Perfect Pasta Salad

I love a great pasta salad loaded with fresh veggies and coated with a tasty vinaigrette, but I rarely make it because I had never been completely satisfied with the results - until now. I found an article, Five Steps to Perfect Pasta Salad, on Allrecipes and it lists the five steps you need to create a perfect pasta salad.

The author, Pam Anderson, starts out by saying, "I teach cooking classes across the country, and as often as a possible, I demonstrate pasta salad. Why? Because people make it all the time. (When's the last time you attended a potluck that didn't have a pasta salad?) But rarely do these sturdy, colorful, economical salads taste as good as they look. They can be dry, bland, oily, sharp or uninteresting."

So with Pam's five steps in mind I created an irresistible, perfect pasta salad using veggies and herbs from my garden.

Step 1. Pasta. I used a box of Barilla Plus Elbows. I boiled it as directed in a gallon of boiling water seasoned with 2 tablespoons of salt.


Step 2. Key ingredients. She recommends using 2 lbs. of at least 3 major ingredients. I used crookneck squash, carrots, cucumber, grape tomatoes, and left over rotisserie chicken, cut into bite sized pieces. The squash and the carrots needed to be cooked a bit before adding so that they were tender-crisp. She recommends adding the vegetables to the cooking pasta during the last minute of boiling.

Drain but do not rinse the pasta and the vegetables. Pour them onto a large-lipped cookie sheet to cool and dry.

Step 3. Intense flavors. Add 1/2 cup of a strong flavored ingredient. I used grated Parmesan cheese.

Step 4. Onions & herbs. "No matter what else is in your pasta salad, always add three large green onions, sliced, or half of a small red onion, diced." I added green onions that I had already chopped and were in the freezer. (I was tired of throwing away green onions that would go bad in the fridge because I only needed one or two. Now I chop up all the green onions and what I don't need I put in a Ziploc in the freezer.)

Also add 3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs and/or 2 teaspoons orange or lemon zest. I used lime zest that I had in the freezer and it added a really fresh flavor, and fresh parsley from my garden.

Step 5. Dressing. Add 1 cup dressing to coat the salad. Although you can prepare the salad in advance, she recommends dressing the salad only 15 minutes before serving. She gives two recipes for dressings, but I was given a bottle of Wish-Bone Bountifuls Tuscan Romano Basil Dressing to try, so I used that on the salad and it was terrific. I looked for it at the grocery store to buy another bottle, but they were out. So I guess I'm not the only one who really liked it.

Thanks to Pam I'm no longer intimidated by pasta salad. She has so many great ideas and suggestions in the article, it really is something that you should print out and keep as a guide. I know I have!

March of Dimes Signature Chefs Gala and Auction

I am pleased to have the opportunity to help with the annual Signature Chefs Gala and Auction for the March of Dimes Utah Chapter. If you are a business owner, or have a connection to a business which you think would be interested in increasing their exposure while supporting the wonderful work of The March of Dimes, please email me your (their) contact information.

You can also help support the March of Dimes by blogging about this fun event on your blogs as well as on Twitter.

Thanks,
Barbara
BarbaraBakes@gmail.com

The March of Dimes annual Signature Chefs Gala and Auction will be held on November 14, 2009 at the Hilton Hotel Salt Lake City Center. This fun, semi-formal evening features a cocktail reception, gourmet sampling of foods prepared and served by 15 to 20 of the finest Chefs in Salt Lake, and an exciting Live and Silent Auction. Over 350 people will attend this event that highlights Utah’s chefs while raising money for the March of Dimes to help save millions of babies from death and disability.


We invite you to make a difference by becoming a Sponsor or contributing to our Silent or Live Auction. We will acknowledge your gift in our event program and through our silent auction display. We will also be happy to display your business cards or brochures to further your visibility. Should you wish to donate an item with a fair market value of over $1,000 we will also recognize you through the live auction or our “super silent” auction which will include a bidding frenzy that our emcee will recognize from the podium.

