Lemon & Dill Macaroni Salad

I just made this up and it was delicious and fresh and summery.

1 box macaroni salad noodles (cooked al dente)
2 lemons (zested)
1 lb fresh or frozen peas (raw)
1 lb sugar snap peas (chopped on the bias)
1 bunch of scallions (finely chopped)
1 bunch of fresh dill (chopped)
1/2 a bunch of mint (julienned)
red pepper flakes (to taste)
salt & pepper (to taste)
Olive Oil
White Wine Vinegar

Toss the al dente noodles immediately with some olive oil salt & pepper and white wine vinegar.  Add the peas, herbs, lemon juice and zest, and season to taste.  Noodles absorb the flavors the longer you let it sit.

Grilled Lemon Chicken Salad

This is healthy, fresh, and delicious.  My friend, Abby, made it for me and I needed the recipe!  You know that feeling when you have one too many slices of pizza?  Or when you eat a huge hamburger and fries and feel kind of ill?  This is the opposite of that feeling!

Grilled Lemon Chicken Salad

(Serves 6)

• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
• 3/4 cup good olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup raw sugar snap peas, stems and strings removed
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 yellow pepper, julienned
• 1 lemon thinly sliced
• Dressing
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Whisk together the lemon juice olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.  Marinate the chicken in lemon juice/olive oil mixture overnight (or at least 6 hours).  Grill chicken and slice diagonally in 1/2 inch pieces.

Toss sliced chicken breasts with sugar snap peas, red and yellow bell peppers, lemon slices and dressing.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Floor Salad (Grilled Corn and Tomato-Sweet Onion Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing and Crumbled Blue Cheese)

This is a Bobby Flay recipe I made for a large dinner party.  I doubled the recipe and was running late.  For the finishing touches, I was slicing all the corn off the cob into the salad and I ended up flipping the bowl.  A HUGE bowl of salad I had worked on all on the floor!  Jessica and I looked at each other, shocked, and then she yells "TEN SECONDS!"  We dove to the floor and rescued everything except for the bottom layer.  We didn't tell any of the people at the party, naturally.  But it was so delicious, floor or not, I ate seconds.  (And that's the last time anyone ever eats my food).  I think this works really well for a summer BBQ.  It is nice on the side of a brisket or a pulled pork.

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1 teaspoon sugar Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 8 ears corn, grilled in the husk, kernels removed 1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), halved and thinly sliced 1 pint Sweet 100 tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved 8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish Combine the vinegar, basil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Can be made 2 hours in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.Combine the corn kernels, onion and tomato in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat, season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Top with crumbled blue cheese and garnish with basil sprigs just before serving. Salad can be made 1 day in advance and served cold or at room temperature.

(Maret's note:  I serve this over spinach, even though they intended for it to be eaten alone).  The salad goes a lot further when it's a topping/dressing on a lettuce salad rather than a corn side salad.  Delicious either way.