Fresh Vegetable Salad

Fresh Vegetable Salad (from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 6, Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 cup chopped broccoli
·         1 cup chopped carrots
·         1 cup chopped red pepper
·         1 cup chopped zucchini
·         ½ cup Red Wine Vinaigrette

Directions

1.)    Mix all ingredients together.  Refrigerate for 3 hours.  Stir just prior to serving.

This is a simple and easier side dish – I made it a few years ago for a picnic and this time for a party.  The veggies really soak up the vinaigrette, so there is not a huge puddle at the bottom of your bowl (although, there is a small one).  The veggies stay crisp and fresh and the Red Wine Vinaigrette adds a sweet flavor to them.  I use shredded carrots in this recipe rather than chopped ones – it just makes this simple recipe a bit faster to put together. 

I used some leftovers to top salad greens – the ready-made marinated vegetables were almost enough to not have to add extra salad dressing.

The New Buckley's Tavern - Greenville, DE

A renovated Buckley’s Tavern opened in Fall 2012; however, my husband and I did not make a visit until a warm weekend in June.  We sat outside, but had the opportunity to see some of the indoor renovations.  The restaurant is much brighter now, more inviting.  It is a welcome change from the Buckley’s of the past.  Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the food.  I ordered the Vegetable Wrap with Sweet Potato Fries – something fresh and (hopefully) tasty on a warm day.  Well, all I can really say is that it was just OK.  The wrap consisted of grilled seasonal vegetables with pesto and snow pea shoots.  It wasn’t really anything to write home about.  The taste was just kind of bland – maybe it needed more pesto.  The sweet potato fries were standard – lightly salted.

Although I was not impressed with the food, I do plan on going back for dinner – the Macaroni and Cheese (and the Caramelized Onion and Fontina Flatbread) were calling my name.  Maybe I just chose the wrong entrée!

Blue Bird Inn (Lebanon, PA)

http://www.bluebirdinn.com/

My husband and I met his family for Father’s Day dinner at Blue Bird Inn in Lebanon.  I have been there once before and remembered the food being alright.  This time, we had to sit inside because of impending thunderstorms.  The front of the restaurant is bright, with big windows, ample seating, and a large bar. The back portion, where we sat, was dark and looked a little aged. 

There were a few vegetarian options on the menu, but I decided to go for the Sangria Basil Chicken (sans chicken, of course).  Mistake!  I was excited because it was Roasted Garlic & Asiago ravioli tossed with sautéed shallots, mushrooms, and baby spinach topped in a Sangria Tomato Basil Sauce.  Reading the description, I expected a flavor explosion!  Unfortunately, I didn’t get one.  It was actually really bland.  The ravioli was cooked alright, maybe a little too tough.  I couldn’t taste any sangria or basil in the sauce or any roasted garlic in the ravioli.  Overall, it was a pretty big letdown.  My husband’s father really likes this restaurant, so chances are I’ll be going again.  Next time, no Sangria Basil pasta for me.

Summery Risotto With Corn, Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Oil

Summery Risotto With Corn, Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Oil (from Herbivoracious.com, Servings: 6, Total Time: 45 minutes)

Ingredients for the tomato oil:

•  6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• handful of flavorful cherry tomatoes (or ¼ cup diced ripe tomato)
• ¼ tsp. salt

Ingredients for the risotto:

• 6 cups mildly flavored vegetable broth
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• ¼ cup minced onion
• 2 cups arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp. salt
• corn kernels from 1 and 1/2 ears, reserve the cobs (apparently they give it a more corny flavor)
• 2 small zucchini, fine dice
• ½ cup or more grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese plus more for serving

Directions

1. Bring the broth to a simmer, and add the corn cobs (if using).
2. Prepare the tomato oil by pureeing all ingredients in a mini-food processor.  Allow to steep for half an hour if possible and refrigerate if not using soon.
3. Heat 4 Tbps. olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot. Sauté the onion for a couple of minutes until softened but not browned. Add the rice and sauté for a minute or two until it turns slightly translucent.
4. Add the wine and salt stir until absorbed.
5. Add the broth, one ladle at a time, stirring very frequently. Continuously isn't necessary. When the rice begins to dry out, add another ladle.
6. After approx.. 16 minutes, begin to check a grain every minute. When there is a slight white pinhead that is a bit tough inside, add the vegetables. If you have used up all of the broth, you can start using water. Add more salt if needed.
7. Within 10 minutes, the rice should be tender. Take it off of the heat right away and stir in the cheese.
8. Serve in individual bowls. Add a good squeeze of the tomato oil around the edge, and top with more cheese.

This risotto recipe is fairly easy, which I always like.  I used a vegetable bouillon mix to make the 6 cups of broth needed.  I also used the white wine that we had in our wine cabinet, which was more of a semi-sweet than dry (it added some nice sweetness to the flavor, though).  I also used frozen corn instead of corn on the cob (so, I obviously did not add cobs to the brother, either).  As I said, this was an easy recipe and it turned out pretty delicious.  It was slightly salty, so you may want to consider cutting back to 1 ½ tsp. in the risotto.  I was a little hesitant about the tomato oil – but it does add a little bit of an olive oil/salt flavor, but I cannot really taste the tomatoes, which would have been nice.  It does add a nice color component to the dish though – then you have red, yellow, white and green! 

The zucchini and corn stayed crisp even when cooking for 10 minutes with the risotto.  It was a nice texture component paired with the creamy risotto.  And I will give that to this risotto – it is creamy, even when reheating for leftovers!  My husband and I both liked it a lot (and I didn’t even add the extra cheese on top!) and I do plan on making it again.  I just had some for leftovers and my mouth is already watering for it again!