Corn Salad = Sunshine and all things good

Okay, you may think that title is a little extreme for corn salad, but I assure you it is not. I mean look at this:
 

Photo courtesy of http://www.dashrecipes.com/


Look at that bowl of sunshine. Bright yellow corn. Fresh basil and chives. If this doesn't get you in the mood for summer cookouts I seriously think we need to break up.

I had to resort to using a photograph for this recipe from the website because:

1. the huz doesn't eat fresh tomatoes, so picture this salad sans the pop of red color - B-O-R-I-N-G (but only in appearance, not in taste - I substituted sundried tomatoes instead)
2. we ate the salad so fast I really didn't have an opportunity to take a picture...we are pigs I tell ya'

 I have to say the dressing for this salad is really the star. I know I will make this salad many times this summer, but I'm even more excited to try the dressing with some other flavor combinations.

We enjoyed this salad with a nice piece of roasted salmon, and steamed green beans. Delish!

Consider my discovery my personal gift to you, this beautiful Spring day.

Corn Salad
Yields: 6 servings (if you are lucky)

Ingredients:

2 cups water, plus 1 Tbsp
¾ tsp salt, divided
1 cup quick-cooking barley
2 cups corn kernels (4 ears)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1½ Tbsp red-wine vinegar
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp black pepper
3 Belgian endives, trimmed and sliced crosswise to ½ inch thick
Halved cherry tomatoes for garnish

1. Bring 2 cups water and ¼ tsp salt to boil in a saucepan. Stir in barley; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

2. Cook corn in a large pot of boiling water, 1 minute. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, and pat dry. Place in a large bowl.

3. In a blender, combine oil, basil, chives, vinegar, sugar, ½ tsp salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp water. Drain barley; add to corn. Stir in endives and dressing. Top with tomatoes.

 Source: http://www.dashrecipes.com/ Gourmet Magazine

Quinoa Salad???

Greetings and Salutations!!!  The huz and I are enjoying some fine rest and relaxation - and much of that I can attribute to my amazing dinner menu this week. Every meal  has been a winner     and it has been so nice cooking and enjoying wonderful food - prepared by me, of course!

Case in point:  Last night I prepared what I thought was a quinoa salad recipe, but really it was a quinoa side dish. Truth be told, I ate it as a salad today, so I think it goes both ways.  The huz gobbled it up along side his juicy hamburger, on three cheese sourdough bread (I even caught his nibbling out of the pan when we were doing the dishes). Not only healthy, and tasty, but huz approved for sure.

Salad or Sidedish?  It's delish either way

Quinoa Salad???

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cups diced red onion
1/2 cup diced sundried tomotoes (yes, I'm still working on polishing off a jar)
3 cups slivered kale
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper

1.  Saute onion in a large non-stick skillet, over medium heat, two minutes.
2.  Add kale, and saute another minute.
3. Stir in quinoa, corn, and sundried tomatoes. Heat through.
4. Turn off burner and stir in lemon juice, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Eat!

Easy, right? For lunch today I added some sliced avocado and cooked shrimp meat. Delish.

Have a great Friday, and an even better Saturday!!!

Orzo Salad

Saturday I was at our local grocery store, picking up some pastrami for the huz, and drooling over the deli case full of delectable salads and gourmet cheeses.  One salad in particular caught my eye - Orzo with Artichoke hearts and Olives. Now olives and artichoke hearts are two ingredients the huz would totally pass on, but not me. I love anything pickled – beets, artichoke hearts, olives, and of course pickles, sweet and dill. Seeing this pasta salad got my wheels turning, and the saliva glands flowing.  I had to make an orzo salad this week!

One of my favorite combinations is basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella. These ingredients make up the classic Caprese salad, or what you would find on a truly Italian Margherita pizza. I decided to do a play on this concept.  One problem: the huz hates fresh tomatoes. I know. You’re scratching your head right now thinking, “what the h-e-double hockey sticks is she doing with this guy?”  Oh, despite his aversion to most of the foods I love he’s pretty awesome. He’s just a little quirky about certain foods and I have become very adept at working around his likes and dislikes. Personally, I’d probably eat a shoe if it was fried (or pickled J).

Case in point – sundried tomatoes. The huz loves them. Sundried tomatoes pack a powerful punch in a very small bite. They are super flavorful and add a lot of depth and dimension to any recipe. 

This was the gist of my Orzo Salad creation:

Ingredients:

½ pound orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained, and rinsed under cool water

½ package fresh spinach, cut into julienned strips (if it was summer I would totally use fresh basil)

¼ cup sundried tomatoes, diced

¼ cup Havarti cheese, diced (I had Havarti, otherwise I probably would have used fresh mozzarella)

¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette (I make my own with vinegar, olive oil, dried basil, salt/pepper)

Directions: 

Toss everything together in a bowl. Eat.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful love affair

That’s it.

Seriously. 

I can’t even begin to tell you how great this salad was. Between the creamy Havarti, salty/sweet tomatoes, and fresh spinach, I was in heaven. 

See what happens when you “play” in the kitchen? You never know when inspiration will strike, and sometimes it’s a home run!!!

I’m two for two this week.