The Pajama Chef

SRC: Dijon Balsamic Orzo Salad

July 19, 2015July 20, 2015 Sarah

This orzo pasta salad is filled with all of my favorite flavors… dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Simple and sophisticated, this dish can fill all your summer party needs!

Ben and I moved to a new house this spring. Though we’re still in Nashville, we are on the other side of town, and as such, have had to get used to new everything. New grocery stores, new commutes, new running paths(!!!), new neighbors… and a new farmer’s market. Our local market is only a couple years old, and as such, is still pretty small. BUT size does not equal quality. Quality > quantity, ya know? Last weekend at the market, I couldn’t resist ALL the lovely tomatoes that have started to pop up. They’re juicy and sweet and oh-s0-pretty. And what better dish to celebrate summer tomatoes than a pasta salad?

This orzo and tomato pasta salad comes together, as its name implies, with a fantastic dijon-balsamic dressing. It’s funny, I found this recipe on Heather’s blog, Join Us, Pull Up a Chair. She’s my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month of July… and her family didn’t care for the salad very much due to the tanginess of the dressing. But I made it anyway. HA! I read the recipe before the blog post so that explains it. And the dressing was tangy, for sure. I adjusted the proportions a little but the balsamic and dijon flavors are pretty prominent and strong. If the dressing is too tangy for your taste, add more extra virgin olive oil, or add some honey. Ben and I thought it was perfect, a great pairing with the sweet tomatoes and fresh basil. MMM!

One of the reasons I love participating in the SRC is getting to check out the blogs of other foodies. There’s always SO many good recipes to choose from. Heather started her blog several years ago as way to organize all her recipes because they were taking over her office. I can relate to that! Some of the other recipes I found on her blog that I can’t wait to try include snickerdoodle biscotti, Kung Pao chickpeas, cranberry hootiecreeks [what an awesome name for a cookie!], and cranberry vanilla shortbread cookies. If any of those recipes sound up your alley, be sure to check out Heather’s blog! I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do. And don’t forget to make this dijon balsamic orzo salad, stat! Enjoy!

one year ago: Spicy Peanut Noodles with Kale and Edamame
two years ago: Ginger Banana Waffles
three years ago: Minty Asian Slaw
four years ago: Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Dijon Balsamic Orzo Salad

Servings: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
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slightly adapted from Join Us, Pull Up a Chair

Ingredients:

8 ounces orzo pasta [another small shape would work too]
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1 – 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, finely minced [if you really like garlic… if not, use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder]
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade

Directions:

Cook orzo according to package directions. While orzo is cooking, toss tomatoes and chickpeas together in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, oregano, and garlic. When pasta is cooked, drain and then place in bowl with the tomatoes. Stir together, then pour dressing and toss to coat. Season with pepper to taste, then stir in basil or use as a garnish.

If the dressing is too tangy for your taste, add more extra virgin olive oil, or add some honey.

Salad tastes great warm, at room temperature, or cold. Also, it doubles easily! Add other veggies or some cheese if desired.

Click below for more recipes from this month’s edition of the Secret Recipe Club!

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

July 19, 2015July 18, 2015 Sarah

Week of July 20

Monday: vegetarian red beans & rice
Tuesday: salmon burgers
Wednesday: dinner with friends
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: breakfast for dinner
Saturday: tofu noodle bowls with peanut sauce
Sunday: grilling out

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Baked Bacon-Blueberry Ricotta Pasta

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 Sarah

A luscious, creamy baked pasta with crisp bacon, succulent fresh corn, a pop of sweet blueberries, and a crunchy topping made out of a surprise ingredient. Intrigued now?

At my house, you can’t go wrong with baked pasta. Ben and I can eat an embarrassingly large portion of baked pasta at a single meal. Then after it’s wrapped up for the fridge, we are constantly opening it up and using a fork [or our fingers, sorry Mom] for another bite. There’s just something about baked pasta. From looking at the title of this recipe, Baked Bacon-Blueberry Ricotta Pasta, you’ve probably surmised that there’s at least something a little unusual with this pasta dish. Bacon and ricotta… pretty standard fare for Italian food. Blueberries? Now that’s a little odd, but it’s summer so sometimes berries creep into weird places. But then you look at that photo and you’re like, wait… is that oats? On pasta? Ummm, what’s going on? Well, that my friends, is granola. Granola?!?! Well, yes. That’s what my husband said too. Ha!

I developed this recipe as my entry in the Golden Girl Granola Blogger Recipe Challenge. When I first received the package of Bluesberry Granola I planned to use it in a breakfast dish, such as french toast or breakfast quesadillas, or the like. But it’s a contest, and I figured everyone would do that. So I did something different! And guess what? It worked!

