This is a lovely side dish to any main, and easy to put together.  I saw somewhere? if you only use half the dressing to mix in, then add the remainder before serving, it is much better with gluten free pasta - it makes a big difference to the flavor and overall creaminess of the pasta salad.

8 0z. gluten free pasta shells

1/4 cup finely diced red/green pepper

1 celery stalk with leaves, finely diced

1-2 Tblsp. finely diced red onion

handful of finely chopped green onion

Dressing:

2/3 cup plus 3 Tblsp. Mayonnaise

2 Tblsp. plain yogurt

1 big Tblsp. yellow or green sweet relish

1/2 Tblsp. White Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika, salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Cook pasta per directions.  While cooking make up the dressing in a separate bowl, whisking well , and chop the vegetables.  Add the vegetables to a bowl, drain and rinse the pasta in cold water, then drain well again.

Add in half of the dressing to the pasta and vegetables, add in the chopped green onion and mix well.

Refrigerate.  30 minutes before serving, take out the pasta to come a bit to room temperature.

When ready to serve, add remaining dressing and mix well, add a sprinkling of sweet paprika, and serve alongside any main dish.

We recently had this fabulous marinated bean salad, I brought to a family gathering - I should have doubled the recipe - it is our new favourite and comes together so easily.

I made the dressing the day before, then put the salad together to marinate an hour or two before eating.

2 1/2 cups fresh green beans, cut 1 1/2 inch size, and parboil - 3 minutes, drain and add to ice bath, then drain and place on a clean towel

1 pint fresh cherry/grape tomatoes, halved

big handful of roughly sliced, then big chopped red onion

big handful of fresh basil, chopped

14 oz. can drained, rinsed chick peas

crumbled feta cheese, - goat cheese would work nicely here too

DRESSING: - can easily make the day before

1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 1/2 Tblsp.  fresh squeezed lemon juice

2  1/2 Tblsp. White Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

salt to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash Season blend

Once the vegetables are ready to go, add to a bowl with the fresh herbs and drained chick peas

Pour over all of the dressing, mixing well to combine, then sprinkle on a handful or more of crumbled feta cheese.

 

 

This is a lovely side dish to have with any main dish or lunch, especially in summer.  While not a big fan of sweet coleslaw, there is a bit of sugar in this recipe, but it is not overpowering at all, and by all means add more if that is to your taste.  The dressing makes about 3/4 cup, and in this recipe we used 1/4 dressing for the coleslaw, so leftovers can be used again on just about any salad you make.

DRESSING:

1/2  cup Mayonnaise

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tblsp. White vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. white sugar

1/2 tsp. ground celery seed

1/2 tsp. paprika

fresh cracked pepper

COLESLAW:

1 1/2 cups finely sliced, shredded green cabbage

rounded 1/2 cup finely sliced red cabbage, or a bit more if you prefer

1 small to medium grated carrot

2 green onions, diced

Whisk up all the ingredients listed in the dressing recipe and set aside.

To a bowl, add the green and red cabbages, grated carrot and green onions, tossing with a fork to combine.  Pour in 1/4 cup of the dressing, mixing well.  Refrigerate 1- 2 hours before serving.

 

This lovely salad dressing is easy to prepare for any fresh garden salad, macaroni salad, and of course Greek salad as well.  The amounts here will give you enough salad dressing for a couple of days, but if feeding a crowd definitely double the recipe.

5 Tblsp. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tblsp. white vinegar

3-4 Tblsp. grated Feta cheese

1 tsp. dried basil, dried Greek oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

fresh cracked pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt

Put all of the ingredients into a jar/or other container and shake well.  I like to make this dressing in the morning to allow the flavors to really incorporate.  A good Extra Virgin Olive Oil works best.

As I type this, (8:00 am in the morning)  the temperature out side is 30 degrees Celsius/about 86 degrees Fahrenheit. It will only get hotter by 4:00 pm.  In my neck of the woods that is hot, and it is not due to let up any time soon!
On a positive note, we have had the most amazing organic strawberries and blueberries - everything seems to be a month early.  Can't wait for those fresh summer tomatoes!
So to nite we are having a cold dinner:  potato salad, sliced ham, and the above quick and easy Italian Marinated Zucchini and Tomato Salad.
With this salad, you will want to make it in the morning, stirring occasionally throughout the day.
Then after dinner we are headed to our local pot holes for a refreshing swim!

