Pasta Salad

Fresh veggies and perfectly cooked pasta tossed together with Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese. It's one of my favorite summer salads!

I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday weekend! My husband has been back to work for about 3 weeks now (he's a school teacher), so it was nice to have a few days off with him.

Now that Labor Day is gone, summer is officially winding down. This recipe is a summer barbeque favorite of mine. I use a variety of summer vegetables: grape tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, and carrots. Chop them into bite size pieces, toss with cooked rotini and the Italian dressing of your choice. Delicious and simple!

All of the vegetables need to be washed and dried well before assembling the salad. When chopping up the vegetables, leave pieces that are all similar in size as shown below.

Grape tomatoes: slice lengthwise in half, Cucumber: Halfway peeled, sliced and then cut into fourths, Red Onion: Diced, Carrots: Peeled and diced, Bell Pepper: Diced

While prepping the vegetables, boil the pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook the pasta! I can't emphasize the importance of this. Nothing ruins a good pasta dish like mushy, overcooked pasta. I always go by the "al dente" directions on the box, sometimes even a minute less. You want your pasta to have a little resistance when you bite into it. Once you toss warm pasta with sauce or dressing, it absorbs the liquid and softens the pasta a little more. When in doubt, under cook it just a tad.

Once everything is prepped and the pasta is done, toss the veggies, pasta, and dressing in a large mixing bowl. I start by adding about 1/4 of the bottle of dressing (sounds like a lot, but this is a big salad). The pasta will absorb the dressing as it chills, so adjust as needed. Chill the salad for at least two hours before serving. Once it is chilled, give the pasta a quick stir (dressing tends to fall to the bottom) adjust dressing as needed and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I think I ended up using about 1/3 of the bottle of dressing. Of course, a homemade Italian dressing will work just as well. Use whatever you like.

Serve this pasta salad with your favorite barbeque or summer foods. But watch out, it's easy to fill up on this salad! I could make a complete meal out of it.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1-12 ounce package of rotini, cooked according to package directions (I prefer the pasta al dente)
• 1 small package of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cucumber, halfway peeled, sliced and then cut into fourths
• 1/2-3/4 red onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• Italian dressing of your choice (I prefer a robust Italian dressing)
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

1. Boil pasta according to box directions, leaving al dente or slightly firm. Drain pasta well.

2. While pasta is cooking, wash and prep your vegetables. Allow vegetables to drain well, or dry with paper towels. Chop vegetables so that they are all similar in size.

3. Toss pasta, vegetables, and Italian dressing together.  I start with 1/4 of the bottle of dressing and adjust as needed. Refrigerate for at least two hours or until well chilled. Stir and taste before serving. Adjust dressing if needed. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Fried Okra

Fresh okra, tossed with a simple breading and fried until golden brown. This comfort food favorite is a cinch to make and very economical! 

Last week was insanely muggy around here. I had planned to barbecue early last week, but it was just too hot to mess with it. As we got near the weekend, the weather started to cool down, so my husband and I decided to barbeque one evening and experiment with a new recipe. While the meat was on the grill, I fried up a quick batch of okra.

Speaking of weather...it's supposed to be really nice this week. We opened our windows last night and it felt like a cool, fall morning when I got up this morning.

Okay, back to the okra...

Frying okra is pretty simple, but there are a few tricks to get it right. I use half flour, half cornmeal in my breading--I feel it adheres better than straight cornmeal. I always season the breading instead of seasoning afterwards. All it needs is a little salt, pepper and paprika. The Paprika is totally optional, it won't make or break the dish if you don't have it.  Paprika gives food a great color and adds just a hint of smoky flavor that I think goes well with the fried food.

I rarely fry food since it tends to be messy and a bit dangerous (oil pops...and sometimes pops at you and burns). When I do fry, I prefer to shallow fry. For this recipe, I only use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Since I cut the okra into pretty small pieces, very little oil is needed.

