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Greek Pasta Salad

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This Greek Pasta Salad Recipe is the perfect picnic or get together tag a long! With my secret ingredient, this salad brings the flavor and is easy to throw together at the last minute.

Greek Pasta Salad Recipe This Greek Pasta Salad is my favorite! My secret ingredient, the brine of the feta cheese, takes this recipe to the next level. I have tried Greek Pasta Salad with the brine and without the brine, and my WITH brine recipe is 100% my favorite of all time pasta salad. The saltiness of the feta paired with a hint of sweetness from the tomatoes and a delicious homemade dressing makes for the perfect pasta salad. If you aren’t familiar with what I am talking about, you can buy feta cheese in a brine, which will be a liquid substance that the cheese is in. I prefer Feta in brine because I feel like the crumbled feta can be a little dry and lacking flavor. In any recipe I am using Feta cheese I do prefer Feta in brine. Pasta salads are especially important because putting a little bit of the brine in with your dressing creates the perfect salty, delicious dressing to compliment the pasta, veggies, and feta cheese. If you are skeptical or just not feeling it, you can omit the brine but I’m telling you it is so good! Generally, I buy my Feta cheese at Wegman’s, because they always carry feta cheese in brine. I have struggled at other stores to find it all the time, but if I don’t see it in the regular cheese section I will always check the specialty cheese section and it is usually there. The crumbled feta just doesn’t compare so keep looking until you find it! 🙂 I have made this recipe with several different pasta varieties, but I like the orecchiette pasta the best. If you are looking for a swap, I would suggest rotini, small shells, or cavatappi. All of those pasta varieties have worked great for me in the past. The orecchiette creates a nice balance and that is why I prefer it but the others can certainly work too. Print
Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

Greek Pasta Salad

  • Author: Dana
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Description

A delicious, refreshing pasta salad that is a perfect side dish for any occasion.

Ingredients

1 pound orechiette pasta (rotini and shells work great too!)


1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 seedless cucumber

1/2 red onion

8 ounces feta cheese

1/4 cup feta cheese brine

1/2 lemon, squeezed

1/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Don’t forget to salt your pasta water!

For the dressing: Add 1/4 cup feta cheese brine, 1/2 lemon squeezed, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tsp dried oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper to a large bowl, blender, or food processor. Slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. If you are using a bowl, whisk vigorously while you are drizzling in your olive oil. (I used my Vitamix.)

Chop cherry tomatoes, seedless cucumber, and 1/2 red onion and place in a large bowl with 8 ounces feta cheese, and cooked pasta. Pour dressing over ingredients and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with additional salt + pepper + oregano if desired.

Store in an air-tight container for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. Recipe is best if made 1 day ahead of time to allow flavors to come together.

Keywords: Greek Pasta Salad

Greek Pasta Salad Recipe  

Black Bean and Corn Fritters

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Can I just go right ahead and admit today was just one of those days. If you have kids then I know you know what I’m talking about! Having my 8 year old son home for summer vacation and being super preggo is a lot more then I bargained for. Hello… when you can’t see your feet how are you supposed to bend over and pick random things up?? Or bend over and give the babes a bath?? Or put your own shoes on??  The big belly struggle is real! #pregnancyproblems


However…. somehow I managed to throw these super fun and delicious Black Bean and Corn Fritters together and the kids gobbled them up for lunch. I wish I could say that I served them with a green veggie or fruit salad but no, the kids are on a hard boiled egg kick so protein + protein it was. Hey, nothing wrong with that…. until tomorrow morning when I have to smell the aftermath of this bean + hard boiled egg meal. Thankfully my husband wasn’t here!

In other news my husband wants me to stop purchasing kitchen stuff. How do I put this…nevergonnahappenhubby.

In other, other news Donald Trump is running for president. Am I missing something here? Is he a politician now? Is he just going to pay someone off to make important decisions? Am I the only one super confused about this? And by the way, if you haven’t seen his Toupee memes I suggest you Google that immediately and have a good laugh!

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AAAANNNNDDD…. Back to the fritters because they are super easy to make and come together in about 30 minutes from start to finish. 30 minutes!! They are so easy I would say this would be a great recipe to let the kids help out with. I served mine with a nice dollop of sour cream and a little extra cheese on top and they were just perfect. Hope you all enjoy as much I we did!

