GF (or not) Pasta Salad

 Great recipe here; we had it last night. 

https://allergyawesomeness.com/avocado-blt-pasta-salad/#mv-creation-206-jtr

Bulgur Pilaf

From Kilby's Turkish dinner (and TurkishCookbook.com) comes the following recipe, a nice substitute for rice or pasta:

1 c Turkish bulgur, large grain, washed and drained

2 c hot chicken broth

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, diced

1 cubanelle or green pepper, chunked

2 green onions, chopped

1 T butter

1 t salt

Saute onion in butter in medium sized pot. Add tomato, green pepper, green onion, salt, and warm chicken broth. When water starts to boil, pour in bulgur and stir. Cook on low heat with lid half covered. Stir occasionally until water is absorbed/evaporates.

Sarah's Salmon with Asparagus

Cleaning out my emails today I find this saved from several months ago. Sharing it with you here: Awesome dinner I kind of made up tonight. Amazing flavors. Enjoy w chardonnay! (Sarah Bamford)

Salmon filets
Asparagus
Red onion
Olive oil
Thin spaghetti
Capers
Garlic
Orange
Fresh Basil
Salt/pepper

Use Grill pan indoors:
Olive oil, grill sliced red onion until tender, push to side,
Sauté fresh asparagus, salt and pepper generously, turn and add more olive oil
Place in separate serving dish, cover and set aside - will continue cooking.

Add more oil to grill. Salt and pepper salmon filets. Place salmon filets on hot grill, turn as sides start to turn opaque

Boil water cook thin spaghetti pasta with salt al dente, drain and return to hot pan
Drain, lightly rinse 3 tsp capers, add to pasta
Mince 1 garlic clove, add to pasta
Add olive oil, salt, pepper
Chop fresh basil leaves, add to pasta
Toss all together
Grate fresh orange peel over pasta. Juice orange over pasta, toss!

Grate a bit orange peel, sprinkle fresh orange juice on salmon

Plate pasta, salmon filet over pasta with asparagus spears and red onion over.

Serve immediately

Roasted Eggplant, Tomatoes, Garlic & Pasta

Sitting captive to daytime tv in the doctor's waiting room this morning I was intrigued with a Rachel Ray recipe that I wanted to come home and try. But I was sure all the nightshade veggies (eggplant and tomatoes) would have made both Cal and me ache. So I'll post it here, hope that my daughties enjoy it, and try it on company sometime.

Roast an eggplant
Roast garlic

Roast/dry out a cookie sheet full of sliced open cherry tomatoes (about 1-1/2 hours, she suggested; on what? 325?)Chop roughly just before serving.

Process in food processor the eggplant, a handful of flat leaf parsley, a large can of tomatoes, a clove or two of the roasted garlic, a fresh pepper or red pepper flakes, extra-virgin olive oil (it looked like a good splash), salt & pepper to taste. Simmer this down to a reduction. Just before tossing it with your pasta you will add back a cup of starchy pasta water, so that gives you an idea about how far down to reduce the sauce.

Separately wash and chop both fresh sweet basil and a handful of spicy argulak, drizzling over it olive oil and juice of one lemon and a little salt. Set aside to use as topping after pasta is mixed.

Boil your pasta, transfer one cup of starchy water to the sauce and stir well, maybe turning up the heat a little. Then toss the sauce and pasta together. Add the cherry tomatoes which adds a nice texture and flavor to the whole dish. Top with shredded ricotta salata (the relatively dry, slice-able ricotta). Top with lemon dressed greens and serve. I hear it smells fantastic.

Orange Orzo Salad

My sister, Sarah Bamford, writes: Another recipe I made up for lunch today. On this orange binge!!!





Orzo
2 Garlic cloves minced
Chicken stock
Olive oil
3 plum Tomatoes chopped
Fresh basil
Fresh (or frozen) sweet peas slightly cooked and drained
1/2 c Red onion chopped
Salt pepper
Newmans Balsamic Salad Dressing
Orange

Heat oil in pan, add dry orzo and toast adding oil, turning pasta to coat. Add garlic, toss, immediately add chicken stock and bring to boil. Stir orzo so it doesn't stick to pan ocassionally. Salt and pepper. Add more stock, boiling, stirring until pasta tender. Drain excess liquid and put in bowl to mix.

Chop tomatoes, red onion, basil and toss with orzo. Add peas and dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grate peel and juice half an orange into salad. Toss.

I served with hot corn bread made with chopped jalapenos and green onion and cheddar cheese.

Candy Attanasio's Amazing Gandule Pasta

Dear friend Candy has made this for us numerous times and I finally got to watch her do it this past Sunday, so now I can make it any time I want! It's heavenly.

2 cans Gandule beans (Pigeon peas), rinsed and drained

2 lb. orzo or mezze penne, cooked and cooled

1 red onion, diced

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 lb. pine nuts

1/2 - 2/3 c. Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

dash of cayenne pepper

salt to taste

Saute onions in 1/2 c. olive oil on medium-high. Reduce heat and add garlic and pine nuts and cook for a few more minutes. Add, in order, cilantro, gandules, pasta, dressing, cayenne and salt. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

This serves a LOT of people. It's good as cold leftovers the next day, but I think it's best hot.

Tinabina's Delicious Antipasto Salad

Yay! I found this recipe today when I looked for it, remembering Tina's very good pasta salad that she brought several years ago for a potluck.

1# package pasta, cooked, (she used Rotini, I used Penne)

1 15oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained

3-1/2 oz. thinly sliced pepperoni, halved

1 can sliced sweet ripe olives, drained

1/2 c diced sweet red pepper

1/2 c diced green bell pepper

4 medium fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used an 8 oz. box today!)

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 T minced fresh basil or 2 t dried basil

2 t salt

1-1/2 t minced fresh oregano or 1/2 t dried (used more cause I have a fresh plant growing, thanks to MikYoung)

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1 c olive oil

2/3 c fresh lemon juice.

The recipe says to chill for 6 hours. We ate it almost still warm and it was still delicious.