melanie makes

greek pasta salad.

i love making a large bowl of pasta salad and then eating it for several days.  it makes a great meatless meal and the two year old thinks its the greatest thing ever as more often than not it contains all of her favorites - noodles, tomatoes and cheese.  i don't make greek items very often as my husband turns his nose up to feta cheese but this was a perfect dish to make while he was out of town last week.

GREEK PASTA SALAD

• 1 box penne pasta, approximately 1 pound
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

cook pasta according to package directions and drain.  in large bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, onions and olives. 

in small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, basil and garlic.  season with salt and pepper.  pour dressing over salad.

cover and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.  top with cheese before serving.

adapted from greek pasta salad on bhg.com.  loved the saltiness of the olives paired with the lemon in the dressing.  i actually ate a bowl of this for lunch on the afternoon i was preparing it for that night's dinner.  the two year old thought this was great as well and enjoyed her first experience of feta cheese.  she did however not touch her cucumbers.  haven't figured out that aversion yet.  will definitely be making this for the two of us again.

orzo salad with black beans, mushrooms and corn.

for those "must have meat at every meal" types - aka my husband - this is such a filling dish.  in fact, i ate it yesterday for both lunch and dinner and hardly snacked at all through the day.  and then there's the avocado.  oh how i adore avocado.  is this the time when i should be honest and say that at times i like to dice an entire avocado on top?  no?  well, then pretend i just didn't admit that.

ORZO SALAD WITH BLACK BEANS MUSHROOMS AND CORN

• 1 cup orzo
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
• 1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1.25 cups frozen corn
• 1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lime
• 2 avocados

prepare orzo following directions on package. put in large bowl.

in large skillet, heat olive oil. over medium-high.  cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 minutes. add to bowl.  add green onions, corn and black beans to bowl.  juice lime into bowl.  stir to combine.  season with salt and pepper.

halve, pit, peel and dice avocado.

serve salad in bowls topped with avocado.

adapted from the july/august 2010 issue of everyday food.  the original recipe called for israeli couscous but with a 2 year old eating this dinner, the orzo works a bit better for us at this point.  the orzo is messy enough!  the great thing about this salad is that it can be served both hot or cold and that it can be made in advance.  i had time during lunch to put this together and then it sat in the fridge until dinner time.  i actually like to put my salad in a bowl and warm it in the microwave for about 30 seconds before topping with avocado and enjoying.  the 2 year old prefers it cold.

spiced polenta steak fries.

1 tube polenta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika

cut polenta in half widthwise; cut each portion in half lengthwise.  cut each section into eight strips.  arrange strips in a single layer on baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.

combine oil and seasonings; drizzle over polenta strips.  bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes on each size or until golden brown.

not quite as crispy as traditional fries, but a nice stand-in for those of us, a.k.a. me, who are trying to eat a little better.  andy had no problem eating the majority of the pan, so if there are four or so of you, you might try doubling this one.

cool cucumber salad.

whisk together 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in medium bowl.  add 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil; 2 seeded, peeled and sliced cucumbers; 1/2-1 pint grape tomatoes and 3 chopped green onions.  toss to combine.

SO good!  a bit of summer in the midst of winter.  this would be an even better dish when you can get all of the needed veggies at the farmer's market.  between the two of us, we finished the entire salad.  great when served with kung pao chicken, a great contrast between the coolness of the salad and the spicy chicken.

sweet corn souffle with bacon.

3 cups fresh corn kernels, divided
2 bacon slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup white cornmeal
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 large egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup fresh cilantro

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

place 1 cup corn in blender or food processor and process until pureed.  set aside.

cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp.  remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan.  crumble bacon; set aside.  increase heat to medium-high.  add remaining 2 cups corn, onion, celery, bell pepper and jalapeno to drippings in pan; saute 7 minutes.  combine cornmeal and flour; sprinkle over vegetables.  cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.  stir in pureed corn, broth, milk, salt and black pepper; bring to a boil.  reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until very thick, stirring frequently.  spoon into a large bowl; cool 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

place cream of tartar and egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy.  gradually add sugar, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.  gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into corn mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture into corn mixture, crumbled bacon and cilantro.  spoon mixture into an 11x7 baking dish coated with baking spray. 

place in 400 degree oven; immediately reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.  bake 35 minutes or until puffy and set.  serve immediately.

thanksgiving in review : day 4.  a dish made especially for my sister and her love for all things corn.  a more in-depth dish, but equally tasty results.  a bit spicy, but a nice non-traditional side dish.  would also be good with tacos or other mexican goodness.

brussels sprouts with bacon and apple.

