Guest Post from Crazy Lou - Pasta Salad w/Asparagus & Basil Vinaigrette

As I mentioned last week, I'm participating in a blog swap and am super excited to present the first guest post here at Candy Girl!  Let's meet Cindy from Crazylou!

Hello!  I'm Cindy from Crazylou. I'm so excited to be joining Candy on her blog today as part of the Good Old Fashioned Blog Swap! What fun! There's more swappin' going on--check out one of these lovely ladies to see the rest of the blog swaps - Julie {White Lights on Wednesday}, Kelley {Miss Information} or Rachel {i love my disorganized life}.

Today I'm sharing a fresh and light pasta salad. It's perfect for those upcoming gatherings this Summer. I'm always looking for something that doesn't have mayo in it when we go to BBQ's or potlucks, because you never know how long it will sit out! This is perfect for Spring and early Summer, when asparagus is at its prime! I made this over for our Mother's Day cookout and it was a hit! Hope you enjoy it!

Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Basil Vinaigrette

Adapted from Cook’s Country

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 box pasta (any type is fine)

1 lb fresh asparagus

¼ c. pine nuts, toasted

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c – ½ c shredded Parmesan cheese

Dressing

6 Tbls. Olive Oil

½ c chopped fresh basil

3 Tbls. Lemon juice

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp salt and pepper (each)

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl (large enough for the pasta salad).

Steam asparagus until tender. I used the Steam Bags, but use your preferred method. When tender, run under cold water. Pat dry. Cut into chunks. Place in bowl with dressing.

Prepare pasta as directed on box. Drain. Toss in bowl with dressing and asparagus. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until chilled. Just before serving, add in pine nuts, tomatoes and Parmesan. Stir to combine. If you make the salad a day in advance, freshen up with a spoonful of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Thanks again to Candy for blog swapping with me today! Stop over and visit my little corner of the World sometime--I've always got a little craziness happening at Crazylou!

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

Simple recipe.  Simple post.

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps are included in the 30 Minute Supper section of the current issue of Cook's Country.  Fifteen minute supper was more like it!  

Simply whip up a caesar dressing, toss some romaine in it, chop up some rotisserie chicken, and wrap it all up in a tortilla.  I added some leftover bacon, because let's face it, I always add bacon.  Wrapping the wraps was the most difficult part and that wasn't hard after I channeled my inner Chipotle burrito maker.  My tips - tuck in the sides first, tightly tuck in the stuffing, roll and then use a tiny bit of dressing on the edges to keep them sealed.

I loved these wraps and can see this being a regular around here.  

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps
Cook's Country, June/July 2012

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (2 1/2 pound) rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (3 cups)
1 romaine lettuce heart (6 ounces), torn into bite-size pieces
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

Whisk mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon juice, Worcestershire, mustard, and garlic together until combined.  Whisk in oil slowly until thoroughly incorporated.

Toss chicken with half of dressing and toss romaine with remaining dressing.  Lay tortillas on counter.  Divide chicken equally among tortillas.  Top chicken on each tortilla with 1 cup dressed lettuce mixture and roll into wraps.  Serve.

BLT Sandwich Salad

I'm not a salad girl. Sure, I enjoy a good salad every once in a while, but they are not something I crave or get super excited about. Until now.

This BLT Sandwich Salad is featured in the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. I was kind of obsessed with this magazine when it first came out and was an inaugural subscriber but I have been disappointed the last year or so. So much so that I tried to cancel my subscription but apparently that's not allowed since I'm still receiving the magazines and the bill. But I'm kind of glad because this recipe alone is worth the cost of the subscription.

Love this salad! Love. But seriously, it has candied bacon. How can a person not love it?

A salad version of a BLT, it's really pretty simple. Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, croutons, and a mayo based dressing are the deconstructed elements. The chopped romaine was one of my favorite parts of the salad. The price of romaine hearts stopped my heart, so I improvised with a bag of chopped romaine that I chopped even finer.

