Greek Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Feta and Roasted Veggies

The first time I made this salad, it was in the middle of August, the hottest time of the year here in Vancouver. I have no idea what prompted me to make this salad and deciding to roast the vegetables in my oven instead of turning on the BBQ.

As my house heated up, roasting veggies in my oven seemed like a really bad idea. I was sweltering from the heat, questioning my sanity. All was good once I took a bite of this pasta salad; then it all seemed worth it.

If you want to make this pasta salad in the summer, I would HIGHLY recommend grilling your vegetables and the shrimp on the BBQ grill. Or even better, grill extra vegetables and shrimp for dinner and use the leftovers in this pasta salad the next day.

I have made this recipe a few times since, and used my oven to roast the vegetables once the weather cooled off. It makes a nice, light, but satisfying meal that doesn't weigh you down. The roasted vegetables really shine through with the simple Dijon vinaigrette. You can substitute chicken in lieu of shrimp but I have to say that shrimp and roasted vegetables are a winning combo!

This pasta salad tastes delicious served either warm or cold. I find that it tastes best if it is allowed to sit for an hour or so for the pasta to absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette. Make sure to keep this salad chilled in the refrigerator.

Ingredients
2 medium zucchinis, sliced into 1/8" rounds, or half moons
1 lb cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces (optional)
3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper

1 lb wheat or gluten-free pasta (rotini, penne, or rotelle pastas all work well)
1 lb shrimp, unshelled and deveined
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 small red onion, finely diced

Dijon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Toss zucchini, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers in olive oil, salt and pepper. Broil in the oven on medium for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and slightly charred. (An even better idea is to grill your vegetables on the BBQ, especially in the Summer!)

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions until it is al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

3. Pan fry the shrimp in a tablespoon of olive oil until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Set aside. (You can also skewer the shrimp and grill it on the BBQ.)

4. Mix the ingredients for the vinaigrette: rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.

5. Toss the roasted veggies, pasta, shrimp, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and red onion with the Dijon vinaigrette. Serve warm or cold.

Source: Slightly Adapted from Allrecipes

Sweet Corn and Black Bean Salad

This is the salad that I have been eating all summer long. Well, ever since I discovered it at my Sister-In-Law's house back in June.

My Sister-In-Law always serves at least two amazing salads at her dinner parties. The list of salads on her menu rotate as she experiments with different recipes. This leads me to constantly asking her for recipes and helping myself to countless servings shamelessly as a dinner guest. My worst offense has been with this particular salad, where I was responsible for eating most if not all of it. If I recall correctly, other people wanted a second serving as well. Well, first come first served.

Since I couldn't get enough of this salad at my Sister-In-Law's, I had to make it for myself many times to satiate those pesky cravings.

This salad taste best when you use fresh, in season corn and tomatoes. Serve this salad as a side or a main entree, as it's guaranteed to please even the fussiest eaters. I hope your guests will be a little more considerate than I was at sharing.

Ingredients
2 corn off the cob (check out how to cook corn in 3 minutes) or 12 oz (360 ml) can of peaches and cream corn, rinsed and drained
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced into small pieces
12 oz (360 ml) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
1/8 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped into bite sized pieces

Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cumin*
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Combine corn kernels, tomatoes, black beans, red onion and cilantro in a bowl.

2. Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Pour the dressing into the vegetables and mix. Allow the salad to marinate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour in the refrigerator for best flavor. Stir in the avocado right before serving.

*For those with peanut and/or tree nut allergies, Clubhouse/McCormick sells spices free of peanuts and tree nuts. This may change without notice, please check with company for up to date information and always read all labels carefully before consuming.

Source: Lola via Frugal Allergy Mom

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Lemongrass Pork

We have avoided dining at Vietnamese restaurants for the past year. The last time we went, I ordered Pho, and my husband ordered his usual: Vietnamese rice noodle salad. As a precaution, we brought our little man's food with us, since we realized the risk of cross contamination is high with peanuts being used in Vietnamese dishes.

