Spring Season Salad

Spring Season Salad
This pasta salad is so easy you won't believe it. It's hearty enough to stand on its own for dinner or can easily be added to a summer supper as a side dish. I will usually make a big batch of this and then we eat it for lunches throughout the week. Although it's usually gone by day 2 these days. It's perfect for a busy weeknight when everyone is eating at different times as it can be served hot, warm or the way I like it most, straight out of the fridge. That's why I call it Spring Season Salad. Any guesses what sport we play? :)
Orechiette itallian for "little ears", chicken, fresh corn and basil all tossed together in a creamy ranch sauce...that's right, you read that right... I said RANCH! Homemade ranch is the best but in a pinch you could easily use bottled. Seriously. Try this. You will love it as will everyone you decide to share it with.
Any little pasta will work. You could even break up spaghetti and use that. My favorites to use are little shells and the orechiette because the corn gets stuck in the little crevices of the pasta and you get some in every bite. Yum. Ok. Now go. Make this. Now.
Spring Season Salad
1 pkg orechiette or small shells pasta
1 lb. frozen corn, defrosted or
 3 ears fresh, off the cob
2 chicken breast, cooked and diced
3 Tbsp fresh basil or parsley,chopped
1 recipe prepared Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.
Salt & Pepper
In a lg. pot bring water to a boil for pasta.
 Finish preparing other ingredients. When water comes to a boil, add a good amount of salt (about 2 Tbs) and pasta. Stir. Follow package instructions on time. If using fresh corn, add corn to pasta water for the last minute of cooking time.  When done, drain pasta well. Pour into a large bowl. Add prepared dressing and season with salt & pepper. Add chicken and corn( if not using fresh), mix well so that everything gets an even coating of dressing. Add fresh herbs. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Easy Peasy. :)

 

Earth Part 2

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
This is by far one of my favorite go to recipes. What's so great is you can adjust it to whatever is in season. Perfect addition to our Earth Day menu. Delicious and it keeps so well in the fridge. I make a big batch of this and stick it in the fridge and we eat it as a side to whatever is on the menu throughout the week. My kids really love it in their lunches with chicken. You can also use couscous in place of the quinoa. In fact, this recipe originally was a couscous recipe I've made for years and switched to quinoa because while the consistency is similar, the benefits of quinoa are so good for you and the kids don't know the difference.

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
3 c. quinoa
6 c. chicken or veggie stock
zest and juice from 3 lemons
1 lg. red onion, lg. dice
5 cloves garlic, smashed but left whole
1 red bell pepper, lg. dice
1 yellow bell pepper, lg. dice
1 eggplant, lg. dice
1 lb. carrots, lg. slices on the diagonal
1 English cucumber, med. dice
1 pkg. grape tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lg. bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare quinoa according to package using stock. Prep all veggies. On a baking sheet toss onion, garlic, peppers, eggplant and carrots with 2 tsp. salt and pepper and enough olive oil to coat. Roast in oven for 25 min. till tender. Once the quinoa is ready fluff with a fork. Add lemon zest and lemon juice and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Add roasted veggies and olive oil from roasting (this will really add flavor the quinoa). Add cucumbers and tomatoes. Add chopped parsley. Mix well being careful not to mush up veggies to much. Taste for seasoning. Add more lemon, salt & pepper if you like. Can be served hot, warm or even cold. This is also so great with butternut squash, sweet potatoes, asparagus...you name it.

 Speaking of asparagus... If you've never tried roasted asparagus with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano on it, you have missed out my friends. This is my children's favorite and I mean favorite like they fight over it vegetable. Sold? You should be. It's easy and oh so delicious.

 Roasted Asparagus with Parmigiano Reggiano

2 bunches of Asparagus

olive oil

salt and pepper

parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated

 

Preheat oven to 425. Cut off woody stems of asparagus. On a baking sheet toss asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper till well coated. Roast 15 min. This is important. DO NOT overcook. Asparagus should still have a little bite to it. If it's wilted, it's overcooked. Top with grated parm. Serve immediately.

