Prosciutto, Asparagus, and Cantaloupe Salad

Summer is officially here!  Having grown up in the Palm Springs area, I am very used to hot, dry summers with triple digit temperatures.  Denver has had some days in the 90's lately, and it makes me shake my head to hear how vocal people are about their disdain for the heat.   We may not be setting records for high temperatures, but we are setting records for the number of people talking about the weather!  It's summer--summer is warm. :)  

With summer here, I'm all about the light, fresh summer fare.  This recipe combines a lot of the popular summer produce into one great salad.  Who says salad always has to involve lettuce (or kale - ha!)?  Lightly grilled asparagus and cantaloupe are combined with crisped proscuitto, pine nuts, and fresh mozzarella, and the salad is dressed with a light lemon and olive oil vinaigrette.  It's summer on a plate!  It is a light dinner, but a filling one, and all of the colors just make it feel like a happy dinner.

Prosciutto, Asparagus, and Cantaloupe Salad   
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 oz. prosciutto
1 lb. asparagus
2 cups or 12 oz. melon, sliced into cubes or balls
4 oz. fresh mozzarella balls
2 tbsp. pinenuts
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon liner.  Place prosciutto slices across baking sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crispy.  After crispy, remove from oven and allow to cool for about three minutes.  Then, use paper towels to blot excess oil.  Finally, chop the prosciutto and set aside in a small bowl.

Preheat grill on medium heat, or alternatively heat a grill pan over the stove on medium heat.  In a bowl, toss the asparagus spears with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Grill for about 4 minutes, grill each side for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

If desired, you can toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat for about four minutes.

Combine the asparagus, melon, prosciutto, and mozzarella in a large bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice, adding extra salt and pepper to taste.  Then, top with the pine nuts.  Serve and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Greek Noodles with Gyro Meatballs

This is my new favorite summer dinner which is a twist on the classic Greek gyro.  It's a "pasta" salad, but the pasta is actually zucchini noodles.  Warm meatballs are served on top, along with a dollop of homemade tzatziki sauce.  It's a light but filling summer dinner.  There are so many great summer veggies in season right now, and this dish embraces two of them: zucchini and tomatoes!

For the tzatziki sauce, the base was homemade coconut yogurt (future blog post), but I normally would use Greek yogurt.  (Also, the coconut yogurt did not taste "coconutty" at all.)  Tzatziki sauce always tastes better the next day after the flavors more deeply marinate.  Tzatziki sauce is great for the summer because it's such a refreshing, cooling dip that pairs well with grilled beef,  chicken, and even fish.

I'm not a fan of lamb, so I made the meatballs with ground beef.  The meatballs were easy to make.  Next time, I'll use fresh oregano to even make it even more flavorful.  Meatballs freeze well, so you could even make a double batch so that this recipe is even easier (and quicker) next time you want to make it.  Believe me, you'll want to make this again!

The spiralizer is one of the most popular kitchen toys right now.  It turns fresh veggies into faux noodles.  I use zucchini most often on my spiralizer.  With some easy cranks, the spiralizer turns the zucchini into an extra-long pile of curled ribbons.  I then tossed the "zoodles" with some lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and sea salt.  I added in some halved cherry tomatoes and red onion slices.

To serve, just add the meatballs and a dollop or two of the tzatziki sauce to the noodles, and enjoy!  This has all of the great flavors of a gyro and is a perfect healthy summer dinner!  Next time, I think I will make chicken souvlaki to serve on top of the noodles.

Greek Noodles with Gyro Meatballs
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
For the "Noodles" (or Zoodles!):
4 zucchini
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

For the Tzatziki Sauce:
1 small cucumber
3/4 cup yogurt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried dill
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt

For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Feta cheese, optional

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  In a medium sized bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together until everything is incorporated.  Cover the bowl, and allow the flavors to marinate at room temperature for a half hour.

While the meat marinates, prepare the tzatziki sauce.  Peel and shred the cucumber.  After the cucumber is shredded, wrap the shredded cucumber in a towel (paper towels are fine) to squeeze out as much of the water as possible.  Then, combine the shredded cucumber with the rest of the tzatziki ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Peel the zucchini and use a spiralizer to turn them into noodles.  Alternatively, you could also julienne them.  Place the noodles in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and salt.  Half the cherry tomatoes and thinly slice the onion, and add those ingredients.  Mix and allow to marinate.

After the meat has finished marinating, form the meat into 2-inch balls and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.  Place them in the oven, baking for 25 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center.

Serve the meatballs on top of the zucchini pasta with a large dollop of the tzatziki sauce.

Source: Adapted with a few modifications from Against All Grain

Pasta Alla Caprese

The  combination of creamy mozzarella, sweet ripened tomatoes, and fresh basil never gets old.  This Italian summer time dish has such simple flavors,  and simple is good.

Knock on wood, we haven't had snow in Denver for a few weeks now (though, never say never; it snowed in June during my first year here), so I bought some flowers and herbs to plant.  I was excited to have some fresh basil again and was eager to make something with it.  Fresh basil is just so darn good.

