Creamy Garlic Dressing

This dressing is so delicious! If you're a garlic fan, I highly recommend it. I'll also be posting a pasta dish in a couple of days that this dressing was just made for. Whether you use it on a green salad, in pasta as a sauce, or over veggies it fits beautifully.

This dressing is pretty thick right out of the fridge. It could also be easily used as a mayo-substitute. If you don't like how thick it is you can add a little more vinegar to loosen it up a bit but be careful not to break it.

I used a blender for maximum emulsifying action and I drizzled the oil very slowly. We almost always have all of these ingredient on hand so it's a quick go-to dressing or sauce. It takes less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish. The recipe below makes about 1 & 1/2 cups but can be easily halved.

Salad Nicoise & Rainy Day Cooking

We had planned a bike ride but woke up to a cool southern rainy morning. So instead of hitting the road on our bikes we decided to go ahead and pre-prep some of our meals for the week. This saves us time during the week and makes getting dinner on the table a little faster.

So PJ’s and cooking it was. Whenever both of us are in the kitchen together I like to think that it’s like a well-directed and blocked play. We move as one, gracefully through our kitchen from one activity to the next. However, it’s not quite so graceful and it’s messy, very messy. We’re normally preparing 3-6 dishes or some aspect of those dishes. Cleaning up is my job and there is always a lot of clean up.

Had to share my hydrangeas! Aren't they gorgeous? These are in my dinning room and I love walking in and seeing them. Such a beautiful shade of blue.

For lunch we stopped the madness for a delicious salad that was supposed to be a picnic salad on the bike ride. Even without the ride this salad was amazing!

Last month I talked about Nice, France and it's close proximity to Italy in our Pan Bagnat Post. If you haven't read that one you should! I also talked about exploring this region a little more and this recipe happened to fit the bill very nicely!

Basically this is the French version of the chopped salad. Salad Nicoise (pronounced niˈswaz) has lots of yummy ingredients and is a lot of fun to eat because each bite is a little different. It's also very forgiving, we substituted and added things we had on hand. It was really delicious and worked even on the back porch while listening to rain.

After the cooking and cleaning madness, which really isn’t so bad, we relaxed on the back porch for the rest of the day. The Other Williams playing guitar and me editing photos and surfing pinterest. It never got above 70 degrees, which in the south in June, is pretty much unheard of. Even though a little work was involved overall it was a really relaxing day.

Greek Tortellini Picnic Salad

Picnic season is finally in full swing so you'll be seeing a lot of our picnic menu's and recipes.This one is a twist on an old classic. Ever since our cleanse we've been adding more veg to everything. So we took our classic Tortellini Salad and put it over a bed of lovely crunchy spring lettuce mix.

We love a good picnic. Again, it combines our two favorite things: food and the great outdoors. Most of the time we prefer to picnic on the ground with our trusty picnic blanket. Eating on the ground, for me, helps make a picnic feel more special, however we're no strangers to camp chairs when the situation calls for it, such as a wet ground. A blanket invites you to lean back and relax while you eat. It also invites you to take a nap or read a book afterward!

Here in Greenville, SC we're very fortunate to have so many excuses to picnic. We have the beautiful Fall's Park right in downtown but we also have several events that encourage you to bring a blanket or chair and picnic. There is Moonlight Movies, Outdoor Concerts, and Shakespeare in the park!

We enjoy and participate in these event's regularly but we're also a little more creative than that. We picnic on the sides of roads, off the Blue Ridge Parkway, trail-side while hiking, lakeside while kayaking, even in the back of our hatchback. There is no where that a picnic can not be pulled off, well...except for private property (although certain times of the year they will invite you out!)

This is our go-to picnic salad and we love the addition of the greens. Always bring a long a little extra dressing because the pasta will absorb a lot of it. We hope you'll be inspired by our picnic recipes and experiences this year to get out into the great outdoors and still eat good!

