Fresh Corn Tomato Salad

I made this because I had 10 ears of fresh corn on the cob in the fridge and I also had cups and cups of grape tomatoes from the garden. I had seen a corn and tomato salad somewhere, but couldn't find it again, so I just searched until I found one that sounded as good.

The best thing about this salad is that you don't have to cook anything. The corn is just cut off the cob and combined with the other ingredients.
My husband loved this salad. He had three servings. Of course, he didn't have any tomatoes in his servings, but he really loved the rest of the salad. It was fresh and delicious.


Here is the recipe for Fresh Corn Tomato Salad
* I didn't add as much salt as called for, only 1 teaspoon
* I used red wine vinegar
* I tossed in some arugula
* I didn't have enough basil to use as much as called for, I used about 1/2 of the amount

Lindsey's ABC Salad

Now that we've got all of those baked goods out of the way, that leaves room to talk about this delicious salad that I found over at one of my favorite blogs- Cafe Johnsonia.

It is called ABC Salad. It contains Baby salad greens-(to which I added some arugula), avocado, almonds, dried apricots, buckwheat, chickpeas and I figured while I was at it, I might as well top it off with some blueberry vinegar.

I've been trying to get more salads and veggies in my diet and eating a nice big salad for lunch is one easy way to do that. My only problem is that sometimes I get bored with salad. Especially if it always seems to contain the exact same ingredients.
That is what I loved about this salad the most- it had lots of fun flavors and textures, combining ingredients that I never would have thought to mix. And it's vegan.

So give it a try because it is delicious.

Here is the recipe for ABC Salad
*She has much prettier pictures and more details about this delicious salad

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club- Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette with homemade Blueberry Vinegar

Jerry picked our theme- 100 Miles of Flavor-for this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.
We were each to choose a recipe that showcased a local ingredient, something that could be found within 100 miles of where we live.
Here is how the menu turned out- the local ingredients are in parentheses.

Jerry - Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce- (local beef and wine)

Sandi - Peas and Orzo with Pesto - (peas, basil and Southern pecans )

Mary Ann - Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette (Blueberry Vinegar) (local blueberries and honey)

Jamie - Grilled Ginger-Lime Shrimp (Gulf of Mexico Seafood)

Roz - Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Marscapone Cheese-(local rice)

Val - Fallen Chocolate Cake with Cherry Red Wine Sauce - (local cherries and wine)

For my local ingredients I decided to use blueberries and honey. I found this great recipe for blueberry vinegar that is used in a fabulous vinaigrette and it was the perfect fit.

I decided to use blueberries that I picked from my husband's grandmother bush last summer, that I had frozen to make the blueberry vinegar. (She lives about 7 minutes from us, so that is pretty local). I read the reviews on the recipe and someone else had mentioned that they used frozen blueberries to make the vinegar and it worked out fine.

Making the blueberry vinegar was really easy. I just combined a couple of ingredients on the stovetop and let the mixture sit, and then strained the vinegar. I let the vinegar sit overnight and then made the salad and vinaigrette the next day.

The salad is very simple. Baby arugula-I also threw in some spinach, red onion, blueberries and then a quick vinaigrette, which contains the blueberry vinegar, a little honey, dijon mustard, and olive oil. So simple and so delicious.
I had leftover blueberry vinegar and we have been drizzling it on all sorts of things. The other night we had salmon, quinoa, broccoli and cauliflower and I thought we could drizzle the vinegar over the salmon. My daughter liked it so much that she drizzled blueberry vinegar over everything on her plate. The rest of the family followed suit.

This was a great salad and it was really fun to learn how easy it is to make flavored vinegar.
Check out the rest of this great local menu above.


Here is the recipe for Blueberry Vinegar

Here is the recipe for Mixed Greens with Blueberry Vinaigrette
* I added baby spinach to the salad
*I omitted the frisee because I couldn't find it anywhere

Chicken with Arugula Pesto

Do you love arugula?
I do.
It is a delicate little green that has a big bite. It is often described as "peppery" and as having a "strong" flavor.
It definitely has some taste to it and I think it is wonderful.

