an electric mixer on high speed, cream the sugar, butter and extract together until fluffy, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

2. Spread the buttercream evenly over the cooled brownies and freeze for 1 hour.

3. After an hour, melt the chocolate for the glaze in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water. Remove the pan from the water, and stir the syrup into the melted chocolate.

4. Allow the glaze to cool to the point where it no longer hot but still loose and spreadable. Using a frosting spatula, spread the glaze over the buttercream. Immediately place the pan in the refrigerator and allow the chocolate to harden for about 30 minutes

5. Cut the brownies with a thin, sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and dried before each cut.

Up Next- Citrus Poppyseed Cake

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice-Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Dipping Sauce and Steel-Cut Oats with Pomegranate Molasses + Almonds

It is kind of embarrassing to admit this, but I actually tore this recipe out of a magazine about 4 years ago. I made it last week. I just kept coming back to it and finally rolled these little guys up. Glad I did, too.
I have used rice paper sheets before-in these Spring Rolls and these Rolls. So, I already had those in the pantry. Everything else was ready to go.
This dipping sauce was divine. The best I have tasted. It is almost identical to the sauce they use at my favorite Thai restaurant, except this one uses chunky peanut butter. We used the leftover dipping sauce as a salad dressing the next day. It worked wonderfully. I loved these spring rolls. I shared some with a neighbor the next day and she loved them too. It doesn't get better then veggies and peanut sauce. They would have been great with some chicken or shrimp rolled up alongside the veggies.

I also saw a great way to serve steel-cut oats in Super Natural Cooking. The author of that cookbook said that drizzling pomegranate molasses on top of the oatmeal and sprinkling it with walnuts was one of her fave breakfasts. So I got out my molasse and drizzled away. It melted deliciously on top and I threw on some sliced almonds just cuz that is what I had in the pantry. Yum.

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice-Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Sauce
Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbls each freshly squeezed lime juice and fish sauce
1 tsp each red curry paste, sugar, and grated fresh gingerroot
1 Tbls minced fresh cilantro
Garden Rolls:
6 rice-paper sheets
2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
2 large carrots, peeled and julenned (I used matchstick carrots)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1/2 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, julienned
3 scallions, julienned
1/4 cup whole basil leaves
1/4 cup each whole fresh cilantro and mint leaves

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine first eight ingredients and cook, stirring, until well blended. Stir in minced cilantro, remove from heat, and set aside.
Fill a wide, flat bowl with warm water and soak one sheet of rice paper for 30 seconds, until pliable. Remove paper, blot it on a clean towel, and lay flat.
Lay 1/3 cup lettuce in the middle; top with one-sixth of the remaining ingredients. Fold front third over the mound and pull filling toward you a bit to compact into a tight roll. Roll over once, then fold the sides over the middle and continue rolling away from you until secure. Place seam down on a paper plate lined with waxed paper, sprayed with cooking spray.
Repeat with remaining rolls. Slice in roll in half on the bias and serve with peanut sauce.

Up Next- CEiMB- Garden Risotto

Craving Ellie- Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Rub and Herbed Lentils with Spinach and Tomatoes, plus Barefoot Bloggers- Chinese Chicken Salad

Today's Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe, Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Rub, was chosen by Lobster and Fishsticks. The recipe that you can print from the Food Network showed the salmon served over Herbed Lentils with Spinach and Tomatoes, also by Ellie. The combination looked so delicious, that I decided to make the lentil dish alongside the salmon.
My kids absolutely love fish. I wasn't sure if this rub was going to be a little too spicy for them since it had 1 whole Tbls of chili powder. I decided to broil 2 extra salmon fillets and leave them unseasoned, just in case. Good thing I did. They all tried it with the rub and wanted to eat the plain fillets. Except my 2- year old. She ate more salmon than anyone else at the table.
Overall, everyone really liked the salmon, especially paired with the lentils. I thought the rub was a little on the sweet side. Just a bit too sweet for me. No one else seemed to mind. To see what the other Ellies' thought, check out the Craving Ellie blogroll!


This weeks Barefoot Bloggers recipe, Chinese Chicken Salad, was chosen by McKenzie, over at Kenzie's Kitchen. It was very yummy.
Shredded chicken, blanched asparagus, and red pepper strips with a peanut dressing. Very spring-y.
I changed the dressing just a little bit. I don't use vegetable oil and I usually cut back the oil in dressing recipes, so I used canola and cut it by half. I also reduced the salt and peanut butter based on things that other Barefoot Bloggers had mentioned who made it ahead of time.
I also didn't toss the chicken and veggies with the dressing. I let everyone dress their own salad. I like less dressing than more and can't stand it when salads have more sauce than salad.
For the kids, I put a little bit of the dressing in a small bowl by their asparagus, bell peppers, and chicken, and let them dip away. It was a silverware-less night for the kiddos.
This was a really tasty salad. To see what the other Barefoot Bloggers thought, check out the Barefoot Blogroll!

Salmon with Sweet & Spicy Rub 2007 Ellie Krieger
Serves: 6 servings, serving size: 1 salmon fillet
Ingredients
Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin and any pin bones removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Coat your grill or a grill pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat. While the grill is heating, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Brush each salmon fillet with 1/2 teaspoon of the oil, then rub each fillet with about 1/2 tablespoon of the spice mixture.
Grill the salmon, flesh side down, until charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook another 5 to 6 minutes for medium doneness. For well done fish, cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a platter and serve immediately.

Herbed Lentils with Spinach and Tomatoes 2007 Ellie Krieger

Serves: 4 servings, serving size 3/4 cup
Ingredients
1 cup French lentils
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons diced shallots
3 cups baby spinach leaves (about 3 ounces)
1 cup halved grape tomatoes (about 1/2 pint)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the lentils in a pot with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still retain their shape. Drain any excess water from the lentils and set them aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until they are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lentils, basil, parsley, and mint to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper and serve.

Chinese Chicken Salad 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties! Serves: 12 servings
Ingredients
4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
For the dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/4 cup canola oil)
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil (I used 1 Tbls)
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used 3 Tbls)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.
Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces.

Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Up Next- 2 more Rice Puddings!