Lemony seafood pasta

Oh man. We made this for dinner tonight. Scott said automatically that it was one of the best things he's had in awhile. Feta cheese is definitely our kryptonite. I don't think there has been a single recipe with feta that we haven't loved.

One of the best things about this dish was the dressing. I got to use our new dressing shaker, which was a wedding gift. These things are awesome. It's much more fun gratifying to shake a bottle, than use a whisk. I just don't know that I've ever gotten the hang of whisks!

Overall, this pasta felt light, and having scallops and shrimp was a nice change from our normal chicken or beef routine. I think I would like the dish even with a different protein, or the dressing by itself!

Lemony seafood pasta-adapted from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves 8

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 8 ounce penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 pound bay scallops
• 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup jarred roasted red pepper, diced
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano

Place garlic, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and oil in a dressing shaker and shake well. If you do not have a shaker, whisk well and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, just until tender. Add in the scallops and shrimp, and cook until the seafood is opaque, about 3 more minutes. Drain and pour into a serving bowl. Mix pasta, seafood, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, oregano and prepared dressing. Toss to coat.

Recipe Redo: Salad with Green Beans and Peanut Dressing

I decided to try this recipe again. The second time around this turned out great! I love the flavor of the peanut butter. It tastes so fresh, but this makes a lot of salad, so cut it in half if there aren't a lot of you eating! In the original recipe, I didn't write where I found this, so I guess this is an original now??

Salad with Green Beans and Peanut Dressing
Serves 6
Total Time: 15 Minutes

• 1 bag (16 ounces) frozen french cut green beans
• 1 head lettuce
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 tablespoons bottled minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon sliced ginger
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 jar (18 ounce) smooth peanut butter
• 1-2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jar (8.5 ounce) hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Thaw green beans in a colander and pat dry to remove excess water. Clean lettuce and cut into bite size pieces if necessary; set aside.

In a food processor, combine the green onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Process until uniform. Add the oil and process briefly to form a paste.

Transfer paste to a large bowl. Add peanut butter and 1 cup warm water. Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon or so at a time, if necessary to make dressing a smooth consistency. Whisk in cilantro, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.

Greek Pasta Salad

Greek pasta salad i just one of those things. Just awesomely delicious. This recipe was simple and I loved the vinaigrette!

Greek Pasta Salad-adapted from Daydream Kitchen
Total Time 30 Minutes
Serves 6

Pasta Salad

• 6 ounces pasta of choice
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing

• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon basil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool. Place in a large bowl and stir in additional pasta salad ingredients.

Meanwhile, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over pasta salad ingredients and toss to coat.

Oriental Turkey Salad

In the summertime, I love eating salads for dinner! They are so refreshing, and there is little to no cooking involved so you don't have to heat up the kitchen!

This recipe is from Cooking with Kare Volume 1. I have never made a salad solely with cabbage before. This specific vinaigrette flavor with the cabbage was awesome! The red pepper flakes gave a great kick to an otherwise sweet dressing. We put the dressing on in single servings, so we could keep the salad to eat a second day. If you're looking for  a new kind of salad with homemade dressing, I highly recommend it! 4/5 stars!

Oriental Turkey Salad
4 Servings
Total Time: 25 Minutes

• 6 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a large serving bowl, toss cabbage, turkey, green onions and cilantro. Sprinkle with peanuts. In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, water, sugar, brown sugar, salt, garlic and red pepper flakes until sugar dissolves. Serve warm dressing with salad.

Creamy Marinated Potato Salad

I absolutely LOVE potato salad of any kind!  This one was really easy to make, and again, mostly stuff you will have in your kitchen anyway! It also has a little different taste than the typical potato salad you buy at the store!

This recipe also has some directions if you want to make it a day ahead: prepare as directed, cover and refrigerate. Moisten  with one to two tablespoons of milk if it is dry!

Creamy Marinated Potato Salad from Pillsbury's Fast & Healthy Cookbook

Creamy Marinated Potato Salad
Serves 12
Total Time: 30 minutes

Salad

• 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes (8 to 12 potatoes)
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 hard-cooked eggs
• 8 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)
• 1 medium stalk celery, sliced (1/2 cup)
• 1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped 

Dressing

• 3/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

In 4-quart saucepan or Dutch over, place potatoes and enough water to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; cook about 20 minutes or just until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes; cool slightly. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in large nonmetal bowl. Sprinkle with vinegar and salt; toss to coat.

Peel and chop eggs. Add to potatoes with remaining salad ingredients; mix gently.

In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Pour over salad; mix gently to coat. If desired, garnish with additional sliced green onions.

Raspberry Chicken with Baby Greens

This recipe is from Kare 11's cookbook and it was a wonderful spring/summer salad! The even better thing about this is that although the raspberries definitely add to the dish, if they are not in season the dish won't be ruined. The salad dressing I think would be great on any salad as well and I will definitely be making that again!

I didn't end up using close to all of the dressing mixture, so I would probably cut that in half. I honestly would probably add another chicken breast too. Again, not necessary but I liked the chicken a lot! I used red wine vinegar instead of the balsamic or raspberry because that was what I had in the kitchen! And lastly for my modifications-I added green onion to the salad. I wouldn't do this every time, but I have a bunch left over from the Citrus Salmon last week that I needed to use up. It definitely did not ruin the dish though (always a plus)!

Raspberry Chicken with Baby Greens
Serves 4
Total Time: 15-30 minutes 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 cups mixed baby salad greens
• 4-6 small red potatoes
• 3/4 cup raspberry salsa
• 1/2 cup balsamic or raspberry vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Fresh raspberries

In a non-stick frying pan, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink in center, turning once (add a little oil if needed for cooking). Remove 2 tablespoons of raspberry salsa and brush over top of chicken during cooking.

Meanwhile prick potatoes. Microwave potatoes on high 4-6 minutes or until tender; cut into quarters. In a small bowl, combine remaining raspberry salsa with vinegar and oil. Place greens and potatoes in a large serving bowl. Slice chicken into thin slices; add to salad. Toss salad with 3/4 cup dressing. Garnish with raspberries. Server remaining dressing with salad.

Steak and Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette

I forgot to take a picture of this recipe, so I have to use the one from RealSimple.com.  I did everything as stated in the recipe.  Everything was good, but Scott and I weren't a huge fan of the mustard vinaigrette.  I don't know if its the vinegar or what, but just not a huge fan.  Might be for someone else though!

Steak and Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3), scrubbed and sliced into 1/8- inch-thick rounds
• 9 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 6-ounce sirloin steaks, about 1 inch thick
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1. Heat oven to 400° F. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the oil, ¾ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring once, until the potatoes are golden, about 25 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, season the steaks with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the steaks to the desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, and the remaining salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add the remaining oil and the tarragon. Toss the spinach with the vinaigrette, slice the steaks, and serve the salad and meat alongside the potatoes.