Easy Ramen Noodle Salad

My life has moved to the fast lane the last couple of weeks.  I have had a ton of activities and outings going on every week, which is unusual for me.  I tend to like to have lots of time at home, but I have been trying to be more social, and to let Fox interact with friends more often, and that has meant much less time at home.  It has been great (and slightly exhausting for my little introverted self), but dinner prep has definitely suffered.

So this type of meal has been so great.  It is about 15-20 minutes of prep from start to finish (even faster if you are using a bagged coleslaw mix), pretty healthy, and delicious.  You could add some chicken to it, if you felt like you wanted a little extra bulk or protein, but I think it is pretty great just how it is.

Easy Ramen Noodle Salad:

1 bag coleslaw mix or 1/2 cabbage head, thinly sliced and 1-2 thinly sliced carrots
2-3 packages ramen noodles (the 25 cent kind)
1/2 cup peanut sauce (see recipe below)
toasted, salted peanuts, for garnish

Prep your vegetables and your peanut sauce.  Cook your noodles (without the seasonings packet.  You can discard that, or save it for another project) according to the package directions.  Plate by layer in the cabbage/carrot mix on the bottom, top with ramen noodles, and finish with peanut sauce and peanuts.

Peanut Sauce: 
adapted from The Veg Life
1/2 cup vegetable broth (or warm water with a dash of marjoram and turmeric)
3 Tbs smooth natural peanut butter
2 Tbs honey or maple syrup
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
a small splash of lime juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder

In a medium sized jar or bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until smooth.

Enjoy!

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Harvest Quinoa Salad

***this post is in collaboration with Anolon.  All opinions are my own.  As always, thank you, thank you for supporting the brand that make this blog possible. You guys are the best!

As I get older, I am finding that quality is much more important than quantity to me (as is evidenced by many, many of the posts on this blog).  I would rather have one great pair of jeans that makes me feel like a million bucks than 10 pairs of jeans that make me feel fat or ugly.  

The same is true in my kitchen.  I want to love all my dishes and cooking equipment, and have them last for a long time, especially now that I am blogging and need to take photos of a lot of my food.  Good and beautiful cooking equipment is essential for me.  

For a long time, we only had two small frying pans, and many of my recipes had to be transferred mid-cooking, because they were overflowing.  It was the worst.  Then I got this gorgeous stainless steel frying pan from Anolon.  It was life changing.  Seriously. 

It is huge, so it holds a large salad like this one pictured here, my pot pie sauces and just about anything else you could throw at it.  It has a nice large lid, and has a fancy copper stripe around the bottom right above the base.  And it cleans up beautifully.  It is a heavy, high quality pan that will last me for years.  And I really look forward to keeping it for a long, long time.  

If you need a new pan, this one's for you.  Trust me, it is fabulous, and you won't regret it!  

Harvest Quinoa Salad:
serves 4-6

1 Tbs olive oil
1 red pepper, destemmed, seeded and diced
1 cup fresh green beans, cut
2 medium carrots, ends chopped off, cut into wheels, and then quartered to create little chunks
1/2 small onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.

In your fabulous Anolon 12" skillet, heat your oil over medium on the stove.

Add the onion and carrot and sauté for about 7-8 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften and the onion is translucent.

In a smaller pot or frying pan, heat the balsamic vinegar over medium, until it begins to boil.  Turn the heat to low and let it cook for about 3 minutes, until it thickens (turn on your stove vent, or you might pass out from the fumes).

While the vinegar is reducing, add the beans, and pepper to the frying pan with the onions and carrots, and cook them, stirring occasionally for another 2 or 3 minutes.

When the beans and red pepper are beginning to soften, add the cooked quinoa, and stir.  Remove from the heat, and plate.  Pour the reduced vinegar over the top, and enjoy.

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Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Everyone needs a go-to pasta sauce recipe.  This is mine.  I have been a longtime fan of Mel, and this recipe is one of my very favorites.  Her original recipe features sun-dried tomatoes (which are terrific, btw), but I decided to throw in something a little more exciting to highlight the summery nature of this recipe!  These Mezzetta roasted red bell peppers are mild enough for a kid to eat, but add a hint of spiciness and a lot of flavor to the sauce!  

This recipe is the perfect base for your grilled meats: chicken, steak or maybe even pork!  Hopefully you can get your grill on with this recipe!  

If you love entering giveaways, like I do, hop over to the Mozzetta contest page to enter their summer grilling giveaway to get yourself set up for all your summer patio parties!  The prize pack is pretty epic and will make your summer eating delicious!

Original recipe source here

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Vegetarian Lemon Basil Pasta

Remember how I told you that I am obsessed with lemon zest and salt right now?  I put it on my granola, I put it on my ice cream, and now, here it is on a fresh summer pasta!  This pasta was me trying to use up a few last (random) things from our kitchen in Austin, but it turned out deliciously!  I was very impressed with the lemon, chickpea, basil blend. 

