Rice Salad Recipe

Healthy, fresh and easy to make. This rice salad is just what you need for these hot summer days

It's so hot today, I cannot believe it! I went for my run this morning and thought I was going to melt on my way back. Really!! The forecast says we'll have a high of  95 degrees for today and tomorrow (that's about 35 degree Celsius). And for those of you who don't know me, I'm in Southern California near the ocean, with an average temperature of about 70 degree all year long. Breezy and cool, and not extremely hot.
With this unexpected heat wave, I don't feel like baking or cooking very much. So here is one of my favorite dishes for these occasions. It's fresh, wholesome, light and easy to make.
This dish can be prepared a day before and can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It's  perfect for a picnic or a barbecue. For a light dinner or to take along with you at work or school for a healthy lunch.

You can really make rice salad with many different ingredients. That's what I like about it so much. Change it up every time and make it fun. Today, I've prepared it with mixed pickled veggies, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, fresh mozzarella and hard boiled eggs. And of course, you need a drizzle of tasty olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped fresh basil. Sounds perfect, right?

Here is the video recipe for you.

Note, the quantities of the ingredients added to the rice are just to give  you an idea of what I did. But feel free to add or change anything as you prefer!

Ingredients: serving about 4

• 1 1/2 cups (300 gr) rice ( I used long grain)
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 1 cup (180  gr) of giardiniera - mixed pickled veggies
• 1/2 cup (75 gr) of marinated artichokes hearts
• 1/4 cup (35 gr) of mixed pitted olives ( I used Greek)
• 6 oz (170 gr) of fresh mozzarella
• a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 3-4 leaves of fresh basil 

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Simmer the rice, as directed. it should take about 15 minutes.
2. In a separate small pan, hard boil three eggs: place the eggs in the pan, cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. When the water starts to boil, lower the flame to the minimum and let cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and peel.

3. In a large bowl, add the mixed pickled veggies, the artichoke hearts and the olives. All cut in small pieces.

4. When the rice is ready, drain and run quickly under cold water to cool it down. Drain well and add to the bowl with veggies.

5. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

6. Cut in pieces the boiled egg and salt to taste.

7. Add the eggs, mozzarella cut in small cubes, and the basil cut in smaller pieces to the rice.
Mix well. And adjust with olive oil if necessary.

Serve at room temperature or store in the refrigerator up to two days.

Buon appetito! 

Pasta Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Sun Dried Tomatoes

A fresh and healthy pasta salad with grilled eggplants, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella

 An irresistible combination of Mediterranean flavors!

 A hot weekend is coming up here in Los Angeles. I can't wait to jump in the warm ocean water and relax on the sand. And if, like me, you are planning to spend your Sunday at the beach or somewhere else fun, here is a great picnic lunch idea.

This pasta salad is very simple to make. It's vegetarian, healthy, fresh and very tasty. You can prepare it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. And then you just bring it along to the beach or park in your cooler.
I generally prefer eating this salad at room temperature (not cold from the refrigerator and not hot from the stove). I chose farfalle pasta this time, but you can really use any shape of short pasta. I would really not recommend spaghetti for a pasta salad.
Here is the recipe for you. And have an amazing weekend :)

Ingredients, serving 4 people:                  PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 1 medium eggplant
• a couple of whole sun-dried tomatoes (I used about 5 halves - Colavita, tomatoes in olive oil)
• 1 garlic clove
• 8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• oregano
• salt
• 12 oz pasta

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.
2. Cut the eggplant in thin slices. Grill the eggplants, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.

3. Cut the grilled eggplants in small strips. In a large bowl, add the eggplants, the garlic cut in slices, the sun-dried tomatoes cut in pieces and sliced garlic

4. Drain the pasta, run it under cold water to stop it from overcooking. Add to the bowl and mix well. Add the mozzarella cut in small cubes and mix again. Add more olive oil and oregano if necessary. Easy as that :)

Buon Appetito!

Fourth of July Popsicles Made with Fresh Berries and Greek Yogurt

Celebrate this Fourth of July with these super healthy and cute popsicles made with only three ingredients:
fresh organic blueberries, strawberries and vanilla Greek yogurt. No added sugar or food coloring. 

And, ready to be amazed?? One of these popsicles is only 40 calories. Simply perfect :)

Sweeten up your Forth of July party with these American flag-inspired, patriotic popsicles, made with fresh, organic strawberries, blueberries and vanilla flavored Greek yogurt.
The best part of this recipe: no food coloring is necessary for your red, white and blue. And NO added sugar, just the natural sweetness of the fruit (and well ... what's in the yogurt!). In addition to the fruit, I used one of those 100-calories cup of Greek yogurt. I added the caloric value of the fruit and came up with a total of 160 calories for four servings. Sooooo.... each popsicle is only about 40 calories! Not bad, right?! I say, not bad at all :)

As you can see in my video here, this recipe is quite easy. All  you need is 3 ingredients. 10 minutes of your time, a food processor and pop molds. That's all!

