Italian Pasta Salad With Pepperoni, Mozzarella Cheese, and Tiny Peas

In days gone by, macaroni salad was a popular "side," served at family picnics and church pot-lucks. Mostly pasta, the salad had a little chopped celery, and a few chopped green peppers and tomatoes for color. Mayonnaise held the components together. Over time, ham, cheese and even hot dogs were added to the basic recipe.

Old fashioned macaroni salad is still around. Its popularity may be due to the ease of preparation or the fact that most people like noodles.

The 1955 edition of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook contains a recipe for "Best-Ever Macaroni Salad," a variation of potato salad. Fast forward to The Pillsbury Complete Cook Book, published in 2000, with its recipe for "Ham and Macaroni Picnic Salad." Pickle relish and diced pimientos are added to the traditional recipe. For a de luxe version, you may add chopped cumbers, sliced green olives and sliced boiled eggs. Like the previous salads, it is dressed with mayonnaise.

Today, restaurants and delicatessens are serving improved versions of the classic recipe. The Pillsbury website posted a recipe for "Layered Pizza Salad" made with rotini pasta, fresh mozzarella, and sliced pepperoni. I followed the basic recipe, but used vegetable pene pasta instead. Made with dried carrots, tomatoes, and spinach, this product has a full serving of vegetables in each four-ounce portion.

To cut down on fat and salt, I deleted the shredded Paremesan cheese from the recipe. To boost the vegetable content I added a cup of defrosted tiny peas. I didn't add any extra salt because I thought there was enough in the pepperoni and cheese. My 20-year old granddaughter loved the salad and so did I. Do pepperoni lovers live at your house? If so, this version of an old classic is sure to be a hit.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked vegetable penne pasta

1 medium red pepper, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 cup tiny peas, defrosted in warm water

3.5-ounce package of sliced pepperoni

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (I used reduced fat cheese.)

Light Italian dressing (your choice)

Method

Cook pnene according to package directions. Rinse well with cold water, drain, and transfer to large bowl. Add chopped vegetables and drained peas. Slice pepperoni circles in half. Add to pasta mixture, along with mozzarella. Drizzle with dressing, toss, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours to blend flavors. Serve as is, or over Boston lettuce leaves. (Boston lettuce is also called butter lettuce.)Makes about 10 servings.

Copyright 2012 by Harriet Hodgson

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Dress Up Your Meals With An Old Fashion Salad

The salad recipes in this article are all salads from the past that are still popular today. At your next meal, cook-out, picnic, etc, why not serve an old fashion salad. You will no doubt receive rave reviews for your White Corn Salad, Lettuce-Blue Cheese-Salad or American Potato Salad.

WHITE CORN SALAD
This is not one of my original recipes but one I grew up eating when my late mother clipped it from a local newspaper (now defunct) send-in recipe column. There is a local pharmacy ad on back of the recipe with a phone number that begins BR-5-... Now that does take you back, doesn't it? Most of you younger reader's never had a phone number like that!

2 cans whole kernel white corn
1 medium green pepper*
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
tomato wedges
pimento strips

Drain 2 cans of whole kernel white corn. Slice green pepper and onion in thin slices, mix with corn. Cover and let stand in refrigerator for about an hour. Before serving, toss with oil and vinegar, and season to taste. Garnish with tomato wedges and pimento strips.

*In Southern Indiana where I was raised, a green pepper is a bell pepper.

LETTUCE - BLUE CHEESE SALAD
1 head lettuce
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 oz blue cheese
salt and pepper
dash of cayenne
1/4 cup salad oil
2 tbs. vinegar
1/2 tbs. paprika

Tear lettuce into small pieces. Toss the lettuce and cabbage together. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Crumble the cheese and mix together with the cayenne, oil, vinegar, and paprika. When combined, toss over the vegetables. Good idea to add fresh tomatoes and green pepper slices for more color.

AMERICAN POTATO SALAD
1 cup mayonnaise-style salad dressing
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 cups cubed potatoes, cooked
2 boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickle

In a large mixing bowl combine the salad dressing, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper, mixing well. Add the potatoes, eggs, onion, celery, and sweet pickle; toss together gently to coat. Refrigerate until time to serve. Also keep leftovers refrigerated (if you have any!).

Serves 6.

Enjoy!

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Salad Bling - How to Perk Up Boring Salads With Seeds, Greens and More

If you are buying head lettuce, instead of leaf lettuce, then no wonder your salads are boring. Head lettuce is fine, but you would get just as much nutritional value if you just had a glass of water. No, what you need is something to wake up those taste buds. Let's start with a little crash coarse in lettuce and greens.

In the U.S. lettuces are generally grouped into one of four categories: butterheads, crispheads or icebergs, leaf lettuces and romaine or cos. None of these should be confused with greens, which are edible plant leaves. Butterhead varieties, like Bibb and Boston lettuces, have small, round loose heads with sweet, pale green leaves. The crispheads or icebergs are larger, more compact and very low in nutrients. But they are attractive to distributors because they are wilt resistant. In contrast the leaf lettuces are darker in color, have more vitamins, are more flavorful and spoil faster. Romaine lettuce has dark green outside leaves and lighter inside ones. They have a slightly bitter taste and a crunchy texture.

