The very next day I replicated this salad adding in lemon pasta, feta cheese, tossed with a very lemony dressing. Trader Joe’s sold a lemon pasta for a while which was perfect to add and complimented the feta cheese perfectly. At the last minute I added in some tomatoes for color. I would have included some olives if I had some on hand.

I am known for my salads, because I always make my own dressing and have mastered the what lettuce goes with what type of dressing thing. It is a thing. For example, if you want to mix a pasta and feta cheese with lettuce, a heartier lettuce such as romaine works best. The crunch and bite from romaine lettuce compliments the bite of an al dente pasta.

Green Salad with lemon salad dressing is a versatile salad, but I especially like how a briny feta cheese fits right in. Since pasta is on the bland side, a strong cheese works well. You could also use slivers of parmesan cheese or crumbled blue cheese as a substitute.

You can make this an entree salad by adding pulled chicken or salmon.

Feta Cheese

As I wrote in my olive feta appetizer post, look for a feta cheese sitting in brine that is 100% sheep’s milk. Not all feta is alike, and you may seem crumbled feta sold in your grocery store. Usually a pre-crumbled feta is tasteless, and doesn’t add much to a dish.

More Salads from Spinach Tiger

• Wedge Salad Bar with Homemade Blue Cheese
• Asian Slaw with Ginger Dressing
• Taco Salad with Special Dressing
• Crab Louis with Remoulade
• Caprese Party Salad
• Kale Salad with Apple and Sweet Potato (our most popular of all)

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Green Salad, Lemon Dressing

Salad with Feta, Pasta, Lemon Dressing

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword green salad, lemon salad dressing

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 10 cups romain lettuce 2 bags Italian Lettuce Mix
• 4 ounces feta cheese (in brine)
• 10 grape tomatoes sliced in half, cross-wise
• 1 cup cooked pasta such as penne, corkscrew
• Lemon Dressing as needed

Lemon Dressing

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 lemon juice and zest
• sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/4 red wine vinegar or champagne or white vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

The post Green Salad, Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

For some of my keto readers, you can enjoy this too!

The best way to make this salad is to use a combination of green and black olives (not the tasteless ripe black olives or stuffed green olives in jars.) Try to find an olive bar is you can and choose some large green olives, kalamata olives and or Italian olives.

Ideas for Olive and Feta Salad

• Castelvetrano Olives – Bright Green (from Castelvelatrano Sicily)
• Kalamata – Pungent featured most with Greek dishes.
• Italian Dry or Salt Cured – often marinated in olive oil, garlic, Italian seasonings

Mix up the green and brown or black olives for interest and variety of taste.

What is Feta Cheese?

Feta is a pickled white curd cheese made either from Sheep’s milk or a combination of sheep and goat cheese. It’s tangy and creamy. It can be cut into cubes or crumbled.

I prefer a sheep-milk only feta cheese and I’ll look for that. You might find feta in America made with cow’s milk. It’s not the same and I would avoid that.

Look for feta that is sitting in brine and is made 100% of sheep’s milk. Trader Joe’s carries a brined feta that is quite good.

What to do with Olive Feta Salad?

• Add Tomato and Cucumber. Now you really have a side salad or side dish.
• Toss spaghetti with olives and feta and you have a main dish or starter course.
• Place olive feta salad on your best charcuterie board.

Process for Olive Feta Salad

• Cut feta into cubes.
• Use an assortment of olives.
• Cover with extra virgin olive oil.
• Squeeze some lemon or orange and include some zest.
• Add fresh thyme (you can used dried or fresh oregano).
• Add chili flakes according to your desire for heat. You can skip.

More Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Baked Fish With Olives, Tomatoes, Capers
• Italian Spicy Shrimp with Olives over Zoodles
• Braised Chicken and Olives
• Snowcap Heirloom Bean Soup with Shrimp and Olives
• Rosemary Focaccia with Olives, Roasted Tomatoes
• Flash Fried Greek Cauliflower with Feta and Olives
• Grilled Chicken Kabob Recipe with Potatoes, Brussels and Feta

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Feta Olive Salad

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Greek

Keyword Feta, Olives

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ounces feta cheese
• 12 various olives See Notes on Olives
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano or thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
• lemon or orange with zest or both

Instructions

• Cut feta into small cubes.
• Mix feta and olives in bowl with just enough olive oil to cover ingredients.
• Add squeeze of lemon or orange and add in some zest. Amounts will be up to you.
• Add fresh oregano (dried oregano) or my favorite Fresh Thyme.
• Sprinkle red chili flakes (according to your desire for heat). You can skip.