Sponsors receive a special, reserved table with priority seating for ten guests. In addition to having your business name and logo in front of top business owners, government officials, the medical community and local media, this is a wonderful evening for you and your colleagues to enjoy an elegant, fun, exciting night of auctions. This is a wonderful  networking opportunity and provides a visual of your company supporting a well known, trusted organization that raises funds to save the lives of babies.

Please help us make sure every baby gets the healthy start in life they deserve. Utah has the highest birth rate in the country. Unfortunately, over the last decade Utah has also had the highest increase in the rate of babies born preterm or prematurely. One in 9 babies is born preterm or 14 babies are born too soon every day here in Utah. Premature birth is the leading cause of babies dying in their first month of life. Prematurity can lead to long-term health problems like mental retardation, blindness, chronic lung problems and cerebral palsy. Premature babies are not just small babies; they are babies that are not finished developing. Your support is vital to the vision of a future where all babies are born full-term and healthy.

This year's Signature Chefs include: Zane Holmquist, Stein Eriksen Lodge,The Glitretind; Eric May: Blue Boar Inn; Elio Scanu: Zucca; Gabrielle McAffe: Café Madrid.

Please visit http://www.marchofdimes.com/Utah/ for more information about the March of Dimes and the Signature Chefs Gala and Auction.

Daring Bakers Dobos Torta

The August 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers’ cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Lorraine is my blogging friend and she's a very talented cook. I knew if she was helping with the challenge it would be something really challenging! And this torte recipe definitely was challenging for me! The Dobos Torta is a five-layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel.

Deeba called it simple yet complicated. Rosa described it as laborious and nearly traumatizing. (Both of their beautiful posts cracked me up.) Somewhere along the line I underestimated how time consuming and frustrating this recipe would be.

My cake layers were thinner than I expected and I had the same rushed feeling as Deeba. Trying to spread one layer out while another layer is baking, while at the same time trying to take another layer off the parchment. My buttercream frosting started out great, but when I added the chocolate it all deflated. The one bright spot was my caramel layer which I think turned out just right!

As a Daring Baker should, I persevered to the end and put the cake together as best I could. I am not a buttercream fan, so this cake was not my favorite, but I learned a lot and best of all I got to use my new scale for measuring!


Please visit Lorraine or Angela's for the full recipe, and be sure and check out all the amazing Dobos Tortes on the Daring Bakers’ blogroll.

Chipotle Barbecued Ribs & Giveaway Winner

If you’re living “high on the hog” you’ve probably eaten baby back ribs, which comes from high up on the rib and is meaty and flavorful. BBQ baby back ribs have become a summer time favorite at our house.

This terrific rib recipe was printed in the Salt Lake Tribune in June 2000. The recipe was given to the Trib by Todd Hicks from the Market Street Broiler, a great Utah restaurant.

The ribs are baked in the oven before putting them on the grill. You can do this earlier in the day or even the day before, which is great if you want to take them on a camping trip or to a BYOM BBQ.

Before I started using this recipe I struggled with ribs that might be raw on the inside and burned on the outside. Now my ribs are perfect every time.

Chipotle Barbecued Ribs

2 racks of baby back ribs, weighing 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lbs each
1 T. salt
1/2 T ground black pepper
1 quart water
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 springs parsley, minced

Cut the racks of ribs in half and rub with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350º. Place ribs, water, celery, onion and parsley in a shallow baking pan and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

BBQ the ribs for about 10 minutes on medium high heat turning often to avoid flare ups. Coat the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce and cook 10 minutes more, turning often and adding more sauce with each turn. The sugar in the BBQ sauce burns easily, so watch them closely, turn often and moving them around on the grill if necessary.

Original recipe:
Sauce ingredients:
1 cup of favorite barbecue sauce
1 small tomato, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 chipotle pepper, finely diced
1 T. cilantro, finely minced

Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together. After the ribs have cooked, remove from baking pan. Coat the ribs with sauce, place them on a cookie sheet, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

---

Thanks to everyone who entered the Xagave Giveaway! You have given me some great ideas on ways I can eat better. The winner is Reeni at Cinnamon & Spice. Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the Xagave as much as I have.

