<p>With the tri-color rotini we like to add:
a colored pepper, diced finely
diced red onion
shredded paremesan
grape tomatoes
Bernsteins Italian dressing
you can add other fun things:
olives
hard boiled eggs
etc</p>
<p>The Bernsteins is really zesty and adds tons of flavour</p>
<p>Need a dressing idea-
I have tomatoes from my garden. Yellow pear, cherry and some small orange cherry. I am thinking chop them up with cucumber and feta cheese. But what dressing. I don’t like bottled dressing. I was thinking something with lemon and olive oil. Any recipes?
Thought I might serve it with grilled chicken and maybe hummus and pita bread.
I made a good dinner a few nights ago from a jar sauce I picked up at Trader Joe’s. My apologies to any Indian posters.
Trader joe’s Indian Korma Sauce. The recipe calls for adding a cup of water but I added lite coconut milk instead. Also from TJ’s. I cubed the chicken and cooked in a bit of olive oil. I also added cauliflower diced small so the kids would not know it was there. Also zuchini and cubed up precooked red potato. I served it with mango chutney and rice. I also bought the fresh Naan bread from Trader Joe’s. It was a fast easy meal that everyone ate.
Also served it with some fresh cooked spinach.</p>
<p>Mom60,
This is good:</p>
<p>Lemon Dressing
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp & freshly ground pepper to taste
Whisk the mustard and lemon juice together. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.</p>
<p>Renee–that’s funny, it’s about the one I was going to post! Yummy. Except I put a split clove of garlic in the bottle too and let it marinate. For Dijon mustard, I like Maille, but then I just noticed that Grey Poupon is part of the same company, but I think the taste is a bit different (more intense maybe).</p>
<p>Summer salad.</p>
<p>1 bag of mixed greens
1 apple cut into small pieces
4 or 5 strawberries sliced
1/4 cup candied nuts (either almonds, walnuts or pecans) chopped</p>
<p>Poppyseed salad dressing</p>
<p>plain (unseasoned) goat cheese optional.</p>
<p>Mix all of the above.</p>
<p>Mom60 you have a great start on a Greek salad. Add to what you have some thinly sliced red onion, pitted kalamata olives (available at Trader Joe’s) and fresh oregano. Toss this lightly with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.</p>
<p>Patient, that’s how I make my vinaigrette, too, with a clove of garlic. </p>
<p>I just made a nice accompaniment for chicken or fish:
one medium onion, chopped.
two tomatoes, chopped,
1/2 cup (or more) basil, chopped
salt to taste
olive oil for sauteeing</p>
<p>Heat the olive oil, fry the onion until translucent, add the tomatoes and basil and salt to taste.</p>
<p>I would probably put that on pasta, too, Marite! Maybe adding some cloves of garlic, sliced, to the olive oil instead of the onions. </p>
<p>A cheating way to make the mustard vinaigrette described above is to add a dollop of Dijon mustard to a bottled oil-and-vinegar (not balsamic, just plain old) dressing. (I use Newman’s for this purpose and it tastes great that way when I’m too rushed or lazy to make it from scratch.) Proportions vary by taste–probably I use a heaping teaspoon to about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the dressing and whisk it well. </p>
<p>The salad it tastes yummy with: boiled new red potatoes, halved; fresh spinach; a basket of halved grape tomatoes; and a cup or so of edamame.</p>
<p>mom60, I also grow tomatoes in my garden and I slice them, with cucumber, and a little red onion and feta (or you can use bocconcini if you prefer) then top them with this dressing:</p>
<p>3tbsp olive oil
2tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano.</p>
<p>Similar to alwaysamom…I wanted a Greek salad tonight but didn’t have cucumbers. I did have leftover lamb leg that we grilled last night, and it turned out great. </p>
<p>Toss together:
2 tomatoes, cut up
a few slices red bell pepper
some sliced red onion
chopped Kalmata olives
about 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
drizzle with red wine vinegar, olive oil
sprinkle with garlic granules, oregano and pepper (I don’t use salt because the feta is quite salty)</p>
<p>Then serve with thin-sliced lamb.</p>
<p>I recently had lots of limes and mint, but no rum to make Mojitos. So I came up with Faux-jitos using vodka. Yum! There are lots of recipes on the web, but I basically used equal parts (1/2 cup each works well) of lime juice, simple syrup and vodka, mushed in a blender with lots of ice. Fill glasses 2/3 full and top off with sparkling water. You can start by muddling fresh mint in the bottom of the glass, if you love more mint flavor. To make simple syrup, use a cup of white sugar and a cup of water, bring to a boil until dissolved. Then add zest of several limes and a bunch of mint and let it sit for 30 minutes. Strain into a jar, and keep it in the fridge for when you need it.</p>
<p>somemom,
make space in your PM box, pretty-please.</p>
<p>Made Renee’s dressing. It turned out great. I didn’t even think of adding the kalamata olives. Have a jar in the refrigerator.
