Summer’s Best Pasta Salad

Serves 6

Husband-Tested Recipe from Alice’s Kitchen

When your fridge is full of summer produce, make this tasty pasta salad.  This would make great picnic food or lunchbox addition.  To make this meatless, just omit the chicken.  Feel free to add other summer produce like sweet corn or summer squash to the mix.

8 ounces whole-wheat elbow macaroni

Olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

4 chicken breast tenders or 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

½ small red onion, minced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or 2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves or 4 cubes of Dorot Frozen Basil, thawed

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to a large bowl. Meanwhile, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a hot skillet.  Sprinkle the chicken cubes with salt and pepper.  Sauté the chicken a few minutes, until cooked. Add the chicken to the bowl. Add the zucchini slices to the same skillet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sauté the zucchini until crisp tender and still bright green.  Add the zucchini and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl with the chicken and pasta.  Toss together until well mixed and serve.

Greek Pasta Salad with Tomato, Cucumber, Olives and Feta Cheese

Recipe from Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 6

When the tomatoes and cucumbers are at their peak, toss this quick-to-make salad together to serve on those hot summer days.  Omit the pasta if you don’t wish to heat up the stove.  This salad is quite forgiving and tastes great with or without the pasta.

½ pound cooked pasta, al dente (bow tie, fusilli, macaroni, orzo, etc…) 

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ lb. fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cucumber, seeded and diced

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

¼ red onion, sliced thinly

¼ cup packed minced fresh parsley

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (goat cheese or blue cheese would be good too)

(Optional additions:  avocado, chickpeas (rinsed), artichoke hearts, baby greens, cooked chicken, shrimp or tuna)

Herb Dressing or Alice’s A+ Vinaigrette (Recipes follow)

Directions:

When the pasta is done cooking, drain and then toss with the olive oil.  Add the remaining ingredients and then drizzle with a bit of the Herb Dressing or Alice’s A+ Vinaigrette. 

Herb Dressing

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¾ cup olive oil

½ cup minced fresh basil, oregano and/or dill (or a few cubes of Dorot Frozen basil, thawed)

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a glass jar with a lid.  Shake well until the ingredients are well blended. 

Alice’s A+ Vinaigrette:

1-2 fresh lemons

1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (optional)

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a pint mason jar, squeeze the juice from 1-2 lemons (about 1/4 cup juice). Add the minced garlic, if using. Add about 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil. Add salt & freshly ground pepper to taste. (I use a "healthy pinch" of both.) Screw on the lid. Shake the jar vigorously until all the ingredients are blended well. Drizzle just enough of the dressing over the salad to gently coat the leaves. This recipe usually makes enough for 3 large salads.)  Store the jar on the counter for up to two days.

Pasta with Chicken, Tomato, and Feta

Serves 4

Recipe from Everyday Food, July/August 2004

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Don’t you love it when things turn out better than expected?  It was a rainy, lazy day at our house when I decided to try this recipe.  I wasn’t expecting it to be so delectably delicious because it seemed so simple. I used the Dorot frozen basil cubes to replace the fresh basil leaves, which I didn’t have.  I did have lovely locally grown tomatoes.  This had all the flavors I love.  I’d say this would be perfect for the lunch box, a picnic or a light supper with good friends.  I served this with some tortilla chips and a crisp apple. 

Coarse salt and ground pepper

12 ounces ditalini or other small tubular pasta (I used whole wheat rotini pasta.)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (I used two large local heirloom tomatoes.)

3 cups shredded, cooked rotisserie chicken (skin removed) (I had made some chicken stock with a whole chicken the day before and used the leftover chicken from it.)

1 cup torn fresh basil leaves or 4 cubes of Dorot Frozen Basil, thawed

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain; rinse well under cold water.