I also loved the croutons. I took a sub roll that I had in the pantry, chopped it up, tossed in some butter, and then put in the oven under broil to toast up. Slightly crunchy, yet still soft, the croutons added so much texture. And the bacon, oh the bacon. I hadn't made candied bacon in a while and forgot how insanely good it is. Crunchy, crispy, sweet yet a tiny bit smokey from the paprika. Then there is the dressing, a combination of mayo and whole grain mustard, it was the perfect topping to this salad and would be a great sandwich spread too.

This really was like eating a BLT in a salad form. I even ate the tomatoes in it! A definite keeper!

Linking to:

These Chicks Cooked

Tastetastic Thursday

BLT Sandwich Salad

Food Network Magazine, October 2011

For the salad:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 4 slices white bread
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the bacon:

• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed in a bag with a mallet
• 6 strips center-cut bacon
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the lettuce, onion and tomatoes in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-size cubes. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and toast, tossing, until golden, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Make the bacon: Mix the brown sugar, paprika, lemon zest and crushed pepper in a small bowl. Add the bacon and press to coat on both sides. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; place the thyme sprigs on the parchment paper, then lay a strip of bacon on top of each sprig. Bake until the bacon is caramelized and crisp, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Cut the bacon into bite-size bits using scissors; add to the bowl with the lettuce. Discard the thyme.

Make the dressing: Whisk the mayonnaise, syrup, mustard and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add the dressing to the salad and toss. (This is enough dressing for the whole salad, but you can use less if you want a less wet salad.) Sprinkle the croutons on top and eat.

FFWD - Bacon, Egg and Asparagus Salad

This is one of those cooking group picks I was sort of ambivalent about before. I really don't like asparagus but really love bacon and eggs. And, I have been wanting to try a salad where the egg is a main player and not just an extra, chopped up and scattered about.

While simple, this dish is one of those that has lots of little steps and results in quite a few dirty dishes. Bacon is fried and then set aside. I always chop my bacon before frying because I can get more in the pan and more bacon is always a good thing. Eggs are soft boiled for exactly six minutes, left to cool and then painstakingly peeled. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for making peeling boiled eggs easier? The last few times I have boiled eggs, I have ended up with the saddest looking eggs because I have so much difficulty removing the shell.Asparagus is cooked in a shallow pan of water and a vinagarette made. The most interesting step in this recipe involved taking the boiled eggs and lightly cooking them in the warmed bacon grease. I have to say that the end result was less interesting. The bacon fat added some more flavor to the salad, but really didn't enhance the egg much in my opinion. I vaguely remember Dorie saying to toss the asparagus in the vinegarette but I just drizzled it directly over the greens.

I'm glad I tried this recipe to verify I still don't like asparagus and to try the runny egg over a salad thing, but overall I wasn't impressed.

FFWD - Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad

Quinoa. Kween-wah. This odd little seed is not only fun to say, but easy to prepare and delicious to eat.

A superfood that has received a ton of press recently, quinoa is the star of the Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad that was voted as the first French Fridays with Dorie recipe for April. Upon reading the ingredients that include a variety of nuts and dried fruits, I immediately thought we were making another variation on trail mix (see Beggar's Linguine). However, that one worked out extremely well so I just went with it.

The quinoa is easy and fast to fix. After a quick boil, the seeds look kind of like something out of the ocean with their curly little tails. Dorie recommends using a mixture of nuts and fruits but I wanted to keep it simple and use what I had on hand. I tossed dried cherries and toasted almonds to the cooled quinoa. The salad is coated with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, and a nut oil (or additional olive oild). I used a delicious Meyer Lemon Olive Oil I picked up from Bistro Blends at food fair last fall and loved the extra hit of lemon. I used dried ginger as directed by Dorie but really couldn't taste it and may try minced fresh ginger in the future. I kept this simple and didn't do the greens and yogurt. Maybe next time.

Too anxious to let it sit, I tasted it and was blown away with the nutty flavor and texture of the quinoa combined with the crunch from the almonds and sweet chewiness of the cherries. I fully expected to be underwhelmed but ended up really enjoying this. I'm anxious to try other recipes using quinoa and totally get its popularity.

Versatile, inexpensive, easy, and healthy? Quinoa rocks!

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

I have found another fantastic chicken salad to include on my fantasy cafe menu, I mentioned here. This one comes from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood. I just checked out both of her cookbooks from the library and they are full of easy, authentic Southern recipes.