When trying to decide what to make for dinner, I looked in my fridge and found some fresh mozzarella that I forgot about (now, how could I forget that?) and some ripe tomatoes.  Caprese salad sounded good, but with a long run the next day, I needed some carbs in me…and voila, pasta alla caprese. ;)

This was a simple dish to make, and it comes together so quickly.  By cooking the tomatoes with garlic, the tomato flavor just ripens.  The mozzarella melts slightly when added to the warm pasta, yum!  I used casarecce shaped pasta so the ingredients could get caught in the grooves of the pasta. ;)  I learned from Giada Di Laurentiis to reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water before you drain the cooked pasta.  The reserved pasta water allows you to adjust the consistency of your pasta sauce, if needed.  The water contains starch that will add more body to the sauce than if you just used plain ol' tap water.

This can be served either warm or cold, making it a perfect summer night dinner or an addicting pasta salad at a barbecue.

Pasta alla Caprese
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
8 oz. casarecce or another pasta of your choice (penne, fusilli)
3 large tomatoes, sliced
5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add pasta.  Cook until pasta is al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes. After the pasta finishes cooking, drain and put the pasta in a bowl, and toss it with 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil.   Keep about 1/2 cup of the pasta water on the side.

While the pasta cooks, heat the 3 tbsp. of the olive oil over a skillet on medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.  Add the sliced tomatoes, and slowly stir and flip as the tomatoes cook.  After the tomatoes have softened, about 4 minutes, smash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to make a chunky tomato sauce.  Remove the skillet from the heat, and add the tomato sauce to the bowl, and stir to combine.

Once the tomato sauce is evenly distributed, add the diced mozzarella, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar to the pasta, and toss.  If the pasta seems dry, add the reserved pasta water in tablespoon increments.

Source: A Simply Sweet Justice Original

Tomato Scallion Biscuits

The cover of one of my favorite cookbooks, the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, features tomato scallion shortcakes.  I patiently have been waiting for tomato season to come so that I could have good tomatoes for this. :)

For whatever reason, I thought I needed buttermilk to make the biscuits and even made a special trip to get some.  Sure enough, you need only milk.  Since I had made that special trip, gosh darn it, I was going to use the buttermilk.  Because of the higher acid content in buttermilk, I changed the amount of baking powder used and added in baking soda.

The biscuits were fluffy and flaky with that buttermilk tang.  The tomato salad and ricotta cheese perfectly balanced out the biscuits.  This is an impressive dish, but it is not overly difficult.  This makes a perfect light summer dinner or a great appetizer.

Since I had recently made fresh ricotta cheese, I used that instead of the whipped goat cheese that Deb used.  I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with either.

Tomato Scallion Biscuits
Yields 6 biscuits

Scallion Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. (265 grams) all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder, plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. butter chilled and diced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.  Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add in the scallion.  Then, add the buttermilk, and stir until evenly moistened.

Pat the dough out to a 1-inch thickness, and cut into six to eight 3-inch roads.  Arrange the biscuits on the parchment-lined sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.  Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
Pinch of sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb. (1 1/3 cups or 225 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions:
In the bottom of a bowl, whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper.  Quarter the cherry tomatoes lengthwise, and add them to the bowl with the dressing.  Toss together gently.

Toppings
Ricotta cheese
3 tbsp. heavy cream whipped, and then add 4 oz. goat cheese

To serve, generously spoon the tomato salad with dressing on top of the biscuit, and dollop with ricotta cheese or whipped goat cheese.  Eat at once!

Source: Adapted with some modifications from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Caesar Salad

I love a good Caesar salad.  In fact, for years, I always ordered some form of a Caesar salad when out at a restaurant.  (Remember Forget Paris with Billy Crystal's character always ordering veal parmigiana--no matter the city or restaurant?  For a while, that was me and chicken Caesar salads.)

In the town where I grew up, there is a locally-owned steakhouse renowned for its Caesar salads.  At this restaurant, Caesar salads are made in large table-side bowls, and copies of the recipe are available on cards for patrons.  Over Christmas, I played sous-chef and helped my dad make this.  My dad is a surgeon, and he would call for ingredients like he'd call for suction or a scalpel.  It's pretty funny, but it resulted in a yummy salad.  This salad is so good that I decided to make it for a recent dinner party!

Two ingredients which really make for the best Caesar dressing: eggs and anchovies.  Here, coddled eggs are used.  Coddled eggs are made by briefly immersing eggs in boiling water.  Coddling allows the yolk to become slightly thickened and warm.  Because eggs are used, this is a dressing meant to be use right away.  Now, I know the anchovies look a little creepy and have a bad rep, but give them another chance.  (Random tidbit: during the Roman empire, anchovies were used to make the condiment garum, and it cost as much as the fanciest perfumes.)

To mellow the garlic flavor, I added some sour cream to the dressing.  The recipe calls for you to wet all sides of the lettuce with dressing, but of course, use as much as you please.  Enjoy!

