Antipasto Tortellini Salad

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

Day 5 or 5 days of Pasta. As I was flipping through Emeril’s Potluck cookbook I came across an antipasto salad, his salad is quite different than what you see here today but that was the initial inspiration. I had thought that I wanted to use a little stuffed pasta in the salad as I have not made one like that before. My new favorite summer salad has emerged!! So full of flavor and miles away from your average pasta salad.

We all love tortellini and we are big fans of a good antipasto platter, so bringing those two loves together has created this wonderful salad. I have also used an Epicure dip mix again. These add such wonderful flavor to so many dishes. Click here to explore the world of Epicure. Enjoy!!

Antipasto Tortellini Salad

Author: Tara Noland

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 6 mins

Total time: 16 mins

Serves: 6-8

A wonderfully flavored pasta salad.

Ingredients

350 gm. package multi colored cheese tortellini
4 oz. (120 gm.) genoa salami, diced
225 gm. provolone cheese, diced
200 ml. can sliced black olives
270 ml. jar roasted red peppers, sliced
2 Tbsp. Epicure Herb and Garlic Dip Mix
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Rinse under cold water and let cool.
Mix the Epicure herb and garlic dip mix together with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a jar and shake well. Set aside.
Combine the cooled pasta with the salami, cheese, black olives and roasted red peppers. Pour over the dressing and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss again with the parsley.
Refrigerate for several hours and serve.

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Raspberry, Chicken, Feta and Hemp Salad for #TheSaladBar

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

I have joined another monthly group and this one is all about salads!! I love a big huge fresh salad for dinner. Nothing better!! There are so many variations it is simply endless. Instead of adding all the links in we have a linky party. So at the bottom of the post click into see all the wonderful recipes. With summer almost here, these will be so helpful for a fast, nutritious and delicious meal.

This month’s theme is berries so that is an easy one!! We all love berries here. The little extra I added to this salad is hemp seeds. I know it conjures up images of marijuana and hippies but it is a different variety of the same cannabis plant. Hemp is a seed, a high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acid, just like flax. It also has high amounts of fatty acids and fiber. It contains vitamin E and trace minerals. Hmmm, that’s a pretty nice thing to add to your salad plus it tastes so good. I hope you love all of our salads. ENJOY!!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Raspberry, Chicken, Feta and Hemp Salad for #SaladBar

Author: Tara Noland

Recipe type: Salad

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 1

A nutritious and delicious main course salad

Ingredients

4 cups mixed baby lettuce
½ cup cooked chicken
⅓ cup raspberries
1-2 Tbsp. hemp seeds
⅓ cup light feta

Dressing

1 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam
1 Tbsp. cabernet/merlot balsamic reduction or balsamic reduction
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Instructions

In a jar shake all ingredients together.
Lay the washed baby lettuce on a dinner plate and top with the chicken, raspberries and feta. Sprinkle with the hemp seeds.
Drizzle with the dressing.

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Salpicao Brazilian Salad

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

I am having a guest here today but we are sharing the stage together as I have made her recipe and took the picture. Lisa is a friend that Ken has had since grade 7. Lisa went on to become an international super model, who appeared on the front of Vogue and many other magazines. She has traveled the world over and lived in Rio De Janeiro for many years. Recently Lisa came over to give Amber lessons on modelling, poise, clothes, makeup etc. Important and fun things for a 12 year old girl. In our time together we of course also chatted about food. She graciously shared this amazing salad recipe with us and I am now sharing it with you today. Here is a photo of Lisa and what she has to say about this fabulous salad that I will be making again and again. I now give you Lisa Kauffmann.

It is a traditional chicken salad from Brazil. It is a great summer food and comes in handy when you are a bit pressed for time (also a good way of using a store bought BBQ chicken) and want to make something great for a summer pot luck. . In this case, prepare all of the ingredients and put them in separate containers to transport and combine them all into the serving dish when ready to serve.

Some Salpicao recipes ask for mayonnaise, but I am not a fan of mayo in the summer so that is why I substitute the olive oil (healthier too).

Some people add green peas as well, but in Brazil they are from a can so they don’t have the same taste as fresh or frozen, that is why I don’t put them in. They can be optional.