When my husband's rice noodle salad arrived, it was topped with a generous handful of chopped peanuts. We quietly freaked out and removed our little man from the restaurant, leaving my husband to scoop out the peanuts from his bowl and eat his meal in solitude.

To this day, we are still baffled how both of us forgot that Vietnamese rice noodle salads contain peanuts. We vowed not to put our family into that situation again and make Vietnamese food at home.

With a little help from the internet and a little planning, a peanut-free rice noodle salad was on our dinner table. The only exception was that this time around, our whole family had the chance to enjoy a safe meal together.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:

I usually serve this rice noodle salad after grilling a big batch of Vietnamese lemongrass pork. If you grill the pork the night before, this allows dinner to be ready in as short as 20 minutes as the grilled pork, pickles and dipping sauce are ready to go. All you have to do is heat the spring rolls, cook the noodles and assemble the dinner.

Serves: 8

Ingredients
1 package rice noodles
1 package of spring rolls
8 generous pieces of cooked Vietnamese lemongrass pork (try this recipe)
1 cucumber, sliced
1 head of lettuce, shredded (iceberg or romaine)
1 batch of Vietnamese carrot and daikon pickles (try this recipe)
1 batch of Vietnamese dipping sauce (try this recipe)
Sriracha hot sauce, to serve (optional)
Hoisin sauce, to serve (optional)
Mint, to serve (optional)

Directions
1. Prepare rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Different brands of rice noodles contain different ingredients. Always read the label!

2. Bake or pan fry the spring rolls according to package directions. Cut the spring rolls into bite-sized pieces.

Nut-free spring rolls from Costco Canada.

3. Heat the Vietnamese lemongrass pork in the microwave until warm. Slice thinly into bite-sized pieces.

4. Place rice noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Top each bowl with spring rolls, lemongrass pork, cucumber, shredded lettuce and Vietnamese carrot daikon pickles.

5. Serve with Vietnamese dipping sauce, sriracha hot sauce, hoisin sauce and mint.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

10 Minute Cold Sesame Noodle Salad

Vancouver, or Raincouver, as it is fondly known by locals is going through a heat wave this summer. We have had sunny skies for more consecutive days than I can count and being the heat wimp that I am, I have my fingers crossed for cooler weather and some rain.

With such intense heat, the last thing on my mind is standing over a hot stove. I aim for quick meals that require little stove action which taste delicious and are quick to prepare. This recipe has become a family favorite and my husband declared this as one my of best recipes.

Thinking back on my childhood, this was one of my mom's favorite go-to meals in the summer as well: easy and delicious. Her version uses peanut butter instead of seed butter, but I would highly suggest using seed butter (that contain sesame) as it tastes much better and more friendly for those with peanut/tree nut allergies!

Ingredients
454 g spaghetti or thin egg (Chow Mein) noodles
1 large cucumber, julienned
2 medium carrots, julienned
2 stalks green onions (optional)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Sauce
1/3 cup seed butter (preferably one that contains sesame)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce, or hot pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
1. Boil water in a large pot over high heat. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions, drain and soak the noodles in cold water until it is cool to the touch. Drain again.

2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, mix the seed butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, black pepper, ginger and hot sauce together. Stir and simmer the sauce until it is smooth.

3. Pour the sauce over the cold noodles and toss with cucumber, carrots, green onions and cilantro (if using). Garnish with sesame seeds. This can be chilled or served at room temperature. Personally, I find this noodle salad taste the best after chilling in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Source: Adapted from Food

Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad with Lemon and Dill

Tuna salad gets a bad reputation mostly because there is an overuse of mayonnaise, bland tasting and lacking in texture. It is one of the main reasons why I rarely eat tuna salads at parties since it always ends in disappointment.

Then I discovered this recipe.

It was amazing! This tuna salad is light, bursting with flavor from the lemon and dill, loaded with crunchy bell peppers, celery and lettuce. It offers an amazing contrast of flavors. I like to think the lemon, dill and the lettuce are the real stars of this tuna salad as it elevates this tuna salad from all others.

