Basil, Bacon and Bowtie Pasta Salad

I love perusing Pinterest in search of some new and tasty dinner recipe to try. I was searching for a new pasta salad recipe to test as we get in a rut sometimes, and change is good, right? Warm weather calls for cool but flavorful meals. I came across a BLT pasta salad recipe that had some possibilities, but Nature Guy and I both agreed that the lettuce would most likely end up wilted before we finished the salad. Not a huge fan of soggy lettuce, I decided to go with the bacon and tomato in the salad and come up with my own recipe, leaving out the lettuce.

We are fortunate to have an abundance of fresh Basil right now, along with fresh parsley. The squashes are starting to encumber their vines with multiple succulent fruit, so I was in luck for more fresh goodness to toss in. A nice feature of this salad is that with the pepper bacon, herbs, and dressing, there is no need for extra seasoning. This recipe is for 4 servings, which for us gives us two meals without leftovers going on forever. Enough of the blathering, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Basil, Bacon and Bowtie Pasta Salad

1 1/2 cups bowtie pasta cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled
2 strips of thick pepper bacon, cooked until crisp, and crumbled
1/3 cup chopped purple onion
1/2 medium yellow zucchini or squash, thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)
1 1/4 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
3/4 cup fresh cooked or frozen green peas, thawed ( you can place them in the colander and pour the hot cooked pasta over them, to help them thaw quickly)
1/2 cup real mayo (seriously, don't ruin a good thing with low or non fat mayo. If you are worried, use 1/4 each plain non fat yogurt and mayo, stirred together)
1/4 cup Ken's Steakhouse Italian dressing (we used the lite version, which only has fat reduced, no gross chemical taste) 
1/4 cup each fresh minced basil and parsley 

Cook pasta according to package directions. I usually place frozen veggies in the colander and drain my pasta into it to help thaw them. Stir together under cold water and drain. In a medium bowl combine pasta, peas, cooked, crumbled bacon, onion, tomato, squash and minced herbs, then toss gently. Stir together the mayonnaise and Italian dressing. Pour over salad and gently toss. Serves 4

When You Have Hens That Lay, It's Time for Egg Salad Supreme!

 We have an abundance of eggs this time of year, so I am trying to incorporate them into our diet. I started with 6 hard boiled eggs, (I will share a trick I learned about them in my next post)

 Then I diced up orange bell pepper

 celery

 and green onion, all 1/4 cup each.

 Next I added 1/4 cup each of real mayonnaise

 and plain non-fat yogurt.

 A couple of squirts of yellow mustard.

1/2 tsp each of black pepper, garlic salt and seasoning salt. 

Whaalaa! Egg Salad Supreme! It's super yummy, creamy and crunchy at the same time. We really enjoyed the egg salad on our home made multi grain bread with home grown carrots. Enjoy!

Summer's Fresh Bounty Enjoyed - Smoked Chicken & Tomato with Basil Openface Sandwich

 My first full summer here in beautiful Wallowa Valley and the garden gods have been pretty good to me.

Our tomatoes are doing better than I had hoped, as the weather here can be rather unpredictable, but in spite of that I've been able to put up a batch of delicious pickled beets and roasted tomato salsa. I have a nice crop of Basil of different varieties, so pesto will be in the near future here. We are lucky to have a local grocery store that does smoked meats which is nice for those days when you want something simple and easy. The other day I had a craving for Italian something, anything, but I'm in the middle of a sculpting and painting frenzy in order to get ready for Hallowbaloo in Seattle. So I rummaged around my kitchen and fridge and this is the result. Nice nutty, whole grain bread topped with a smear of mayo and thin slices of fresh picked tomato, topped with shredded smoked chicken, topped with minced fresh Basil and a sprinkle of course ground pepper. Mmmm! Heaven!

Smoked Chicken & Tomato with Basil Openface Sandwich

Sliced whole grain bread of your choice
fresh, thinly sliced tomato
mayonnaise
smoked chicken
fresh minced Basil
course ground pepper.

spread mayo on bread, top with a single layer of sliced tomato, top with shredded smoked chicken, sprinkle with fresh minced basil and pepper. Enjoy!

