Queso Fresco Quesadillas

Living in AZ, we eat a lot of Mexican food. I bet at least 3 meals a week are Mexican inspired. I bought some yummy tortillas at Ranch Market here in Mesa, so I decided to make some quesadillas. These are different. Usually I make them with cheddar cheese and green chilies and refried beans if I have them. Tonight I decided to try something a bit lighter. With Queso Fresco cheese and fresh chives and cilantro, this is a fresh change to the normal quesadilla.

Queso Fresco Quesadillas

2 flour tortillas
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chopped cilantro
salsa and sour cream for serving

Preheat a cast iron skillet to Medium heat. Place 1 tortilla on skillet. Sprinkle crumbled queso fresco all about tortilla. Then sprinkle with chives and place tomato slices on top. Season with salt and pepper. Dont be shy with the S&P, queso fresco needs a lot of flavor. Place remaining tortilla on top and cook until cheese is melted. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes, or until both sides are crisp and the cheese is all melted. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and fresh salsa.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

I made a Pork roast in the crock pot today, so I decided to grill up some corn on the cob! My favorite way to eat corn. This is the first time Ive left some of the husks attached to make a nice little handle and it gives it a great presentation as well. I will do this in the future now. This is a very easy simple recipe.

Grilled Corn on the Cobb

4 ears of sweet corn, in husks
2 Tbsp butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat a grill to high heat. Remove the outer husks of the corn, then leave the inner husks attached to make a nice little handle for holding it. Brush the corn with melted butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the grill is ready, place on the grill and turn the heat down to medium. Try not to get the husks grilled, because they burn faster than the corn. Turn the corn as it cooks and keep brushing it with more melted butter. Its done when the corn is golden browned, 10-15 minutes.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Wow its been over a month since I made an entry. I have just been so busy since we moved. My cooking has taken a back seat to other things in life. I am starting to do the books for my husbands business, so that has been taking up a lot of time I used to have. I also still havent got another digi camera, so that is a bummer and Ive not been taking many photos. My mom lent me hers though, so tonight I actually made something we'd never tried before and I could take a picture.

My mom came over last night and dropped off 2 big bags of food from her fridge since she left today to go out of town for a couple weeks. She gave me a whole head of cauliflower and I really dont ever eat it unless its in some frozen veggie mix. Well, that may change because this recipe was so easy, and turned out sooo good. Carl even said that he liked it. The kids were not fans, but that can be expected with cauliflower.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

1 medium head of cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil
course salt
fresh ground pepper
2 cloves of pureed garlic, or pressed

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wash and cut the cauliflower into small florets. Put them into a large ziplock bag. Add the oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Toss around in the bag until all the cauliflower is covered nicely. Pour onto a foil lined baking sheet. Roast for 10-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is cooked and blackened in places.

Twice Baked Potatoes

This is such an easy versatile side dish. Its a great way to dress up the boring old baked potato. This is the first time I have cut the potatoes in half and made 2 servings out of each one. I used to just have each potato be whole and it was always such a huge side that would fill you right up. I filled these will fresh rosemary, bacon, sour cream and cheese. You could put anything you have into them and they would be yummy. Be sure to be generous with your salt and pepper, potatoes need a lot of seasoning.

Twice Baked Potatoes

3 baking potatoes cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup grated cheese
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs
1/4 cup crumbled bacon
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
dash of paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub each potato with with little bit of olive oil. Bake for 1 hr. Take out of the oven and cool 10-15 minutes, then scoop out the insides, leaving nice little potato skin shells. Now mash up the scooped out potato with the rest of the ingredients. Mash until smooth and well blended. Stuff back into potato shells and sprinkle with a dash of paprika. Bake another 15 minutes until browned nicely on top. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Green Rice

Here is a yummy side dish, and a great way to sneak some spinach into the meal! I threw this together after reading a bunch of recipes on allrecipes.com. I served this with some swordfish steaks and it was so yummy with lemon juice squeezed over the top. Be sure not to be shy with the salt, rice and spinach needs lots of salt.

3 cups cooked rice (I used 1/2 brown rice and 1/2 white)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves of garlic, smashed then chopped
1 package of baby spinach, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup french fried onions
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chopped spinach and cook a minute, until wilted. Add the rice and stir until well combined. Add plenty of salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir the rice for a few minutes. Then turn off the heat and stir in the cheese and basil. Pour into a greased baking dish and top with french fried onions. bake 375 degrees for 2o minutes

Ham and Cheese Rice Balls

I know this sounds like a funny thing, rice balls...especially ham and cheese rice balls. Well, this turned out so well! Definitely a keeper in my book. I was looking for another way to use up leftover rice and this came to me. I had made some cheesy scallion white rice the other night and had a ton leftover. So I decided to add some goodies to it and form it into balls and bread it and fry it up! Oh my, they were so yummy! I first just ate them plain and they were yummy. When I reheated the leftovers, I dipped them in ranch dressing and it was YUMMY! I think they would go so well with chive basil cream. These are filling and satisfying. My kids both loved them and I cant normally get them to eat rice and ham, so that was nice. They reminded me of the Croquettas you can find in Spain. You could add anything to these. I was thinking chopped spinach would be great with ham and cheese, or you can use any leftover meats and veggies you have in the fridge. Kind of like fried rice, these are so versatile! The rice I started out with already had a lot of Cheddar cheese and scallions in it, so season it accordingly. If you are using plain white rice, it will need more salt and pepper to pep it up, if the rice isn't already seasoned.

