Simple Tomato Salad

Last night I was making dinner and knew I wanted to come up with a quick and easy salad to go with it. I opened my crisper and realized that I had no lettuce. Shoot! What’s a gal to do? I dug deep into the drawer and found a couple of tomatoes, half a red onion and an English cucumber… and a light bulb went off in my head. A lettuce-less salad was in order! The key to this recipe is making all of the vegetables the same size and in equal amounts. Seems simple enough, right? Right. I happened to have heirloom tomatoes, but any kind would have worked. I’m actually eating the leftovers of this salad right now and it tastes even better today than it did last night. What’s your favorite simple salad ?

What You Need:

3/4 English cucumber, cut into bite sized pieces
2 large tomatoes, cut into bit sized pieces
½ red onion, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs aged balsamic vinegar (regular balsamic would work fine here)
1 tsp agave or honey (to taste)
¼ tsp kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
Red pepper flakes to taste



What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.




Makes 5 – 1 cup servings


Bon Appétit!
Mary

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Orzo is the only type of pasta that I do not prefer to be whole wheat. I’ve experimented before with this cut of pasta being the whole grain version and find that I am not a fan of the texture. It goes from being under done to mushy, so for this salad I use regular white orzo. When I ran to the market for the a few ingredients, they were out of fresh oregano, so I decided I would make do with dried. I recommend using fresh if you have it available (if you do, use 1 tsp). Serve with asparagus and seared scallops.

What You Need:

½ lb orzo, cooked in broth
½ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
1/3 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup red bell pepper, small dice
1/3 cup green onion, thinly sliced – green part only
½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 tsp aged balsamic (traditional balsamic vinegar would work fine)
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 - 1 tsp dried oregano (or to taste)
1/8 tsp salt and pepper (or to taste)



What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate for two hours before serving if possible, but will taste good as is. The longer it sits the better it tastes.

Serves 4 – 6



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Mary's Mexican Pulled Chicken

This quick and easy crock pot meal comes together in less than 5 minutes, making it exactly what you need on a busy day. The smoky seasonings make this dish perfect over a salad of romaine, red onion, cucumber and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Serve with hot sauce and pickled jalapeño peppers. No need for dressing, the sauce make the ideal condiment.

What You Need:

1 lb chicken tenders
1 – 7 oz can salsa (recommended: Herdez salsa casera)
1 – 4 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste



What To Do:

Place rinsed chicken in bottom of slow cooker.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Next, season the chicken with cumin and chili powder.

Top the seasoned chicken with green chiles.

Next, top the chicken with salsa and tomato sauce.

Set slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

When slow cooker has one hour to go, shred chicken with two forks and mix well. If dry, add water or chicken broth.

Serves 4



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Roasted Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Roasting is a great way to bring out a vegetable’s sweetness. For this dish I combined two of my favorite vegetables with a little olive oil, salt and pepper for this simple, clean salad. If you’re not a big fan of garlic, you can use one small minced shallot instead. A great addition to this would be some fresh herbs. I think Italian parsley would give the salad a lemony kick and just the right amount of green. This salad would be also be wonderful with a barbecued chicken breast or baked tofu. Make it a day ahead for a potluck at work or a friend’s barbeque. The flavors will only get better and better with time.

What You Need:

12 oz green beans, cut in to 1 ½” pieces

1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 ½ Tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, grated or mashed
Zest of one lemon
2 cups whole wheat rotelle, cooked in chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

What To Do:

Combine 2 Tbs oil, zest and garlic in a bowl and set aside.

Cook pasta in chicken broth according to packages instructions, drain and then set aside.

While the pasta cooks, roast beans and tomatoes with ½ tablespoon oil, salt and pepper in a 400* oven for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes burst and green beans are still crisp.

Toss hot vegetables and pasta with the flavored oil and allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Taste and determine if it needs more salt or pepper and season accordingly. Allow salad refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably over night.

Serves 7 (1 cup servings)

Bon Appétit!
Mary