Mediterranean Salad with Pasta

I didn't measure all my salad ingredients. I just put everything in a salad bowl and added as much as I liked. 

1 bag lettuce trio (iceberg, romain, green leaf)

1/2 bag 50/50 mix (spring mix, spinach)

 Cucumber diced

Grape tomatoes cut in half

Hard salami cut in small pieces 

Pepperoni cut in small pieces

Provolone cheese diced

Feta cheese 

Pepperoncini as many as you want

Rotini pasta cooked (pour some dressing on the noodles until you are ready to dress the salad)

DRESSING

1/3 cup oil (I used canola oil)

1/8 cup white balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves minced

1 Tbls white sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a mason jar with a lid, shake until blended. Pour over salad and enjoy

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Pickled Jalapeño's

This picture is of the peppers BEFORE I added the brine. I just wanted to see if they would fit in the jar.

Plus i added different peppers and some radishes.  

Pickled Jalapeño's

25-30 jalapeño peppers, or a mix of peppers

2 1/2 cups water

2 cups white vinegar

2 heaping Tbls minced garlic 

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt

Slice peppers into rounds

Put water, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt into a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar/salt is dissolve.  Bring to a boil.

Take off of heat and add in the peppers.  Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. 

Place peppers into 3 pint sized jars.  Pour in enough pickling liquid to cover peppers.  Allow to come to room temperature, then screw on lid and store in the refrigerator. 

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Hot Pepper Relish

Hot Pepper Relish

24 Jalapeno's (I replaced some of the jalapeno's for Serrano peppers because they are red and gave it a nice color)

3 medium onions

3 cups vinegar

2 cups water

2 Tbls sea salt

2 tsp cumin

2 Tbls sugar

Wash and cut off the stems of the jalapeno's.  Cut up jalapeno's and onions and put in food processor. Process to a fine chunks.

You can remove the seeds and membranes to make a milder relish. I left them in, it was hot but tolerable for me. 

Add peppers, onions, vinegar, water, salt, sum in and sugar to a large pot. 

Stir and bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Canning:  If you are going to can the relish, get your jars ready, fill them and process them for 10 minutes in a water bath.

If you want to decrease the heat you can add red bell peppers in place of some jalapeño's.

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Zucchini and Basil Soup with Coconut Milk

The color of this soup looks unappealing, but it really is good. 

I had so much zucchini, onions and basil from my garden I had to do something with them before it all went to waste. 

Zucchini and Basil Soup with Coconut Milk

1/4 cup of olive oil (I used Tuscan flavored)

3/4 cup diced onions

2 cloves of garlic

1 jalopeno pepper diced (optional)

2 Lbs diced zucchini

1 tsp salt

2 cups water ( I used organic chicken broth, you can used vegetable broth if vegetarian)

1/3 cup packed basil leaves

1/4 c - 1/2 cup coconut milk

Add oil to a pan, sauté onions, garlic and jalopeno until soft.

Add zucchini and salt to the onions, garlic and jalopenos.

saute for 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups of water/broth

cook for 15 minutes until veggies soft.

Let cool and add to a blender and add the basil leaves. 

Add 1/4 cup of coconut to start with. Add more to get the right consistency of soup.

Put the blended soup through a strainer. 

Enjoy.

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Spaghetti Salad

1 lbs spaghetti

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large tomato, diced (I used 1 container of sungold baby tomatoes orange yellow color)

1 english cucumber, diced, about 1 cup or less (has less seeds, but you can use a regular cucumber)

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (I put it in the blender to make it like sawdust texture)

8 oz of zesty italian dressing recipe below

2 Tbls salad supreme seasoning (I used store bought)

DRESSING

1/2 cup of white vinegar or any kind of your choice

1/2 cup of canola oil

1 Tbls of water

1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp white sugar

1/2 Tbls dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/8 tsp celery salt

1/2 TBls salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix everything in a mason jar and shake until mixed.

Boil water, when boiling, snap noodles in half and add to boiling water. when done,  rinse with cold water

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. 

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Smoked Sausage and Rice

 Smoked Sausage and Rice

1 Tbls olive oil (I used green chili olive oil)

1   lbs package smoked sausage, cut in 1/4 dice

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp creole seasoning

1/8 tsp cumin

1 1/2 cups white, long grain rice, rinsed and dried

3 cups chicken stock

Add olive oil to a frying pan, add smoked sausage and brown.

Remove sausage to a bowl for later.

To same frying pan add carrots and celery and fry for around 4 mins to soften.

Add garlic and seasonings for a minute.

Add rice and cook for about 3 minutes

Add chicken broth. bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. 

Cover the frying pan with a lid and cook on low for 15 minutes.

Stir in smoked sausage and eat. 

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I used this kind of Smoked sausage and used the entire package.

Asian Beef

HOMEMADE ASIAN SAUCE

1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce

4 Tbls brown sugar (recipe called for 5 Tbls but I cut it down and added crushed red peppers)

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp ginger (I used fresh minced but I think the recipe meant ground ginger)

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp crushed red peppers (my husband likes it spicy) Optional

Put everything in a mason jar, shake to mix.

Put it in the refrigerator until your ready to use.

BEEF

Olive oil for frying

Top sirloin steak (mine was .90 lbs for $8.99), cut in thin strips against the grain

1 basket of sliced mushrooms

3 large bundles of broccoli, cut in small pieced

You can add other veggies cut up.. carrots, onions ext

Stir fry noodles or rice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add olive oil to a large pan, cook steak don't over crowed the pan. Cook them in batches otherwise you will steam the meat. 

Remove the meat and set aside.

Add more olive oil t the pan, add mushrooms and broccoli. Cook a few minutes until they begin to soften. 

In the meantime cook the noodles for 2 1/2 minutes in boil water, drain water and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking more.  

Add the sauce to the veggies.  Cook for a few minutes for the sauce to thicken. 

Add the beef and noodles. Stir

Transfer to a large bowl and enjoy.  

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