I love using arugula in salads, on sandwiches, pizza, basically anywhere you would use spinach.
I had a couple cups left in my fridge a couple of weeks ago and decided I wanted to make pesto with it.
I found this recipe for Chicken with Arugula Pesto on epicurious.com and thought chicken would be great with the pesto.
Some of the recipe reviews said that they subbed in a cup or so of spinach in the pesto to tone down the arugula and I am sure that was a tasty substitution.

The leftover pesto is great spread on sandwiches, wraps, as a base sauce for pizza or even with pasta.

The recipe called for poached chicken, but seared both sides of my chicken before I added the broth to the pan, so that the chicken would have a better texture on the exterior.
I should have sliced the chicken for the picture, it would have looked better, but thought of that after the fact. Oh well! It was yummy!

Recipe for Chicken with Arugula Pesto

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Arugula and Spinach

Once upon a time there was the most gigantic butternut squash in the whole entire world.
I happened to find this huge squash and I bought it. It was 18 inches tall.
I was able to make this Bundt cake that had a couple cups of shredded butternut squash, these roasted veggies,
both of these stuffings/dressings, a soup (which I haven't posted yet) and I STILL had some squash left.
I roasted the rest of the squash cubes, along with a large chopped onion, in the oven with fresh oregano, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary.
Then I remembered Maria's post about Pizza that was topped with butternut squash and I decided that sounded really good. I didn't follow her recipe, but I used her idea.

I used a pre-made whole wheat crust, just because I had one that needed to be used. I also had some arugula and spinach that I thought would be great under the squash.
I drizzled my crust with a little bit of olive oil, heaped on tons of arugula and spinach and then topped the greens with my roasted butternut squash/onion mixture.
I sprinkled feta cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese on top and put it in the oven for a few minutes.
Ok, people. This was the most delicious pizza I have ever tasted. Ever. So good.
I can't tell you how great the flavors went with each other.
Unbelievable.

I know there are people out there that believe the simplier the better when it comes to pizza. I agree-sometimes.
This is a topping heavy pizza, but it is so good. And pretty too. And it just seems like it has to be good for you because of all the veggies.
That probably only applies if you don't eat the entire pizza yourself. Good luck with that.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Arugula and Spinach
pre-made whole wheat or regular pizza crust (Here is my fave quick crust)
3-4 cups butternut squash cubes
1 onion, chopped
fresh thyme
fresh oregano
fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
olive oil
spinach
arugula
feta cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread your butternut squash cubes and chopped onion on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss with fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
Roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until squash is tender.

Make your crust and prebake if necessary.
Drizzle crust with a little bit of olive oil.
Spread arugula and spinach over crust.
Top greens with roasted butternut squash/onion mixture.
Sprinkle cheeses over squash mixture.
Bake in oven, until cheese is melted and crust is done.

Maria's Recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza

2 Thanksgiving Salads- Pear & Arugula Salad and Priscilla's Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

Here are 2 more recipes that would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving Day Menu. Both of these salad recipes were featured in the November issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

I decided to make the Pear and Arugula Salad because I love arugula and thought the flavors would be great together. Arugula has a nice peppery bite to it, which I absolutely love. The red pear, sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese and delicious, light lemon dressing really made this a refreshing salad. Sometimes the traditional Thanksgiving dishes are so heavy, that I think a nice, light salad would really brighten up the table and add some much needed green to the menu.

The Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad was just too interesting to pass up. I have noticed persimmons the past couple times I have gone to the grocery store, but until I saw this recipe, I really had no idea what to do with one. My kids love pomegranates, so we have been munching on the arils quite a bit already this fall, and the ones at the grocery store right now are beautiful-so large and bright red.
I forgot to pick up pine nuts, so I just subbed in roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). This salad has a nice kick from the jalapeno and the lime juice really brings all the flavors together.
Persimmons are really tasty and so beautiful when you slice them. Be brave and try this salad, you might really love it!


Recipe for Pear and Arugula Salad

Recipe for Priscilla's Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

White Bean and Arugula Pasta Salad

Do you ever get tired of the same old pasta salad type dish? I know I do.

