Broccoli Pasta Salad with Bacon and Sunflower Seeds

 

I was experimenting in the kitchen over the weekend and ended up making this pasta salad. This is the first time, as well as I can remember, that I have ever added broccoli to pasta salad. It was so good that I could hardly stop eating it. My intention was to use it as a side dish, but I ended up tossing it with some grated pepper jack cheese, and had it as a meal. If you would prefer your pasta salad, be less creamy, then just use your favorite vinaigrette and toss it all together. I’m thinking that you’re probably going to like it either way.

 Broccoli Pasta Salad with Bacon and Sunflower Seeds

1/3 c. your favorite vinaigrette
½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise
2 T. sour cream
1/8 t. dry mustard
Seasoned salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste

6 oz. vegetable rotini pasta
2 c. chopped broccoli, florets
1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s dried tart cherries
¼ c. dry roasted sunflower seeds
4 thick slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large bowl whisk together vinaigrette, mayonnaise, sour cream, dry mustard, and salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Add drained pasta, broccoli, red onion, dried cherries, sunflower seeds, and bacon to bowl with dressing, toss to combine. Refrigerate for one to four hours to allow flavors to meld before serving.

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Romesco Sauce

I am generally not one to ramble on, but I need to give you a little background here. Last week, feeling nostalgic, I decided to replicate the meal that I had on our honeymoon in Nassau some 27 years ago, blackened grouper. So I got myself some grouper, and then realized that I don’t know anything about cooking fish. I searched for a recipe, and while I did come up with one for blackened grouper (which is nothing more than putting blackened seasoning on both sides of the grouper and then baking, broiling, or grilling it), I discovered Romesco Sauce for the first time. 

 Where has this been all my life? If you are wondering what Romesco Sauce is, let me tell you that it is of Spanish and Portuguese origin. The base ingredients include roasted red peppers, nuts, garlic, bread (yes, bread!), olive oil, and vinegar. It is then processed into a paste wherein it will become one of your favorite sauces in the world! Not only is it tangy, spicy, and delicious, but it is so versatile. I have used it on its own, in pasta salad, as a topper for tomato soup, stirred into ranch dressing, blended into cream cheese as a spread, and recently in egg salad; it makes everything better! I also added a tablespoon to my recipe for Cheesy Garlic Bread, and it was magnificent! 

In case you’re wondering, I ruined the grouper. It was overdone, tough, and rubbery, but hey, I found the sauce!

Romesco Sauce

Slightly adapted from Gourmet Magazine, June 2000

 1/3 c. whole blanched almonds, toasted

1 slice firm white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

2 large garlic cloves

½ t. dried hot red pepper flakes*

½ c. coarsely chopped Melissa’s roasted red peppers

2 T. red-wine vinegar

½ t. salt, or to taste

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

 Finely grind almonds, bread, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Add roasted peppers, vinegar, and salt, then purée, adding oil in a slow stream. Season with black pepper.

*Use less, if desired.

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Creamy Olive Dressing

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I eat a lot of salad; I think I get that from my dad. There was not a day that would go by that he didn’t have a salad. Those, and his martinis, are probably what led to his long life. He chalked it up to clean living, but who knows? (Insert wry smile.) Unlike my dad, I don’t have bottles of salad dressing stacked up in my fridge like cord wood as he did. No, I make my dressing fresh. One thing that makes homemade salad dressing super easy is having a mini ninja blender. If you don’t have one of these, you need to get one. It has a multitude of uses, of course, but it makes brilliant salad dressing. When you use this blender to make salad dressing it will stay emulsified no matter how long you keep it in the fridge. No more shaking in the hopes of returning it to the wonderfully blended state that it was initially, it stays that way. This creamy flavorful dressing will delight olive lovers. If one of them happens to be you, you must try this. It is equally as good on a green salad as it is in a pasta salad.