DRESSING:
1 large sun dried tomato in oil, pat off excess oil with a paper towel, and finely dice
1 large diced garlic clove
1 1/2 Tblsp. finely diced shallot
1/2 cup of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 Tblsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp. dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
4 cups sliced zucchini (I did a mix of green, yellow, and yellow patty pan squash)
1 large green onion largely sliced - 1/4 inch pieces
2-4 tomatoes depending on size (mine were somewhat small)
3 rounded Tblsp. Parmesan Cheese
Add all of the ingredients for the dressing into a glass jar, shaking well to combine.  In a medium sized bowl, add the vegetables, and parmesan cheese tossing to coat.
Pour over the dressing, mix well and refrigerate.  Stir the salad occasionally throughout the day so the flavors are well incorporated.

This might be my new favorite salad....so good!  We have a deli downtown that makes a very good Thai Broccoli Salad, which I will often have for lunch when I am at work.  One day, I decided to ask them for the recipe...thinking they probably would not give it to me, however, it never hurts to ask, all they can say is no right?  Well no it was.  So I thought no matter, I'll go home and make it myself.  And you know what?  From now on I will be bringing my own Thai Broccoli Salad for lunch.
This salad makes a generous serving for two, so just double the recipe for more.
2 1/2 cups organic broccoli florets
2 broccoli stalks, peeled, sliced in half, quartered and diced
zest of 1/2 a fresh lime
just over 1/4 cup diced red onion
handful of finely chopped fresh cilantro
toasted sesame seeds
Dressing:
2 big Tblsp. Gluten Free Soy Sauce or more to taste
1 tsp. Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
juice of one lime
1/2 to 1 tsp. toasted sesame seed oil or to taste
1 big tsp. Agave Nectar
1 big Tblsp. peanut butter
Add the broccoli florets to boiling water, and boil 1 minute.  Drain and add to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
Drain and add to a bowl, with the diced broccoli stalks, lime zest, and fresh cilantro.
In another bowl mix up the dressing ingredients - whisking well.  Pour over the broccoli, and toss well to coat.  Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top and refrigerate a couple of hours to marinate.  Before serving, toss well and enjoy!

This past week has been very busy for me at work.  Usually I will pack a lunch with me, which I did this particular day.  I ended up working an extra 3 hours this day which I had not anticipated, so I stopped by a deli to buy a vegetable salad.  Dang....it was awful.  Big chunks of raw broccoli, cauliflower, and red pepper.  I thought I can do better than this, and so -  here it is.
One thing I did was to very lightly blanch the broccoli, carrots, green and yellow beans.  They were still vibrant, with good crunch...but now they were no longer rock hard, and as a result absorbed the dressing much more nicely.  So much better in my humble opinion.  All of these vegetables came from our local Organic Farmer's market....super fresh and organic will always make a huge difference to any recipe.
3 1/2 cups of vegetables - I used broccoli, carrots, green and yellow beans - sliced
2 diced celery stalks
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 large garlic clove finely minced
18 English Shelling Peas
2 big Tblsp. finely minced fresh Basil
Dressing:
4 1/2 Tblsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tblsp. White Vinegar
3 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tblsp. Dried Greek Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Here is a picture of the sliced vegetables for a light blanching:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  First add in the broccoli stems and carrots - blanch 1 minute.  Then add in the broccoli florets and blanch 1 minute.  Then add in the yellow and green beans and blanch 1 more minute.  Drain, and add the vegetables to an ice bath.  Allow to sit for five minutes.  They will still be nice and vibrant, and have some good crunch.  Then allow to drain until dry.
Meanwhile, chop up the red onion, celery, minced fresh Basil and minced garlic adding to a bowl.  In another bowl whisk together the Rice Wine Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, white Vinegar, Greek Oregano, salt and pepper.
Add the blanched vegetables to the bowl, with the shelled English peas.  Pour over the dressing, tossing to coat well.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours so all of the flavors can come together.  I tossed the salad a few times throughout the marinating time.  A great salad to accompany any summer time meal.

