Day 10 – 12 Days of Mayo Free Pasta Salad

So here we are on day 10, are you inspired yet?!?!? Todays recipe is adapted a recipe by the American Pork Council and is scrumptious. You’ll make this often, trust me…it’s that good.

Grilled Pork Salad (serves 6)

3 cups grilled pork loin cut to 1/4 inch thick strips, chilled
3 cups cooked Orzo, chilled
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cup cubed fresh pineapple, chilled
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 pound spinach leaves or purple kale
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 papaya, sliced
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine raspberry vinegar, olive oil, honey and salt in jar. Cover; shake well. Pour dressing over combined pork, rice, walnuts, onion, pineapple and mushrooms. Toss lightly. Arrange spinach on large serving platter or salad bowl; top with pork mixture.

Arrange raspberries and papaya on top.

Ok…this isn’t a pasta salad but it is so good I had to post it. WOW!

Warm Beet and Onion Salad

From: Weber’s Big Book of Grilling

2		medium golden beets with leafy tops, about 2-1/2 inches in diameter each
2		medium red beets with leafy tops, about 2-1/2 inches in diameter each
		Extra-virgin olive oil

For the dressing:

1		medium orange
1/3		cup extra-virgin olive oil
2		tablespoons red wine vinegar
1		tablespoon finely sliced fresh basil
1		teaspoon minced garlic
1/2		teaspoon kosher salt
		Freshly ground black pepper
1		large red onion, cut into four 1/2-inch slices
2		hearts romaine lettuce

Trim the leafy tops from the beets, leaving about 1/2 inch attached; reserve the tops. Leave the root ends intact. Scrub the beets under cold water. Lightly spray or brush with olive oil. Grill over Indirect Medium heat until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 1 to 1-1/2 hours depending on size, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove from the grill and allow to stand until cool enough to handle. Trim the ends from the beets and discard. Rub off the skins. Cut the beets into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices and place the red beets and the golden beets in separate bowls (to keep the red beets from dying the golden beets red).

To make the dressing: Wash the dry the orange. With a zester, scrape off 1 tablespoon of zest. Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to remove enough strips of zest to total 1 tablespoon when finely chopped. Reserve the zest.

Cut the remaining skin and white pith from the orange and, working over a separate medium bowl, separate the orange into sections, letting the sections and any juice fall into the bowl. Add the reserved zest and the remaining dressing ingredients to the orange sections, including pepper to taste. Gently stir to combine.

Lightly brush the onion slices with some of the dressing and grill over Direct Medium heat until tender, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly, then separate into rings.

Rinse the reserved leafy tops of the beets under cold water. Select the smallest, most tender leaves and place with the romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss. Divide the lettuce mixture among four salad plates. Top with the beets and the onion rings and drizzle on the remaining dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

I missed getting in on the Daring Bakers for July, so I have wait (sniff, sniff) until August. I guess that’s ok since I am headed to the doctors today to have them look at this arm again and see what’s up. I have an overwhelming tolerance for pain, seriously, ask anyone who knows me. This arm is KILLING ME. I can’t sleep, the pain makes me nauseous, I can’t even drive my car without agony. I’ll update you after I spend the majority of the day in the Doctor’s office…ughh….

Have a fabulous Tuesday and do something delicious!

Creatively serving the Greater Binghamton area in the lovely Southern Tier of NY. www.foodwineartdesign.com

Colleen is a private caterer and personal chef, she also hosts the internet’s favorite resource for the home wine maker at www.homemadewine.net. Her blog is viewed by thousands each day who enjoy her simply explained, illustrated and photographed recipes and helpful tips.

Day 8 – 12 Days of Mayo Free Pasta Salad

Here we are on Day 8 already, think of the possibilities for the upcoming 4th of July holiday!

I received a couple of emails this past week that I thought were kind of fun, one was from Lynn in Washington state who asked what I had against mayo. I really don’t have anything against mayo Lynn, I just prefer to make a fresh aioli when needed and for the family picnic, where food service rules don’t always apply, it is safer to stick with foods that are going to weather the fluctuating temperatures well without risk. The problem isn’t necessarily the mayo itself, but the combination of ingredients it is mixed with.

