Pinterest Recipe: Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Alright y'all,  I'm convinced the food blogger/pinterest maven/ recipe/photography queen Val SoCal can do no wrong when it comes to cooking.

I've blogged about her recipes before and because they've turned out smashingly, I keep on tryin' them.                

Yesterday I tried this recipe for a Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad and I'm happy to report that it was a slam dunk.

And that's because I love all things caprese. The Italian in me simply can't get enough.

This salad is a traditional caprese, only with the added avocados. They are smooth, delicious and the acidity from the lemon juice really brings out the avocado flavor.

What You'll Need

(1 carton) cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
(1 carton) fresh mozzarella pearls
(1 avocado), peeled and diced
(1/3 cup) of fresh basil, julienned
(2 tablespoons) of fresh parsley, minced

(1/4 cup) of fresh lemon juice

(1/4 cup) of good olive oil

salt and pepper

*Note: Can serve over a baguette or ciabatta if a crostini is desired.

The Steps You'll Take:

1. In a large salad bowl, add the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, parsley and basil.

2. In a separate mixing bowl make the dressing: whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. 

3. Toss the dressing with the mozzarella and tomato mixture. Toss to coat. Refrigerate for an hour prior to serving, allowing the mixture to really absorb the dressing.

4. Right before serving, toss in the diced avocado.

5. Serve and enjoy.

This makes for a quick and easy lunch option or a great side dish for dinner!

Cheers darlings, 

B

Dinner Tonight: Pasta Fresca with Proscuitto, Peas and Tomatoes

I just adore Pinterest. It's inspiration and ideas in cute little squares. 

Pinterest also makes me hungry. Really hungry.

And aren't all the pretty pictures of food just delightful? They beckon me to click them and answer the perennial question, "What's for dinner?"

Well, tonight was no exception, I tried another Pinterest recipe that Val SoCal pinned. The recipe links back to this blog: Taste For Adventure. 

Last time, the Pinterest recipe was a huge hit and round two was brilliant likewise.

Pasta Fresca with Proscuitto, Peas and Tomatoes

What You'll Need:

(9 oz.) Fresh Pasta (Toscano and Sons in West Atlanta is a great place to get it)
(3 oz.) Proscuitto thinly sliced
(1 cup) Cherry Tomatoes
(4 tablespoons) Good Olive Oil (love love Bella Cucina)
(one medium) Shallot
(3 cloves) Garlic
(1/4 cup) Mint
(1 pinch each) Coarse Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano (grated, for topping, if desired)



The Steps You'll Take, All Six of Them:

(Prep: Chop the shallot, garlic cloves, mint, cherry tomatoes and proscuitto.)

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the chopped shallot. Toss those around until they brown, about three minutes. Add the garlic and allow that to develop, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the sliced proscuitto and sauté until it starts to crisp, 2 minutes.
4. Add peas and tomatoes, and sauté until the peas brighten up. Season with salt and pepper.

Step by Step

5. Cook pasta until al dente. Keep about a 1/2 cup of pasta water on the side. Drain pasta and transfer it to the skillet.
6. Toss it all around to coat. Add the reserved pasta water. Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil.
7. Toss to coat. Serve with the chopped mint garnish.

There it is, y'all!

On the Side:

We paired a light salad with our entree: Arugula, shaved parmigiano-reggiano and a lemon pepper vinaigrette I made from scratch. It was a perfect compliment to the pasta.

Vino:

We found this wine at Holeman and Finch. It's a Chateau Les Angres, 2010 Bordeaux. It's delicious.

Cheers to great love, life, and food,

B

Pinterest Recipe: Proscuitto, Asparagus and Parmesan Angel Hair

In my humble opinion, whoever invented Pinterest is an absolute genius. I love that it provides countless hours of resort wear distraction and that sometimes, it even doubles as a dinner planner.

So yesterday, in the midst of the famed "go out somewhere, get delivery or cook" discussion, my handy dandy Pinterest app led me to this little gem of a recipe. My man loved it, so I thought I'd share.

I tweaked it a bit according to our tastes, making it a little healthier.

                                                                                                        Ingredients:

                                                                                 

8 ounces of angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 garlic cloves (or more, if you're us)

1 small onion, diced
About 1/2 bag of frozen peas

Sun dried tomatoes
3- 4 oz. of prosciutto, cut into strips
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 of a jar of Arrabiata (or whichever pasta sauce you prefer, we like heat)

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Black Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Chopped ingredients, ready for skillet.

 1. In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, cook the onion, garlic and olive oil until fragrant.

2. While that's going, prepare your proscuitto and veggies then toss this into the skillet as well. Sprinkle Red Pepper flakes. Cook until the asparagus is bright green, about 3 minutes or so. Save the sun dried tomatoes for later.

Garlic, onion and olive oil heating up.

3. In a large pasta pot, boil your water for the angel hair and prepare the pasta according to the directions on the box. 

4. Meanwhile, into the skillet, add the peas and the sun dried tomatoes.  Also add in 1/2 the jar of Arrabiata. Allow those to 

cook with the sauce and other ingredients few minutes.

5. Take a ladle and add just a little bit of the pasta water into the skillet. Drain pasta when done. The starch from the water helps everything absorb flavor.

6. Add the pasta into the skillet and the remaining 1/4 of the jar of Arrabiata, or all of it if you'd like. Let that hang out for a few minutes, or as you wish.

7. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve.

This pairs well with a light salad or is enough on its own. We thought it was delicious. 

Here is a link to the original recipe that inspired this one. We added veggies and opted for a spicy arrabiata that is a bit lighter rather than a heavy cream.

ValSoCal: Prociutto, Asparagus and Parmesan Spaghetti

Enjoy, buon appetito.

Cheers to Pinterest and sharing good food with those you love.

B