Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan & Fresh Herbs

I just found my new favorite summer side of the season!!

It was another Epicurious find...Epicurious never lets me down.

I was going to make this for a "salad bar" potluck this past week but I wasn't able to go at the last minute so later in the week I made half a batch for Josh and Knox and me. 

And then we all wished I had made a whole batch. 

We polished off most of it with grilled chicken and vegetable kebabs for dinner and then Josh and I fought over shared the remainder for a late night snack the same evening.

And then I licked the bowl.

I did.

Who knew chickpeas could be so glamorous?!  It's the fresh lemon juice, garlic, basil, parsley and salt...they make them POP. 

I will be making the other half of my batch this week. 

We can't wait.

Chickpea Salad with

Lemon, Parmesan & Fresh Herbs

• 4, 15-to 15 1/2-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 small garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 1/3 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Coarse kosher salt

Combine rinsed and drained chickpeas, chopped fresh basil, chopped Italian parsley, fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and pressed garlic clove in medium bowl. Add grated Parmesan cheese and toss gently to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Season chickpea salad to taste with coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. DO AHEAD: Chickpea salad can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Serve salad chilled or at room temperature.

Kimberly's Shells

It's hard to believe Knox's first birthday is behind us.

No more counting the months...now we start counting the years!  It's a little surreal.

Year #1 has been such a joy...an adventure every day.  And we can't wait to see what exciting things happen in Year #2.

Our little party might be over, but we're still singing "Happy Birthday" a couple times a day. 

It's just such a great song.  :) 

We also have a big pile of awesome new toys to remind us of that happy day... 

And this trusty truck balloon, which isn't sagging too badly yet:

Happily, we also still have a little leftover pasta salad!

So you see, the celebrating goes on. :)

My cousin Kim made this salad for us when I was in Vermont this summer.  I never think to make pasta salad, but when she served this tasty salad I couldn't get enough of it.  There's nothing more satisfying than biting into soft shells.  I love it.

I also love this recipe because it gives me a chance to use two ingredients that I hardly ever use otherwise.

Ham...

...and radishes. 

Aren't they pretty? 

(The radishes...not the ham.)  :) 

The radishes are halved and sliced very thin so there isn't a bitter taste, just a delightful color and tiny bit of crunch.

Kimberly's shells were perfect for our 1st birthday hot dog cookout.  We might have to make this a tradition. :)

Kimberly's Shells

1 lb. medium shells (I used large since they were on sale), cooked and drained

3 c. diced ham

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 cup celery (or fresh Italian parsley, which is what I used this time instead)

1/2 cup radishes, halved and thinly sliced

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayo

4 tsp. dijon mustard

1 + tsp. garlic salt, to taste

Chopped Salad with Chicken, Couscous, and Vegetables

I think this Texas heat has me beat.  

The last few days I've just been lazy, lazy, lazy.  I don't feel like cooking, I don't feel like cleaning, and I definitely don't feel like doing anything that involves leaving the air-conditioning.

I did that, twice this week...I went out for a run.  

I twisted my right ankle the first day, decided it wasn't bad enough to keep me down, so went back out (a little gingerly) the next day for another run and promptly twisted my left ankle as well.  

Yes, not my luckiest of weeks.  I blame this misfortune 100% on this oppressive heat...I think it made me run slow and drag my feet behind me.  

So the twisted ankles didn't help my summer slump either.

But lucky for me, Josh kindly agreed to brave a 105 degree afternoon and stand next to an even hotter grill long enough to cook the chicken for us to enjoy in this salad.  

This salad got me excited and lifted me out of my summer slump, for a few hours at least.  I think it was just the vibrant colors, and the textures, and the surprising flavors, and this magnificent dressing:

  
It's a fresh, creamy, bold basil dressing that is just what the doctor ordered for a hot summer day.


I first made this salad a couple years ago when my mom came to visit.  It caught my eye because it has currants in it, and my mom loves currants.  

Now I am not a fan of currants, and Josh was scared to death of them at the time, so it was with some reluctance and a lot of love for mom that I tried the recipe.  But I am so glad I did!

The currants don't bring a strong flavor to the salad at all, just the tiniest hint of sweetness that is perfect with the grated Parmesan and the basil dressing.  

My mom loved it, I loved it, and Josh loved it, too.

