Dinner Party - Part 2

Bruschetta w/White Beans, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Basil

Spinach, feta, raspberry, candied nut salad w/ raspberry vinaigrette

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Sauce

Saffron Rice and Red Pepper Pilaf

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

Moving on to the first course. I served a simple spinach, feta, raspberry, and candied pecan salad. This is really simple to make and doesn't require any cooking at all.

Spinach, Raspberry, and Feta Salad (by me)

1 package pre-washed spinach (12 oz)
4 oz feta (reduced fat is fine)
1 small container raspberries, washed and dried.
handful of candied pecans or walnuts

Dressing:
1/3 part raspberry vinegar
2/3 part olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

I probably made about 3/4 of a cup of dressing, but you can play around with this a bit. If you like your salad more acidic, then put a bit more vinegar, and less oil. Its not an exact science and you can't really mess it up.

Caprese Salad Bites

This is a simple, healthy, and delicious appetizer to make for parties.



Caprese Salad Bites (by ME!, ok.. so Caprese salad has been around for decades, this is just a miniature version of it)

Ingredients:
1 log fresh mozzarella cut into bite sized pieces (or balls), approx +8oz, no positive on the amount
bunch of basil leaves (20-30 small leaves or break up bigger ones)
1 package grape tomatoes (20-30 tomatoes?)
3 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt, pepper to taste
20-30 toothpicks

Take a toothpick and spear the piece of mozzarella, basil, and 1 tomato. Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Place on a platter.

In a bowl mix together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle dressing over the caprese bites. If you need more dressing, just make more. Each bite should have a taste of dressing.

Sorry its not more precise, but I promise its easy!

Couscous Salad

I get sick of sandwiches for lunch, so this salad was a welcome treat for lunch. Its very filling and quite healthy. I just save the dressing until just before I'm going to eat it.

Couscous Salad (Recipe based off a suggestion from Cocina de Doyle)

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat couscous (cooked according to box directions)
1 cup fresh spinach (or as much as you like)
1/3 cup garbanzo beans
1 tea garlic
1/4 cup feta cheese w/ mediterraean herbs

Dressing:
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Layer salad ingredients into a container. Mix dressing in a separate container. Right before eating, toss the salad with the dressing. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Couscous with Zucchini, Chickpeas & Feta

I loved this salad. Its a great side for a BBQ. It has chickpeas and feta.. it can't get better than that.



Mediterranean Couscous with Zucchini, Chickpeas & Feta (jnolle.com)

Ingredients
1 pound zucchini and/or summer squash, cut into V-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 to 3 cups total)
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups plain Couscous
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 V to 2 lemons)
3 medium garlic gloves, pressed or finely minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
5 medium scallions, thinly sliced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add half the squash in even layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook without
stirring until golden brown on one side – 3 to 4 minutes.

2) Transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with remaining squash. next Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat, add couscous and 1 V teaspoons Kosher salt (x teaspoon
table salt), and stir. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer couscous to a serving bowl and fluff with fork.

3) Meanwhile, whisk together lemon juice, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Add lemon juice mixture and chickpeas to couscous, toss well to combine and cool to room temperature,
about 20 minutes.

4) Stir in parsley, scallions, feta and squash. Season with a generous amount of fresh black pepper and Kosher salt.

Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

I'm alive! Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been cooking, but I have not had time to update this blog, but I am trying to get caught up.

Last month, I made a Chicken-Orzo salad with goat cheese. I really loved it and its great for a really hot night when you don't feel like cooking or turning on the stove.



Chicken-Orzo Salad (CookingLight.com)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
3 cups chopped grilled chicken breast strips (such as Tyson)
1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup prechopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.

3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Chipolte Salad and Scones

Importing from old journal, originally made on 9/7/2006.

I made this salad from cooking light. It was really good!


Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

The creamy dressing mellows the heat from the chiles. Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish. Total time: 34 minutes.


Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

CALORIES 249(30% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 23.3g; CHOLESTEROL 50mg; CALCIUM 106mg; SODIUM 650mg; FIBER 7g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g
Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006



I also made a batch of scones from a recipe I found on a blog I read.


Saturday Morning Scones
Adapted from Baking with Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan
Makes 6-8 large triangular scones

3 cups AP flour
1/3 cup sugar
2½ tsps. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
6 ozs. cold butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup Nestle Coco Evap milk + ½ cup whole milk mixed with 1 T vinegar or
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.



They were very good but way too plain. I don't think I will make plain scones again.