3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
4 pints brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 apple, cored and cut into 1/4" slices, each slice halved crosswise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

preheat oven to 425 degrees.  arrange bacon in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.  bake until browned, about 10 minutes.  add brussels sprouts in a single layer; sprinkle with salt and pepper.   roast until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.

remove from oven and toss in apple.  return to oven; roast until brussels sprouts are browned and tender and apple has softened, 10 to 15 minutes.

toss vegetables with vinegar and serve immediately.

thanksgiving review : day 3.  a surprise hit, especially with my mom.  we both were nibbling away on this one before it was even served.  take a chance, even if you don't think you'll like it.  an added bonus is that it's good for you!

cornbread and sausage stuffing.

1 pound pork sausage
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 pounds prepared cornbread, about 12 cups
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 to 2 cups chicken broth

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  in large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, stirring often until browned and cooked through.  with a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.

to pan, add onion, celery and 1/4 cup water.  reduce heat to medium; cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.  season generously with salt and pepper.  add to sausage.

add cornbread, sage and eggs to sausage and vegetables.  bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan; pour broth over stuffing and toss gently, cornbread will bread down into smaller pieces.  spoon stuffing into baking pan, stuffing should reach the top.  bake, covered, for 30 minutes; then uncover and bake until browned on top, 15-30 minutes.

thanksgiving in review : day 1.  scrumptious!  although i couldn't get my sister to tell me it was better than stovetop, i could've eaten way more than i did of this traditional side dish.  savory goodness, i tell you.  and almost as easy as stovetop as well, but i got all of the credit.  add this one to your must make list for the winter holiday season.

cherry tomato salad.

in a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper until combined and thickened.  add 2 pints halved cherry or grape tomatoes, 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion and 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley; toss to combine all ingredients.

recipe adapted from everyday food.  fresh from the farmer's market - full of everything summer has to offer.  totally easy, totally scrumptious.

potato salad with sour cream and scallions.

2 pounds white new potatoes, quartered and cut into 3/4" chunks
coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

in a large pot, cover potatoes with salted water.  bring to a boil; reduce heat.  simmer until potatoes are tender when piereced with the tip of a paring knife, 12 to 15 minutes.  drain well.

meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sour cream and mayonnaise; add warm potatoes and gently fold to combine.  season with salt and pepper.  cover; refridgerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

to serve, season salad again with salt and pepper, if needed; fold in scallions.  garnish with bacon and more scallions if desired.

recipe adapted from everyday food.  super simple and to the point.  the scallions give it more bite and with the addition of bacon, everyone was happy.

carrot-cucumber gazpacho.

2 large [about 1 lb.] tomatoes, quartered and seeded
1.5 cups carrot juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped chives
1 medium cucumber, seeded and coarsely chopped
1.5 cups fresh corn kernels [3 ears]
1/4 of a jicama, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup arugula, shredded
1 tablespoon horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large radishes, quartered

in a blender container combine tomatoes, carrot juice and chives.  cover and blend or process until smooth.  transfer mixture to a large bowl.  stir in cucumber, corn, jicama, arugula, horseradish and salt.  cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours before serving.

ladle soup into bowls or glasses.  top with radishes and a squeeze of lime if desired.

recipe adapted from good housekeeping.  summer in a soup!  the best of all things fresh and from the farmers market with a bit of a kick.  great as a main dish or as a simple side.  looking for jicama?  look in the vegetable aisle near the squash and pototoes.