I am not much of a gardener. I usually tend to get morning fog and I think that has stunted the flower production on most of my attempts. In most years I do pretty well with Roma and cherry and pear tomatoes. This year has been less foggy and I have had great heirloom tomatoes that are a funny shape but are delicious with cream cheese on a toasted bagel. I also have had some large tomatoes. I am also attempting to try to get a few pumpkin vines growing for the fall. I am fighting a losing battle with the gophers.
We have been making mojitos. Have a whole garden box full of mint.
Marite- I am going to try your tomato recipe next time I make chicken. I need ways to use up the tomatoes.</p>
<p>OT: The $56 hamburger.
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/dining/16paris.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/dining/16paris.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin</a></p>
<p>I dunno. My nieces and nephews were very happy with their McDo. One of my nieces used to prefer a Big Mac to the three-star restaurant my brother occasionally suggested.</p>
<p>Just wanted to report I made the zucchini on page #1 - delicious!!! </p>
<p>I hesitated about buying fresh basil cause I wasn’t sure how I’d use the rest of it…at my market I found a small jar (by the spices, minced garlic, etc) of chopped basil packed in a small amount of water that I can refrigerate and have longer - I was happy about that! </p>
<p>I also have to say that today I’m having the leftovers for lunch over some leftover pasta I made as a side dish last night - mixing the two together - almost better than the first time around!</p>
<p>I bought a large bunch of basil (the only available size) and would appreciate recipes (not pesto–which I already have).
I’m thinking of trying out some Thai basil dishes. But what else can I make with my large bunch of basil?</p>
<p>This is a recipe for a low calorie key lime pie that I made last night. It has no artificial diet taste at all!! Very good, refreshing in the summer heat, and very easy to make.</p>
<p>KEY LIME PIE</p>
<p>SERVES 8, approximately 80 calories per serving.</p>
<p>INGREDIENTS</p>
<p>1 reduced fat graham cracker crust
1 (3 ounce) package sugar-free lime gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup key lime juice<br>
1 (8 ounce) container fat-free Cool-Whip topping, thawed.
2 (6 ounce) containers key lime pie fat-free yogurt </p>
<p>DIRECTIONS</p>
<ol>
<li> In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. </li>
<li> Add key lime juice.<br></li>
<li> Stir in yogurt with wire whisk. </li>
<li> Fold in whipped topping with wooden spoon. </li>
<li> Spread into crust. If there’s too much filling for the crust, pour the leftovers in a small bowl. </li>
<li> Refrigerate for at least 2 hours - overnight is best.</li>
</ol>
<p>marite: My favorite use of basil is caprese salad. Just layer it on a platter with fresh sliced tomato and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, then salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar (or your favorite vinagrette).</p>
<p>I buy a pot of basil from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. It doesn’t cost more than a bunch of basil and lasts a whole lot longer plus it looks pretty in a pot in the kitchen or on the patio.</p>
<p>Summer equals: blueberries, nectarines, summer melons, tomato, and basil :). It’s what I have for lunch almost every day in July and August!</p>
<p>I like to cut basil into slender threads (chiffonade) and add it to green salads.</p>
<p>Thanks you all for the ideas. The basil bunch is slowly getting smaller!</p>