Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Sobagi)

I've been tinkering with a couple different pickling and fermenting recipes lately. One of my coworkers loves pickles so he has been testing out a few batches of my refrigerator pickles and pickling brines. He said the last batch was perfect. (I'm hoping to have a recipe perfected by summer. My spice drawer is currently filled with juniper berries and mustard seeds.) We even tested a few different types of cucumbers. As a joke, I pickled a few whole English hothouse cucumbers and mixed in a few Kirby cucumbers. Since Kirby cucumbers are still a little difficult to find, we've been mostly using English cucumbers.

I had a few English hothouse cucumbers in the fridge so I decided to try a cucumber kimchi. Cucumber kimchi is one of my favorite types of kimchi. I cannot decide whether I like cucumber or cabbage kimchi more.

Cucumber Kimchi

2 English hot house cucumbers
5 cups water
½ cup pickling salt

Stuffing:
½ cup shallot greens or garlic chives (I used shallot greens.)
¼ cup green onions
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 carrot, shredded
2 tablespoons water
½ cup to 1 cup Korean red chili powder (I used the medium-fine ground)

1. Prep cucumber by cutting into 2 inch pieces and then cutting the pieces into quarters, without cutting them all the way through.
2. Heat water in a large stockpot. Add the salt and stir to dissolve. (You want the water to be pretty hot without boiling.) Add the prepped cucumbers and soak about an hour.
3. Combine the ingredients for the stuffing and set aside.
4. Rinse cucumbers with ice cold water and soak about 15 minutes. Drain.
5. Stuff the cucumbers with the chili mixture, rubbing the stuffing around the entire cucumber piece.
6. Transfer to a storage container, leave cucumber on the counter overnight and then refrigerate.

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Saffron Israeli Couscous Salad

Edit 9/3/18 -- I'm rereading my recipe to make for a potluck and I believe I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes from the recipe I posted.  I actually found my recipe posted on another blog. The person made the recipe as written without the sun-dried tomatoes. 

It's now 2018 and Udi's has since been sold and is now primarily a gluten free line of breads and granola. The catering company and bakery still operates under a newname Etai's. I remember when I was processing AP for the Foundation and the vendor we had in the system for lunch catering was "Udi the Sandwich Man." Udi's was not focused on gluten free products. They had a line of gluten free sandwich breads and pizza crusts but that was about it. Udi's offered a wide selection of sandwiches, sides, and salads. I always looked forward to their tray of assorted mini sandwiches. The bite-size vegetarian sandwich with sprouts and avocado was a favorite of mine.

The inspiration for this salad comes from Udi’s Foods, a local bakery/caterer. Udi’s bakes some of the most wonderful breads in Denver. My favorite is their cranberry walnut. They also make delicious sides to go with their sandwiches and salads. Their sides include: Saffron Israeli Couscous salad, Cranberry Quinoa, Taboulleh, Crab Artichoke Pasta and other various pasta and potato salads. My favorite side is the Saffron Israeli Couscous.

Although it is my favorite, I can’t seem to remember the last time I actually had this salad. I haven’t attended any meetings where they served Udi’s and the Udi’s Bread Café in Stapleton doesn’t include the salad on their menu.

I had some Israeli couscous in the pantry and I wanted to try making the salad but I couldn’t recall the ingredients. I decided to just toss a few things together and it ended up tasting pretty darn good.

Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta that is pretty pale in color. I infused the water with saffron threads. The saffron turns the couscous a beautiful yellow color.

Saffron Israeli Couscous Salad:
1 ¼ cup water
pinch of saffron threads
1-8.8 ounce bag Israeli couscous
2 tablespoons light tasting olive oil
¼ cup onions, diced
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup yellow bell pepper (or any color)
4 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped


1. Boil water in a medium saucepan. Add saffron and the couscous. Return to a boil, lower heat and cover. Stir occasionally. Cook about 8 minutes. Turn off heat and allow couscous to absorb the water before fluffing.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat light olive oil. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté until tender.
3. Fluff couscous and transfer to a larger bowl. Add sautéed onions and mushrooms and the rest of the ingredients. Toss everything together and refrigerate several hours before serving.

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Puerto Rican Style Pink Beans and Rice (Habichuelas con Arroz Blanco)

We often place lunch orders at a small catering company called House of Plantain. The owner of the company makes this delicious side dish she calls Arroz Blanco + Habichuelas. This version of rice and beans is different from any version I have ever had. The beans are slightly sweet and creamy in a tangy tomato-based sauce. I can never decide on the side dishes so I usually skip the entree and order a few of the side dishes instead.