Creamy Olive Dressing

½ c. mayonnaise

½ c. sour cream

1 garlic clove, halved

¼ c. roughly chopped parsley

1 T. chopped scallion (1 medium)

1½ T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ T. olive oil

1/3 c. ripe (black) olives, drained

1/3 c. Kalamata olives, drained

1/8 - 1/4 t. kosher salt

Few gratings freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients into a blender (I use a mini ninja blender) and process until smooth. Keeps in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.

 

Ranch Pasta Salad

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My dad was a big fan of salads. Even after my mother passed away, and he lived on his own for six years, he had a fresh salad every day; that, and his daily gin martini, was no doubt the secrets to his long and productive life.

When it comes to loving salads, the apple (Oooh, apple salad sounds good!) did not fall far from the tree, I love them as well. Whereas dad tended to stick with green salads, I like salads of all kinds. This week I was attempting to clean out my pantry (something that I have decided is a lost cause), and found half of a box of tricolor pasta. Because it fell out at my feet, and was generally irritating me, I decided to make a salad. I chopped up a variety of crisp, fresh vegetables to include with the cooked, drained, and cooled pasta, as well as one of my new favorite ingredients, salad seasoning.

This beauty keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge; if you want to have salad for a number of days running, but don’t want the hassle of fixing it, give this a try. Most of the kids that I know consider Ranch Dressing to be a food group, so they will love this.

Ranch Pasta Salad

1 c. Ranch Salad Dressing*
8 oz. tricolor rotini pasta
1 green pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 radishes, diced
1 Melissa’s French Echalion shallot, finely diced**
1 English cucumber, diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 T. Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Rinse thoroughly in cold water, and drain. Place cooked and cooled noodles into a medium mixing bowl, and toss with ranch dressing, to coat. With a rubber spatula, fold in all vegetables. Add salad seasoning and mix to combine.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. If you like the salad creamier, feel free to add more ranch dressing. Keeps in the refrigerator up to two days, perhaps three.

If you’d like to add protein and serve this as a main dish, add chopped egg, crumbled bacon, or julienne slices of cooked ham.

 *I prefer to make my own up fresh, but bottled works too.

 **Can substitute an equal amount of red onion.

 

 

Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad

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Last week I mentioned my obsession with corn. That obsession continues, with corn in all forms. I just discovered that I could have a box of local decorative goodies delivered to my home including mini pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn! How exciting is that? To celebrate, I decided to use [edible] corn in this delicious Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad. Unique and flavorful, fans of Mexican street corn are going to love you for making this. Word to the wise, either serve it immediately, or, if you want to make it ahead, do not combine the dressing with the pasta or it will absorb it all and your salad will be dry. To keep it creamy, add it together just before serving.

Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad

 8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked, drained, and cooled

1 c. canned corn, drained

½ c. feta cheese, crumbled

2 T. finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish*

⅓ c. sour cream

¼ c. mayonnaise

¼ t. chili powder

¼ t. onion powder

¼ t. salt

Few gratings freshly ground black pepper

Pinch garlic powder

Pinch smoked paprika

Pinch cumin

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 t. lime zest

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, chili powder, onion powder, salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and lime juice.

 Add the pasta, corn, parsley, and lime zest. Toss to coat.

 Next, add ¼ cup of the feta. Gently toss into the pasta mixture. Transfer to serving dish. Top with remaining feta and more parsley. Serve.

 If you prefer to serve later, keep dressing separate from the pasta mixture and combine just before serving in a festive bowl.

 *You can use cilantro if you prefer.

 

 

“It’s Greek to Me” Pasta Salad

I am a big fan of Greek salad, but truth be told, there are some components of Greek salad that I don’t particularly care for. First of all, the tomato, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love tomato, and never fix my sandwich without one (OK peanut butter would be the exception here), but I just don’t care for tomato in a salad. Second, green pepper, again, I love green pepper, and can still remember how wonderfully they tasted warm from the garden when I used to grow them with my dad as a little girl. I still grow them, and I love them in various dishes, but not in salad.