Broccoli, Apple, Fennel Slaw

Before I begin this post I will admit that I am a southerner who does not really like coleslaw. I know, I know, where did my parent's go wrong? However I LOVE this slaw! I think because it's not made with raw cabbage, it's really so much better and on a completely different level than most coleslaw's.

While on our cleanse in March we whipped up this little number to serve along with some fish. If you eat a lot of fish you know you're always looking for ways to add some flavor or change it up a little. This recipe does just that without missing a beat.

If you've never tried fennel, I highly recommend you try it. It's a root vegetable that a lot of people say tastes like licorice . I'm not a big licorice fan either and I still love fennel, especially raw! The textures in this slaw really adds the fun to any fish dish. You can top the fish with the slaw or just use it as a side.

This is definitely one of the cleanse recipes that we'll be using a lot!

Picnic in a Jar - Arugula & Cherry Tomato Salad with Balsamic Drizzle

While picnicking for our anniversary we also had a small jar salad. It was the perfect accompaniment for the Spring Veggie Orzo Salad we also made. This recipe is a take on the classic caprese salad. It's a spring version, if you will, and really delicious!

There isn't a fancy dressing for this one it's just a simple balsamic vinegar drizzled over it. I can't really emphasize enough how important good balsamic vinegar is for this application.

The salad travels beautifully in the jar but make sure you put the balsamic in a separate container and drizzle before serving. This simple salad is both beautiful and portable! Enjoy!

Picnic in a Jar - Spring Veggie Orzo Salad

Recently The Other Williams and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We got all dressed up for a lovely dinner at our favorite restaurant but we spend the actual day of our anniversary picnicking.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know how much we love combining our two favorite things (outdoors and food). Not to ruin the surprise for newbies but it's a lot! We tried out this new recipe and absolutely love it! We tinkered with the original recipe to make it more our own. We added lots more veggies and lowered the amount of orzo.

Orzo is such a fun little food. It looks like rice but it's really pasta. It's great in hot or cold salads. The Other Williams is a huge orzo fan so when I found this recipe for our picnic there was no doubt it was going to be made.

The lemon-y dressing on this salad is just outstanding. We might even keep this around just to throw on regular salads or other pasta salads. This salad is packed with veggies! You can also play around with what veggies you have on hand or change it up depending on what's in season at your market.

Marinated Tomato Salad with Sesame-Crusted Goat Cheese

Our new thing seems to be all things Asian. We recently purchased the book Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals. This was the first recipe we prepared from it and if this is any indication of how the rest of the book will turn out, I'm excited!

Again, we're following the same theme as the last post with fresh, local tomatoes being the stars of the dish. This makes a great side, light lunch, dinner or even an appetizer. If you can get your hands on heirloom tomatoes, all the better. We used Cherokee Purples and Brandy Wine yellows.

The fresh, local goat cheese is cut into rounds, coated in sesame seeds, and pan fried. It tops off this dish beautifully and the crunchy, nutty sesame crust melts into the creamy, smooth cheese inside.

The book recommends using a thin-bladed knife warmed under hot water then dried to cut the cheese log. We put the rounds in the freezer before frying so it kept it's shape better.


Give this easy but delicious recipe a try, then come back and tell me how delicious it was!

Crispy Chickpea Salad with Grilled Prawns

"Fried Chickpeas? I'm not so sure about that." That is what I said to The Other Williams when she suggested this recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. I decided to give it a try anyway because I'm normally very open about new foods and ways of cooking them.

And as usual, I'm glad I did. When the chickpeas are fried their nutty flavor seems to intensify times 100. They really give more than just an amazing flavor to this dish though. They give it major texture! The crispy, crunchiness of the chickpeas are just fun and very delicious.

The whole salad comes together very nicely with a variety of textures and flavors. Definitely a delicious light meal and if you're sick of the same on garden salad this will definitely liven things back up!

Spicy Asian-Chicken-Salad Lettuce Cups

This is yet another "Build a Bite" that The Other Williams fixed up for us the other night. And, oh my, it's delicious! Not only is this fun and tasty, it's HEALTHY!!

