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Best of Basic: Loaded Italian Pasta Salad

June 26, 2017by Radiate Food Vibes3 Comments

Is it possible that June is already coming to an end? Fine by me, because I’ll be spending the first days of July on vacation. A glorious 10 day vaca in a remote area of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada, it’s pretty much my favorite place on earth. You see, my extended family owns a modest island, smack dab in the middle of the wilderness, and it can only be described as rustic, comfortable, and totally epic. We sleep in sleeping bags and spend 80% of the day without electricity. We spend our days on the lake and evenings by the fire. And the breeze coming off the water at night, while falling asleep in the open air cabins, is pure magic.

This year, I’ll be heading up a bit earlier than usual and spending the first week of July on the island with my parents. But that means, I’ll be missing America’s birthday. I first want to say that I’m not trying to make a political statement here. Although I’d be lying if I said moving out of Trump country hasn’t crossed my mind. But I love the States, and because I’ll be missing one of the best celebrations of summer, I wanted to share a perfect (and easy) recipe for a BBQ-must-have… Loaded Italian Pasta Salad.

I actually developed this recipe a couple weekends ago when I was visiting my hometown, St. Louis. While everyone else enjoyed this delish pasta salad alongside turkey burgers, I instead, topped it with a medley of grilled veggies, making it a scrumptious main dish for a meat-free eater. Added bonus, this salad can be made gluten-free (using a gluten-free pasta) or made vegan (by omitting the fresh mozzarella balls). Finicky foodies rejoice!

Other than being diet-restriction friendly, this “best of basic” pasta salad is amazing for two reasons. Firstly because it’s a cinch to make. In the time it takes to cook the pasta, the remainder of the ingredients are ready to go. Then all that’s left is a chill session in the fridge to bring everything together. The second reason is because this pasta salad is packed with fresh flavor from basil leaves and cherry tomatoes, texture from al dente pasta, beans and artichokes, and health supportive because of protein, fiber, vitamins and healthy fats. Finally, the simple vinaigrette, flavored with oregano, dry mustard and garlic powder, brings it all home by adding even more flavor and richness. This pasta salad is seriously perfect. So if you’re looking for a clean, balanced and crowd-pleasing pasta salad to be your go-to summer side dish, look no further. This is it.

loads of roasted veggies + pasta salad side dish = delish main meal

Best of Basic: Loaded Italian Pasta Salad
Serves: 8 (large side dish portion) Start to Finish: 30 min + chilling time

Ingredients

1 lb (16 ounces) pasta of choice* (see below for notes)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1.5 teaspoons sea salt, fine grain
1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon maple syrup, or sweetener of choice, optional**
1 12-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 12-oz can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 5-oz can sliced black olives
1 5-oz can pimentos
25 medium basil leaves, about 1 small package, chopped or cut into chiffonade
8-oz fresh mozzarella, I prefer the mini balls (if using a large ball, cut into small pieces)

To Make

Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and pasta. Cook until al dente. I usually drain the pasta about 1-3 minutes earlier than package instructions say to cook. The best way to know? Try 2-3 noodles. When some noodles are cooked and some noodles seem under-cooked, they’re ready. After the pasta sits in the dressing, the underdone noodles will finish cooking. Avoid over cooking noodles, they will far apart after marinading.

While water boils and pasta cooks. Prepare dressing. In a blender, or using a hand blender, combine ingredients olive oil through maple syrup. Blend until fully emulsified. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ingredients white beans through pimentos. Toss with cooked/drained pasta (still hot) and prepped vinaigrette. Allow to cool down to room temp (about 10 minutes). Toss mozzarella and basil with pasta salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until fully chilled. However, the longer it sits, the better it gets. Make 1 day ahead if possible.