The post Olive Feta Salad or Appetizer appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

So many of us have discovered cauliflower is our friend in the kitchen on many levels. Flash Fried Greek Cauliflower makes a great appetizer or amazing side dish.

My favorite way to transform cauliflower is to think about my other favorite starchy vegetable, the potato, and try to make replacements when I’m going low carb.

We now make cauliflower with our New York Strip Steak instead of serving potatoes. We feel better at the end of the meal, and it’s low carb.

Flash Fried Greek Cauliflower is Golden Brown

Flash fried Greek cauliflower turns crispy golden brown. When adorned with kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese, it’s the star of the dinner. Sometimes this is dinner! A few squeezes of lemon, some sea salt and a smattering of oregano and it’s complete.

One might ask, what’s the deal with cauliflower? Is it healthy? It’s looks like a big white hard sponge. What does it do for you aside from being a low calorie, lower carb choice?

I’m glad you asked. I don’t like the idea of diet food substitutes, or the idea of “I’ll eat this until I lose weight.”

I DO like the idea incorporating cauliflower because it’s one of the most versatile of foods and usually a fit for most diets or lifestyles that is easily attainable and does a body good.

I wrote about the benefits of cauliflower in this post for Cauliflower Parmesan, and it’s worth repeating.

The Most Commonly Known of Benefits of Cauliflower

• Cauliflower is anti-inflammatory, the biggest buzz word around, because this is connected our immune system and so many diseases.
• Cauliflower has choline, which boosts brain health.
• Cauliflower contains properties that aid digestion.
• Cauliflower is high in antioxidants

You can make this in an Air Fryer

I’ve made this a second time in my air fryer. I wasn’t able to get the same level of crispy as I did with flash frying, but it was still very good. You will have to up the heat to 400 degrees in the air fryer and it takes a little longer, about ten minutes for each batch.

Feta Cheese, Salty, Tangy, Crumbly, Creamy

I absolutely love feta cheese. Although some feta is comprised of goat and sheep’s milk, I look for 100% sheep’s feta in a brine. Trader Joe’s has one we love. Not all feta is created equally, and some grocery stores fetas don’t have flavor. Feta should usher in a bit of sharpness, saltiness and tang. Feta pairs well with kalamata olives, dried herbs and olive oil.

Once the the cauliflower is flash fried, I immediately season with salt and pepper, squeeze a little lemon, and crumble the feta, add the olives and sprinkle a little oregano. It’s a very satisfying bite of flavors and texture. Feel free to add a few red chili flakes too.

Serve immediately.

Serve Flash Fried Greek Cauliflower with these Entrees

• Za’atar Lamb Chops
• Lamb Meatballs
• Chicken Thighs with Roasted Tomatoes
• The Perfect New York Strip Steak
• Red Snapper

More Cauliflower Dishes from Spinach Tiger

• Popcorn Flash Fried with Almonds
• Shaved Cauliflower Salad
• Whole Roasted Caulifower
• Air Fryer or Sheet Pan Italian Sausage, Cauliflower and Fennel

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Flash Fried Greek Cauliflower with Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese

Flash Fried Cauliflower with Kalamata Olives, Lemon, Feta Cheese

Course Vegetable

Cuisine Greek

Keyword caulfilower, flash fried cauliflower

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 13 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Equipment

• Dutch Oven (if using this option)
• Air Fryer (if using this option)

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup avocado oil you may not need all of it
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese see notes
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or small amount dried finely chopped
• 1 squeeze lemon
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Instructions

• Heat oil in a dutch oven or frying pan. You will want to have a spatter lid.
• You can use a deep fryer and a lot more oil to do a quicker flash fry, but I don’t find that practical for a home cook, and this will get the same results.
• Add in cauliflower pieces. Oil should cover at least half of the cauliflower.
• Add salt. Don’t add any other ingredients until you remove cauliflower.
• Turn over when browned.
• Drain on paper towel.
• Add to dish. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper (at your discretion for heat), spices of your choice, and top with chopped nuts, golden raisins and parsley.
• Top with parsley. Serve immediately.
• Add kalamata olive, crumbled feta cheese
• Garnish with oregano and parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper.

AIR FRYER OPTION

• Toss cauliflower pieces in olive oil, salt, pepper.
• Air fry in batches at 400 degrees f. until golden.
• Toss with kalamata olives, oregano, feta cheese.
• Season with salt and Pepper.
• Garnish with parsley.
• Sprinkle with crushed red pepper if you want more heat.

