Category: Fast and Good

Orzo, Cucumber, Tomato and Fresh Herb Salad

Leave a comment
Orzo with tomatoes, cucumber and a dressing in a speckled blue rectangular dish.


This is a lovely salad – perfect for hot summer days when you really just want to be a bum! It’s quick and easy, from Adam Gallagher of InspiredTaste.com.

I followed the recipe fairly accurately, except we added a little feta cheese in the end. (I added the feta after I took this photo.) My brother Mark was over to watch soccer with Kumy and both of them gave it a thumb’s up. Fútbol is life!

Ingredients
1½ cups dried orzo pasta
1 large English cucumber, diced
1 large tomato, diced and liquidy parts shaken out, or 8 ounces halved cherry tomatoes
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, or mint (I used basil and cilantro)
½ cup pitted olives, halved (also good with fewer olives – I only had half that.)
1 cup canned or jarred marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil (Adam uses 4)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp lemon zest
2 to 4 Tbsp freshly lemon juice
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions
Cook orzo in salted water until tender, for 6-10 minutes. Drain.

Make dressing. In a large bowl, whisk oil, mustard, honey, lemon zest, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.

Drop the drained orzo into the dressing and mix well. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Add everything else, mix gently and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. If it feels too dry add a little of the artichoke marinade – it adds great flavor.

Ina’s Sweet Corn Salad

Leave a comment
Image of a blue dish on a wooden table with a seafoam waffle hand towel. In the dish is a salad with corn, onions and basil leaves.


Ina Garten recommended this delicious Sweet Corn Salad for a 4th of July supper and it really is perfect timing, since corn is so good right now.

The only change I made was to use a yellow onion, since I didn’t have a red one, and to sauté the onions for a few minutes because Kumy doesn’t like raw onions. I made it last night when the kids came over to grill out for a belated Father’s Day supper, with smashburgers and Samir’s Cucumber Salad which was super delicious. (I’ll ask him for the recipe.)

Ingredients:

6 ears of corn on the cob
1 small diced yellow onion (Ina uses red onion)
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (or more) fresh basil chiffonade (basil cut into thin strips)

Bring a pot of water to the boil and keep a separate bowl of cold water ready. Add corn to the pot and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. The color will deepen. Remove corn from the pot and put in a bowl of cold water. Leave it there until it is completely cooled off.

Slice the corn off the cobs, and keep in a medium bowl.

In a skillet, drizzle a little olive oil and saute the onions until translucent, usually 5-6 minutes, then add to the corn.

Mix the vinegar, olive oil, salt and black pepper in a small bowl and drizzle over the corn and onions. Mix gently to coat everything.

Toss in the basil, saving a little bit for decoration. Gently mix everything together.

Top with the remaining basil and serve.

So good!

Cold Peanut Ginger Noodles

Leave a comment
image of a spaghetti, cucumbers and peanuts in a white oval bowl with a colorful cloth nearby and on a wood background.



This is from Melissa Clark via the New York Times. I made the recipe pretty much as is, except I halved it because it makes a ton! The unexpected addition here is the chopped candied ginger – and I have to agree with Melissa – it is a worthwhile addition. In fact I’ll probably add more next time. Super easy and super quick. Double the ingredients to make the full batch.

Ingredients

8 ounces Chinese egg noodles, spaghetti or linguine (I used Taiwanese noodles)
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chile crisp, more to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 medium cucumber, halved and sliced into 1/4″ pieces
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped crystallized ginger (add more if you like ginger)
2 tsp fresh lime juice, more to taste
Chopped cilantro or basil (optional), for serving
Chopped peanuts for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain, reserving about ⅔ cup of starchy pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, in a large bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, chile crisp, sesame oil and fresh ginger. Whisk in enough of the pasta water to make a loose, smooth dressing.

Add the cucumber slices to the bowl on top of the dressing.

Add the drained pasta, scallions, crystallized ginger and lime juice to the bowl and toss well, adding more pasta water if needed to make a glossy dressing. Taste and add more chile crisp, soy sauce and lime juice as needed.

Top with peanuts, cilantro and extra ginger if you like.

Yum! This recipe is great the next day, too.

Creamy Sausage, Kale & Pasta Soup

Leave a comment
white bowl full of soup with noodles, grated cheese and kale.


I love these kinds of recipes that use pantry staples to make something new and delicious. I picked up Sweet Italian sausage and kale from the Mexican Grocery store, (love that store!) and had everything else already. It came together really rather quickly, and it was quite tasty.

