At a recent cookout,  I needed a side for burgers. I didn’t want any starch, and a salad seemed too formal. No one around here likes mayonnaise based salads (except me). That delicious cauliflower salad came to mind when my friend texted me from Adele’s during brunch. I looked at the ingredients in their on-line menu and went from there.

Watch the Video for Raw Shaved Cauliflower Salad

Now normally I would not make anything with raw cauliflower, because it has no taste, and isn’t pleasant to eat. However once you add marinate shaved cauliflower in a strong vinegar based dressing, pistachios, golden raisins and scallions, it becomes a pretty addicting salad.

Here’s what I Learned about Raw Shaved Cauliflower Salad.

You almost can’t add enough vinegar and you need to let it marinate overnight. If not, it ends up being fairly tasteless. If you can wait or you plan ahead, it’s amazing, especially if you add nuts for crunch, and dried fruit for sweetness and texture.

You also needs lots of scallions, and a strong mustardy dressing.  I used a ratio of vinegar to oil 1 to 2. Normally I use much less vinegar, but this salad needs a lot of acid. It also needs salt, but add the chopped nuts first (which are salted) before you add too much.

I used a large whole cauliflower and sliced each floret as thinly as possible. I tried both slicing with a knife and a mandolin. The mandolin works better and I use this one also featured below.

As far as nuts, I used chopped, salted pistachios. Harder nuts seem to work better in this salad, and you could also use chopped peanuts or sliced almonds. If you use almonds, sautè them first to intensify their flavor. I added in some red chili flakes for heat.

Tips for the Best Shaved Cauliflower Salad

• Robust Vinaigrette made with Olive Oil and Mustard
• Slice Cauliflower thinly
• Scallions (lot of them)
• Toasted Nuts for more texture
• Add in heat with red chili flakes

Shaved Cauliflower Salad stays crunchy and is the perfect side dish to take to a party or pot luck.

I find that people really appreciate healthier choices at parties. This will be added to my list of salads that travel well, that include this Potluck Autumn Kale Salad and this Brussels Sprouts Salad with Raw Beet Pesto.

 More Spinach Tiger Cauliflower Recipes

• Popcorn Cauliflower
• Cauliflower Parmesan
• Greek Cauliflower
• Cauliflower Bacon Leek Soup
• Purple Cauliflower Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
• Skillet Cheesesteak with Cauliflower (no bread)

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Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Champagne Mustard Vinaigrette

Raw Cauliflower Salad with pistachios, golden raisins, scallions, and a zesty dijon mustard champagne vinaigrette.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/2 cup chopped salted pistachios
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 bunches of scallions
• 1/2 cup champagne vinaigrette see recipe below
• sea salt
• pepper
• red pepper flakes as needed

Champagne Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar more as needed
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Cut out the bottom core of cauliflower. Discard
• Slice cauliflower as thin as you can. Mandolin is best, but you can slice with good sharp knife.
• Toss with vinaigrette.You will want the vinegar to be pronounced. I found that the cauliflower doesn’t hold the vinegar taste.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add in chile flakes.
• Add golden raisins, chopped scallions, nuts, (reserve some nuts for garnish).

Vinaigrette Instructions

• Infuse olive oil with chopped garlic for 20 minutes.
• Put mustard in a jar and mix well with vinegar.
• Slowly add olive oil. Mix well.
• Add red pepper flakes.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Video

Notes

Depending on how large your cauliflower is, you may need more dressing. Once you taste, you may need to add vinegar, but I found I didn’t need to add in more olive oil.
You might also want to add in more nuts, raisins depending on your own taste.

It’s important to refrigerate this salad for several hours or overnight to marinate the cauliflower.

The post Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette & Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The wedge salad  is very retro (circa 1950’s)  and I’m seeing it on a lot of menus lately. As much as I like a kale salad, I don’t want one every day.

Speaking of retro, have you watched the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel yet? It’s been out for a few years now, but was in season 3 when I first posted this wedge salad recipe.

The wit, the clothes, the storyline, the pace, are enticing in this absolutely original take on a New York Jewish housewife in the 1950’s who has it all, and then stuff happens. Of course, that “all” is defined by 1950’s Jewish mothers who want son-in-laws, grandchildren and close proximity.

This amazon original is just as refreshing and accessorized by proper twists and turns as this festive wedge salad.

Lately I’ve been on a wedge salad kick, ordering them everywhere I go. Typically, made with crisp iceberg lettuce, blue cheese and bacon, the wedge hits all the right notes, when I’m hungry and want salty yet refreshing

In my holiday version of the wedge salad, I add pomegranates and chopped pistachios for a festival holiday feel, bringing yet one more texture and color to the mix.