Notes

If you don’t want to flash fry, you can sautè in olive oil, until golden. You can also choose to roast cauliflower. 

To roast: set oven to 400 degrees F. 

Toss cauliflower with olive oil. Season with salt. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. 

The post Flash Fried Greek Cauliflower with Feta, Kalamata Olive, Lemon appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I’m reposting this because it’s an easy way to use chicken and your grill while social distancing. Use any kind of potato; I’m using purple, as we love them.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs is that wonderful dish the whole family can help prepare. Much of this can be prepped the night before. You can cut the chicken into 2 inch pieces, semi-cook the brussels and potatoes.

Once prep is finished, these go on the grill for about 7 to 9 minutes.  I use a quality extra virgin olive oil before and after with a big squeeze of lemon. As soon as the grilled chicken kabobs come off the grill, they get a nice drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and sprinkling of fresh crumbled feta cheese. This could be the time to add another sprinkling of fresh herbs.

Grilled Chicken Kabob Recipe with Herbs, Lemon and Feta Cheese

This grilled chicken kabob recipe will do well with an herb like thyme, rosemary, herbs de provence or even za’atar. I usually have fresh thyme and rosemary all year on my porch and like to use those whenever possible.

Not all chicken is created equally, and I prefer air-chilled versus water chilled, whenever possible. If you are near a Whole Foods and have Amazon Prime, they often have air-chilled on their special. Sometimes its whole chickens; chicken pieces on the bone or boneless breasts. They usually promote one type at a time, and I will stock up.

There was a time we didn’t like boneless chicken breasts because chicken on the bone is tastier, but when the chicken is quality chicken and not over-cooked, it can make the most delicious and family friendly meal.

How to Make Grilled Chicken Kabobs: Questions You May Have

Which skewers to use to make grilled chicken kabobs recipe?

You can use bamboo skewers, but soak them in water for an hour first to prevent burning. If you don’t have time for that put foil on the edges.

You can use metal skewers which are reusable.

How High Should the Heat Be?

Grill directly on heat that is about 400 degrees F. Grilled Chicken Kabobs are best grilled hot and fast. The veggies in this recipe are par-cooked and you don’t want to over-grill the chicken. You can also bake these in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

What If I can’t get Brussels Sprouts or Purple Potatoes?

Use whatever vegetable you like. Purple potatoes can be substituted with smaller white potatoes. I like the purple potatoes  for these reasons in this post, and because they are just the right size, adding a nice color.

A lot of people put peppers and onions on kabobs. It might surprise you that those aren’t my favorite for kabobs because they don’t tend to cook enough, and I don’t like crunchy peppers. I also avoid putting citrus right next to meat.

What Herbs or Spices Work with the Grilled Kabob Recipe?

I love herbs de provence and za’atar for chicken recipes like these. If you want to use a single , rosemary, thyme, or oregano works well here.

If you’re new here, welcome. Please subscribe to the blog and follow me on instagram.

Take some time to browse through the categories. There are lots of paleo and keto friendly recipes that have been kitchen tested and are easy to make.

More Paleo, Keto Friendly Chicken Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Chicken and Asparagus with Lemon and Pistachios

Low Carb One Pan Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Low Carb Chicken Picatta with Lemon

Chicken Za’atar with Charred

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Grilled Chicken Kabob Recipe with Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Feta

Easy Grilled Chicken Kabobs, paleo friendly.

Course Entree

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound of boneless chicken
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• Olive oil
• Brussels Sprouts
• Purple Potatoes
• 2 lemons
• herbs de provence
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

• Cut chicken into cubes.
• Put in bowl with olive oil, garlic and juice of half lemon.
• Season with salt , pepper and marinate at least one hour. I will usually marinate about six hours.
• Prepare skewers. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for one hour. If you don’t have time wrap tips in foil.
• Trim and cut brussels sprouts. Microwave in a little bit of water for two minutes.
• Cut potatoes in half. Microwave for 3-5 minutes with a tiny bit of water.
• Heat grill to approximately 400 degrees. If using the oven, preheat to 400 degrees f.
• Skewer chicken, potatoes, brussels sprouts. Don’t push too tightly together. Drizzle olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, turning in between. As soon as chicken reaches 165 F. internal temperature, remove.
• Place on plate. Drizzle again with olive oil, a lemon squeeze. Serve with a sprinkling of feta cheese.

The post Grilled Chicken Kabob Recipe with Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Feta appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you know me by now, winter brings out the lemon cravings in me and lemon everything dances in my head. Last winter I made lemon cake and recently lemon budino.