I had a craving for this pink beans and rice dish but unfortunately, House of Plantain requires at least 24 hours notice. I talked to a coworker and she described her method for making Puerto Rican rice and beans. She has stashes of homemade sofrito in he refrigerator. I went out and bought a jar of Goya brand sofrito. I couldn't find the Goya brand sazon with coriander and annatto so I had to subsitute with coriander, cumin, annatto and garlic.

I ended up serving this on the side of some grilled chicken breast seasoned with Goya adobo seasoning.

Pink Beans:
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 green chile pepper such as cubanelle or green chile, finely diced
¼ cup sofrito
¼ cup recaito
2 15.5 ounce cans pink beans, rinsed and drained (or use 4 cups of cooked pink beans)
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
salt
pepper
1 envelope Goya sazon con achiote (or use  ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander seeds, ¼ teaspoon ground annatto seed)
cilantro, chopped

1. Heat a medium dutch oven over medium heat and add oil. Add onion, garlic, chile, sofrito and recaito. Saute until fragrant.
2. Add beans, tomato sauce, water and potato. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer.
3. Add salt, pepper, and sazon (or cumin, oregano, coriander, and annatto. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens and potato is fork-tender.  Garnish with cilantro.


Rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups long grain white rice
4 cups water

1. Heat a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and rice. Saute rice until rice is opaque white in color and very slight golden on the edges.
2. Add water and bring to a boil. Allow to boil about 5 minutes and then lower heat to a low simmer. Stir rice, cover with a lid and cook for another 15 minutes or until rice is soft. Let rice sit 15 minutes and fluff using bamboo rice spatula.

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Happy Easter! Our Easter Dinner for Two

We actually had dim sum planned for today but plans were canceled so the bf and I decided on an impromptu Easter dinner. I picked up a ten pound ham. (Hey the bone has got to weigh at least four or five pounds!)

I didn't want to go overboard so I asked the bf what were some of his Easter must-haves. His only request was deviled eggs.

Our Easter Menu:

- Smithfield Country Ham
- Deviled Eggs
- Gratin Dauphinois (aka Scalloped Potatoes)
- Green Beans
- Pomelo and Shrimp Salad
- Bread (I had french baguette and the bf had sourdough.)

It was a no fuss dinner.

Gratin Dauphinois, Au Gratin Potatoes or Scalloped Potatoes

The first time I had Gratin Dauphinois, I thought I was eating really special potatoes fit for a future king. I assumed it was a dish made in honor of one of dauphins of France. It reminded me of Pommes Duchesse and Pommes Anna. I don’t know details of the history behind these dishes. I remember reading about these potato dishes, with fancy sounding names, in Larousse Gastronomique and Escoffier.

I don’t have a recipe for this dish. It is one of those things that I just eyeball because it all depends on how much potatoes I have to work with. My three potatoes may be four of yours. This is what I do.

I take a couple potatoes, wash them, peel them and then slice them thinly. (Do not rinse the sliced potatoes because you want to retain the starch.) I put the sliced potatoes in a pan and eyeball the milk, half and half, or cream. (I like to use a mix of milk and half and half because heavy cream is a bit too decadent.) I then grate just a bit of nutmeg into the pot and then season with salt and pepper. I cook it on the stovetop for a few minutes to get them started. (Stir them frequently so that they don’t burn.) The milk/cream will thicken up with the help of the potato starch.

Then I prepare a baking dish. (My au gratin dishes are usually too small for the quantity I am accustomed to cooking.) I take a clove of garlic, cut it and rub the cut sides all over the baking dish and then coat the dish with butter. Pour the simmered potatoes in the baking dish and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until it is all bubbly and golden on top.

True Gratin Dauphinois does not include onions or cheese but you can add it if you are feeling it. I sometimes like caramelized onions with my potatoes. Layer and top with gruyere cheese (or even parmesan or cheddar) if you like. If you do choose to stray and add onions or cheese, be prepared to call your dish au gratin potatoes or scalloped potatoes. I decided to keep it simple and authentic today so I can call mine Gratin Dauphinois. Try it without the cheese. I promise you won't miss it. The potatoes are creamy and rich enough on its own.