To Prepare the okra: soak in buttermilk and coat in breading mixture, then allow to sit for 3-5 minutes while the oil heats up. Once you have breaded your okra (or anything you are frying for that matter) it is best to shake off the excess and then spread on a pan and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes (or while your oil heats up). This allows the the milk and breading to gel together and stay on while frying. If you throw the okra immediately into the hot oil, much of the breading will come off and settle in the bottom of the pan (making a mess and burning). I have made that mistake several times when I was in a hurry and didn't want to wait. You will get a better product in the end if you let it sit those extra five minutes.

While the okra is sitting, pour canola oil (or oil of choice) into a frying pan. Just enough so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until oil starts to "shimmer." I like to test to the oil with one piece of okra. If the oil starts to sizzle once the okra hits, it is ready. Spoon the okra into the pan and spread out evenly (you may have to fry okra in 2-3 batches).  Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden and turn. Fry on the other side an additional 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying!

Frying tips: always stand away when frying and monitor the heat of your oil, it needs to hot enough to "sizzle" and brown the okra, but if it stops popping, turn the heat down. I have an electric stove top and I find that it is hard to control the heat levels when frying. It usually takes a moment for the cook top to cool down to the correct temperature. I typically start heating the oil up on medium-high, but turn down to medium once it's reached temperature. Every stove top is different, you kind of have to play around to figure out the perfect settings.

 

Fried Okra

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound okra, cut into small pieces--about 2 cups chopped
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)
• Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Directions

1. Wash okra thoroughly; pat dry with paper towels. Slice okra into 1/2 pieces. Transfer okra to a small mixing bowl. Pour buttermilk over okra and stir until coated. Allow okra to soak in the buttermilk while you prepare the breading.

2. In a shallow dish (I like to use a pie plate), mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and paprika until blended. Drain okra and toss with breading mixture. Use a slotted spoon to transfer okra to a cookie sheet, shaking off any excess breading. Spread okra out onto cookie sheet and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.

3. In a deep frying pan, pour oil until it barely covers the bottom. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. Once the oil start to shimmer, add the okra to frying pan. Fry okra in batches to ensure even cooking. Fry 3-5 minutes and turn okra over using spoon or a spatula. Fry an additional 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer okra to a plate lined with paper towels. Allow okra to drain and cool before eating, about 5 minutes.

Yields: 3-4 servings

Slow-Roasted Cauliflower

Slow-roasted cauliflower pairs as a quick, healthy side dish that's tasty and easy to prepare!

Cauliflower can be a boring vegetable for me. In the past, the only two ways I ate cauliflower was from a veggie tray, raw, with ranch dressing or steamed with butter. The veggie can be bland and needs as much help as possible to be flavorful. I recently discovered a recipe for cauliflower sauce that is absolutely delicious. It made me look a cauliflower in a whole new way.

One day, I was watching "The Chew" and Chef Michael Symon was making roasted cauliflower steaks. It sounded like it would be a winner and I decided to give it a try. I followed the same techniques as Chef Symon. I cut mine into florets instead of 1/2-inch slices but you can do either that you prefer. In a medium bowl, toss cauliflower with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to coat as desired) and a little salt and pepper. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a broiler safe skillet. Once the oil has begun to shimmer, arrange cauliflower in skillet and saute for one minute or until cauliflower begins to caramelize.

See all that beautiful color?

Delicious and full of flavor!

Pop under the broiler for 4-5 minutes until cauliflower is tender and lightly browned. Let cool slightly and toss with freshly, chopped parsley.

It's the perfect, quick side dish!

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

• 1 head of Cauliflower
• 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, if desired

Directions

1.  Arrange oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat broiler.

2. Heat a little olive oil in a 12-inch skillet*over medium heat. Wash cauliflower and trim away the green leaves and core. Cut cauliflower into florets. In a medium bowl, toss florets with olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Arrange cauliflower in preheat skillet saute for one minute or until cauliflower begins to caramelize. Do not stir.

4. Place under broiler for 4-5 minutes or until cauliflower is browned on top. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley.

*Make sure your skillet is broiler safe. If it is not, remove cauliflower after sauteing and place in a broiler safe dish before transferring to broiler.