One way to satisfy the desire to pucker up a bit and feel that zing that lemon gives is a good lemon vinaigrette recipe on the right green salad.

Growing up in an Italian household, the green salad was a part of every single dinner. Sometimes it was just oil and red wine vinegar and sometimes it was oil and lemon.

Note: there are amazon affiliate links on this site which earn Spinach Tiger a small commission but do not raise your price. 

I do break a few rules however, as I like to add champagne vinegar, which marries very well with lemon. I mix this up with some dijon mustard, which makes everything better. Dried herbs such as herbs de Provence  compliments a lemon vinaigrette.

This salad with lemon vinaigrette recipe is not complicated.

but requires the right balance of fat, acid and salt. This means you will need to taste along the way.

In this salad I used  feta cheese that was packed in brine from Trader Joe’s. The olive oil has to be extra virgin and on the milder side. There is nothing worse than a a heavy olive oil dominating a salad except a salad with too much dressing.



Tips for a Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe  

• Acid to oil ratio. The ratio of acid (lemon and/or  vinegar will be anywhere from 1 to 4 parts olive oil to 1 to 3 parts olive olive oil. I go by taste, and you should too. A good rule of thumb is to start with 1 part acid to 2 parts oil. You can always add more oil if the dressing is too acidic.
• Use an emulsifier. I use dijon mustard which keeps the dressing together. Mix with acids first, then add the oil half at a time. Shake and taste.
• Sturdy lettuce such as romaine and iceberg require more dressing  Spring greens will use one fourth to one third the amount. The heavier lettuces do very well with lemony vinaigrettes. A mix of sturdy romaine lettuce with delicate arugula is fabulous. It’s pretty. The arugula adds a peppery flavor and the mixed textures work.
• Dried herbs marry well with a lemony vinaigrette and I recommend herbs de provence or a dried thyme or tarragon.
• Salad needs salt. Keep that in mind when tasting.
• Sheep Cheeses like a good crumbled feta or shaved Pecorino Romano complement a lemon vinaigrette well.
• Soft Hard Boiled eggs can serve as a protein.

Two Ways to Make Soft Hard Boiled Eggs

• Place in cold water, bring to boil, reduce to a simmer for no longer than three minutes. Soft, but no runny yolk.
• If you want a runny soft boiled egg, place in boiling water for 6.5 minutes.

I added some seared salmon to this salad, but any fatty meat likes this too.

You can also use the lemon vinaigrette for vegetables like green beans, kale, roast chicken, potatoes, etc.

More Vinaigrette Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Salad Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

A very lemony vinaigrette with added champagne vinegar and herbs de provence, perfect for a bright crisp salad.

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine French

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• juice of 1/2 lemon
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 6 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
• sea salt black pepper

Instructions

• Mix lemon juice, zest and vinegar together with dijon mustard.
• Slowly add olive oil or add and shake in jar.
• Add herbs, salt, pepper to taste.
• You can reserve the herbs for the salad along with the zest.
• Toss greens first with just enough dressing, not overdoing. How much you use will depend on how many greens you use.

Notes

In this salad, I used one bag of romaine lettuce and three to four handfuls of arugula.
I added in crumbled feta cheese and soft hard boiled eggs.

There are Amazon affiliate links on this page, which aid in the running of this site and do not raise any prices.

The post Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe and Soft Hard Boiled Eggs appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I think of Greek food, I always think of lamb, olive oil, feta cheese. Each component was made separately. I skewered marinated lamb and olive oil brushed chunks of bread to assemble the perfect Greek party bite. I used minimal ingredients, making this easy entertaining.

The meze is similar to a tapas in that it’s not an appetizer or main course, but an eating experience with friends and family, where you take a bite of this, a bite of that. It could be a dish of olives, sliced crisp cucumbers, meat balls, dolmades, zucchini fritters, all  meant to be shared and eaten with ouzo or wine.

I remember in graduate school we were told a story about two groups of people living in community. Both groups had a challenging problem. They had a big pot of stew sitting in the middle of the group, but the spoons were three feet long and by the time they would bring it to their mouth, it would fall off. The people in one group kept trying to feed themselves, but they eventually failed and starved. The other group ate and thrived. They realized that if they took the large spoon and fed each other, everyone could eat.

That story has always stuck with me. I’m a sharer by nature, and I like to eat with a group, sharing bites, and having good conversation. The Greek meze resonates with my soul, and probably yours too.

