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Main Dish

Fiesta Summer Salad

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+ This Fiesta Summer Salad is inspired by Marcela Valladolid from The Food Network +

fiesta-summer-salad

This salad BLEW MY MIND… It’s simply amazing! It is seriously a flavor explosion in your mouth. It was inspired by Marcela Valladolid from the Food Networks show Mexican Made Easy. I took her recipe and then went a step further and turned it into a Mexican version of Panzanella Salad which is a bread salad. I added some spiced croutons and it was lovely! Here’s the recipe for the salad and you can find the recipe for the spicy croutons HERE…

Fiesta Summer Salad
 
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This salad is like a flavor explosion, your friends will be blown away!
Author:
Recipe type: salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 1 dried chili de arbol or ½ teaspoon chili flakes
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • salt & pepper
  • ¾ cup pitted and halved kalamatta olives
  • ¾ cup green olives sliced
  • 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes - halved
  • ½ cup of queso fresco or mild feta
  • 2 cups of spicy croutons
Instructions
  1. In a dry skillet over medium high heat, toast your cumin and coriander seeds and pine nuts until the nuts slightly brown. This will take about 2 minutes. Toss and stir the seeds and nuts to avoid them burning.
  2. Once they are finished toasting, add them to a small jar with the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar along with the salt and pepper. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to marry.
  3. For the salad, clean and cut your tomatoes and add to a large bowl. Add olives, croutons and cheese to the bowl and top with dressing

Spicy Italian Sandwich + a Chance to WIN $25,000

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+ This Spicy Italian Sandwich recipe is brought to you by Mezzetta and their Make That Sandwich Contest+

Italian-pressed-picnic-sandwich-with-Mezzetta-#whipperberry-11

I would venture to say that we are all, to a certain extent, sandwich lovers. We all have different tastes, one may gravitate to the peanut butter and jelly region while others live on the wild side with a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich using four cheeses that neither one of us can pronounce along with a fig spread. No matter what end of the spectrum you are on, you have to admit that some days a good ole’ sandwich can really hit the spot!

Now, there are days when a plain Jane ham and cheese is what will ring your bell and then there are those days that plain Jane just won’t do! That’s when you need a little kick, something a little extra special. On those days for me, I crave my Spicy Italian Pressed Picnic Sandwich with all kinds of goodies from the family of Mezzetta products.

I love spicy, I love flavor and this sandwich really hits the spot when I am in that spicy mood! What do you like to make when the sandwich mood hits you? I grab a few of my favorite Mezzetta goodies like their Savory Garlic Everything Spread, (for the record, this is my new favorite spread EVER!) Their Chicago Style Italian Sandwich Mix, Roasted Red Bell Pepper and then I top it off with some tangy olives. Kalamata and Jalapeño Stuffed Green Olives for an extra kick. What do you like to create with? Did you know the folks at Mezzetta are hosting a sandwich making contest?

Are you ready to put your sandwich making skills to the test? For $25,000 I think it’s totally time to get your sandwich on! Visit Mezzetta for all the details on the Make that Sandwich Contest.

Now, if I could enter the contest… Here’s what I think would be a tasty recipe.

My simple, yet tasty Spicy Italian Pressed Picnic Sandwich. Here’s how you make it. You will need some good Ciabatta bread, cut it in half length wise.

Now this sandwich is packed full of all kinds of goodies so, I pull some of the bread out of the center of the Ciabatta slices to make more room. Then I spread the sandwich liberally with Mezzetta Garlic Savory Everything Spread. I then top one side of the sandwich with Mezzetta Chicago Style Italian Sandwich Mix and some Roasted Red Bell Pepper.

Then on the other side of the sandwich, I layer some Genoa salami, ham and some Havariti cheese. I also top it with some fresh basil from my garden.

I then close the sandwich and wrap it with wax paper…

… And then I place something heavy on top to press the sandwich. Let it press for 5 minutes or so and then put in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.

These sandwiches are PERFECT for picnics or traveling. They keep really well and actually taste a little better after the bold flavors have had time to marry.

Soooo, what are you going to make for The Make That Sandwich Contest? What bold flavor combinations will you come up with?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mezzetta. The opinions and text are all mine.

Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Tomato Relish

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+ Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Relish KNOCK-OFF Recipe from Granite City +

Balsamic-Steak-Salad-with-Pickled-Tomato-Relish-#whipperberry

There is a restaurant here in Lincoln called Granite City and it’s one of our favorite date night places here in town. They have some really great items on the menu, but my all time favorite is their Steak Salad.

Sadly, this is not a regular menu item and that drives me nuts. Some times it’s there and other times it mysteriously disappears.  There is nothing worse than craving your favorite salad just to find that it’s not always available when you want it. I decided I needed to take things into my own hands and recreate my favorite salad at home and that where my Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Tomato Relish began.

This salad is a perfect dinner salad, it has 5 components…

1 + The Steak +

This is super easy, all you need to do is grill up some steak simply with salt and pepper. I don’t even bother with the more expensive cuts of meat. Just a basic petite steak is perfect, just make sure to not over cook it.