I used a squeeze bottle to pour the yogurt into the molds, to limit spillage on the sides. You can also use a small spoon. If you like perfection, make sure to clean any drops before you move to the next layer. But don't go crazy trying to make precise lines. I really think that homemade dessert doesn't have to look perfect... just wholesome and delicious!!

You can also have fun with this recipe, and change it up a little. Add honey for extra sweetness. Use lemon flavor or plain yogurt. Add some lemon juice for a citrusy twist.
No matter what you do, you won't feel guilty when your kids will ask for one (or more!!) of these popsicles. After all, they are only fruit and yogurt in a frozen and colorful form.
So why make them only for this holiday weekend, when it's a perfect, fresh treat all summer long?!?
Enjoy :)




Ingredients: to make 4 popsicles of about 1/3 cup (80 ml) each      PRINTABLE RECIPE

5.5 oz (155 gr) of (organic) strawberries

1.5 oz (40 gr) of (organic) blueberries

1 cup = 5.3 oz (150 gr) of vanilla Greek yogurt

Preparation time: 10 minutes to prepare, plus 5 hours (or more) in the freezer
Directions:
1. Puree' the strawberries in a food processor or blender. If you'd like, you can add a bit of lemon juice and sugar (or honey) to make it sweeter. If your strawberries are sweet as mine, no need to add anything.

2. Using a small spoon, baking syringe or squeeze bottle, add about one tablespoon of Greek yogurt in each pop mold. Place about 7 or 8 blueberries in each, depending on the size of your mold. With a stick or the back of a spoon, distribute and push the blueberries down into the yogurt.
To make the layers look perfect (they don't have to be!!), you should try not to spill yogurt on the side of the mold. You can also clean the sides if you wish before you move to the next step.

3. Pour a layer of pureed strawberries on top.  Add a layer of  vanilla yogurt, and finish up with one more layer of strawberries. You can decide how many red and white stripes you want based on the size of your popsicle mold.

4. With the ingredients in my list, I made 4 popsicles. Close with the top, or place a stick in the middle. And place in the freezer until frozen. I suggest a minimum of five hours, or more.

5. Run the popsicle molds under warm water to remove from the mold. Careful not too pull too hard on the stick, or it might come off. I suggest to leave the popsicles in the mold until ready to eat!

 Happy Forth of July :)

Fresh and Healthy Couscous Salad

So healthy, fresh, light, and easy to make:
couscous salad with organic tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella cheese and your favorite olives

Perfect for these hot summer days!

I prepared this couscous salad on Sunday, for our day at the beach. It was a great hit! So wholesome and delicious. A great combination of fresh flavors. I'm  one hundred percent sure that this will become one of your favorite summer recipe too. 

This couscous salad is quite versatile. It's perfect for a picnic on the sand, a barbecue at the park, your next party ... or you can simply enjoy it after a long day at work, or pack it for lunch the next day.

Did I mention it's fresh, healthy and delicious?!? Because it's fresh, healthy, delicious AND super easy and fast to prepare. Only few ingredients are required to make this salad. Make sure to use good quality, tasteful products, tough. I bought all my ingredients at Trader Joe's, As you might guess ... one of my favorite store :) Check out my video, and you will see how easy this recipe is!

Wait, there is more! You can prepare this salad ahead of time too. Just refrigerate it, especially if the weather is warm, and if you are not planning to eat it in the next hour or so.  I just love recipes that work around my schedule :)

Ingredients: serving 4 people:

• 8 oz (225 gr) of Israeli pearl couscous (I used Trader Joe's) 
  
• 2 organic tomatoes
• 2 small (Persian) cucumbers, or one medium cucumber
• 8 oz (225 gr) of fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of pitted green olives (or your favorite) 
• salt to taste
• oregano 
• about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Directions:
1. Bring about three cups (700 ml) of water to a boil. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, and salt to taste. Simmer the couscous for about 12 minutes. If you are using a different couscous than what I have, make sure to check the directions on the box on the best way to cook it.

2. Cut the tomatoes, cucumbers and mozzarella cheese in small cubes. Combine these ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

 3. Add the olives, sliced.

4. When the couscous is ready, drain and run under cold water to stop from overcooking.

5. Add to the bowl, mix well and sprinkle with oregano.

Serve immediately, at room temperature or refrigerate for up to a day.

Buon Appetito!