Creamy Cucumber Salad

Sides and salads can be challenging in the sense of keeping them fresh, new, and interesting. We get stuck in what is quick and familiar. But I'd encourage you to begin this year with a resolution to not only cook more, but also, branch out and try new flavors, new cuisines and new recipes with new ingredients!

Check out this Creamy Cucumber-Dill Salad and add it to tonight's dinner like The Chicken Souvlaki Skewers or Asian Flank Steak or plain ol' hamburgers! This is a great addition and tasty alternative to same old salad!

(Adapted from Cook's Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking)

Equipment:
Mixing Bowl
Knife
Peeler
Cutting Board
Collander

Ingredients:
3 cucumbers, peeled, halved, and seeded
1 small red onion, sliced very thin
1 Tbls salt
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbls Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1/8-1/4 cup fresh minced dill

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Peel your cucumbers and slice lengthwise in half.

3. Use a spoon-tip to remove the seeds.
4. Slice the cucumber into 1/4" slices

5. Add the cucumber slices and thinly sliced onion to a colander.

6. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 1hr, max 3 hrs. Rinse with cold water and pat dry.

7. Combine sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and dill in medium mixing bowl.

8. Add the cucumber / red onion mixture. Stir until combined.

9. That's it! Get a fork.
10. Easily made ahead a chilled in the fridge while you make the rest of dinner.

Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup

It's quite unfortunate that I am now the lone lover of soups and stews in our family since Jon headed out to Iowa.  So, in honor of him, and since Chicago decided to lower its' temperature to the mid-50's, I have decided to post one of many  soup recipes to come:  Lemony-Chicken-Orzo Soup, found and modified from Epicurious Magazine.  It has few more steps than other recipes but that's about it for complexity.  It's a matter of simply getting everything in place, ie mise en place.

The biggest effort for this recipe lies in chopping the leek and letting it sit in cold water for 15 minutes, then draining; and, pulling the meat off the roasted chicken you brought home from the store.

Prior to heading off for college, Jon had already made lasagna and French Onion Soup on his own, so this should be a breeze if you can focus for a few brief moments to enjoy one of your favorite flavors in the culinary world. Lemon.

Total cost (including bread, butter, and parmesan for toasting): $13 / 4 Servings

Equipment:
5 quart sauce pan / soup pan
Mixing bowl with ice cold water
Colander / strainer
Wooden spoon

Ingredients:
1 Roasted Chicken, meat removed and pulled apart

2 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 medium leek, quartered and sliced 1/4", drained in ice bath of all dirt and strained
6 cups of chicken broth (use bouillon or buy store-bough carton for convenience and ease)
1/2 cup orzo
1 lemon, juiced
Extra lemons if needed

1/8 -1/4 cup fresh dill (OPTIONAL--a powerful herb.  Use it cautiously since it has a strong flavor)
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Remove the stem from leek (thick, tough dark green areas).

3. Quarter leek and slice 1/4" thick slices. Place leek into an ice-cold water bath to remove all dirt.
4. Rinse and drain after 15 minutes.

5. Chop celery.

6. Melt olive oil and butter in saucepan and add leeks & celery.

7. Saute vegetables until soft and translucent, approx 8-10 minutes

8. Add chicken meat, chicken broth, salt and pepper.

9. Bring to a boil , cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 min

10. Add orzo and return soup to boil x 8-10 minutes until orzo 'almost done' or al dente

11. Add lemon juice

12. Add dill.  Totally optional--not critical to recipe and cheaper without.

NOTE:  Be careful using dill since it overpowers other flavors easily!!!

13. Have a crusty bread for butter or toast a few slices with olive oil & parmesan cheese.  Awesome for dipping into the soup.

Veggie Power Wrap

Recent travel to Traverse City, Michigan and Fishtown, Michigan led to copying the fantastic Dill-Havarti-Veggie Wrap I tried from The Cheese Shanty Sandwich Shack...plus, our son, as weird as this sounds (and for whom this blog was written), loves salads.  Kinda odd, I know, but true.

This is a perfect way to grab a bunch of veggies and go! Sorry meat lovers, but if you've got to get your meat fix...quit whining...just add a few slices of turkey, ham, or whatever.

Top it off with a Sirachi-mayo and simple vinaigrette.
Filling, delicious, cheap, easy, convenient.

Really...you decide the on the ingredients and combos.  I'm just listing one of my fav combos since I'm trying to get in all the flavors of summer before "winter is coming".

Equipment:
Plate
Small mixing bowl
Fork
Knife

Ingredients:
Medium to Large Flour or Whole Wheat Tortillas, any kind you like
Hummus
1/3 cup of mayo
1 tsp of Sirachi Hot sauce

Your favorite leafy lettuce--Red, Green, Boston, Romaine type
Red and Yellow peppers
Tomatoes
Red or Green onions
Cucumbers
Watercress
Alfalfa Sprouts

Dill or Regular Havarti Cheese
Italian Vinaigrette

Instructions:
1. Definetely wash your hands on this one.
2. Preheat oven 350F degrees
3. Briefly warm your tortillas in the oven for 30 seconds. Optional if you are in rush.
4. Combine mayo and sirachi hot sauce in a small mixing bowl.
5. Spread hummus.
6. Add lettuce.

7. Start piling up the interior as you desire with other veggies and cheese.
8. Drizzle some of the hot mayo.

9. Add vinaigrette.
10. Wrap it all up and head out the door.  It's ready to eat!