Herbed Faralle and Steak Salad

FUHGETABOUTIT! This salad rocked me, and it could rock you too if you just follow these easy steps...


Joe's Review:"That's why I put a ring on it..."

• The Dressing
• 1/2 c lemon juice (fresh squeezed with a little pulp is perfect)
• 1/4 c grapeseed oil
• 1/4 c finely grated parmesan
• 1 clove garlic smashed and chopped
• a few dashes of cracked black pepper

 Combine all of these ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Set aside in the Fridge.

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• The Salad

• 1 c chopped romaine
• 1 c chopped spinach
• 1/2 c chopped cabbage and carrots (cole slaw mix... for crunch!)
• 1/4 c chopped basil
• 1 wedged tomato
• 6 quartered mushrooms
• bleu cheese crumbles
• 1/2 lb farfalle pasta

Combine all chopped ingredients in a salad bowl and toss. Prepare pasta as directed, drain and rinse in cold water. Combine salad, pasta and dressing; toss.

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• The Steak
• 1 12 oz New York Strip Steak
• 3 T cajun spice
• 1 T salt

Using high heat, heat a cast iron skillet on the stove top. Season both sides of steak, season pan with additional salt. When it is very hot, cook the steak for 2 minutes on each side for a total of 8 minutes. Then let it sit for 7 minutes, so the juices stay in the steak when you cut it. There's something really rewarding about cooking your steak just right. This steak was perfect! Don't over think it and let it rest after cooking. You'll probably be spending 7 minutes fanning the smoke detector with an oven mit if you're anything like me... Be sure to crack a window!

Add the steak to the salad, top with bleu cheese crumbles. Enjoy this hearty summer delight!

Steak juices mix with the salad as you eat and make the whole experience so savory and delicious! This dish was fun to make and a total treat to eat :)

*Happy birthday to my big bro! He loves to eat my food :)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad

Joe's Review: "That was the best... salad... ever... Best salad ever."

I'm lucky enough to have an entire Saturday to myself, today. What I like to call, "A nice little Saturday," if you will. Amidst my nice little Saturday of crossing things off  "the list," I took a breather to grab some miscellaneous things from the grocery store and get creative in the kitchen. The salad was perfect! Crunchy, flavorful, hearty, and so tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c chopped Romaine lettuce
• 1/2 c chopped spinach
• 1/2 c cole slaw mix (finely chopped carrots and cabbage)
• 1/4 c chopped fresh basil
• 1 tomato cut into thin wedges
• 1 lg chicken breast sliced into two thin pieces
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spead a small amount of cooking oil onto a baking dish.

2. Mix panko bread crumbs and parmesan in a flat dish. Beat the egg in a separate dish. Dredge the washed chicken in egg then the crumb/cheese mixture.









3. Lay the pieces on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip them half way through.

4. While your chicken is cooking, throw all of the veggies in together.

5. If you have a broiler, pop the chicken in there for 2 minutes on each side to get extra crispy. Then slice the chicken and layer it over the greens. Top with your favorite dressing :) We had balsamic vinaigrette- it was SO tasty!!

Semi-Homemade Ravioli

This is my Wednesday night ode to Sandra Lee. I am notorious for throwing together whatever happens to be in my fridge. Living alone doesn't make it easy to stock a full fridge and cooking for one is a bit tricky sometimes.

For this recipe I used pre-made ravioli/won ton squares that I found in the vegetarian/vegan section at Kroger. I had never used these before so I followed the recipe instructions on the packaging for the ravioli. They suggested making a filling of cooked spinach and ricotta cheese seasoned with salt and pepper. Because I was in a pinch I got crafty and decided to use a spinach dip I had in the fridge and mixed it with fresh grated Parmesan cheese for the filling. Here's the step-by-step:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Place one ravioli square on a clean dry surface. Spoon 2 tablespoons of spinach mixture neatly into the center of the square.

3. Dip your finger or a small brush into a glass of water and brust the outside rim of the ravioli square. You will feel the ravioli become gluey from the moistness of the water.

4. Place a second square on top of the first and use a fork to press edges together. I found that in order to be sure that the filling doesn't ooze out, work one side at a time and pick the ravioli up as you go and handle delicately.

5. Arrange completed ravioli on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick. Brush top of ravioli with olive oil and place in oven for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly browned. I flipped them half way through just to be sure I wasn't burning them on one side, as baking ravioli was a new concept to me. They became a little more crispy than I would have liked, so next time I might experiment with dropping them in boiling water instead.

6. Serve with red sauce for dipping or drizzle over like I did. Easy peasy.

For the side salad I just topped chopped iceberg with sliced strawberries, cucumbers and crumbled Parmesan cheese. Drizzled with lite balsamic vinaigrette and you have a delicious summer salad. If I had some chopped walnuts or slivered almonds I would have thrown those in the mix for a good crunch, but alas, you work with what you have!

This was a delicious and easy mid-week meal, hope you enjoy and feel inspired by my semi-homemade pinch meal. Have you ever done something different like using spinach dip for a ravioli filling? Let's hear about it!