Warm Fall Salad

I've thoroughly mourned the summer and come to accept that Fall is here. It has been stupid cold the last few weeks and there's no denying it now! In the spirit of embracing it, I've let go of cold salads and welcomed the warm comfort of an all cooked salad. Delicata squash is my all time favorite, so anything with that is going to lift my summer mourning spirits! Behold my improvisation / adaptation of Deb Perlman's Fall-Toush salad from smitten kitchen.

Salad

1 delicata squash sliced into approximately 1.5 inch slices (no need to remove the skin!)

1 large head of broccoli chopped into medium size florets

1 slice of pita bread sliced into crouton sized squares

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons of sumac

3 tablespoons salt

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped

1 tablespoon mint

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 talespoons of sumac, and 2 tablespoons salt into a covered jar and give it a good shake. Toss delicata squash, broccoli in oil, sumac, and salt mixture in a large bowl. Spread out over a large baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees about 20 minutes. Be careful not to overchar the broccoli. Remove and combine with parsley and mint in a bowl. While that is cooking, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the pita bread and sprinkle over with 1 tablespoon of sumac followed by the last tablespoon of salt. Place it in a toaster over to toast at 350 degrees. If toaster isn't available, simply wait until vegetables cook and then turn down the heat of your oven. Combine all dressing ingredients into the same jar you made the vegetable marinade and pour over the warm vegetables and pita combination. 

Summer Tortellini Salad

Summer is tragically over. Luckily there are still a few yellow squash and zucchini kicking around at the farmer's market and I decided to seize the opportunity for one more chance at one of my favorite summer recipes. The basil plant in my herb garden was still hanging on and goes so beautifully with this fresh summery dish. Elegant in its simplicity, this is a great quick weeknight option.Adapted from this recipe from cooking light. 

1 ~ 8 oz package of tortellini (I used local Silver Spring Maryland's La Pasta, delish!)

4 large basil leaves chiffoned

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1 cup of frozen green peas

1 garlic clove, minced

3.5 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the tortellini for 4-5 minutes, don't let it overcook! Drain and add 1 tablespoon and a half of olive oil to avoid sticking. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sautee the garlic for no more than a minute and a half or so. Add the zucchini and yellow squash and sautee until just about tender ~12 minutes. Then add the frozen peas to the pan the last 3 minutes of cooking. Toss together vegetables, pasta, lemon juice, basil, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper and serve.