Black Bean and Corn Fritters || www.3boysunprocessed.com

Spinach and Tortellini Salad

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Spinach and Tortellini Salad

Summer is approaching…. and I need to get my salad game in order. 🙂


I mentioned in my last post that I was searching for the perfect “summer pasta salad” dressing, and boy did I ever find it! My Creamy Italian Dressing is just that… creamy, oh-so-delicious, and great for salads and pasta salads. Hello summer BBQ’s, get togethers, and warm weather!

This spinach and tortellini salad is the perfect combination of healthy + yummy. I mean, a big bowl of spinach, who could really argue with that? I love using spinach in salads because it is packed with nutrients. Just one cup of spinach gives a healthy dose of Vitamins A & C, plus calcium and iron. Popeye was really on to something, wasn’t he!?!? 🙂




Now let’s talk tortellini because the question is, does it fit the “unprocessed bill”? I’d say no, not exactly. The pasta is not whole wheat. However I’ve noticed that frozen tortellini is a pretty good convenience item when it comes to ingredient lists so I do occasionally use it in a pinch or when I’m going to an event. We consume 99.9% whole grains so letting go a little is fine with me. Food is all about balance to me and it feels good to let go sometimes.

I separated the dressing from the actual recipe because I realize sometimes ingredient lists can be confusing when you are combining a few things. The dressing recipe will give you the appropriate amount of dressing for the salad. Enjoy!

Spinach and Tortellni Salad

Creamy Italian Dressing

*This is 1/2 of the original dressing recipe. Full recipe for salad follows.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 Tablespoons organic mayo
  • 1 teaspoon white wine (optional)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except oil to food processor. Blend until combined. Slowly add oil while continuing to blend. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. ** If you don’t have a food processor, no problem! Just use a large mixing bowl and whisk.

 

Creamy Crockpot Taco Dip

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This creamy Crockpot Taco Dip is sure to be your new “Go-To” party recipe! Throw it together the day of your party and keep in warm in your crockpot. Hello delicious!  

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Today my hideous crockpot is unveiled. I’ve spoke of it, I’ve joked of it, and here it is in all of it’s *older then I am* glory! Doesn’t the color  remind you of something your mother got as a wedding shower present? HA! 🙂

Before we get started I’d like to point out the obvious: tomorrow is New Year’s Eve! My whole family is going to a party at our Pastor’s house so that should be fun. I know, I know, it sounds like a big snooze fest but it is not like that at all, I’m telling you! 2014 has been such an amazing year for me. I watched my boys grow up a little more *tear*, started this blog, and was surrounded by amazing people all year long. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It is amazing how every year seems to get better and better. Ok, I’m done with the sentimental stuff now, I promise! On to the dip….

Even though my crockpot is ugly it doesn’t stop this dip from being delicious, addicting, and pretty. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming this dip to  be healthy or fat free….but it is one notch above the Velveeta and Rotel kind of thing because Hello! no random ingredients! So that makes it a little better, right? PLUS it has fresh tomatoes on top and that’s a veggie (I mean fruit, but hey who is being politically correct right now?) so…yeah…tomatoes = healthy. I mean, it was a nice try, right?

Cooking Tips

  • I only made a half batch of this dip because I was only serving it to my family. The recipe below is a full batch, that will serve roughly 12 or so people.
  • I waited until the end to add my beans, however you can throw them in with the rest of the ingredients in the beginning if you’d like.
  • If you want your dip to look like mine, use a plastic baggie to pipe your sour cream in lines! 🙂
  • I recommend choosing a tortilla chip that doesn’t contain soybean oil, and is non-GMO verified. We love the brand Garden of Eatin’ so check them out! I’ve also found Wegman’s has a decent organic corn chip if you live around one of their stores.
  • When all of your ingredients are melted together just perfectly, turn your crockpot on warm/low to keep it warm for your party.

tacodip

Creamy White Cheddar Baked Corn

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Corn. The glue that holds all Holiday meals together. Don’t think so? Try omitting it sometime, and everyone will just keep wondering “What’s missing here???”


I have to admit, I’ve been a corn lover my whole life. As a child I absolutely despised veggies, but corn…we got along just fine. So obviously, as an adult and a chef, I look for ways to make corn even better then it already is. I’ve found a winner here….ding, ding, ding! 🙂 Corn + cheese = yes! It doesn’t really take a genius to figure that one out though, so let’s just say I took an obvious combination and upped the ante a bit by adding a touch of white wine and a layer of crispy Fontina cheese on top!

