Tortellini Spinach Salad

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

Summer is off to a beautiful start here! It has been very mild and sunny and just all around pleasant here. June is one of my favorite months. The weather is usually very good and we have the most daylight during this month. I can sit on the patio or the covered porch and just day dream the day away. This was one of those days. A great Sunday where we did not have too many chores to do and we sat with neighbors and let the dogs run and play in the very green and I mean very green grass.

I did not want anything very heavy for dinner. I had planned on cheesy toast and tortellini and red sauce. Then I decided no…. not in the mood for that. I made a much lighter and healthier salad instead. I still used the tortellini because I really did have my taste buds ready to go for them. For a salad dressing you can use my Vinegarette. This day I happened to use a store bought dressing. It was a Spinach Salad dressing. It is one of my favorite store bought flavors.

You can really use any combination of flavors that you would like. This is kind of a healthy “kitchen sink” kind of salad. This is just what I chose to use and I feel that the flavors were fantastic. Even the carnivorous husband didn’t even notice he did not have meat for dinner.

Tortellini Spinach Salad

Author: The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

Ingredients

1 bag of spinach leaves torn
1/4 of red onion diced
1/2 cup of queen olives sliced in halves
1 4 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts sliced
6 oz mozzarella cheese in 1/2″ cubes
1 package of spinach and cheese tortellini boiled drained and cooled

Instructions

in a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix well
serve with your choice of dressing
olive oil based dressings will be best to enhance the olive and artichoke flavors

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Cucumber and Tomato Galette

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

So I named this a galette, then you see the picture in a pie dish. A bit of a contradiction I know. I used phyllo this time instead of pie pastry. Phyllo being the temperamental floppy ingredient that it is I erred on the side of caution and used a pie dish. Chicken, I know…..
Summer’s bounty is still in full bloom and the tomatoes and cucumbers just keep coming in our garden. As much as I love salads I wanted to do something a little different. A fresh and healthy side dish or even as a main dish for a lunch, this is a fun easy and yummy dish to make!

2 cucumbers diced
4 small tomatoes or 2 large diced
8oz cream cheese
4 oz feta cheese
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 c kalmata olives sliced
8 sheets phyllo dough and melted butter to coat

Lay sheet of phllyo across pie dish and brush with melted butter repeat four times. Layer 4 additional buttered sheets in opposite direction. Fold excess sheets up and brush with melted butter.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes till brown and golden.

In a mixing bowl beat together cream cheese and feta and oregano. Spread over the bottom of the phyllo crust. In another mixing bowl combine tomatoes and cucumbers, and olives with a drizzle of olive oil and and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the cream cheese filled phyllo crust. Serve immediately.

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Kalmata Olive Dressing

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

This was the Vegetarian dish that made my red meat crazed husband say these exact words,”I could give up meat if all veggie dishes taste like this. You have outdone yourself babe!” A compliment like this is better than receiving a Micheline Star!

1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
1 eggplant
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 bunch baby spinach washed drained and pat dried
1 cucumber sliced
2 tomatoes quartered
for the dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large shallot or 1/8 red onion minced. (on this occasion I did not have a shallot so I used the red onion)
1 tbs champagne vinegar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
12 kalmata olives chopped
1/8 c sliced pepperoncini’s chopped

Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2″ slices. Place on paper towels and sprinkle a little salt on both sides. This will remove moisture and any bitter taste. Let sit for 30 min. Flip half way through.

To make grilling the peppers easier, slice off the top and make one slice down the middle. Open like a book and remove the seeds and veins.

In a mixing bowl whisk 1/4 cup olive oil, chopped garlic, pinch of salt and dash of pepper. Add eggplant and peppers and toss till coated. Grill on low heat with cover closed approx 5-7 minuets each side. Watch to make sure eggplant does not burn. Remove from grill and let cool to room temperature.

To make the dressing whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, shallot/red onion, both vinegars,Dijon mustard, olives, pepperoncini, and salt and pepper,(1 tsp each). Slice the cooled eggplant and peppers. On a large serving platter plate up the spinach and add a dash of each salt and pepper. Layer the sliced grilled veggies across the top. Arrange the sliced cucumbers and quarterd tomatoes around the edge of the platter. Pour dressing evenly over entire salad!

A perfect Summer Vegetarian (even vegan) meal!!!!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

The amounts you use will depend on how many salads you want to make. This was for my Father’s Day Luau and I made 6 Salads that day. So you can use as much or as little as you want!

Baby spinach leaves washed drained and pat dried

salt and pepper to taste

feta cheese crumbles (this photo does not show the cheese as my Dad does not like it. It was fathers day after all)

fresh sliced strawberries

fresh blueberries

sliced toasted almonds

In individual salad bowls fill 3/4′s of the way with the spinach, salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle the feta cheese, blueberries and sliced strawberries and then top with sliced almonds. The basic Vinegarette taste fantastic with this!

Basic (but oh so Yummy!) Vinaigrette

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

This is Cooking 101! Everyone must be able to master this simple but so very important staple. This can be used for green salads, pasta and potato salads, marinades and a basting sauce for grilling.

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1tbs dried oregano

2 tbs Champagne Vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1/4 cup olive oil

Place in that order in a salad dressing carafe or mixing bowl, shake or whisk till combined. Chill at leat 30 minutes. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Summer Striped Salad

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

I am a fledgling vegetarian, although I can’t quite make the final leap and cut meat out all together I really do try to keep it to a minimum. So all summer long I am looking for fun and tasty salads that will keep me trim and fulfill my two ravenous boys! My husband and my step son, that lives with us, are always starving and want a full meal! I feel like this salad not only is healthy and light but it is also very filling!

1 bag fresh baby spinach washed drained and pat dried

4 baby carrots sliced, 2 Tbs Blue Cheese, 2 roma tomatoes sliced, 2 radishes sliced, 1/2 cucumber cubed, 2 hard-boiled eggs sliced.

1/2 an avocado sliced and 4 turkey bacon strips cooked cooled and chopped.

On a large serving platter place spinach to cover plate, then lay in a vertical lines across the spinach in order of ingredients 1-6 listed. Salt and Pepper to taste then lay avocado across the top in the center over the tomatoes, and pile bacon on top of avocado. Serve with your favorite dressing or you can make my Basic Vinaigrette