This salad tastes best the day it's made. We had leftovers since I made so much but it was equally delicious the next day. The only thing I would caution against having leftovers is the lettuce was not as crunchy; but it did not wilt as much as I had anticipated when we ate the leftovers.

Now this is a tuna salad that I could eat over and over again.

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 sprigs green onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow, seeded and de-stemmed), chopped
2 cans of tuna, packed in water, drained
3 tbsp olive oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large lemon, freshly squeezed
4 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped into long strips
1/3 cup mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)
1 tbsp dried dill
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Boil pasta according to package directions. Cook until the macaroni is tender. Rinse the macaroni under cold water.

2. Combine macaroni, green onions, bell pepper, tuna and celery in a large bowl. Pour in olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, dried dill, sea salt and black pepper. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.

3. Right before you are ready to serve, stir in the lettuce. Serve immediately or chill for an hour.

Note: If you are making this ahead of time, leave the lettuce out and add the lettuce to the tuna salad at the last minute.

Source: Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Bacon and Egg Potato Salad

I love potato salads. I cannot resist eating potato salads at parties, buffets or restaurants. With that love of potato salads, I have tried my fair share: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But my favorite potato salad is this recipe I came up with on my own. It is lightly dressed with mayonnaise, loaded with crispy bacon, creamy egg, crunchy celery, and tangy pickles. This is the best potato salad I have ever had and made. It is so addictive that both my husband and I went back for second helpings. And maybe a third helping too.

Ingredients
10 medium red skinned potatoes, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
5 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3 slices of cooked bacon strips, cut into strips
3 dill pickles, small dice
3 celery stalks, small dice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. In a large pot over high heat, add potatoes and cover with at least 1 inch of cold water. Once the pot comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and allow the potatoes to cool slightly. Do not overcook.

2. Mix potatoes, hard boiled eggs, dill pickles, celery, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and black pepper in a large bowl or container.

3. Top with bacon strips. Serve immediately or chilled.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

Chickpea Feta Salad

Two summers ago, we met up with some friends for a beach picnic. My friend S brought fried chicken and made a chickpea salad that won me over.

I asked my friend for her recipe and made it that very week. It has become a regular fixture in my recipe rotation. This salad is light and bursting with bright flavors. It is perfect especially when fresh tomatoes are in season.

Ingredients
1 English cucumber, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
540 ml can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 2 tsp dried dill (fresh is preferred)
250 g crumbled feta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard and dill.

2. In a large bowl, pour the dressing over the cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas and feta cheese. Toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld together.

Source: Slightly adapted from Inspired taste

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

We went to the library yesterday afternoon to return some DVDs we had borrowed. As we were walking past the Newly Acquired section (where they showcase all newly acquired books and DVDs), a book caught my eye.

The book that caught my attention is called "201 Organic Baby and Toddler Meals". While my little man played in the kids area, I quickly flipped through the book. This book is full of delicious recipes geared towards babies and toddlers but all of them sounded delicious for grown-ups as well.

The recipes were so enticing that I stopped by a grocery store on my way home to pick up some bell peppers and milk.

I picked this recipe as I love cold pasta salads, especially ones loaded with colorful vegetables. This recipe came together quickly after a light amount of chopping and is even more delicious the next day. I was happy with how this recipe turned out and this recipe has earned a spot on my regular recipe rotation.

Sidenote: For those of you who read my post on my $150 grocery challenge, you would be interested to know that I spent $16.99 on produce, milk and miscellaneous grocery on Day 2. Milk apparently costs $9.24 every week for our family of 3! Wowzers!! This means that I have only $72.86 remaining for my grocery, entertainment and dining out budget to last for the remainder of the month (with 28 days to go)! I think that I might be in a bit of trouble!


Ingredients
500 g dried pasta (shells, rotini or mini farfalle pasta)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
4 tsp dried Italian seasoning or dried dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 medium green bell pepper, diced small
1 medium red bell pepper, diced small
1 medium sized head of broccoli, stems diced and cut into small florets
1 medium carrot, diced small
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package directions.

2. Drain pasta and immerse cooked pasta in a container of cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder together, salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. Combine pasta, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, broccoli, carrot and dressing together.