For it to be a true Salpicao, it needs the string potatoes on top.

Salpicao Brazilian Salad

Author: Lisa Kauffmann

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Brazilian

Serves: 6

A fantastic salad full of crunch and flavor!!

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, cooked with chipolte mango seasoning or Montreal chicken spice or store bought cooked packaged chicken (400gms) or store bought whole BBQ chicken
4 cups shredded carrots, loosely packed
2-3 diced Granny Smith apples
4-5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup raisins, plumped in hot water
1 cup corn niblets
¾ cup onion finely diced, sweet or red
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Shoestring potato chips

Instructions

Shred or dice chicken. Combine all ingredients when ready to serve. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, dash of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Top with shoestring potatoes.

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Mixed Baby Kale Salad

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

We are on Day 3 of 5 Days of Spring Veggies and today I bring you this wonderful salad. Ken went nuts for it. Loving the taste and had a second huge helping. We are trying to up the iron in Amber’s diet now that she is going into those teen years. Adding dark leafy greens is one way and also adding to the salad a tomato and pea shoots, something high in vitamin C, helps in the absorption of iron.

Amber is adding spinach to her smoothies. She doesn’t even know it is there and with all the vitamin C from the berries the iron from the spinach is more easily absorbed. The biggest source of iron is meat and we have upped some lean cuts too into her diet. Easy ways to get in a little more iron.

I hope you enjoy this salad, it is so easy and with the addition of the pea shoots and super sweet strawberry tomatoes it was a winner. Search your local market and see what fresh spring produce is coming your way. All of the veggies in this salad were from British Columbia so that is pretty close for us. Pretty much the closest you will get for this time of year.

Don’t be afraid of making a homemade dressing, it takes all of a few minutes. With this salad I used a Fig Balsamic Vinegar that you can get from Blue Door Oil and Vinegar. It was amazing with this salad, adding just the right amount of sweetness. ENJOY!!!

Mixed Baby Kale Salad

Author: Tara Noland

Recipe type: Salad

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

A salad that is high in iron and Vit C but best of all is delicious!!

Ingredients

Salad

4 oz. Mixed Baby Kale
12 Strawberry Tomatoes, quartered
1 oz. Pea Shoots
2 oz. light feta cheese

Dressing

¼ cup olive oil
⅛ cup Fig Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a jar mix all salad dressing ingredients together. Shake well. To assemble salad place the kale in the bottom of a large dish or salad bowl. Scatter the tomatoes and top with the pea shoots. Crumble the feta on top and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.

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Zucchini Tagliatelle from Raw Essence

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

That’s What I Think (TWIT) Review

Here we are today on the 2nd Day of 5 Days of Spring Veggies and I also have a cookbook review for you. The cookbook is Raw Essence, and has recipes that are a part of a growing movement of raw vegan cuisine that is eco-friendly. This cuisine is not where I will be heading but I am not a nay sayer and love to learn more about all types of diets. The cookbook itself is filled with wonderful photography and delicious looking recipes and lots of really good informational snippets.

If you are new to this type of diet and want to explore it more this cookbook would be very helpful in meeting all your nutritional needs. If you are a more advanced cook this cookbook also offers gorgeous plating and serving ideas.

I had left it out while we were on vacation and had house sitters in that were vegan. They tried the Choco-Banana Pie recipe and thought that is was very good. I flipped through the pages looking for a nice spring-like salad. Something to add to my 5 Days of Spring Veggies. As I said yesterday I might have jumped the gun slightly as I am not finding what I had been hoping for in the stores yet but this Zuchini Tagliatelle looked like it fit the bill. Light but full of wonderful flavor. The perfect spring salad. I hope you ENJOY!!!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Zucchini Tagliatelle from Raw Essence

Author: From the recipe book of Raw Essence

Recipe type: Salad

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

A wonderful light raw vegan salad that is full of flavor!!

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini (I used one green and one yellow)
¼ cup pesto or 20 medium basil leaves, slivered (I used the basil)
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. garlic puree or ½ clove garlic, chopped (I used the fresh garlic)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 Tbsp. pine nuts

Instructions

Using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler, cut zucchini into long thin strips, then julienne strips into long tagliatelle.
In a salad bowl, combine zucchini with the salt, garlic, olive oil and pesto (if using).
Place zucchini tagliatelle on serving dishes and top with the chopped olives, pine nuts and basil (if using instead of the pesto). Serve cold.

