Cinnamon Vinaigrette

For a Sunday night dinner at my Aunt's house, she made a delicious salad with avocado, strawberries, candied pecans and red onion and the vinaigrette below. It was AMAZING!

Cinnamon Vinaigrette

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup Raspberry or Currant Vinegar

3 tablespoons Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

Mushroom and White Bean Quinoa

Mushroom lovers rejoice! This is awesome! Makes a great lunch, side dish served with chicken or beef, or main dish served with some bread with melted cheese!

1 cup Quinoa
3 cups Chicken or Beef Stock (or substitute water or veggie stock to make it vegetarian)
1 can White Beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz sliced Mushrooms, sliced (about 15 mushrooms of your favorite kind. I like white button.)
1 teaspoon fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter and extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In small sauce pan cook 1 cup Quinoa in 3 cups of liquid (stock or water) according to package directions. In saute pan, saute sliced mushrooms in butter and olive oil for a few minutes on medium/high heat. Add garlic and rosemary and continue to cook mushrooms until slightly browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Add to a serving bowl with white beans and cooked quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Poppyseed Dressing

Brian's Favorite Dressing:

1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar (or a combination of 1/4 c Vinegar and 1/4 c. Lemon Juice)
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
2 tablespoons Sugar or 3 tablespoons Honey (or more if the tang of the vinegar is too strong...I like it tangy though)
Salt and Pepper

Shake to combine.

I have this in my fridge at all times...There are variations in the recipe because I make it with whatever I have...It's great on any kind of salad or this Macaroni one that was a hit at our community BBQ:

1 pound cooked Macaroni Noodles
1 Kielbasa, sauteed or grilled then cubed
2 red, orange, or yellow Peppers, diced
5 scallions, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Top with Poppyseed dressing. Serve warm or cold.

Caprese Pasta Salad with (Mostly Non-Fat) Creamy Basil Sauce

1 pound of short cut pasta—I prefer shells
1 pkg fresh Mozzarella Cheese—about 8 ounces or more if you’d like--cubed
2 bunches of Cherry Tomatoes—about 24 ounces, or substitute grape tomatoes or 5-6 Roma tomatoes cubed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

BASIL SAUCE: Blend all until Smooth
1 cup Non-Fat Plain Yogurt
½ cup Pine Nuts
1 cup fresh Basil--about 25 large leaves
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Bake until they burst—about 10-15 minutes. Place slightly cooled tomatoes into bowl and smash with fork to desired consistency. Add in cubed cheese, and boiled pasta. Top with Basil Sauce. Garnish with basil and pine nuts. Serve warm or cold.

Kabob Pasta Salad

3 Bell Peppers, any color

1 medium Red Onion

1 pound of your favorite Sausage (I like hot Louisiana Style Sausage from Costco) or chicken

1 pound Bow Tie Pasta

2 Lemons- zest and juice

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cook pasta. Reserve half a cup of the cooking liquid before draining. Chop bell peppers, onions, and sausage into like sized pieces. Put on kabob skewers and grill until cooked through. Add kabobs to pasta. Dress with cooking water, lemon juice, zest, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold.

*If you don't have a grill, saute the meat and veggies in large skillet, to cook through*