Cold Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Orzo Salad
4 cups cooked Orzo or other type of small pasta
1 can chopped Artichoke Hearts
1/2 small chopped Red Onion
1/2 cup diced Roasted Red Pepper
1 bunch chopped Green Onion
1 bunch of chopped Parsley
White Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sugar
- Place ingredients for dressing in a blender or medium sized bowl with mixer and blend well. Toss with Orzo and vegetables, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve cold.
Appetizers
Bacon wrapped Duck with Cream Cheese and Jalapeno
2 duck breasts, cut into one inch chunks
1 package of bacon
1 small jar of sliced jalapenos
1 package of cream cheese - unsoftened
toothpicks
Slice bacon slices in half. Lay bacon slices out and place a teaspoon of cream cheese in middle of slice. Place jalapeno slice and piece of duck, beef or chicken on top. Roll the bacon over until the stuffing is wrapped. Skewer with toothpicks and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 25 - 30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Some of the cream cheese will run out, that is okay. Serve hot.
Tomato Pie
2 sliced tomatoes, seeded
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of grated Swiss Cheese
1 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
or one pie shell
Optional Toppings
1/2 cup of cooked chopped bacon
1 vidalia onion, sliced and caremelized
fresh basil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Allow puff pastry of pie shell to come to room temparture. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and bake for 5 minutes. Pull from oven and allow to slightly cool. Mix cheeses and mayonnaise together in a bowl. Using a spatula, spread the cheese and mayonaisse mixture onto the puff pastry or shell and then top with sliced tomatoes and optional ingredients. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until slightly browned and bubbly. Top with fresh basil and serve warm.
Apricot Ginger Chicken Salad Recipe
We always have so much fun with WKRG on their cooking segment! This week, we've put a spin on a regular chicken salad recipe by adding the sweetness of apricots, the crunch and texture from the carrots and a fresh bite by adding cilantro to the mix. Its super easy to make and feeds a crowd! We hope you'll try this recipe and let us know what you think!
Apricot Ginger Chicken Salad
1 large roasted chicken, meat removed and chopped
½ cup dried apricots, diced
¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup julienned carrots, diced ¼ cup
cilantro – minced
Apricot Ginger Dressing
1 jar apricot preserves
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
2 TB grated ginger
Romaine Lettuce – sliced into ribbons
Mix chicken, apricots, green onions, carrots and cilantro in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix ingredients for Apricot Ginger Dressing in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until melted – let cool. Toss the dressing with the chicken mixture and serve on top of the romaine ribbons.
Great garnished with wonton chips or crunchy Chinese noodles.