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Raspberry Vinaigrette

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

I have shown you this vinaigrette before but it is so easy and better than the store brands by far. With spring here a light and refreshing salad can only be upped with a light and refreshing vinaigrette like this one.

Add this to simple green, or tossed salads with the addition of something sweet like raspberries, mandarins or strawberries. Garnish with nuts, goat cheese or crispy noodles and you have a fun spring salad at the ready. Pairing this salad with a simple fish or chicken dish you have a lovely meal in no time. ENJOY!!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Author: Tara Noland

Recipe type: Dressing

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

A delicious salad dressing that lightens things up for spring.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. creamy Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Whisk the jam, vinegar and mustard together. Slowly whisk in the oil and then the honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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Chiocciole with Creamy Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms by Soni’s Food

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

Today I introduce to you Soni from Soni’s Foods. I met Soni through #SundaySupper and I am thrilled that she is here today. She has a wonderful site that gives you recipes with a healthy Indian Twist. Come and follow Soni on Facebook or Google+, you will love to see what she is up to all the time. With no further chit chat from me I give you Soni!!

Today I’m very excited to be guest posting here on Tara’s Blog.Tara and I met through our SundaySupper group and its been a great pleasure getting to know her Her blog is amazing and every time I visit I’m hooked to her breathtaking pictures and recipes that she posts For this post I thought of making something very simple with fresh spring flavors and a recipe that has been with me for the past nine years came to mind!

Its a recipe card that I picked up at my local Waitrose in Canary Wharf while we were living in London and all this time I’d never tried this dish I pulled out my recipe card to make this dish and I’m so glad I did, since its absolutely amazing! Although I’ve changed the original recipe in some ways, the main flavors are still intact.The simple combination of Cherry Tomatoes with the Basil and a splash of cream is pure magic! The recipe calls for Creme Fraiche but I didn’t have it on hand and I just used Light Cream.I also added some Baby Bella Mushrooms and cooked it with the cream to make a sauce.

The sweet juicy cherry tomatoes are the star of this dish and they burst with juices in every bite .The fresh flavors of basil just brightens it up and I just love the simple flavors that come together to complete this dish. I’ve used Whole Wheat Chiocciole available at my local Whole Foods.It looks like a larger elbow shaped pasta and has a nice texture and bite to it! A healthy wholesome dish that takes no time at all!

Chiocciole with Creamy Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Chiocciole Pasta-500 gms

Cherry Tomatoes-500 gms

Extra Virgin Olive Oil-2 tbsp

3 Cloves Garlic-sliced

Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms-10 oz

Light Cream-1/2 cup

Fresh Basil leaves-20 g

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cherry tomatoes,1 tbsp olive oil,garlic and salt in a baking sheet and mix well to coat in oil.Bake for 30 minutes until the tomatoes burst, but still hold their shape.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions and drain.

Tip the cooked pasta into a large serving dish.Add the roasted tomatoes into it.

In a skillet heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute the mushrooms until golden.Season and add the cream.Pour on top of the pasta and toss everything together.Season to taste.

Roughly shred the basil by rolling the leaves up together in a small bundles and slice thinly.Stir into the pasta and serve immediately!

Curry Lentil and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

Day 5 of our 5 Days of Salads and if you know my site you will know we almost always have a vegetarian choice. I love vegetarian dishes especially if they have one of my favorite ingredients in it and that is lentils. We are all big fans of any kind of lentil when it is spiced well. This time with a Potato and Pea Curry that I received from Ace Curries to Go. A perfect curry blend of Ginger, Coriander, Cumin, Tumeric, Caraway, Red Chili, Cloves, Black Pepper, Cinnamon and Bishops Weed. I decided to use it a bit differently and added it to the lentils while they cooked and then tossed the roasted butternut squash with the lentils. It turned out fabulous!!! Just what I was hoping for!!This is a very unique salad that is full of flavor!! You will love it. Instead of your traditional salad I used a bed of romaine, arugula and cilantro and it married perfectly with the lentils. Just a simple store bought balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on the greens and you have an amazing simple salad.

