Coconut Lime Granita

This summer I was on a lime kick. Any recipe, sweet or savory, with lime on the ingredient list made it onto my to-try list. I was squeezing lime in my water. And, my favorite flavor combination was coconut-lime. I mentioned this flavor craving to my friend Kari, who has the most amazing baking blog, and the coconut-lime craze got her too. After I saw her post on Coconut Lime Granita, I had to make it. It was so easy and so delicious! No time for a photo of this tasty dessert at our house, I was too interested in eating it.

Asian Chicken Salad

This salad makes it into my recipe rotation at least once every two weeks. The dressing is amazing and the salad is totally customizable.

Asian Chicken Salad
Dressing (recipe adapted from Allrecipes):
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablesoon sesame oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Salad:
Two hearts romaine, chopped
Two whole chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
One can mandarin oranges
One cucumber, sliced
One carrot, sliced or shredded
Chow Mein Noodles (Safeway has these for 99 cents for a 6 oz bag-I usually use half a bag)
Sliced almonds (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients and refrigerate while assembling all salad ingredients except noodles. Toss salad with dressing, divide among plates, and top with noodles and almonds.

Screaming Noodles

Did you hear about my huge recipe accomplishment? Well, I decided to try some of the other recipes in the cookbook. Screaming Noodles, is now in my regular rotation because it is quick, cheap, and a nice vegetarian option. It's named "Screaming Noodles" because the first time the kids saw it they screamed until they tried it, then, they liked it. I normally use a pound of rotini, or whatever short pasta I have on hand. I always omit the fresh parsley. I've added the spinach earlier, to the sauce and let it wilt before I pour the sauce on the noodles. The spinach clumps quite a bit that way, but if you like spinach cooked more, you should add it earlier than the recipe calls for. I like the dish both ways. Here is the recipe from the Cook's Country Best Lost Suppers cookbook:

Screaming Noodles
1 pound wide egg noodles (or other pasta)
Salt
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 (5-ounce) bags baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Pepper

1. Bring 4 quarts water ot a boil in a large pot. Add the noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the noodles and return them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon slat in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the cottabe cheese, Parmesan, and broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Stir the sauce into the noodles, adjusing the consistency with the reserved past cooking water as needed. Stir in the spinach, one handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.