So, as I was planning to make a Greek pasta salad, I decided to switch out some of the ingredients that I didn’t care for, with some that I truly did, and this is the result. I think this is my new favorite way to make a Greek Pasta Salad, and, because it’s not 100% traditional, I’m calling it, “It’s Greek to Me.” 

“It’s Greek to Me” Pasta Salad

  Dressing:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salad:

3 cups fusili, cooked according to package directions

1/3 of a 7-oz. jar of Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, sliced into strips

1 9-oz. pkg. Melissa’s Peeled & Steamed Garbanzo Beans 

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 14.5 oz. jar Hearts of Palm, sliced into coins

1 ½ cups feta cheese, crumbled

½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic until thick and creamy; chill. In a large mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients. Toss salad ingredients with dressing gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8

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Purists will enjoy the more traditional version of Greek pasta salad found here.

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Greek Pasta Salad

Knowing how much I love a good Greek Salad (I am fortunate enough to have a Greek restaurant just a couple of miles from my house -- hello baklava!), a friend of mine gave me this recipe for a Greek Pasta Salad. I love pasta salad, too, so this was really the best of both worlds. I ate it as a main dish as is, but for a heartier version you could add cubed salami. I'll be making this again and again.

Greek Pasta Salad

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 cups fusili, cooked according to package directions

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced

12 pitted Kalamata olives

1 small jar marinated artichokes

1 ½ cups feta cheese, crumbled

½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

4 scallions, sliced

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic until thick and creamy; chill. In a large mixing bowl combine pasta, tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, olives, artichokes, feta cheese, parsley, and green onions. Toss salad ingredients with dressing gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8

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May is National Salad Month

May is National Salad Month, and before it gets away (Can you believe that June is next week?), I wanted to share some of my favorite salads with you. This is a tasty and diverse group. Some are hearty, some are light, all are unique and satisfying, and sure to earn you lots of compliments. To get to the recipe, click on the name of the salad beneath each picture.

Chickpea, Avocado and Feta Salad

Fava Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

 Pear and Walnut Salad

 Muffaletta Pasta Salad

 Tarragon Chicken Salad with Champagne Grapes

 Baby Greens, Beet, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad

 Mexican Cobb Salad

 Waldorf Salad

 Sorrel & Watermelon Salad with Feta

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Muffaletta Pasta Salad

If you have ever been to New Orleans, then you know that the food is as much of an attraction as are the sites. I loved every bit of what I had to eat from the beignets, to the soft-shelled crabs, to the pralines, and the iconic Muffaletta sandwich. The Muffaletta is a New Orleans original dating back to the early nineteen hundreds. Essentially it is a round loaf of bread, hollowed out and filled with meats, cheeses, and a deliciously tangy olive salad. It is one of my favorite sandwiches and I am thankful that a café down the street serves a darned good one.

I'm always looking for ways to inject New Orleans flavors into everyday foods, so when I spotted this recipe for Muffaletta Pasta Salad  on Allrecipes, I had to give it a try. The original recipe didn't quite make it for me, so I changed it up a bit, adding thinly sliced rings of pepperonicini for some zing, and a bit of creamy Italian salad dressing to make it darned near perfect. It serves equally well as a side dish or main meal, and it's tough to stop eating this one.

Muffaletta Pasta Salad
1 pound rotini pasta (I used Farfalle)
5 ounces tapenade 

 Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (6.34 ounce) package Melissa's artichoke hearts,
drained and quartered
8 ounces sliced salami, cut into thin strips
8 ounces sliced baked ham, cut into thin strips
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
4 ounces provolone cheese, cubed

2 whole pepperoncini, sliced into thin rings
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons creamy Italian salad dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain and run under cold water to cool.

Mix tapenade into pasta and season with pepper. Add artichoke hearts, salami, ham, olives, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, pepperoncini, red bell pepper, and parsley to pasta mixture and toss to coat. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and stir in Italian salad dressing.  Serve immediately.

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