Ace Curries to Go have a wide variety of curries available to be shipped to you for your convenience. Come and check out their site and you will love what they have to offer. We sure did.

Curry Lentil and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Author: Tara Noland

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 3-4

A Curry Lentil and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad atop a bed of greens.

Ingredients

½ Butternut squash, large diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup green lentils
5 cups water
2 Tbsp. Potato and Pea Curry
Salt and pepper
60 gms. of goat cheese
1 bunch Arugula
1 medium head Romaine
½ bunch Cilantro
Store bought Balsamic Vinaigrette

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F. Spread butternut squash and onion on a rimmed cookie tray. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss. Roast in the oven for 20min., toss and continue to roast for 5-10 min. until starting to brown.
Meanwhile cook the lentils with the water and curry until tender but not mushy about 45-50 min. Drain.
Make a salad of the arugula, romaine and cilantro and divide among 3-4 plates, drizzle with the balsamic vinaigrette. Toss lentils and squash together and serve while still warm on a bed of the greens. Divide goat cheese among plates and serve.

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Chicken Taco Salad

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

Day 4 of 5 Days of Dinner Salads and this one is always a big hit in this house!! We usually have beef but changed it up to chicken for this recipe. Why not?? I love variety, that is what we thrive on here and they say that it is the spice of life!! Never the same old, same old here!! Why would you with all the wonderful recipes now available at your finger tips. Change some things up and you will be oh so happy you did.

Chicken or turkey is a good alternative to beef, don’t get me wrong I do love my Alberta Beef!!! I love how easy and yummy this salad. Dinner salads are a great weekday meal because you can have them done up in no time, with very few dishes too and they are a healthy meal for your whole family. Give this one a try. I used Epicure’s Taco Seasoning for our salad. I like that it is so much lower in sodium than the store bought packages are.

And here is our nice big Chicken Taco Salad. Enjoy!!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chicken Taco Salad

Author: Tara Noland

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 22 mins

Serves: 4

A healthy and fresh Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground chicken
Epicure Taco Seasoning to taste
⅓ cup water

Salad

Romaine, red onion, cherry tomatoes, red peppers
Multigrain tortilla chips
Light sour cream
Salsa

Instructions

Toss the salad ingredients together and set aside.
In a medium fry pan sprayed with cooking oil. Saute chicken until cooked through. Add the water and seasoning to taste. Cook stirring until the water has evaporated.
Serve salad up on individual plates with tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream and top with the chicken.

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Steak Salad

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Noshing with the Nolands

Day 3 of our 5 Days of Dinner Salads and it is this divine steak salad!!! This one is a keeper!!! I love steak salads, you don’t need much steak to make this so special and the crunchy onions make it feel like a restaurant steak. Add a little gorgonzola and you are over the top!! Portions don’t have to be crazy huge, this is definitely more than enough for me to be completely satisfied. As long as it is super tasty you don’t need mounds of food on your plate. I loved how I marinated this one and we pan fried the steak to perfection!! You honestly don’t need a BBQ to get a good tasting steak just the right marinade and cooking method.

Steak Salad

Author: Tara Noland

Recipe type: Entre

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

A steak salad that you will like to make again and again!!

Ingredients

Marinade

1 Tbsp. Montreal steak spice
¼ cup olive oil
⅛ cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Tobasco
½ tsp. smoked paprika

Salad

Mixture of Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes and red onion
Balsamic vinaigrette
I Tbsp. olive oil
2 Strip loin steaks
79 gm. container of French Fried Onions
Gorgonzola, optional

Instructions

Whisk marinade ingredients together and place in a Ziploc bag. Add the two steaks and marinade for 2-3 hours. Drain and discard marinade.
Preheat oven to 325F. Toss salad ingredients together. Set aside.
In a cast iron pan with one Tbsp. olive oil on high heat cook steak until medium rare, 3-5 min. per side depending on the thickness of your steak. Let steak rest 5 min. Warm French fried onions in oven, careful not to burn. Slice steak against the grain.
Arrange four plates with salad drizzled with balsamic dressing topped with steak, french fried onions and Gorgonzola if using. Serve immediately.

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