Jerk Kabobs

Summer's here and the time is right for...grilling. Gosh how my family loves to grill! They often go for the tried and true, but every now and then I can convince them to try something new or different. Like these kabobs...

Jerk Kabobs

One red onion, cut into chunks
One yellow, green, or red bell pepper (or all!), cut into chunks
One zucchini, sliced into thick coins
Whole mushrooms
Cherry or grape tomatoes
1 t. thyme
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. cayenne
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. black pepper

Mix all the spices together. Thread the vegetables on skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, like we do, soak them in water first. Once all the skewers are threaded, brush the kabobs with olive oil, then sprinkle on the spices, being sure to to coat well. Cook over a hot, oiled grill, about five minutes per side, or until done. Serve. Enjoy!

Healthful Salad

Continuing our walks, I am continuing with the salad experiments. And with the weather getting progressively warmer, I am totally okay with this!

Healthful Salad

Choice of dark green lettuce
One cucumber, peeled and cubed
Handful of grape tomatoes, halved
One bell pepper, diced
One avocado, diced
5 radishes, sliced
One peach, cubed
3 pineapple slices, cubed
One small can of mandarin oranges, drained
Handful of strawberries, sliced
Half of a red onion, chopped

Mix all of the above in a large bowl, and pour on the dressing:

2 t. mustard
6 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
3 T. canola oil
1 T. parsley
1/2 t. dill
1/4 t. tarragon
1/4 t. basil

Mix well and pour over salad.

Mix the dressing into the salad until well coated. Cover and chill under serving time. Serve. Enjoy.

Got mixed reviews. Hubby didn't care for it, son loved it. Next time I would leave out the cucumber and cut back on the lemon juice. Otherwise, I liked it, too.

Asian Spinach Salad

Hubby and I have started going for walks every day we can. I've noticed that after every walk, he really wants a salad. This usually means we go to the grocery store and take advantage of the salad bar. So, to save some time, and get to try out new recipes, I've decided to make different salads at home.

Asian Spinach Salad

1/2 c. dry roasted peanuts
Fresh spinach leaves (I used the prepackaged, prewashed kind)
10 grape tomatoes, halved
Thinly sliced red onion (as much or as little as you like)
2 T.  rice vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1/8 t. cayenne
6 T. canola or peanut oil

Mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce, cayenne and oil together. Shake well. Assemble remaining ingredients in a bowl, and pour on the dressing. Mix gently but well, to coat everything evenly. Serve. Enjoy!

Spinach Salad with Garbanzos and Scallopini

Spinach Salad with Garbanzos and Scallopini

One package Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
Olive oil
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. dried oregano leaves
1/8 t. sea salt
One can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
One can black olives, drained and halved
1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
3 c. spinach
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1/4 c. sliced fresh basil

Fry the scallopini for 2-3 minutes on each side in olive oil until caramelized and hot through. Let cool slightly and cut into 1/2” strips. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, dried oregano leaves and fine sea salt. Pour this over the chickpeas, olives, and spinach. Add salt and pepper and fresh basil and scallopini and mix gently, but well.

The original recipe is at the Gardein site, but I changed it up to suit the tastes of my family.

Tuscan Panzanella

Panzanella is a Italian type of salad based on bread and tomatoes, often with onions and basil, and dressed with oil and vinegar. It is very simple to put together and gave me an opportunity to make croutons for the first time.

Tuscan Panzanella

4 slices of bread, crusts removed
Olive oil
Basil leaves, chopped
1/2 c. sliced red onion (I chopped mine)
One can small black olives, drained
One pint of grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 cans white beans, drained
1 T. water
1 T. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. black pepper

Cut the crustless bread into one inch cubes and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Spray or brush lightly with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Combine the basil, onion, olives, tomatoes, and beans in a bowl and mix gently. Mix the water, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and black pepper together and whisk until well blended. Pour over the vegetables and mix gently, but well.

Dish the salad into a bowl and top with some of the croutons.

Enjoy!

I loved this salad, but might play around with the croutons. They were on the plain side. I think adding some herbs to the olive oil before brushing it on will liven things up a bit.

Patriotic Pasta Salad

Guitars. Drums. Sparklers. Laughter. Beer. My cats hiding under my bed. It must be July 4th.

This year we attended the second annual July 4th celebration at the home of a friend. What a great time we had! Plenty of food and lots of great conversation. I finally got to watch a young woman we know hoop. I tried a whiskey that tasted like cinnamon candy. Got rave reviews on my pasta salad.

Yep, it was a good day.

Patriotic Pasta Salad

One package of pasta (mine was shaped like flags and stars)
1/4 c. white white vinegar
1 T. water
1-1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. stevia
1/2 t. dried tarragon (I had some dried dill I tossed in, too)
1/8 t. black pepper
1/3 c. olive oil
Grape tomatoes, halved
3 carrots, shredded
3/4 c. vegan cheese, cubed

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and rinse. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, water, salt, stevia, tarragon and black pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to whisk.

Add the pasta to a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes and carrots and pour in the vinegar and oil mixture. Mix well, but gently and chill. Add the cheese and mix in well before serving at room temperature.

Enjoy!

The only vegans at this shindig were my daughter and me. The hostess' mom made a special corn dish for us that was very good. Others brought fruit and vegetable trays, so we had plenty to eat. The non-vegans, who didn't know my pasta salad was vegan, all commented on how much they really liked the pasta. Always what a cook wants to hear!