Seafood Pasta Salad

Pin It It has been unseasonably warm the past few weeks.  Because of that I decided to bring a taste of summer in my lunch one day.  I just couldn't eat heavy comfort food when the weather was so nice.  This pasta salad is a great light lunch or side dish for a potluck.  Feel free to substitute or add your favorite veggies or seafood.  I think this would be great with shrimp or lobster.

Seafood Pasta Salad
1 12oz box whole wheat pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
1 8 oz package imitation crab meat
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dill
salt and pepper

1. Cook, drain and cool pasta and place in a large bowl.  Add crab, peas, celery and onions.
2. Mix mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, zest, garlic, dill and salt and pepper.  Pour over pasta mixture.  Mix to cover.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note - This can be made a day or two ahead.  It tastes great as leftovers.

Couscous and Shrimp Salad

Pin It I guess we need to blame it on global warming, but I could take a few more of these 60 degree days in the middle of winter.  Because of the beautiful weather I was inspired to make a summer salad for lunch.  The tartness of lemons, the aroma of dill and the crispness of cucumbers make this a wonderfully refreshing dish.

Couscous and Shrimp Salad
*makes 3 lunch size servings
4 oz cooked couscous (1/2 of an 8oz box)
juice of 2 lemons
2 T honey
4 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1 T dill
1/2 lb cooked, peeled shrimp
1/2 red onion, diced
1 cup seedless cucumber, sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1. Cook couscous according to box directions.  Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
2. Meanwhile combine, lemon juice, honey and olive oil in a small.  Whisk until well combined.  Adjust honey to desired sweetness.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a large bowl combine couscous, shrimp, onion, cucumber and feta.  Stir gently to mix.  Pour dressing over mixture.  Sprinkle dill on top and mix.

**This will keep well for several days in the fridge, however, if you aren't planning on eating it right away, you probably want to leave the cucumbers and feta out until you are ready to serve.  Otherwise they will get soggy.
**You can substitute orzo for the couscous

Lemon Baked Chicken

Pin It I had a pack of chicken leg quarters in my freezer and needed something to do with them.  So I created this recipe over my Christmas break.  It turned out quite delicious.  A good winter, comfort food item.  Delicious when served with Keep Your Man Happy Potatoes.

Lemon Baked Chicken
4 chicken leg quarters, bone in, skin on (or any cut of chicken that you prefer)
4 Tbsp butter, melted
zest of one lemon, divided
Juice of half of lemon
4 lemon slices (from the unjuiced half, it's ok that you zested it)
2 Tbsp seafood seasoning (like Old Bay or Wildtree Bayou Blend)
1 tsp dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and put a wire baking/cooling rack on top of the foil.  Spray rack with cooking spray.
2. Mix half of the lemon zest, seafood seasoning and oregano.  Spread mixture under the skin of each piece of chicken.
3. Mix lemon juice, butter and remaining zest.  Pour a little butter under the skin of each chicken on top of the spice mixture.
4. Place the chicken on the rack on the pan and cover with remaining lemon butter mixture.  Top each piece of chicken with a lemon slice.
5. Bake uncovered 50-60 minutes or until juices run clear.