In a wedge salad summer version, I use fresh tomatoes and possibly some hard boiled eggs and fresh corn.

Sometimes I use a blue cheese vinaigrette; sometimes I make a homemade creamy blue cheese dressing.

I like to throw blue cheese crumbles in my shallot vinaigrette, but sometimes I long for a creamy blue cheese dressing like the one I made here. 

I  used a gorgonzola cheese which is an Italian blue cheese, a little more crumbly,  but not really that much different from other blue cheese.

What I Most Love about the Classic Party Wedge and Blue Cheese Dressing.

Iceberg lettuce gets a bad rap, and for so long has been the lettuce to make fun of, but I’m bringing it back to the table with gusto. The number one reason I love the wedge is that it’s can be a meal. It takes a long time to eat, and I like that. It can handle creamy dressings far better than most lettuces.

There’s a lot of crunch with the wedge and the bacon and a lot of umami satisfaction with the blue cheese. It’s also refreshing at the same time.

Iceberg lettuce has a high water content yet doesn’t wilt easily. It can sit high on a plate smothered in blue cheese vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing and stay crisp. Or the wedge can be the  height of luxury with homemade blue cheese dressing.

It’s the perfect thing to serve at a party! Don’t you just love this slate plate? You can order it here.

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Assemble Your Own Party Wedge Salad

The great idea for a brunch, lunch or dinner, is to allow people to assemble their own wedge. You can set out a bowl of crumbly blue cheese next to the dressing. There are always people who hate the blue, so set out cheddar and ranch for them. Everyone can be happy.

You can serve individual wedge salads on a platter with dressing applied or on the side.

So tell me do you make a salad for your parties? I always do.

Similar Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
• Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
• Blue Cheese Purple Potatoes
• Blue Cheese/Apple Cole Slaw
• Blue Cheese Bacon Biscuit Sandwich
• Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese

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The Wedge Salad Recipe with Variations for a Crowd

Classic Wedge Salad or Try it with a twist, with homemade blue cheese dressing, and various toppings, depending upon the season.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• blue cheese dressing Recipe Here
• 4 slices bacon Oven Baked Recipe
• 2 hard boiled eggs Recipe Here
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils or chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
• 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• sliced radishes

Instructions

• Arrange wedges on platter or individual plates. Cut into 4 pieces for large sized servings or six pieces for party wedges.
• Top with dressing, followed by toppings.
• You can switch the toppings out as you see fit.
• Top with crumbled blue cheese.
• Serve immediately

The post The Blue Cheese Party Wedge Salad Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Usually a stir-fry points to Asian flavors, but why be limited to that. I find asparagus so much more suitable to this flavor profile with olive oil and lemon,  which doesn’t overtake the vegetable but compliments it.

Pistachios are often under-looked as an ingredient, but once you start cooking savory dishes with them, you’ll make it a habit.

Remember the lamb with mint pistachio pesto? Or this pistachio pesto ? They actually inspired my use of pistachios here, although I didn’t make a pesto, I added them in for a delicious salty texture.

A Little Bit about Pistachios

When I was a child, I loved the Encyclopedias. It was probably a foreshadowing of how much I like to research everything, and run to google, especially when it comes to food, ingredients or cuisine.

You might be surprised to discover that pistachios are not nuts, but seeds, and are part of ancient history, one of two nuts mentioned in the old testament.

Pistachios originated in the middle east, probably Iraq, eventually  spreading to the Mediterranean.  Syria introduced the pistachio tree to Italy in the first century, and you often find them in Italian desserts.

Today, Iran is the world’s largest producer of pistachios and California is second, although America didn’t see its first pistachio until the late 1800’s. Once cultivated, they became more of a snack food, found in vending machines. The shells were often died red to make them more appealing.

While most cooking with pistachios has been reserved to baking, I prefer pistachios in savory dishes more than sweet dishes, although I wouldn’t turn down pistachio gelato.

This is a forgiving recipe.  You don’t have to follow the recipe tightly, but you do need to know a few things about asparagus or this dish can fail. I prefer to use a cast iron pan, a staple in my kitchen, but you can use any kind of frying pan.

What You Need to Know About Asparagus for Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry Recipe

• Buy the freshest asparagus you can. It should snap, not bend.
• Buy medium-sized asparagus. If they too thin, they aren’t fork friendly, too thick and they’re too woody. Err on the thinner side if that’s all you can find.
• Peel the asparagus. I peel with a potato peeler starting about half way down. I then cut off about 1 inch at the bottom to remove any woody part.

• Don’t overcook or undercook the asparagus.
• Cook your chicken thoroughly first on low (so it doesn’t get dry) and add your asparagus in to cook it enough that it is not necessarily crunchy, but has just a little resistance.

Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry is a Super Easy Dinner

This is a super easy dinner, done in about 15 minutes.

You can prep everything ahead, by cutting your chicken and marinating overnight in a little olive oil and lemon, and trimming your asparagus.

In the version below, I used a rotisserie chicken, and that was as good, maybe better as the stir-fried chicken. Just shred, and add after the asparagus is cooked through.

The thing that makes this dish sing are the pistachios. If you want it to sing even higher, add a tablespoon of golden raisins, often a Mediterranean ingredient. I learned about the magic of pairing golden raisins with pistachios when I made this raw cauliflower salad. If you’re not a raisin fan, skip them.

If you can find purple splendor potatoes, do use them. They are super healthy and I tell you why here. If not it’s great all by itself, with rice or with noodles.

As far as herbs, if you have fresh herbs, use them. Mine herb garden is  are not ready

Capers and lemon zest. adds acid and brightness to the dish.  Don’t forget the sea salt. Salt isn’t just there to make food salty. It’s a flavor enhancer and will make everything taste better. I use himalayan sea salt in almost all of my cooking.

Disclosure: This site contains Amazon Affiliate links, which earn a small commission but do not affect price. For my full list of recommendations, you can visit my amazon page.

More Asparagus Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Asparagus Quiche
• Asparagus Gremolata
• Asparagus Detox Soup

More Chicken Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• One Hour Roast Chicken
• Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast

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Chicken and Asparagus Stir-fry Recipe

The One Dish Chicken and Asparagus Dinner, so easy with a boost of flavor from lemon and pistachios.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bundle of asparagus
• 2 shallots chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon herbs de provence or herbs of your choice
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted pistachios

Instructions

• Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. You can also slice chicken breasts through middle lengthwise and make small pieces that way.
• Trim asparagus. Using a potato peeler, peel asparagus from about 3/4 from bottom, getting strings off. Cut off 1 inch of bottoms (or woody part). Cut into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.
• Heat oil in pan. Add in shallots until softened.
• Add garlic for about 1 minute.
• Add chicken and turn heat very low so as to not dry or brown.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Once chicken is cooked add in asparagus, lemon juice, zest, capers, herbs.
• Once asparagus is cooked through, season again with salt and pepper to taste.
• If you are adding in purple potatoes, they should be boiled and peeled first. Cut into quarters and cook until heated through.

Twenty Five Pistachio Recipes from Bon Appetit

The post Chicken and Asparagus Stir-fry Recipe with Lemon and Pistachios appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Most people, including me, are very tenuous about making leg of lamb.  While lamb chops seem easy, most people don’t know how to cook a roast lamb and it seems daunting.

There are many questions,  because a leg of lamb is not something we make every day. It’s expensive, so we want to make sure we get it right.

What is a leg of lamb?

It’s the upper part of the back haunch of the animal and is naturally tender.

What do I do with the netting? How do I tie the leg of lamb?

I purchased boneless leg of lamb, which came in a netting. Sometimes that netting is oven safe, but I still choose to remove it,  so I could rub it with my herb mixture. I retied with butcher’s twine.

The fell was already removed, as well as the shank.  The fell is a word you may not be familiar with. It’s the papery, thin, membrane that covers the leg of lamb. Most of the time it’s removed before you purchase it.

Do I roast or braise the leg of lamb?

The general opinion on lamb is to roast, not braise and ruin it. However, I recently braised lamb shanks in red wine, and then there’s my most popular post, the Hunger games lamb stew with dried plums.

In these cases, braising made sense, but for an elegant sliced leg of lamb, roasting is the way to go.

How to Cook Roast Lamb: How do I Marinate?

I decided to opt out of marinating, which is not necessary, as leg of lamb is tender and juicy, with lots of fat. If you do marinate, don’t over do it as just a few hours is all you need.

How to Cook Roast Lamb: How do I season lamb?

Lamb simply loves rosemary, thyme and garlic. It also loves dijon mustard. You can make rub from herbs and garlic or add in a little dijon mustard and olive oil. Just make sure you use plenty, finely chopped (fresh herbs are best), and cover the whole thing. Before applying this rub, you will want to stab the lamb all over at 1/2 inch inserts, which will allow all the flavors to penetrate.

Do I go low and slow or use a high temperature?

I ended up going with a 400 degree F. oven and roasting at about 20 minutes a pound for a medium rare.

What sauce or gravy do I serve with Leg of Lamb?

I sliced it and served it with my secret weapon that turns everyone into a lamb lover, mint pistachio pesto.

The funny thing about this is I am not a mint fan in general. However, when you take fresh mint, parsley, garlic, lemon zest,  and pistachios and smoosh them with olive oil, you have something irresistible.