*Pasta Options
– I chose an organic, white flour variety for a classic pasta salad
– Use whole wheat for additional fiber, a chewier texture and a nuttier flavor
– Use a gluten-free pasta if desired, I love Banza brand
– As for shape, penne, fusilli and bowtie are my top choices – I used penne here

**I think a bit of sweetener (just 1 tbs for 8 servings) makes the dressing more palatable and makes the salad more of a crowd-pleaser. Feel free to omit the sweetener or add less

Healthy, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meal Plans, Traveling Foodie

Meatless Meal Plan: Car Camping for Two

June 9, 2016June 10, 2016by Radiate Food Vibes7 Comments

Matt and I are really big on camping. And when I say that Matt and I are really big on camping, I really mean that Matt is a camping pro and I’m along for the ride. That’s not to say I don’t love it though. I actually grew up spending my summers glamping (glamourous, more comfortable camping) on my family’s island in Ontario, Canada. While it wasn’t totally “roughing it”, going to Canada definitely made me super comfortable in nature and without the comforts of civilization. The only electricity on our little island comes from a small generator, which is rarely on. To get to the nearest major grocery store takes hours, and the nearest convenience store is a 40 minute boat ride away. On the island, we spend our time reading, playing cards, hiking, fishing, cooking, eating, napping, crafting and exploring. We sleep on old beds in ancient screened-in cabins, perfect for star gazing as you fall asleep, and we spend mornings sitting around the campfire, looking out over the beautiful Canadian wilderness. Sounds magical, right? To me, it’s heaven. In fact, we’ll be heading to Rickey Island in just over a month. Can’t wait.

Sitting by the Water — My favorite spot while camping last weekend, right by the water.

In addition to our trips to Rickey Island, Matt and I always find time to do a little camping on our own. We’ve hiked to camp, we’ve canoed to camp, and we’ve car-camped. Car camping is my personal favorite, because you can take more stuff and leave the food and valuables in the car. It just makes it a little more relaxing and a little easier, ideal for a short weekend camping trip. And that’s exactly what we did last weekend. Matt and I joined some of his University of Vermont friends and had a wonderful 36 hours hiking and chilling on the water. This campsite, called Black Bear Campground, was totally awesome. One of my favorite campgrounds so far. It’s located in Phoenicia, a small town near Woodstock, New York. There were beautiful hiking trails, a wide, flowing creek running along the edge of each campsite, and a couple resident black bears. Yes, we saw a black bear and her cub at Black Bear Campground. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think? (I hope everyone picked up on that song reference). After our morning hike, I spent most of Saturday on a chair overlooking the creek with a beer in my hand. It was just lovely. I even saw a group of fly fishers waddle through and one of them caught a fish right in front of me! So cool.

Fly Fishers — View from our campsite. You can see the fly fishers!

Anyway, being a whole foodie and cooking addict means that I’m not bringing just any old food supply. One of my favorite activities while camping is the food part! I like planning it, executing it, and most importantly, eating it. So what does a vegetarian whole-foodie bring camping that will satisfy both her and her carnivore boyfriend? Well that’s what this post is all about! Four meals and a few snacks that blend together the essential elements of camping food…simple, fun and satisfying. I’ve even included packing tips and essential utensils, to make prep even easier.

Matt and I didn’t arrive at the campsite until 11pm on Friday night, so we didn’t need to worry about Friday night dinner (we ordered pizza while packing up at home). Then for lunch on Sunday we headed to Woodstock for a sit down lunch. Basically this meal-plan covers all the food we needed for all of Saturday and Sunday morning (essentially one full day of camping, plus an extra breakfast before hitting the road on the second day). Use this as a guide and fill it in how you see fit…that could mean an extra dinner and lunch or maybe s’mores supplies for a classic camping dessert by the fire.

I hope my tips, tricks and pics inspire you to get outdoors, take advantage of summer and get a quick camping trip like ours on the calendar.

For Two Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Sandwiches and Home Fries

Cut potatoes and half the onion into a medium dice. Toss with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a thin layer of olive oil to a skillet. Add potatoes and cook over camping stove or fire pit, stirring often to prevent burning. Honestly, ours got super crispy and a bit black/burned on the bottom but they still were amazing! You could also try cooking the potatoes in a foil packet over the camp fire. We didn’t want to start a fire because we were leaving after breakfast to hike, we used a camping pan and a portable flame.