I made this in the heat of the summer. I didn't want to turn on the oven, I wanted something that would be ready in a matter of minutes, and I wanted it to taste good.

I saw this recipe in the August issue of Southern Living Magazine. I was at the library with my kids and was thumbing through it- the picture just looked really good, and besides, sometimes you just want a dinner or dish that is easy-peasy.

This is a variation of the recipe, that was provided- which added a couple of cans of tuna, in my mind turning it into an acceptable main dish.
I had most of the items on hand, which was another plus.

The original recipe called for sun-dried tomatoes, but I didn't have any, and my husband thinks tomatoes are poisonous, so I decided I preferred that he live, so I just chopped a red bell pepper and called it good.

I usually only use whole wheat pasta, but when we were unpacking our food boxes that we brought from Utah, I found a box of the cute mini bowties, so I used those.

I love the arugula in this, which adds a nice little peppery bite, but you could also use spinach. The feta could also easily be swapped out and you could use chickpeas instead of white beans.

I couldn't remember the exact name of the recipe when I did my picture, but when I found the recipe later at myrecipes.com, I realized that I messed up the name a little bit. Oh well, you can call it whatever you want. All I know is that it was easy, tasty, and left us feeling quite satisfied.

Recipe for Pasta with White Beans and Arugula

One Year Ago- Tilapia Fish Sticks, Millet Pilaf, and Kale Chips

Roasted Vegetable and Italian Chicken Sandwiches with Marinara

This is something I came up with the other night and it is based on two of my favorites. One of those is a sandwich I always get at Maggiano's, deep-fried, breaded eggplant, roasted red peppers, roasted mushrooms and squash,with some lovely cheese, all on crusty Italian bread, with marinara to dip it in. The other favorite is something my mom always used to make when we were kids. She thinly sliced zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, whatever veggies we had from the garden, layered them on a hoagie bun, put a slice of mozzerella on top, and broiled it until golden. So, this is me trying to recreate all those delicious veggies, without the deep-fried goodness, and I added some chicken, because some people in this house can't handle just eating veggies (It isn't me). Oh, and I found these wonderfully, thinly sliced chicken breasts in the poultry section of the grocery store, which saved me some pounding! I was also able to use some of the great produce I found this past weekend at the local farmers market.
Roasted Vegetable and Italian Chicken Sandwichs with Marinara by Mary Ann
2 red bell peppers or pre-bottled roasted red peppers if you don't want to roast your own
1 japanese eggplant, (or normal eggplant), thinly sliced
1 summer squash, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
4-5 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 chicken breast halves, sliced thin, or pounded thin
Italian seasoning
arugula or spinach leaves
provolone cheese slices
ciabatta bread, or other crusty Italian bread (hoagies would work too)
marinara sauce, for dipping

1. Preheat the broiler. Cut the red peppers in half, discard seeds and membranes. Place them cut side down, on a piece of foil, on a baking sheet. Smash them down with the palm of your hand. Broil until roasted and skins are slightly black, 10-15 minutes. Remove from foil with tongs and place in a large ziploc bag for 10-15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, carefully remove the peel and place in a bowl.

2. Switch the oven control to 450 degrees. Spray another baking sheet with cooking spray. Layer your thinly sliced veggies on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil or spray with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until almost tender, 5-7 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with a plate, leaving a small opening to vent.

3. Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in an electric skillet. Add chicken breast and season liberally with Italian seasoning. Cook for a few minutes, and turn over to other side. Season with more Italian seasoning and cover. Cook for a few more minutes, until cooked through. When cooked through, remove from pan.

4. Warm marinara in the microwave or in a small saucepan while preparing sandwich.

5. To prepare sandwich, slice bread in half. Layer arugula (this has a bit of a bite, kinda peppery) or spinach on the bottom. Top with roasted zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, and mushrooms. Layer chicken on top of veggies. Top chicken with roasted red peppers and provolone. Place under broiler to melt cheese. Put other half of bread on top and serve with marinara. You could also spread the marinara on the bread, if you are not one who likes to dip!