Toasted Corn, Edamame, and Tomato Salad

We love to eat this salad in summertime. I'll make up a batch and then we eat on it all week long!

1 cup frozen shelled edamame
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 medium ears) (p.s. I used frozen corn)
2 Tbs. plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. clover honey
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 15)
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil

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Cook the edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.

Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are golden brown in patches, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Slowly pour in the remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil, whisking constantly until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium serving bowl, combine the cooled edamame and corn, the tomatoes, and the herbs. Gently toss. Add half of the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Chinese Chicken Salad

I have a chinese chicken salad recipe that I never use because it takes a long time to make. This one was simple, and healthy with the cabbage and the fresh ginger. Next time I'm going to try it with a little less sugar. I'm sure it makes it taste great, but I bet I can reduce it a little more. Or at least use a sugar substitute. We'll definitely eat this salad again. The dressing was great!

(adapted from finecooking)

2-1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/3 medium head)

1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1/3 cup thinly sliced (on the diagonal) scallions (about 4, white and green parts)
1 tsp. plus 3 Tbs. low-salt soy sauce
3-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt

1 clove garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus 1 Tbs. chopped
3 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. peanut oil (I used sesame oil because I didn't have peanut oil, and I think it enhanced the flavor)
1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds or chopped peanuts

In a bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, scallions, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, and a big pinch of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.

In a small food processor, chop the garlic and ginger. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, add the 1/4 cup cilantro and chop thoroughly. Scrape the bowl, add the peanut butter, 1 Tbs. hot water, the lemon juice, 1 Tbs. oil, 3 Tbs. soy sauce, and 2-1/2 tsp. sugar. Pulse until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.

Either grill or cook the chicken in a skillet, seasoning with salt. I used our George Foreman because it's the bomb. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Slice the chicken into generous 1/4-inch strips.

Toast the sliced almonds. Set the broiler to high, and spread the almonds on a sheet. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and cook for 1 minute. It seems much quicker than toasting them on the stove top.

The rest of the directions say to squeeze the cabbage mixture well and add it to the chicken, pour in the dressing, and toss well to combine. But (and I should have taken a picture of this because it looked pretty for once), I put the cabbage mixture on the plate, layered the chicken on top, and drizzled the dressing over the chicken. In my world, I felt gourmet because I never pay attention to presentation (although I'm trying to - I've just had to get this cooking thing down first). With the sesame oil addition, the dressing was strong but delicious, so I didn't want to overpower the salad. I put the rest of the dressing in a bowl and we could add more if we wanted. Jared did. And went on to eat a variety of other random foods in the kitchen, dipping them in the dressing. Lovely.

Divide among two to four plates and garnish with the remaining cilantro and the toasted almonds or peanuts.

Simple Shrimp Avo Salad

(from my friend, Mo, from her recipe from RealSimple)

About 6 corn tortillas
olive oil
salt and pepper
about a pound of large shrimp (the recipe called for 1 1/2, but 1 pound was more than enough for me and the kids),        
  peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. cumin (or more, we love cumin)
2 romaine hearts, sliced thin
1/4 of a red cabbage, sliced thin
2 tbls. fresh orange juice
2 tbls. fresh lime juice
avocado
roasted pumpkin seeds


First make some baked tortilla strips in the oven.  Preheat oven to 400 and place about 6 corn torillas, sliced about 1/2 in. strips on a  baking sheet.  Toss about a tbls. of olive oil and a little salt with them then bake them until crispy, about 10 minutes.

Then toss your prepared shrimp with the cumin and some salt and pepper.  With about 1 tbls. of olive oil in a saute or frying pan on medium high heat, cook the shrimp about 2 minutes on each side until they look done.

Make the dressing with the orange juice, lime juice and about 1/4 cup olive oil (I comletely eye-balled this part so I have no idea what the measurements were, this is just my best guess).  Salt it a little and mix it up!

Then throw all your ingredients in a bowl and toss if you wish or if you're weird like me and feel the need to "plate" each person's meal, I layered it in pasta bowls starting with romaine and cabbage, followed by avacado, shrimp, a drizzle of dressing, tortilla strips and topped it off with pumpkin seeds.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

(adapted from betty crocker)

And they turned out pretty darn good. Here's a tip I learned from Ina Garten: once you scoop out the cookies and put them on the sheet, flatten them a bit with a damp hand. They turn out great!

3/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter/margarine, softened (if you have a Bosch, you don't need to soften the butter - it does it for you when you beat it all together)
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c quick-cooking (or old-fashioned) rolled oats
1/2 c raisins (or other dried fruit - I used cranberries this time)
1/2 c chopped pecans (or other nut)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto sprayed cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 375°F. for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

You can freeze oatmeal cookies for up to six months too.