Summer Dishes

One of my goals for my summer list was to cook five new dishes. I finally finished! Here they are:

1. Super Herbed Salmon with Creamy Leeks and Bacon
You know this is a Rachel Ray recipe because the title is uber-looooong... and it has "EVOO"

Photo is NOT mine (which turned out ugly). Find the photo and recipe here.

The one con was that some of my salmon flaked apart and looked like a hot mess (hence why I don't have my own picture above), but besides that, it was still delicious. I would definitely recommend trying it!

2. No Cook Shrimp Salad: see info here!

3. Lemon risotto:
This was quite possibly the best dish I've ever made, besides my mango bean salsa. It is such a rich, restaurant worthy, fairly simply dish. Giada might be annoying with her over-pronunciating and perfect nails and omnipresent cleavage, but damn, does she ever have the best recipes! See it here. (NOTE: I didn't fuss with lemon cups).

4. Ginger Apricot shrimp: See above photo for picture. I got this recipe from Real Simple magazine. You can't beat a recipe with three ingredients: wahoo!
* 3/4 cup apricot preserves
* 1 tablespoon FRESH, grated ginger
* 1 pound shelled and deveined jumbo shrimp

Simmer preserves and ginger together. Spray a cookie sheet. Spread shrimp on sheet. Drizzle apricot mixture on top. Dot with black pepper and a bit of sea salt. Broil for 3-4 minutes until pink and cook thoroughly. Great with risotto recipe!

5. Mediterranean Potato Salad: Delicious and summery tasting!!

I'm not a big fan of mayo, so this potato salad was right up my alley because it uses vinegar and Italian dressing instead. Would go well with sausage, bbq chicken, or steak.

I forgot to take a picture, but trust me, it was delicious.

1 ½ lb medium red potatoes, cut in half
3 slices bacon - I used four last time though, and it could have used more…
¾ cup red or yellow grape tomatoes (do not cut in half)
¼ cup chopped white onion
¼ cup sliced ripe olives
½ cup fat free Italian dressing
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional for color- cilantro would work too)


1. In 3 quart saucepan, heat 1 inch water to boiling. Add potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. (Last time, I did it for about 16 minutes). Drain. Cool slightly. Cut potatos into ¾ inch cubes. Place in a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, line microwavable plate with paper towel. Place bacon on paper towel and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp. Crumble.

3. Stir bacon, tomatoes, onion, and olives into warm cubed potatoes. In small bowl, mix dressing and vinegar. Pour over potato mixture, stirring gently to coat veggies. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm or cold.

Want to see a full list of recipes? I've organized all my posts so that they are each in a separate list! Go to the top and click on "the food list" for more!