It has been hotter than Hades around here and a plate filled with fresh fruit, a wedge of cheese, crackers, and a generous scoop of chicken salad is one of my favorite dinners during the dog days of summer. While I loved the fruit on the plate and the rich nuttiness of the cheese was divine, this chicken salad was the star of the show! The toasted almonds added the crunch that is a requirement for me in a chicken salad, the grapes added juicy sweetness and the poppy seeds gave it that something extra. Really fantastic!

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood, Trisha Yearwood

2½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 cups seedless grapes, halved
2 cups slivered almonds
2 cups mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons dried dill

Boil the chicken in a large pot filled with water until done, about 45 minutes. Drain the chicken and set aside to cool. Once the chicken is cooled, dice into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the celery, grapes, almonds, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, poppy seeds, and dill. Mix until the salad is fully com­bined. Store in the refrigerator.

My Notes: I didn't include the celery (don't like) or the dill (didn't have). I also halved the recipe but wish I had made a bigger batch!

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli, bacon, peanuts, and raisins???? I was skeptical that this mishmash of ingredients would taste anything resembling good the first time I tried Broccoli Salad but I was so wrong. This is one of my favorite salads and thought this would be the perfect time to share it with you since it is a great addition to a Memorial Day cookout.

Bite size florets of broccoli are tossed with peanuts, bacon, and raisins (you can also use some green onion for a little bite) and then coated in a dressing akin to a cole slaw dressing. This salad is really about texture and combining crunchy, chewy, salty, and sweet. While not low fat or particularly healthy, the abundance of raw broccoli always makes me feel like I am eating something that is good for me. Definately one of my favorite ways to get in a serving of veggies!

Broccoli Salad

4 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup peanuts (I use lightly salted)
1/2 cup raisins
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Dressing

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mayo (I use reduced fat)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients and chill.

California Style Chopped Salad

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Ours was great and my gifts included several cooking items including a too cute Susan Branch recipe binder and my first Le Creuset and All-Clad pieces of cookware (thanks honey!). With the holidays winding down, I'm in the mood to clean and organize and just feel lighter. The need to feel lighter also applies to my ever-expanding rear and shed some weight I have gained this year (blog related weight gain, perhaps?).

Giada's recipe for California Style Chopped Salad was a great recipe to transition from the excesses of holiday eating into the lighter fare that the start of the new year demands. This salad came together easily and quickly and is infinitely adaptable. It was so nice to eat something that had crunch! I have been wanting to try agave nectar so I made the dressing too and found the agave nectar added the right amount of sweetness to balance the acidity of the lemon juice. I love grilling romaine lettuce and grilling the vegetables added a subtle smokey flavor. This is a great recipe for any time of the year. I feel lighter already!

California Style Chopped Salad

adapted from Giada DeLaurentis recipe

1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed and halved

1 ear of corn, husk and silk removed

2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise

1/2 pound frozen shrimp

Olive oil for drizzling

salt and pepper

1 avocado, halved, pitted, and diced

Heat grill. Lightly drizzle the lettuce and zucchini with olive oil. Place lettuce halves, cut side down, zucchini, and corn on grill. Cook lettuce until it is slightly wilted and has grill marks. Cook zucchini until tender. Cook corn, turning occasionally so that all sides are grilled, until kernals are tender, about 15 minutes. Drizzle shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Grill shrimp until done.

Chop lettuce, zucchini, and avocado and place in serving bowl. Chop shrimp into bite size pieces and add to bowl. Scrape corn from cob and toss in salad. Serve warm or cold with dressing.

Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbsp agave nectar

salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Combine lemon juice, agave nectar, and salt in pepper in bowl. Whisk in olive oil and serve.

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

We just returned from a quick back-to-school shopping trip in the Gatlinburg area. While there, we ate at the Apple Barn where I had a great honey balsamic vinaigrette. I found a recipe on All Recipes, adapted it slightly to fit the ingredients I had on hand, and then used it to marinate the chicken and dress the salad.