This is my basil pistachio pesto. I simply left out the cheese (not right for lamb) and replaced basil with mint. You can decide how chunky you want the pesto. I left it fairly chunky, but on a different day I may choose to do it smoother.

I served this to a friend during lunch. She loved it and went back for more. It was tender, and flavorful (not gamey), and she thought the mint pistachio pesto was spot on.

I could think of serving the pesto on several of my other lamb dishes, such as the parmesan crusted lamb chops and my rack of lamb. 

If you do cook roast lamb, serve it with this roasted dijon potatoes or these lemon dijon roasted purple potatoes. Or if you’re low-carbing it, please make this mashed cauliflower, which will marry so well with all those textures and flavors.

What do you do with the leg of lamb leftovers?

If you have left over lamb, you might want to make a shredded lamb shepherd’s pie. I will come back with a recipe for that.

Some years ago I made a lamb feta party bites.  You could do that with leftovers but do top it with mint pistachio pesto. That would be outstanding!

More Lamb Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Rack of Lamb
• Braised Lamb Shanks
• Parmesan Lamb Chops
• Lollypop Lamb Chops
• Lamb Bites
• Lamb Skewers
• Lamb Shanks with Juniper Berries

More Pesto Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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How to Cook Roast Lamb with a Mint Pistachio Pesto

Delicious and Easy Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint PIstachio Pesto for an elegant dinner.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Boneless Leg of Lamb

• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary you may use more if fresh
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• lemon zest from half lemon
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly grounded black pepper

Mint Pistachio Pesto

• 1/3 cup roasted salted shelled pistachios
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• lemon zest from half lemon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup big handful flat Italian parsley
• 1 cup big handful fresh mint (see notes)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Have ready a roasting pan with a rack.
• If you purchase a leg of lamb wrapped in a net, it is already likely properly trimmed. Sometimes the net is oven safe. I always remove and retie.
• If the leg of lamb still has the fell, a papery membrane, it must be trimmed off.
• Retie lamb with butcher’s twine.
• Using a pairing knife, make sharp inserts about 1/2 long, all over the lamb. I will usually do this through the netting, but it doesn’t matter.
• Make lamb rub. Chop garlic, rosemary together. Mix with dijon mustard, lemon zest, olive oil.
• Season lamb with salt and pepper all over.
• Put the rub all over the lamb.
• Put lamb onto rack on roasting pan. I
• If you don’t have a rack, just place on shallow baking pan, such as a large cast iron pan.
• Roast till internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F. for medium rare in center. The pieces on the outside will be medium.
• It will be approximately 20 minutes per pound.
• Check the lamb at 60 minutes. If its getting too brown, loosely place a piece of foil over lamb.
• Make Mint PIstachio Pesto
• Chop garlic.
• Put all ingredients for pesto into blender or food processor, until you get the texture you want.
• If you want it chunky, a food processor works better. If you want it smoother, use a Vitamix type blender and add a tablespoon of softened butter at the end.

Notes

If you don’t have a lot of fresh mint from a garden, buy one package and offset with more parsley if need be.

The post How to Cook Roast Lamb and Mint Pistachio Pesto appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

It’s browned all over to a near crispy which helps it holds it salt and it tastes so delicious, so umami, because one bite and you just can’t stop eating.

It’s what I make when I feel hungry for french fries.

You may not realize that a lot of  finger licking good veggies served in a restaurant are often flash fried. This means lowered into the deep fryer. I have a more practical way of getting that flash fried taste without six cups of oil.

I’m a healthy fat proponent and I have no problem with flash frying if I can do it with the practicality a home cook needs versus a professional kitchen. I did it here with five minute flash fried brussels sprouts and they are so amazingly umami delicious.

To do my home version of flash fried cauliflower, I use about a cup of avocado oil in my enamel dutch oven and turn over after three to five minutes.  I also use this spatter cover. A deep fryer is quicker, but I’m giving you the more practical home recipe.

I salt the cauliflower while it’s cooking and add some very flavorful spices that lean toward Italian Mediterranean. The spices I use have fennel and citrus which are very aromatic.  If you want to take this up a notch, melt anchovies into the oil before you start.

Trust me, it’s another layer of umami but you never know it’s there. I like to add in some crushed red pepper and roasted, salted chopped pistachios. You can also use sliced almonds, or no nuts at all.

Flash fried cauliflower  is the quintessential big fat healthy side dish if you use healthy fats and are following a low-carb or keto diet. You can always go ahead and roast your cauliflower if you’re afraid of frying but even at a high heat, you won’t get this same texture.

A lot of restaurants serve a mayonnaise based sauce or aoili with a dish like this. Totally not necessary, but if you have a great one, go ahead. The only thing you absolutely must do is drain and eat immediately. It starts to lose its crunch rapidly.