I love talk of food safety when it comes to holiday gatherings, don’t you? 🙂

Another email came from roxinrox in NY and she asked about menu planning services. Folks, I’ll be the first to say that I absolutely ADORE planning menus. This makes me a bit of an odd ball but anything that gives me an excuse to sit and read cookbooks for an hour is bliss to me! I do understand that not everyone loves to do that, nor do they love to create the grocery list or do the shopping. Menu planning services can be great for that. There are several online services but frankly, after my brief review of one service just recently I was disappointed…very disappointed. They are kind of a take it or leave sort of service. The first weeks menu left me with three of five entrees a no go. One was kid friendly, and that’s cool, but we don’t really need recipes for chicken finger type meals here. Another was, well, very boring. And the last was a salad, now my husband is a very sweet and awesome guy but he is also a construction worker and if I fed him salad for dinner the left side of the refrigerator would be wiped out by the time I woke up in the morning. Same goes with my daughter, she volunteers with the horses 3 days a week and takes care of all the creatures here too…she needs FUEL! So I would nay to the standardized planning services.

My menu planning service is more client centered. This service is part of my private/personal chef services, but came into play about 5 years ago when I wasn’t able to take a booking for a party and the client was desperate for help. I put together her holiday menu for her and she had great success in pulling it off,even with very little time on her hands to do so. I have an in-depth questionnaire that helps find your families likes and dislikes, allows for special dietary needs and is tailored toward your lifestyle. Each week the client is given recipes for 6 dinners, one of which is “leftover friendly” for the seventh or shopping day, and include a detailed shopping list. I guarantee that you will not have a repeat in the menus for at least 4 months (unless you request it of course). This is great solution for the time starved who still enjoy cooking, and if you commit to 4 weeks of menus your fifth week is free. My service is priced a bit higher than some of the online services, but the personal level of service and individual attention to detail make it worth so much more.

Back to our 8th day of Mayo Free Pasta Salad!

Orzo with Spinach and Peas

(serves 8 generously, 10-12 as a side)

This was inspired by an Ina Garten recipe and is one of my favorites.

For the salad:

1 cup cooked orzo

1/2 lb baby spinach leaves
2 – 10 oz bags of frozen peas defrosted
1/2 c freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
1/4 c toasted pignoli (pine nuts)
For the Pesto

2 c fresh basil leaves (be sure to use just the leaves)
I use a combination of genovese and lemon Basil for this recipe
3 small cloves of garlic
1/2 c freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
1/4 c freshly grated romano cheese
1/4 c freshly grated asiago cheese
1/2 c toasted pignoli (pine nuts)
(toast them by lightly browning them in a small pan over medium heat, the remove from the heat and reserve for use)
1-1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

Cook 1/2 cup of dried orzo to al dente, drain and rinse in cool water and reserve.

Make the pesto first by pulsing the basil, garlic, and pignoli together in a food processor or blender until you reach a fine mince. With the food processor running. add the oil in a stream until the pesto becomes smooth and silky. It will be a bit thin and that’s ok 🙂 Add your cheeses to a bowl and then pour the pesto mixture over the cheese and blend to combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Wash and spin your spinach leaves and place in a large bowl with the peas and 1 cup cooked, cooled orzo and pour the pesto, pignoli and parm over the top and stir gently to combine.

I’m making this today at some point so look for photos if my arm can handle it!

It’s bread baking day….yummm….bread

Have a fabulous Sunday and do something delicious!
Colleen

Creatively serving the Greater Binghamton area in the lovely Southern Tier of NY. www.foodwineartdesign.com

Colleen is a private caterer and personal chef, she also hosts the internet’s favorite resource for the home wine maker at www.homemadewine.net. Her blog and websites are viewed by thousands each day who enjoy her simply explained, illustrated and photographed recipes and helpful tips.