Bocconcini and Tomato Salad

Every summer we grow tomatoes in our backyard.  I love the flavour home grown tomatoes have and I love the smell of the tomato plants on my hands when I pick them.  Throughout the summer this salad is a staple in our house because it is so easy to make and it is a great way to use up the fresh tomatoes.

Bocconcini and Tomato Salad

4-5 tomatoes

3 bocconcini cheese balls

fresh basil, chopped

oregano

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

1. Slice the tomatoes and the cheese. Arranging alternating between cheese and tomato on a serving plate.
2. Top the tomato and cheese arrangement with basil and oregano.
3. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad.

Fava Bean and Asparagus Salad

The summer is a great time to enjoy a nice salad with fresh vegetables from the garden that are not available during the rest of the year.  Fava beans are easy to grow and do so much for the soil so we often grow them.  My in-laws came over with a surplus of vegetables form their garden the other day and they were kind enough to shared some of their bounty.  Fava beans were among the pickings from the day.  I decided to search for ideas to make a fava bean salad.  After looking at a few different recipes I decided to create my own after taking ideas from a few different places.  It tasted wonderful on it's own but the addition of some bacon or cheese would be fine if you wanted a little more.

Fava Bean and Asparagus Salad

2 cups peas (fresh or frozen)

2 cups fava beans

2 bunches asparagus

6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

1 can artichoke hearts

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Cook the lava beans in boiling water until just tender, about 4 minutes.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and place into cold water to prevent further cooking.  After they have cooled, remove the outer skins and place into your salad bowl.
2. If you are using frozen peas add them to the bowl as is but if you are using fresh peas cook them in the boiling water until they are just tender, about 3 minutes.  Once they are tender remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in cold water to prevent further cooking. Then once they have cooled add them to the salad bowl.
3. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes.  Remove them with tongs and place them in cold water to stop them from continuing to cook.  Once they have cooled you may decide to cut the spears into bite size pieces or add them directly into the salad bowl.
4. Combine the vegetable oil and shallots into a pot over medium heat and cook until the shallots are a golden brown.  Remove the shallots and place them on paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
5. Drain and rinse the artichoke hearts and slice them in to smaller pieces.  Add them to the salad bowl.
6. Add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes to the bowl and add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Then toss the ingredients together.
7. Add the shallots as a garnish and serve.

Summer Tomato Salad

There are so many wonderful things about summer and one of the things I enjoy is the ability to eat fresh locally grown produce.  My husband and I keep a vegetable garden but this year with the baby we haven't really planted anything except for tomatoes and some herbs.  Our tomatoes are not ready yet but this salad is one that taste amazing, especially when you can use tomatoes fresh off the vine.  It is even better if you can pick the herbs from the garden as well.

Summer Tomato Salad

2 - 3 fresh, sliced tomatoes

~ 1/2 cup green onions

~ 1/2 cup parsley

~1/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 - 1/2 cup feta cheese

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

1. Slice the tomatoes and lay out the slices on a large platter or an attractive plate.
2. Sprinkle each slice with chopped green onion, fresh basil and parsley.
3. Top with crumbled feta cheese.
4. Blend together the olive oil, vinegar and dijon.  Sprinkle it onto the salad just before serving.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

I decided to make tabbouleh the other day when I was shopping so I got all the ingredients except for bulgur thinking I had some at home.  When I was ready to start making it I realized I was mistaken but I still had my heart set on tabbouleh so I decided to make it with quinoa instead.  It turned out to be a great substitution and I think I may prefer it to bulgar.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 cup quinoa (uncooked)

2 cups fresh parsley

1 cup mint

6 green onions

3 medium tomatoes

juice of one lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the quinoa as to package directions.
2. Finely chop the parsley and mint.
3. Slice the green onions cross wise, including the greens.
4. Core and coarsely chop the tomatoes.
5. In a serving bowl, toss the quinoa with the parsley, mint, onion, tomatoes and lemon juice.  Stir in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Marinated Mushrooms

This recipe was a huge discovery!  The marinated mushrooms were a perfect accompaniment for a roasted chicken but the could go well as a side to just about any meat.  It was very easy to make, tasted very sophisticated and allowed me to use it to make a salad with the leftovers.  I love finding recipes so diverse that I can use them for a dinner party one night and then make an entirely new dish with the remaining for lunches!  Another great thing about this recipe is that you can make it up to two days in advance.  Below I have included both the recipe for the original dish and what I did to turn it into a pasta salad.

Marinated Mushrooms

5 cups small white mushrooms

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic thinly sliced

1 shallot thinly sliced

2 roasted red peppers, seeded and diced

1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme

1. In a large sauce pan, cover and cook mushrooms and salt over medium heat until the mushrooms begin to release liquid.  Stir the mushrooms once or twice. 
2. Uncover and cook until the liquid has evaporated (about 5 minutes).
3. Remove from heat.  Add the remaining ingredients; let cool.  Place in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 hours.

Marinated Mushrooms Pasta Salad

remaining marinated mushrooms

cooked pasta

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

1 cup cooked cubed chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp wine vinegar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dried thyme

1. Combine the marinated mushrooms, pasta, carrots, celery, tomatoes and chicken.
2. Mix together the oil, vinegars and thyme.
3. Pour over the salad and enjoy.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

I must admit this recipe one I came across while I was looking at a celebrity blogger during a mental break the other day.  I thought the recipe looked great and since I already had all the ingredients at hand I thought I would give it a try.
It turned out really well and it looks great with all of the different colours in it.  I think this dish would also make a great side served hot. I also plan to experiment by using different dried fruit in future batches

Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth or water

2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

juice of 1 lemon (optional)

honey  (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Cook the quinoa in the broth/water.
3. In a baking dish, toss the cubed butternut squash with the olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and nutmeg.  Place it in the oven and roast until the pieces are tender.  About 30 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, squash, raisins, dried cranberries, pine nuts, celery and onion. Toss until it is thoroughly mixed.  
5. If you would like to add a dressing, mix together the lemon juice, some olive oil and enough honey for you desired sweetness.  Pour over the top and toss the salad once again.