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.

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

I combined many different recipes to come up with this salad.  A lot that I looked at use chips or cornbread as a layer in the salad, but I am not a fan of soggy bread in anything besides stuffing at Thanksgiving.  So, I left the chips out, and served them on the side instead.  If you want to add chips, cruch up about 2 cups and use half as a layer in between the corn and lettuce layers.

Mexican Layered Salad

Ingredients

• 2 – 3 heads of romaine, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
• 3 grated carrots
• 3 – 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 avocados, cut into 1/4 inch chunks and tossed with about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 6 – 8 green onions, chopped
• 1 large can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 cups shredded cheese, a combination of cheddar and monterey jack is great
• 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 3 – 5 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Tortilla chips for serving

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine tomatoes and scallions.
2. Combine romaine, cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine dressing, cumin, lime juice and cilantro.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside.
4. In a trifle dish, layer half of the beans, then half of the corn.
5. Top half of the lettuce mixture and press down.
6. Top with half of the  tomato mixture, then half of the avocado.
7. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, then drizzle with dressing.
8. Repeat layers again, pressing down as needed.
9. Top with cheese, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 1 hour.  Can prepare 1 day ahead.
10. Serve with tortilla chips.

1. It can be simple or fancy.
2. It can be a meat lovers delight, a vegetarians dream, or you can combine your meat and veggies and create an omnivores dilemma!  Get it?  Anyway…I know Sarah does.
3. It can be made with a red pasta sauce, a creamy white bechamel, or a fresh basil pesto sauce, and others.
4. It can be prepared in advance, frozen and baked later.
5. It can feed a crowd, or it can feed a couple for days and days!
6. It can be enjoyed warm with oozing cheese, or cold from the fridge.

I love lasagna.  This lasagna is a delicious veggie combination of mushrooms and artichokes in a rich bechamel sauce.  Ben and I really enjoyed it, and brought a plate to our neighbor who also was pretty complimentary of the dish.  The only criticism he gave was that it should have had a garnish of cilantro instead of parsley.  He puts cilantro on everything.  I think he might eat it on his cereal…

My iPhone is incredible.  Epicurious has an app that I just love.  I am able to search for a recipe while at the grocery store, get a shopping list, email the recipe to myself and have it waiting for me when I get home to cook.  Modern technology is one of my best friends.  That is how I found this recipe.  Here is the link. I made a few changes to the recipe based on the time I had to make this meal and what I had at home.  I used canned artichoke hearts instead of frozen since I did not have time to let them thaw.  I also used regular lasagna noodles because I had some in the pantry.  I used shredded mozzarella instead of sliced.  I substituted vermouth with dry white wine that I had left over from another recipe.  Despite the substitutions this lasagna was delicious and we enjoyed it for a few days.  It was great reheated, and cold as well.  This is something I would make again and serve at a dinner party or bring to a pot-luck.

Mushroom and Artichoke Lasagna

Bon Appetit, February 2002

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine

Béchamel sauce

• 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 7 1/2 ounces)
• Ground nutmeg
• 1 package lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions to al dente
• 1 pound (4 cups) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

For filling:

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; sauté until mushrooms release juices and begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add artichokes and wine. Cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For béchamel sauce:

1. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens and lightly coats spoon, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Parmesan. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.
2. Spread 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Top with enough noodles to cover bottom of dish. Spread 1/4 of artichoke mixture over. Spoon 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over. Top béchamel with 1/4 of mozzarella.
3. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with enough noodles to cover. Repeat layering 3 more times, finishing with a layer of noodles, then remaining béchamel. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and refrigerate.)
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna covered with foil 1 hour (or 1 hour 15 minutes if chilled). Remove foil. Increase temperature to 450°F. Bake lasagna until golden on top, about 10 minutes longer.

This recipe came from the Southern Food section on about.com and I found it easy and delicious.  The end product is a cross between creamy mac and cheese and a casserole.  I loved the green chile flavor and the toasty breadcrumbs on top.  I served this with a little sour cream on the side and sprinkled it with some chopped cilantro.

