Italian Chopped Salad

I'm always on the lookout for quick, easy, and delicious lunch ideas for myself - since it's only my youngest at home with me now weekdays. I found this recipe and it was SO good! It makes a big salad, so I kept the dressing separate so I could eat it over several days. I ate about 1/4 of the salad for lunch - my 16-month also really enjoyed it!

Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Salad:
3 cups chopped romaine hearts
15-oz can chickpeas, drained
12-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup cubed salami
1 cup cubed Provolone
3/4 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup mini pepperoni
1/2 cup sliced green onions

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients into a jar and shake until completely combined. (You could also use your blender, streaming the olive oil in last.)

In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients. Add the dressing and toss to coat.


(Original recipe here)

Sage Pesto

With an abundance of sage growing in my garden this year, I needed to figure out a way to use it. Since I was making pesto with my basil, I thought I'd try it with sage. It was delicious, and would be perfect to top a pork loin. Again, pesto also freezes well (you can put it in ice cube trays to portion it out).

1 head garlic
3 cups fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
3-5 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tsp lemon juice
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the top off the garlic head and place on foil; drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Close up the foil, leaving a bit of room for air, and place in oven for 45-50 minutes. (Once it's done, the cloves will squeeze right out of the papery outer layer.)

Put the sage, garlic, parsley, almonds, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor. Start the food processor and stream in the olive oil. Blend until smooth.

Basil and Roasted Garlic Pesto

With an abundance of basil growing in my garden this year, I needed to figure out a way to use it. I also grew flat-leaf parsley, so pesto was an obvious choice. This recipe is super simple, you just need to take the time to roast the garlic. You could leave it raw, but I like the more muted (but enhanced) flavor of roasted garlic. Pesto also freezes really well.

1 head garlic
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
3-5 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp lemon juice
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the top off the garlic head and place on foil; drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Close up the foil, leaving a bit of room for air, and place in oven for 45-50 minutes. (Once it's done, the cloves will squeeze right out of the papery outer layer.)

Put the basil, garlic, parsley, pine nuts, cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor. Start the food processor and stream in the olive oil. Blend until smooth.