Meze isn’t something you do alone. The more people involved, the more dishes at the table and the more variety in taste, texture and flavor. The best part (outside of the ouzo) is the sharing conversation, food and life with everyone at the table.

It seems that Greek food is loved universally as is all Mediterranean inspired food is. All one needs to do is say, “Greek food” and we salivate for sultry and salty flavors, feta cheese, oregano, and lamb, often brightened up with lemon or orange citrus.

I took a little liberty and put my own twist to these skewers. They would be probably be a bit more authentic sitting atop pita bread triangles, but I love the chunky grilled bread that sops up the lemon and herb olive oil.

The good news of this recipe is that I used the same marinade for everything, the lamb, the cheese and the drizzling at the end. This is a one-bite party food, and needs to be easy.

Olive oil, lemon, hot chili flakes, garlic, herbs, drive that sultry Mediterranean flavor profile we all love.

You can replace the lamb with chicken or meatballs.  You could use pita bread as the base of the meat, if you prefer. Have fun with it. It’s more of an idea than an exact recipe. This could be used as a dish to greet guests for a dinner party.   The portion size shouldn’t be more than two bites. Serve with a dish of  marinated Greek olives, and some ouzo.

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Lamb Feta Party Bites

Lamb, Marinated Feta Cheese, Chunks of Toasted Bread come to together as individual party skewers, drizzled with an olive oil marinade.

Prep Time 1 day day

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 day day 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• LAMB
• 1 pound lamb shank end of leg of lamb or top round
• sea salt black pepper
• MARINATE INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup olive oil divided maybe more
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or one teaspoon
• Several sprigs of thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves smashed, chopped finely
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme dried or fresh
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 6-8 ounces feta cheese cubed
• BREAD – use a crusty loaf that has a chewy soft center that would be good for toasting on grill.

Instructions

• Trim fat from lamb and cut into cubes.
• Salt and pepper the lamb.
• MARINADE INSTRUCTIONS
• Combine remaining ingredients except the feta cheese and bread for the marinade.
• Use 3/4 of marinade for lamb. Refrigerate 24 hours.
• Marinate the feta cheese with remaining.
• Trim crust off bread and cut into large cubes. Brush with olive oil.
• TO COOK:
• Heat grill on high and skewer lamb and bread SEPARATELY on different skewers.
• Grill lamb turning once for 5-8 minutes (3-4 minutes each side).
• Grill bread turning once for 1-2 minutes to golden brown.
• ASSEMBLE
• Using large tooth picks, skewer bread, lamb and cheese. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve.

Notes

Cook time is for cooking and assembling. Feel free to substitute lamb with chicken or beef cubes or perhaps Greek Meatballs.

The post Lamb Feta Party Bites appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

How do two food bloggers who are in command of their own kitchens successfully collaborate?

Last weekend I found myself in a beautiful Hollywood Hills home, nesting, shopping, and cooking with one of my favorite food bloggers in the whole world, Greg of Sippity Sup or just Sup.

Sup describes his blog as serious, fun food. I never miss a Sippity Sup post because there is always something good to eat, something to learn about the ingredients, beautiful photography, and best of all his pithy sense of humor shining through.

Everyone needs a colleague that makes them stretch. Sup does this for me. When I’m posting, he’s one of the bloggers I want feedback from, and when we get together, we spend time talking about our blogs like they are our babies.

Our friendship took root in San Francisco at the Food Buzz Festival, but could we click in the kitchen? Well yes, when it’s in a house this pretty. And you should see the kitchen. It’s a wonder we could cook at all and not just relax in this beautiful outdoor pool area.

The salad was our contribution to a neighborhood dinner party, one I wish I could tell you more about, but what happens in Hollywood stays in Hollywood. We decided to both post this same dish today from our individual vantage point.

Pasta salad can be boring, but not when Spinach Tiger and Sippity Sup get together.

As we were standing in this Armenian market admiring the various choices of feta cheese, we both became smitten with a bouquet of bright green dandelion greens. I don’t know the name of the store, but Sup probably can help you with that.

When I lived in California, I took for granted all the various markets and food sources available. Now I pine for them.

In food blogger fashion, neither one of us had cooked with dandelion greens and it excited us.

It’s appearance is similar to arugula, but, the way to tell the difference is the deep tooth of the leaf. This is how dandelion was named. Dent de lion means lion’s tooth, and thus, dandelion. It’s super nutritious, and has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. It is complimented well with a briney feta.

Not all feta cheeses are created equally. This one was very creamy and had a smooth luxurious taste and texture.