This pasta salad tastes even better the next day.

Source: Slightly adapted from 201 Organic Baby and Toddler Meals

Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese, Arugula and Pear Salad

After graduating from university, I worked in an office building with an Italian eatery which offered takeout. When they first opened, they offered quality food at affordable prices. Even better yet was that the portion sizes were generous. My favorite salad was their beet salad.

Word got out about the Italian eatery. Slowly prices increased and their portion sizes decreased significantly. The quality also went down which lost them a lot of customers, including me.

I decided to make my own beet salad since it is a relatively easy recipe. Over these years, I have been merrily making my own beet, goat cheese and arugula salad.

We went to a friend's house for a Christmas party last year. Jen served a beet salad that was a game changer for me. What made her beet salad stand out was the addition of ripe pears. The pears added a touch of sweetness which was missing from my beet salad.

In this recipe, I tweaked my usual beet salad recipe to include Jen's use of ripe pears and added dried cranberries (as suggested by Giada De Laurentiis), which added slight tartness. I also peeled and roasted the beets in wedges instead of roasting it whole. This salad was so good that I did not even notice the absence of walnuts! My husband said it best: "I could eat this salad forever". Amen to that!

Dress the salad first and then add the goat cheese on top.

Ingredients
4 medium red beets
1 medium golden beets
Olive oil
1 ripe pear (Bartlett or Anjou), cut into bite sized cubes
1/4 cup dried cranberries
12 oz goat cheese
3 cups arugula, washed and dried

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Left clockwise: honey, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Peel beets and cut into wedges. In a bowl, toss beets in olive oil. Spread beets in a single layer on baking sheet lined with aluminium foil. Make sure the beets are not overcrowding the pan.

3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the beets half way through.

4. Allow the beets to cool to room temperature.

5. In a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar, honey, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat the vinaigrette in the microwave for 20 seconds and mix thoroughly.

About 10 minutes before serving
6. In a large serving bowl, toss together the beets, cubed pears, dried cranberries and arugula with the vinaigrette.

7. Serve with goat cheese on top.

Source: Inspired and adapted from Jen, Ina Garten, Food Network and Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network

California Chicken and Grape Salad (Free of Top 8 Allergens and Sesame)

When my husband and I first started dating, he was keen on introducing me to his family. He told me his sister lived in the suburbs with her husband and their two kids. I was a little nervous the first time I met them since making an impression was important. Fast forward 12 years later, my SIL's home feels like a second home for us. We feel right at home hanging out with them and their happy-go-lucky puppy, M who turned 4 in early December. (We were at their house the day they brought M home 4 years ago; how fast time flies!)

Over the course of 12 years, we have eaten countless meals at my SIL's. She is a gracious host who makes fabulous meals. You never leave her house hungry. Many years ago, my SIL made a chicken and grape salad that was so delicious that I went home and made it right away. I would often make it every few weeks when the craving hits.

The original recipe has nuts (pecans) in it. Clearly, this recipe needed to be adapted so my nut-allergic little man can eat it. Also on the ingredients list was mayonnaise, which is something people who have egg allergies need to avoid. In lieu of mayonnaise, I substituted in ripe avocados which offers the same creaminess of mayo but is much healthier for you! I was pleasantly surprised that the salad tastes just as good without the nuts and mayonnaise. The water chestnuts offer a bit of crunchiness which is something I always love in a salad. For those who are gluten-free, you can serve this salad either in a lettuce leaf or on gluten-free bread.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced into cubes
1 cup grapes, sliced in half (you can use red or black grapes)
2 avocados, mashed
1 can water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped (FYI: water chestnuts is not a tree nut)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients together. Serve over bread of choice, crackers or over a lettuce leaf.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

Better Than Packaged Coleslaw

As I had mentioned in yesterday's post, packaged coleslaw has been a huge time saver. The one thing I did not like about packaged salads was that it seemed to have frequent recalls due to salmonella.

Since I was making everything else for my pulled pork sandwich from scratch: buns, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, coleslaw dressing, it seemed like a cop out to use prepackaged coleslaw.

