I made these small bites as part of an Italian appetizer spread.  Just take a small ball of mozzarella, snack size tomato and fresh basil leaf.  Add the sweet tang of balsamic vinegar and you have the perfect bite.  You want the mozzarella and tomato to be close to the same size.  Bocconcini are too large, so look for ciliegine, which are cherry sized balls of mozzarella and are perfect in size.  If you can’t find these, you could always cut the bocconcini into small chunks.  When I was skewering these I thought that the basil was going to be overwhelming since I had to use such large leaves to hold everything, but it was just right.

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Bites with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

• 12 snack size tomatoes, cherry, grape, etc.
• 12 small balls of mozzarella packed in water, patted dry with paper towels
• 12-15 large basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 12 long toothpicks (2 1/2 inches)

Directions

1. Make balsamic glaze: simmer vinegar in small saucepan over low heat for 10-15 minutes until thickened and reduced.  Swirl periodically, and be careful not to let it boil.  You will have a burnt mess on your hands.  I know this because I had to make two batches…
2. While heating vinegar, make skewers.  Slide one end of the basil leaf on the toothpick, follow with mozzarella and tomato, keeping basil leaf underneath to create a boat.  Then attach the other end of the leaf.  Be careful not to tear the leaf.  Keep a few extra leaves on hand just in case.
3. Lay bites on a platter, then drizzle each with glaze.  A little goes a long way.

Greek food is something I could eat everyday and not get sick of.  If I wanted something light, I could have  a refreshing Greek salad loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, parsley and feta.  In the mood for something warm and comforting…lamb gyro slathered with tzatziki or a nice plate full of pastitsio.  And then there is baklava…oh, baklava…

These dinner sized spanakopita are not too light or too heavy, but are not exactly easy to prepare.  I found myself quite frustrated with phyllo dough by the last few pies.  My tip to you is this.  Make sure you buy your phyllo a day before you plan to make these and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.  I let mine stand at room temp to defrost and a section of it got too wet from defrosting and was incredibly sticky.  I spent a lot of time and energy wrestling with it.

The spinach and feta filling dotted with yummy toasted pine nuts is simple and delicious.  Taste the spinach and onion mixture before adding the eggs and make sure it is well salted.  I found the filling to be a little lacking in salt.

Spinach & Feta Spanakopita

Courtesy of Ina Garten, Back to Basics

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Plain dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups small-diced feta (12 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Directions

Yes, I made yet another meal with couscous.  I like couscous.  My grocery store had whole wheat this time, so I grabbed 2 boxes just in case they decide to stop carrying it again.  This is an incredibly simple meal to prepare.  The only bad part is having the oven not only on, but on at 450°F to roast the vegetables.  It’s in the triple digits outside, so it does seem a little crazy to make it even hotter inside.  I do love the flavor that roasting vegetables produces, so it’s worth it.  The combination of rich roasted vegetables with the cumin and the bright flavor of the lemon is wonderful.

This recipe came from my dear friend Martha Stewart.  I played with it a little bit, but will not say that I “adapted” it at all.  I used baby carrots, omitted the arugula completely, and then the dressing I just mixed up without measuring.  I used about a tablespoon of olive oil, the zest and juice of one large lemon, and salt and pepper.  I’ve said this before, I do not like things to be overdressed or sauced.  You can always add more, but you can’t take any away.  It’s like cutting bangs, sort of.  Some of you know what I mean.  Anyway, start by adding a little dressing, taste, and then add more to your liking.  The recipe below reflects my changes.  The original can be found here.  Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Couscous Salad

Courtesy of marthastewart.com

Ingredients

My mother in law turned me on to skinnytaste.com after making two meals for us with recipes from the site.  Both tasted great and were pretty healthy.  If you do Weight Watchers, then you’re in luck because Gina includes the points.

I added some grilled chicken to this salad to make it a meal.  Instead of apples I used pears, which I think pair better with the other ingredients.  You must, must, must toast the pecans.  The flavor of any nut is improved by a quick toasting in the oven or in a dry skillet on the stove.  Do the same when you are adding pecans, walnuts or almonds to baked goods.  They just taste better.  So take the extra 5 minutes.  You’ll be glad you did.

This salad recipe used measurements for the apples and cranberries, but I just added what I wanted.  This probably messes with the points, so here is the link to Gina’s original recipe.  If you don’t care so much about counting out how many cranberries or slices of apple you can use, then just pile on a plate the following ingredients and top with the dressing.