It does make a large batch, so you may want to halve it.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage or sausage links, casings removed
1 medium onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, minced or 1 ½ Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp fennel seeds
1½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or two 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes, buzzed with an immersion blender)
4 cups water or chicken stock
8 oz. Cellantini, or any hearty pasta (you can also use Tortellini)
1/4 cup half and half
1 bunch kale, leaves stripped and chopped
½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil or 2 Tbsp dry basil
½ lemon, juiced
Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, for serving

PREPARATION

Heat oil in a large pot and add sausage. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat until browned, stirring to break into smaller pieces.

Add onion, garlic, paprika, fennel, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust heat to high, stir in crushed tomatoes and stock, and bring to a gentle boil.

Add pasta, reduce heat and cook as directed on package.

Add the half ‘n half, kale and basil, and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring until warmed through and the kale and basil are just wilted. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Check seasonings.

Serve topped with grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese.

Ina’s Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake

Leave a comment
A one layer cake, with powdered sugar dusted on top, sitting on a white plat, with a pink flowered napkin beside it on a wood counter.


This is another great Ina Garten recipe – sent out just before Mother’s Day.

It is so good, I have made it twice in the last week with some tiny tweaks. (I had to find a way to use up that extra cup of Ricotta, so honestly this is just me being thrifty. Not greedy, just thrifty, right?) Yes it’s chock-full of butter, cream and cheese – but in a good way. Although it says Breakfast cake, it is really good anytime – and especially good with tea.

Anyway, it is delish and comes together very easily. My rhubarb is coming in fast and I may try making it with rhubarb instead of blueberry next time.

INGREDIENTS

10 Tbsp (1¼ sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (12 ounces), divided
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Ina greases and flours a 9-inch round springform pan, but there’s a lot of butter in there, so I just skipped it. You do you.

Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Ina mentions the better will look curdled and it does. No worries – everything is fine.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat very gently until the flour mixture is incorporated. Fold 2/3 of the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula. Pour into springform pan and drop the remaining blueberries on, pressing them in lightly.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and remove pan sides. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temp. So good!

Taverna Salad

Leave a comment


I can’t remember where I saw this recipe by Lidey Heuck (probably the New York Times) but I’ve been wanting to make it for days. It’s basically a Greek-style salad. Lidey uses Halloumi cheese, but I had Feta so that’s what I used. It’s great because it is a hardy, filling salad that comes together in minutes, once you assemble your ingredients. I used the home-cooked garbanzos I made yesterday and I think that added, too.

⅓ cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 tsp minced garlic (1 small clove)
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt and a few grinds of black pepper (add more if needed to taste)

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes.
2 cups home-cooked garbanzo beans or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces
1 large English cucumber, halved, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces
½ cup pitted Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives (Lidey called for Kalamata, but I was out.)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried parsley)
¼ cup minced red onion or shallot
2 Tbsp (drained) capers
1 large plain Naan or Pita
½ cup crumbled feta cheese (See Lidey’s halloumi cheese note below.)

Preparation
Step 1
In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup olive oil with the vinegar, garlic and oregano. Whisk vigorously to combine then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, parsley, red onion, and capers. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.

Step 3
Chop the Naan or Pita into 1-inch pieces and add to a warm skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Toss around to coat. Let pieces cook for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Serve with naan or pita toss on top of the salad. So good!

Lidey’s original version: Lidey uses an 8oz block of halloumi cheese, patted dry and cut into ¾-inch-thick slices. She puts the halloumi slices on a small plate and drizzles with 1 Tbsp olive oil and cooks them in the skillet over medium high heat until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. She transfers to a cutting board and cuts the slices into bite-size cubes, that you toss onto the salad with the naan/pita.

Easy Applesauce & Walnut Cake

Leave a comment


Wanting to do something with the applesauce I made a few days ago, I hunted up an old applesauce cake recipe that’s very simple, comes together quickly and is delicious without being too sweet. Next time, I may try adding a chopped apple. But Kumy loved it – especially with a nice cup of tea.

A round, flat cake dusted with powdered sugar on a white plate, with a wooden container of apples nearby.


INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup applesauce
2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of kosher salt
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Powdered sugar for dusting on afterwards.

Mix sugar and butter until quite smooth and light. Add applesauce and mix well.