And now… I bring to you…more processed food confessions from my childhood. Boy, I hope my parents decided my blog was too  much of a snooze-fest to even read anymore because I’ve been calling them out for all the crap they fed me as a child a lot lately! I’m just going to assume they aren’t reading and proceed to call them out yet again! The cheese whiz, the frozen pretzels, and now the Kid Cuisines (among lots of other crap). I mean, seriously…why? And who? Who goes to the grocery store and thinks processed junk food in plastic containers that you cook in a microwave seem like a good idea? Apparently my parents thought it was quite nifty because let’s just say I ate Kid Cuisines a few times a week for a few years. I’m still alive! But no wonder I was fat and awkward!

In their defense, I really loved those things. I came home from school, watched Nickelodeon, ate my TV-dinner. The life of a 90’s kid! My favorite Kid Cuisine was the tacos (ok, is talking about this crap getting creepy yet?!?!?). I refused to believe the tacos had beans in them (THEY DID) because I thought I hated beans. I also was quite the little chef because I always mixed the corn and cheese sauce and it was the best combo ever. Hence…. this recipe!

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One really important step in this recipe is making sure your frozen corn is defrosted! If it isn’t defrosted it will make the sauce runny when it defrosts in the oven. I made the same mistake one time but quickly fixed it by adding a few tablespoons of flour and baking it for a few more minutes. Flour fixes everything!

*I recommend looking for frozen corn that is organic/non-GMO verified! I used sweet corn that I froze this summer, but store bought is perfectly fine as well!

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Bacon and Mustard Asparagus

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Bacon. Mustard. Asparagus. Hello, I’m so glad we’ve met! I’m so glad me and my *asparagus loving* one year old just devoured a whole bunch of asparagus together, covered in whole grain mustard and bacon. Ok, I’m the only one who ate the bacon, because salt-fest 5,000 isn’t exactly a good idea for a one year old. Over concerned Mommy? Possibly. Greedy bacon lover? Yes.

Ok, so I’m not teaching my kids to share bacon. Truth! But you should most definitely make this delicious asparagus to accompany your holiday party this year, and share with your family, because Hello! The table needs a bright and colorful veggie dish and the broccoli casserole just isn’t cutting it anymore. Ok, I’ve always hated broccoli casserole anyway so maybe I’m biased, but seriously this asparagus just screams delish!

I have an asparagus secret weapon that enables me to purchase the perfect, skinny asparagus every week for $2.99 a bundle, and the bundle is huge! On a past recipe a reader mentioned the cost of asparagus and I KNOW, it is super expensive compared to other veggies. If you are looking to save some green on your asparagus GO TO ALDI! GO TO ALDI! GO TO ALDI! I can’t say it enough. Go to Aldi! This time of year they have some awesome seasonal products and if you can find your way out of their junk food isle you might just find some awesome deals on real food. We shop there a lot because 3 kids and a husband that eats like a horse is expensive. We got our bacon at Aldi too, organic, for a fraction of the price of what I would pay at Giant or Wegman’s.

And now… I present to you… the most in-your-face asparagus picture ever. Guiness Book of World Records here I come!

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Beautiful, right? Perfect bright colors for a holiday table, right? Yes and yes! Above all this asparagus is just amazingly delicious and I’m not just saying that because I made up the recipe. It might be the *Best Ever* asparagus recipe, but you know pulling out the *Best Ever* card isn’t really my style so let’s just leave it at this: This asparagus is awesome and could be, would be, the *Best Ever* if we used those words. The end!

I must also stress this recipe is SO EASY. Easy as in it takes less than 20 minutes to put together, and as little as 5 if you decide to omit the bacon. Healthy weeknight side dish right here. 🙂

And guess what? We picked a tree this weekend. Hello hunky husband! #Imarriedwell

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And the fam 🙂 Of course everyone else is wearing boots and I’m in moccasins!

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Twice Baked Potatoes with Crispy Green Beans and Shallots

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Yesterday was the first snowfall here in Central Pennsylvania. I totally thought I was going to take a nice brisk walk to pick my son up at school but I went outside and SNOW! Seriously, wasn’t ready for that one because at the beginning of the week it was like 60 degrees. Hello November and real cold weather that I’ve been dreading since the start of school!