If you taste dandelion on its own, it might seem harshly bitter, but once dressed and spiked with a bit of heat, the bitterness seems to disappear, but stays alive enough to awaken your palate. And, dandelion doesn’t wilt very much. When dressed with olive oil and lots of lemon, even on its own, dandelion transforms from bitter to delicious.

Note: I made a Dandelion Salad with Blood Orange in honor of the Hunger Games Trilogy.

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Dandelion Pasta Salad and How Food Bloggers Successfully Collaborate

Dandelions are more than weeds. They make an excellent backdrop for a pasta salad with fresh feta cheese.

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil more as needed
• 1/2 pound feta cheese
• 1 bunch dandelion trimmed
• 1/2 t red pepper  flakes or dried thai chiles
• 1 cup of kalamata olives pitted and halved
• juice and zest of one large lemon
• salt pepper
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions.
• Whisk the olive oil lemon juice, lemon zest, red-pepper flakes with a pinch of salt in large bowl. Drain the pasta and add it to this mixture, stirring to coat the pasta well. Taste for seasoning. Set aside.
• Trim dandelion stems. Rinse and dry. Cut in half. Lay the dandelion greens out onto a large serving platter or bowl. Top them with the still slightly warm pasta and stir to combine. Let the salad cool completely then top with the the olives, feta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few grinds of black pepper.
• Serve at room temperature. If you refrigerate take out an hour before serving.

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions.
• Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, red-pepper flakes with a pinch of salt in large bowl. Drain the pasta and add it to this mixture, stirring to coat the pasta well. Taste for seasoning. Set aside.
• Trim dandelion stems. Rinse and dry. Cut in half. Lay the dandelion greens out onto a large serving platter or bowl. Top them with the still slightly warm pasta and stir to combine. Let the salad cool completely, then top with the the olives, feta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few grinds of black pepper.
• Serve at room temperature. If you refrigerate, take out an hour before serving.

The post Dandelion Pasta Salad and How Food Bloggers Successfully Collaborate appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

And there it was, peas and fresh fava beans in olive oil with a touch of feta,something I may have passed over, had I not asked. . And, he was right. Two shades of the most natural bright green colors sitting in the most aromatic lemony lemon olive oil, with so much lemon, I nearly puckered, with just the right amount of feta to add a little creamy saltiness.

I don’t know how many people would get excited over peas and lima beans, but the simplicity of this dish striking just the right flavors did what great food does… created a food memory. It’s been nearly 8 months since that salad, but when my mother dropped off a bag of FRESH lima beans, I knew right away where they were headed. And, if the food angels weren’t storming my kitchen already, I had fresh spring peas to greet them.

Baby lima beans are also known as butter beans, because they are a light, smooth textured, and yes, buttery. There is some confusion here, because I call them fava beans and the produce stand insists they are called “lima beans.”

After rinsing off and boiling in a pot for about 10-15 minutes, I stood there, thinking “some of you are going to get the royal treatment of olive oil, herbs and lemon, and some of you are going savory with bacon and onions and the beautiful yellow squash gathered at the Franklin Farmer’s Market.

When making the salad, I made a decision to slip each bean out of that outer shell of skin so they would be smooth and bright. Once I got the hang of it, I could move pretty quickly, but it would have been a daunting task (and unnecessary) to do this with all the beans.

You can see the differences in the two bean but how did they compare in taste? I had a hard time deciding which bean dish to eat, so I had to have both at the same time. Each dish satisfies a different craving. The next day there was a little bit of savory beans with bacon left over and they tasted even better. And, just as the lima and pea salad, the savory dish is now a food memory and I’m already craving it again.


Fresh baby limas (or fava beans), fresh spring olive oil, lemon zest, feta, mint make a perfect spring salad

Recipe: Fresh Lima Bean and Spring Peas Salad

1 1/5 cups cooked baby lima,with outer skin removed after cooking (can substitute with frozen)
1 1/5 cups cooked fresh spring peas (can use frozen)
Juice and zest of one lemon,
1/4 cup crumbled authentic greek feta
extra virgin olive oil
4-6 leaves mint, finely chopped (or basil)
sea salt
cracked pepper

You can adjust the ratio of lima beans to peas as you like. Toss beans/peas with olive oil.
Squeeze lemon, toss.
Season with salt and pepper
Garnish with crumbled feta, mint

Serve at room temperature.