Mercy...this was heaven on a plate.  Seriously, seriously supreme deliciousness happening here.
Recently, I met a lovely woman who mentioned she was getting ready to harvest her garlic, and would I like to buy some?  Oh yes indeed!  Just check this out:
In my world this is a thing of true beauty.  Then this kind lady also gifted me with this:
Have you ever had dried Greek Oregano?  I never have - but one smell from this heavenly scented bag put me over the moon!  Regular Oregano can have a somewhat strong bitter flavor.  This Greek Oregano is sweet and much softer in flavor - we love it!
So today, I will share with you a show case of recipes using Garden Fresh Garlic, Roasted Garlic and Greek Oregano:
- Greek Oregano Chili Basil Marinated Pork Chops (this marinade is also great for chicken -check out the plate at the end of the post)
- Roasted Garlic, Basil, Greek Oregano, Sun Dried Tomato Compound Butter
- A Sweet Greek Oregano Vinaigrette.
We had a feast!  Thank you to my lovely garlic growing friend!
All of these recipes were made and in the refrigerator by 1:00 p.m. so all of the ingredients could come together by 5-6:00 p.m.
Greek Oregano Chili Basil Marinated Pork Chops:
2 good sized pork chops - or steak or chicken would work nicely too
1 1/2 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice
2 roughly chopped garlic cloves
1 Tblsp. Dried Greek Oregano
2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 big tsp. Chili Paste with Sweet Basil
1 Tblsp. Tamari Sauce
Fresh Cracked Pepper
In a bowl combine all of the ingredients whisking to incorporate.
Add the pork chops to a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade.  Seal up and massage the marinade into the meat until well coated.  Refrigerate and marinate 4-5 hours.
Remove the chops from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off.  We grilled these pork chops on the BBQ, but you could use a grill  pan on medium high heat and sear the chops about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chops.  Top with a generous pat of compound butter.
Next came the roasted garlic for the compound butter.
This was a large head of garlic.  I cut off the top, and peeled the very outer layer of skin off.  Place on tin foil with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive oil, and wrap up tightly.  Roast for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.   Unwrap and allow to cool.  This garlic was so sweet tasting, I could eat it on it's own!
Roasted Garlic, Basil, Greek Oregano Sun Dried Tomato Compound Butter
2 large sun dried Tomatoes, blot off the oil with a paper towel, and very finely mince
3 cloves of roasted garlic - mash well with a fork
1 Tblsp. Dried Greek Oregano
1 big Tblsp. fresh Basil, finely minced
5 Tblsp. butter
1 big Tblsp. finely grated Feta Cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
Then transfer the compound butter to a sheet of plastic wrap, sealing up into the shape of a log, and refrigerate.
Cut into chunks and serve with any grilled meat.
A Sweet Greek Oregano Vinaigrette:
2 Tblsp. Red Wine Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - a 3 to 1 ratio with the Red Wine Vinegar
1 big tsp. Dried Greek Oregano
2 finely minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste
Add all of the ingredients to a jar, and shake up well.  (I found this dressing needed a little extra splash of Red Wine Vinegar and some extra salt, so check for seasonings) Refrigerate for a couple of hours so the flavors can come together.  Serve over a fresh garden salad.
I must show you this dinner one more time...make it tonight...but I must warn you....you might go out of your minds, it was so crazy crazy good!  We had this beautiful meal with steamed organic Red French Fingerling Potatoes (yes those Red French Fingerling Potatoes once again!) and fresh steamed carrots with the salad on the side. Did I mention that this was heaven on a plate, did I?  If I was not so full I would eat this all over again!  Trust me, you are gonna love this! 🙂
Then a few nights later I made the marinade for chicken - marinate for 8 hrs. or overnight.  We added the compound butter to steamed fresh vegetables...so so good!

I wish summer would last forever!