Orzo Salad

 Orzo is one of those tricky foods--is it a pasta?-- is it rice?  It looks exactly like a grain of rice....but it the texture is plump, chewy and 'al dente' similar to pasta.  Verdict says....it is definitely pasta!!  Which must be why I love it so much, because I know I was born with pasta streaming through my fraction of an Italian-blood. 

My mom actually dished up this deliciously hearty summer salad and sent me over the photos and recipe to share {fyi, iPhone cameras are not as good as they claim to be so my apologies}.  I believe the salad evolved from some of her besties {friends that is}, and I remember eating this sparkling side dish at many gatherings.  

For those of you lucky enough to have a garden this year {whatever you do, please don't use the words garden or deer around me!}, Orzo salad really lends itself to the vibrance of those fresh tomatoes, raw sweet corn straight off the cob and oodles of fresh parsley.  

And the burst of citrus?  YUM. 

Have a Splendid Day!

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Ingredients 

Zest of 1 Lemon 

2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice 

1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 Tbsp Olive Oil 

2 Tbsp Salad Oil {Almond or Canola}

Fresh Italian Parsley, Chopped {about 1/4-1/2 cup}

Summer Gold or Grape Tomatoes, sliced lengthwise 

Raw Corn on the Cob {about 2 ears}, sliced off cob

1/2 Box Orzo Pasta, cooked according to directions, drained & rinsed 

Directions 

Whisk together lemon zest, juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil and salad oil.  

In a serving bowl, toss together cooked and cooled orzo, tomatoes, corn and parsley.  You may adjust to your preference by adding more or less vegetables and parsley.  Toss salad with dressing. If desired, garnish with more parsley and edible flowers.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving. 

Serves 4-6  

Bbq Portabella Mushroom Burger

Burgers are a summer staple –I get so jealous when the unwavering aroma of a grilled burger wafts down the street from a neighbor’s house. If it werent so awkward for me to knock on the door, drooling, and request a plate, I probably would.

An amazing burger is juicy, chocked full of flavor and kind of artistic if you think about it.  You can put just about anything on a burger and nobody will judge you--- bacon, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, peppers, pesto, avocado, cheese…..oh, don’t even get me started on all the types of cheese that would be fabulous {my sister in law and I will be living in a house made of cheese one day}!

These burgers I made last night were definitely a work of art….and I will admit to you now that there was not an ounce of meat in them!! That’s right, I totally snuck a grilled portabella burger onto my boy’s plate and they ate up every last bite. 

 My sneak attack plan started while they were out of the house at Taekwondo.  I prepped the mushrooms, sprinkled on some oil and spices, hit the grill and assembled the burgers just as they were walking back in the door.  I knew I had to step it up a bit from the traditional toppings of lettuce and tomato so I got crafty & colorful and piled high with my husband’s top secret homemade bbq sauce, crispy onion straws, and pepperjack cheese on my brother-in-laws top secret melt-in-your-mouth yeast rolls. 

Mission accomplished! 

And they were still talking about how tasty they were today.  I am not one to pat myself on the back often but that deserved a double pat if you ask me! For bonus brownie points, serve with homemade roasted potato fries.

Have a Splendid Day!

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Ingredients for Portabella Mushroom Burgers

by Splendor in the Kitchen.com

This recipe works best by "eyeballing" amounts of spices, sprinkling well on both sides of the mushromm to coat evenly.

4 Large Portabella Mushrooms, rinsed and patted dry

8 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Paprika

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper
4 slices PepperJack Cheese

½ Cup Bbq Sauce, divided

1/2 Cup Crispy Onion Straws

Baby Spinach Leaves

Horseradish Sauce {optional}

4 Good Quality Burger Buns

1 Tbsp Butter

Directions

Remove stems from mushrooms and discard.  Gently scrape the gills from the inside of mushroom caps, removing all black with a small spoon. 

Rub 2 Tablespoons olive oil on each mushroom, coating well.  Sprinkle enough of the spices; paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper onto both sides of the portabella mushroom, allowing for good coverage. Spoon 1/4 of a cup of bbq sauce over top side of mushrooms and set aside.

Prepare a barbecue or grill to medium heat. Place mushrooms top side down on grill and cook about

4-5 minutes.  Turn mushrooms over and continue cooking until juices begin to run clear, another 3-4 minutes. Flip mushrooms back to top end up and place cheese slices across each mushroom and cook 2 minutes until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and tent with aluminum foil.

Slice buns open and spread butter evenly on the insides of each bun.  Place on hot grill for 2-3 minutes, until slightly crispy and grill marks have appeared.

Assemble burgers by spreading a thin layer of horseradish sauce on the bottom bun. Place a layer of spinach and then the portabella mushroom on top.  Sprinkle crispy onion strings over the mushroom and finish with a spoonful of bbq sauce. Top with the other half of bun and serve immediately.

Serves 4



Garden Panzanella Salad

Hey Y'All! :}

So, you may have noticed that I've been MIA for a few weeks, {and maybe you are too tied up in your own summer that you haven't} but listen, I can explain.....Texas was a callin' me. There must of been a logical reason that I would choose to go to a 100 degree state with like 100% humidity in July, RIGHT?!

Well there was, so you can call off the sanity check. Two of the most gregarious, delightful, entertaining children of all time live there and belong to me as nephews. AND, my most favorite sister in law east of California just so happens to be their mommy so I got to relish in a week of their presence along with the bundles of joy {yes, plural!} she is keeping warm & expecting for arrival in the fall. As the unexpecting and still energetic one, it was my sisterly duty to affirm a constant supply of brownie sundaes, giggling children and the tug-of-war battle between the playroom and a toddler.