 

***A note: I am not a food snob. I love all kinds of food and even don't mind shortcuts here and there as long as the integrity of the dish is there. Except margarine...seriously America... stop buying that mess! Ok, what was I saying? Oh yes...That being said...this is NOT a time for the parm that comes in a green bottle found in the pasta aisle. I won't name names because I happen to like the green bottle and have used it my whole life.  There are times when you just have to use the real stuff or just make a different dish. This is one of those times. Till next time... Bon Appetito!

 

Earth Day Part 1

Happy Earth Day!
For Earth Day yesterday we (and by we I mean I) wanted to celebrate by eating from the earth! It perfectly coincided with Meatless Monday so it was a win-win. :)
I made our favorite veggie dishes and some cornbread for good measure. I wasn't sure if my carnivorous family would be able to do it sans pasta but they actually loved it and even more surprising...the man said it was delicious! He's a big boy now:) I am grateful for this beautiful earth we have to live on!
Ok, on to the GOODS!!

                                  Veggie Goodness 
Ok, so there's too many in here to name so this is what I'm calling it. Whatever the name... this was delicious. The sweetness from the peppers and red onion along with the crunch of fresh corn and sugar snap peas balanced out the heartiness of the brussel sprouts. Yum!

 Veggie Goodness

 1 med. red onion, med. dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, med. dice

1 yellow bell pepper, med. dice

1/2 lb. brussel sprouts, sliced

4 ears of corn , kernels cut off

1/2 lb. sugar snap peas

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil or parsley, chopped

 

Prep all veggies. In a large skillet add enough olive oil to coat pan. Cook onion and garlic till tender. Add brussel sprouts, peppers, and corn. Cook 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add sugar snap peas. Cook for 1 min. They should still have a bite to them. Check seasonings and adjust to taste. Take off heat. Add fresh basil or  parsley. This is a great side dish to any spring BBQ or picnic. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Pineapple Ginger Spritzer

 

 Pineapple Ginger Spritzer

Oh....this was refreshing, light, had a hint of ginger and oh so delicious. You know when you take a sip of a drink and immediately perk up and the day just got instantly better? Well this is that kind of drink! After the first sip I was already trying to recreate this at home!

What's great about spritzers is you can take a basic idea or recipe and twist it to make endless variations. It starts like most good drinks with a simple syrup which is equal parts sugar and water boiled to dissolve the sugar. Then you add anything you want to infuse the syrup with, in this case fresh ginger. I used a good amount because I love me some ginger!  

Ok. Now take a nice tall glass, fill it with crushed ice. Lots of it. Add pineapple juice. You can use anything that tastes great with ginger. Tangerine, lemon... Now add your simple syrup. This is unique to your taste. Some people like a very sweet drink. I like refreshing with lots of flavor, easy on the sweet. Add Club Soda or any kind of sparkling water. You want bubbles. Give it a good whirl. Taste for sweetness. Add a handful of mint. Now sit back and welcome in Spring! :) Seriously. Try this. You will be happy you did!

Pineapple Ginger Spritzer

Ginger Simple Syrup

Pineapple Juice

Crushed Ice

Club Soda or Sparkling Water

Mint

Simple Syrup

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 Tbsp fresh ginger

peeled and sliced

Boil ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely.

Per Glass:

Fill glass with ice. Add fruit juice. Add simple syrup. Add club soda. Stir. Add lots of mint. Happy Spring!

 

Clementine Ginger Spritzer and

California Alfredo

 

 

