Spinach (Swiss Chard), Pasta, and Pea Soup

Besides eggplant, I've still got swiss chard growing in my garden out back. It just keeps growing back and I am happy about that. I love being able to go out and cut my swiss chard when I need some for a recipe.

I found this soup in a recent issue of Cooking Light and since it was a "superfast" meal, I knew it would be perfect to make on a night when my son has Cub Scouts. I added some green pepper (also from the garden) and used swiss chard instead of spinach. Quick and Easy!


Here is the recipe for Spinach, Pasta, and Pea Soup

Mini Key Lime Pies and a Great Summer Lunch Menu

A couple of months ago I was asked to cater a luncheon for the Department Head of one of the schools at UGA. When I started planning my menu, I decided what dessert I wanted to make first and then planned the rest of the menu around that. I saw these adorable Mini Key Lime Pies and I knew they would be the perfect summer treat and a great way to end any summer lunch.
The main dish was this delicious salad which I have made many times before and since this event. It is one of the best tasting salads and I love the cute presentation of each individual serving in mason jars.


I can't ever go wrong with the simple roasted shrimp that my family loves, so I added that to the menu as well.
The last thing I made was this wonderful Red Lentil dip that is served with pita chips. I remember when I first made it a couple years ago and it is seriously one of the best dips ever invented.
The luncheon was an overwhelming success and I got wonderful, positive feedback. It was so much fun to organize, put together and present this meal. I love making delicious food and sharing it with other people.

Here is the recipe for Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-eyed Peas from epicurious (I made it exactly as the recipes states this time) and here is my adaptation when I made it last time

Here is the basic recipe for the Roasted Shrimp, this time I added a little Greek Seasoning to the shrimp and roasted them at 450 degrees for 7 minutes

Here is the recipe for Garlicky Red Lentil Dal with my changes, originally from Cooking Light

Here is the recipe for Mini Key Lime Pies as seen on Plum Pie
* I doubled the recipe for the crust and made 8 mini pies
*I made a sweetened whipped cream topping, but not with rum- just vanilla and powdered sugar

Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas

So many things are going on in life right now. We have had a 24 hour stomach bug that is making it's way through our family. The third child had it this morning and had to be checked out of school. Fun times all around! Cross your fingers that it skips over the parents!

Anyway, I wanted to share this salad really quickly. This was something that I saw on epicurious and I thought it was so cute because they served it in little mason jars.
Greek salad is a serious favorite around here and I loved this take with black-eyed peas. I made a couple of changes to the recipe which are noted below.

This salad turned out really great. The first night I served it on top of romaine. There were enough leftovers that a few nights later I mixed in a can of tuna and a little more lemon juice and we were able to eat it again. Very good. I have to say that the peperoncini really made this delicious. They are definitely becoming a favorite of mine.

Recipe for Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas
* I reduced the amount of feta cheese
* I used black olives instead of kalamata
*I omitted the red onion
*I didn't mix the tomatoes into the salad because some people don't care for them. I placed them on top for those of us who do like them

Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

This was a dinner that I saw on myrecipes a couple of weeks ago and when I saw the source, Cooking Light- Fresh Food Fast, I realized it was a cookbook that I had on the shelf.
I don't remember this recipe sticking out to me when I was flipping through the book, but that day when I saw the recipe on the computer screen, it looked really good.

My family loves asparagus and salmon and my husband also recently confessed that he really likes orzo, so I knew this was going to be a successful dinner experience for all of us.

Everyone loved it, especially my husband- he asked for seconds and even had the leftovers in his lunch, so it will be put on the "make again" list.

I left out the red onion, since I don't love raw red onion in these types of dishes and added a 6 oz bag of baby spinach that I wilted.

This was exactly what the cookbook claimed- fresh and fast, not to mention very delicious.

Recipe for Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
* I added 6 oz of wilted baby spinach

Recipe for Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

Weekly Lunchbox- Chunky Chicken Salad Sdwh, Sliced Veggies w/Dip, Pesto Pasta, Chocolate Sdwh Cookies- and Spicy Bulgur Salad w/ Nectarines

Some people couldn't decide between peanut butter frosting and marshmallow so they took both.

This week's lunchbox takes most of it's recipes from Todd English. There was an article on Parents.com that featured this Chunky Chicken Salad- which got a double thumbs up from my son, Pesto Pasta Salad, Veggies and Frenchy Dip, and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. I made them throughout the week and since there was a cookie recipe, I decided to compare a recent Chocolate Sandwich Cookie from Cooking Light. I didn't make either of the frostings that went with the cookies because I had just enough leftover marshmallow frosting from Cupcake Hero and some Peanut Butter Frosting from some cupcakes a week ago. The Cooking Light Cookies were like giant cake cookies that went great with the marshmallow frosting and Todd English's cookies were very chocolately and dark, like a brownie, but they were impossible to roll out I ended up rolling them into balls and smooshing them down a little. The last salad was very delicious and used our last nectarine from the backyard. (The pic is awful because I forgot to take a pic until there was no natural light, sorry!)