November also means Thanksgiving aka fata$$ fest aka my kind of Holiday. I have to be honest here, things that involve cooking and food are pretty much right up there on my favorites list. Stuffing face with lots of yummy stuff = YES! Now don’t get too carried away and dump a bunch of soup cans on anything, because you know that’s not how we do here at 3Boys!

ENTER…. these totally over the top and amazing Twice Baked Potatoes! Yes, that’s right. A potato that is baked twice and quite literally stuffed with butter, sour cream, chives, and cheese. I don’t know who thought this whole thing up, but thank you!!! Not only are these potatoes stuff with goodies, they are also TOPPED with goodies. Crispy green bean “fries” and shallots. Amazing…. that’s all I can really say. Scoop it out, pick it up like a ‘tater skin, do what you have to do because you’ll be stuffing your face with these and wondering how something this delicious was so easy to make!

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Let me just say these words again in case you missed them…crispy shallots! These things are like the new French fried onions that don’t come out of a canister. I promise they are so much more flavorful then those canned things anyway, and top these potatoes perfectly. Do yourself a favor and make some extra because they are a perfect guilt free topping for basically anything. Salads, sandwiches, broccoli, asparagus, you name it….crispy shallots will make it better. 🙂

Ok, some tips here:

1) Use FRESH chives. Please don’t sell yourself short on this one. Fresh chives are readily available, easy to chop up, and make a world of difference when it comes to the taste of these potatoes. They are a really inexpensive way to make your potatoes 1,000 times more flavorful.

2) Use ORGANIC breadcrumbs (whole wheat if you can find them). Why? Well, I’ve talked about this a lot on here but I’m going to say it again. The mainstream canned breadcrumb brands use horrendous ingredients that are completely unnecessary and dangerous. Hello Progresso, 4C, and the like! We’ve seen your 50+ ingredient list and we are done with your nonsense. Breadcrumbs DO NOT have to contain dangerous hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, tons of GMO ingredients, and preservatives. We are done with you and your products because they are poo-poo and we know better. Good riddance! Ok, I’m done but seriously, you can make your own using my Whole Grain Breadcrumb recipe, or you can buy an organic brand and check the ingredients to make sure there isn’t anything weird in there. P.S. – The pictures on that post are ugly. Just a warning! 🙂

3) Don’t be afraid to generously season. Potatoes are bland, therefore you need to season them. Go heavy on the salt and pepper or your potatoes will be just kind of ok. I used about 1/4 tsp for 4 potatoes. Potato sizes can vary so give your filling a taste before you bake them again. The last thing you want to happen is for your potatoes to already be served before you realize they are on their way to blander then blands-ville.

4) Use a piping bag and star tip for a really beautiful end result. Yes.. the old piping bag can even be used for potatoes! I used a large star tip and the potatoes came out really easily. Then you can throw the top back on or serve it beside the potato. Either way, they look really nice.

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This is a two part recipe. It looks really time consuming but I promise, the green beans and shallots can be thrown together in just a few minutes and the potatoes basically just make themselves in the oven! Sounds like a great recipe to forget about while you are having your Thanksgiving Day glass o’ wine, don’t you think?

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 4 large russet potatoes
  • 4 Tbsp salted butter (or 1/4 cup)
  • 4 Tbsp sour cream (or 1/4 cup)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
  • handful fresh chives

Directions: Wash potatoes. Wrap in foil, bake in oven at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until potatoes are soft. Remove potatoes from oven, unwrap and allow to cool slightly. Cut top off of potato, about 3/4 of the way up. With a spoon, scoop out flesh of potato, making sure to leave a decent amount of potato around the shell, in order for your shells not to cave. Mix flesh with butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, and chives. Pipe or scoop into shells, top with cheese, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until tops are slightly browned.

Crispy Green Beans and Shallots

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups French style green beans
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (organic preferred because big name brands DO use trans fats, hfcs, preservatives)
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp kosher salt (if using plain or lightly salted breadcrumbs)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 large shallot
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat white flour

Directions: Wash and trim green beans. Mix breadcrumbs with olive oil and spices. Whisk egg and water. Dip green beans in egg wash, then roll in breadcrumbs. Green beans will not be completely covered, however sprinkle any remaining breadcrumbs on top for extra crispies! Place on sheet tray. For shallot: slice, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and place on sheet tray with green beans. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove green beans, and bake shallots for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crispy.

