Creative Refrigerator Cleaning--Summer Salad with Peas and Carrots

This refreshing summer salad is a repeat post from July 2010; we've enjoyed the tasty, nutritious cold version of traditional peas and carrots often since I originally "created" (i.e., adapted a recipe) it. Many readers have been using my recipes, so thought it might be of interest to any of you who did not see it before. By the way, given my previous entry, be assured that I have my permission to copy my own blog posts--others do not :>). Remember, too, that you can use the search box in the upper left corner of the blog home page to find entries on particular topics; just type in "recipe", "travel", "painting", etc.

Although I often plan meals carefully, some dishes and menus come about sort of accidentally. I hate to waste food, so track our fresh fruit and vegetable supply in order to serve foods as close to their peak of freshness as possible. A few weeks ago, a bag of fresh, peeled, petite carrots proved very disappointing--not very sweet or appealing. So, I had planned to lightly cook and season them, but cooked carrots did not fit well into the next few nights' meal plans. Planning to enjoy BLTs with some yummy tomatoes and a partial pack of bacon left from making something else, I went on-line to search for carrot salad recipes.

The most promising recipe, Pea and Carrot Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette sounded nice, but shallots aren't a staple in this refrigerator (and I had no intention of running to the store). After several other changes to the recipe, I came up with a salad Mark and I both enjoyed. The amounts are approximate and can be adjusted to your family's taste preferences. If you are interested in the original recipe or in the nutrition facts, go to www.foodfit.com.

Pea and Carrot Salad

2 cups raw baby carrots, chopped in 1/2" chunks

3 cups frozen petite green peas

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tblsp. lemon juice

2 Tblsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/4 - 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 Tblsp. olive oil

1 Tblsp. snipped fresh parsley

dash of salt

generous grinding of black pepper

1. Steam (or boil) chopped carrots for about 3 minutes, until slightly tender, but still crisp. Stir peas into same pot of hot water just enough to thaw them and drain off water immediately (the peas will taste very fresh and sweet this way).

2. Whisk the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar together. Stir in chopped onion, then whisk olive oil in, mixing well. Stir in snipped parsley and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. Gently toss the peas and carrots in the vinaigrette and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Question of the day: Do you tend to follow recipes, read and then adapt them, or make up your own dishes without a recipe?

Savoring--A Refreshing Summer Salad Recipe with Peas and Carrots

Although I often plan meals carefully, some dishes and menus come about sort of accidentally. I hate to waste food, so track our fresh fruit and vegetable supply in order to serve foods as close to their peak of freshness as possible. A few weeks ago, a bag of fresh, peeled, petite carrots proved very disappointing--not very sweet or appealing. So, I had planned to lightly cook and season them, but cooked carrots did not fit well into the next few nights' meal plans. Planning to enjoy BLTs with some yummy tomatoes and a partial pack of bacon left from making something else, I went on-line to search for carrot salad recipes.

The most promising recipe, Pea and Carrot Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette sounded nice, but shallots aren't a staple in this refrigerator (and I had no intention of running to the store). After several other changes to the recipe, I came up with a salad Mark and I both enjoyed. The amounts are approximate and can be adjusted to your family's taste preferences. If you are interested in the original recipe or in the nutrition facts, go to www.foodfit.com.

Pea and Carrot Salad

2 cups raw baby carrots, chopped in 1/2" chunks

3 cups frozen petite green peas

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tblsp. lemon juice

2 Tblsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/4 - 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 Tblsp. olive oil

1 Tblsp. snipped fresh parsley

dash of salt

generous grinding of black pepper

1. Steam (or boil) chopped carrots for about 3 minutes, until slightly tender, but still crisp. Stir peas into same pot of hot water just enough to thaw them and drain off water immediately (the peas will taste very fresh and sweet this way).

2. Whisk the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar together. Stir in chopped onion, then whisk olive oil in, mixing well. Stir in snipped parsley and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. Gently toss the peas and carrots in the vinaigrette and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Question of the day: Do you tend to follow recipes, read and then adapt them, or make up your own dishes without a recipe?

Savoring--Favorite Baked Beans Recipe

For the Fourth of July gathering at our friends' home, we were asked to bring baked beans because all our friends love our family recipe. My sister-in-law gave me this recipe years ago (thank you, Betty), and my husband, a connoisseur of baked bean dishes, prefers it to any other. Since it calls for canned beans, it is relatively easy.

If you try this recipe, I know you will probably end up modifying it to your family's taste. We have made a few changes to Betty's (also yummy) original recipe. We leave out the 1/2 pound ground beef that the recipe said to brown with the bacon, and instead of partially draining the cans of beans, I fully drain them and even rinse them in a colander (except for the pork & beans). This will eliminate a lot of the salt--we think it also eliminates some of the sulfur compounds that build up in the can and make canned beans extra gassy.

You can use between 3 and 5 cans of beans in the amount of sauce given. Of course, fewer cans of beans make for a juicier dish. And you can use your family's favorite types of beans. For nice variety in size and color in the dish pictured, I used 5 cans total--one very large can of pork & beans (a 2# can, I think) plus 2 one-pound cans each of butter beans and black beans.

MIXED BEAN BAKE

1/2# bacon, cut in pieces (I use Gwaltney's 40% lower fat bacon--it's delicious.)

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. mustard

2 tsp. cider vinegar

3 - 5 cans of beans, including one large can of pork & beans, partially drained

and 2 - 4 other types, well drained and rinsed

Brown the bacon, adding onions once the bacon starts to crisp. Drain well on paper towels when done to your liking.

Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar in a large bowl and mix well. Add all beans and mix well. Finally, stir in bacon and onion and turn into a large casserole (3 quart size if you are using 5 cans of beans).

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly (from about 40 minutes for 3 cans of beans to about 50 minutes for 5 cans.).

Enjoy!

Question of the day: What are your favorite summer party side dishes?