My Cooking Spot

When Girl Meets Kitchen

Quinoa Arugula Salad with Beets, Peaches & Walnuts Tossed in a Pinot Noir Vinaigrette

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I just tried quinoa for the first time last year. I don’t know why I was scared of it. So I just avoided it. But last year, I had the opportunity to try it at a luncheon. I loved it! It has such a nice nutty flavor. The flavor was completely unexpected, but I really liked it a lot. I also like that fact that it is a healthy grain and yet gluten-free.

I chose to make a beet salad with quinoa to make it hearty and beets are in season right now. Once you roast them, they are some tasty treats. I thought that a red wine vinaigrette was the perfect accompaniment to the beets.

I made this delicious salad for my Farm-to-Table Potluck. You can see all the recipes from that event here. 

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Quinoa Arugula Salad with Beets Peaches & Walnuts Tossed in a Pinot Noir Vinaigrette

Ingredients

    Salad
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 2 cups washed arugula
  • 2 medium beets (I used 1 red and 1 yellow)
  • 2 peaches
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
    • Pinot Noir Vinaigrette
  • 3/4 cup Pinot Noir
  • 1 1/2 tbsp runny honey
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

    Salad
  1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions
  2. Scrub beets, wrap in tinfoil and roast at 375 degrees until easily pierced with a fork for about 45 minutes.
  3. Once beets are cooked, remove from oven and let cool. Peel off skins and chop into 1? pieces.
  4. In a bowl add the quinoa, arugula, peaches, beets and walnuts. Add beets at the last minute or after you have tossed in vinaigrette or you will have a pink salad, unless that is what you are going for!
    5. Vinaigrette
  5. In a bowl whisk wine and honey. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste
http://mycookingspot.com/quinoa-arugula-salad-with-beets-peaches-walnuts-tossed-in-a-pinot-noir-vinaigrette/

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1882nologo

Deconstructed Pasta Salad with Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette

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 I love this salad because:

1. I think it looks beautiful and

2. It is so yummy and full of farmer’s market fresh ingredients.

This is the type of salad that is to surely please your guests. A deconstructed pasta salad is great because you can use any ingredients, but I chose these specific ingredients because they are all in season for spring, the bright colors, and they all came from the farm (besides the pasta of course.)

I loved the color of the egg yolks, and I was able to include these farm fresh eggs in this salad because it is deconstructed. If I mixed this salad all together, the eggs would fall apart. Honestly, the eggs with this vinaigrette could be a snack all on its own it is so tasty. So I couldn’t leave them out.

I wanted it to be easy for my guests to take a scoop of the salad ingredients and not worry about the dressing. So I tossed the pasta and mozzarella balls before I placed them in their line up. However, if guests wanted more, they could always add more vinaigrette.

This salad was perfect for my Farm-to-Table potluck that I threw. With all the fresh ingredients, it was the perfect accompaniment.

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Deconstructed Pasta Salad with a Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette

Ingredients

    Salad
  • 2 cups mini bowtie pasta
  • 1 english cucumber
  • 1 cup heirloom mini tomatoes cut in half
  • 6 - 7 basil leaves chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup french green beans
  • 3 - 4 hard boiled eggs cut in quarters
  • 1 cup mini mozzarella balls
    • Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette
  • 1/3 cup chardonnay
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • salt & pepper
  • 3/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

    Salad
  1. On a large platter, line each ingredient next to each other in rows except for the pasta and mozzarella. Cook pasta per instructions. Rinse. Toss pasta in vinaigrette and line in row. Toss mozzarella in vinaigrette and line on platter.
    2. Vinaigrette
  2. Whisk lemon, chardonnay, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Chill for an hour. Will last for 1 week covered and refrigerated.
http://mycookingspot.com/deconstructed-pasta-salad-with-lemon-chardonnay-vinaigrette/

 

 

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You can see all the Farm-to-Table recipes for my potluck here. 

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Zucchini & Squash Goat Cheese Pizza

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Pizza is a staple in my house. It is one of our favorite meals. Bread and cheese and toppings. It may be the most perfect food. I recently threw a Farm-to-Table potluck and I wanted to use some beautiful squash and zucchini that I recently found at a farmers market.

This recipe is crazy easy and ridiculously good. With just a few ingredients, you will be surprised at the flavor that this pizza will bring. I decided to use goat cheese because, well, I love goat cheese. I wanted to use a cheese that would compliment the vegetables and not overpower them, but could hold its own with the crust.

You can peel the veggies any way you like. I just used a vegetable peeler and made long ribbons. This recipe is also a fave because of the delicious golden brown garlic that is in each bite. You absolutely can’t go wrong with this recipe. Your family will love you, and you may even convince them that this is a better option than delivery pizza. You can make this garden fresh pizza faster than calling out for pizza, and who doesn’t love that?

 

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Zucchini & Squash Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 large farm fresh zucchini (if you need more ribbons, you may need 2)
  • 1 large farm fresh yellow squash
  • packaged pizza dough or phyllo dough
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) goat cheese
  • 8-12 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Saute the garlic cloves on medium heat in the olive oil or butter until golden brown. Add salt and pepper if desired. Remove from pan and set aside.
  2. Pre-heat oven to the directions of the phyllo or pizza dough states.
  3. Roll out the pizza dough and spread on goat cheese and sprinkle on the garlic cloves and salt and pepper.
  4. Weave the zucchini and squash ribbons on top of cheese and garlic.
  5. Bake in the oven as long as the dough direction advises, or until the dough has reached a golden brown.
http://mycookingspot.com/zucchini-squash-goat-cheese-pizza/

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I made this recipe for my Farm-to-Table Potluck with many other farm fresh recipes.

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Quick Appetizer Hacks to Save Time

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We all love throwing a little get together, or a large get together. But putting together all those recipes and making it look good can take a lot of time. I am sure we can all think of a time or two when we have had to run to the store and grab one of those veggie trays, or already pre-made appetizers that don’t look too pretty.

But we can change that up right quick, and our guests will be none the wiser. With a few tricks and adjustments, we can take a few items from the store and turn in into looking like it was made for a magazine photo shoot.

We are all busy and with these changes we can have some delish food and save some time for other more important things, like getting the house ready, or sipping a glass of wine.

These tips of 98% bought and 2% homemade, makes life easier and this can also be good tips if you need to bring something to a dinner party, or for the hostess.

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To see all the appetizer hacks to make life easier, you can see them here.