Spaghetti Del Este

I get so excited for summer-time with fresh vegetables in the garden so I can make this yummy recipe my sister Janina gave me (it's in the family cookbook, in case you are wondering). Two recipes in a row from you Stumps:). Thanks for being great cooks! I think you can use this as a main dish, or as a salad (if using as a salad, I usually just change the pasta type to bow-tie or something else bite-size).

Ingredients:

1/2 c. olive oil (I sometimes use less, then add more if needed)

1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, cubed

1 tsp. basil (fresh is always better)

1 tsp. oregano

3-5 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1 small can sliced black olives, drained (I don't always add these)

6-8 large tomatoes, chopped into small pieces (in the picture, I used some green and red tomatoes, not non-ripe ones, but a tomato called Green Zebra that doesn't turn red)

Angel hair pasta

Directions:

Mix everything together except for the pasta. Set aside at room temperature for 3 hours, stirring occasionally (still yummy if you don't have that much time!). When ready to serve, boil angel hair pasta until done, drain, and quickly stir into the mixture and serve. Janina says she usually makes about 6 c. of pasta, I think I make less, but then use less olive oil too. I like to add sliced mushrooms to mine. I've tried it with shredded mozzarella cheese, but the chunks are good, kind of like a meaty addition. I also think some grilled chicken would be fabulous in this!

Curry Chicken Sandwich Filling

I don't have a picture of this, but it is kind of salad-ish since you can eat it plain or on bread. I got the recipe from a lady in our ward in Nibley, who just happens to be my sister Janina's old college roommate:). I love the chicken sandwich filling with grapes and cashews, but this one is a bit cheaper and usually you have all of these items on hand.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
1/2 c. chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 tsp. onion powder (or 2 T. grated onion)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. sour cream or plain yogurt
3/4 tsp. curry powder
pinch cayenne pepper
2 shakes black pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least one hour to blend flavors. If eating on sandwich, you could add tomatoes and lettuce or any other veggies you like. It's good just plain as well. Easy and tasty!

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Dressing

(Sorry no picture, but it really looks just like the green dressing from the restaurant.)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayo (or 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream if you don't have buttermilk, and you would use 1/3 cup regular milk, which is the only way I've made it)
3 fresh tomatillos
1 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for a couple hours, this isn't necessary but helps to thicken it a little. After being in the fridge, it was suggested you could add more mayo to make it thicker or more milk to thin it out, but the consistency has always been perfect for me. It makes a lot but I just make it when I have a lot of people eating and I use the leftovers to dip tortilla chips in. So good! :) I believe it is good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad

This is possibly my favorite salad ever. We rarely eat all the salad in one day, so I keep the romaine lettuce out and just mix all the other ingredients together. Sometimes, we use baby spinach and that's great, too! When we eat it over the next couple of days, we put a bed of romaine lettuce/baby spinach on a plate and put the pasta salad on top. The fresh basil is essential. Delicious!

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken breast, cooked and cubed (In a rush, the canned kind works great!)
3 cups penne pasta, cooked
2 cups romaine lettuce, sliced
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (I usually just use chopped tomatoes.)
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing, more or less to taste (I love Ken's Steakhouse Creamy Caesar.)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a large bowl; toss well and serve.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I feel bad always stealing pictures off the internet, and I don't even know where I got this one anymore, so sorry! It's not mind, it's somewhere online. This is one of my favorite salads. You can candy the almonds if you'd like in some melted butter and sugar over the stove-top, but I don't normally do that with this recipe, since it's already got a sweeter dressing.

Ingredients:

2 T. sesame seeds
1 T. poppy seeds
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. minced onion
10 oz. fresh spinach, rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
1 qt. strawberries, sliced
1/4 c. slivered almonds (I like to toast them first)

Directions:

Whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.