Pineapple Rocket Salad

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Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients 

  • 4 cups torn arugula leaves
  • 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Mix arugula, pineapple, cilantro, and onion together in a salad bowl.

  2. Whisk vinegar, oil, maple syrup, and salt together in a small bowl; pour over salad and toss to coat.

Avocado Pasta

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Recipe courtesy of inspiredtaste.com

Ingredients 

  • 8 ounces dry pasta
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 1 green onion, finely sliced
  • 1 large ripe avocado
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely grated garlic
  • Juice from a quarter of a lemon
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of hot pasta water then drain pasta.
  2. Mash the avocado in a large bowl. Stir in the garlic and lemon juice then season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. Stir in a 1/4-cup of the reserved pasta water.
  4. Add pasta, tomatoes, and green onion then toss until the sauce coats the pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more pasta water. Serve

Carrot Cake

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Recipe courtesy of acouplecooks.com

Ingredients (Cake)

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups grated carrots (you can grate the carrots in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade)
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
  • ½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup canola or safflower oil
  • 4 large eggs

Ingredients (Frosting)

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 pound (3¾ cups) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
  • ½ cup shredded coconut, optional
  • Toasted finely chopped nuts and/or toasted coconut, for topping, optional

Directions

  1. For the cake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour three 9-inch round, 2-inch deep cake pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess.
  2. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins.
  3. Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a whisk, beat the sugar and oil together until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. If you are working in a mixer, reduce the speed to low, if you’re working by hand switch to a large rubber spatula, and gently stir in the flour mixture — mix only until the dry ingredients disappear. Just as gently, stir in the chunky ingredients.
  4. Divide the batter among the baking pans and slide the pans into the oven. Bake the cakes for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cakes are properly baked when a knife inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean; the cakes will just start to come away from the edges. Transfer the pans to cooling racks, cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool to room temperature. (At this point, the cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; thaw before frosting.)
  5. For the frosting: Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
  6. If you’d like to have coconut in the filling, scoop out about ½ of the frosting and stir the coconut into this portion.
  7. To frost the cake, place one layer of the cake, right-side up, on a cardboard round or a cake plate. If you’ve added coconut to the frosting, use half of coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer. Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake top-side down. Frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting. Top with the last layer, right-side up and use the plain frosting to cover the top — and the sides, if you want – of the cake. Finish the top layer with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle on these ingredients now, while the frosting is soft. Slide the cake into the refrigerator for 15 minutes, just to set the frosting.
  8. Serving: The cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper, overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and, while it’s good plain, it’s better with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or even some lemon curd with a little whipped cream folded in.
  9. Storing: Covered the cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen, uncovered, and then, when it is firmed, wrapped airtight and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months; defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight.

Pasta Primavera

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Recipe courtesy of acouplecooks.com

Ingredients 

  • 8 ounces pasta (casarecce is shown)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 bunch (1 pound) asparagus, tough ends removed, sliced in half and cut into small pieces
  • 1 leek, thinly sliced into half moons and washed (or 1 large shallot, thinly sliced)
  • 1 bunch broccolini (or 1 crown broccoli), cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed under warm water
  • 1 carrot, julienned
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 ½ tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 small garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups 2% milk
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to garnish

Directions

  1. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente (taste testing a minute or two before the package instructions indicate). Drain and toss the pasta with a bit of olive oil.
  2. Meanwhile, prep the vegetables as noted above. In a dutch oven or large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook mushrooms for 4 minutes, until starting to brown. Add asparagus, leeks, broccolini, carrots and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and cook additional 4 to 5 minutes until asparagus is tender and bright green. Add peas and continue cooking until peas are bright green, about 1 minute.
  3. In a small or medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the grated garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute to 90 seconds, until bubbly and golden. Add a splash of milk and whisk it in: the sauce will instantly turn chunky. Constantly whisking, continue to add splashes of milk and whisk them in until the entire quantity is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Reduce the heat and whisk until the sauce thickens and no longer tastes like raw flour, about 5 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt and the Parmesan cheese.
  4. Drain the pasta, then add it to the skillet with the veggies and stir in the sauce. Taste and add the additional ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Serve warm, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese. Leftovers store well refrigerated.

Cranberry Chicken Salad Recipe

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Recipe courtesy of simplywhisked.com

Ingredients 

  • 4 cups diced, cooked chicken breast
  • 1 large celery stalk, diced
  • 1 – 2 green onions, sliced
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder (or 1 – 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard)
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl, and stir with a fork to combine.
  2. If necessary, add one tablespoon of extra mayonnaise at a time until you reach the right consistency. Adjust seasonings if needed.
  3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend

Garlic Butter-Roasted Salmon with Potatoes & Asparagus

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Recipe courtesy of eatingwell.com

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
  • 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ¼ pounds salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 portions
  • Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper together in a medium bowl. Spread in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until starting to soften and brown, about 15 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, toss asparagus with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in the medium bowl. Combine butter, lemon juice, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

  3. Sprinkle salmon with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Move the potatoes to one side of the pan. Place the salmon in the center of the pan; drizzle with the butter mixture. Spread the asparagus on the empty side of the pan. Roast until the salmon is just cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Garnish with parsley.