Recipe: Fresh Limas, Yellow Squash Stir Fry

2 cups cooked fresh baby limas (or frozen) (I didn’t remove skins for this, but you can)
5 pieces bacon, cut into 1” thin strips, using 1 slice for the water to boil beans in
2 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
1 large onion, diced
extra virgin olive oil
pinch or two, crushed chile pepper
sea salt, black pepper

boil slice of bacon cut into small pieces in water until fat is rendered
add lima beans, cook until tender
drain limas. remove bacon
saute remaining bacon and when nearly cooked, add onion and saute until soft
add garlic slices, saute until just done, not browned
add squash, saute until soft
add lima beans and stir fry until slightly browned
add chile pepper

You can eat this immediately, but it gains flavor allowing to come to room temperature and reheating right before serving. The next day’s reheat was even better.

Notes:
Do not eat lima beans raw, as they contain cyanogens, from which the poison cyanide is made. The U.S. and many other countries restrict growing limas to those with low levels. Rinse well and cook before eating.

Post Dates: I’ve gone back to the market to ask about these beans. I think they are fava beans, and the market says they are lima beans. I’m still not sure if folks use them interchangeably.
I am determined to find out more about these beans and will be making them again real soon before the season is over (which is soon).

This is a side dish, but can become a main course if you add in pasta or rice.

Bucatini w/Shrimp and Beans Bean soup with Bacon and Rjce Green Beans Salad with Pears

The post Fresh Baby Limas Cooked Two Ways appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you are anything like me, you’ll understand that when you start thinking about a certain food and what it would be like to cook that food, you have to do it. There is no way out. You might not be exactly sure when, but then one day, you find yourself staring at a pile of opened cookbooks, getting ideas, instructions and ingredients.

This time, it was three french cookbooks, and I decided on Le Cordon Bleu at Home, because I liked how the recipe sounded. Reading a recipe is a process all unto self, once you have read or skimmed hundreds. You just “know” it’s the right one.

So like the little engine that could, the little crepe pan came out of hiding and instead of being a daily annoyance, with no real place in the cabinet, it went to work, making the best crepes I ever ate, or I should say DC ever ate. I ate one; he ate all the rest.

We’re both creative types, in different ways, and very compatible in life, love and FOOD. He doesn’t cook very much, but he knew there was cardamom in the recipe and commented on it. I like a man who knows about cardamom.

The Process
While the recipe was being selected, my eyes went straight to the 5 very ripe organic pears that I purchased at a bulk discount, with good intentions but forgot about. A saute of sliced pears with brown sugar, some cardamom, toasted walnuts and then just a touch of really good feta cheese packed in brine to offset the sweetness of the pears and I had a filling ready for crepes.

To my surprise, the little black crepe pan, knew exactly what to do. Just a touch of butter for the first crepe and no further seasoning was necessary. The first crepe was not good at all, too thick and rubbery. The second crepe had holes in it because I didn’t put in enough batter. By crepe number three, I found the “crepe zone.” I put in a scant 1/4 cup batter in pan, gave it a swirl, and if I had too much, simply poured it back into the batter.

We decided we will be eating a lot more crepes and the little black crepe pan is here to stay. In fact, the next day, that little black crepe pan came back out and made the most delicious crepes suzette that I will tell you about soon.

Recipe

Crepes (makes six, adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home)

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I used organic skim milk)
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Sift dry ingredients in bowl. Break eggs and add milk and whisk into flour until smooth.
2. Whisk in butter and then whisk in remaining milk. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. Some recipes recommend at least an hour in the refrigerator. Batter should be very thin, and you may need to add more cold milk.
3. Place butter in small crepe pan, careful not to over butter. After my first crepe, I didn’t need to butter pan for remaining crepes, as my pan is well-seasoned.
4. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup batter, swirl pan, to completely cover. If there is excess batter, pour back into batter. Crepes let you know when it’s time to turn. The edges get browned and they slide over easily.

You can make all the crepes ahead of time, using parchment paper between each crepe, if you are going to freeze them.

Pear Filling Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 pears
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoons cardamom
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (more or less, depending upon sweetness of the pears)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided

Instructions

1. Peel and cut 6 pears into slices. Heat butter in pan, add pears, cardamom. Add brown sugar. Sauté until pears are softened, but not mushy. Add 1/4 cup walnuts.
2. Roll up crepes, stuff with pear mixture. Top with 1 teaspoon pear mixture, remaining walnuts and feta.

Notes: There are many variations you could try. Apples instead of pears, blue cheese instead of feta. To make savory crepes, skip the sugar and vanilla, reduce flour by 1/4 cup.

The post Crepes with Pears, Walnuts, and Feta Cheese appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If I had my way, it would always be summer and I would have an unending supply of fresh tomatoes to eat in a thousand different ways, 900 of them served with some kind of pasta.

I really don’t like to open cans of tomatoes. I prefer fresh food, but I do and I will when it’s the middle of winter or I need a tomato sauce for the more traditional Italian lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs.

One of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes is to roast them and use them for pasta and seafood or pasta and beans. When tomatoes are roasted in the oven, they caramelize and transform from a sweet fruit to something more sultry, and very concentrated in flavor. A little goes a long way, and gives the proper boost to more shrimp and white beans. And, for the vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian, roasted tomatoes, pasta, cannellini beans and little basil and you have a perfect meal.

And, it’s all done in under an hour, for mere dollars. (Remember the days, when we said, mere pennies?)

I began roasting tomatoes last summer when we planted our first garden and we couldn’t keep up with eating the bounty of tomatoes, thanks to DC’s hard work. On one of my whims to eat everything in our garden, I threw a bunch of tomatoes into the oven to see what would happen.

It was that easy. And then the fun began. I made roasted tomatoes with fresh pesto (we also grew basil) and served it as an appetizer with Italian bread. And, as you will see in coming posts, the roasted tomato became a frequent guest. We ate it on fish, chicken, in soup, stews, pizza, or just spread on Italian bread with some fresh basil.

These are large cherry tomatoes, but you can roast smaller grape tomatoes and you can roast larger roma tomatoes or homegrowns, by quartering them. Keep it simple… tomatoes, olive oil, sea salt.

Different sizes and different types of tomatoes will roast differently. These pictures will show you the process. Don’t get too concerned with a few dark skins, as the tomatoes will slip right out.

You might be asking what is bucatini? It’s a rather thick spaghetti, that is hollow. It has a hole running through the middle and is the official pasta in Bucatini all’Amatriciana, a dish very common in Rome, and the first time I had it. The Italians (in Italy) take the al dente process very seriously and the pasta (especially in this dish) will almost have a crunch. Cooking the pasta in this al dente fashion actually aids digestion, which is counterintuitive, but the Italians just “know” how to eat what and in what order to feel the best.

The brand I purchase comes in two-pound packages only, which means we need to invite people over. It’s fun to introduce friends to a pasta they mostly likely have not experienced. Part of the fun of dinner parties is to give guests a delicious meal and a new experience. You can make this dish with a macaroni too, such as penne pasta.

How about you? What is your favorite shaped pasta?

More Pasta Dishes with Roasted Tomatoes

Pasta Shells with Chicken Roasted Tomatoes (gluten free)

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Roasted Tomatoes

Toasted Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes

Rosemary Focaccia with Roasted Tomatoes

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Bucatini with Shrimp and Roasted Tomatoes

Pasta with Shrimp and Roasted Tomatoes, an easy twenty minute dish. Tomatoes are smokey and complimented with white beans and feta cheese.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Bucatini with Shrimp and Roasted Tomatoes
• 1 pound bucatini or pasta of choice
• 2 pounds wild shrimp peeled, deveined
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 1 1/2 roasted tomatoes made from 4 cups fresh tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 1 can cannellini beans drained, rinsed
• 4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese I use sheep’s feta, purchased in brine
• 1/2 teaspoon red chile peppers
• !Roasted Tomatoes
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt

Instructions

Bucatini with Beans, Shrimp Instructions

• Cook pasta according to directions minus 2 minutes (al dente). Use a large amount of water and good amount of salt. Drain immediately. Pasta should be yielding, yet firm.
• Sauté crushed garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil, just until soft.
• Add shrimp to pan, cook just until pink, remove shrimp to a dish, set aside.
• Mix beans with some olive oil, salt, pepper and fennel seeds.
• In same pan, add beans. until heated through.
• Crumble feta.
• Toss pastas with olive oil, salt, pepper, chili pepper.
• Add tomatoes, beans.
• Top each serving with equal amount of shrimp and 1 tablespoon feta cheese.

Roasted Tomatoes

• Cut a small x on top of each tomato.
• In shallow roasting pan or toss tomatoes in olive oil. Season with salt.
• Roast at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Turn at 20 minutes. The tomatoes will burst through their skins.
• You know they are done when they easily fall apart, and are caramelized. Don’t worry if some skins turn dark, just remove them. The tomatoes will have a rich, smokey flavor.

The post Bucatini with Shrimp and Roasted Tomatoes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.