Agave Nectar Giveaway & Raspberry Peach French Toast

I'm excited to announce my first giveaway! The nice folks at Xagave have generously offered to send one of my readers an 18 ounce bottle of their delicious Xagave Agave Nectar along with a 129 page cookbook filled with delicious recipes and ideas on ways to use Xagave.

Xagave is a Premium Blend of Agave Nectar derived from organic Agave Salmiana (White Agave) and organic inulin from Agave Tequilana (Blue Agave). It is a low Glycemic Index food. It contains no artificial additives or artificial sweeteners. Xagave is 1.4 times sweeter than sugar so you use less. Typically, you substitute 1/2 cup of Xagave for every cup of sugar which saves between 25 to 40% in carbohydrate calories.

To enter just leave me a comment telling me changes you've made to make your baking/eating more healthy. Entries will be accepted until Saturday, August 22 at midnight. This giveaway is for US residents only.



This month I posted several great recipes using Xagave. One of my favorite recipes was Baked Blueberry French Toast. My family liked this raspberry peach version even better.

Baked Raspberry Peach French Toast

6 slices sourdough French bread, torn (I used some orange cranberry bread from the Farmer's Market - yum!)
4 eggs
1 cup 1% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cardamon
1/4 cup agave syrup
3 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups peaches
1/2 cup raspberries
1/4 cup butter, melted

Place bread into a jelly roll pan. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, half-and-half and vanilla together, pour over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight. Combine agave, cardamon, and cornstarch together, gently mix in peaches and raspberries and place in a greased 13"x9" baking pan. Place chilled bread mixture on top of blueberry mixture; drizzle butter over bread. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Adapted from Baked Blueberry French Toast: Christy's Kitchen Creations (Gooseberry Patch "Hometown Favorites")

Daring Cooks Rice with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes

This month's Daring Cooks challenge hosted by Olga from Las Cosas de Olga and Olga’s Recipes is Rice with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes. Since I'm allergic to fish and seafood I substituted chicken. This recipe is easy, delicious, time consuming, but a really fun challenge.

It included three elements: a Sofregit, Allioli, and the Rice. I have never had paella before but this dish came together quite easily. The allioli was a bit of a challenge for me because I didn't have a pastel and mortar. I used an immersion blender in a cylinder, which worked, but I had to keep scraping it out and it was a little frustrating. But the allioli really added a ton of flavor to the dish.

The recipe for this delicious meal can be found on the Daring Kitchen's website.

Palm Leaf Plates

Marx Foods was kind enough to send me a dozen of their Eco-friendly Palm Leaf Plates to try. I choose the rectangle ones because I thought they would be great for a BBQ. I decided to try them the other night with my Teriyaki chicken, grilled pineapple, and fresh corn on the cob. I felt like I should put on a lei and some tropical music.

I really liked how nice and sturdy these plates are and their raised sides. They are biodegradable plates and a renewable resource. "Naturally discarded sheaths of the leaves of the Adaka palm tree are collected from the forest floor. No trees are cut down." The rectangle plates were a bit smaller than I had imagined, perhaps better suited to a fun Asian meal than a BBQ. Next time I'll have to use the large square palm leaf plates for a BBQ.

Agave Teriyaki Sauce

Today is the last day of my week of Agave recipes. I've appreciated everyone that stopped and all the great comments. I had fun trying the agave in different recipes and thinking about ways to reduce the sugar and calories in the foods I'm making.

I never make Teriyaki chicken at home before because one of my sons doesn't like sauce on this chicken. But my nephew recommend this Teriyaki Sauce recipe from the Xagave cookbook, so I decided to try it and see how it would go over. I was so surprised when my sauceless son said, "Mom, this chicken is really good." And it was really good.

I grilled the chicken and added the sauce the last few minutes of the cooking time so that it would have time to caramelize just a bit but not burn. I cut the recipe in half and still had some left over. Here's the recipe cut in half.

Agave Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 T. white rice vinegar
3 T. Xagave
1 1/2 t. minced garlic
1 1/2 t. minced ginger
1 T. corn starch (mixed with 1 T. water)

Combine all ingredients (except corn starch) in a blender. Pour blended ingredients in pan and bring to boil. Once sauce begins to boil, immediately reduce to simmer. Mix corn starch and water and add to sauce, stirring constantly until thickens (about one minute.)