• Spring mix or baby spinach
• Dried cranberries
• 1 Bosc Pear, sliced
• Toasted pecans, halves or pieces
• Grilled chicken, sliced (optional)

The dressing was a little on the thick side when I made it, so I added a little more water, lemon juice and a touch of olive oil to loosen it up a bit.  After storing the leftover dressing in the fridge it was no longer pour able, so either let it warm up at room temp before you plan to use it again, or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and stir it up.  Enjoy!

Honey Goat Cheese Dressing

Courtesy of skinnytaste.com

Ingredients

• 4 oz goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1-2 tbsp water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small blender, combine goat cheese, honey, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, water.
2. Season to taste with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Add more lemon juice, water, or oil to create desired consistency.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a really amazing food.  It is loaded with protein.  It has a good amount of fiber and it is gluten free.  It is also incredibly simple to prepare.  It takes about as long as white rice, and is much better for you.  The downside to quinoa is that is is a bit pricey.  I paid $6 for a 1 pound bag.

This recipe came from My Kitchen Addiction.  Here is the link.  As with most recipes I try for the first time, I followed this one almost exactly.  Here are my minor changes.

• I used a can of corn instead of fresh.
• I cut back the olive oil by 1 tablespoon with fine results.
• I substituted honey for the agave syrup since that is not something I have in my pantry.
• The second time I made this, a mere week later, I added some dried oregano and a dash of cumin.

This is a great salad that I’m going to play with some more.  The possibilities seem almost endless!  I might try a quinoa salad with diced cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, feta, fresh parsley, mint and a vinaigrette of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and Greek oregano…quinoa tabouli! Yum.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  (or about 2 cups cooked black beans)
• 3 ears of steamed corn, cut off the cob
  (or 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed OR 1 can, drained)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (about half a cup)
• 1 lime, zested then juiced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.
2. While quinoa is cooking, combine beans, corn, red onion, red bell peppers and cilantro in a large bowl.
3. For the vinaigrette, whisk oil, vinegar, honey, lime juice and zest, spices and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Combine cooked quinoa with vegetables, then mix in vinaigrette.  Serve room temperature or refrigerate.

Living where we do there are limitations on the ingredients I can get my hands on.  I couldn’t find bird chiles, so I didn’t use them and as a result this wasn’t too spicy even with the sambal oelek.  If you really have a problem with spice, then you can leave that out as well.  I also didn’t use the miso, mostly because I was too lazy to look for it!  Since it’s just Ben and I eating dinner, I also like to make just enough for the two of us unless it’s something I know is wonderful left over.  So I changed parts of this recipe to better suit our lifestyle.  Here is the link to the original recipe.

There is something so very special about roasted veggies, and this recipe is no exception.  This is a perfect side for an Asian flavored meal.  Enjoy!

Spicy Asian Roasted Broccoli & Snap Peas

Adapted from finecooking.com

Ingredients

• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
• 8 ounces snap peas (1 bag)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Combine broccoli and snap peas in a 9×13 glass dish and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil over vegetables, toss together to coat and sprinkle with salt.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, checking and stirring about half way through.  Vegetable are done when slightly browned.
4. While vegetable are cooking whisk the rest of the ingredients together.
5. When vegetables are done pour sauce over and toss to coat.

This recipe is from Simply Recipes.  Here is the link. Her picture is so much prettier than what came out of my oven, but it still tasted great.  I will admit to being a little impatient when it comes to eating these days, so maybe if I had let it cool a bit longer I would have had better luck in removing whole pieces instead of chunks of pie.

I get really hungry and excited about eating, and I just cannot wait to eat sometimes!  I’m pregnant, so I’m using that as my excuse.  Only 6 more weeks to use that one.

While Ben was slightly disappointed that there was no meat in our meal, he put on a happy face and eat it anyway.  If you wanted to add meat, I think some crumbled cooked bacon on top of the sautéed onions would be nice.

I will make this simple meal again and I would definitely think about serving it at a ladies lunch or brunch as a whole pie or in little tart shells.