I loved the sweetness of the vinaigrette at the Apple Barn and this wasn't as sweet, but close. I will definately try and create the version I have in mind by reducing the balsamic and increasing the honey. The marinade worked nicely and gave the chicken a balanced acidic-sweet flavor. This was a quicky and easy summer dinner!
Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
adapted from Cathyrae on All Recipes

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place the vinegar, shallot, soy sauce, honey, sugar, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes into a blender. Puree on high, gradually adding the olive oil. Continue pureeing 2 minutes, or until thick.

BLT Pasta Salad

I made this BLT pasta salad on Memorial Day and meant to post it before the 4th of July. I didn't get around to posting it for a lot of reasons, but not because it wasn't blog worthy. I bookmarked it in the previous issue of Food TV magazine as soon as I saw it because I liked the different take on pasta salad. Also, I previously mentioned my dislike of raw tomatoes, and was drawn to this recipe because the tomatoes are cooked in the bacon drippings prior to adding them to the salad. I substituted grape tomatoes cut in half because I prefer their flavor.

This was quite tasty and easy to put together. The recipe makes a huge amount making it great for cookouts and pot lucks. I think it would be fun to pair this deconstructed BLT salad with a BLT sandwich.

BLT Pasta Salad

Food Network magazine

12 ounces corkscrew-shaped pasta
1/2 cup milk
12 ounces lean bacon
3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons chopped chives or scallion greens
5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve at room temperature.

Baby Back Ribs, Potato Salad, & Cole Slaw

One stop shopping here for your Memorial Day cookout recipes! Baby Back Ribs, Potato Salad and Cole Slaw, all easy and delicious and perfect for any activities you may have planned this weekend or any weekend for that matter.

All three recipes are from Pat and Gina Neely or inspired by one of their recipes. I like their show and recipes because they present authentic southern cooking and are just regular people.

The ribs were made using their rub, of which I keep a container of in my pantry. It's great to have on hand to sprinkle over any meat before putting it on the grill. The cole slaw recipe below is based on the Neely's recipe for the slaw they serve in their restaurant, but I have modified it and now just toss and taste until I get it right. Give one or all a try!

Baby Back Ribs

1-2 pounds baby back ribs
Neely's Dry Rub

Rinse and dry rubs. Remove silver skin or membrane from back side of ribs. Place on cookie sheet. Liberally sprinkle dry rub over both sides of ribs and rub into meat. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Preheat grill to 250 degrees. Place ribs over indirect heat and put cover down. Cook for 2 hours. Turn and cook until meat easily separates from bone. Serve dry or wet with your favorite BBQ sauce.


Neely's Dry Rub

1 1/2 cups paprika
3/4 cup sugar
3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined. Store in an airtight container for up to six months.


Grandma Jean's Potato Salad
adapted from The Neelys

5 large red potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 small onion, minced
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 heaping tablespoons relish, drained
1/2 cup salad dressing
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon sugar

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and cool. In a large bowl, add onion, egg, relish, salad dressing, mustard, sugar, and potatoes. Stir until combined. Cover and chill until ready to serve.


Cole Slaw

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
ground black pepper
1 12-16 ounce bag shredded cole slaw mix

Whisk mayonnaise , sugar, mustard, vinegar, and black pepper together in a bowl until blended. Pour over cole slaw mix and toss to coat the slaw. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Kenzie at Kenzie's Kitchen selected Chinese Chicken Salad for the first April recipe for us Barefoot Bloggers. I have been tempted to try this recipe in the past and was glad to get the push to finally try it.



I often fantasize about owning a funky little cafe that offers up daily sandwich, soup, and salad specials and features a chicken salad du jour. I have several varieties that I make that include grapes and pecans, dried cranberries and pecans, mandarin oranges and almonds, and one of my faves, apples and dates. If my little fantasy every becomes reality, I can add this recipe to the rotation.



It was really good! Hearty and crunch and full of Asian flavor. I used rotisserie chicken and it worked beautifully. Snow peas were substituted for asparagus and I reduced the soy to 2 tablespoons based on reviews that the recipe is too salty. I omitted salt completely but will add a couple of pinches next time because it needed salt.


Chinese Chicken Salad
Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten

Ingredients
4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.