Smitten Kitchen’s Roasted Red Pepper and Peas Pasta Salad
I’ve made some modifications like adding roasted garlic to the vinaigrette and corn in addition to peas. So so ridiculously good. I brought it to my co-worker’s co-ed office babyshower and people were fighting over taking it home.
Notes:
*Put the dressing on at the last minute or it will get absorbed into the pasta overnight
*Balsamic works just as well if not better than red wine vinegar, but it’s not going to be as pretty a colour.
I’m a celiac so I have to stay away from anything bread-y which can seriously limit the options at a picnic or potluck. My party trick is to bring a bunch of fresh fruit, usually centered around a pineapple that I slice up when I arrive. For some reason, it impresses the heck out of folks and I rarely have leftovers to take home.
If there are going to be lots of kiddies, I make finger jello, which is jello with extra gelatin in it so it is stiff enough to pick up with your fingers. Sometimes I cut it with cookie cutters for great shapes. Don’t allow anyone to eat too much at once though or they’ll have digestion problems.
I work with a lot of vegetarians, so something bacon-free is usually appreciated- they all seem to like spinach squares. I make it with way more spices and aromatics though- a chopped fried onion, couple cloves garlic, nutmeg, paprika if you want. Hell, add bacon, just keep it away from the veggie people!
I think a lot of people may not know how to slice a pineapple (and it’s often cheaper to buy it canned), hence the impressiveness of the dish. Add to that, the fact that many potluck dishes are starchy, heavy, dessert-food type stuff, and it leaves quite a few people seeking out light, tasty stuff like fresh fruit!
For strictly “grown-up” potlucks, the hubby and I have made “Over-21 Fruit Salad”; you start several days before the function. Cube up a melon (any kind, but watermelon works really well), add any other in-season fruits that look good. Add a bottle of vodka, cover tightly, refrigerate for 48-72 hours. Always a hit!
I’ve got a couple but the one that’s most requested is crab dip
8 oz block of cream cheese softened
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. crab meat (fresh is best but I’ve used canned many times)
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 clove of garlic pressed
1 tsp. or so of worcestershire sauce (I never measure, just dump some in)
hot sauce and/or crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Beat the mayo and cream cheese until very smooth, stir in everything else. Refrigerate until it’s time to eat. Serve with crudite or crackers.
I make it spicy for adults but if it’s a family party I leave out the pepper because the kids love it. I also like that I can make it fairly quickly and way ahead. It’s actually better if it sits and the flavors blend.
I make this but include green onion and usually use sour cream instead of mayo.
Try to use medium or large sized eggs, not extra large or jumbo. The smaller eggs are usually a heck of a lot easier to eat neatly. If you have to use jumbo eggs, you might want to cut the eggs into quarters (the long way) before stuffing.
My co-worker makes this for company picnics, but it’s Chinese Chicken Salad. I think it’s exactly like yours, but with cubed cold chicken breast included. Delish.
I often take a 7-layer dip to potlucks. It’s very easy, but put it out with a bag of tortilla chips and it won’t last long!
It doesn’t have to be 7 layers. I don’t always make it the same way. Basically you just spread thin layers of any or all of the following ingredients in an 8-inch square casserole dish (or a springform pan):
1 can refried beans
1 cup guacamole, or just mash some avocados and mix in a package of taco seasoning mix
1 can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 can diced green chiles
1 can sliced black olives, drained well
1 med jar chunky salsa
sliced green onions
sour cream
1 package shredded “Mexican blend” cheese
Layer the ingredients one at a time. The order isn’t too important, but the beans work best on the bottom, and on top should be the sour cream with the shredded cheese sprinkled over it and keep a few of the olives and sliced green onions to scatter on top for presentation. It’s best if you can refrigerate it all for a couple of hours to let it all kind of “set”–especially if you make it in a springform pan and are going to remove the side.
It’s a pretty substantial dip, so serve with tortilla chips strong enough to scoop it. Goes great with Fritos, too.
Replace the chickpeas with roasted egglplant, skip the mint, and you also have a wonderful babaghanouj. Add a few pita chips and you have two apps that are (fairly) healthy and darn tasty.
Hot Bacon Dip
Buffalo Chicken Dip, but only if you use the blue cheese. Otherwise don’t bother. It’s best with celery and carrots rather than chips, because it’s really rich.
Then there’s the classic pepper jelly over a block of cream cheese. Simple and yummy.
I want to try this right now, just to see what it tastes like.
The only thing missing that I can see is a drizzle of sesame oil, and some toasted or plain sesame seeds. It just completes this salad for me, and I see yours is replete. The nuttieness and smoky roundness of the toasted sesame oil could do nothing but improve the touch of almonds and sunflower seeds. Add only a few drops, sparingly is the key… better too little than too much.
I also skip the seasoning pack for the ramen… seems too beefy and like overkill, instead I use a small amount of “Accent” MSG Salts. MSG is in the packet plus lots of sodium, but with accent and salt I can control in subtler flavorings.
Also, I use Red Cabbage. The ramen take on a purplish pink hue. It is a striking salad when not skimped, the red/purple, white, and green. Plus, purple cabbage stays more crunchy.
One that I’ve done a lot, and is easy enough that even a bachelor guy can do it: baked potato wedges.
Take washed, unpeeled potatoes, cut lengthwise into quarters (or 1/6ths for big ones), plus some onions also cut up, put in a plastic bag with oil & spices, shake until they are well coated with the oil & spices, then spread in a pan and bake.
Goes over well because so many potluck foods are salads or sweet dessert items; this is a nice alternative. And in the midwest, meat & potatoes are important!
If you don’t know what spices to use with these potato wedges, you can even buy a packet of dry ranch dressing mix in the grocery store, and use that with the drizzle or oil. I’ve had these, and they are very tasty!
BBQ Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tart apples (Granny Smiths work well), peeled and grated
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup bbq sauce
8 slices of bacon
Wrap chicken with 2 strips of bacon. Mix together the bbq sauce, lemon juice, and grated apples. Place wrapped chicken into a slow cooker(recomended), or baking pan. Slow cook on high for 7 hours, in oven 350 for 1 hour.
For potlucks I usually cut the chicken breast in half cross wise so that each peace is still wrapped in bacon, can also use thigh pieces as well.
Not sure about the applicability to a pot luck (perhaps if you left out some broth to make it thicker and use as a dip), but this is my favorite recent recipe - white chicken chili.
If you are in a rush as some friends once were, grab that big silver platter you never use and on the way to the potluck, stop at 7-11 and cover the it with HoHo’s and DingDongs. I was told it was the only bare platter at the end of the potluck
Cook up some couscous, basmati rice or quinoa, rinse and chill.
Slice up some vegetables, brush them lightly with olive oil that has had basil or garlic marinating in it for an hour or two. Grill the veggies gently and chop them up fine. Add them to the couscous/rice/quinoa with a bit of the olive oil and toss.
Viola. A great, light alternative to coleslaw or potato salad at yet another picnic or potluck.