Caesar Salad
Yields 6-8 generous servings 

Ingredients:
40 oz. romaine lettuce, chopped in 1 inch squares
3 oz. anchovies
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 egg yolks, coddled
1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream, optional
2 cups croutons, optional
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place anchovies and minced garlic in a large salad bowl.  Crush into a fine paste with two dinner forks. Add Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the paste and stir.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and continue to stir.  Slowly add olive oil while continuing to stir.  Add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, half of the cheese,  and the sour cream.  Stir to combine.

If you are not ready to serve the salad, you can either cover the salad bowl and refrigerate, or remove the dressing and place it into a sealed container.

To prepare the salad, place the Romaine lettuce into the dressing in the bowl (if you put the dressing in a separate container, add it back to the bowl), and toss.  Make sure to wet all sides of the lettuce.  Add the croutons and remaining cheese.  Toss lightly, and serve on cold plates with chilled forks.

Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste.

Source: Adapted with modifications from LG's Prime Steakhouse (Palm Desert, California)

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the new year!

With the start of the new year, many of us are likely trying to incorporate lighter fare into our diets.  I love salads, but a salad everyday can get boring to me.  Incorporating different greens, such as Romaine, kale, spinach, and spring greens, is a great way to keep a salad interesting.  My new favorite salad green?  Brussels sprouts!

This recipe is a little labor intensive on the hands because it involves peeling the leaves on the Brussels sprouts.  It is worth it!  Because Brussels sprouts leaves are smaller and lighter, I didn't want to weigh them down by adding a heavier protein (e.g., chicken, fish, etc.) to this salad.  Since prosciutto is so thin and light, I added that to the salad for protein.  I tossed in some toasted pine nuts to add some crunch.  And. since to keep with the Italian theme, I sprinkled some Parmigiano-Reggiano over the salad.  I used a Caesar dressing on this salad, mainly because Caesar is my favorite type of dressing.  :)

I made this salad for a week night dinner with a friend, and my anti-Brussels sprouts friend turned into a Brussels sprouts fan!

Be on the watch for a great Caesar dressing post coming this week!

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Proscuitto and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts
1/3 cup pine nuts*
2 oz. prosciutto slices, torn
1/8 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely shredded
Salad dressing, as desired

Directions:
Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts, and then begin peeling the leaves.  Bring  6 cups of water to a boil.  Place the peeled Brussels sprouts in the water for about 10-30 seconds.  Quickly drain the hot water and immediately pour cold water to stop cooking.  Drain well, and place on paper towels to dry.  

In a large salad bowl, add the Brussels sprouts, pine nuts, proscuitto, parmesan reggiano, and the salad dressing.  Toss to combine, and serve immediately.


*To bring out the flavor in the pine nuts, lightly toast them in a 350ºF oven for a few minutes.

Source: A Simply Sweet Justice Original

Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette

Dijon mustard traces its origin back to Dijon, France, but it can be made anywhere in the world (unlike champagne), as long as it is prepared in accordance with the French guidelines.

Dijon mustard is a versatile kitchen staple that goes well beyond sandwiches.  For instance, you can use it in marinades (it makes a great marinade for salmon), appetizer (Bon Appetit magazine's September 2012 issue features a yummy mustard-mascarpone bruschetta), pasta (I use it to make a basil carbonara), and salad dressings.

This dressing has a nice tang that is balanced out with the honey.  Add this savory dressing to some spring greens with fresh vegetables and some Parmesan-Reggiano slivers, and you have a gourmet restaurant style salad!

Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette
Yields 3/4 cup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. exctra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 garlic clove
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Pulse ingredients in blender until well combined.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit (September 2012)

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

It's spring, which means strawberry and spinach salads are all over the place.  In my organic produce box for the week, I received perfectly ripe strawberries with fresh kale, spinach, and arugula.  I never tried making a strawberry spinach salad, so this was the perfect time to try.

Originally, I wanted to make a poppyseed dressing, but the store was out of poppy seeds.  Change of plans!  My mom makes homemade salad dressings, and she often adds just a little bit of berry jam to round out the flavor.  A friend and I made jams a few weeks ago, so I decided to experiment with making my own dressing using our strawberry rhubarb jam.  The jam in the dressing added the perfect amount of sweetness to the dressing, and the sweetness was balanced by the vinegars.  The addition of the sesame oil added a nutty flavor to the dressing, which worked well with the sliced almonds in the salad.

You could even added in grilled chicken, mandarin oranges, or other veggies.  This salad is the perfect blend of sweet and savory.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1 tbsp. strawberry jam
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the salad:
4 cups mixed greens
1 pint strawberries, washed and sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup snap peas

Directions:
Place jam in a medium sized mixing bowl, and whisk in vinegars, followed by the oils.  Add the dry mustard, sea salt, and black pepper.

Add the strawberries, mixed greens, almonds, and snap peas to the bowl.  Toss to coat evenly in the dressing, and serve immediately.

Source: A Simply Sweet Justice original