To assemble: Top potatoes with crispy green beans and shallots plus additional crispy breadcrumbs.

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Blanched Green Bean Salad

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Once upon a time I went to the Farmer’s Market and came home with a grocery bag FILLED with green and wax beans. I came home, washed those babies, blanched those babies, and made a delicious vinaigrette to toss them in to make them super happy. I thought that was enough, but no, the beans wanted more. They were already perfect but they insisted they were just too beautiful to leave with ONLY a vinaigrette. I just wanted to make the beans happy, so I gave them some feta cheese and raisins and they were elated. The beans lived happily ever after for only a few minutes until they were gobbled up by the evil witch.


Ok that was true until the evil witch part because we all know I’m no witch! 😉 And well, beans don’t talk so I guess the rest isn’t true either. Ok, I totally made the whole thing up but hey, it sounded like a good story, right? Of course it was a good story, because we all love a cute fairy tale! Maybe I should have come up with something clever about Jack and the Bean Stalk but that seemed way to obvious and these beans are far too tasty for a giant who merely stuffs food in his mouth and swallows without even chewing. At least I think that’s how giants eat but who knows, I’m only 5 feet tall so clearly I know nothing about them.

Now that we have all of that fairy tale crap I just made up out of the way let’s just talk about how delicious blanched green beans are. When I was younger I thought I hated green beans because the only green beans I had ever seen were canned. I have vivid memories of seeing ugly canned green beans being served in the school cafeteria, and thinking who would eat those? YUCK! Canned green beans are all puffy and water logged and well… I hate them. I prefer my veggies on the crunchier side so generally if I’m making green beans I blanch them. Blanching is just a fancy word for submerging into boiling water for just a few minutes, then quickly submerging into cold water to stop the cooking process. No soggy beans here!

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Please excuse the vinaigrette dripping off the side of my bowl. You see, I thought it would be a good idea to pick green beans out and eat them while I was taking pictures. Obviously it wasn’t. Photography fail! Just an FYI, yes this is a cold salad. The feta and raisins are optional but I highly recommend them!

 

Mediterranean Orzo and White Bean Salad

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Truth be told, I learned something about myself today. I don’t know how to spell the word Mediterranean. I tried many times. Is it two d’s? Two t’s? Heck I have no clue, I still don’t think I could spell it right if I wanted to! I’m not even convinced Google knows how to spell it.  Thank you auto-correct! Regardless, that doesn’t take away from how much I love this pasta salad! *Insert blogger sales pitch about how amazing this pasta salad is* The orzo, the feta, the veggies, the beans, the salty sweetness, I mean really it is just a party in a bowl all around. I searched high and low for whole wheat orzo because I wrongly assumed it was a thing. Why wouldn’t every grocery store carry it? We are living in 2014, you know… the future, where people have woken up to the fact that the bleaching and enriching process is poo-poo! Thankfully, my search ended at Wegman’s where I ran into a box of whole wheat orzo and the rest is history.


I have been making pasta salads all summer because they are quick, easy, and able to pack protein and veggies. I love putting pasta salads over spinach or greens and eating it for lunch (no dressing required). My lunch is usually just shoving some food in my face because I’m too busy feeding hungry boys to even think about what I am eating. Even though I’m home with them I can relate to the people at day jobs who feel too busy to eat and a lunch like this is a great solution. You don’t have to fiddle around with those stupid plastic dressing containers, or a bunch of baggies. Throw some spinach and pasta salad in a container and you have a meal in a bowl. One bowl, one spoon/fork and there you have it!

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The dressing for this salad is a mix of a few bold flavors, which is what makes is so good! Whole grain mustard, tomato paste, and red wine vinegar come together to create the perfect companion for olives and feta. My husband’s grandparents hooked us up with some yellow tomatoes and they were super sweet and complimented the saltiness of this salad perfectly. If you can’t find a sweeter tomato, I would suggest adding a few extra sun dried tomatoes, or even a handful of dried cranberries to give the salad a nice balance.

I struggled with what to call this flavor bomb, but I think Mediterranean White Bean and Orzo Salad about sums it up, right? Sheesh I really need to start getting more creative but it seemed better then “The Best EVER Pasta Salad Recipe!” agreed? 😉

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Brown Butter and Honey Glazed Carrots

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Brown butter… what can I say.. if you’ve never made it I suggest you put it on your bucket list of cooking immediately. I don’t want to say it will change your life because that is kind of gimmicky, but it will. Once you taste it, your mind will start going a mile a minute thinking of how your going to use brown butter next. I have just what you are looking for right here with this Brown Butter and Honey Glazed Carrot recipe!