Greek Hoagies - Game Meat Recipe

Nature Guy is sharing a photo of the innards of an Elk Greek Hoagie sandwich we created the other night. You could use burger, but we had elk, thanks to a dear friend, and decided to try something different. I browned the burger in a tad bit of olive oil because the meat was so lean, but just enough to keep the meat from sticking. I added a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and a bit of salt and pepper while it was cooking.
As toppings we used julienned cucumber and carrot mixed with a splash of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and salt and pepper. We also thinly sliced purple onion and red bell pepper.
To build the sandwich we used stadium style hot dog buns which we slathered with mayonnaise. cover one side with some of the ground meat. Top that with Feta cheese, the veggies and close. That's it! Easy and delicious!
What you will need

Greek Hoagies
1 lb. ground burger cooked and seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning
1 pkg. stadium style hot dog buns
1/2 cucumber and carrot julienne sliced, marinated in a splash of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar and a dash of salt and pepper
thinly sliced purple onion and red bell pepper
mayonnaise
Feta cheese

Sweet and Savory Potato Salad

Shhhhh..... this is my version of a family recipe. You know, the kind that is supposed to be a secret..... or not. I asked, she shared! So I don't think this is too secret, right?
This is a different way to make potato salad from what I'm used to, but the family loves the original so I tried it, with a couple of twists.  Start this the day before so that the potatoes and eggs have time to chill nicely.

Sweet and Savory Potato Salad

6 medium potatoes
1 almost large sweet potato or yam
3 eggs
1 cup Miracle Whip
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1 t. sugar
1 T. yellow mustard
1 T. creamy horseradish
2-3 T. sweet pickle juice
2 green onions, minced, tops and all
1/3 c. minced sweet pickle chips
Salt.

In a large pot boil over medium low heat all the potatoes and eggs. Drain, cool in cold water, drain again and chill over night.  Peel and dice potatoes into small cubes. Peel and mince the eggs. In a large bowl combine the potatoes, onion, sweet pickle, and eggs. In a small bowl combine the mayo and Miracle Whip, sugar, mustard, horseradish, pickle juice. Stir into potato mixture and mix until well combined. Add salt as needed. Chill and enjoy! We are all sitting around with stuffed tummies full of honey baked ham, potato salad, steamed broccoli, and sliced cucumbers..... soooooo good!

Mayo or Miracle Whip?

You decide! We are making Aunt Lola's potato salad recipe today, we shall see which wins out. She uses both, and I have in the past but our family is definitely mayo. How about you?

Tasty Tuesday - Mexican Pesto Turkey Wrap

 I really hadn't forgotten to add some recipes using the Mexican Pesto, but it was one of those weekends where it was either run away with the computer to a quiet place..... or tend to the tasks at hand. Since today is a day I can have more flexibility, here I am! I started with a flour tortilla that I warmed over a hot burner, flipping and pulling the tortilla across the hot spiral until it was soft and toasted.

 I then took some of my Yhonnaise, which is half plain yogurt and half real mayo, not the low fat variety (blech!!) and mixed a bit of the Mexican Pesto in it to make a nice creamy sauce.

 This I spread over the tortilla, you can go as thin or thick as you want. I would do more next time...

 I added some shredded turkey......

 and piled on top of that some chopped tomato, green onion and shredded lettuce. I topped that with a slice of pepper jack cheese, but I think I would try extra sharp cheddar next time. And, I might try to add some chopped fruit such as apple or grapes to the mix.

Then I rolled, tucking the tortilla edge over the turkey and veggies, until I had a nice little wrap. This was delicious with a bunch of grapes on the side. Easy, pretty healthy, and filling!

Mexican Pesto Turkey Wrap
flour tortillas
shredded turkey
Mexican Pesto Sauce - 1/3 each plain yogurt, real mayo and Mexican Pesto
chopped tomato
chopped green onion, one per wrap
shredded lettuce
pepper jack or shredded extra sharp cheese