Recipe Hunting 101 - Roasted Pear & Spinach Salad

I had a realization today as I was out shopping for the ingredients for today's dish.  I realized, I have never ever bought a pear before, let alone prepared one.  I have only ever bought my pears, chopped up in a can, swimming in syrup.  The fact that I haven't prepared a pear before is pretty much unconscionable because I have a pear tree in my backyard and I won't eat from it.  I wait for all the fruit to drop to the ground and then I toss the rotten fruit away.  I refuse to eat them because for some reason I am worried they will be all wormy.  Silly and wasteful, I know, but I would absolutely freak out  if I were to bite into one and got a worm.  UGHH!  Maybe this year I will have my fruit trees sprayed to lessen the likely hood of icky worms and also work on getting over this irrational fear of mine in the meantime.

Recipe Hunting 101 - Roasted Pear & Spinach Salad - recipe found onYumSugar

Salad Ingredients:

1 pear, ripe but firm, peeled cored and sliced into wedges

drizzle of oil

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup almonds

French Baguette

Blue Cheese

Dijon Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Toss sliced pear wedges in small bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. 

2.  In a small bowl, wisk garlic, dijon mustard, lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper. 

3.  Toss the spinach with the dressing, almonds and pears.  Serve with a french baguette, sliced and toasted in the oven with some blue cheese melted on top.  



Watermelon and Feta Salad

Summertime has kind of left me wanting to stay the heck out of the kitchen.  It is just so hot outside, I have little desire to slave over hot dishes for the next few weeks, at least until the hottest days of the summer are over with.  I am so eager for the crisp, cool days of the fall, to wrap myself up in warm, cozy sweaters, watch Husker football with my hubby, eat some candy corn and bake me some pumpkin pie!  In the meantime,  I have decided to keep things simple and make a few no fuss, no cook kinds of dishes for my next couple posts.

Recently, my husband and I spent a couple days in Colorado.  We explored a few towns, did some shopping and most importantly, ate.  I love going out for dinner where people make the food for me, lol, so we ate a lot!  At one little Italian restaurant, I had a salad that was beyond delicious.  It was a very simple salad with cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese and arugula.  What made it amazing was the salad dressing.  Mmmmm, it was so darn good I am salivating just thinking about it.  Unfortunately, I am not the type of person who can taste something and automatically deduce the recipe.  Darn it!!!  All in all, it did get me thinking that I would really like to experiment more with making my own salad dressings, instead of sticking to my usual, ho-hum bottle of ranch dressing.  Oddly enough, Woman's Day must have thought it was a great idea too, for today in my mailbox was the salad recipe I made for dinner tonight.  The sweetness of the watermelon mixed with the tart and sour feta and lime vinaigrette made for a really great flavor combination which I thoroughly enjoyed! 

Watermelon & Feta Salad - adapted from Woman's Day

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 small seedless watermelon, cut into chunks

3 cups baby spinach

3 oz feta cheese crumbles

Directions:

1.  Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2.  In a large bowl add spinach, watermelon and feta cheese and dressing,  Toss to coat and serve!

Couscous, "the food so nice they named it twice" - Pineapple Express

In 2008, my brother got married.  My parent's and I made a very long, 22 hours long, car ride to Virginia for the big day.  It was a beautiful wedding.  They were married on a outdoor stage next to the beach.  It was on a tad windy, but otherwise gorgous sunny day.  After the "I do's", the wedding party paraded down the Hampton sidewalks to the reception hall a few blocks away.  I think the very first thing people feasted their eyes on when they entered the reception hall was a long table laden with an amazing variety of foods!

My sister-in-law is a vegetarian, and many of her friends are vegans so the food incorporated all these dietary restrictions, as well as having a meat dish for the meat eaters.  I scrounged around my shoe box full of mementos, looking for the menu this morning so I could reminisce about the amazing meal we shared with the newly married couple, as well as, share it on my blog.

Buffet Supper:

• Fire roasted Greek chicken over penne pasta with portabella mushrooms, bell peppers, capers and a red wine reduction
• Warm potato salad Nicoise with haricot vert (vegan) 
• Tabouli - Bulgar wheat salad with tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, parsley and mint (vegan)
• Couscous salad with cranberries and almonds (vegan)
• Hummus - Chickpea, olive oil, garlic and sesame spread (vegan) served with a selection of breads
• House salad with romaine, olive tepenade, montrachet cheese, grape tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette (vegetarian)

 All the food was amazing, I sampled all of the dishes and didn't find one I didn't enjoy.  My absolute favorite dish that night was the couscous salad.  Mmm, mmm it was a delight, so when I saw this recipe below while browsing one of my favorite Food Network chef's webpage, I about died with joy!   I absolutely had to make it for my hubby, who had fell ill and wasn't able to make it on the long road trip out to the wedding and therefore missed out on all the amazing food. 

Isreali Couscous with Apples, Cranberries and Herbs adapted from Giada De Laurentis
Ingredients:
Couscous:
2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Israeli couscous (can use orzo)

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 medium granny smith apple, diced
1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, see the Cook's Note

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil


Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add the couscous, stir and cook until slightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil then allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
4. Place the couscous in a large bowl and let cool.
5. After cooling, add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, apple, dried cranberries, and almonds to the couscous.
6. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
7. Add the olive oil and whisk the mixture until smooth.
8. Pour the vinaigrette over the couscous and toss to coat evenly.

"Giada's Cooks Note: To toast the almonds, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before using."

Oh my, this is one amazingly delicious salad.  Wow!  Each and every ingredient adds an amazing flavor sensation with each and every bite.  It would be a great fresh side dish to meals and it makes for a brilliant option to have as a snack during the day.   I am so thankful that my brother's wedding well over a year ago inspired me to make this dish today, or I would be missing out on something really really wonderful. 
 
Oh, and my hubby took a bite and said one thing, "Amazing!"  I think that about says it all!