Category: Food

Family, Food, Kids

Avocado Pineapple Blueberry Salad

thestlouiscooks
Perfect Summer Salad
Perfect Summer Salad

During the heat of the summer, I love trying different salads, however I can’t take credit for this one. My husband pulled this one together. We seem to be on an avocado kick right now so sticking with that theme, here’s a great refreshing salad with or with out avocados.

Avocado Pineapple Blueberry Salad

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 6 cup of mixed Greens
  • 3/4 cup of diced Pineapple (fresh or canned) – can grill if time permits
  • 3/4 cup of fresh Blueberries
  • 3/4 cup of diced Avocados
  • 1/4 cups of thinly sliced Red Onions
  • 3/4 cup of Lemon Vinaigrette
  • Dash of Salt and Pepper
  • Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, toss the mixed greens with dressing; reserving 3 tablespoons of dressing.
  2. On five to six separate plates, evenly disperse all the greens.
  3. In the same large bowl add the pineapple, blueberries, avocados, onions, and remaining dressing;
  4. Disperse the mixture evenly over the greens. Add seasoning and sprinkle with cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

This salad was a hit with the family, however the kids preferred the salad with out the avocado’s. We also kept it very simple by using bottled Lemon Vinaigrette, but you can make your own or use any kind of Citrus Vinaigrette.

It’s a quick and yummy summer salad! On this particular night, we didn’t have enough time to grill the pineapple, but I do highly recommend grilled pineapple.  We love it!

Family, Food, Garden

Pasta Salami Salad

thestlouiscooks
Salami, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Asparagus, and fresh Basil
Salami, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Asparagus, and fresh Basil

Last week, my husband was in the mood for a cold Pasta Salad.  I was super excited because I love Pasta Salad.  Since he was grilling the flank steaks and making the vegetable, I figured making the salad was the least I could do.

I approached this recipe with some practicality and a little creativity. I used all the ingredients that I had at home.  That is the beautiful thing about cold Pasta Salad, you can use a ton of different vegetables/meats, and use many different types of dressings.

Pasta Salami Salad

  • Servings: 10-12
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Box of Pasta (spirals, mostaccioli, bow ties) – cooked and drained
  • 25-30 slices of Hard Salami sliced in slivers
  • 5 Roma Tomatoes diced
  • 20 Asparagus Spears cooked and sliced
  • 1 large Cucumber diced
  • 1 cup of sliced Red Onion
  • 3/4 cup of Italian Dressing of your choice (less or more)
  • 1/4 cup of Fresh Basil from the garden
  • Italian seasonings to taste
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Fresh shredded Parmesan Cheese or Feta Cheese

Directions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.  I do not rinse my pasta.  I drizzle a little olive oil so the pasta doesn’t stick. Let cool.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta with all the other ingredients.  Add the seasonings last.  Stir until fully coated with dressing.  Add Cheese last or with each individual serving. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

This dish is a perfect summer salad that’s ideal for any large get together. I must admit that I really like the salami in this Pasta Salad.  It adds a lot of extra flavor. Also, I would have added some black olives too, but no one likes them like I do in this family.

There’s so much you can do with Pasta Salad.  I swear that I make a different one every time I make it.

Enjoy this one for now!

Family, Food, Garden

Zucchini Squash Parmesan

thestlouiscooks

 

A family favorite from my Mom
A family favorite from my Mom

When I’m in the mood for a different vegetable, zucchini and yellow squash is always my “go to” vegetable, especially in the summer time.  You can do so many fun things with squash.  Of course, we love to marinate squash and grill it. You can put them on kabobs or eat them raw as a snack with your favorite dip.  My kids are fans of ranch and zucchini, although my kids will eat almost anything dipped in ranch.

This recipe is a long time family favorite from my Mom, Carol DeFrancesco.  With many recipes, I may tweak it a bit for personal preference.  For this particular recipe, I use olive oil to brown and sauté my squash.  My Mom used butter for the most part.   The olive oil seems to be an easier and healthier alternative.  This side dish is great with any meat of your choice.  It’s easy to make, but it does take a little time to sauté the squash so be sure to plan accordingly.