We eat these with lettuce wrapped burgers. It’s a feast, but it’s grain free, gluten free, and keto friendly. It’s our preferred way to eat at home, and it works well for us.

Why I Post so many Keto Friendly Dishes

I know a lot of people roll their eyes at the keto or low-carb lifestyle, because it’s a very general word that can be healthy or unhealthy. A healthy take would be to make sure your diet still is high in fiber and vegetables. It’s not so good to just eat meat and fat. Some will argue that, but I just listened to neurosurgeon, Dr. Perlmutter, give a talk on the importance of eating enough vegetables on keto or low-carb diets. He’s an expert on the brain, wrote Grain Brain and he’s someone I’ve been following for years.

I want my readers to understand that it’s okay, more than okay to enjoy food in a big fat healthy way, but in today’s world, for most of us, there has to be a paradigm shift. Healthy is not bad word for food lovers. Fat is not a bad word for healthy food lovers. (healthy fat).

The shift we have to make is a good thing, though, not a suffering, white knuckling thing. It’s a daily habit of gravitating to whole food made with flavor and zest, and turning our back on the food from much of what happened in the last half of the last century.

We don’t need to or want to go back to the food of history. While it may have been more “organic, ” people didn’t have the choices, diversity or kitchen tools we have today.

We have improved and expanded our choices in such a wonderful and more creative way. We just skip need to skip that processed bad stuff and move right to wonderful, big fat healthy food. Are you with me on that?

It’s one of the reasons I give you so many cauliflower recipes that are like comfort food. This chicken and cauliflower rice or this cauliflower cheesesteak are two of our favorite big fat healthy meals.

Skillet Cheesesteak with Cauliflower (Recipe Here) 

Flash Fried Cauliflower loves Nuts

This home version of the flash fried cauliflower is so good that I made it four times this week. We’ve made it with pistachios and with almonds. I love both. I think peanuts could be fun too.

I like to add  my spices, parsley and crushed red pepper at the end and then top with the nuts. You will find your own way  to make this and I’d love to hear from you.

This is the dish most loved this week on instagram, and I would love to connect with you there.

More Spinach Tiger Cauliflower Recipes

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Popcorn Cauliflower, Flash Fried

Flash Fried Cauliflower with PIstachios, Red Pepper Flakes

Course Vegetable

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 13 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup avocado oil you may not need all of it
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup golden raisins unless you are strictly keto
• 1 teaspoon chile flakes
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cup of chopped roasted pistachios or sliced almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning see notes
• handfull parsley finely chopped

Instructions

• Heat oil in a dutch oven or frying pan. You will want to have a spatter lid. You'll know when it's hot enough if you a drop of water sizzles.
• 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 golden 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.

Notes

I use a seasoning that has citrus and fennel in it. I like the aroma of the fennel seeds. You can use a seasoning of your choice or none at all.

Golden Raisins add a nice texture and sweetness to the dish, but are not keto friendly.

The post Popcorn Cauliflower, Flash Fried and Insanely Addicting appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I’m picking this Italian chicken pasta recipe out of my old bag of tricks. I used to make this every month and often for dinner parties, but  bowtie pasta with creamy pesto went by the way side for more adventurous dishes.

After tasting this most delicious pistachio pesto we made the other night, this dish is back in rotation, as the best Italian comfort food right next to spaghetti and meatballs.

Easy meal season starts right now, because people feel they need to cook once school starts. Families begin to nest which means no more running down to the taco stand for dinner. Everyone wants to capture the aromas from the kitchen that only a home-cooked meal that create.

Here’s where Spinach Tiger wants to help you. Make a big batch of this pistachio pesto. Freeze it according to directions. This pesto is going to pull you through a few rough nights where homework is going wrong, and your family needs to feel special, well loved, well fed.

I forgot how good it is. I forgot that white meat chicken (which can be so so boring) is a bit exciting when it’s drenched in a creamy pesto. I forgot the lure of pasta on cool days when it’s punched up with a nutty pistachio pesto that is jumping with flavor elevated by a bit of garlic, and good Italian cheese.

You can do the prep work in advance to make this an easy school night meal.

If you want to work in advance, cut up some chicken breasts into large cubes, and keep frozen. These will easily defrost while you’re getting the table set. You can also use sauteèd chicken breasts like the ones made here.

Boil some pasta. While the pasta is boiling, gently cook the cubed chicken on very low until it is just done, but still tender. Take out your frozen pesto cups and place in a sauce pan or microwave. In mere minutes or seconds, you have your sauce.

Creamy Pesto Can Be Healthy with this tip

Instead of using heavy cream,   use some freshly grated cheese and pasta broth to add heft to the pesto pasta sauce. It all comes together and it tastes so good, so Italian, so soul pleasing.

