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.

Spicy Skins with Mashed Potato Avocado Dip

I am in a writing, food and photography rut. This photograph is awful, the post is more than likely going to lack wit, however the recipe is pretty good if I do say so myself.  This dip has goat cheese and lemon juice in it which gives it a nice tang and compliments the heat of the spicy skins. This dish can be served as an appetizer,  side dish or on it's own as small meal. Lila and I ate this for lunch the other day along with a fruit salad and we both really enjoyed it.

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 Tablespoon

2 cloves garlic crushed

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon dried red hot pepper flakes

2 ripe avocados pitted, peeled and cubed

Juice of 1/2 a lime

5 oz soft goat cheese

Course salt .

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Rub potatoes with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Cook for 1 hour until spuds are tender.
• Remove from the oven and let cool to the touch. Cut lengthwise and scoop out the flesh of the potato; leaving a 1/2 inch of potato skin. Set the scooped out potato aside for the dip.
• Cut the skins in half again so the potato is cut into quarters.
• Combine the remaining oil, garlic, paprika and hot red pepper flakes in a large bowl.  Gently add the potato skins and toss lightly to coat.  
• Bake in a 375 degree for 45 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and sprinkle with course salt.
• While the potato skins are cooking. Combine the extra potato, cubed avocado, crushed garlic, goat cheese and lemon juice. You can use a potato masher or mixer to combine, but I find a food processor or blender works best.
• Serve dip alongside warm potato skins.

Servings
2 to 4


A Broken Oven Tip

This dip would also be great serve alongside veggies or chips.  Instead of baking the potatoes, use 1 cup of instant mashed potatoes. Still yum, but much easier and no waste.  

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower with Almonds

In my opinion, cauliflower is a boring vegetable that just kind of brings your plate down with all it's whiteness.  Stand alone, cauliflower's flavor is kind of blah. It is not quite broccoli and not quite cabbage. You know what I mean? It's mild taste however is the perfect blank canvas for cheese sauces and savory toppings which does make it a versatile side dish. This recipe is perfect served with pork or beef and is simple enough to make weekday, but unique enough to make for a special dinner. If I'm being honest, I could eat the topping alone by the spoonfuls.  I'm actually trying to figure out how to translate the topping into a crusty bread or crispy cracker, so stay tuned.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 head large cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
• Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
• Place cauliflower florets on baking sheet.
• Stir together raisins, bread crumbs, parmesan, almonds and oil in a medium bowl and sprinkle over cauliflower to coat. Much of the mixture will fall to baking sheet, but don't worry. The mixture will toast up nicely and can be scooped up later to serve with the cauliflower.
• Roast in the center of the oven until cauliflower is golden and the crumbs are toasted, about 20 minutes.
• Drizzle lemon juice over top of cauliflower and lightly toss on baking sheet. Let roast 5 minutes longer.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

Servings
4 to 6

A Broken Oven Tip

Try substituting broccoli for the cauliflower. The taste is a little bolder, but still very delicious. Another substitution is using dried cranberries instead of the raisins.

Mashed Cauliflower

In the past I've pureed cauliflower and hid it in mashed potatoes in an effort to increase my kids vegetable intake. However, one evening I was feeling a bit daring and decided to doctor up the mashed cauliflower and serve it on it's own.  Surprisingly, the kids loved it, even Will. The prep is a little bit of work but the results is a deliciously creamy side dish that could easily pass for mashed potatoes.

Ingredients
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Steam cauliflower for approximately 8 - 10 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.
• Put the milk and oil in a blender or food processor.
• Add the cauliflower, salt and pepper
• Cover and process until blended.
• Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

Servings
Makes approximately 4 to 6 servings.

A Broken Oven Tip
Add a clove of garlic or top with your favorite cheese for extra flavor.

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.

Spiced Pineapple Bake

Every Easter my mother-in-law bakes this delicious pineapple bake as one of her side dishes for the family holiday meal -- "Hi Mom!". This recipe is one of my favorite food discoveries from my in-laws.  It's easy enough to incorporate into our meal plan rotation and different enough that people are impressed when served on a special occasion, well at least my family is impressed. I don't know if this is my mother-in-laws exact recipe, but this is the one I use and it's pretty darn close if it isn't.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 slices white bread, torn
20 oz can of cubed or crushed pineapple with juice

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
• Grease a an 8 x 8 casserole dish or 2 quart baking dish.
• Cream butter together with the white and brown sugar. 
• Beat in eggs one at a time. 
• Add cinnamon and nutmeg to butter-sugar mixture.. 
• Stir bread and crushed pineapple into the mixture. 
• Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.
• Bake 60 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown

Servings
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

A Broken Oven Tip
I've experimented and this recipe is yummy made with peaches too.  Served warm with vanilla ice cream even better. Check out that recipe right here!