Nonobubu

NOBU
400 Crescent Ct.
Dallas

Schwanky
Ok. Growing up in California, I have always wanted to go Nobu. For those who aren't familiar with the celeb loved eatery, it is definitely an experience and I was oh so excited!
From the moment we pulled into the parking lot of the Rosewood Crescent Hotel Dallas,  I could feel the level of sophistication and fanciness we had in store for the evening.
Let me tell you, Nobu did not disappoint. It was schwanky in there! Music was bumpin, people were dressed to the nines.. I was hearing Katy Perry singing.. "Last friday night...yeah we danced on table tops.." in my head. I was so happy I went with the blazer and 3 inch booties.. and I was happy that the hubbers was not wearing his standard stretchy track suit. For the record, I love him in all things stretchy just fine:).
Ok, on to the goods... because at the end of the day. It's about the food right? Well..... it really should be! If you want to impress a date or out of town guests who don't really happen to be foodies...Nobu is your place. If you're looking for a hot, hoppin place to be or be seen... Nobu is definitely your place.
If you're looking for a foodgasmic amazing epicurean experience where flavors and textures dance along your taste buds.... Nobu is NOT your place. I know. I was so wanting it to be epic. It just fell flat for me. We ordered several of their top dishes and to be honest, while the seafood was fresh... I was not blown away at all. We ordered the Yellowtail Tartar with Caviar, Seared Salmon Sashimi, Uni Shooter, Rock Shrimp Tempura with a Creamy Spicy Sauce and the Black Cod in Miso.
Nothing stood out. Terrible to say but it all just fell flat for me.:(
Let me say this place is not cheap. It is definitely a splurge. The chefs tasting menu is $125 pp and that would probably be the most economical way to eat here. Say what?. yep.  Now to be clear. As a major foodie... I will and have happily put down some major mula for an epic meal. But when you're asking $125 for Whole Striped Bass... when you can get the same exact thing at Roy's for $36.95.. your food had better be amazing. I'm not asking to reenact Meg Ryan's infamous rant... but I do expect more than mediocre. So...want sushi? Go to Bluefish. Word.

Seared Salmon Sashimi
The Hubbers liked this. I was not blown away. It was fine just not amazing.

 

Berry Napoleons with Cinnamon Cream

 

Oh my...this is so..SO good! Last week I was attempting to remake "The Mese Roll" (look for the recipe in an upcoming post) and had a bunch of wonton wrappers and wanted to make a dessert using them. Then I remembered an amazing berry dessert I had at our favorite sushi place. Before I knew it...this was happening.

 This is so easy. It is truly a no brainer and so, so impressive. I tossed the wontons in cinnamon sugar and added cinnamon to basic whipped cream. The rest is just assembling (my favorite kind of dessert:). Of course, a dusting of powdered sugar never hurts. It's like a churro with fresh berries and cinnamon whipped cream except it's oh so light and perfect to share! If you're looking for a dessert to top off your Valentine's Day Dinner...this should definitely be on the list!

 

OK...the goods:

Berry Napoleon with Cinnamon Cream

serves 2:)

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Berries of your choice

 wonton wrappers

1/2 c sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

enough oil to deep fry wontons

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1c. whipping cream

3Tblsp sugar

11/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Berries of your choice

Powdered sugar for dusting

Heat a small skillet with enough oil to fry wontons. Have a plate with paper towels ready, these babies cook up fast. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Once the oil is hot enough, fry wontons 2 at a time flipping half way through. Once they're golden brown, immediately sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on both sides. Set aside. You will need 4 for each Napoleon but they are so good to snack on you may want to make them all!

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1c. whipping cream

3Tblsp sugar

11/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.

Place 1 scoop ice cream on plate. Top with Cinnamon Wonton. Add a scoop of Cinnamon Cream. Top with another Wonton. More Cream. Another Wonton. Got it?

So.. Ice cream, wonton, cinnamon cream, wonton, cinnamon cream, wonton, cinnamon cream. You with me??

 

Top with Berries and dust with powdered sugar. Perfect to share with someone you heart or...NOT...whatever brings you to your happy place:) 

Samoan Banana Pancakes

3 ripe bananas, mashed

3 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 c water

Mix ingredients in large mixing bowl.

Fill a skillet with enough oil to deep fry pancakes... 2 inches or so. Once oil is hot drop batter using an ice cream scoop filled half way. Once golden on one side, flip and cook till golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Enjoy! 

**These are meant to be eaten right away so you may want to fry a few at a time and store batter in refrigerator until ready to use. May be stored for a few days.