Vegetables | Simple By Cindy

Pasta Caprese Salad with Pesto

Jul. 13
2020

Much to its detriment, salad was never considered a main dish. Traditionally, it’s been served before a main dish rather than as a standalone dish. As a lighter, healthier option, it seems that many women, falling under societal pressure to be ever skinnier, opt for salad as main courses these days. Nowadays, many men enjoy salads as a main as well, but when my parents were younger, a man wouldn’t be caught dead eating a salad! With that said, many folks, including my husband, prefer a stick-to-your-ribs, meat and potato type of meal. To each their own!

As we have increased our awareness of nutrition, salads have come so far from just an iceberg wedge with a few tomatoes. Salads can include meat, chicken, grains, beans, berries, and nuts. Grains have become increasingly popular, making salads more interesting in taste and texture. Proteins are more filling and make you feel like you are, in fact, eating a full meal. And yes, even my husband and boys will now have a salad for lunch or dinner–provided it has the right ingredients.

There are so many choices in terms of what to put in a salad that there really is no magic key. The only thing to remember is that you absolutely do not want to over dress a salad. Usually, when I buy a salad from a store, or order one in a restaurant, it is overdressed, soggy, and disgusting. It doesn’t look like anything anyone would want to eat. Order the dressing on the side, and as you should do with any salad, put a little of the dressing in slowly. Keep tasting, and just when you start to taste the dressing, stop. It will be perfectly dressed. An undressed salad will also keep fresher if there are leftovers, so save the dressing on the side.

In the summer, with all the fresh tomatoes available, I love to make a caprese salad. I decided to try it with the addition of pasta and a pesto dressing. Nothing goes better with mozzarella and tomatoes than basil. In this salad, the basil is the root of the pesto, and pine nuts and Parmesan cheese add a delicious and wonderful texture. The pasta is a wonderful addition, complimenting this salad perfectly. I think you are going to love this dish.

This recipe is my own and will serve 6 people who will adore this new twist on an Italian classic.

Ingredients for Pesto Pasta Caprese Salad:

1 pound pasta (I like fusilli, but any kind with do that is short and round)
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup halved grape tomatoes
½ cup small fresh mozzarella balls

For the Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 large cloves garlic
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Make the Pesto:

Combine basil leaves, pine nuts or walnuts and garlic in a food processor.

Process until very finely minced.

With the machine running, slowly dribble in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth.

Add the cheese and process just long enough to combine.

Set aside.

Make the Pasta Salad:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the pasta at a boil until according to directions.

Mix pesto, olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a bowl.

Combine pasta and tomatoes.

Toss to combine.

Fold in pesto mixture.

It’s that simple!

The Best-Ever Macaroni Salad

Jul. 6
2020

Once upon a time, my husband and I decided to move to Miami. We are very close to our family there, and compared to the Northeast, the weather is incredible. I had been there so many times and I loved the beautiful sunny days. For most people, this would have been an easy transition. But not me. It seems you can take a girl out of the Northeast, but you can’t take the Northeast out of a girl.

The summers were dreadfully hot, and putting my young son in a hot car seat in an even hotter car was simply not practical. Because I worked, I found it hard to socialize and make friends. We had just bought our first home, and I thought that I would be there forever. How I wished we could move back.

As it has gone many times in my life, something good came out of something bad. We were badly hit by Hurricane Andrew, the strongest hurricane to ever hit Florida. I won’t go through the details, because it turned my life upside down, but suffice to say that we lost everything.

A couple of months after the hurricane, my husband got a call for a job back up north. I was ecstatic! He took the job and I was moving back where I belonged. Yes, the Northeast has snow and gloomy winter days but, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This light salad reminds me of those summer days in Florida– cool, refreshing, and easy to put together. No slaving over a hot stove today! The celery and onions give some heat and crunch, and the hearts of palm and the parsley are savory additions. It all comes together in a creamy, sweet and tangy dressing. This salad is a perfect side to any main dish whether it’s barbecued or oven-made. Put this on your “short on time” list for sure.

This recipe is my own and will serve 6 to 8 people who will truly enjoy this fresh and tasty summertime salad.

Ingredients for Macaroni Salad:

2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed, and drained
1/3 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup hearts of palm
3/4 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to directions.

When pasta is done, drain and set aside in a large bowl.

Let cool while preparing your other ingredients.

Add the celery.

Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve.

Store covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

It’s that simple! (and good).

Corn Salad

Jun. 29
2020

When my sons were toddlers, my husband and I began renting a condominium on the beach every year. I loved being out there. Everything about it was magical. The farm stands and food are incredible, and the smell of the ocean is so calming. Most of all, I love walking through the towns nearby. They all have their own unique sense of charm. After enjoying the peace and simplicity of the beach, it feels great to explore these tiny towns! Because of this, I always dreamed of owning a home there so I could take advantage of all the fresh produce and seafood and meats and cook to my heart’s content.

I finally realized that dream when my husband and I finally purchased a home close to where we used to stay. What an enormous task to furnish and make up a home from scratch! It’s been almost 30 years since I have done that. I went room by room in my house, and wrote down the things I would need. You can imagine how exhausted I was after I completed it. And very happy.

Now I truly get to explore the towns out there. I can now try out the many food festivals, breweries, and wineries. My husband and I are going to buy bicycles and ride to see the many historic homes, cottages, and really drool-worthy beach homes! At the end of it all, we can rent a boat, take a sunset sail, and dine on the water. The possibilities are truly endless, and I plan on doing it all.

