Pasta Salad

Submitted by Eve Lamb

• 7 oz noodles any kind
• 4-5 celery sticks diced
• 1 tomato diced
• Roasted red pepper strips about 2-3 big scoops diced
• Red pepper diced
• Half can of black olives diced

You can used any bottle dressing Italian or Greek Homemade Dressing whisk together:

• 2-3 tsp finely diced shallot onion
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 tbs Dijon or yellow mustard
• 1/2 of a lime (juice)
• 2 heaping tbs of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbs of distilled white vinegar. 
• (If you do not add the Greek dressing add 1/4cup of vinegar not 2 tbs)
• I add 1/4 cup of Greek salad dressing which is optional. 

 DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta noodles rinse and drain well and set aside in med bowl.

Chop and add all diced veggies

Make and add dressing keep about 1/4 cup for right before serving. 

Chill for 1 hour to over night.

Bam!  Best pasta ever :)

Thai Beef Salad- by Ronda M.

2  thick 8-oz sirloin steaks
1 lemongrass stalk- root trimmed, then lower 2 inches finely chopped
1/2 red onion or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, cut into strips
2 T chopped scallion
Juice of 2 limes
1-2 T Thai fish sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (or 2-4 red chilies)
1 tsp cilantro

1. Pan-fry or grill (better) the steaks, aiming for medium-rare.  Let them rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile cut up veggies.

2.  After meat is done resting, slice it thinly and toss with vegetables and lime juice and fish sauce to taste.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

This is at its very best served right away, while the meat is warm, but it is fine to make ahead and refrigerate, as well.

Original recipe by Yuwadee Thomas
(I halved the onion amount in the list above, and used even less than that last night.  Also, I forgot the lemongrass last night.)



Ginger Chicken
from "The Everything Thai Cookbook"

2 T fish sauce
2 T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce
3 T vegetable oil
1 T chopped garlic
1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 T grated ginger
Pinch of sugar
3 T chopped onion
2-3 habanero, serrano, or bird's eye chilies, or 1 jalapeño for a mild version
3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1.  In a small bowl, combine the fish, soy, and oyster sauces; set aside.
2.  Heat the oil in a large wok until very hot.  Add the garlic and chicken, and stir-fry just until the chicken begins to change color.
3.  Add the reserved sauce and cook until it begins to simmer, stirring constantly.
4.  Add the mushrooms, ginger, sugar, onion, and chilies; simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 5-8 minutes.
5.  To serve, ladle the chicken over Jasmine rice and top with green onion and cilantro.

Southwest Pasta Salad

I adapted this recipe from the one found at OurBestBites

1 1/2 lb Fusilli, Rotini or Bow Tie Pasta (We used Trader Joe's organic Fusilli)
2-3 14oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
6 roma tomatoes, diced or about 1 1/2 C or halved cherry tomatoes ( I love Trader Joe's Sugar Plum Tomatoes)
3 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 C sliced green onions (we didn't add these in the salad that was served at the Visiting Teaching conference)
1 1/2 C frozen fresh corn
optional: 16 oz diced cooked chicken and/or 1 C Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese (or you could sub grated jack, cheddar or pepperjack)

Dressing:
6 Tbs fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes) (Lemon juice can me substituted if you really need it, but lime is best.)
1/4 C white wine or rice vinegar (I always use seasoned rice vinegar)
4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I use 5 tsp. of the jarred, minced garlic)
1 heaping Tbsp chili powder
2 heaping tsp cumin
1 heaping tsp coriander
1 heaping tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (I use 4 cubes of the frozen cilantro from Trader Joe's, but that amount is a super-duper mild, almost unnoticeable cilantro flavor - it just blends in rather than stands out.)

Boil pasta in salted water until cooked. While it’s cooking, prepare dressing.

Juice your limes.

Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender. (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil) Process until smooth. With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact. (If you use the frozen cubes, then toss it in at the spices and vinegar stage.)

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool. Place the pasta in the large salad bowl. Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn), and chicken if desired. Toss with dressing. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste. My family loves to eat it warm, but you can chill it for 1 hour before serving. Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top. Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 7 - 10 dinner servings or 14 - 20 side servings.

Honey Citrus Salad

The recipe is super simple. This proportion feeds 1-2 people - multiply as needed.

1 orange, peeled & sectioned (preferably with the membrane removed)
1/2 banana sliced
1 tsp - 1Tbs honey depending on how much sweet you need
1/4 cup berries - raspberries, strawberries, etc.
Sprinkle with poppy seeds to add a little color.

Enjoy!

Submitted by Kathryn Class