Issue Date: June 21, 2009
Center your next outdoor meal on one of these appealing dishes.
Step away from the mayonnaise jar and the celery. These main-course summer salads call for neither ingredient. No one will miss the meat in Moroccan Couscous & Chickpea Salad. The couscous and dried cherries "cook" right in the serving bowl. Canned chickpeas and stir-fried bell peppers and onions, zesty with spices, are folded in with an orange vinaigrette.
Seafood Pasta Salad With Tomatoes & Feta is both stunning and bold (see recipe for it and Apricot Chicken Salad below). Succulent shrimp and bay scallops -- not pasta -- take the lead in this summer hit.
Apricot Chicken Salad is dressed with a surprising blend of cream cheese, apricot jam and lime juice. Dried apricots, roasted almonds, green onions and cilantro make highly interesting stir-ins to this salad.
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Moroccan Couscous & Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup boiling water
5 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 large orange bell pepper, cut into bite-sized sticks
1 large onion, halved around its equator and cut into thin slices
1 1/2 tsps. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and ground black pepper
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
3 Tbs. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
Directions:
Place couscous and dried cherries in a medium bowl. Add boiling water; immediately cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until water is completely absorbed, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions, sautéing until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes, and seasoning with cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper as they cook. Add to couscous, along with chickpeas and cilantro.
Whisk remaining 3 Tbs. of oil with vinegar and orange juice concentrate. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
SERVES 6
PER SERVING: 343 calories, 9g protein, 49g carbohydrates, 13g fat (1.6g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 5g fiber, 206mg sodium
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Seafood Pasta Salad with Tomatoes & Feta
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 Tbs. lemon juice from 1 large lemon
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tb. rice wine vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
1/2 pound (half a box) bite-sized pasta, such as penne or small shells
1 pound each uncooked bay scallops and salad shrimp (see note)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved and lightly salted
1/2 cup roasted yellow peppers from a jar, cut into small dice (see note)
4 ounces (about 3/4 cup) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
Directions:
Note: If you can't find salad shrimp, buy the smallest ones available and cut them into bite-sized pieces. If you substitute frozen cooked shrimp, add them to boiling water at the last minute, then drain with scallops and pasta. You can substitute red roasted peppers for the yellow.
For dressing: Whisk garlic, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a measuring cup. Slowly whisk in olive oil to make a thick dressing.
Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of water and 1 Tb. of salt to a boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and, using package cooking times as a guide, cook until just tender. Add seafood to pasta and continue to cook until seafood is just opaque, a few minutes longer. Drain seafood and pasta, and spread out on a cookie sheet with a rim to cool and dry.
Prepare remaining ingredients.
Because this salad is best when assembled at the last minute, mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl, then toss with dressing and serve immediately.
SERVES 8
PER SERVING: 370 calories, 25g protein, 26g carbohydrates, 18g fat (4.2g saturated), 115mg cholesterol, 1g fiber, 435mg sodium
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Apricot Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 8-ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice from 1 large lime
Salad:
6 cups shredded meat from 2 small or 1 very large rotisserie chicken
16 dried apricots (a generous 1/2 cup), cut into small slices
1/2 cup chopped roasted, salted almonds
4 large green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Soften the cream cheese: Break it up in a small bowl and microwave on high power for 15 seconds. Whisk the jam and lime juice into the softened cheese, then set aside.
Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat.
If you make ahead and refrigerate, bring the salad back to room temperature before serving (the cream cheese stiffens the cold salad).
SERVES 6 to 8
PER SERVING: 492 calories, 42g protein, 28g carbohydrates, 24g fat (8.4g saturated), 132mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 321mg sodium
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of five cookbooks. Her latest is "The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great" (Houghton Mifflin, $27).
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