2 + The Pickled Tomato Relish +

This was a game changer for me… If you love pickles, tomatoes, or vinegar, this recipe is for you! It’s super simple to put together a few days in advance and they keep in the fridge for a while so, a batch could last the whole summer if you like. I share my recipe for these pickled tomatoes HERE.

Pickled-Tomato-&-Steak-Salad-with-Pompeian-Red-Wine-Vinegar-#whipperberry-3

3 + The Croutons +

This salad has a lot of the same elements as a Panzanella Salad which is a bread salad. The croutons are a major element, not just an after thought. I make some fresh croutons out of day old French bread buy cutting it into large, but still bite sized pieces. I drizzle the bread with Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and place in my toaster oven or oven at 350˚ for about 10 minutes or until they are lightly browned and dried out, but still a little chewy in the middle.

Balsamic-Steak-Salad-with-Pickled-Tomato-Relish-#whipperberry-7

4 + The Cheese +

Every element to this salad is a must and the cheese is one of my favorites. I LOVE blue cheese. I always have some type of blue cheese in my fridge for just such an occasion. I’m not super picky so just your basic grocery store crumbled blue cheese will work, but it is  a must!

5 + The Balsamic Dressing +

I use this dressing recipe ALL THE TIME! It’s great to mix up a large batch and keep in the fridge for simple dinner salads or I also use it as a marinade for chicken, steak, shrimp… really almost anything. It’s defiantly one that is good to have around. It was also perfect for my knock-off steak salad. Here are your ingredients…

Balsamic-Steak-Salad-with-Pickled-Tomato-Relish-#whipperberry-1

+ Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Pompeian Balsamic Vinegar + garlic + honey + dijon mustard + dried oregano + salt + pepper +

Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Tomato Relish
 
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This is a great dressing to have around for all kinds of salads or even a marinade for grilling.
Author:
Recipe type: Balsamic Dressing
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Peel and finely mince your clove of garlic. Place a large pinch of course salt on the garlic and using the side of your knife rub the salt into the garlic creating a garlic paste. Scoop up the paste with your knife and add to a clean jar.
  2. Add olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, oregano, salt and pepper to the jar. Put on the lid to the jar and shake for 1 minute. Let dressing set for 10 minutes so that the flavors can marry and then add to your favorite salad.
  3. Store leftovers in the jar, place in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Now that you have all of the components, all you have to do is assemble and enjoy!

 Disclaimer // This is part of a series of sponsored posts for Pompeian. I received product and payment for my recipe development. As always, all thoughts, idea and opinions are my very own!

Indian Themed Dinner Party

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This Indian Themed Dinner Party is brought to you by Silk Coconut Milk // I adore coconut… Like a lot. My husband and I share this love and it’s a treat that we will take in any form possible. Sweet or savory, there is something about coconut that just takes recipes to a new level.

Not to long ago, the folks at Silk challenged me to throw a coconut themed dinner party and with it being coconut, I was for sure up to the challenge. I checked out Silk’s Coconut Milk Pinterest Board and their Silk Coconut Milk Web Page and decided on an Indian themed night.

We started the night with a flavorful butternut squash coconut and lentil stew…

Silk-Coconut-Milk-Dinner-Party-with-WhipperBerry-2

This soup was inspired by a recipe that was created by Aarti Sequeira of Food Network fame. She is my go to girl when it comes to Indian dishes. She just takes a rather mysterious cuisine and takes all the mystery out of it. Most of the recipes that I used for this dinner have been modified from her recipes and they turned out aaaamazing.

Click HERE for the Butternut Squash Coconut and Lentil Stew Recipe

For our dinner, I set a simple table out in my backyard with mismatched plates and some fresh flowers from Trader Joes. It couldn’t be more simple. I’ve collected all of my plates and bowls primarily from Target and Anthropologie. I like buying mismatched plates, that way, if I fall in love with a plate, I buy one which doesn’t break the bank and add it to my collection.

Next on the menu for the evening was my Coconut Curry Shrimp…

Now this shrimp isn’t your typical deep fried tropical shrimp dish. It has a lovely curry flavor and it covered with dried unsweetened coconut with no frying at all…. It was lovely.

Click HERE for my Coconut Curry Shrimp Recipe

For the main course, I made Coconut Curry Meatballs served over rice. These little goodies were the star of the show…

Forget what you have every thought about meatballs! These scrumptious bites have a totally different flavor profile and they were divine.

Click HERE for the Coconut Curry Meatballs with Rice

Finally, we topped off the night with a creamy and refreshing coconut lime granita…

This is a frozen treat that is a little like lazy man’s ice cream. It’s super simple to make and you don’t need an ice cream maker. The bonus… It’s dairy-free! One of my friends who joined us for the evening has a daughter with a major milk allergy and this little treat will help when everyone else in the family is enjoying a bowl full of ice cream. She won’t feel left out at all!

Click HERE for the Coconut Lime Granita Recipe

My friends were floored when I told them that every single recipe had Silk Coconut Milk in the recipe in some form.

Who knew coconut milk was so versatile. Its not just for drinking or making smoothies, you can make all kinds of dishes. Visit the Silk Coconut Milk site for a $1 off coupon plus a whole bunch of fun recipes to try with your new SECRET INGREDIENT!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.