Italian Marinated Vegetable Salad

1/2 lb. fresh green beans, cut in half
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed
8oz block cheese, cubed
1/2 cup Italian Dressing of your choice

Add beans and cauliflower to boiling water in saucepan; cook until crisp-tender. Drain. If desired, rinse under cold water; drain again. Place in bowl.
ADD remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Cover. Refrigerate 3 hours or until chilled.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

1 red bell pepper cored and cut into 4 pieces
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), cut across into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
Olive oil cooking spray
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on a tray or work surface. Lightly spray both sides with olive oil cooking spray. Preheat a grill or grill pan over a medium-high heat. Grill the vegetables in batches until both sides are nicely charred and the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes for the pepper, about 8 minutes for the eggplant and onion, and about 6 minutes for the zucchini. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and oregano. Pour over the vegetables and toss. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the tomatoes. Divide the salad between 4 plates and sprinkle with the feta.

**Note-This salad is particularly tasty with pita-either chips or put into the bread and served as a light lunch.

Chick Pea Salad

2 (19-ounce) cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 carrot, grated
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Let sit about an hour to let flavors meld.

**Note-if you have leftovers of this, combine it with some cumin, a bit of flour if it's too dry and about 1/2 teaspoon baking soda per cup of leftovers. Pulse everything in food processor, form into balls, and bake 15-20 minutes at 400 for easy, quick baked falafel!

Garden Fresh Pasta Salad

1 pkg. (16 oz.) farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 bottle (8 oz.) Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing (or dressing of your choice)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water the last 3 min. Drain. Place in large bowl. Stir in peppers and tomatoes. Add dressing; toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle pasta salad with cheese right before serving.

**Note-Do I have to tell you this is a perfect dish to use up some of your vegetables from the garden? Use whatever veggies you have on hand that you think mix well!

Lemony Green and White Beans

1 can white beans
2 c fresh green beans, halved
1 scallion, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
zest of half a lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Make dressing and toss with beans. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Four Seasons of Potato Salad

WINTER
4 cups large storage potatoes, coarsely diced and boiled until firmly tender
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
¾ cup last summer’s dill pickles, finely chopped
2 tbsp dill
salt to taste
Mayonnaise to consistency

Combine potatoes, eggs, and pickles, being careful not to mash anything. Add dill and salt to mixture and combine thoroughly. Add just enough mayonnaise to hold the salad together.

SPRING
4 cups storage potatoes, coarsely diced
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
1-2 cups new peas
1 cup crumbled feta
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Boil diced potatoes as above. Combine ingredients.

SUMMER
2 lbs red or golden new potatoes, cut in 1 inch chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
coarse salt
2 yellow or red bell peppers, cut in chunks
2 cups green beans (stringed and broken in 1-inch lengths)
1-2 ears sweet corn on cob

Toss potatoes with salt and oil and spread on baking sheet. Place ears of corn, lightly oiled, with potatoes to roast as well. Roast in 450° oven until tender (20-30 minutes). Add peppers and green beans to roast for last 10 minutes. When done, loosen the vegetables with a spatula, cut corn kernels off cob, and combine in a large, shallow bowl.

2 cups tomatoes cut in wedges
½ cup fresh basil
¼ cup olive oil whipped together with 1 tbsp balsamic or other mellow vinegar
Toss tomatoes, basil and dressing with roasted vegetables, salt to taste.

FALL
2 lbs fingerling potatoes (Russian Banana, Rose-Finn, La Ratte)
seasonal vegetables
4 tbsp dried basil
¼ cup olive oil whipped with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Prepare roasted potatoes as in “Summer” recipe, combining with late-season peppers and green beans, shelly beans, or limas, roasted along with the potatoes. Toss with fresh tomato wedges, basil and the dressing. As the season progresses and different things become available, you can mix and match other vegetables with the potatoes to your heart’s content, keeping proportions roughly the same. Cubed winter squash and sweet potatoes are wonderful in this roasted dish, requiring about the same amount of time in the oven. Don’t hesitate to combine sweet and regular potatoes – they are unrelated, and marry well!

Orzo with Feta, Green Beans and Tomatoes

1 lb of green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups orzo
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large tomatoes
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups crumbled Feta (about 10 oz)
salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil for orzo and green beans. Cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil and saute until softened-about 5 minutes. Quarter and seed the tomatoes. Cut quarters into lengthwise slices, about 1/4 inch thick. When onion is cooked, add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until softened about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook orzo according to packaged directions, adding green beans last 1-2 minutes. When cooked, drain and add to tomato and onion mixture. Add in vinegar, parsley, feta and salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

**Note-This dish is more like a warm and/or hearty pasta salad than it is a traditional pasta dish.

Greek Isles Pasta Salad

3 cups pasta (uncooked)
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup canned chickpeas
1 cup feta (or desired) cheese
1/2 cup Greek style vinaigrette

Cook pasta. Add remaining ingredients to cooked, drained pasta. Refrigerate one hour to let flavors meld. Before serving, mix in feta cheese.

Mediterranean Marinated Vegetable Salad

2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
1 green pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1/2 cup Italian dressing
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 cup feta cheese crumbles

Combine dressing, garlic and basil. Pour over veggies and toss. Refrigerate one hour to let flavors meld. Before serving, add feta cheese.

Mexican Fiesta Salad

Lettuce
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 cup corn
1 pepper, chopped
Shredded cheese
Ranch dressing
Salsa

Combine all ingredients, top with ranch dressing and salsa.

Ham Salad

1 1/2-2lbs cooked ham
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 small jar pickle relish
1/2+ cup mayonnaise (enough for desired consistency)

Use a food processor to shred ham and onion very finely. Mix in relish and mayonnaise.