I used half cheddar and half queso quesadilla in this macaroni with great results.  Creamy, cheesy, a bit spicy and incredibly yummy.  If you have fresh roasted green chiles, then you must used them in this dish.  I used canned and it was good, so fresh would be crazy good.  I also used a 7-ounce can of chopped green chiles instead of the measly 4 ounces called for in this recipe.

Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup green jalapeno salsa
• 1 can (4 ounces) mild chopped green chile peppers
• 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno peppers, canned or fresh, optional
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
• salt, to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
• 1 cup fresh finely ground bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• paprika

1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain and rinse well.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour and pepper until well blended and bubbly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in salsa, chile peppers, and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Taste and add salt, as needed. Combine with the drained macaroni; stir in cilantro, if using. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
4. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
   Serves 4 to 6.

I must somehow move on to my new life with a positive attitude and a determination to somehow manage a full time job and the rest of the things I need and want to do.  Hold on, there are women who have more demanding jobs than I do, AND they have children, AND they’re members of groups and clubs, AND they take care of their house, AND they cook dinner, AND do laundry, AND blog!  If they can do it, then measly little me can do it!

I will not allow my new Monday thru Friday, 8-5 (or 6 some days) job keep me from making dinner on the weeknights.  I will also not stoop to macaroni and cheese from a box or putting a frozen pizza in the oven.  I WILL make real dinner!  So, every week I will make, review and blog about quick and easy dinner recipes that can be accomplished by a full time working woman…like I will be as of August 24.

These recipes come from Epicurious Dinner Rush from issues of Gourmet and SELF.  They are both quite delicious.  The most time consuming thing about them is the chopping and prep.  I modified the quinoa recipe quite a bit after speaking with my wiser and younger sister, Sarah, who told me that the preparation of the quinoa in the actual recipe was a bit ridiculous.  I hadn’t ever used quinoa before, so I thought the process of washing it 5 times in cold water, cooking for 10 minutes in boiling water and then steaming it in a sieve for 10 minutes above the boiling water was normal!  Turns out, all you have to do is cook the quinoa as you would rice.  Hooray!  That little change made this dish much faster.

There is a recipe for lime and cumin dressing that goes with the salad, but I didn’t use it.  Instead of the olive oil based dressing, I simply tossed the salad with lime juice, cumin and some kosher salt.  I found the salad to be incredibly light and refreshing.  I thought about adding chopped tomatoes, but opted not to this time.  It would be delicious, though, so I may try it next time.  Here is the original recipe.

Shrimp is always a good choice for a quick meal.  Shrimp cooks quickly, just 2-3 per side, in a hot skillet.  The mango sauce has a great combination of flavors.  Sweet, spicy and perfect with the shrimp.  I served the sauce warm, but it would be good chilled also.  Here is the recipe from epicurious.

I served this meal with a few warmed corn tortillas, so Ben made shrimp tacos.  I liked it better without the tortillas, Ben liked his taco version better.  I think he likes when all the components of a meal come together in a nice little package.  He likes burritos, sandwiches, pizza, stromboli, lasagna, enchiladas, chimichangas and always seems to mix the food on his plate into a new casserole type dish.

This is a fairly quick recipe, and definitely a good choice for a weeknight dinner.

Shrimp with Mango Sauce

Gourmet, Makes 4 servings

• 4 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled, tails on
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used 1 teaspoon of minced garlic)

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Cook onion, garlic, ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, allspice, cumin and cinnamon about 3 minutes.
3. Add mango, vinegar, lime juice and sugar and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick; refrigerate in a bowl.
4. Toss shrimp with red pepper, garlic and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
5. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until no longer translucent, about 2 minutes on each side. Let cool; serve with sauce.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Adapted from Gourmet | July 1994

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

• 3/4 cups quinoa (small disk-shaped seeds)*
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed if canned
• 1 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup corn (canned or fresh)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 fresh jalapeno, minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-3 tablespoons lime juice
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin, or to taste

1. In a saucepan bring 1 3/4 cup water to a boil.
2. Add quinoa and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat.  Check that quinoa is cooked through.
3. While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool.
5. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeños, and coriander and toss well.
6. Add lime juice, salt and cumin and taste.  Adjust all these flavorings as needed.