The sweetness of the blueberry, almond, and coconut granola [which is SO delicious, btw] is cut by the salty bacon, creamy ricotta, and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese mixed into the topping. I also mixed in some fresh sweet corn since I can’t get enough of that in the summertime, and a handful of herbs from my garden. Perfection on a plate! This isn’t your average pasta dish… it’s even better! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

one year ago: Coffee Blondies
two years ago: Pineapple Cream Pie
three years ago: Grandma’s Blueberry Muffins
four years ago: Linda’s Caramel Ritz Bits Crackers

Baked Bacon-Blueberry Ricotta Pasta

Servings: 6
Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta* [I used Trottole, a curly, thick, corkscrew shape but any small pasta would do]
*1 cup reserved pasta water
4 strips of bacon
15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup corn [frozen or fresh]
1 cup blueberries
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
a small handful of fresh basil, minced
a small handful of fresh lemon thyme
white pepper
sea salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup Bluesberry Granola – from Golden Girl Granola
5-6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10 inch round casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp, then drain on a paper towel. Chop when cool.

Then, stir together ricotta cheese, corn, blueberries, rosemary, basil, and lemon thyme until combined. [If you don’t have these herbs, substitute about 1/4 cup fresh herbs of choice, or ~1 teaspoon dried herbs.] Season with white pepper and sea salt, then taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Then add egg and bacon and stir again.

When pasta is finished cooking, reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta. Fold pasta into ricotta mixture, adding reserved pasta water in 1/4 cup increments until sauce evenly coats pasta. Spoon pasta into prepared casserole dish.

In a small bowl, gently crush granola with the back of a wooden spoon until just broken down. Mix in Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle mixture over pasta. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until heated through. Serve immediately.

Disclosure: Golden Girl Granola sent me one bag of granola of my choice for the purposes of participation in this recipe challenge. I received no further compensation and was not asked or paid to publish positive comments. Please check them out on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find their products in various stores on the east coast. Thank you for the chance to try your granola!

Guest Post Links, Recipes, Sides, Vegetables

Corn and Blueberry Salad

July 15, 2015July 14, 2015 Sarah

This simple corn salad has a pop of sweetness, a little cheese, and lots of yum. One bite and you’ll be hooked!

You’re going to LOVE this amazingly flavorful Corn and Blueberry Salad. The best of summer, right here! This salad is a guaranteed hit… and it takes just a few minutes to throw together and uses ONLY seven ingredients! What’s not to love?

I shared the recipe on Thriving Home, so check it out now! Enjoy!

Main Dishes, Recipes, Turkey

Turkey Sloppy Joes

July 13, 2015July 11, 2015 Sarah

These turkey sloppy joes are full of great flavors and are super easy to throw together after a long day! Plus, this recipe freezes well so make a big batch to enjoy another time too!

Summertime makes me think of sloppy joes. I know they’re stereotypically a “kid food” that comes out of a can. However, I don’t really remember eating them until later in life. I always skipped over them in the lunch line in elementary school, so it wasn’t until I worked at a summer camp in college that I really ate them regularly. At camp, you eat what you get… or you eat PBJs. 🙂 And you’re hungry from being outdoors ALL day long, so you really DO want to eat, no matter what’s on the menu. Those were some of the best summers of my life and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. If you work at camp, you’ll understand I’m sure.

Around this time, my mom started making homemade sloppy joes using this recipe from the Neely’s. While I love that recipe, it isn’t quite as good with ground turkey so I started trying other recipes online. And this is a recent one I tried that we LOVED! So of course, I had to share it. 🙂 It’s BBQ sauce based, meaning it tastes like a million bucks with minimal effort [read: no measuring a zillion spices]. Just give this a quick 20 minute simmer after cooking the turkey and veggies, and you are golden! It’s not too sweet, not too tangy… absolutely perfect.

I’m not much of a “freezer cooking” kind of girl but I do like to make big batches of our favorite meals and freeze some of it for a future busy night. This recipe freezes great, and is a great one to double! I like to let it cool and pop half into a freezer bag for another time, but something else you could try is portioning it out into smaller tupperware containers that you could grab for a work lunch or single serving dinner. I think I’m too messy of an eater to eat sloppy joes in the middle of the work day, but I really like the idea now so I just might try it! 🙂 Enjoy!

one year ago: BBQ Baked Spaghetti
two years ago: Honey Lemon Thyme Iced Tea
three years ago: Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes
four years ago: Spiced Waffles

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Servings: 6
Time: 45 minutes
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slightly adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
1 cup sweet bell peppers [I used red, yellow, and orange mini peppers]
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground turkey
8 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce [I like Sweet Baby Ray’s]
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
freshly ground black pepper
red pepper flakes, if desired
hamburger buns, for serving

Directions:

In a large skillet set over medium heat, heat olive oil. When it’s hot, add onion and peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic at the end and cook an extra 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Remove veggies from pan and place in a bowl.

Then, add the turkey to the skillet and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. Drain any grease if necessary. Then add veggies back to the pan, along with the tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, tomato paste, hot sauce, and brown sugar. Stir to combine.

Reduce heat to medium-low, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste and season with red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Additional brown sugar or even ketchup can be used if the sauce is too tangy/tart. Serve on hamburger buns and enjoy!

This recipe also freezes well!