Zucchini Squash Parmesan

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Directions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Meanwhile, chop both the zucchini squash and yellow squash in large 1 inch pieces.  (If you cut them too thin, they get mushy.)
  2. Brown and sauté the squash approximately 2-3 minutes on each side.  Once finished, remove squash and add more until all finished.
  3. Next, put all the cooked squash back into the pan over low heat.  Spread the Rotel tomatoes or diced tomatoes evenly on top of the squash.
  4. Season the squash with fresh basil and/or Italian seasonings and salt and pepper.
  5. Last, sprinkle the fresh parmesan cheese all over the squash.  Cover the pan to melt the cheese.  Serve and enjoy!

Like with any recipe, you can alter this to your preference or what you might have at home.  In the past, I always used Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, but then I tried a can of Rotel tomatoes with chiles.  We love the extra kick from the Rotel.

Stay tuned for some more recipes using squash!

 

Family, Food, Garden

Garden Success – Basil

thestlouiscooks
Fresh Basil
Fresh Basil

I’m a city girl who just started gardening. Last year, I had so much success that I couldn’t wait for Spring of 2013. This year we tried out a few herbs, basil being one of them. I left the herbs in pots thankfully so because I have some creature taking over my garden that I planted in the ground (will give you more details about that in another post).

Back to the basil, I was craving a salad to accompany my meat loaf, conveniently so, I had a box of Near East Taboule Wheat Salad Mix on hand. I decided to follow a Greek Taboule Salad recipe that also called for fresh basil. I was so excited to cut my first batch of basil. Holy cow, it smelled so good. I cut my basil leaving the bottom leaves in tact so that I could ensure more growth in three weeks.

It’s pretty awesome enjoying the sweet success of planting your own seeds, not to mention a tasty quick Taboule Salad with fresh basil!

Greek Taboule Salad
Greek Taboule Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 package of NEAR EAST Taboule Wheat Salad Mix
  • 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese ( I like the Athenos Garlic and Herb variety)
  • 2 large Roma Tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of cucumbers, chopped
  • 1/4 cup of fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • Lettuce Leaves
  • Lemon wedges

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine wheat salad mix and contents of spice packet.
  2. Stir in 1 cup of boiling water and oil. Let stand for 30 minutes.
  3. Stir cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lemon juice into wheat mixture. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
  4. Serve on top of lettuce leaves with fresh ground pepper if desired.

This quick salad was so good. Do you have any good recipes using basil? I’d love to hear them.

Family, Food, Kids

Mexican Casserole and it’s light!

thestlouiscooks

This mexican casserole was a huge success! It’s hard to believe it is light and only 6 points for those watching their weight watcher points.  Plus my kids absolutely loved it!

RECIPE

What you will need…Mexican Casserole Ingredients

  • 1 lb extra lean ground beef (drained)
  • 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup canned jalapeno slices, chopped or green chilies
  • 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 (15 ounce) can kernel corn (drained)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans (rinsed/drained) – Ortega
  • 1 (1/14 ounce) package taco seasoning mix – Old El Paso
  • 8 corn tortilla’s – Mission
  • 3/4 cup non fat or light sour cream
  • 1/3 bunch of cilantro, chopped to taste (less or more)

Directions:

  1. Brown ground beef and chopped onions in large skillet; brown 10-12 minutes or until cooked, stirring constantly. Drain well to remove fat.
  2. Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, chilie’s or jalapeno’s and taco seasoning; mix well. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile spray  a 12 x 8 inch (2 quart) baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Cut each tortilla in half, place 8 halves in bottom of sprayed baking dish, overlapping slightly.
  4. Spoon half of beef mixture evenly over tortillas. Spoon sour cream over beef mixture; spread evenly. Top with remaining 8 tortilla halves and remaining beef mixture. (Cover tightly with foil and freeze for later or cook as directed below).
  5. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc…

DSCF2408

This recipe is super easy, but it does take a little time in the kitchen.  I made this casserole on my own with out my little helpers.  It was a “solo cooking day” where I put on my tunes, enjoy a nice glass of wine, and cook dinner for the family. 

Do you have any great Weight Watcher recipes like this one?  This one is delicious!