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I don’t know what is better, brown butter or raw honey. After we started becoming more conscious of our sugar intake and source, I found raw honey. Boy, was I ever missing out when I was purchasing those cute little plastic honey bear bottles! Turns out honey, like the really liquidy honey bear kind, is actually more refined then you would think. It is filtered of all the good pollens, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins, and pasteurized. The pasteurization process takes many of its health benefits away as well. Honey has long been used to treat many illnesses, and I can verify that raw honey will soothe a soar throat in minutes! Of course like most foods, raw honey is more expensive then its refined counterpart but do yourself a favor and give it a try, you will never be tempted to squeeze that cute honey bear again!

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Here are a few notes about browning butter for those of you who have not done it before. It is really easy, but at the same time complicated because you need to remove the butter from the heat at the correct time. My best advice is to stand with your butter the whole time, and watch it transform. You should be whirling your butter around your pan the whole time, and this will help to ensure your butter doesn’t burn. To watch the color of your butter transform you will need a pan that isn’t dark colored. A dark colored pan will make it impossible to see when your butter is done so the non-stick pans will not work for this (I don’t use them anyway). When you start smelling something REALLY good, your butter is getting to the point of almost being done. You will smell it first, then see it go from tinted, to light brown, and finally a darker brown will be reached when you remove the pan from the heat. I know it sounds intimidating but what is the worst that can happen? Some burned butter? Let me assure you, burning some butter is totally worth discovering how amazingly delicious browned butter is!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

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portabella1 (1 of 1) Goat cheese makes everything delicious and these Goat Cheese and Herb Portabellas are no exception. I could do a write up of how amazing they are, etc. but I’m not even going to go there. These are beyond amazing.. end of story! I could have eaten 10 more if I wouldn’t have been thinking in the back of my mind that I needed to save some for my family (plus there is a lot of cheese in them!)   portabella2 What I would like to address is how to make these on a budget. Believe me, I have 3 kids and I don’t have a day job! I know how important it is to pinch every penny and when I create a recipe like this one, money is in the back of my mind. I never want to provide recipes to people that cost a ton of money to make, and that can be eaten in a matter of a minute. Goat cheese, pine nuts, portabella caps…. all grocery store items that do cost a bit more money. However, my family has found Aldi, the grocery store where you can buy real food on a budget (some even organic) and not spend a fortune! I got the goat cheese for $1.99, as opposed to $5.00 at Giant. I got a whole bag of pine nuts for $2.00, and the portabella caps for $2.50, which are $4.99 at Giant. I was able to make this delicious recipe for less money by shopping smart. Believe me, there is a lot of junk food at Aldi too, just like any other grocery store. However, their produce prices are ridiculously cheap and we have found some great stuff there that helps us save money on groceries. We even found the same organic carrots there that they sell at a pricey “health food” store in my area for $5.00 cheaper. How stupid did I feel when I saw the same exact product at Aldi for so much less! This isn’t in any way endorsed by them, I’m actually just a real mom with a family and know all too well how expensive it is to eat good food. Just wanted to let everyone know, check it out! Speaking of discounts I found these cute little appetizer dishes at TJ MAXX. I need to remind myself NEVER to go in that place because they have so much kitchen stuff it is just too much for me to handle, I want everything! Even broken things in the clearance isle appeal to me because I can still photograph an item that is chipped or cracked without it being seen. If I buy one more prop my husband might disown me so I need to stay far, far away from TJ MAXX.  But seriously how cute are these little appetizer dishes? portabella5 (1 of 1) One last note, the breadcrumbs. Please, I beg of you, do not use standard store bought breadcrumbs! They are one of the worst products I have ever seen on grocery store shelves, and if you haven’t noticed you can keep them for YEARS without them going bad. Instead, I would suggest just making your own with a piece of whole grain bread (real whole grain bread, not Sara Lee’s crap with 30 ingredients), salt, pepper, and whatever spices you’d like to throw in. I have a step by step guide on my Whole Grain Breadcrumb recipe so check that out. If you are completely scared by that idea I would suggest looking for an organic product because the Progresso-type brands all contain trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and MSG.