The fresh basil with the tomatoes is a lovely match as always.  I used 2 cups of chopped red tomatoes and 1 cup of chopped yellow tomatoes from the rest of my tomato plant’s crop.  I used a combination of mozzarella and swiss cheese with good results, but some nice sharp cheddar in there would also be tasty.  The Tabasco gives a nice spicy punch, but you could leave it out if you are not a fan of that kick.  Enjoy!

Tomato Pie

Courtesy of Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch pie shell
• 1 yellow onion, chopped and sautéed in olive oil or butter
• 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sliced basil
• 2 cups grated cheese (any combination you choose)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (light or regular)
• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank’s Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. If you are starting with a frozen crust, you’ll need to cook it a little longer. If you are using a homemade crust, freeze the crust first, then line the crust with aluminum foil and pre-bake it for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes, using either paper towels, a clean dish towel, or a potato ricer.
3. Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey snow ball. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.
5. Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes.

I only made one slight change to this recipe.  Since I am not a huge fan of drowning a salad in dressing, I simply drizzled the dressing over each individual serving of salad.  You don’t need much to add a nice zesty, and tangy flavor to this salad.  I left one serving completely naked except for a light sprinkling of salt and thought it was great.  The herbs provide so much flavor alone that you could do without the dressing completely.  It is up to you.

I served this with Quick Tandoori Chicken, here is the link.  I used chicken breasts instead of thighs.  The flavors were robust and yummy, but I wouldn’t serve these two things together again.  Serving this salad with a simple grilled steak or simple flavored grilled chicken would be wonderful so that you don’t have competing flavors.

Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomato and Edamame Salad

Courtesy of Fine Cooking (Here is the link)

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 medium ears)
• 2 Tbs. plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. clover honey
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 heaping cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 15)
• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions

1. Cook the edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.
2. Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are golden brown in patches, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
3. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Slowly pour in the remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil, whisking constantly until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. In a medium serving bowl, combine the cooled edamame and corn, the tomatoes, and the herbs. Gently toss. Add half of the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Thankfully, I came across a perfect summer side dish recipe from Erin at vittles for the voracious.  This salad would a great accompaniment to the grilled steak and the Asian flavors.

The salad has tons of yummy, crisp vegetables.  It tastes fresh but still has a great rich flavor thanks to the dressing.  You can change this recipe to fit your likes and needs.  Add any other vegetables that you like.  Erin suggests water chestnuts, broccoli florets, snow peas, and asparagus pieces.  Along with the recipe required broccoli slaw and edamame, I added extra purple cabbage and snow peas.

For the dressing I used Brianna’s Ginger Mandarin dressing, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce.  I don’t like a dressing-drenched salad, so this was just enough to get the flavor without losing the vegetables.

Here is Vittles link, and here is my variation.  This is a great salad.  Thanks, Erin!

Asian Vegetable Slaw

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 package (10 oz) broccoli slaw mix
• 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
• 2 cups shelled edamame
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup blanched snap peas

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup Asian dressing (I used Brianna’s Ginger Mandarin)
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce

Directions

1. Combine all vegetables (and mandarins) in a large bowl and toss together.
2. In a small bowl, whisk dressing, peanut butter and chili sauce.
3. Pour sauce over the vegetables and toss well.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

This recipe is from epicurious.com.  Here is the link. The recipe recommends serving this “Italian take on the classic” guacamole with toasted ciabatta bread and crudités.  I served the guacamole with plain tortilla chips and some spicy flax seed chips that I found at World Market.  I think they’re called Sweet and Spicy Flax Seed Chips.  If you see them, you should try a bag.  I really liked how they tasted more substantial than a normal chip and had that great sweet and spicy combination.

I also bought a jar of roasted salsa from World Market.  It packed quite a punch in the heat department, but wasn’t unbearable.  We used some of it the next morning in our migas.

The guacamole was definitely different than your everyday avocado, cilantro, tomato, jalapeno, onion and lime guacamole.  The basil is detectable, as are the shallot and lemon juice.  The flavors are perfect together and I really enjoyed it.  I think it would be really tasty on the toasted ciabatta as the recipe suggested.  Next time I will try it that way, or maybe with plain pita chips.  Yum.

Basil Guacamole

Ingredients

• 6 medium avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, diced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil plus leaves for garnish
• ½ cup finely chopped shallots

Directions

1. Place avocados in large bowl; add lemon juice.
2. Using fork or potato masher, crush avocados coarsely.
3. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped basil and shallots.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.

Photos courtesy of Carrie Hartman