Our Christmas Favorite Antipasto Bowl
prepared by Melissa K
from Cooking Light magazine, Dec 2000
3 C asparagus, cut in 2-inch lengths
3 C mushrooms, quartered
1 C red bell pepper strips
3 oz. mozzarella cheese, in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 C pitted ripe olives
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained & quartered
1 11-oz jar pickled pepperoncini peppers, drained
Steam asparagus 2 minutes, then plunge into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Drain. Place in a large bowl with all the remaining indgredients and toss with dressing (below). Chill until ready to serve. Do not prepare more than 4-6 hours in advance or it will get too soggy.
Dressing:
Mix all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to combine, and pour over vegetables.
1/3 C cider vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C parsley. finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t dried oregano leaves
1 t sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
Chinese Noodle Salad
prepared by Jacki H
Spinach Salad
prepared by Tracey S
Oriental Smash
prepared by Juli McG
1 pkg shredded broccoli
1 sm can mandarin oranges
1/4 C pine nuts
1/4 C chopped red onion
handful or black caps, raspberries and/or blueberries
1/4 C chopped or shredded red beets (optional)
1 pkg fresh sea kelp (can be found at New Seasons in the refrigerated section)
Dressing:
rice vinegar
sesame or almond oil
Seasonings:
sea salt
tiny pinch of cumin
big pinch of turmeric
Spicy Sesame Salad
originally from Portland Palate
prepared by Allison P
1 pound thin spaghetti
Dressing:
1/2 C vegetable oil, divided
1/2 C sesame oil
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t ground ginger
3 T creamy peanut butter
1/3 C soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 C green onions (4 to 6), chopped
1 1/2 T sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 pound pea pods
1/3 C broccoli florets
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, place in serving bowl and toss with 1 T vegetable oil.
Dressing: In a blender or food processor, combine oils, vinegar, red pepper flakes, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce, and garlic and blend thoroughly.
Pour dressing over noodles and toss while noodles are still warm. Cool, add carrots, green onions, sesame seeds, pea pods and broccoli and toss. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Greek Cherry Tomato Salad
from Cook's Illustrated July/August 2008
prepared by Melinda K
1 pints ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
table salt
1/2 t sugar
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 t dried oregano
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 T)
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
ground black pepper
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 C chopped pitted kalamata olives
4 oz feta cheese, crumbed (about 1 C)
3 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Toss tomatoes, 1/4 t salt, and sugar in medium bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been extracted, about a minute, stopping stirring to redistribute tomatoes a few times during the spinning. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain exuded liquid through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract liquid.
Bring 1/2 C tomato liquid, garlic, oregano, shallot and vinegar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 T, 6-8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and cool to room temperature, about five minutes. Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined, and season with up to 1/8 t table salt. Add this mixture and remaining ingredients to bowl with tomatoes, toss gently and serve.
Chop Chop Garden Salad
prepared by Jenn S
3-4 romaine hearts
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 english cucumber
2 carrots
4-6 slices of crispy bacon
Chop up all ingredients and toss with your favorite dressing (in this case, Lighthouse Ranch).
Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (O-E Muchim)
prepared by Holly O
1 lb thinly sliced cucumber (seedless works best)
salted for 30 min, rinsed, and patted dry
Then mix slices in a bowl with:
1/2 t each: sugar, sesame oil, salt, rice vinegar, and red pepper powder
1/4 t each: minced garlic clove, sesame seeds
I double the sugar and triple the rice vinegar in my kitchen (tangier version).
Fruit Salad
prepared by Loya Webb
Gremolata-Rice-Red Grape Salad
prepared by Tiffany F
1/4 C olive oil
2 T champagne vinegar
2 T sugar
1/2 C parsley, finely chopped
zest of a large lemon
2-3 cloves finely minced garlic
Whisk together the olive oil, champagne vinegar, and sugar. Add parsley, lemon zest, and garlic and stir well.
To make salad pictured, mix gremolata with cooked rice, halved red grapes, and thinly-sliced red onion.