I really should experiment more often!  And I plan on doing it a lot once we get to the house we are renting this summer.  I just walked through it this week, and I am super excited, because it is beautiful! I think it will be a really great move for us, even if it will only last the summer!  Happy weekend! 

Vegetarian Lemon Basil Pasta:
Serves 4

1 package spaghetti noodles, angel hair or linguine
3-5 Tbs basil pesto (homemade or from the store)
1 14-oz can rinsed chickpeas
1 Tbs olive oil
1 bunch basil leaves, washed and thinly sliced.
1 lemon, zested
1 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided

Preheat your oven to 400°F.  On a rimmed baking sheet, lined with a silicone mat, pour your chickpeas in an even layer.  Pour the olive oil over the top and then toss to coat the chickpeas.  Sprinkle with one teaspoon of sea salt and toss again. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown and slightly crisp.

While you are baking the chickpeas (ideally, about 10-12 minutes baking), prepare your noodles according to package directions.

Once the noodles are done, drain the water out, and immediately mix in the pesto.  Sprinkle the basil leaves over the top.

Once the chickpeas are done, remove them from the oven, pour over the top of the pasta.  Sprinkle pasta with lemon zest and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (if this seems like too much for you, set the sea salt on the table to be sprinkled on individual servings, as needed)


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Ad: Mediterranean Meatball Tacos

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #UncompromisingFlavor #CollectiveBias

Summertime is the perfect time for pool parties, picnics and barbecues with friends and family. But one of the hard things about entertaining is always the food prep.  It usually involves so much chopping, cooking and sweating.

I love making a meal completely from scratch, but there are days when that is beyond me, especially when we are entertaining friends or taking our food somewhere, like the pool or a park.  And, as much as I love getting take-out, some days you just want a home cooked meal to take along.

Last week, I stopped by HEB (our local grocery store) for a few extra ingredients for our weekly taco night, and picked up these delicious Aidells® meatballs.

When we were in France last summer, I made some Mediterranean-inspired tacos that were delicious, but I used a French sausage that I couldn't replicate here in the States.  These Aidells® meatballs were the perfect replacement meat and really, really good. Plus, because the meatballs were pre-cooked, so the prep time was much faster!

Seriously, this is like a 30-minute meal.  Just cook your peppers and onions, heat up your meatballs and tortillas, throw your sauce  in a food processor for a quick spin and dinner is done! A healthy, filling and delicious meal in minutes!

I really love that Aidells® meat products have no nitrates, no MSG and have no artificial ingredients. If I am going to buy a pre-made product, or a meat product in general, that is what I look for.  High quality, all-natural, and organic, if possible.

H-E-B currently has coupons for a bunch for Aidells® products, so if you live near an H-E-B, you should totally check them out! You can also find the coupon online, by going to the H-E-B website, choosing your local store, and searching for Aidells®.

Have you ever tried meatballs in a taco?  If you haven't, you should definitely consider them!  They are a pretty awesome addition to a taco!

You can find Aidells® lunchmeat in the refrigerated meat section with the natural and organic meats. The meatballs are in the section just next to it, by the natural prepared meats.  

I am typically not a big fan of lunchmeat, but Aidells® lunchmeat was SUPER good!  I ate it panini style on homemade hamburger buns with basil pesto and cream cheese... um, yes!  So delicious!

Mediterranean Meatball Tacos: 

Serves 4

Taco Filling: 

1 package Aidells® Italian Style with Mozzarella Cheese Meatballs

1/2 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

1 Tbs olive oil

1 red bell pepper, de-stemmed and thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, de-stemmed and thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced, with tops and bottoms removed

1/4 cup feta cheese

8 flour tortillas

Sun-dried Tomato Dressing: 

1/3 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1. Get your peppers, onions and lettuce all ready to go.

2.  Put the oil in the bottom of a large skillet and turn to medium heat.  Add the onions and let them cook until they begin are translucent and softening.  Stir occasionally, to keep them from browning.

3.  Add the peppers, stir a few times, then cover with a lid for about 5 minutes to allow the peppers to soften.

4.  Meanwhile, open your meatball package, put them in another frying pan. Heat them for 8-10 minutes, following package directions.  I covered mine with a lid while they were cooking, to help them heat faster. 

5.  Throw all the dressing ingredients into a small food processor, or blender and blend until smooth.  If the consistency is too thick, add a few tablespoons of milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

7.  Heat your flour tortillas in the microwave, in a skillet or on a griddle, until they are warm.  

8.  Top tortillas with lettuce, your soft pepper mixture, feta cheese, meatballs and dressing. Enjoy!

All in all, a number of dirty dishes, but a terrifically delicious result that is sure to wow family and friends!  If you make this dish (or anything else from my site), I would love to see in on Instagram!  Just tag me in the photos and label it #measureandwhisk!  

Save this recipe for later!  Pin the image below!  

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