Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Spinach Pistachio Orzo Salad with Greek Yogurt Balsamic Vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Italian-inspired, Party Foods, Pasta, Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Yogurt 3 Comments

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Today was a very special day for my oldest daughter.  After three years, and two rounds – her braces finally came off before she started school.  She is thrilled and rightfully so.  So while grocery shopping, she asked for an orzo salad and it was a perfect idea because we have an open house at my youngest daughter’s school tonight.  I happily made this earlier in the day, letting the flavors mingle while it chills in the fridge and can be served at room temperature or straight from the fridge.  I’m serving this along with some grilled chicken tonight.  Leftovers also make a great lunch for tomorrow.

Ingredients:

 

Dressing:

1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons of a good quality dijon mustard (I use Maille)

Salad:

I package of whole wheat orzo, cooked to package specifications
1 cup of fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
1/4 cup of red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup or more if you prefer, shelled pistachios

Directions:

Dressing:  Whisk all of the ingredients together.

Salad:  Once the orzo is fully cooked, about 9 minutes, rinse with cold water.  Drain.  Place the pasta in a large bowl and toss with the other ingredients minus the nuts. Dress with vinaigrette and give a good toss.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least one hour or more to let the flavors mingle.  Add the pistachios prior to serving.  Serve along side fish, chicken or pork – or whatever protein you are having.  Serve up leftovers as lunch the next day.

 

— Knead to Cook

Farfalle Garden Pasta Salad with Lime Cumin Dressing.

by Filed Under: Party Foods, Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette 1 Comment

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I make many different pasta salads throughout the summer.  It is the most versatile dish you can make and it helps you to use up whatever veggies you have in your veggie bin before a trip to the farmer’s market.  This is my creation for today – again, omit or add whatever you have on hand or love.  Make it your own.  Pasta salad is perfect for leftovers – just keep it covered in the fridge and it will last for several days and the longer it sits, the better the flavor.  My family loves it for lunch.  Protein, dairy, fiber etc… this is a great meal all by itself too, especially on these hot summer evenings.

For a fun idea:  Serve in a hollowed out bell pepper.

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— Knead to Cook

Tomato Basil Vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Dips, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, No bake/cooking required!, Salads, Salsas & Guacamole, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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This is like a fresh burst of garden flavor. I just love the flavors.  Now I know the color may be deceptive (thanks to the yellow tomatoes I used and the dark balsamic) but don’t be swayed.  The flavor is incredibly summer.  Packed with freshness that will make your tastebuds dance!  Great for topping your favorite greens, proteins or for dipping veggies into.  I keep dipping my veggies into it… so good!  Easy, clean and vegan!

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— Knead to Cook

Haricot Vert Salad. {green bean salad}

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free 6 Comments

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Haricot verts are a thinner green bean to the domestic green bean.  I found these beauties at our farmer’s market and I thought they would make the perfect salad (dinner for me) side dish for my family.  Easy to make.  I used my roasted red pepper balsamic vinaigrette dressing to dress it.  It a great dish for these hot days of summer when you don’t want to eat anything super heavy.  Can also be prepped ahead of time and leftovers taste better the next day after absorbing lots of the flavors.  Again, I encourage you to use what extras you have on hand to add to your salad to make it your own.

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— Knead to Cook

Roasted red pepper balsamic vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, No bake/cooking required!, Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free 13 Comments

 

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I have always loved making my own vinaigrettes.  I use them for topping salads, veggies, meats – whatever!  This one is a favorite as my family really loves the flavor of smoked paprika.  This dressing has a dark, earthy flavor – which pairs up beautifully with greens or mixed vegetables.  I prepared a mixed green bean salad and topped it with this dressing last night for dinner.  It was so good.  In fact… everyone kept dipping veggies into the dressing despite my efforts to photograph it for this post.

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— Knead to Cook

Vegetable Pasta Salad with Balsamic Dijon Dressing.

by Filed Under: Featured, Party Foods, Pasta, Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette 3 Comments

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This pasta salad reminds me of summer.  Light, packed with veggies and would make the perfect lunch, dinner or side with some grilled chicken, pork, fish or steak.  My kids love to snack on it before swim meets.  Packed with vegetables and I used whole wheat pasta to bump up the nutritional value.  You can use whatever veggies you have on hand  – it is also perfect to make for a picnic or party.  I like making this ahead of time to let the dressing have time to flavor all of the components and make it even tastier.  Perfect weeknight meal too!

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— Knead to Cook

Feiny’s Everything Rubbed Chicken Garden Salad.

by Filed Under: Chicken, Grilling, Grilling/Rubs/Sauces, Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free, Yogurt 5 Comments

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My friend Adam makes the most incredible rubs for vegetables and beef, chicken, seafood, pork or whatever you can whip up!  I’m addicted!  Totally clean, super flavorful – perfection in spice form!  Low sodium  Gluten free.  No preservatives.  All natural and NO MSG.  Click here to see Adam’s world of awesome rubs.  Also makes a great Father’s Day gift!

So this salad this very much up to you and what you love or have on hand.  Here is my version.  You can make this vegetarian by just adding more veggies and omitting the chicken or use tofu or fish.