Greek Pasta Salad
prepared by Kay H
You will need...
red peppers
kalamata olives
good olive oil, and Italian dressing
box and a half of ziti pasta
medium container of Feta cheese
fresh basil
italian seasonings
grape tomatoes, cut in half
6 to 7 T sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/2 t crushed garlic
At the bottom of serving bowl, mix together, one bottle of your favorite Italian dressing, 3 to 4 dashes of good olive oil, chopped pitted kalamata olives, chopped red peppers, or roasted peppers, slivered fresh basil, Italian seasonings, grape tomatoes, garlic, and one half container of crumbled feta cheese. Toss carefully, as to NOT break down the feta. Add cooled cooked pasta. I prefer barilla whole grain, but any pasta will do. Toss until coated, and chill. Before serving, take out for one half hour, and toss again. Add more dressing if dry. Garnish with added sprig of basil, and enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Toll House)
prepared by Janie D
Quiche
prepared by Michelle T
BLT Pasta
prepared by Rachel W
3 C romaine lettuce
1 lb bacon
4 roma tomatoes
12oz radiatore pasta
Sauce:
1/2 C mayonnaise
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t coarsely-ground black pepper
Boil pasta until al dente, then rinse with cold water. Cook bacon, then drain fat and allow bacon to cool. Cut tomatoes in wedges. Toss lettuce, pasta, tomatoes, and bacon. Mix sauce and pour over mixture. Salad is best served cold and immediately after sauce is on salad. If the salad sits too long it will go soggy.
Fruit Salad (strawberry, blueberry, mango)
prepared by Alena L
Ensalata de Muchos Colores
originally from Sunset Magazine, June 2005
prepared by Janet A
Prep time: About 25 minutes
Makes: 5 cups; 4 or 5 servings (so I double the recipe)
1/4 C extra-virigin olive oil
1/4 C lime juice
cumin
1 1/2 C cooked basmati rice, cooled
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 C finely diced carrot
3/4 C raw or canned whole kernel corn
3/4 C finely chopped tomato
1/4 C minced Italian parsley
1/4 C minced cilantro
2 T finely chopped red onion
Salt and pepper to taste or 1 t salt, 1/4 t pepper
In a serving bowl, stir olive oil, lime juice, and cumin to blend. Add rice, beans, carrots, corn, tomato, parsley, cilantro and onion. Stir gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Skye's Brother-in-Law Bob's Watermelon Tomato Salad
prepared by Skye E
Ripe watermelon chunks (about 1/2 watermelon to 1/2 tomato)
Ripe tomato chunks (Bob prefers Roma for this)
Red onion
Feta cheese
Sherry vinegar
Olive oil
Fresh grated ginger
maybe a squeeze of lemon juice
Sea salt
A little sugar
Fresh parsley
Mix together olive oil, vinegar, ginger, lemon juice, salt, and sugar (in whatever amounts seem good to you), marinate the tomatoes and onions in that as long as overnight, or skip the marinating if you want. When you're ready to serve mix in the watermelon, feta cheese, and fresh parsley. You don't think it sounds good, but I couldn't stop eating it the first time I had it. You can't tell the watermelon from the tomatoes in there until you bite into them. It's like a little culinary surprise every time.
Lime-Coconut Bars
prepared by Natalie C
(Tweaked from the Lionhouse Entertaining Cookbook Lemon Bar recipe)
Crust
1 1/4 C butter
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C powdered sugar
Beat butter until softened. Add flour and powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Spread evenly in 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes (until edges are light golden brown). Remove from oven.
Filling
4 eggs
2 C sugar
6 T lime juice
4 T all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
Zest of one lime
1/2-1 C coconut, according to preference
Mix together eggs, sugar, juice, flour, baking powder, zest and coconut either by hand or on low speed (it is important not to mix a lot of air into the filling). Pour onto crust and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting (can dust with powdered sugar).
Here's another recipe for which there is not an accompanying picture (when it was unmolded I was elsewhere, and then it got eaten!):
Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
prepared by Marla S
1 lg box orange Jello
2 sm cans mandarin oranges
orange juice
Drain cans of mandarin oranges into a glass measuring cup. Add enough orange juice to make 2 C liquid. Microwave to just below boiling, then mix in the Jello. Add more orange juice to make 4 C liquid. Put orange segments into mold, pour liquid over them and refrigerate until set. Serve with mayonnaise as a topping.
