Mango Salsa Scoops

(note, I made this at the end of August, here in MN, it is obviously not a hot summer day!)

Easy and quick and perfect on a hot summer day. I loved that this was a bit both spicy and sweet and kept nicely in the refrigerator for snacks all week long :)

This was from the Food Network Magazine, 50 After School Snacks Insert



Mango Salsa Scoops

Toss 1 cup diced mango and a 14.5 ounce can of black beans (rinsed and drained) with 1/4 cup diced red onion. Add 1 small can of chopped pickled jalapenos and the liquid, chopped cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt. Serve in tortilla scoops.

Wild Rice Salad

This is a recipe I rely on each Thanksgiving as each of us are responsible for bringing a side dish to the big dinner. The first time I brought it, everyone seemed to enjoy it. The second year I was strapped for ideas and busy with school so I brought it again. Same thing next year, so this year when turkey day came around again, I thought to myself, why change a good thing, and now I look forward to turkey day for many reasons, among them is the wild rice salad.

This 'salad' is a variation of several recipes and ideas I've seen over the years on websites and at restaurants. I use 'salad' in quotes only because when I was first put in charge of bringing a 'salad' to family dinners for holidays and whenever, I thought a salad was only referring to the green, leafy kind. I thought...how am I going to get a dressed leafy green salad down to where our family is an hour and a half away still in good presentable condition?! Well little to my knowledge, a 'salad' can also refer to other things like a pasta salad, or in this case a wild rice salad! Now I know, and knowing is half the battle (thanks GI Joe.)

When I first prepared this, I was adding things I knew would be tasty together, so I guess I consider this a recipe of my own creation. If you make one like this also, cheers, you have excellent taste in my opinion, maybe we can get together sometime :)

Wild Rice Salad

1.5 cups uncooked MN wild rice (prepared as directed on the package)

5 strips of thick cut bacon

1/2 cup toasted almond slices

3/4 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Rinse the wild rice and prepare as directed on package. Wild rice takes a long time to cook in my opinion, and sometimes I still have to strain it at the end of the cooking stage. The final stage of cooking should yield a firm and chewy rice. Once prepared, set aside until needed.

Using a sharp knife, dice the bacon and add to a cold saute pan. Once that is complete, move the saute pan to the stove top and brown the bacon. Upon completion, add the wild rice to the saute pan with the bacon, do not remove any of the drippings (unless there is A LOT!) A lot of the flavor in this dish is lent from the bacon drippings, so we want to use up all of that yummy bacon flavor. Add the Craisins and almonds to the pan and stir to incorporate.

Garnish with any remaining almonds and green onions and enjoy!

Leek and Roasted Tomato Orzo

Today was one of those days where I tried to use up od's and end's that are left over from the last week or so. When my husband asks, whats for lunch? and I reply "odds and ends" he knows exactly what I mean. Fortunately I've come up with some pretty crafty combinations.

I looked in the refrigerator and found about 3/4 cup oven roasted tomatoes, one leek, and one cup of chicken stock. At first I was thinking of a linguine pasta dish, but then I remembered I had some orzo left over, and this wee I picked up some Grana Padano cheese at the grocery store, and then it hit me-I knew my plan from there.

Grana Padano cheese is an aged Italian cheese. It is usually aged over 16 months, it's firm and slightly nutty like Parmesan. I believe it's a cow's milk cheese. It's best served shaved over a pasta, on a cheese plate with pears and prosciutto.



Leek and Roasted Tomato Orzo

1 leek, sliced and thoroughly cleaned.
3/4 cup oven roasted tomatoes
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup orzo pasta
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
Grana Padano (or Parmesan) cheese (but promise me you won't use the powdery stuff in the plastic container!)

In a saute pan, melt the butter on about medium heat and saute the leeks until semi translucent. Add the dry, uncooked orzo pasta and cook for a bit to toast the pasta a bit giving it a nice nutty flavor. Once color starts to develop add the chicken stock and reduce the temperature to low. Stirring often, the orzo will absorb the chicken stock, if needed add a bit more cooking liquid. Once that process is complete, about 10 minutes, add the tomatoes and stir to heat.

Finely grate the cheese over the top before serving, using as much or as little as you wish. I like a little fresh cracked pepper also-Enjoy!