Peel and slice 2 hard boiled eggs. Slice 2 ounces cheddar cheese. Use egg and cheese slices to make sandwiches on the English muffins. Season egg slices with cheese. You can griddle the sandwiches in a skillet/pan over a portable stove top or over a fire pit. Or wrap the sandwiches in foil and heat over the fire. Always be extra careful about burning food while camping, it happens easily.

For Two Hummus Sandwiches

Spread about 1/4 cup of hummus onto 2 slices of bread. Top each slice with 1-2 ounces crumbled feta and the reserved roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts. Top each sandwich with a second slice of bread. Serve with all-natural potato chips.

For Eggplant Burgers and Chopped Salad

Slice eggplant width-wise into 1/2 slices. Sprinkle each slice with salt, allow to sit for 15-30 minutes to let the salt draw out the bitter liquid. Brush each side of each slice with olive oil. Season with pepper. Grill slices on a grate over the fire pit until soft and tender. On a BBQ it takes 3-5 minutes preside, over a fire pit the time will vary depending on the fire. When slices are almost cooked, top with 1 ounce slices fresh mozzarella cheese and allow to melt. Slice tomato. Stuff buns with 1 or 2 eggplant slices, a slice of tomato (seasoned with salt), and basil leaves (or a hefty seasoning of dried basil).

Dump mason jar filled with salad into a large bowl and toss. Serve with burgers.

I also bought a 1/3 lb beef patty for Matt. We grilled it with the eggplant and he topped his burger with both the patty and an eggplant slice.

For Almond Butter & Banana Sandwiches

Spread about 2 tablespoons of Almond Butter onto each of two slices bread. Drizzle with honey or agave (a little goes a long way. Slices bananas and layer over almond butter. Each open faced or top with another slice of bread. I prefer open face (less bread).

The view of Phoenicia, New York while hiking.

Traveling Foodie

Road Tripping Foodie: NYC to Burlington, Vermont

September 2, 2015June 9, 2016by Radiate Food Vibes1 Comment

To celebrate our 2 year anniversary, Matt and I planned a 3-day road trip to Burlington, Vermont. Burlington is home to the University of Vermont, where Matt went to college, and has become one of my favorite cities. It’s not too big, not too small, and there are plenty of vegetarian-foodie-approved-eats. So we took the day off work set out at 8:30 on Friday morning, bagels and iced coffees in tow, for our weekend adventure.

Friday Stop 1: Hanover, New Hampshire (Dartmouth College)
Hanover is right on the border of Vermont and New Hampshire along highway 91. We entered from the highway, greeted by a beautiful park overlooking a dreamy lake landscape. The main street is small, but the uniform brick buildings make it feel quaint and friendly. I had done some research, so we already knew we were heading to a Dartmouth classic for lunch, Molly’s Restaurant. Molly’s was a great decision. The restaurant is huge, and we got a good look at the hard-working brick ovens as we headed to the outdoor back patio. On a perfectly sunny day like this, we were in heaven. And then the bread basket came out. OMG. Warm, crusty, and soft. It was divine. Good start, Molly’s. I ordered a brick oven pizza with fresh tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, and caramelized onions, and we split a garden salad with ranch dressing. The menus was extensive and offered many vegetarian options, but when pizza is in the mix, it’s pretty much a given. The pizzas were as good as to be expected at a restaurant that offers only homemade dressings (a major teller that I always look for). Bellies full and happy, we made our way back to the car, but not before stopping at a cute clothing boutique, Bella, and taking a quick tour of the tiny campus.

Friday Stop 2: Cabot, Vermont – Cabot Cheese Factory
From Hanover we headed to Cabot, Vermont where, you guessed it, Cabot cheddar cheese is made. We arrived at around 4pm, just in time to take the last tour of the day, sample all you can eat cheese (including an Everything Bagel Cheddar), and buy a few goodies at the store. The tour was totally awesome and although I loved Cabot cheese before this, I have a whole new love now. Cabot is a co-op, owned by the select north-east farmers who provide the milk. Their facilities are clean and their staff friendly and passionate. We learned that cheddar is supposed to be white, and that yellow cheese is dyed (at Cabot it’s dyed yellow naturally). The reason for making yellow cheese goes back to colonial times. Americans making cheese would color it yellow so that consumers were able to differentiate it from British-made cheddar. Now days, it’s the expected color of cheddar. Also, I learned that Cabot cheese is made using vegetable rennet (as opposed to animal rennet), making all Cabot cheeses 100% vegetarian. The whole experience at Cabot was perfect and I highly recommend visiting if you have the opportunity.