Transfer to a large bowl; toss with oil, lemon juice, feta, tomatoes, chicken, and basil; season generously with salt and pepper.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Here it is again.  I make this salad often when the tomatoes are ripe and
the basil is fresh.  Serve it along with some ice cold cucumber water
for a refreshing lunch or dinner.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen
Serves 4

This summer salad takes less than 15 minutes to put together and tastes great with anything.  
Find the ingredients, including locally-grown tomatoes, at Lost River Market & Deli.  If you don't have fresh basil, be sure to have some Dorot Frozen Chopped Basil in your freezer.  By the time you cut up the tomatoes and cheese, the basil will have thawed.  Read more about it at http://fromaliceskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-bake-summer-lasagna.html


2 fresh tomatoes
fresh mozzarella cheese
fresh basil leaves or 2 cubes of Dorot Frozen Chopped Basil, thawed
Olive oil (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Slice the tomatoes.  Slice the cheese.  Layer in a dish as shown.  If using the frozen basil, allow the cubes to thaw in a small dish.  (This will be done by the time you've sliced the tomatoes and cheese.)  Dip each cheese sliced in the thawed chopped basil until coated on both sides.  Drizzle the salad with olive oil, if desired, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Serve.

Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad

Serves 6 (at least)***

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

After visiting the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Market, I had a boatload of corn, zucchini, and summer squash.  Once we leave the farmers market, we always finish up our shopping for the rest of my ingredients at Lost River Market & Deli, our community-owned grocery store.  This recipe does require a bit of prepping, but it makes a HUGE salad, perfect for a summer gathering.  I also discovered that you could use 4 cups of this salad, along with just a few other ingredients to make Orzo-Veggie Fritters.  So, since it was just my husband and little old me to feed this Meatless Monday, I made this delicious salad to nibble on for a few days and then later this week, I’ll give the fritters a try.  I’ll post the fritter recipe if it passes the husband test!  (Everyday Food Magazine also listed another alternative for the leftovers, Corn, Zucchini and Pasta Frittata, but it’s so hot out, I didn’t want to turn on the oven, so fritters it will be.)  I pretty much stuck to the recipe, but I already had some Alice’s A+ Salad Dressing made up. (See the recipe at the bottom)  It has the same ingredients as what are listed in this recipe with the exception of the jalapeno and lemon zest, which I just added to it.

6 medium zucchini, diced (I used a mixture of zucchini and yellow summer squash.)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound orzo

4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

5 cups corn kernels (from 6 ears corn)

1 small red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (I use rubber gloves when handling hot peppers so that my fingers and eyes don’t burn.)

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or 5 cubes of frozen Dorot Chopped Basil

4 ounces feta, crumbled (blue cheese or goat cheese would make good substitutes.)

Place zucchini in a colander and toss with salt. Place colander in sink and let sit 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking; transfer to a very large bowl.

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 4 minutes. (If you are using the frozen Dorot Chopped Basil instead of fresh basil, add the frozen cubes to the skillet when you sauté the corn.  They will melt and blend right in.)

Add the corn to the pasta along with the zucchini, 3 tablespoons oil, onion, jalapeno, and lemon zest and juice; season with salt and pepper.

Stir in basil and feta.

***To make Orzo-Veggie Fritters, transfer 4 cups of this salad to an airtight container; refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Alice’s A+ Salad Dressing Ingredients:

1-2 fresh lemons

1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (optional)

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a pint mason jar, squeeze the juice from 1-2 lemons (about 1/4 cup juice). Add the minced garlic, if using. Add about 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil. Add salt & freshly ground pepper to taste. (I use a "healthy pinch" of both.) Screw on the lid. (I use those handy reusable plastic lids made just for mason jars.) Shake the jar vigorously until all the ingredients are blended well. Drizzle just enough of the dressing over the salad to gently coat the leaves. This recipe usually makes enough for 3 large salads.)   Store the jar on the counter for up to two days.

Nutritional Info per Serving:  330 calories; 10 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat); 12 grams protein; 52 grams carbs; 5 grams fiber