Italian Pasta Salad

Summer just screams pasta salad. I don't like the kind covered in mayonnaise though. I prefer a vinaigrette-type dressing - or bottled Italian dressing for that matter. This recipe is a delicious and fresh tasting option for all your summer parties. Did I mention it is incredibly easy to prepare?

No, I mean REALLY easy. If you can chop vegetables and cook pasta, you can make this dish. Trust me.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pasta of your choice, cooked and drained

3 cups assorted chopped vegetables of your choice (broccoli, green peppers, onions, corn, tomatoes, etc)

* I par cooked the broccoli in the pasta water for a few minutes

8 oz (small bottle) Italian dressing

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature. That's it.

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed more people. It can also be easily modified to assist you in emptying out your refrigerator. Because Shaun and I are the only two in our house, I frequently have half pounds of pasta lying around... this is a great way to use it up (along with veggies that are on their last leg). You can even add some cubed cheese to jazz up the dish. Like anything marinated, it is best to make this a day ahead of time and then serve it. Even if you only have a few hours, it's better than eating it right away. The dressing really gets absorbed by the cooked pasta so that it is bursting with flavor in every bite! I served this salad with garlic bread so I could soak up any last juices. It's better than licking the plate, don't you think?

Pack up your salad and take it with you to a friend's house.
They will love you for it.
Tutti Mangia!

Tomato, Onion & Avocado Salad

Nothing says summer like a fresh salad like this one. Take a trip to your local farmer's market right now and buy the ingredients for this dish.

Are you home yet?

Okay. Good. Now get ready to read the recipe for your new go-to side dish that will impress your friends over and over this summer. You must be sure to use the freshest tomatoes and avocados you can find. When there are so few ingredients in a salad like this, they have to be perfect. You really want their flavors to stand out. Here is the recipe I adapted from Simply Recipes, an amazing blog written by Elise Bauer. You have to take a moment to thumb through her index of recipes. I am positive you will find something you like, aside from this recipe of course.

Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 of a large red onion, sliced
2 avocados, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
Red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place the sliced tomatoes on a serving platter. Arrange the slices of red onion and the chunks of avocado over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley, garlic and oregano. Drizzle everything with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

I can guarantee you that I will be making this salad a few more times this summer. I am thinking about making it for lunch, all by itself, one day. Tonight I chose to make it as a side dish with a frozen pizza. What can I say? I didn't get home from work until 7:15pm - and on a Friday, that just sucks. Shaun was lucky he got this out of me.

It is so hard for me to find avocados at their peak but I did it when I bought the ingredients for this salad. I lucked out with the tomatoes also, although that is not so hard to do. The ones I ate in this salad were bursting with a sweetness that popped in your mouth. When you combine those tomatoes with the creaminess of the avocado and the tang of the red wine vinegar, your mouth just tingles with the flavors. It's like you can't stop eating it.

Let me know if you agree.

Tutti Mangia!

Summer-Time Sides

I love looking up new recipes and storing them in binders - hence where these next two recipes came from... One night last week Shaun (the boyfriend) and I decided to grill up a few sausages for dinner and I thought it would be best to use up some of the vegetables I had in the fridge from that weekend's food shopping run. I decided on a Cherry Tomato and Lemon Salad and Penne with Grilled Zucchini, Ricotta Salata and Mint. Both recipes were adapted from the Epicurious website.

The Cherry Tomato and Lemon Salad was actually very simple to make and amazingly delicous after it marinated in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes! Each bite was bursting with lemon flavor, but not sour at all because of the sugar added in the beginning. I personally adore cherry tomatoes and the sweetness they bring to summer so this recipe is one that I will make over and over again. Maybe next time I'll really change things up and add it to a Brunch Menu. It is so light and refreshing so why not!? The Epicurious website suggests great menu using this recipe that you might see on this Blog one day.

2 large lemons
1 tablespoon sugar
1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes (3 cups), halved or, if large, quartered
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Finely grate enough zest from 1 lemon to measure 2 teaspoons. Trim ends of both lemons, then stand lemons on a cut side and cut peel, including all white pith, from lemons with a sharp paring knife (discard peel). Cut segments free from membranes, then cut segments crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Toss lemon segments gently with sugar in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and zest, then let stand, covered, at room temperature 15 minutes (to allow flavors to develop).

The Penne with Grilled Zucchini, Ricotta Salata and Mint was less impressive... I like each of the ingredients used separately so it seemed like a no-brainer to make this, but apparently I do not like these ingredients mixed together. Honestly, I would even say it was a bit bland. Next time I think I'll skip this recipe and just serve Grilled Zucchini! That was the best part of the recipe in my opinion. I'll also be saving my mint for Mojitos only, thank you very much.

2 pounds small zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise
Extra-virgin olive oil (for brushing)
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
2 pinches of dried crushed red pepper
1 pound penne or ziti pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata (salted dry ricotta cheese; about 3 ounces)*
*Ricotta salata is a firm cheese with a mildly salty flavor

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Arrange zucchini on rimmed baking sheet; brush all over with oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper. Grill zucchini until tender, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Place in large serving bowl. Add vinegar, mint, and crushed red pepper; set aside. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Add pasta to zucchini mixture, then add 3 tablespoons olive oil and ricotta salata and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tutti Mangia!