Friday Final Stop: Burlington, Vermont – North Beach Camp Grounds
For this trip we decided to camp at a Burlington campground, partly because it’s a lot cheaper than a hotel, but also because we love camping. Located on Lake Champlain and just a 30-minute walk to downtown Burlington, North Beach Camp Ground was so much fun.This type of camping is known as “urban camping”, getting to experience both the great outdoors and the entertainment of a lively, small city. And because NBCG is right on the lake, we also got some solid sand and swim time. This isn’t private camping, the sites are pretty close together, but we expected that so we were not at all disappointed. By them time we checked in and set up camp we were exhausted, so we ate a delicious meal that we brought with us, Greek Pita Stacks with hummus, tzatziki, taboule, and feta cheese. The pita, hummus, and tzatziki were made from scratch, while I took a shortcut for the taboule, using Near East brand (it’s my favorite!). This is a great camping meal because it’s tasty, healthy, hearty and prepared completely in advance.

Saturday: Campfire Breakfast, Beach Time, Exploring Burlington
For breakfast we ate another great camping meal. Lightly toasted whole wheat organic english muffins topped with avocado, Cabot cheddar, and sliced hard boiled eggs. Easy, delicious, and packable. We then headed to the beach before making the scenic walk along the lake into downtown Burlington for lunch and shopping. Matt chose the lunch spot located on Church Street (the main drag of downtown which is pedestrian access only). Red Onion is a casual, gourmet sandwich shop featuring sandwiches stacked on their extremely thick slices of homemade bread. My delicious and huge sandwich was made with soft sourdough bread, fresh spinach, raw mushroom slices, onion, mayo, and melty cheese.

Saturday Night: Mexican Feast in Downtown Burlington
After some r&r at the campsite, we headed back to downtown Burlington for dinner via Uber (good move…cheap and fast). We put our names in at El Cortijo, a farm-to-table, very casual mexican diner with absolutely delicious, fresh food. While we waited, we walked a few minutes to a couple Heady Toppers (a beloved Vermont double IPA) at a dive bar on Church Street. The outside seating, people watching, and great beer made for a very enjoyable pre-dinner drink. When we finally sat down to dinner, we didn’t hold back. Homemade chips, guar, queso dip, and the best salve we’ve ever tasted followed by delicious burritos. Mine had sweet potatoes, kale, and chili crema and it was divine. This place is a gem!

Sunday Stop 1 & 2: Bagel Sandwiches & Shelburne Farms
We got an early start Sunday morning to make the most of our last day of the weekend. After packing up camp we headed to Henry Street Deli for bagel sandwiches. This little deli is a bit grungy, but don’t be fooled. The food is fresh and tasty and students flock to this inconspicuous spot for fast, fresh and cheap food. An everything bagel with egg, cheese and avocado was just what I needed. And then, just a 20 minute drive outside of Burlington is Shelburne Farms, our next stop.

Shelburne Farms is a magical place. This 1,400-acre working farm was originally a summer estate turned into a non-profit education center for sustainability. We took the first tour of the day, which takes place primarily on a covered wagon pulled by a pickup truck. The grounds, including an Inn, farm animals, lake side floral and vegetable gardens, cheese making facility, and more, are breathtaking. By the year 2020 the farm will be completely self-sustaining using solar power. I loved every second of it. Of course, we bought goodies at this gift shop too which also included unlimited tastings of homemade cheese, dips, jams and mustards. A great way to start the day.

From Shelburne, we took the back roads for the majority of the drive back to New York, stopping a few times along the way if something caught our eye. The scenery, fresh air, and country music were rejuvenating, relaxing and centering, a perfect end to our long weekend and a sweet start to our next year together.