Add Your Own Veggies

You don’t need to spend a lot of time on this easy dinner, but it will feel like you did.  Add in any veggies you want. Broccoli, peas, and green beans all work well tucked into this dish. Just keep the bites small.

I hear from you all the time that you want to cook, but it has to be easy. I’ve created a new category, “easy dinners” so you easily locate our most approachable big fat healthy dinners and enjoy a good food with your family.

 Easy Dinners from Spinach Tiger  

 More Pasta Dishes from Spinach Tiger

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Italian Chicken Pasta Recipe with Creamy Pesto

Bow Tie Pasta, Breast of Chicken, Pesto come together for an easy dinner.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts cut into large bite sized cubes
• 1 to 2 cups pistachio pesto sauce recipe here
• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• 1/2 cup pasta water after pasta has boiled
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese or parmigianna reggiano
• splash heavy cream see notes

Instructions

• Cut chicken into large cubes. Add salt.
• Sautè chicken cubes in butter, coconut oil or olive oil on the lowest heat possible. Keep a lid on for the first ten minutes. Turn as needed. The low heat will keep the chicken tender. Remove from pan to a dish.
• Boil pasta according to directions, less 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
• Place 1 cup pesto into frying pan that will be large enough to hold the pasta. Add cooked, drained pasta with the pasta water. Finish cooking the pasta in this pan on low heat. The pasta broth should add a bit of creaminess to the sauce. You can also add in a splash of heavy cream as a thickener.
• Add in chicken, grated cheese. Toss and serve immediately.

Notes

You can choose to add up to 1/4 cup heavy cream. This will dilute the flavor of the pesto a little bit. The addition an extra 1/4 cup pecorino can add flavor back in.

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The post Italian Chicken Pasta Recipe with Creamy Pistachio Pesto appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Take a good look. See how nice and bright green this pesto is. The taste is even better, thanks to pistachios.

I’ve been making pesto almost as long as I’ve been cooking pasta, long before it really became popular. I made it for this traditional Genovese pasta dish.  Then I noticed the whole world discovered pesto for everything and everything became pesto.

Traditionally it’s always been made with pine nuts, which are actually the edible seed of a pine tree, but then something happened to pine nuts!

No one knows for sure why, but a syndrome called pine mouth has been reported and packages now have warnings that “Some individuals may experience a reaction to eating pine nuts, characterized by a lingering bitter or metallic taste.” You can read more about that pine nut syndrome here.

For a while, I substituted with walnuts. Recently I  discovered that pistachios yield a result much closer to the pine nut version, as they equal the flavor and texture of pine nuts (with no fear of losing my good taste buds).

The pistachios provide enough heft and flavor to make my pesto turn out exactly the way I like it. It also retained its bright green color, as often walnuts will muddy the color.

How to Make Italian Pistachio Pesto

I know that pesto can be made mortar pestle style, but I’m going to show you my easy way. I use a small food processor that I can control. I just purchased this immersion blender that came with a mini-food processor attachment and it worked like a charm, because I like it with a bit of body. You can put it all in a Vitamix type blender, but I like a food processor for pesto.

The store bought pestos are usually all wrong in so many ways, and I urger you to avoid them. They are often weak substitutes with overpowering garlic and a metallic taste. It only takes a few minutes to make your own and it’s so worth it.

Good Ingredients are Key in Making Pesto

Garlic: How Much? Many recipes require way too much garlic and it becomes a garlic pesto. You may say you love garlic, but try my way once with only two small cloves and see how bright and fresh your pesto will taste.

Butter: Yes, a few tablespoons of butter lends to a very creamy texture. You can leave it out, but once you add butter, you will experience a whole new kind of pesto.

Cheese: I often use a combination of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and Pecorino Romano. It’s all good and a matter of preference. The Romano cheese (a sheep’s cheese) is saltier and in this recipe that’s all I used. But feel free to mix it up.

Basil: If you wash the basil, dry it well in a salad spinner or with paper towels. If you’re short on basil, add in fresh Italian parsley.

Storing Pesto: You need to refrigerate pesto. Take it out 30 minutes before using. You can also see notes for freezing.

How to Freeze Pistachio Pesto

Once I have my pesto completed, I always freeze some, especially since I grow basil and have it in abundance this time of year.

I’ve seen people freeze pesto in ice cubes, but I like to use these silicone cups, especially these from OXO because they have side handles, which makes them easy to cart when full of liquid. After they are completely frozen, I place them in a food saver bag or ziplock.

Just take out and defrost. Presto, pesto, you have a fresh batch.

How would you eat Pistachio Pesto?