So if you too are looking for something bright and fresh and cool and exciting to get yourself moving on a hot summer day, this salad is for you. :)
 

Chopped Salad with Chicken, Couscous, and Vegetables

•  1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 shallot, halved
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic

• 1/3 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup dried currants
• 1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
  

• 1 10-ounce package plain couscous, cooked according to package instructions
• 3 cups coarsely chopped arugula
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, seeded, diced (about 2 cups)
• 2 grilled chicken breast halves, diced
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)

Blend basil leaves, mayonnaise, garlic and shallot in processor until smooth. Gradually blend in buttermilk and lemon juice. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) 

Mix Asiago or Parmesan cheese, currants, and seeds in medium bowl. 

Using 1/6 of couscous, 1/6 of arugula, 1/6 of tomatoes, 1/6 of chicken, 1/6 of corn, and 1/6 of Asiago cheese mixture, form rows on each of 6 plates. Serve, passing dressing separately.

Two-Bean and Corn Salad

I've always been a little stuck about what to serve with Mexican dishes like the enchiladas I posted earlier this week.  Rice?  Re-fried beans?  Eh, okay but neither of those options get me really excited.

Then I found this recipe (also on Epicurious).  

YES!  

I'll never have to wonder what to serve with Mexican dishes again.  

It was so flavorful, and so easy.  It made a perfect side with Mexican food and I'm envisioning it at a lot of hamburger and hot dog cookouts this summer as well.  

Two-Bean and Corn Salad

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 15 1/2-ounce can Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 15 1/2-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 3 celery stalks, chopped (I left these out)
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 small jalapeño chilies, seeded, chopped

Whisk oil, vinegar, and cumin in large bowl to blend. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, tossing occasionally.

No-Oil Greek Salad Wraps

Vacation (and all the amazing bad-for-us food we ate on vacation) is behind us.  Josh and I are back on our mission to eat more fruits and vegetables.

These wraps are our new favorite lunch or fast dinner item. (Along with those green super smoothies, which we're still making all the time!)

At first I didn't know if the wraps were worthy of a blog post because there's really not much of a "recipe" here.  But we keep craving these wraps.  Every time we eat them we lean back in our chairs and groan, "Oooohh my gosh.  These are sooo goooood!"

I think that makes them blog worthy.  :)

So I decided I better share them with you all.

The wraps couldn't be simpler to make...just chop up some veggies, open a container of hummus and a package of tortillas, and you've got it.  The flavor comes mostly from the fresh garlic and a few splashes of red wine vinegar.  I'm actually not a big vinegar fan at all but a little bit in here makes it just right.

 

 

  

No-Oil Greek Salad Wraps

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1/4 large onion, chopped

1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped

1-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/8 cup black olives, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Several splashes of red wine vinegar

Salt, to taste

Whole wheat tortillas

Hummus

Makes 4 wraps 

China left Josh and me with a large tolerance (and adoration) for fresh garlic.  Some may want to tone the garlic down a little bit, but I think it's the garlic that makes these wraps so addicting.  So don't leave it out altogether!  

Enjoy!  :)
 

Superbowl...Salad?

I know.  Those two words should never really be paired together.

If the Bears had won two weeks ago we would be having the Superbowl feast (and party) of a lifetime.

But they didn't.

And so my husband is getting salad for dinner on Superbowl Sunday. But before you feel too sorry for him (as you lick your hot-wing sauce drenched fingers) it is his favorite salad.  And mine.

This salad is a winner, people, I promise.  Just like the Bears always will be, to me. :)

I got the recipe from my Gourmet cookbook, which I love.

I've changed the actual salad a little bit, because I'm not a big fan of bacon and I have no idea what Roquefort is.  But what makes this salad so special is the dressing.  It's easy to whisk together but has a rich and citrus-y flavor that you just have to try yourself!

Cobb Salad

For Dressing

3 Tbl. red wine vinegar

1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. Dijon or honey mustard

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients except oil in a bowl.  Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until well blended.  Set aside.

For Salad

Mixed greens or 1 head romaine lettuce

Shredded or chopped chicken, lightly salted

1/2 cup Roquefort (or cheddar if, like me, you had to look that up on Google)

6 bacon slices, and crumbled (I always leave this out...not a big bacon fan)

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Fresh corn sliced from the cob (or, if it's not in season, HOMINY)

2 avocados, sliced

Top with crushed tortilla chips, especially if it's Superbowl Sunday!

May the best team win!  And, since we don't really care who wins, may the commercials be truly amazing. :)