Quadruple C Summer Salad

What do the four C's stand for you ask? Curried Cranberry and Citrus Couscous of course! My sister-in-law made this for a family get together and I absolutely loved it. She is incredibly busy that I didn't want to bother asking her for the recipe so I kind of threw this one together using my taste buds. I think I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself.

This salad is a perfect side dish for an evening meal or by itself for a light lunch. It tastes best after resting in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld together and the cranberries to plump up a bit, which makes it a perfect dish to bring for a pot luck Summer cookout.

Ingredients
3 cups cooked plain couscous
1 cup dried cranberries
14.5 ounce can of garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
10 ounce box of frozen peas thawed, rinsed and drained
1 large orange zested and juice squeezed (2 tablespoons of zest and 1/2 cup of juice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder

Directions

• In a large bowl mix together cooked couscous, dried cranberries, rinsed garbanzo beans and thawed peas.
• Zest approximately 2 tablespoons of orange peel into a small mixing bowl.
• Squeeze a 1/2 cup of  orange juice into the bowl with the zest. 
• Whisk the olive oil and curry powder into the orange mixture then pour over couscous and stir to combine.
• Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Servings
10 to 12

A Broken Oven Tip
If your family is scared off by the couscous, substitute it with pastina or a wild rice blend.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

When Will was a baby we were in a play group with four other little boys and their moms.  The playgroups started out as a couple hours in the morning with coffee and muffins and slowly turned into weekly semi-gourmet lunches as well. I think we all we're so starved for adult interaction and the marathon play dates were much welcomed -- well at least it was for me.  All these women were fabulous cooks and inspired me in the kitchen. This recipe was from a Michael's mom -- if you see this"Hi Trish!", and it is one of my favorites. 

Ingredients

2 cups cooked couscous

1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half

1 cup cucumbers

1 cup fresh parsley chopped

14 oz can of garbanzo beans rinsed and drained

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice -- about 1 lemon

1 tablespoon vinegar.

3 cloves fresh garlic

1 teaspoon dry mint

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Combine first six  ingredients in medium mixing bowl and set aside.
• Whisk together the last five ingredients and pour over couscous mixture.
• Chill in refrigerator and serve cold.

Servings
Makes 10 to 12 servings a 1/2 cup in size.

A Broken Oven Tip
Will your family freak out about the couscous? Try some orzo pasta, pastina or barley instead.  All are very tasty!

English Pea and Edamame Salad

There is a deli near my office I adore called Picc-a-Deli.They have the most creative sandwiches, salads and wraps and it's by far one my favorites lunch spots when I'm on the West side of Cleveland for my weekly office visit. During the Summer they started serving this pea and edamame salad and I just loved it. I picked apart the ingredients and searched online for variations, made some adjustment and this is the result. Some people freak because of the edamame, but it really is a tasty salad and a refreshing change from the usual pasta salad or cole slaw.

Ingredients
10 oz. package frozen peas
16 oz package of frozen shelled edamame -- Seapoint Farms is my favorite.
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped water chestnuts
12 slices (about 1 lb) thick sliced bacon , chopped and cooked
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook in a large deep skillet over medium heat until evenly brown.Do not overcook, the bacon should have a little bit of chew to it.
• Drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
• In medium bowl combine thawed and drained peas and edamame, celery, red onion and water chestnuts. 
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Combine sour cream and mayonnaise, mix well and gently stir into to the salad.
• Cover and refrigerate for two hours.
• Stir in cooked bacon before serving.

Servings
This recipe is great for large parties or potlucks because it feeds an army of people. I don't have exact measurements, but I'm estimating it yields 20 to 24, 1/2 cup servings.

A Broken Oven Tip
Substitute cashews or Spanish peanuts for the water chestnuts.  Toast and coarsely chop the nuts then stir into the salad with the bacon before serving. Totally wish I could make the salad this way more often, it's so tasty. Unfortunately we have nut allergies abound in our family which mean we omit nuts from recipes a lot.

Party Pasta Salad

Asparagus has been my veggie of choice this year.  I've been cooking with it a lot and trying to find new ways of preparing it other than steamed. During the final moments of preparation for Sophia's family birthday party I decided there needed to be pasta salad on the menu.  I literally looked in the fridge took out what I thought would make a good pasta salad and tossed it in a bowl.  Guess what? It was awesome! I made enough feed double the number of guests in attendance, but it wasn't a problem because Lila had something good to eat the following week for lunch.

Ingredients
1 lb. dry penne pasta
1 bunch Asparagus
1 cup marinaded sun dried tomatoes - California Sun-Dry Tomatoes in Herbs is my favorite
14 oz. can of artichoke hearts
1 bunch fresh basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
Salt & pepper to taste.

Directions

• Cook penne pasta according to the package directions and drain.
• Cut asparagus into bit size pieces.
• Slice sun dried tomatoes.
• Quarter artichoke hearts
• Chop basil.
• Combine pasta, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and basil in a large bowl and toss with the salad dressing.
• Toss with grated parmesan before serving.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to marry.

Servings

Serves 10 to 15 as a side dish

A Broken Oven Tip
Change the recipe up a bit by adding grilled chicken and substitute the parm for fresh mozzerella cheese. Swapping out the dressing for a flavorful pesto is good too.