The Asian spin on the classic chicken salad really makes this different and special. We have a several Asian spices and sauces in our cabinets because The Other Williams loves cooking with these flavors. I highly recommend spending a couple hours just walking through your local Asian food store. And yes, you have one, google it! Its so intriguing to see all the different things they have!

Not in an Asian mood, no problem, just do a classic chicken salad. The Other Williams has a killer recipe for that also >Click here<.

Tips: We couldn't find Bibb and didn't want to do iceburg so we got butter lettuce and it was delicious! We also added tomatoes to the recipe so play with it and throw in what you've got.

This would make an excellent picnic meal!!

Falafels - Deconstructed, "Building the Bite"

Every so often we get into a "new thing". The "new thing" can last for days, weeks, or sometimes, but rarely, months. We've just gone through the homemade pasta thing and the homemade pizza thing, although these are still very much in play in our kitchen, we're moving on.

There is now a NEW "new thing". It's what we are calling the "Build a bite". Interested? Oh but you should be!

The above is an example of the Build a Bite concept. This is a deconstructed version of our Falafel Pita Sammie recipe. Instead of all the components being constructed into a pita sammie, this version allows us to build the perfect bite each time, or maybe we want a different bite each time. Regardless we get to decide.

Pictured (clockwise) are diced fresh tomatoes, naan bread, falafels, cucumber slices, lettuce and in the middle is The Other Williams' yummy Greek Tzatziki Sauce! So for this I would tear a piece of naan load it up with the fixin's I wanted in that bite and then pop it in my mouth. I built my bite.

We also did this with shrimp, naan, and fixin's. Soooo good!

So where in the world did this idea come from? We recently had some friends suggest an amazing Peruvian restaurant to us and they have an appetizer that you build the bite. There is bread, sauce, and toppings and you add what you want. We loved the idea and have tried to replicate that experience several times in our kitchen.

So what do you think? Neato or nutso?

Lemon Asparagus, Peas & Basil

Spring is in the air here in the South! Our tulips are popping up and the azaleas are blooming. Whenever I think of Spring I think of sweet, fresh, crispy asparagus. The Other Williams likes to eat it raw but I prefer mine lightly steamed.

We spent the entire weekend in the yard planting, weeding, mowing, raking, and mulching. The yard looks amazing but after a day of working hard we decided a steak dinner was in order. Along with our grass-fed local sirloin we piled up a huge portion of this delicious, fresh side dish.

Not only is this dish healthy but it's beautiful! The textures really make this dish just delicious. The asparagus is crunchy and the peas pop when you bite into them. Try to stay away from canned peas and only grab fresh asparagus, preferably from a local farm. Our local asparagus farm has the best asparagus I've ever put in my mouth. If you're not a fan of asparagus, now is the season to give it another try.

This dish would make a great lunch or picnic salad and could be served warm or cold! You could also toss in some tuna or smoked chicken. Enjoy!

Italian Feast Part 1 - Escarole & Edamame Salad

This beautiful salad is part one of a three part post on an amazing Italian-style dinner we cooked this weekend. We are both huge fans of Italian food, and not just the pasta. What we really enjoy about Italian food is the simplicity of it. The fresh ingredients and the connection to the food.

In this super light and simple salad a few steps make it amazing. First cooking the edamame in salted water is genius! Next try to resist adding more to it. It's so hard, I know, but the simple ingredients really do make it taste great. Also don't substitute the escarole lettuce. This giant, light, fluffy, and delicate head lettuce is perfection! Lastly, get the best parm you can find and grate it yourself.

Because the salad have so few ingredients it really is important to fine the best of each ingredient. This makes a great side salad or add some grilled fish or good canned tuna for a lunch salad. Enjoy!