Adapted from Michael Symon

Ranch Dip

We had a family get-to-together over the weekend. Our town has a huge fall festival and my husbands family always has a big family reunion. One of my contributions was a veggie tray and dip. I wanted to use fresh herbs from my garden for the dip so I scoured the internet for a good recipe. I came across Pioneer Woman's ranch dressing recipe. It was exactly what I was looking for. Of course, hers is for a dressing but I left the milk out and it made the perfect dip. It's a very versatile dip, as you can add the herbs you would like. I kept it simple with parsley, chives and a pinch of dill.  It was bright, fresh and the perfect compliment for the tray.



Ranch Dip
From Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 cup real mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup flat leaf Italian Parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, smashed and finely chopped
Dill to taste*
Salt
Pepper

Smash and chop the garlic until a fine paste. Finely chop the parsley and chives. In a small bowl, mix garlic, herbs, mayonnaise and sour cream together. Add salt, pepper, and dill to taste.


*I didn't have fresh dill so I used dry. I added two pinches of it and it was perfect. You will have to adjust accordingly for fresh dill.
Note: To make ranch dressing, mix all ingredients together and stir in milk or buttermilk until desired consistency.

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

I first came across this recipe on Pinterest. There are several recipes out there for cauliflower sauce but I adapted this one from Pinch of Yum. It is designed to be a healthy version of Alfredo sauce. It's a clever use of cauliflower and a great way to add more vegetables into your diet. The sauce can be very versatile but I usually serve it over pasta topped with sliced chicken and Parmesan cheese. While this meant to be like an Alfredo, it will not taste like Alfredo. Alfredo is rich and buttery and the cauliflower sauce is light and, well, tastes like cauliflower! To me, it's the perfect guilt-free sauce, because I can pile it on without  thinking about the calories. And it's husband approved!


The sauce does pose a small challenge. Cauliflower isn't the most flavorful vegetable, so you have to incorporate as much flavor as possible into a very simple dish. The original recipe calls for 5-6 cups (or a whole head) of cauliflower to be boiled in 6-7 water or vegetable broth. I do not suggest using water because it won't add as much flavor to the dish. You can, you just won't get the same results. I felt it would be wasteful to make or buy all that vegetable stock when only 1 cup gets incorporated into the sauce. So, I decided to infuse the water before adding the cauliflower by making a quick broth in the same pot. In a dutch oven, I added 5-6 cups of water, a small onion, carrot, celery, garlic, a bay leaf and salt. Quarter the onion and chop the carrot into big pieces. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the cauliflower and boil for 10 minutes or until tender.


After preparing the cauliflower, it is pureed in the blender with delicious garlic butter, milk and broth. I served this sauce over pasta with with a side salad and garlic bread. This is a great make ahead sauce that reheats and freezes well. Here is the recipe to this delicious sauce:



Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:

6-7 cups water
Vegetables to create a broth: 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1 small onion, 1 smashed clove of garlic and 1 bay leaf.
5 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced finely
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 head of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup of milk
Salt
Pepper

Instructions

1.  In a dutch oven, bring to boil water, carrot, onion, 1 clove garlic, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add cauliflower florets and boil for 10 minutes or until fork tender.

2. To prepare the garlic, melt butter in a 12-inch skillet (this is the skillet you will return the sauce to). Peel, smash and finely chop the garlic. Add the garlic to the melted butter and saute only until the garlic is fragrant. It only takes about 30 seconds. If you cook the garlic longer, you run the risk of browning it. Browning or overcooking garlic will make it bitter. You just want to soften the garlic and release the flavor.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower florets to blender along with the garlic butter, 1 cup of broth and milk. Puree until smooth adding more milk or broth if needed. You may need to blend in two batches depending on the size of your blender. Pour sauce into skillet and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn on low heat and keep warm until ready to serve. You can add more broth or milk if needed and depending on the consistency you want. If you want a thin sauce add more liquid. If the sauce gets dry, add more broth, milk, butter or olive oil. Serve over pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese* if desired.

*Parmesan cheese goes really well with this sauce. However, it will not melt into the sauce so I suggest just adding a sprinkle on top.