Creamy Parmesan Peppercorn Cauliflower

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I am almost embarrassed to say this, but I ate almost all of this! My husband stepped outside to talk to the neighbor and I kept going back for more, and more, and more. Then finally when there was 2 pieces left I had to remind myself he had to at least give me his opinion on the recipe!

Everything about this recipe makes it delicious…especially the crunchy outside the cauliflower gets when you roast it.  This is a recipe that could really wow a dinner party! The texture is just right, the cauliflower looks beautiful, and who doesn’t love cheese! Your friends will think you secretly went to culinary arts school or something when they taste this cauliflower because it is THAT good. Plus, cauliflower isn’t exactly the first side you think of when planning a dinner, but this s a great outside the box recipe to show people veggies can be delicious. I really wanted a good shot of the sauce, and here it is. Tell me that isn’t a beautiful sauce! I love the specks of paprika (secret to making roasted cauliflower look nice), and peppercorns.

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This is a two step recipe. The cauliflower is prepared by seasoning it and tossing it in olive oil, then roasting it n a sheet tray in the oven. The sauce is prepared on the stovetop, then the cauliflower is tossed in the sauce to finish it off. The sauce only takes 5 minutes to put together, so I just waited until the cauliflower was just about done roasting to start the sauce, that way it wasn’t sitting around waiting for it’s buddy to come out of the oven. 🙂 Also, just to note, using 1 head of cauliflower makes enough for about 2 people. If you are cooking for more, I would suggest doubling it.

Whole Wheat Greek Pasta Salad

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I have been eyeing the beautiful packs of multi-colored cherry tomatoes at the grocery store ALL summer long. Each time I go, I put the pack into my cart and walk away. My kids scream, we grab a few other things, and inevitably I always end up back in the produce section talking my little self out of my way kewl pack of multi-colored tomatoes. Until today… when I put them in my cart and told my colorful produce loving self that today was the day I was taking these babies home! *yessss*


Little did those colorful cherry tomatoes know they were going home with a Greek Pasta Salad loving food blogger, and in their near future they would be slathered with an amazingly delicious homemade vinaigrette and made to mingle with some feta cheese. After that they would be gobbled up for lunch, then again for an after school snack, and again for dinner. Yes, I ate this 3 times today! I shamelessly pulled that bowl out of the refrigerator and devoured those cherry tomatoes and all of their friends like it was going out of style… FAST! So fast I left 4 noodles for my son’s lunchbox tomorrow. *SMH* So now, due to my shameless lack of self control, I will be up earlier tomorrow to prepare something else for him. Might be time to break into that freezer stash of hot lunches… on the 2nd day of school. 😉

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The pasta I use in this recipe is whole wheat, because if you’ve been following along you know we don’t mess with that refined stuff. I used a pasta that I could not find a link to on Amazon, Whole Wheat Gobbetti made by Bionaturae. I love their products, and highly recommend any of their varieties if you can’t find the Gobbetti. And seriously.. what the heck is Gobbetti anyways!?!?!

 

 

 

Summer Strawberry, Cucumber, and Feta Salad

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summersalad4 I have to say, I am loving strawberry season already! Nothing beats the fresh, local strawberries we get that are tiny, red, and sweet! I have been putting them in literally everything, including this awesome salad. This salad is a huge hit at summer picnics and parties because it is different and addictive. If you take this to any function this summer, don’t expect to bring any home. 🙂 The dressing of this salad is my homemade red wine vinaigrette. Click here to get that. I promise it is super simple and contains only a few ingredients. I don’t have a specific measurement for the dressing to go on the salad, but with any salad, just eyeball it and only add a little at a time. Remember, you can add more but can’t take dressing away once it is already on it.


Pinned It, Did It! Hasselback Potatoes

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I saw these potatoes on Pinterest and immediately showed my husband. Of course they looked delicious, but were they everything Pinterest cracked them up to be? The vote is in…. drumroll please…. YES! They were absolutely awesome for so many delicious reasons!

How I Did It


First, I should say I used red potatoes. I saw a variety of potatoes being used but my husband grocery shops and he picked red potatoes so red potatoes it was!

Second, I used butter instead of olive oil. Sometimes I do toss potatoes in olive oil before baking but I wanted to put slices of butter between the potatoes because it looked cool! I didn’t put butter between every slice, I onlyput 3 really thin pieces in each potato.If you want to do this make sure your butter is cold or it might not work out so well.

