Arugula Pasta Salad with Chickpeas, Veggies, and Goat Cheese

As I mentioned in my last post for this mandarin quinoa salad (which is already my most popular recipe this year – note to self: keep posting quinoa recipes!), I’ve been trying out lots of different exercise classes this term in an effort to stay active.  Last Wednesday I tried my first AquaZumba class, which was the first time I’ve taken a class in the water since my swimming lessons days as a kid.  It was kind of what I expected in that our beautiful instructor looked unfairly cool doing all her dance moves at the side of the pool while I likely looked like a floundering sea monster attempting to keep up in the water, but it was also better than I expected in that I actually had a lot of fun (and loved the fact that I could exercise without sweating)!

The success of AquaZumba has now given me the courage to try out Aqua Fit, which I’m guessing won’t be nearly as much fun.  I’m slightly dreading the idea that it might involve treading water, which I haven’t done since swimming lessons because I hated it so much.  I could never seem to keep my head above water, and the swimming instructor would always tell us our homework while we were treading water at the end of class and I would panic because my ears would be underwater so I couldn’t hear what they were saying.  But now that I'm older (and already have failing joints), I'm hoping my body will be a little more appreciative that I'm letting it work out in the water and won't fail me when it comes to the treading water part!

One of the nice things about water classes is that they make you super tired at the end of the night, giving you a good night’s sleep.  They also make you super hungry, which is where having a big batch of this pasta salad in the fridge comes in handy!

This is just an easy vegetarian dish that’s kind of like a salad, kind of like pasta, kind of like pasta salad, and kind of like pasta with salad.  With whole wheat pasta for fibre, lots of veggies for nutrients, chickpeas for protein, and some goat cheese for richness, it’s a well-balanced dish that makes for great lunches (or post water workout meals) throughout the week! 

Arugula Pasta Salad with Chickpeas, Veggies, Olives, and Goat Cheese

Loosely based on a recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

375g box of whole wheat penne

8 oz green beans, ends trimmed

1 pound halved cherry tomatoes, divided

4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Salt & pepper

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup pitted sliced kalamata olives

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

1 (540mL) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 cups packed arugula

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, toss green beans and half the cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the dressing by whisking the remaining 3 tablespoons oil with the shallots, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, basil, and honey in a small bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine cooked pasta, roasted vegetables, remaining fresh cherry tomatoes, olives, goat cheese, and chickpeas in a large bowl.  Mix in the arugula.  Add dressing and toss to coat.  Serve warm or chill for a cold pasta salad (though I preferred it warm).  Season with additional salt and pepper and top with additional goat cheese if desired.

*Note – the pictures are missing the additional fresh cherry tomatoes; I forgot to add them until after

Roasted Spring Vegetable Salad with Arugula Pesto Vinaigrette

So I just realized that I’ve been posting a lot of salad and vegetable recipes on here lately.  Sorry if it’s getting repetitive; but now that spring veggies are available and the weather is turning warmer, I seem to crave salads a lot more often! 

I promise I'll try to post something different next week, but with the May long weekend starting tonight (for us Canadians) and all the burgers, beer, ice cream, etc., that tend to go along with it, I thought you guys wouldn’t mind if I squeezed in one more healthy salad recipe today!  (Although by that logic I guess I should be posting this after the weekend instead, but because this weekend is the unofficial start to summer, I need to squeeze in another spring recipe before it’s too late!)

This is a perfect light spring meal (or side dish) that makes the most of local produce by packing a ton of roasted veggies into an arugula salad and covering it all in a fresh arugula pesto vinaigrette.  Because arugula has a bit of a bite to it, I mellowed it out with some grated parmesan cheese which balanced everything out quite well, though I also think a creamy goat cheese could be a nice touch instead!

I hope that all my Canadian friends have a safe and happy long weekend!  I don’t have anything exciting planned, and all I’m hoping is that the weather will be nice enough to enjoy some drinks and dinner outside to kick off the summer.  Fingers crossed!

Roasted Spring Vegetable Salad with Arugula Pesto Vinaigrette

Adapted from Eating Well

Makes 2 large servings or 4 smaller servings

Ingredients:

For the Vegetables:

1 cup mini potatoes, larger ones halved into bite sized pieces

1 cup radishes, quartered or cut into similar sizes to potatoes

1 cup baby carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

Salt & pepper

1 cup green beans or asparagus, ends trimmed*

For the Arugula Pesto:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup packed arugula

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon walnuts or pine nuts

1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

For the Salad:

2 cups arugula

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Toss potatoes, radishes, and carrots with 2 teaspoons of oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.  If using green beans, drizzle them with a bit of oil and add to the pan for the last 15 minutes of cooking.  If using asparagus, drizzle with a bit of oil and add for the last 8-10 minutes of cooking. 

*Note you can use any mix of vegetables that you want, as long as you have about 4 cups of veggies total.  Just adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Meanwhile, prepare arugula pesto.  Add all ingredients for the pesto to the large bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

Let roasted veggies cool slightly, then toss with arugula.  Add arugula pesto and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper and top with shaved or grated parmesan cheese.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans with Caramelized Onions & Blue Cheese

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous in Southern Ontario lately and I am loving everything about it (except how hard it is to get work done when you know how nice it is outside)!  This past weekend I wore shorts out for the first time this year, the farmer's market was outdoors and even had some local produce available, and I spent some time in the park reading and taking pictures of the beautiful flowers that the April showers brought!