This coleslaw recipe is quite simple and a great way to work on your chopping skills.

Ingredients
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 unpeeled red apple, cored and chopped
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 carrot, grated

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients and pour coleslaw dressing all over, tossing to combine.

Source: Allrecipes

Coleslaw Dressing

When I first learned to cook in my mid-20s, a lot of my meals were based on convenience. At first, coleslaw was something I purchased pre-made from the grocery store. Then, I learned that you can buy packaged coleslaw and mix it with Kraft Coleslaw dressing. As my cooking skills slowly improved, I learned how to make my own coleslaw dressing with ingredients I had on hand. The result was a much better tasting coleslaw with a minimal amount of effort.

Ingredients
2/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup white sugar
3 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

Directions
1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl, blending thoroughly.

2. Pour dressing over coleslaw (packaged or homemade) and toss to combine. Serve immediately or chill for at least 30 minutes.

Source: Allrecipes

Greek Salad

Believe it or not, the first time I went to a Greek restaurant was when I was in my early 20s. I had just moved to Vancouver and some high school friends invited me to tag along. The restaurant we went to is Stephos, known for their large portions and reasonable prices. The lineups were, and still are, extremely long. If you visit Stephos during dinner time, you need to be there by 4pm or expect a lengthy wait. Alternatively, you can also get take out and breeze right past the lineup.

This was one of the first places my husband (then boyfriend) and I went on our dates. Greek food has always been his favorite and it is no surprise that his favorite salad is the Greek salad. The quickest way to win over my husband is to make his favourite foods: spanakopita (spinach pie) with Greek salad.

The key to a great Greek salad is having in season vegetables: ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber, plump green pepper and a good extra virgin olive oil. It also helps if you get the pitted kalamata olives. My husband is not a fan of having to spit out the pits.

Ingredients
1 - 2 English cucumbers, cut into bite sized pieces
4 medium sized tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large green pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 red onion, diced into small pieces
400g feta cheese, diced into small cubes
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, rinsed under water (can substitute with black olives)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp dried oregano (or use 3 tbsp fresh oregano)
Black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, red onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives in a lidded container.

2. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, dried oregano in a small bowl and pour dressing over the salad.

3. Place the lid securely on the container and shake until everything is mixed.

4. Season with black pepper.

VARIATION

• Add cooked pasta to make this a pasta salad.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

Baked Peri Peri Chicken Wings

When my husband and I first started dating, we often went to Wednesday Wing Nights at a local pub near Simon Fraser University. The wings were cheap, $0.25 per wing if you purchased a drink. It was often packed with university students and league volleyball players (who played at a complex nearby) and everyone was ordering wings by the platter. The wings came in all sorts of flavours: BBQ, honey garlic, salt and pepper, hot and extra hot.

Since then, we have gone to many other pubs for wing nights. One favorite was a pub out in Port Coquitlam where the wings were also $0.25, but the wings were much bigger and there was a better selection of flavors. The downside of Wing Night was the long wait, sometimes up to 20 minutes or more just for a table!

Since most pubs are quite noisy, it is also not an ideal place to bring the little man. For a fraction of the price, we now make our wings at home. Best part is that we do not have to suffer the long wait anymore.

Frozen wings work equally well in this recipe. Just make sure to thaw it in the fridge two days before you want to eat. I bought my frozen chicken wings from Save-On Foods when it went on sale for $15.99 for 3 kilograms.

Ingredients
1/4 cup paprika or smoked paprika
2 tbsp hot chili powder
1 cup fresh or bottled lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1-1/2 tsp salt

2 lbs chicken wings, tips removed (If frozen, thaw in the fridge a day prior)

Directions
1. In a large Ziplock bag, mix all the ingredients together (except for the chicken wings).

2. Add in the chicken wings and make sure the marinade evenly coats all of the wings.

Give these wings a nice and gentle massage.

3. At a minimum, the wings should be marinated overnight in the fridge up to two nights for more flavor.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

5. In a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, place the chicken wings in a single layer (leaving a little space in between each wing). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes