Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Tuna and Basil

Following the recipe in Tastes & Treasures cookbook, page 175, Bonnie Newhoff created this delicious salad for our Historical League meeting.

Basil Vinaigrette Ingredients:

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad Ingredients:2 cups fusilli or penne
6 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
Salt to taste
2 large tomatoes chopped, or small grape tomatoes
Sliced kalamata olvies
2 cups fresh basil leaves, stacked and thinly sliced
1 (7-ounce) can oil-pack tuna, drained and flaked
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced or chopped
Capers, drained and rinsed

Directions for the viniaigrette:
Whisk the vinegar, basil, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Add the olive oil gradually, whisking constantly until the olive oil is incorporated.

Directions for the salad:
Cook the pasta using the package directions and drain. Toss the hot pasta with a small amount of the vinaigrette in a bowl. Blanch the green beans in a small amount of boiling salted water in a saucepan until tender-crisp and drain. Immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and drain.

Layer the pasta, tomatoes, olives, basil, green beans and tuna in a large salad bowl, drizzling each layer with some of the vinaigrette. Toss lightly and top with the hard-cooked eggs and capers.

Serves 4.

Crab Cakes made lighter

Often high in fat and calories, this recipe from Hungry Girl keeps the flavor but eliminates the guilt.

Crab Cakes  
Ingredients:
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped parsley
Dash each salt and black pepper
8 oz. (about 1 cup) canned lump crab meat, drained
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 tbsp. finely chopped celery
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tbsp. reduced-fat cream cheese
3 tbsp. egg whites or fat-free liquid egg substitute
1 tbsp. light mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise (or another creamy mild Dijon mustard)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
Optional: additional Dijonnaise (for dipping), lemon wedges (for squirting)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

In a medium-large bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Add crabmeat, onion, celery, and garlic. Mix until uniform.

In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Add egg whites/substitute, mayo, Dijonnaise, lemon juice, and butter. Whisk until smooth and uniform.

Using a rubber spatula, fold cream cheese mixture into crab meat mixture.

Evenly form mixture into 4 balls, and place on the baking sheet, evenly spaced. Flatten each one into a patty about 1-inch thick.

Bake for 8 minutes.

Carefully flip patties. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and cooked through, about 8 more minutes.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 large crab cake (1/4th of recipe)
Calories: 119
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 368mg
Carbs: 8g
Fiber: 0.5g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 14g

Easy Roast Chicken

Easy Roast Chicken for those last minute meals. More delicious chicken recipes in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Ingredients: 
1 whole range chicken broken down into 8 pieces, bone-in
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic minced
4 shallots
Handful of parsley
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Separate the Chicken into pieces, toss in the marinade and roast at 425 for 30 minutes. Then take out of the oven, flip and give it another 10 minutes in the oven.

Thanks to myfridgefood.com for the detailed recipe

Marshall Trimble shares AZ history

Honored in 2014 as an Arizona Historymaker, Marshall Trimble continues to share stories, songs, poems and history of Arizona. This Free event is just another of his many performances.

Reba Wells Grandrud at Sharlot Hall Museum

Dr. Reba W. Grandrud, the recipient of the 2013 Sharlot Hall Award, was on hand to present the 2014 award to Sylvia Neely. Always ready to promote and preserve the history of the Southwest, the Historical League is glad to have Reba as a member.

Summer time and Caprese Salad

Feel like singing . . .  "Summer time and the Caprese Salad is easy."
Guess what I made from the garden?

Ingredients:
Tomatoes from the vine
Fresh Mozarella cheese
Fresh Basil
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Slice, season with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with oil and vinegar. Serve. Yummm.

Lots of other great salads in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Fascinating photographic history of Adams Hotel

Check out this large panel photographic journey of the Adams Hotel. Pictures say a thousand words.
These are displayed at the Library at AHS Museum at Papago Park.