Berry Salad with Leafy Greens and Balls of Fresh Mozzarella

May 9, 2024 by 3 Comments

fresh berry. salad

This fresh berry salad is bright and flavorful and pretty to look at because of all the vibrant colors. It’s a showstopper salad to serve at your next big party or get- together. It literally goes with so many things you might have as a main course.

You might think, “fruit in a salad?” I’m here to say, “Oh yes!”

berry salad ingredients

Beautiful leafy greens are the base for this salad along with juicy, ripe fresh blueberries and strawberries. Creamy avocado, crisp cucumbers and red onion along with balls of bocconcini, fresh mozzarella. For the crunch factor there’s candied pecans and pepitas.

berries and mozzarella balls

Present this salad in one of your biggest bowls or prettiest platters and it will be the talk of the party when you bring it out.

Always dress it right before serving with a homemade vinaigrette, don’t use that bottled stuff!

Enjoy

5.0 from 1 reviews
Berry Salad with Leafy Greens and Balls of Fresh Mozzarella
 
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A showstopper summer salad to serve for your summer parties. and get-togethers.
Author:
Ingredients
  • The ingredient amounts are not listed, just go with the flow according how big your salad will be.
  • ****************
  • leafy greens for the base
  • fresh strawberries, sliced into quarters
  • fresh blueberries
  • bocconcini balls or pearl size fresh mozzarella
  • red onion
  • avocado, diced
  • cucumbers, seeds scooped out and sliced
  • candied pecans and pepitas, please find these, it goes so well
Instructions
  1. Place the base of the leafy greens into a beautiful big bowl or platter.
  2. Then arrange all the rest of the ingredients all around.
  3. Spoon the balsamic vinaigrette all around at the last minute before serving, salt and pepper to taste.
  4. **************
  5. HOMEMADE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
  6. /2 cups good olive oil
  7. /2 cup of a quality balsamic vinegar
  8. small garlic clove, grated
  9. a dollop of dijon mustard
  10. salt and pepper
  11. Shake it all together in a jar and taste for your liking, you can add a little honey if you want but I find that a good quality rich balsamic vinegar has sweetness to it and there's no need for it.

 

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3 Comments Filed Under: Fruit, Party Foods, Salads, Side Dishes, Summer Tagged: , , , , ,

Summertime Orzo Salad

April 18, 2024 by 2 Comments

summer orzo salad

Spring is officially here and the warmer weather has arrived and so has grilling season. I know you can grill all year long but I much prefer doing it in the warmer weather. This orzo salad is the perfect side dish to anything you’ll be putting on your grill.

orzo pasta

It’s bright, fresh, colorful, easy to serve, and great for summer parties because you can leave it out and eat it at room temp and you don’t have to worry about it spoiling.

pasta salad

You might want to throw some colored bell peppers on the grill and cook them ahead before you assemble this salad. I usually grill a red, yellow and  orange pepper ahead of time, a day or two before, the grilled peppers really give the salad a nice flavor.

grilling shrimp

And like I said this orzo salad goes with anything you put on the grill from seafood, veggies, pork, beef and chicken.

grilling chicken

This will be your go to summer entertaining salad and side dish, hope you enjoy!

Summertime Orzo Salad
 
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This orzo salad is your go to summer side dish and salad with whatever you're grilling outside.
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Ingredients
  • LIST OF INGREDIENTS, YOU CAN USE MORE OR LESS, DON"T WORRY ABOUT EXACT AMOUNTS.
  • 1 lb. orzo pasta, cooked and drained and cooled
  • 1 red yellow and orange bell peppers, grilled then diced
  • a mix of green castelvetrano and either nicoise or kalamata olives, you can slice them in half
  • 1 can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ can or so of canned artichoke hearts, drained
  • red onion, chopped
  • feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 or 2 handfuls of arugula
  • lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
  1. Toss everything together in a big bowl, adjusting for salt and pepper.
  2. FOR THE DRESSING
  3. /4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  4. small grated garlic clove
  5. teaspoon of dijon mustard
  6. /3 to ½ cup of olive oil
  7. salt and pepper to taste
  8. Place in a jar and shake or whisk it all together until it all emulsifies
  9. You can double the dressing if you like if you don't have enough

 

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2 Comments Filed Under: Party Foods, Pasta, Salads, Side Dishes, Summer Tagged: , ,

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Spring Vegetables

April 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment

springtime pasta

This creamy mushroom pasta is packed with spring vegetables and those chunky meaty mushrooms make it so cozy and delicious.

As far as mushrooms go feel free to chose your favorites, you can do all of one kind or a mix of a few different ones. Here I used a chef’s sampler of wild mushrooms that I bought at Costco.

spring vegetables

Fresh asparagus is in abundance right now and it’s the perfect addition along with fresh or frozen peas.

mushroom mixture

Sautéed together with shallots, garlic, some white wine and heavy cream which creates a rich and velvety cream sauce.

creamy mushroom mix

Oh and don’t forget to add in a healthy measure of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano to enhance the sauce even more!

spring veggies with pasta

Pick any pasta shape you like for this, it all works, although I wouldn’t do any small or tiny shape pasta.

pasta with peas

This spring pasta dish would be great for a weeknight meal or even a special occasion, especially if you add in some of those “fancy ” mushrooms.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Spring Vegetables
 
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a meaty mushroom pasta dish loaded with spring vegetables.
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Ingredients
  • 12 oz. of dry pasta, a shape of your choice
  • 1 lb. of mushrooms, either a mix of a few or one kind, use your favorite, sliced
  • 1 bunch of fresh asparagus cut into 1 inch slices
  • 1 heaping cup of fresh or frozen peas
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • splash of white wine
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 half a stick of butter
  • 1 cup of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
  1. In a large wide skillet melt the butter and add in the shallots, garlic and mushrooms, saute til wilted and mushrooms are cooked down.
  2. Note:
  3. Now if your skillet isn't big enough it's ok to saute the mushrooms and peas and asparagus one at a time, then put them altogether after they shrink down a bit and add your splash of white wine and let it cook a little bit.
  4. When vegetables are cooked down put your water on for the pasta.
  5. On a very low heat pour your heavy cream into the vegetable mix, stirring til it thickens, then shut off the heat and add in the grated cheese.
  6. Toss all that goodness into your cooked pasta and adjust with salt, pepper and more cheese if you like!
  7. Enjoy

 

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