Todd English Sandwich Cookies above, Cooking Light Cookies below

Chunky Chicken Salad Sandwich From Todd English, on Parents.com
6 oz. leftover skinless chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, cut into small chunks
1/4 cucumber, diced
2 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
4 slices whole wheat bread
2 tsp. soft butter (optional)

Step 1: In a bowl, mix all ingredients except bread and butter. Toast bread or, to grill, spread one side of each slice with butter. Spoon half the chicken salad onto a slice of toast or bread, butter side down. Top with another piece of toast or bread, butter side up. Repeat. If grilling, place in a skillet on low heat for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Cut in half.

Sliced Veggies and Frenchy Ketchup Dip from Todd English, Parents.com
For kids over age 4, pack raw veggies with 1/4 cup of this delicious dip. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup light mayonnaise. Stir in 2 Tbs. diced pickles.

Pesto Pasta Salad from Todd English taken from Parents.com
1 lb. orzo pasta
2 cups basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove
5 pitted black olives
2 large, ripe tomatoes, diced

Step 1: Cook orzo according to the package directions. Drain and place in a bowl with very cold water and a few drops of olive oil so it cools fast. Drain again.
Step 2: In a food processor, pulse basil, cheese, remaining oil, garlic, and olives until mixed.
Step 3: In a large bowl, stir together pasta, basil mixture, and tomatoes.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies from Todd English, taken from Parents.com
Makes: 20 cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup plus 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. water
Instructions:
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and mix together. Gradually mix in cocoa powder and flour. Stir in water.
Step 2: Form dough into a flattened disk; chill for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat oven to 325?F. Carefully place dough on parchment paper; roll out to approximately 1/4" thick. Cut into circles using a 1 1/4" round cookie cutter. Place on cookie sheets. Bake about 5 to 8 minutes, until the cookies are firm at the edges and no longer doughy in the middle. Cool completely. Spread cream cheese frosting (see recipe below) on the cookie bottoms; assemble to form a sandwich cookie.

Cream Cheese Frosting
In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup low-fat cream cheese, 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and 6 Tbs. softened butter. Mix well.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Marshmallow Cream Filling from Cooking Light

Cookies:

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup fat-free buttermilk

Cooking spray

Filling:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)

3/4 cup cold water, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To prepare cookies, combine 1 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and eggs; beat until combined. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until set. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
4. To prepare filling, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a large bowl; set aside. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, syrup, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 244°. Remove from heat. Gradually pour hot sugar syrup into softened gelatin mixture, beating with a mixer at low speed, then at high speed until thick (about 6 minutes), scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat until well blended.
5. Quickly spread about 2 tablespoons filling over bottom side of 1 cookie; top with another cookie. Repeat procedure with remaining filling and cookies.

Spicy Bulgur Salad with Nectarines from the Top 100 Recipes for a healthy Lunchbox by Nicola Graimes

1/2 cup bulgur wheat

scant 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 Tbls olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 ripe nectarine, halved, pitted and sliced

3 Tbls pinenuts, toasted

2 Tbls chopped cilantro

pepper

1. Put the bulgur in a saucepan with the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the stock is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let hte pan stand 5 minutes with the lid on.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the garlic for 1 minute, then add the spices and cook another

minute. Remove from the heat, add the bulgur, and stir to coat it in the spices. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

3. Stir in the nectarine, pine nuts, and cilantro. Season with pepper.

Can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Disappearing Zucchini Orzo

I finished a great book last weekend- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, check out the website HERE I had been wanting to read it for awhile, but somehow forgot about it until recently. The book is basically a journal of how the author and her family lived for one entire year on food that they either produced themselves or were able to get locally (within a 70 mile radius). They only ate foods that were ripe and in season and also provided great recipes. It is very inspiring to see how a family was able to do this by working hard and really being educated about where there food was produced and what went into it. I highly recommend this book and any of the recipes. This was one they came up with to use all the zucchini they had in the summer. It is light and filling at the same time, and so tasty. Thanks to Sarah, she posted about this book a few weeks ago and reminded me how much I wanted to read it.
Disappearing Zucchini Orzo
3/4 pd orzo pasta
Bring 6 cups chicken stock to a boil and add pasta. Cook 8 to 12 minutes.
1 chopped onion, garlic to taste
3 large zucchini
olive oil for saute
Use a cheese grater to shred zucchini, saute briefly with onion and garlic, until lightly golden.
thyme
oregano
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or any hard yellow cheese
Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove mixture from heat.
Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste, serve cool or at room temperature.

Orzo, Corn, and Roasted Bell Pepper Salad

Wanted to try a new side for our 4th of July celebration. This was yummy and light.

Orzo, Corn, and Roasted Bell Pepper Salad from Cooking Light

2 red bell peppers

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

3 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, divided

3 ears shucked corn

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Cooking spray

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 jalapeño pepper, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat broiler.
Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop.
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in a large bowl; drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Cool slightly.
Place corn and red onion on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Cut kernels from ears of corn; chop red onion. Add bell pepper, corn, red onion, 2 tablespoons oil, green onions, and remaining ingredients to orzo. Toss gently to combine.