Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette & Tomato Cucumber Salad

Tomato Cucumber Salad

2 large cucumbers, diced
1 yellow crookneck squash, diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 cup chopped black olives
1 red pepper, diced
6 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 cup Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

In a large salad bowl, mix together the cucumbers, zucchini, red onion, tomatoes, black olives, basil, and thyme. Drizzle dressing all over vegetables- you may not end up using the entire cup of dressing. Sprinkle cubed mozzarella onto each individual serving of salad.

Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette
 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
zest from one lemon
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, sugar, basil, thyme, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour the olive oil slowly into the dressing mixture, whisking to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad, and serve. Makes 1 cup.

Lamb Meatballs, Fruit & Spinach Salad, Kabobs

I am getting so wussy in my old age. It's been so HOT in my house and the outside temps are only in the low 90's as of yet. Either way, the thought of turning on my oven is just about unbearable so we've been grilling the past few nights. I've enjoyed coming up with some different things to cook on the grill- afterall, we can't have steak and hamburgers every night that it's too hot to cook indoors.

In the process of cleaning out my freezer I found some lamb meat that I bought late last year on clearance and with a coupon. It came out to $1.50/lb so I figured it was worth a shot at that price. But, in all this time I've never known what to do with it. The other night I decided to turn it into some grilled meatballs.

Lamb Meatballs

2 lbs ground lamb

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

olive oil

In a medium bowl, using yuor hands, gently mix the meatball ingredients. Do not overwork the mixture (like I did! I mixed the meat in a plastic bag so I wouldn't have to touch it, but I ended up over-working it that way...) or the meatballs will be tough. Makes about 25 meatballs Thread 5 meatballs onto each skewer. Lightly brush with oil. Pre-heat grill to about 400 F. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the meatballs with the lid closed as much as possible until they have browned but are still slightly pink in the center, 4-6 minutes, turning occasionally.

I also bought a pineapple and some peppers last Saturday at Costco that needed to be used. So, to go along with our meatballs, I made some pineapple/veggie kabobs and some Fruit & Spinach salad.

Fruit & Vegetable Kabobs

1/2 large onion

3-4 cups fresh pineapple chunks (1/2 pineapple)

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 orange bell pepper, cut into chunks

8 oz button mushrooms

2 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks

or 18 plum tomatoes 

 If using bamboo instead of metal skewers be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. Thread vegetables onto skewers. Keep the vegetables close enough to just touch, without crowding. Brush with olive oil. Preheat grill to 400 F. Brush cooking grates clean. Grill with the lid closed as much as possible until skins of the vegetables begin to brown and blister - about 8 minutes- turning occasionally.

My last edition to our meal was an afterthought. I just wanted to use the extra pineapple and onions that didn't fit onto the kabobs, but it turned out really great! I made a Fruit and Spinach salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

 

Fruit & Spinach Salad

1/2 lb baby spinach
4 oz sliced strawberries
1 cup pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (if using canned, reserve the juice)
1/2 cup onion, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup Sesame Vinaigrette

Combine salad ingredients. Toss with Sesame Vinaigrette. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to combine flavors.

Sesame Vinaigrette

4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted*

2 tablespoon rice vinegar
6 tablespoons unsweetened white grape juice (or use the reserved pineapple juice)
4 teaspoons sesame oil
 
Combine ingredients in a small jar. Shake to combine. Allow to sit for several hours if possible to combine flavors. Shake again before serving.
*I didn't have any sesame seeds, so I made my dressing without them and it still tasted great.
 
Overall, my opinion about lamb? I think I'll stick with ground beef and turkey. The guys seemed to like them (we only ended up with 4 leftover meatballs) but, while they were good, they don't top my list of favorites. Maybe it's because I kept conjuring images of a cute little fuzzy creature bleating and crying or maybe just because I overworked the meat and the meatballs turned out a bit tough. But at least now I can say I've tried cooking it, right?