Check out!
Part 2 - Souffléed Gnocchi
Part 3 - Anchovy & Rosemary Roasted Lamb with Salsa Verde

Potato Salad with Herbs and Grilled Summer Squash

We made this beautiful and delicious warm summer potato salad with the lamb chops I posted last week. The dressing was just delicious and really brought all the flavors together in this dish. Yellow squash is in season right now and was just tender and yummy in this salad. The herbs gave this a little something extra. This would be a great picnic side because there's nothing in it that can spoil and it can be made ahead of time.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
Salad:
* 2 pounds small red potatoes
* 3/4 pound yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
* Cooking spray
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
* 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons water
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. To prepare salad, place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until tender. Drain; cut potatoes into quarters, and place in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. Lightly coat squash with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place squash on grill rack; grill 2 minutes on each side or until browned and tender. Remove squash from heat, and add to potatoes.

4. To prepare dressing, combine chives and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Pour dressing over potato mixture, tossing gently to combine. Serve salad warm or chilled.

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Zucchini Pappardelle with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette, Arugula and Feta Cheese

This is a follow up to last weeks Skirt Steak "Saltimbocca". You didn't think I would forget, did you?

This salad side dish almost stole the show from the steak. Yes, it was really that good. Again this isn't a quick fix side but it's totally worth the effort. The dressing alone is amazing. I'm hoping The Other Williams will whip up some more of this so I can keep some around to add to our other salads. The key here is the texture of the zucchini. We have a mandolin but if you don't just try to cut them evenly. Also the sweetness of the roasted cherry tomatoes was killer in this room temp salad.

We didn't use only arugula but we could see how it fit after we started eating it. Instead we added some mixed greens as a supplement and to offset the bitterness of the arugula. Next time we will do more arugula and less mixed greens.

Everything in the salad was good and the combination of flavors was outstanding. I could seriously sit down to a meal of just this salad and be satisfied.

Servings: 6

Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon honey
* Big pinch gray salt
* 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 4 1/2 pounds zucchini
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons thyme, minced
* 1 teaspoon rosemary, minced
* 1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika
* Cherry tomatoes (20 large or 40 small)
* 2 bunches arugula
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta, preferably French (about 3 ounces)
* 1/2 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives (about 3 ounces)


Directions
Preheat the broiler.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl mix the vinegar, mustard, honey, and salt. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season with the zest and pepper.

Using a mandolin, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch thick pappardelle turning the zucchini and slicing on 4 sides only until the seeds in the center are reached. Discard the centers.

In a small bowl combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and paprika with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Spread the zucchini slices on a large baking sheet and brush them with the garlic mixture. Broil for 3 minutes until light brown.

Coat the cherry tomatoes with the remaining garlic mixture in a bowl. Put them on another baking sheet and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until some skins pop and the tomatoes get slightly caramelized.

Put the arugula in a serving bowl and top with the zucchini and tomatoes. Drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle the feta and olives on top and serve.

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Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is about the easiest salad in the world to make but it looks and tastes like it's worth more effort. We had a caprese salad when we were in Charlotte last month and decided to make our own when Whole Foods put their fresh mozzarella on sale.

You want to use really good ingredients for this because it is so simple, so make sure tomatoes are in season. Homegrown (or farmers market) tomatoes are best for this in my opinion.

It it truly delicious and a great side or first course for just about anything. We took this on a picnic and it worked beautifully. The balsamic is what really kicks this up the flav-o-meter so be sure to get the good stuff. You can also put the balsamic in a pot and reduce it for a more intense flavor but either way is good.

Ingredients
1 tomato
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
8-10 basil leaves
2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar.
2 tbsp good olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Slice the tomato and mozzarella. Layer on a plate, placing a basil leaf on top of the tomato. Mix vinegar and oil and drizzle over salad. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cherry Tomato Corn Salad

As mentioned in our post Smoky Bean Tacos with Greens we had an amazing time kayaking with friends some weekends back. The Other Williams and I were responsible for the picnic lunch and we decided to make a corn salad to accompany the tacos.

This was so simple to make but had some big flavor! It's a great picnic food also because there nothing that can go bad in the salad. We used fresh corn and roasted it in a skillet until it started to brown. This really let out the sweetness of the corn.

The texture was just great with the crunchy fresh corn and cucumber and the firm cherry tomatoes. The basil, cilantro, and lime really kicked this up the flavor-meter.

After being so close to nature, paddling, and chatting with friends I couldn't think of a more nutritious, filling, delicious, wholesome meal for some of my favorite people. It was truly a wonderful weekend that made us feel so blessed in so many different ways!

Servings: 6

Ingredients

* ¼ cup minced fresh basil
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons lime juice
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups fresh corn
* 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

Directions

1) Cut the corn off the cob and put into a non-stick or cast iron skillet on med heat. Cook with a touch of oil if needed until corn is starting to brown.

2) In a bowl wisk the basil, oil, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper together.

3) In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

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Similar Recipes:
Chicken with Southwestern Salsa
Tabbouleh Salad
Quinoa and Black Beans

Chicken Salad

Terri had a leftover cooked chicken that we really needed to do something with this week in the freezer. So my brilliant wife came up with chicken salad. This Chicken Salad recipe really knocked our socks off. It was so tasty and I've really been enjoying my lunches this week! The pineapple is a different twist on the traditional grapes although next time we'll add the grapes also. Over all two big thumbs up!

Ingredients

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 4 eggs
* 1 red apple, diced
* 3 green onions, chopped
* 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
* 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* Fajita seasoning to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add chicken and cook until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink inside, approximately 20 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.

2. Meanwhile, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and slice.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, sliced eggs, apple, onions, relish, mayonnaise, celery, pineapple (with just a little juice for flavor), cilantro, pecans and fajita seasoning to taste.

Chicken Baby Arugula Raspberry Wrap

We took this delicious wrap on a picnic with us and it was tha BOMB! That's right takin it back to the 90's with "tha bomb". I went searching for some really yummy, really unique wraps online and came up short so I came up with my own. Basically I've taken my Sweet Baby Arugula Salad, added grilled chicken, and turned it into a wrap. It was SOOOOO tasty! We loaded up the greens and used a whole wheat wrap. You could also sub the chicken with other sources of protein or leave it out all together for a vegetarian lunch. It's just delicious and I know you'll love it!

2-4 grilled chicken tenders, seasoned with italian seasoning and cut up into pieces.
LOTS of Fresh Baby Arugula - Found at loose at whole foods
Dried Cherries
Candied/roasted pecans - found at whole foods
Parmesan or Manchego Cheese, grated
Biltmore or other brand of Sweet Raspberry Vinaigrette
Whole Wheat Wrap

We took everything seperately and assembled onsite.

Lay out the wrap and add chicken, cherries, pecans, and cheese.
Toss dressing (be careful not to add too much) with arugula until thoroughly covered
Add lots of arugula to wrap
Roll wrap up and enjoy!

Sweet Baby Arugula Salad

While out of town with my best friend this past weekend we went to a tapa's bar and ordered the most delicious Baby Arugula salad. The sweetness of the dressing really cuts through the bitterness of the baby Arugula. I don't even like Arugula normally but I LOVE this salad! Here's my home version of that salad.

Fresh Baby Arugula - Found at loose at whole foods
Dried Cherries
Candied/roasted pecans - found at whole foods
Parmesan or Manchego Cheese, grated
Biltmore or other brand of Sweet Raspberry Vinaigrette

Toss everything into a bowl and mix. Serve immediately. Be careful with the dressing it's really sweet.

Tabbouleh Salad

This is such a great salad and so nutritious! I love the fresh flavors in this salad and it keeps really well in the fridge. We've been eating on this for lunches and also side dishes. Add some shrimp and call it dinner! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Place cracked wheat in bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes; drain and squeeze out excess water.
In a mixing bowl, combine the wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Toss again prior to serving.