Sour Cucumber Salad

Have you ever had one of those days that when you look at the clock you swear it is a few hours later than what it really is? Yeah...so today was a loooooooong day. I am just starting to feel back to normal after our trip to DENVAH (Denver said in my Maine/Boston accent) visiting my sister and her family which consists of four kids ages raging from five-fifteen (get the picture??). We had an absolute BLAST, but after a few days of camping, playing with the kiddos and the time change we are happily exhausted.  Therefore the wife duties were at an all time low, so I deemed  tonight pizza night.  And I am not even talking about homemade pizza or take out, I mean that frozen pizza that you stick in your freezer to save for nights like these.  So feeling guilty that I put ZERO effort into this meal and that I was about to consume an additional 4,000g of FAT for the day, I wanted to make a side dish that was healthy because healthy food negates bad food (don't judge, you know you think that  too) .  Well I was tired of the usual (mixed greens, carrots, tomato, celery, blahhh) and decided to mix it up by making a cucumber salad.  This salad  is actually my brother in-laws favorite, so it was fresh on my mind as I made it for our camping trip.  This salad requires a unique taste bud, but if you like salt and vinegar chips you will love this salad...Voila!

Cucumber Salad
4 servings

One large cucumber peeled and thinly sliced
Half a pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup of chopped red onion
2 tablespoons of EVOO
1/4-1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar (depends on your taste buds!)
Salt and pepper

Mix all cut vegetables in bowl, drizzle EVOO toss, then add cider vinegar, toss again. Salt and Pepper to taste. Cool in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving so the veggies have a chance to absorb all that salty and sour flavor!

Summertime Orzo

It's hot here in Boston. It's so hot that you walk outside and you feel as if your are suffocating. It's so hot you step out of the shower and start sweating again. It's so hot that everyone around you has a special "I've been outside" smell. You get the picture? We have every AC on possible (up here in New England not every house is blessed with central AC) and my dog just sprawls out on the floor in front of the fan looking at me as if this is my fault! It's just gross and the last thing you want on this type of day is a heavy meal. So normally I would grill  some corn on the cob and chicken, but we currently have no deck or grill as our decks are being reconstructed. Great timing. So inspired by another dish I saw, I opted for a light lemony dish that is perfect as a side dish for a BBQ or as a meal in itself just by adding some protein. I used my new obsession,sun dried tomato chicken sausage, but my guess is that it would be great with shredded chicken as well.

Ingredients

1 lb of Orzo
15oz box of frozen spinach (hawed and drained)
1 large lemon (zest and juice)
3 Garlic cloves chopped
EVOO
1 cup of Parmesan Cheese
2 Green onions chopped
1 lb of sun dried tomato chicken sausage (casings removed)

Boil salted water and cook Orzo. Drain, but reserve some pasta water in small dish.

In skillet heat EVOO and saute garlic, add ground sausage, cook through. Add pasta into skillet, green onion, spinach, Parmesan cheese, Lemon zest and juice. Use some of the remaining pasta water to help mix ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste!

Sweet Salad

I love this salad, it was first introduced to me at UF at my favorite lunch spot. I have made this salad with a few variations, using blue cheese instead of feta,  toasted walnuts or almonds instead of pecans and lastly topping it off with a Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing instead of the Dijon mustard one I have made below.


Salad
1 package of Spring Salad Mix
1/4 cup dried cherries (eyeball it)
1/4 of thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup of Feta
Handful of Toasted pecans

Dressing
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons or so of maple syrup (depends on how sweet you want it)
1 teaspoon of white vinegar (cuts through sweetness and gives it a bite)
Drizzle in EVOO and whisk to right consistency
salt and pepper to taste

Garlic Buttah

I saw this in one of my cookbooks and I thought it would be the perfect pairing with the flank steak I cooked for my sister and brother in law. I was nervous at first it wouldn't taste right, but it turned out just perfect and the family was quite impressed! It made an ordinary steak into something that was mouthwatering delicious.

1/4  cup butter (room temperature)
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano

With fork whip butter, set aside. Take garic clove and chop into small pieces. Sprinkle salt on garlic and smush knife on the chopped garlic to form a paste. The salt helps break it down. Once finished put into butter along with spices and whip again. Voila Garlic Buttah!

Salsa with Feta?

Ingredients

1 plum tomatoe (diced)

½ cup cilantro (chopped)

2 scallions (chopped)

1 tsp. of Feta

Sprinkle of salt and pepper

Mix in bowl and let set for a bit to let the flavors mix together!

This is a FODMAPS friendly salsa, but still delicious!

Roasted Veggies

This is one of my staples, it’s elegant, delicious and super easy to make! I have paired it with Pot Roast, Chicken, Pork, it's really a great way to round out a meal.


Ingredients
You really can use whatever you prefer, however this is what I have used. As far as quantity it depends how many you are feeding! I usually mix up four or five vegetables and eyeball the amount.


Brussels Sprouts (halved)
Sweet Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed)
Asparagus (halved)
Red Onion (quartered)

Carrots (peeled thirds)

Parsnips (peeled thirds)
Beets (peeled quartered)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper


Preheat oven to 375.  Place cut vegetables on cookie sheet and drizzle with EVOO and cover with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to cover all vegetables. Put in oven @ 375 for 45-60 minutes flipping the vegetables halfway through.