I also made some delicious meals with the veggies and cheese I bought at the market, my favourite of which being this twist on a potato salad.

I was never a big fan of potato salads growing up because I usually had the cold, mayonnaise-covered versions, but warm potato salad is a totally different story.  I love this warm dijon roasted asparagus & potato salad, and but this green bean, caramelized onion, and blue cheese version might be even better!  In this dish, mini potatoes get roasted with green beans until they're both nice and browned up, while onions caramelize on the stovetop at the same time.  Then they get mixed together, tossed in a blue cheese dressing, and sprinkled with green onions and a little more blue cheese for good measure.  Needless to say, you have to like blue cheese to appreciate this dish!

I don't know when potato salad stops being a salad and starts being just roasted potatoes, but whatever you call this, it's so good - you just have to get past the somewhat boring colours that made it hard to look good in photos!  This would be a great side dish to go with steak or burgers this summer, but I liked it so much I just ate it on its own!

Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans with Caramelized Onions & Blue Cheese

Adapted from Eating Well

Serves about 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds mini potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half (I used a mix of red, white, and blue potatoes)

8 ounces green beans, ends trimmed

5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

Salt & pepper

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Additional blue cheese and sliced green onions for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Toss potatoes and green beans with 2 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring once, until tender and golden brown.

Caramelize your onions at the same time that the potatoes are roasting.  Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, stir to coat with oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread onions out evenly across the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.  Don’t stir the onions too often so they can brown, but don’t leave them alone long enough to burn or stick to the pan (though I like the burnt bits in this potato salad!) 

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, Dijon, blue cheese, and 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl.

When onions and potatoes are both done, combine them in a bowl and add dressing while warm.  Toss to coat.  Serve warm, topped with additional crumbled blue cheese and chopped green onions or chives, if desired.

Summer Vegetable Crepes with Dill Yogurt Sauce

If all has gone according to plan, then at the time this entry is automatically posted, I will be on vacation up North, sitting by the lake with a book in one hand and a beer in the other :) And while I'm enjoying the best of what summer has to offer in the form of nature, you can enjoy summer's best offerings in the form of food!

I've actually never made a savory crepe dish before so I wasn't sure what to expect with this recipe, but it surprised me with the way it really highlights the bright flavours of the summer vegetables and herbs. Fresh vegetables are cooked with some light ricotta to add some creaminess to the filling without overpowering the taste of the vegetables, then they're wrapped in a soft crepe and covered in a refreshing dill yogurt sauce. The great thing about this recipe is that it's completely customizable. If you're not a fan of dill, just substitute your favourite fresh herb (the original recipe called for chives, but I'm sure other herbs would work too), and the vegetable filling can consist of whatever looks good at the market, whatever you have too much of growing in the garden, or whatever needs to be used up from your fridge. I loved the combo of corn, peas, beans and yellow summer squash I used in mine, but feel free to mix it up!

If you've never made crepes before, now is your chance to try! I know they've kinda got a reputation for being difficult, but I promise they're not hard. The first time I ever tried making them was about a month after I first started cooking. And if you've read my story, you'll know that I had pretty much zero cooking skills at the time. But they came out perfectly then, as they have every time since, so I really don't know why poor crepes have such a bad rap. Sure you might get a couple duds that just rip to shreds when you try to flip them, but that just gives you some extra snacking material to keep you energized as you go! Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can!

In case you're still worried, the amount of batter I've called for in the recipe below should make about twice what you will actually need for the serving size, which leaves plenty of room for mistake crepes. And if you're lucky enough to have every crepe turn out perfectly, don't throw the extras out! Keep them in your fridge and use them to make quick wraps for lunch the next day. I used my extras for turkey wraps with lettuce and cheese and I thought they were so much better than a standard tortilla wrap! A crepe is much easier to wrap around the filling without tearing, and since it's so thin, the filling really takes center stage rather than the wrapper (and nobody likes a bready wrap).

I've posted my version of the recipe below. I know it looks like a lot of steps but it comes together pretty quickly, and if you're lucky enough to have someone else to clean up after you (I wish) then you'll save yourself from the worst part!


Summer Vegetable Crepes with Dill Yogurt Sauce

Adapted from Eating Well

Makes 4 crepes (2 servings)

Crepes:

1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk until lumps removed. Start with slightly less flour than called for and continue adding until the proper consistency is reached – it should be thin and pourable, like a drinkable yogurt.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour ¼ cup batter into the pan and quickly swirl around so the batter coats the pan. Cook for a minute or so until bubbles begin forming in the middle of the crepe and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Carefully flip the crepe over and cook for another minute or so, until cooked. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining batter. This amount should make about eight crepes.

Filling:
 
1/2 cup chopped summer squash
1/2 cup chopped green beans
1/2 cup fresh cooked corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh cooked peas
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add all the vegetables and cook until brown, stirring frequently (about 5-6 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in the ricotta and dill and season with salt and pepper.

Dill Yogurt Sauce:
 
1/4 cup low-fat plain or Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped dill
2-4 tablespoons low-fat milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Consistency should be somewhat thin and pourable. Adjust amounts of yogurt and milk if necessary.

Assembling the crepes:
 
Divide vegetable filling equally among the four crepes, spooning down the middle of each crepe. Gently roll each crepe around the filling. Pour the yogurt-dill sauce over the crepes and serve while crepes are somewhat warm.