While pasta is an obvious choice, this is low carb by itself. Simply add to veggies, steak, fish, zoodles, soup.

If you’re splurging, try pistachio pesto on smashed potatoes? It’s amazing. It will also perk up polenta and be an amazing appetizer on tuscan toast points.

This traditional genovese dish is one of the ways we love to eat pesto with pasta.

I love this zoodle shrimp dish with tomatoes and spoonfuls of pesto.

You can always add pesto to pizza or to a caprese salad. 

Pesto is awesome in sandwiches like this big fat party sandwich.

More Pesto Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Pistachio Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Why You Need to Make Pistachio Pesto

Fresh basil, pistachios, lemon juice make a delightful summer pesto, which can be frozen and enjoyed in the winter.

Course Italian Sauce

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh picked basil leaves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoon roasted salted pistachios
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped before processing
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• dash of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• For completion by hand
• 1/2 cup tablespoon freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 2 tablespoon butter

Instructions

• Place all ingredients except cheese into a food processor. You must chop the garlic first, which makes it much better to process and doesn't become a juice.
• I don't like to use a food processor for this because I can pulse it and keep some texture, which I prefer.
• Add the cheese by hand.

Notes

Regarding cheese, sometimes I just use pecorino romano. You can also use parmesan cheese.

If you are adding this to pasta, reserve some pasta water (3 tablespoons or so) a little at a time to extend the pasta.

You may also heat the pesto on very very low and add in heavy cream for a creamy pesto pasta.

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Italian Potato Salad is a dish that showed up at every picnic and summer holiday when I was growing up. It’s not complicated. It’s not dangerous in the heat. It’s tasty and almost everyone loves it. Back then, my family didn’t make pesto. They simply used olive oil, oregano, vinegar, salt and pepper. That’s not a bad dish, but this is just a little more special.

This will take the place of that mushy potato salad that curdles and worries us at outdoor gatherings.

I made Italian Potato Salad with Pesto for our Easter picnic at the farm, with no worries about spoiling or mayonnaise. We took the leftovers home and we ate on those potatoes for the next few days. They can be fried for omelettes, frittatas etc. They can be heated and served warm.

Italian Potato Salad with Authentic Pesto Recipe is a Pot Luck Party Recipe

This is the dish that is okay to sit out for a long time. It’s served at room temperature, and I guarantee will go fast!

The beauty of this dish is that you do not need to peel the potatoes. It’s a simple dish that adds a lot of bulk, color, texture to a table with very little effort.

Pesto is so easy to make. The store bought pestos don’t have the same fresh taste and are too often too garlicky and not in a good way. Pine nuts are expensive, so I don’t use them as much, but I do miss them.  Walnuts are a great substitute, and you don’t need too many of them.

Truthfully, in this recipe, you can skip the nuts if you want. Flavor is what you’re looking for and the Pecorino Romano will do its job. I go back and forth about what cheese to use for pesto. Pecorino Romano or Parmigiana Reggiano?

As long as you have an authentic cheese from Italy, use either or a combination. We prefer to use both, but lean towards the pecorino if just using one. It’s the saltiness we love so much. (Costco sells both Pecorino and Parmigiano Romano in nice big pieces at a reasonable price. Never buy pre-grated cheese. There are too many reasons to go into, but the flavor, quality and quantity will be diminished.

Marcella Hazan changed my outlook about pesto when she taught me two things from her legendary book, The Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking.  (affiliate)

She adds  butter at the end, which  makes the pesto creamy, and she mixes the cheese in by hand, even if using a food processor. Those two rules for an authentic  pesto have stayed with me for years.

Also, it’s important to reserve some starchy water (it can be pasta water or potato water) to add into the pesto, so its not so oil heavy.

This is a room temperature Italian potato salad.

The biggest mistake you could make would be to refrigerate the potatoes, because that will change their texture and pesto is not good cold.  Make these the day of your event and leave them out. Once the day is over and you must refrigerate, then I recommend eating them heated. You can even heat and cool off a little.

I like to serve this with a side of green beans made the same way, as they just go together so well. If it’s tomato season, add some fresh tomatoes for an Italian trio.

You might also like this pesto recipe made with all the herbs from my garden.

