Another cold salad perfect for a summer supper...

I have a great fondness for pasta. I like it saucy or in salads. I like it served cold or piping hot. When the summer days are sizzling, I find a cold pasta salad like this one makes the perfect supper, and if I'm lucky, lunch leftovers the following day.

Tuna Macaroni Salad
2-3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 can (9 oz) water packed tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 pt. cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 can black olives, drained
1/2 cup sliced green olives
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
Yellow mustard (I just squeezed a nice blob)
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine mayonnaise through pepper and set aside. Cook macaroni as directed on package, rinse with cold water and drain.
In large bowl, mix macaroni with remaining ingredients. Add dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Feelin' hot, hot, hot!

Summer is sizzling! It's so hot farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs. It's so hot cows are giving evaporated milk. It's so hot potatoes cook underground and all you have to do to eat dinner is to pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper. It's so hot ... well, you get the picture!

Weather like this begs for cold suppers. With a little planning, you can prepare the pasta for this salad at a time of day when the kitchen is coolest (usually in the morning), and finish putting it together just before serving.

Orzo and Chickpea Salad
1 ½ cups whole wheat orzo
1 cup quartered cherry or halved grape tomatoes

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 ½ cups (15 ounce can) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons cider or red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried basil OR 1 tablespoon fresh minced oregano

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder OR ½ teaspoon fresh minced garlic

Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions. When the orzo has finished cooking, drain off the cooking water, refresh the pasta with cold water, and drain well. Toss together with the tomatoes, chickpeas, olives and chiffonade of fresh basil. Add dressing and feta and toss lightly.

NOTE: I meant to toss some broccoli flowerets in with the boiling orzo for about 2 minutes but I forgot. It would have added color and texture and big-time nutrition.

Simple Summer Salad

There's nothing like a cold summer salad on a hot night, a salad that tastes good and is easy to make. This recipe fills the bill nicely and goes with just about everything. And it doesn't contain mayonnaise so no need to worry about it spoiling in warm weather. We served it with grilled hot Italian sausages today, but it's also great with chicken, steak or barbecued ribs. You can toss it together in a few minutes and then refrigerate before serving.

GARBANZO BEAN & TOMATO SALAD
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
1 can black olives, drained (I prefer to use pitted Kalamata olives but I don't always have them on hand)
1 medium onion, sliced thin 
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 oz. Feta cheese
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions: 
Mix olive oil and vinegar, add oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Combine garbanzo beans, olives, onion, tomatoes and feta.  Shake dressing and pour over vegetables. Toss and refrigerate before serving. 

NOTE: The yellow onion has a very mild flavor, while the white is a bit more zesty and is used in many Latin American dishes. The red onion adds color and zest to any salad or entrée.

A tasty twist on chicken and stuffing . . .

As you know, I'm constantly searching for easy recipes. Everyone I know likes good food but they don't like spending hours (days) in the kitchen! I was just reading a cookie recipe in a magazine where the total prep time involved was 27 hours (which included chilling, baking and cooling)! Uh, according to my calculations, that's one entire day plus three hours, whichever way your cookie crumbles! Thinking about all the time involved for those cookies makes me feel faint. I would never give that much of my energy to anything. It's just not in me. I don't think that means I'm a lazy cook, I just know my limitations! This chicken recipe is fast and easy and delicious. It goes together quickly. You can make it more health conscious by using FAT-FREE mozzarella.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake
1-14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz bread stuffing dry mix (I used herb seasoned stuffing mix)
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Season chicken with salt and pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes with liquid in medium bowl. Add garlic and stuffing mix and 1/2 c water. Stir just until stuffing is moistened. Set aside. Place seasoned chicken in 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. I thought the stuffing got too brown too fast. I think I would bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or lightly cover the chicken with foil.

Thinnest Crust Pizza for Meatless Monday

Time seems to be spinning out of control. August is flying by and it's almost time for the Minnesota State Fair to open, which always signifies the end of summer for me. The days have been hot and humid. I don't feel like cooking anything heavy. These little pizzas are so easy and light and delicious you'll want to make them often. Add a tossed salad and it makes a tasty supper!

Thinnest Crust Pizza with Ricotta and Mushroom/repost
Makes 2
2 teaspoons olive oil
2-12 inch multi-grain tortillas (Mission brand)
2 oz. Italian-style shredded cheese blend, mozzarella & Parmesan (Market Pantry)
10 dabs low-fat or part-skim ricotta
1 package mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced or sliced canned mushrooms, well-drained
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
fresh basil and/or fresh parsley (or a sprinkle of dried basil)
Sprinkle of pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°. For easy cleanup, line baking sheet with foil. Brush both sides of tortilla with oil. Place on baking sheet.
2. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, then dollop with ricotta. Add mushrooms, red onion, tomatoes, basil; season with pepper.
3. Bake pizzas until crust is crisp and brown all over, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet from front to back during baking. Cut with a pizza cutter or knife; serve one per person. You can add more or less of all the ingredients to suit your own taste.

NOTE: You can also add sliced olives, banana pepper rings, artichokes, broccoli ...