Thai Pomelo Shrimp Salad

I bought a really delicious pomelo last week so I went out and bought 8 more. I love pomelos but I hate grapefruit. If you are like me and hate the taste of grapefruit, you should give pomelos and try. The taste is similar to a grapefruit but without the bitterness or acidity. I usually eat my pomelos plain but I was reading a few of my favorite food blogs (rasa malaysia and wandering chopsticks) and both blogs have posts for pomelo salad. The one of rasa malaysia was a guest post by the author of the shesimmers blog. I have to admit that I've never tried pomelo salad before so I didn't know what to expect.

I couldn't decide on the Thai or the Vietnamese version of the salad. I love both Thai and Vietnamese food. Initially I was planning on doing the Vietnamese version found on Wandering Chopsticks blog but I didn't have any Vietnamese coriander so I went with the version found on rasa malaysia. I have to admit that I was a little lazy with the prep. I cheated quite a bit. I skipped the coconut milk because I didn't want to open a can of coconut milk. I used fried shallots from a jar and I poached the shrimp in the microwave. (I feel I must apologize to the author of the recipe.) Fortunately, I did have some raw peanuts that I toasted a few weeks ago.

These pomelos were on the smaller side. I usually get volleyball-size pomelos at the Asian grocery store. I scored the pomelo to make peeling easier. I then used kitchen sheers to help cut the pith and then carefully remove the segments.

If you take prescription drugs, you may notice the grapefruit and grapefruit juice warning label on your prescription bottle. Grapefruit contains a compound that interacts with certain prescription drugs. (There's a long list of prescription drugs affected and they range from allergy meds to cholesterol-lowering meds.) The compound inhibits an enzyme called CYP3A that breaks down the drug, resulting in more of the drug being absorbed by your body. Controlled Release, Sustained Release and Extended Release drugs are also affected by the compound - causing the entire dose to be absorbed at once. Does this mean a possible overdose? I'm not sure. Pomelos are not as popular or as widely available as grapefruits. (Although they are gaining in popularity and several of my local groceries are now carrying them.) There's not much information about pomelos and prescription drugs. I'm sure many pharmacists and doctors have never even heard of a pomelo and when you say "similar to a grapefruit," the advice would probably be to err on the safe side.

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The Barefoot Contessa's Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

I was planning on making Bandera Grill's skillet cornbread but I didn't check my pantry before going to the grocery store so I didn't have all the ingredients. I hate it when that happens.

I had to come up with a Plan B because the bf wanted cornbread with his turkey chili. The kidney beans were already simmering on the stovetop and I didn't want to go back to the grocery store. I searched for a different recipe using cheese and jalapenos.

I found the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. The recipe looked really good but I did change the quantities for the white flour and the cornmeal. Ina's recipe has a high white flour to cornmeal ratio. I wanted more cornmeal in my cornbread so I went ahead and used 2 cups each of white flour and cornmeal instead of the 3 cups of white flour and 1 cup of cornmeal called for in the original recipe. It turned out really well. The cornbread was still very soft and fluffy but had a very nice corn-y flavor. I prefer Hodgson Mill yellow cornmeal over Albers or Quaker cornmeal because I find both Albers and Quaker too gritty.

I also left out the scallions because I just wasn't feeling it.

The recipe makes a huge 9x13 pan. I baked the batter in two small cast iron skillets and in a 9x9 square pan.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
(Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
• 8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
• 3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, and jalapenos.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I bought a case of sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. I only needed five pounds of it so I spent the week before Thanksgiving eating baked sweet potatoes for dessert. I think the case were of the beauregard or the garnet variety. I typically do not like this type because most of the time they are cooked in syrup and topped with marshmallows. They are also very watery. I prefer the white or light yellow-fleshed varieties such as boniato, satsuma-ino, or the puple-fleshed varieties such as Okinawan.

We were having turkey burgers for dinner one day so I decided to baked some sweet potato fries.

- Two sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch by 1 1/2 to 2 inches long (this is called the batonnet cut if you are brushing up on your knife skills)
- canola oil (I'm using Enova)
- sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prep sweet potatoes and coat with oil and salt.
2. Spread sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. (This is where the silpat doesn't work too well so stick with aluminum foil.)
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes and then flip and cook another 15 minutes. Continue to flip until golden brown.

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Coleslaw

I'm posting a recipe for coleslaw that I made last week. I won't be posting for at least the next week. I'm on my way to California for the funeral of a loved one whose life was cut way too short.