Now that I am back in my home state and finally functioning again {it's amazing how you really do need a vacation after a vacation...life takes an eternity to get back to normal!}, I've trekked back into my abundant garden and stumbled upon all sorts of farm fresh treasures; lemon cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, zucchini, green beans, peppers and oh so much more! 

I decided in honor of my veggie lovin' sister-in-law, I would make a beautiful Florence style Panzanella salad.  I'm sure this tomato, bread and basil beauty will shoot her pregnancy cravings on overdrive, but hopefully she isn't too bummed that I'm not there to make it for her ;)

Technically, a Panzanella salad is made with stale bread, tomatoes and oil & vinegar, but of course, leave it to a splendid kitchen to create this lovely variation.  You may also use just about any vegetable you love or have growing in your own garden.  Flawless as is and perfect for a side dish or a simple entree but I will share my son's tip upon first bite...."needs bacon", lol! He is so brilliant!

Have a Splendid Day!

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Ingredients for Garden Panzanella Salad

by Splendor in the Kitchen

3 Small Lemon Cucumbers, peeled and chopped in 1/2" pieces

1 Medium sized Zucchini, sliced in 1/2" pieces

1 Heirloom Tomato, chopped in 1/2 " pieces

8-10 Kalamata Olives, pitted and sliced lengthwise

2 Peppadew Peppers, drained and sliced thinly

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil, loosely packed

2 Tbsp Shaved Parmesan Cheese

2 Slices Good Quality Sourdough Bread, sliced 1" thick

Extra Virgin Olive Oil {approx 4-5 Tbsp}

Blood Orange Vinegar, to taste {you can substitute balsamic or red wine}

Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste



Directions

Heat indoor grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. 

Lightly brush zucchini slices and bread slices with olive oil on both sides.  Cook on grill just until you have grill marks on each side and zucchini is crisp but tender in the center and bread is crisp. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled down, cut into 1/2' pieces.

Assemble the salad by adding cucumbers, zucchini, tomato, olives, peppers and bread to a bowl. Stack all basil leaves in a pile, roll and slice thinly.  Add basil and cheese.  Give the salad a sprinkle of salt and a very generous portion of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir salad, then add a small amount of vinegar {about 1 teaspoon to begin with} and 2-3 Tbsp olive oil.  Adjust according to your likely.

Refrigerate at least 20 minutes prior to serving.

Serves 2-4 as a side dish.

Caprese Pasta

Pasta is my most favorite thing to eat.

  It's in my blood and my heart.  It's absolutely amazing to me how fresh & simple of a dish you can create with pasta and a handful of ingredients, most of which you typically always have on-hand as staple items.

....And I am in love with this pasta.  I may be in trouble a little later when my hubby comes home and realizes I made it for lunch today without him. I do adore him too, although it's a tough call.

 Uh-oh.  Let's just keep this between you and me.

Caprese Salad is a pretty standard Italian-restaurant menu item, and frequents my household table often in the summertime.  You can't really get good tomatoes until then {at least good enough to eat raw}, so I threw this together and I must say...it's yummy!  All of the traditional flavors are there, and a few surprise guests as well.  I will explain that in a second....

Ok...so see the oranges, lemon and zest?  I know, I know.  A bit strange, but if you think about it...some caprese salad use balsamic vinegar which is acidic and instead, I think the acidity from the citrus is far better.  Quite fabulous and the freshness that you get from it is kind of like walking through a farmer's market on a crisp, cool morning.

This is a super quick sauce to make on the stove while your pasta is boiling.  Be sure to save some of the liquid { about 1/4 cup of pasta water} to throw in here at the end for a little extra flavor and to make the sauce stretch farther.  I sprinkled some of the parmesan in right after this, and saved the mozzarella until it was all mixed together in the bowl for the "melt-effect". 

As an after thought, I realized it would have been totally fun to add in some lightly grilled sourdough crostini-croutons to make it more of a Bruschetta Caprese Pasta.  Go for it if you desire and let me know how it was!

Enjoy!

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 Ingredients for Caprese Pasta

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Clove Garlic, Minced {or 1 Tbsp Garlic Puree}
1/4 Cup Pinot Grigio
Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon
Zest & Juice of 1 Large Orange
4-6 Basil Leaves, rolled up and sliced {chiffonade style}
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1 Boccocini Mozzarella Ball {drained from water}, torn into small pieces
2 Large Ripe Tomatoes, chopped {I used Heirloom}
About 1/4 Cup Reserved Pasta Water
8-10oz Pasta {I used multi-colored Farfalle}

Directions

Heat olive oil in saucepan on stove over medium heat. Add tomato paste and garlic, heat about 1 minute.  Add white wine, lemon & orange juice and zest, & basil.  Simmer about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add in chopped tomatoes and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese & stir until cheese is melted in. Reduce heat to low.

Cook Pasta Al Dente according to package directions.  Take about 1/4 cup of liquid from the pasta water and add to your Caprese Sauce.  Stir well and add salt & pepper.

Toss sauce together with cooked pasta.  If you feel like you need a little more sauce add a small amount more of pasta water into the freshly tossed pasta.  Stir in pieces of mozzarella and sprinkle with more parmesan cheese. 

Garnish with more Basil & Serve.

Serves 2