Many people ignore the greens section at the grocery store, because they don't know what to do with them. Greens come from collards, chicory, dandelions, mustards and turnips and are rich in nutrients and flavor. You can simmer them in boiling water for ten minutes, steam them or just eat them raw. Try small portions if you are unfamiliar with the flavors. If you like picante and other hot sauces, you are going to love the spicy greens for what they can do to perk up your salad.

So even though your basic green veggies are ready to go, how come you still feel a bit under whelmed? One way to add both color and texture to a salad is to add other veggies. How about a yellow or red bell pepper, full of vitamin C? Throw in some bits of cauliflower and now the color starts to make the dish seem much more appealing. But you're a meat and potatoes person. Where's the protein?

There is no law that says you can't add meat to a salad. If you have a grill, cook up some chicken to place on top of your salad or to eat on the side. Beans are another great source of protein and they are filling. Great northern, kidney and lima beans are great choices. Protein can also be obtained from nuts. Try some crunchy almonds.

Rummage around in your condiments and see what is there. How about some olives, sun-dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts to add a little tang? Look in your spice cabinet. Don't be afraid to sprinkle some seeds into the salad. Sesame, fennel, poppy, dill, anise or sunflower are excellent vitamin-packed choices. Go ahead pick one and see how you like it. Remember, you promised you would use a little imagination.

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Salad Basics - How To Make The Perfect Salad

Salads have become a meal time standard. Toss up a starting course of some mixed greens, mix up a side dish of creamy potato salad or a hearty pasta salad for center stage. Now lets brush up on our salad basics.

Selecting Storing And Handling Salad Greens

You'll want to choose fresh, crisp greens with no bruises, discoloration or wilting.

You can choose from the below or mix as many of them as you like for a delicious green salad.

1. Arugula, has small slender, dark leaves that are similar to radish leaves. You'll want to choose smaller leaves for a milder flavor.

2.Radicchio, looks like a small loose leaf cabbage with small tender leaves and a some what bitter flavor.

3. Mixed Salad Greens (Prepackaged ) You'll find these for sale in most supermarkets and grocery stores and you can use these salad greens as a base for lots of other salads.

4. Spinach, you can choose packages of baby spinach and add a lot of flavor to any salad. Baby spinach is also very good for you.

5. Cabbage, you can add finely shredded red, purple, or regular cabbage to your mix and add a lot of body, flavor, and depth with this choice.

6. Wild Greens, you'll usually find these sold as a prepackaged mix and they include dandelion, oak leaf lettuce, chickweed, chervil, and a few others. These pack a lot of flavor.

7. Iceberg, This is one of the old time favorites that a lot of people use. Shred it up in long ribbons and add a delightfully unique texture.

Once you've chosen your green mixture you can add red sweet onion, radishes, bell peppers, green onions, chives, cucumbers, broccoli, canned washed and drained beans, hot peppers, tuna, chicken, baby corn, and lots of other choices to come up with a delightfully delicious salad that will have people including you wanting more.

You'll want to be sure to choose fresh, crisp greens that have no bruises, discoloration or spots. If the greens look wilted or discolored discard them and don't use.

For best results mix mild flavored greens with more flavorful ones. Try tossing iceberg with spinach with a few pine nuts thrown in to build a delicious flavorful salad with a lot of body and flavor. Top it with feta cheese, diced fresh tomatoes, and crumbled bacon for a tasty treat that will have you wanting more.

Tomatoes have a lot of water in them so wait until your just about ready to serve your salad before you add the tomatoes. Try all the new heirloom tomatoes showing up at flea markets and farmers markets now. If you do you'll find some delicious new flavors.

And finally no recipe is written in stone. Try thinking outside the box and come up with combinations that you like. Your going after flavors that you like or that compliment each other or you should be. Try adding pine nuts, fine chopped anchovies, crumbled blue cheese or other unique ingredients to bring out delightfully new flavors that people are sure to love.

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Salads Make Great Entrees and/or Sides

Whether you are looking for a light meal or something to go with a heavier entree, salads work great. Here I share recipes for an easy Warm Chicken Salad with Orange and a quick and easy Tomato-Onion Salad.

WARM CHICKEN SALAD
Dressing:
1 tsp grated lime peel
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all the above ingredients; shake well to blend. Set aside.

Chicken:
2 tbsp frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp olive oil

In a small bowl, combine the limeade concentrate and pepper. Add the chicken strips; toss to coat. Heat oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken mixture and cook and stir 4 to 6 minutes or the chicken is lightly browned and no longer pink.

Salad:
8 cups torn leaf lettuce
1 can (11-oz) mandarin orange segments, drained
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Line 4 salad plates with the lettuce. Top each with the orange segments, raisins, and walnuts. Top with the cooked chicken and drizzle with the dressing after giving the jar a good shake.

TOMATO-ONION SALAD
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 can (16-oz) chopped tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup chopped red onion cut into rings
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 medium carrot, grated
1 tbsp crumbled blue cheese

In a cruet, combine the dressing mix, oil, vinegar, and water; set aside. (You will only use half with this salad. Refrigerate remaining dressing for later use.

In a bowl with a lid, combine the tomatoes, onion, celery, carrot, and cheese; add half the dressing. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Yield: 4 servings of 3/4 cup each

Enjoy!