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole, Ranch Dressing

Yesterday evening was another night full of cooking. I wanted to make some bread and calzones in addition to dinner. I wanted to use the leftover marinara sauce from Monday night and we ran out of bread earlier in the day anyway so I figured calzones were the perfect answer. The problem: They take too long to cook when I'm not starting dinner until after 5pm.. So I planned something quick and easy for dinner and while that was cooking I had time to make the bread and calzones that I wanted.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 box StoveTop stuffing (or 4 cups seasoned, dried bread crumbs)

1 can green beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In large skillet, brown chicken on all sides. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Cover chicken with water and boil until cooked through (about 15 minutes). Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions except omit butter and use water from cooked chicken. Open can of green beans and drain. Cut chicken into chunks and spread over the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Spread green beans over chicken and prepared stuffing mix over green beans. Mix soup and milk and pour over the top of stuffing. Top with cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

I cooked about 3 lbs of chicken so I'd have enough for calzones and possibly some enchiladas later in the week.Note the time- In the amount of time it took me to cook dinner, I was also able to have 2 loaves of sandwich bread ready to put into the oven as well as a loaf of cinnamon rhubarb breakfast bread AND one large calzone. I will add the bread recipes to another post.

Oh! And I also made some home-made ranch dressing for our salad.

Ranch Dressing Mix

1 Tb. dried basil

2 Tb dried minced onions

2 Tb. dried parsley flakes

2 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp garlic

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

2 Tb. sugar

1 1/2 C. dry buttermilk powder

Combine ingredients and mix well. To make salad dressing:

Add 1/4 cup above mix into a 2 cup jar. Add:

1/2 cup water. Mix well

3/4 cup mayonnaise and shake jar until thoroughly blended.

Makes 1 cup salad dressing.

          
To make vegetable dip:
 Add 1/4 cup mixture to 8 oz sour cream. Mix well. Add water to reach desired consistency if necessary.

Baked Potato Chips, Onion Soup Mix, Onion Dip, Pasta Salad, Salad dressing

Yesterday we had a barbeque at the In-laws house. Lucky for us, our food assignment was to bring salad and chips. My budget can handle that! I made pasta salad with home-made dressing, Baked potato chips and onion dip.

Baked Potato Chips

6-8 medium Russet Potatoes

1 Tbsp salt

Pam cooking spray (or vegetable oil)

water

Slice potatoes paper thin into a large bowl of cold water. Once potatoes are all sliced, drain water- refill with fresh water and add salt. Allow potatoes to sit for 30 minutes (This helps to remove excess starch from the potatoes). Drain water and arrange potato slices on a greased baking sheet in a single layer. I like to cover mine with foil for easier cleanup. Bake potatoes at 425 for 20 minutes, turning halfway through if desired. Depending on how thin you sliced your potatoes, you'll want to check them halfway through anyway to be sure they don't burn. Remove 'chips' as they become crisp. Some chips will take longer to crisp than others.

Onion Dip

8 oz sour cream (or plain yogurt)

8 oz cottage cheese

1/4 cup onion soup mix*

Combine and stir. Serve with homestyle potato chips.

*Easy Onion Soup Mix

3/4 cup dried minced onion

1/3 cup brown gravy mix

Combine & store in an airtight container.

For the pasta salad, I actually made some spinache pasta. Again, I'm sneaking some greens from the garden on this one, but I can't just let it go to waste! I won't get into the whole noodle making process again on this post- I'll save it for when we eat the Raviolis that I made along with the pasta salad noodles. (The recipe that I used made a LOT of pasta.)

Pasta Salad

1 lb cooked and cooled pasta

1 cucumber, diced

1 zucchini, diced

5 asparagus spears

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cup Italian Vinaigrette

1 cup shredded or chopped Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine ingredients and toss with salad dressing. Refrigerate overnight if able to combine flavors. Really you can use just about any vegetable that you'd like or have on hand. I like to make sure that I have at least as many vegetables as noodles.

Italian Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar (I used apple cider- it's what I had on hand)

3/4 cup olive or vegetable oil, or a combination

2 Tbsp finely chopped chives (or onion, or green onion. I use chives because I have so many!)

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp dried basil

Combine ingredients in a large jar with a tight lid. Shake well. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

This is what was sent home with us from the barbeque: 2 steaks, 3 pork chops, 4 baked potatoes and 4 rolls. While I would love to eat this all up instead of our own food, I've decided that I'm not going to "cheat" so I will turn it into a few meals for some neighbors.