More Italian Food Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Pesto Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Italian Potato Salad with Pesto

Boiled Potatoes with a Pesto, served at room temperature makes the most delicious Italian Potato Salad.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound red potatoes
• 1 cup Basil Pesto
• !Basil Pesto Recipe
• 2 cups tightly packed fresh picked basil leaves
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-4 tablespoons starchy water from boiled potatoes
• 3 tablespoon pine nuts or roasted salted pistachios
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped before processing
• 1 teaspoon salt
• For completion by hand
• ½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoon freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 3 tablespoon butter optional

Instructions

• Scrub the potatoes clean. Remove any parts of skin that you would not want to eat.
• Cut in large bite sized pieces. If small, cut in half only.
• Put in large pot with cold water 2 inches above potatoes.
• Bring to boil. Turn down to a simmer, until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Make Pesto
• Wash basil and pat with paper towels. Process garlic, pine nuts (or walnuts), basil, olive oil for processor until you have a creamy consistency. At this point add in some hot starchy water, a tablespoon at a time to thin down just a bit.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients by hand, first adding in all cheese until it is really smooth. Then add butter in at the end. You can choose to skip the butter if you want to.
• Toss potatoes with pesto while they are still warm.

The post Authentic Pesto Recipe for Italian Potato Salad and More appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

My favorite food magazine in the whole wide world is/was La Cucina Italiana, out of print for a while, but making a comeback in America soon.

This recipes comes from their December 2013 edition pictured below. In that edition, the editor paid tribute to Marcella Hazan (the year of her passing) and if you’ve been around here for a while, you know that resonates long and deep for me, as the editor so rightly calls her the godmother of Italian Cuisine.

I want to bring you more recipes from Marcella Hazan and more from La Cucina Italiana, so you can enjoy and come to appreciate the elegance of Italian cooking that hasn’t crossed over to America as much as it should have.

Last year I found this Italian date cookie from one of the issues and made it for a reader who was searching for the recipe.

It was everything a magazine should be.

It celebrated a culture, instead of pushing celebrity chefs  and took great strides to photograph the food in a beautiful yet approachable manner.

La Cucina Italiana told stories.

For example, in that December issue it told the story of the La Caccia al Cinghiale, or Italy’s boar hunt, an event that nearly 100,000 participate in every year during boar  hunting season. The first meal I ate in Tuscany was braised boar and I remember its hardiness and flavor.

In the same issue a recipe could be found for Braised Veal Shank with Truffle Sauce, Roasted Apple and Cauliflower, and step by step instructions for Pear Tartlets with Green Tea Gelato. There is something about this kind of Italian food that resonates with my appetite (let’s face it, I like to eat) and I have a thing for meat, vegetables and fruit.

The section that took my eye the most was this array of cookies, and when I saw the candied lemon and pistachio cantucci, I knew I had to make them.

If you’re wondering what cantucci is, it is the twice baked cookie.  In Italy all cookies are called biscotti or a single cookie is called a biscotto. In America, we call the twice baked cookie biscotti.

I recently made these chocolate almond biscotti, which are more of an American recipe because they contain fat, (butter). True cantucci, a very ancient recipe (usually with almonds) contain no fat, and are meant to be served at the end of a meal with a dessert wine. It’s not that Americans make a mistake; it’s just that recipes evolve over time.

Even this cantucci is modernized as it has baking powder. I can’t imagine how hard the original cookies must have been without baking powder and eggs, but perhaps purposely so, as the wine dipping would have been a must.

Photo from La Cucina Italiana

After I made the cookies, I googled them and found the recipe at an on-line magazine called Swide with a section for food and travel.

The Candied Lemon Pistachio Cantucci Process

These cookies call for no fat, so they are very crisp, which pleases me. The recipe calls for candied lemons and I give you my quick short cut candy method, which is to take lemon peel that has no pith (no white part) and immerse in sugar for four or more hours.

At first the lemon will seem strong, but it mellows out once baked.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours. Take a break from social media and enjoy the real life adventure of conversation, food and laughter. xoxo

More Christmas Recipes

More Italian Christmas Cookies from Spinach Tiger

Cucidati, a Sicilian Fig Cookie

ItalianDate Cookie Rolled Sesame Seeds

Italian Ricotta Cookies

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

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Lemon Pistachio Biscotti

Very crispy biscotti made with lemon peel and pistachios, perfect for dipping into coffee, adapted from a recipe in La Cucina Italiana

Course Desserts

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 45

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour plus more for dusting
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup finely chopped lemon peel
• 3/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
• 3 large eggs lightly beaten

Candied Lemon Peel

• 2 lemons
• 1 cup sugar

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silpat
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Stir in candied lemon and nuts.
• Add in eggs until incorporated.
• Divide dough into 3 separate rolls, 9 inches long 1 1/2 inches wide.
• Bake logs for 25 minutes, rotating halfway through.
• Allow to cool five minutes. Transfer to cookie rack to cool completely.
• Slice diagonally, using a serrated knife into 1/2 inch slices.
• Bake standing up for 20 more minutes.
• Store for up to 2 weeks in airtight container.

Candied Lemon Peel

• Peel strips from each lemon, cutting away any white pith.
• Immerse in sugar for four hours or longer.
• Chop finely when dried enough.

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