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup milk
¼ cup buttermilk
juice of 1 lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ head cabbage, finely sliced
1 carrot, shredded
2 tablespoons onion, minced

1. Mix together mayo, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
2. Add cabbage, carrots and onions and toss. Cover and refrigerate at least three hours.

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Pioneer Woman's Baked Beans

I read the Pioneer Woman's blog often. I love her sense of humor and the fact that she can make something fancy one day and something simple the next. I also love her photography. I can't take a good photo to save my life. I've been wanting a really nice camera but a photographer friend told me not to buy one and that if I learn how to use the functions of my camera, I can take good photos. I never took the time to learn.

I've been coveting the Nikon for a while now. This picture was taken by my non-photographer friend with his Nikon.


So one day I clicked on the link to the Pioneer Woman's cooking blog and I see these amazing pictures of the most yummy looking baked beans. I had to make them. They are as good as they look on her blog. I took some pictures but mine are no where the quality of hers. Go to her site for the recipe.

I used one of my favorite barbecue sauces from Head Country.

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Glazed Butternut Squash

This is a really simple side to prepare. It is better suited for the fall but since I had leftover butternut squash and was craving something sweet, I threw this together.

I had to take a culinary nutrition class in school. In addition to remembering that 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate equals 4 calories, 1 gram of fat equals 9 calories and 1 gram of alcohol equals 7 caloriess, we had to completely alter and execute randomly chosen recipes and turn them into healthier alternatives. We were allowed to choose our own teams and since we worked with the same group of students in each class, we knew their dedication (or lack of).

I looked at my friend Brooke and we decided that our team would consist of only the two of us. Other classmates asked to be part of our team but we did not want any slackers on our team. The chef had a thing against women chefs. He had this notion that only men made good chefs. We spent the entire ten weeks convincing him that we were his top students. We were the only team that received a 100 on our project. We spent many weekend hours doing our research and executing our dish. We were fortunate enough to be assigned duck a l'orange. I felt really bad for the team that was assigned the Monte Cristo.

Not only did we have to write up a new recipe, using substitute ingredients, but we had to also make the dish as our final product. The Monte Cristo was a complete disaster. How the heck were they supposed to make a low fat deep-fried battered ham and cheese sandwich?

Well in addition to the main dish, we also had to come up with some "healthy" side dishes. I decided to put together a glazed butternut squash side. I diced up some butternut squash, added honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and butter. I always had a few surprise ingredients hidden in my pockets and that day I happen to have a handful of dried cranberries. I added the cranberries at the last minute. I told the chef it was "healthy" and failed to mention the pats of butter I added. Sometimes I add pecans or walnuts but I didn't feel like it this time.

This glaze can also be used for halved acorn squash. I do like the presentation options of acorn squash but I'm not particularly fond of the texture and flavor. I think butternut and buttercup squashes have more flavor.

Not a real recipe here but it is fairly forgiving.

cubed winter squash (butternut/buttercup or halved acorn squash)
Saigon cinnamon
ground ginger
pinch of ground nutmeg
honey (I use local honey because it is supposed to help with my allergies)
brown sugar
a few pats of butter
dried cranberries
pecans or walnuts (optional)

Place the squash into a casserole dish and top with cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, honey, brown sugar and butter. Roast in preheated oven. (I don't even care much about the temperature but 350 sounds about right.) When the honey, brown sugar and butter melts, it will form a syrupy glaze; mix to coat everything. Cook until slightly fork tender and then top with cranberries and nuts (if using) and cook about 10 minutes longer.

Yum =)

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Basil Pasta Salad with Pine Nuts and Peas

I made this dish for one of my friends. She is allergic to cow’s milk (not lactose intolerant but actually allergic). She sometimes will eat a piece of chocolate and then pay for it later but for the most part she tries to stay away from it. I know that with her first baby, she had to completely cut it out because she was breastfeeding and her baby was also very allergic to cow’s milk. I wanted to be very careful about not cooking with cow’s milk since I’m not sure if her second baby is also allergic.

When I decided to make this, the cheese I naturally reach for is parmesan but in this case I use a semi-hard and crumbly sheep’s milk cheese called petit basque. Manchego and even feta will also work.
This is a very simple dish but the flavors scream summer.