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— Knead to Cook

Vegetable Orzo Salad with a Chobani Basil Dressing.

by Filed Under: Holiday Baking Ideas, Party Foods, Pasta, Sauces, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Yogurt 2 Comments

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This was one of those recipes that purely came to mind while I was meandering through the farmer’s market on Tuesday.  The freshness of all of the spring vegetables inspired me.  I was beyond thrilled to find some golden beets, that are incredible if you get a chance to buy or taste them.  And off I went to my kitchen with my bags in tow to create.

I love do to a few meatless recipes for my carnivore family a week.  Just to let them see that they can be sustained without meat and enjoy it.  Everyone loved this dish!  Glad I got a few shots of it before they descended.  Ha ha.  This recipe is very flexible – you can add whatever veggies you have on hand.  Optional ideas:  olives, cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, green beans, edamame… the list goes on and on.

Ingredients:

1 package of whole wheat Orzo pasta
2 softball sized beets (golden or red are fine)
1/2 of an English cucumber, sliced in half and then quartered
3 ears of corn on the cob, kernels removed and cooked on the stovetop to brown and carmelize
4 spring green onions, sliced
1 bunch of asparagus, steamed or pan fried with a tiny bit of olive oil for 4 minutes to make a bit tender
1 large bell pepper (I used red)
1/3 cup of shelled pistachios

Dressing:
1 handfull of fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and Pepper (I used LoSalt with is a low sodium alternative)

Directions:

Start by roasting your beets.  Here is a recipe on how to do this simply.  If you have golden beets, no gloves are required but if they are red, gloves to protect your hands are a must.  Click here for my recipe.  Let them cool and then slice into 1/2 inch rounds and then quarter.

Cook your orzo according to package directions and drain.  Because this dish needs to be refrigerated for a few hours to let the flavors blend, I drizzled some olive oil atop of the pasta and gave it a good stir.  Let it cool.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add a touch of olive oil and the corn kernels.  Let cook without stirring for 4 minutes or so and then give a good stir.  Let them brown up and then remove from the heat and let cool.

Into a large bowl add your vegetables.  Then add the cooled orzo pasta.

To whip up the dressing, simply add all of the ingredients to a food processor or Vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust spices accordingly.  Then add to your salad.

Once the dressing is mixed in to the salad, coating everything nicely – cover and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.  Before serving, give the salad a good stir to incorporate the dressing again and enjoy.

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— Knead to Cook

Mango & Veggie Quinoa Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette 1 Comment

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Vegetarian.  Vegan.  Fabulous!  I’m totally embracing our warm weather.  This salad screams summer!  This can be made ahead.  Perfect for a weeknight dish (just add a protein like grilled chicken, shrimp or fish) or as a vegetarian dish.  Great to take to a party.  I love the clean freshness about this salad and you will too!

The flexibility of this dish is fabulous without a doubt.  If you wish to not use one veggie, substitute another.  Add what you have, omit what you don’t.  Make it your own.

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of cooked and cooled organic quinoa
1 bunch of asparagus
2 mangoes, pitted, peeled, diced
1 small cucumber, peeled, diced
1/3 cup of sugar snap pea pods, washed and cut into thirds
3 green onions, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup of washed and roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 of a seeded jalapeno

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup of a good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
3/4 tsp of cilantro
1 shallot, minced
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

First, make sure your quinoa is completely cooled (can be prepared a day ahead).  In a sauté pan with a tiny bit of olive oil, turn the heat on medium and let it get nice and hot.  Wash and trim your asparagus (I only used mainly the tips), toss them in the pan and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes.  Then remove and let cool.  While cooling, to a large bowl, add the quinoa and all of the other veggies, fruit, herbs etc.  Then add the asparagus when cooled.

While that sits, in a container with a lid (tupperware works well) add the vinaigrette ingredients and cover.  Shake… a lot!  Then pour over your salad and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors mingle.  Serve and enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Cookie Butter Energy Balls. No-bake.

by Filed Under: No bake/cooking required!, Snacks, Vinaigrette 5 Comments

 

These are a take-off of my original energy balls.  I wanted to mix these goodies up and try some cookie butter (from Trader Joe’s) in there to see how they turned out.  They are fabulous!  A bit of a different flavor but oh-so-good!  You can tweak these however you prefer.  I omit chocolate chips and add butterscotch for my husband who is allergic to chocolate.  White chocolate chips would also be perfect!

These will make a great snack or a fast breakfast!  Pack them in your kids lunch for a yummy surprise!

1 c of old-fashioned oats
1 c of toasted coconut flakes
1/2 c of chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)
1/2 c of Cookie Butter (Speculoos) (regular peanut butter or nut butter can also be used)
1/2 c of wheat bran
1 tbl of chia seeds
1/3 c + 1 /4 tsp of honey (I used raw)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Mix it all together in a bowl and then refrigerate for 45 minutes.  Remove and make into balls.  I used a small scooper (1-1.5 inch) to press it in and then eject it.  Rolled it with my hands to get a ball shape all around and then place in a airtight container to refrigerate.  Will last 5-7 days but most likely they will be long gone before that!

— Knead to Cook