One thing I so love about these towns is the locally grown corn. In the past, I would buy so much to bring home and cook and freeze it so I could have it all year round. I still plan to do that, but now that I have this beach house, I can really take advantage of it. It just seemed fitting to make a corn salad that is refreshing and so delicious.

You can grill the corn, or boil it as I do. The apple cider vinegar and the lime give this salad a refreshing tang. The onion is a touch of sweet heat. The basil is the savory and the perfect complement to the corn. The Parmesan cheese completes this dish, so do not leave it out! This turned out so delicious, you must try it. I hope you do.

This recipe is my own and will serve 4 to 6 people who are sure to love this sweet summer side.

Ingredients for Corn Salad:

3 cups corn kernels (about 4 cobs of corn)
1 English cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup red onion, diced
3 tablespoons of good extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cups good extra-virgin olive oil.
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice of 11/2 limes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Bring a pot of water to boil.

Place 1 tablespoon of sugar into pot.

Toss corn into pot.

Let cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until corn is bright yellow.

When corn is cool, cut kernels off.

Set aside.

Add cucumber to corn.

Toss in redd pepper.

Add red onion.

Toss in Parmesan cheese.

Toss in basil.

Mix salad together.

Sprinkle in salt and pepper.

Whisk the olive oil, apple cider, lime juice together.

Pour over salad and mix to combine.

It’s that simple!

Creamy Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

Jun. 22
2020

I have never been a fan of dill. I dislike the smell, so forget the taste. For that reason, I seldom use it in my recipes, and even when I must, I keep it to a minimum. When I make chicken soup, I put it in right at the very end, securely wrapped up in cheesecloth so very little of it gets in the soup. And mind you, this is solely because most people expect dill in their chicken soup, not because I want it there.

With that said, I actually enjoy dill in this salad. When I first made it, I did not include any dill, and I loved the taste anyway. But I knew something was missing. Many people make this salad with dill, so I thought I would at least give it a try. You can imagine my surprise when I liked it even better!

Salads are a great addition to any meal, especially in the summer. There is no better way to appreciate the work of farmers (or your own handiwork if you have a garden!) than to use beautiful, fresh produce to create a cool salad. As a side dish or a main feature, salads of all varieties are appreciated and enjoyed by all.

This salad is so easy to throw together. It uses simple ingredients and stores really well. The key here is to start with English cucumbers. There are fewer seeds, making it easy to take them out (which you definitely should, and wipe the cucumbers dry). In my opinion, they also taste better than regular cucumbers.

Creamy cucumber salad is somewhat nostalgic – it has been around for ages and you have probably tasted it before at one gathering or another. The key to this particular recipe is the addition of lime juice, which gives it a different but wonderful citrus-y essence. It is packed with so much flavor you are going to be licking your spoon! Enjoy!

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The recipe will serve 4-6 people who will love this refreshing salad on a hot summer day.

Ingredients for Creamy Cucumber and Red Onion Salad:

2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel and cut cucumbers in half lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scrape the seeds out of the cucumber.

Cut cucumber into 1/2 pieces.

Place in medium bowl.

Slice a red onion in half and peel.

Cut the onion in half again, and then cut into thin slices.

Place onion in the bowl with the cucumber.

Add the dill.

Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and salt.

Pour 3/4 of the sour cream mixture into the cucumber mixture, toss to coat.

Taste, then add a little more of the sour cream mixture, if needed. Make sure not to overdress!

Cover and refrigerate 2 or more hours.

It’s that simple!

My leaf garden is starting to grow beautifully!

Baked Parmesan Mushrooms

Jun. 11
2020

Summer comes and goes too quickly. I love the beautiful sunny days, the complete laziness of laying on the beach, and yes, even the torrential summer rain. It seems because time goes by so fast, we never get to take full advantage of the long, lovely days. More sunlight makes for more productive days,and people become more social and for most of us, wake up earlier.

Researchers have found that sunlight enhances mood, alertness, and energy. As sleep researcher Ivy Cheung and her colleagues say that “light is the most important synchronizing agent for the brain and the body.” An article in the Journal of Sleep and Medicine found that people who work in windowed offices spent significantly more time (15%) on work-related tasks than those who don’t, and researchers have linked light conditions to how well-rested workers felt and their overall vitality.

For some of us, summertime is the time to become lazy in the kitchen. It just does not seem right to turn on your ovens when you’re already baking outside. We all want salads, cool fruit drinks, fresh fruit, and lots of ice cream and ice pops. And an evening around the grill. Meats, chickens, hamburgers, and hot dogs are among the favorites for grilling, but the possibilities are endless. Your entire meal can be cooked on the grill– just be sure to turn it back on for s’mores!

This particular side is not cooked on the grill, but it is definitely worth it to turn your oven just this once. I imagine that some enterprising grill master out there will be able to put this on the grill– I’d love to hear from you if you do! I think it would make a fantastic vegetarian (or vegan if you replace the butter and omit the cheese) alternative to a burger. The mushrooms are caramelized to perfect sweetness, but with the savory taste of thyme and garlic. The lemon gives it citrusy tang and brightens the flavor, as it does with all vegetables. They are finished off with the sweetness of the brown sugar and luscious parmesan goodness. Do not miss out on this one!

This recipe is my own and will serve 4 to 6 people who will enjoy this delicious blend of sweet and savory.

Ingredients for Baked Parmesan Mushrooms:

1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs oregano, chopped
4 sprigs thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus some for serving
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper