Leftover Salad

EWWWW to MMMMMMM

Normally I'm not really into leftover salads- too mushy for me. Here's a great trick we used to turn a day old salad into crispy flavorful goodness:

If salad is not already dressed- do so with desired vinaigrette
Peel endive leaves off and scoop portions of the salad mixture into each leaf

We used this method to finish up a delicious avocado, orange and poppy seed salad with red wine and shallot vinaigrette. The fresh endive leaves added that much desired crunch that a day old salad is lacking- and it looks a tad fancy for serving as hors d'oeurves

Roman Salad

Keeping with Holly's post on fabulous salads, I thought I would share my own favorite. This Tuna and Arugula salad was shared with me by a true Roman lady while I was in Sicily and I love it so much that I make it every time I buy baby arugula. It is cheap, super easy and high in lean protein so makes a great lunch with a piece of sourdough bread on the side.

Lana's Roman Salad

-Baby arugula

-2/3 can of tuna, water squeezed out and then broken down into small bits.

-fresh squeezed lemon juice

-olive oil

-sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss the arugula, tuna, lemon juice, salt and pepper and plenty of olive oil together in a big bowl until tuna is distributed all through the arugula. Don't be shy with the lemon- that's where the flavor comes from!

eat and enjoy.

Barley Monster

Everyone has their favorite grain and mine just happens to be Barley- I like its texture and ability to absorb delicious flavors without getting mushy. Barley Salads are great as leftovers and that's why I make them so often; it's perfect to bring to work for lunch because it allows me to avoid the dreaded microwave.

I found this fabulous recipe: Quinoa with Roasted Zucchini, Feta & Oregano in a Healthy Eats email and decided to give it a whirl, but of course I needed to make some adaptations to the OG Recipe.



I substituted the quinoa for barley- I had it in the pantry and like I stated before I'm a Barley Monster. My Quiona Cousin Mo would have done differently but I'm sure it's just as tasty with either grain. Second I added tons of fresh oregano and thyme rather than the dried- It's summer and time to take advantage of fresh herbs growing in yards or on porches! Lastly, I added some sliced grape tomatoes to the salad to get some more summer flavors in there. This salad tastes even better when consumed at the beach.

Salad on a Budget

"Salad on a Budget"- I'm not implying that salads are particularly expensive to throw together, I just wanted to share with you a few little tips that helped keep some extra cash in my wallet for weekend spending! Here are two ingredients I tweaked to save some cash money:

Feta & Focaccia

My cheap meal plan was pizza and salad, one of my go-to classics. The pizza was spoken for: fire roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes and mozzarella. For the Salad I had a hankering for a Greek style, but my remaining feta cheese was reserved for a dish that I plan to make tonight. Looking back on previous crow posts I decided to borrow a technique that Emily used back in June to make her Orange Basil Dressing. She added avocado to her dressing to make it more rich and creamy. I figured that I could cut back on feta by crumbling a small amount in the dressing in hopes of it flavoring the whole salad. I must say it turned out quite well.

Now for the Focaccia, this technique isn't nearly as exciting but still a bit clever. I am a huge fan of croutons in my salad, i like the crunch and the heartiness they add. Lately I've been chopping up the heels of bread, tossing it with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and popping them in the toaster.

This past shopping trip I poked around the "old bread" section and found a reduced-price chunk of Focaccia and thought wow, this would be great for croutons. Since the Focaccia already has a lot of seasoning and olive oil, all I had to do was chop and toast it and voila- delicious croutons.

Greek Salad Dressing

Whisk together honey, lemon juice, dijon, freshly chopped oregano and crumbled feta

Stream in extra virgin olive oil

Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper (the feta packs a lot of salty goodness).

2 Lovely Sauces

Let it be said that:

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Mac & Cheese for the summer days

1 lb dried pasta

Bechamel Sauce*
2 c whole milk
3 T butter, 2 T olive oil (I know, I know)
4 T flour

1 lb shredded cheddar
3 handfulls parm cheese
1 c peas
1 c corn kernels off the cobb

1 sliced heirloom tomato

Begin by boiling pasta to an extreme al-dente. Drain, rinse with cold water. Make bechamel sauce by melting butter with olive oil over low heat. Add flour and cook until the flour smell is gone. Add Milk. continue to simmer, never boil, until the milk starts to thicken. Add Parm cheese. Stir and remove from heat. Mix Shredded Cheddar (minues a little for the crispy top) with the pasta, corn, and peas. Put in baking dish. Pour white sauce over pasta. Place sliced tomatos along the top of the pasta, and then sprinkle extra cheese on top. Bake at 350-400 for 40 minutes, and then pop it under the broiler for an extra 5 to crisp the top.

Orange Basil Dressing

Juice from 1 orange, zest from half
6 basil leaves
1 small rosemary sprig
1 t mustard
1/2 medium avacado
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic
small amount of onion- red or green
olive oil

Blend all ingredients, if you want a more acidic dressing add some red wine vinegar. If you have some lemon, I bet that would be yummy. This comes out such a beautiful green!! I recommend enjoying this over a simple salad of mix greens, tomato and onion!

* A wonderful utility sauce that can be used to start a pasta sauce, or be the sauce itself if you add some chopped green onions and extra parm cheese!

Memorial Day Picnic in the Arboretum

Perfect weather for Memorial Day- not too hot (around 75 degrees) and not too windy. It didn't take us long to find a nice secluded area in the Arboretum to lay out our blankets and start mowing down on some tasty snacks and refreshing drinks. Vbar made a delicious guacamole and brought along some salsa and tortilla chips. I brought some leftover pizza, baguette and...

Tuna and White Bean Salad
(this is one of my favs because it doesn't use mayo!)

Ingredients:
1 15oz can of White Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 6oz cans of Tuna, drained
1 large tomato- seeded and diced
1/4 C finely diced red onion
1 large garlic clove- put through a garlic press
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 C olive oil
Fresh chopped Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

-Toss beans, tuna, tomatoes and onions in a mixing bowl
-In a measuring cup whisk together lemon juice, mustard, garlic, s&p
-Gradually whisk in the olive oil and pour over the tuna and bean mixture and add freshly chopped basil

And to wash it all down we sipped on some of these:
Clean Out your Booze Cupboard Cocktail
This recipe varies from household to household depending on what's hiding out in the depths of your liquor cabinet or freezer. The only ingredient that is common amongst these cocktails is a Massachusetts Law that Prohibits the Sale of alcohol on a Holiday (how do we all still forget about this!)- Otherwise you would be sipping on the cocktail of your choice rather than a cocktail of desperation. The liquor supplies in my nest were all dried up, but thankfully Carolina Place had some surprise goodins on reserve and VBar threw together a refreshing cocktail from her eclectic array of leftover booze. I do not have the exact measurements because the cocktails were already made by the time i got there (i'm guessing all of the bottles were more than halfway depleted) but I do know the ingredients: Svedka Vodka, Peach Scnhapps, White Wine, lemonade, lime slices- topped off with seltzer.

The real Hero of this picnic was Matt Studner, who was on his A game and purchased a 12 pack of Coronoa and bottle of wine the night before- thanks Matt, you really saved the day!

nom nom nom.

The crows have been quiet in the absence of Miz Holly! And there hasn't been much activity on my part lately, due to a voyage to the nest of Mama Crow who keep me full and happy all weekend long.
Last night was a return to the nest for the Cock (male crow people) and I and we celebrated with a delcious summer meal of:

Thai Lime Marinated Tilapia
Ginger and Sesame rice (from the box)
Citrus and Fennel Salad

accompanied by:
Raspberry Lemonade Gin Drinks: Hereby dubbed the "Citrusberry Chiller."

The fish was delicious, although not much to brag about since I used Drew's Organic marinade. The rice, which was NearEast Brand went well with the meal, but was overall too sweet.
But the salad, my friends, was delicious. A last minute inspiration upon realizing that my collard greens had wilted over the weekend and I had no other fresh veggies in my house save a fennel bulb and half a red pepper. It was simple, fresh, bright-flavored and an excellent accompany to marinaded white fish. I look up similar recipes for inspiration, but this salad and the dressing are ultimately my own.

And here it is:

Vbar's Citrus and Fennel Salad (serves 2-3)

½ of a Large fennel bulb, with the core cut out and sliced thin
1 orange with peel cut off and sliced into wedges
small amount of very thinly sliced red onion
thinly sliced ½ of red bell pepper
a good handful of fresh curly parsley, roughly chopped

Dressing:
Juice of 2 limes pharmaceutical
zest of ½ a lime
1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
tsp. of fresh grated ginger
Dash of red pepper
Toss all together and serve. So good, So good!

Citrusberry Chiller:
tanquery
raspberry lemonade
slice of lime


Pictures to come when I am not in the office!

Beets Beets Beets

Beets are new this year on my list of enjoyments, thanks a great deal to Boston Organics. Although their season is now almost over, in the winter they are a great way to bring some color and variation to a table.

There are plenty of ways to eat beets, but I like them best as a salad, served cold as a side dish. Here Are my two favorite ways to eat beets- the first is how my Mom does them at home and the second is from a restaurant I used to waitress at.

For both salads, start by roasting the beets: scrub them clean and place in a tinfoil pouch drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep them in the oven at 375 degrees until they are tender; meaning a fork or knife will easily puncture deep into the beet. After they have cooled, peel off the skin with a knife and slice into rounds or cubes, depending on preference.

Beets with fresh Parsley:

-Finely chop a handful of fresh curly parsley. Toss into roasted beets with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Add a little bit of red onion or fresh garlic if preferred.

Beet and Mozzarella Salad:
- Stack sliced beets with thin slices of fresh mozzarella and top with ribbons of basil. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, S&P.


Also, don't forget to sautee the green leafs in olive oil with onion and garlic for double the dish action- the greens are just as delicious as the bulbs, and just as healthy. Enjoy!

First Fail CAW

Tonight I tried making two things, and neither were as delicious as I'd hoped for! It happens now and again, and again, and again, so I like to take the time to reflect when and where I went wrong.

Tonight was my first time cooking with a Kabocha.

I had it all planned out. A thirty Minute BART ride home allowed me ample time to devise a stupendous plan of attack. I would roast this new squash with green zucchini and yellow summer squash alongside delicious red onion (one of my favorite veggies to roast) that had been covered in a perfectly sweetened honey & fresh ginger combo.

Needless to say it was a complete failure. I forgot about the " perfectly sweetened honey and ginger combo" until it came out of the oven looking dismal, and tasting even more bland. The tedious process of breaking down the squash (which was particularly hard) clouded my mind. I overcooked it all, and resorted to adding the honey after the fact to make it somewhat okay. The onions and zucchini were yummy, but the Kabocha was just weird. The texture was something I have never experienced, and shutter to think about.







Billy claims it is palatable, but I beg to differ. I spit it out. I kept thinking that if I tried it again, it would get better. That never happened






The second dish was a simple pasta salad. Although not as big of an ego-blow, still a disappointment. I chose to use tortellini as opposed to a more traditional "pasta salad" type noodle, which was my main mistake. The texture of the 'loni didn't work with the other ingredients that I added. Alone the "extras" would make an excellent salad. I will share with you that much.

Quick Chicken Salad

1 can Trader Joes Chicken (similar to Canned tuna...but chicken...)
1 T grainy mustard
1 T mayo
Oil and Vinegar to your liking
Salt & P
2 radishes cubed into chicken salad sized chunks
1 apple cubed
4 chopped scallions in their whole or about 3-4T chopped onion
4 T Fresh chopped parsley
Lemon juice
Corn from 2 Cobbs

2 pieces toasted Dark bread
a fork


Mix all ingredients together. Toast bread. Consume with fork and hands. If you feel like getting extra racey, put the chicken salad on untoasts pieces of bread with a slice of Munster or Swiss on top. Put in the oven to melt the cheese and east as an open faced sandy.


Cook and learn, I suppose. I think that shall be my motto.

Also worth mention, there was an impromptu grill and eat out session in my backyard tonight. Totally basic all the way with burgers, hotdogs, and fresh skin-on sockeye salmon marinated simply in olive oil and lemon juice with salt and pepper.

Sides of leftover pasta salad and lettuce from boston organics with sliced fennel and holly's homemade balsamic dressing. Light and satisfying summer meal, great for outdoor mowing.

Brown Baggin' It

If you're like me and work an office job with slim to no good food choices around then you'll brown bag it- (actually I sport a blue lunch bag i got at the dolla store!)

My favorite thing to bring is leftovers- pasta, soup, mashed potatoes you name it. I'm not really a fan of tupperware, basically because i feel that it retains a greasy film and discoloration after holding certain foods, especially the ones that are tomato based. I am however a huge fan of Jars, i have a pretty big archive of them in fact I have an entire drawer in my kitchen dedicated to their storage. I go through a lot of peanut butter and even though its a pain to clean out, the Teddy's PB jars really make a great vessel to bring lunch supplies in- i'm sure you're familiar with them:

These jars are also great for transporting mixed drinks but i'll save that for another post. Today for lunch I crammed some mixed greens, sliced radishes and chopped red bell pepper in one of these jars (freshly clean with the label washed off) and brought along a side of my favorite homemade dressing:

Simple Balsamic Dressing:
note: a miniature whisk really comes in handy here- they're only a couple of bucks!
Whisk together these ingredients-
1 tsp honey
1 tsp grainy dijon mustard
2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
sprinkle of salt and pepper
pinch of dried oregano*
Stream in Extra Virgin Olive Oil until it reaches the right acid/oil balance you desire

*break up the dried oregano between your fingers when pouring in- it really releases the flavor

There you have it- no more rotten/contaminated salad bars or yucky store bought dressings made from cotton seed or canola oil!

Our First Beach Adventure-Singing Sands

Sunday Morning we embarked on our first beach visit to Singing Sands at Manchester by the Sea (Take the Newbuyport commuter rail from North Station to Manchester)

For once we actually brought enough food and bevy to sustain us all for the long haul. Some items included:

• Port Salut & Baguette- absolute staple for picnics and beach excursions


• Pasta salad with fennel- for Vbar to post


• Barley Salad- unfortunately on this trip got a bit water-logged from melted ice


• Geary's Summer/ PBR


• Saussy Sangria

Saussy Sangria

There are numerous variations on the beverage but this is a version i enjoy

Dice up whatever fruit you have on hand (apples, kiwis, strawberries, pears, oranges, etc)

Add fruit to a pitcher and cover with a half cup of booze (brandy works nice but i've even done this with tequila!)

Add a bottle of vino verde and a bottle of red table wine

Top of the mixture with San Pellagrino or if you have it Trader Joe's Sparkiling Grapefuit Juice

Let Sit overnight- or for as long as you can hold out.

Barley Salad

I got the idea of this salad from a food and wine recipe- but I switched up the ingredients to fit my palate, feel free to try either version

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/barley-salad-with-parsley-and-walnuts

Cook one cup of pearl barley in boiling water for 15-20 minutes

In a large bowl whisk together 1/2 tsp honey, 1/2 tsp grainy dijon mustard, juice of one large lemon, quarter cup of olive oil, 1 large minced garlic clove, salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes

Add 1/4 C finely diced red onion, 1 diced tomato, diced feta cheese, 1 diced carrot, chopped basil, and a handful of baby spinach to mixture and let marinate while barley continues to cook

When barley is tender, strain under cold water add to the mixture.