In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add into the sugar mix, and stir gently, just until blended.

Scoop into an 8 or 9″ baking pan or springform pan, roughly smoothing the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until the top looks dry and springs back if you push on it.

Let cool, and dust with powdered sugar. Keeps well for a few days.

Chopped Salad with Chickpeas, Goat Cheese & Avocado

Leave a comment
Image of a white bowl with salad, croutons and a fork.


This recipe is from Lidey Heuck in the New York Times, but appears to also be from Ottolenghi. I made it with raw shallots the first time, but it’s better with the shallots sautéed in a little olive oil first. It’s a really delicious, satisfying salad that also keeps well. Something about the fresh herbs, the warm croutons and the creamy goat cheese is just so good!

Ingredients

2 cups bread, diced into 1/2″ pieces
6 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp grated (or minced) shallots
1 medium butter lettuce, cut into ½-inch pieces (can also use Romaine)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 medium (or ½ large) English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and diced
½ cup pitted Castelvetrano or other green olives, roughly chopped (about 3 ounces)
1 Tbsp Capers
⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions–about 2 (green onions)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 avocado, halved, pitted and diced
¾ cup diced or crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, (I used dill and parsley – you can also use mint or basil.)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place diced bread on a sheet pan, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, then bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until well toasted. Set aside to cool.

In a small frying pan, sauté shallots in a little bit of olive oil for a few minutes until softened. Let cool.

Meanwhile, place lettuce, chickpeas, cucumber, olives and scallions in a big bowl.

In the small frying pan, whisk together olive oil with the vinegar, capers, cooled shallots, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pour over salad and toss well. Add the avocado, feta and herbs and toss gently. Top with the croutons and serve.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Leave a comment


This soup is super fast and very delicious. I started with a recipe from Jamie at drivemehungry.com, but made tweaks based on what I had handy. It was the perfect supper for a cold, wintery day.

I used chicken thighs since I was out of chicken stock, and just added a bouillon cube. If you have chicken stock, you can use that instead and skip the bouillon cube. Jamie mentions that this is a flexible recipe and you could add sautéed veggies, too.

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cups water and 1 chicken bouillon cube or 4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
½ inch piece of ginger, smashed in one piece
2 stalks green onions, white parts cut off in 1″ pieces and green parts in 1/4″ rings
½ tsp fish sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp chili crisp (use less if you don’t like it too spicy)
salt to taste
½ package of Pho noodles or any really thin noodles, enough for 4 servings
1 Thai red chile, or a red jalapeno, very thinly sliced (also optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

In a stock pot, bring water to a boil and add chicken thighs and bouillon cube. If you really love ginger, you could add the ginger, too. Reduce heat and simmer for around 30 minutes.

Remove chicken to a plate and chop into roughly 1″ pieces. Strain chicken stock from pot into a bowl, discarding the yucky stuff, but saving the ginger for the next step if you used it.

Add olive oil to the pot, and add garlic, ginger and the white parts of the green onion. Sauté for a few minutes until the garlic starts to get brown.

Add chicken stock back in and stir well. Simmer for a few minutes and remove the ginger. (You can leave the onions and the garlic, which gets super sweet.)

Add fish sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, chicken and noodles. Cook for just a couple of minutes until the chicken is warmed back up and the noodles are softened. If you’re using a different noodle, follow suggested cooking times. Taste broth and add salt if needed.

Place noodles and soup in a wide bowl and garnish with green onion rings, cilantro and a few thin slices of red chili. Yum!

Salad with Bacon, Eggs & a Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Leave a comment
Not a beautiful photo – but ignore that and try this recipe, because it is super easy and delicious!

I saw a recipe for a spinach salad with bacon and eggs and decided to give it a try. I didn’t have any spinach, but I did have some Romaine. It has a nice creamy dressing with just a little tartness. Definitely a keeper!

Ingredients

4 cups rough-chopped Romaine or use baby spinach
2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and quartered lengthwise
2 strips bacon, (regular or turkey) cut into ½” pieces and fried until crispy

Dressing:
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Few grinds of black pepper

Boil eggs, let cool slightly, peel and quarter. Fry bacon, and set on a paper towel to cool.

Mix up dressing in the bottom of a medium bowl. Add lettuce and bacon and stir well. Add eggs and stir gently.

Check seasonings. The bacon is pretty salty so you might not need any more.

It’s so good – I literally ended up eating the entire bowl!