A summery twist on the average wedge salad. The BBQ dressing is creamy but light, using a low sugar BBQ sauce for big flavor and low fat yogurt for a creamy texture.
Feeds 4-6. 30-45 minutes
Recipe
1 head of iceberg lettuce
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped banana peppers
Big pinch kosher salt
1 5.3 oz container of plain, low fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup low sugar BBQ sauce
1 tsp cider or rice vinegar
1 T water
Heaping 1/4 tsp salt
Start by hard boiling eggs. Bring salted water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Slide eggs into pan of boiling water, turn off heat, cover pan and let sit for 9-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Combine corn through kosher salt in a small bowl and toss to combine. Set aside. To make dressing, combine yogurt through salt and whisk until combined. Peel cooled eggs and cut each in half. Cut iceberg lettuce into wedges. Place each wedge on a plate, drizzle with dressing. Toss corn, then spoon over each wedge. Place egg halves on each plate, drizzle with more dressing, if desired, and serve.
Is it salad with noodles or noodles with vegetables? There’s lots of flexibility here with your ratios of vegetables, noodles and dressing. Also with the vegetables and noodles that you use. This is a “choose your own adventure” recipe. You could make this gluten free by using rice noodles. Adding chopped or shredded chicken is also a good addition for meat eaters. For that matter, you could also add shrimp or steak. With the exception of the main ingredients in the dressing/sauce, play around.
Don’t forget to save your pasta water!
Recipe
Takes 30-45 min. Feeds 4.
Vegan, dairy-free, nut-free
1/2 package of Whole Wheat Linguine
2 cups of shredded red cabbage
3 cups finely chopped kale
1 1/2 cups grated or matchstick carrots
1/2 of an English cucumber sliced
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped mint
3/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup + 1 T soy sauce or tamari
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sesame oil
3 1/2 T agave
1 1/2 T chili garlic sauce (spicy optional ingredient)
Juice of 1 lime
2-3” of fresh, peeled ginger root. If using tube ginger or pre-grated, maybe use extra
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp salt or to taste
Start by prepping the vegetables and herbs and set those aside. You may not want to add vegetables, like cucumbers, until right before serving. Keep that in mind and keep vegetables separated as you prep.
For the tahini sauce, I put everything in a Ninja Blender, so I throw in whole cloves of garlic and big chunks of ginger. If you are whisking by hand or using an emersion blender, finely mince or grate garlic and ginger. Either way, combine tahini-salt and blend or whisk until smooth. You can adjust this to make it saltier, spicier or sweeter.
Cook your pasta according to package directions, save pasta water as you drain after cooking. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add a splash of pasta water and toss to combine. While pasta is still warm, add SOME of the tahini sauce and toss. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of sauce-don’t feel pressured to use it all at once. When the pasta has cooled to room temp, add vegetables and herbs, and more sauce if desired. Toss, let it sit for 15-20 min. to let the flavors settle (taste for saltiness. If you’ve gone overboard you can add lime juice to counteract too much salt) and serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and more herbs if you’d like.
Save leftover sauce in a jar or plastic container, adding more to leftovers or using for a dipping sauce, dressing for other salads, or thin out with more soy and use for marinade.
This is a light, frosty ice cream base that pairs nicely with the fresh basil of summer. I used what I had on hand, 1/2 and 1/2, and 2% milk, and liked the outcome. By infusing the milk base with basil you achieve a subtle, even surprising basil flavor, without chunks of the herb ending up on your palate or in your teeth.
Fairly easy. Active time: 1 1/2 hours. Wait time: 4-6 hours Requires an ice cream maker.
2 cups loosely packed whole, fresh basil leaves
1 cup 2% milk
2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
3/4 cup + 1 tsp cane sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
Combine basil through salt in a small sauce pan. Slowly bring to a light simmer. Reduce heat to low and allow to steep for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will infuse the milk with the flavor of basil. While the milk steeps, crack eggs, separating yolks from whites. Save the whites for another use (breakfast). Put the yolks into a medium bowl, add vanilla, and whisk to combine. After 30 minutes has passed, strain the milk mixture, discard the basil leaves and return milk to the saucepan and place pan over low/medium heat. Now you will need to *temper the egg yolks.
Tempering the egg yolks slowly, and carefully brings up their temperature so they do not curdle or scramble when combined with the warm milk mixture.
You have the pan of milk, slightly warm, and a bowl of yolks. Place a kitchen towel under the bowl of yolks to secure it in place on the counter. Carefully pour about 1/3 cup of the milk into the bowl of yolks, while whisking the yolks. That is tempering. Now slowly pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the milk mixture, whisking the pan of milk. Use a rubber spatula to get all the egg mixture into the pan. Heat the pan on low, whisking for a few minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add 1/4 of the chopped chocolate and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Make sure you also freeze the container of your ice cream maker overnight. After the ice cream base is cold, pour into ice cream maker along with the remaining chopped chocolate and follow machines instructions. After it’s thickened into ice cream place in a freezer safe container and freeze.
KP The Real 