Third, I saw a few different spice mixes but I went with good ol’ fashioned kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Fourth, I baked them in a cast iron skillet and this was the  key to getting this really amazing, crispy bottom that made them some of the best potatoes I’ve had. I wouldn’t even consider making them without the cast iron skillet!

Cutting the Potatoes

To get your slices spread apart like an accordion for a nice, crispy finished product you need to slice ALMOST the whole way through. If you don’t go far enough your potatoes wont spread apart, but if you go too far you’ll slice through the potato. So you see, it is kind of an art that takes practice. My slices weren’t as thin as I could get them, so next time I’ll keep that in mind. I also accidentally sliced through one or two potatoes but it was no big deal, I just stood the slices up next to the others and it was fine. I realized toward the end that if I angled my knife I had a better idea of when to stop cutting. Overall, there were a few imperfections but they were still amazing and will be our new go-to potatoes!

 

 

Roasted Poblano and Cheddar Mac

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My husband brought home a poblano pepper that I didn’t use in chili, so I challenged myself to coming up with a new recipe to use the pepper in. My kids request mac n cheese every time I ask them what they want for dinner, so I combined the two and it turned out to be a great twist on mac n cheese. It was really delicious with just a hint of spice. This side could easily be turned into a main dish by adding some extra veggies and seasoned black beans. If you are tired of the same old mac n cheese, I would highly recommend trying this recipe!


Ultimate Oven Fries with Sour Cream and Onion Dip

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ovenfries There are a few secrets to the best oven fries. First, use butter! I only used two tablespoons for a whole batch of fries so a little goes a long way. Second, boil potatoes first, then bake. This will give you a really soft center and crunchy outside. Third, SEASON correctly. Potatoes don’t taste like anything so you need to season them nicely if you want them to turn out good. I do use a secret ingredient as well, and it is Bragg’s Sprinkle. It contains 23 seasonings and spices and it can turn anything into a delicious masterpiece in seconds! Here is the link to the seasoning. These fries would also make an awesome side a party topped with cheese and served with the dip in the middle of a tray!

If you don’t have the seasoning you can mix something similar up using a combination of equal parts rosemary, onion salt, garlic powder, thyme, basil, and parsley. Obviously those are only a few of the spices included in the seasoning but I feel those are the major flavors.


Whole Grain Breadcrumbs

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breadcrumbs Store bought breadcrumbs are one of those items that make absolutely no sense. How do these companies take something as simple as bread and turn it into 59 ingredients… yes 59 ingredients!!!!! Not only are they using 59 ingredients, they are also using a cocktail of dangerous and cheap ingredients. Here is the list:

Ingredients


Bread Crumbs (Enriched Flour [Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil [Soybean and/or Cottonseed and/or Corn and/or Canola], Water, Salt. Contains 2% or Less of: Yeast, Honey, Molasses, Sugar, Wheat, Gluten, Whey, Soy Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Rye Flour, Corn Flour, Oat Bran, Corn Meal, Rice Flour, Potato Flour, Butter, Dough Conditioners [Mono- and Diglycerides, Sodium and/or Calcium Stearoyl, Lactylate, Soy Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate], Yeast Nutrients [Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate], Vinegar, Nonfat Milk, Buttermilk, Lactic Acid, Calcium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate [Preservatives, Sesame Seeds), Oat Flour, Salt, Dried Parsley, Spices, Onion Powder, Garlic, Natural Flavor, Egg, Sunflower Seeds.

So you can see they are using HFCS, Partially Hydrogenated Oils (trans fats!!), and preservatives. No wonder these things never go bad! What makes me downright angry about these breadcrumbs is people use these when they are cooking at home and never think to read the ingredients on something that seems so simple.

Thankfully making your own is super simple and easy. If you use breadcrumbs a lot you can even make these in big batches and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer. These breadcrumbs taste ten times better then the store bought version and are able to be used in a number of ways. It is also important to point out that I use a preservative free, sprouted grain bread found in the organic freezer section of my local grocery store. Click here to learn more about the bread. I also freshly grate my parmesan cheese because the powdery parmesan can contain additives and preservatives. Here is the micoplane I use to grate the cheese as well as the oat flour and adobo seasoning used in the recipe.