½ pound mini farfalle pasta (or regular farfalle)
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 cups frozen petite peas
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
parmesan or pecorino cheese, grated
½ cup basil chiffonade
sea salt
pepper, freshly ground

1. Boil pasta in salted water, drain and immediately toss with olive oil
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and toss. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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Potato Salad for the BF

The bf requested potato salad as a side dish for his turkey burgers. The night before he said, “I like onions and celery. I don’t like yellow okay? Make it white.” I looked at him and said, “what the hell are you talking about?” You see he randomly spurted all that out of nowhere. He believes I can read his mind. He had conversations in his mind and then spurts out a random thought and it leaves me going WTH?

The bf wanted regular old potato salad. He didn’t want mustard potato salad. So I made a non-yellow potato salad.

7 medium potatoes
5 large eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
1 large yellow sweet onion, finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 cup Best Foods mayo
salt
pepper
flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped (use a handful)
8 petite kosher dill pickles, finely diced
¼ cup sweet relish
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1. Place whole potatoes with skins in a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fork tender (about 20 minutes or so but don’t go by my timing since water boils at a lower temperature here at 5,280 above see level.)
2. Place eggs in pot, cover with water, cover with lid, bring to a boil and then turn off heat. Leave the eggs covered.
3. Once the potatoes are cooked, let them cool enough to handle. (This is when I leave to go shopping.) Peel and dice potatoes.
4. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and chill.

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Pureed Sweet Potatoes with Real Maple and Nutmeg

Last Thanksgiving we were invited to an intimate dinner at a former SoupGroup member's home. She had to withdraw from SoupGroup because of the new babe. She is pretty awesome. She is vegetarian but ended up cooking the turkey. Her husband (who is a proud meat eater) was in charge of the turkey, however he was called to perform emergency surgery for a dog that swallowed something...I can't remember what but it became solid in the dog's stomach and he ended up removing a mass that was a mold of the dog's stomach.

We all brought a few dishes to share. One of the dishes the hostess made was this delicious puree of sweet potatoes. I didn't make a leftover plate to take home since we were both heading out of town. The bf was on his way to see his parents and I was on my way to California for my friend's one-month baby celebration. When I returned from California, I immediately emailed her for the sweet potatoes recipe. It is quite delicious. I made it for a potluck for work and several people asked for the recipe.

• 5 pounds sweet potatoes, unpeeled
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375° F.
2. Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until softened, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on size; let cool.
3. Slice each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh into a saucepan and discard the skins. Add the maple syrup (to taste), butter, and sour cream. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mix until smooth. Season with the salt and nutmeg. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes

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Mexican Rice like Casa Guadalajara

A few years ago I set out to make Mexican rice like my favorite Mexican restaurant in San Diego. Casa Guadalajara makes my favorite mole and my favorite rice. Their rice includes celery and frozen mixed vegetables. It doesn’t look traditional but is very delicious. The bf even approves of the recipe.

Mexican Rice
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or oil
2 cups long grain rice
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 can diced tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
salt
pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1. Heat bacon drippings or oil in a large dutch oven. Add the rice and cook until slightly toasted and golden. Add the onion and garlic and cook about a minute longer. Add the tomatoes (including liquid) and cook until liquid has evaporated.
2. Add the jalapeno, celery, salt, pepper and chicken stock. (I usually use the juices from cooking chicken guisada meat and add chicken broth to make 4 cups. This time I used the meat juices from the carnitas.) Bring to a rapid boil and then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook about 15 minutes and then add the frozen mixed vegetables but do not mix in. Cook another 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender. Turn off heat and let the rice rest at least 15 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

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Chicken Tortellini Salad

I made this salad for a barbecue at Lisa's on Sunday. Lisa barbecued some chicken breast and a pork loin. Kim brought over cheesy potatoes and poundcake for dessert. I also took over a bag full of plantains. We fried them up. They were yummy!


Tortellini Salad
- 1 package cheese tortellini; cooked, drained, and cooled
- 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts; drained and sliced
- 12 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 ounces feta cheese
- 1 package fresh mozzarella; cut into cubes
- 1/4 onion, diced
-1/2 lb. mushrooms; sliced
- grilled chicken breast (marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil, and carne adobado spices)
- handful of pinenuts
- baby spinach

Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper -- to taste
- 1/2 cup olive oil

In a serving bowl, combine the tortellini, diced chicken, artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, and onion. Toss together.

To make the vinaigrette, puree the garlic, oregano, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor; then, with the machine running, gradually add the oil to make a smooth emulsion. To serve, combine enough dressing with the salad ingredients to moisten them and toss to coat well. Top with pinenuts. Serve with spinach.

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