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

I had lots of crookneck squash sitting on my counter waiting to be used, so I decided to make the zucchini bread recipe in the Xagave cookbook with the crookneck. My kids love the Costco chocolate muffins, so I decided I would also add some chocolate to make them happy. I didn't want to wait 50 minutes for a bread to bake, so I made muffins instead.

The batter was more the consistency of a cake batter than a muffin batter - a little bit runny - but they baked up light and tender. As with many quick breads, they got more moist the longer they sat. I sprinkled chocolate chips on top to add to the chocolate taste. The kids did complain a little bit about the texture, but they gobbled up three each, so overall I'd say we all liked them.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

3 eggs, well beaten
1 1/3 cup Xagave
2 cups raw, grated zucchini (I used crookneck)
3 t. vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 t. salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325º. Combine eggs, oil, Xagave, squash, vanilla and mix well. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Divide batter into 24 muffin cups and sprinkle tops with chocolate chips. Bake approximately 20 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash-Coconut Custard Pie

Katy at Food For a Hungry Soul posted this Weight Watcher's Spaghetti Squash-Coconut Custard Pie recipe recently and since I planted spaghetti squash in my garden I decided it was a great way to use squash and make a more healthy dessert.

My husband and kids turned up their noses at the thought of eating squash in a pie. But as Katy points out in her post, spaghetti squash takes on the flavors around it, so I was confident that I would like it. Not only did I like it, but my husband and I both loved it. My kids wouldn't try it, but I didn't even force them to try it, because my husband and I were happy to have it all to ourselves. I even had it for breakfast one day. Thanks Katy for sharing this recipe!

The sweetened coconut on top and texture of the spaghetti squash really make you think you are eating coconut cream pie - without a crust. I topped the pie with a little light Cool Whip.

Katy mentioned in her post that it wasn't sweet enough for her, so I changed the recipe a bit. I added 1/4 cup of agave syrup and used light coconut milk instead of skim milk. Here's my version:


Spaghetti Squash-Coconut Custard Pie

1 13.5 oz. can light coconut milk
1/4 c. agave syrup
6 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup cooked spaghetti squash
Grated sweetened coconut to sprinkle on top

Put all ingredients (except the spaghetti squash and the coconut) into a blender or food processor. Blend or process for three minutes until smooth. Stir in squash. Pour into a deep-dish 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Sprinkle a little coconut on top. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center come out clean.

Baked Blueberry French Toast

I saw this yummy baked blueberry french toast recipe on Christy's Kitchen Creations and knew right away that I would love it. I especially loved that you can prepare it the night before and pop into the oven in the morning.

I changed it up just a bit using cardamon and agave syrup instead of cinnamon and sugar. (I was able to cut the sweetener in half by using agave.) It was so delicious and easy! I liked it even better warmed up the next day. Stop by Christy's and see her beautiful picture. Mine just doesn't do it justice.


Baked Blueberry French Toast

6 slices sourdough French bread, torn
4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/4 cup agave syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups blueberries
1/4 cup butter, melted

Place bread into a jelly roll pan. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, half-and-half and vanilla together, pour over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight. Combine agave, cardamon, and cornstarch together, fold in blueberries and place in a greased 13"x9" baking pan. Place chilled bread mixture on top of blueberry mixture; drizzle butter over bread. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: Christy's Kitchen Creations (Gooseberry Patch "Hometown Favorites")

Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

Another of the yummy breakfast recipes in the Xagave cookbook is Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats. Steel cut oats have a nutty, crunchy taste and texture. I prefer mine a little softer, so I like to make it in the evening and then just warm up a bowl of it in the microwave in the morning.

Breakfast doesn't get much healthier than steel cut oats, but topped with a little fruit, some nuts, and a drizzle of agave, I still feel like I'm getting a sweet treat in the morning. (The picture is from the cookbook, mine looked sort of gray.)

Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1/2 t. salt (optional)
1 t. cinnamon
4 T. Xagave
1/2 cup of apple chunks or grated apple

Put all ingredients except apples into a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add apples for last five minutes of cooking. Pour into bowl and top with Xagave or Xagave Maple Syrup. Add nuts and milk to taste.

Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Blender Mix with Apple Cinnamon Topping

We've all heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day - it gets your metabolism going and stabilizes your blood sugar levels. Studies show if you eat a good breakfast you consume less calories during the day.

I like sugar in the morning. I'll always choose pancakes or waffles over an omelet or scrambled eggs. So I'm always looking for more healthful breakfast recipes and this is a great pancake recipe. This pancake recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour, only 1/4 cup of oil and just 2 T. agave.

My go to pancake recipe requires you to separate the eggs and beat the egg whites and then fold them in. This recipe is so much simplier and tastes light, fluffy, and delicious. This will be my new go to pancake recipe from now on.

The Apple Cinnamon topping is a great alternative to syrup. It uses only 1/3 cup of agave, cooks up in minutes and is deliciously sweet!




Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Blender Mix

1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs (1/2 cup egg beaters)
2 T. Xagave
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda

Put all wet ingredients into a blender and blend. Add dry ingredients and blend until just slightly lumpy (about 30 seconds). Heat griddle on medium-high (400º). Grease griddle. Pour batter onto griddle when hot (about 1/4 cup at a time) and cook until bubbles form and edges dry. Turn and cook other side.


Apple Cinnamon Topping

Two apples, cored and sliced
1 cup water
1/3 cup Xagave
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. corn starch

Put apples, water, Xagave and cinnamon in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer about 5 minutes until apples soften. Mix corn starch in 1 T. water and stir until all lumps are gone. Pour corn starch mix into apple mix while stirring slowly. Stir until topping thickens and begins to bubble. If it does not thicken to desired level quickly (about 1 to 2 minutes), repeat corn starch and water step. Serve hot over pancakes and waffles.

Agave Nectar - Strawberry Topping and Maple Syrup

I've been seeing lots of posts about Agave Nectar lately. So I was excited when my nephew told me he was helping to market Xagave and he offered to send me some along with a cookbook filled with delicious Xagave recipes.

Xagave is a Premium Blend of Agave Nectar derived from organic Agave Salmiana (White Agave) and organic inulin from Agave Tequilana (Blue Agave).

The benefits of using Xagave really appeal to me. It is a low Glycemic Index food. It contains no artificial additives or artificial sweeteners. Xagave is 1.4 times sweeter than sugar so you use less. Typically, you substitute 1/2 cup of Xagave for every cup of sugar which saves between 25 to 40% in carbohydrate calories.

I had fun trying many recipes last month using Xagave. Some from the cookbook and some that I adapted. I used up my first bottle and liked it so much that I bought another bottle. While I'm sure that I won't substitute agave in everything I make, I know it will be a staple in my pantry from now on. Each day this week I will post a recipe that uses Xagave.

Agave is the perfect sweetener for fruit. I loved it drizzled over cut up fruit for dessert. It also makes an easy and scrumptious fruit topping. The first recipes I tried from the cookbook were the Strawberry Topping and Better Then Maple Maple Syrup. I served it over whole wheat french toast.

This breakfast was a huge hit and my kids didn't even notice that the syrup was different than the pancake syrup I usually make. I have tried lots of low sugar/sugar alternative syrups in the past and wouldn't buy any of them again, but I will definitely make this Maple Syrup again.




Strawberry Topping

4 cups fresh frozen berries
1 cup water
1/2 cup Xagave
2 T. corn starch

Put berries and Xagave in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Mix corn starch in 2 T. water and stir until all lumps are gone. Pour corn starch mix into berry mix while stirring slowly. Stir until topping thickens (1 to 2 minutes) and begins to bubble. If it does not thicken to desired level within a minute or two, repeat corn starch and water step.


Better Than Maple Maple Syrup
(my version)

1 cup Xagave
3/4 t. natural maple flavoring
3/4 t. vanilla

Pour the maple flavoring in the Xagave and let it naturally absorb by gently rocking bottle or stirring. Do not shake or it will foam.