Ham and cheese Rice Balls

2 cups leftover cooked rice, refrigerated (my rice already had 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup parm cheese and 1/2 cup chopped scallions added to it)
1/2 cup minced ham (I just used lunch meat)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce, or any hot sauce would do
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten
1 tbsp water
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

In a large bowl, mix the rice with the ham and soy sauce. Season with plenty of salt and pepper and any other spices you like. Form the rice into little balls. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the hot sauce and water. Pour enough oil into a skillet to be 1/2 inch deep. Heat on medium heat until hot. Season the bread crumbs with some salt and pepper. Dip the rice balls into the egg mixture, then roll into bread crumbs. Fry in oil until golden brown, a couple minutes on each side. Serve hot either plain, or with a favorite dipping sauce...ranch dressing, chive basil cream, marinara.

Good times and finger foods

I have to apologize to my readers and fellow bloggers about my lack of blogging lately. I really did think that as Fall arrived, Id be on a fall baking and blogging spree. Its just not the case. I have been so busy with other things that arent nearly as fun as cooking. I promise that soon I will be back on the bandwagon.

Last week, we had dinner at a good friends house and they introduced us to these yummy gems. I think these are one of the best appetizers Ive ever had. I made them tonight for my family and we ate them up in about 5 minutes. I was wishing Id made more. But in all actuality, Im glad I didnt, as these are fattening and full of everything we dont want to be eating too much of. I got this recipe from my good friend, Beth. She got it from recipezaar.com and the original recipe is here. Beth served it to us with a yummy honey mustard sauce that is so easy to whip up and just perfect with this dish.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts with Honey Mustard dipping sauce (adapted from recipezaar.com)

For the chestnuts:

3 cans sliced water chestnuts
1 lb bacon
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Mix the soy sauce with the brown sugar and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Marinate the water chestnuts in the soy sauce mixture for at least an hour. Cut the bacon in half crosswise. Take 3 slices of marinated chestnuts and wrap a half slice of bacon around each stack of 3. Secure with a toothpick. Place in a large baking dish that is sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

For the dipping sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard

Whisk the honey with the mustard until well combined. Serve immediately.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Ive been seeing this recipe all over a message board I frequent on The Nest. Its originally from a great blog, Pioneer Woman Cooks. Finally, after reading so many great reviews, I had to give them a go. I'm so glad I did. This is my newest favorite way to serve a side of potatoes.

These little babies were sooo good. We had them as a side to meat, but they would be wonderful as breakfast potatoes as well. They were so creamy and crunchy. So simple with just salt, pepper and a fresh herb. I topped ours with sour cream. Carl loved these. I did too. They were even great right out of the fridge and reheated well in the microwave. So so yummy. Definitely adding these to our normal rotation.

Crash Hot Potatoes

• New Potatoes (or other small, round potato)
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Whatever herb you like (I used rosemary and thyme)

Directions (Written by Pioneer Woman, excluding her original commentary)

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until they’re fork-tender. Next, generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan. When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheet giving them plenty of room to spread out. Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes. Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you don’t want to absolutely smash it into the pan—you want it almost to resemble a cookie. Repeat until all are flattened. And really, I don’t know why you couldn’t use the bottom of a glass for this step if you don’t have a potato masher. The surface might not be as textured and interesting, but I think it still might work. Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil. Next, grab some Kosher salt. You can use regular salt, but I’d really recommend using kosher. It adheres to the potatoes more easily and really flavors them nicely without getting too salty. Remember: potatoes need salt. Don’t skimp! Be ye ever as generous with fresh ground black pepper. Now, you can grab some chives…or thyme…or whatever herbs you have available. Whatever herb you use, just chop it pretty finely and sprinkle over the top. Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutes. Or until they’re golden and crispy and sizzling.

Caprese Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. I love to sprinkle a little balsamic vinaigrette over the top right before digging in.

3-4 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 in. thick slices
enough fresh basil to cover the tops of each tomato
sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, as many slices as tomatoes
olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper

Set the tomatoes on a plate, top with a basil leave, then a slice of cheese. When they are all finished, arrange them how you prefer, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving to get the tomatoes cold.

Yummy Grilled Veggie Skewers

This is a really easy, healthy way to eat veggies with grilled meats. In a little while, our neighbors are coming over to swim and grill and I'm making the Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon that I recently posted about. I want to tell you how I make these wonderful veggie skewers. Its so easy and so yummy! A delicious way of getting more fresh veggies into our diets.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
veggies chopped into 1 inch pieces such as onions, bell peppers, whole cherry tomatoes, zucchini, whole mushrooms.
bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Just wash the rosemary and set aside, you don't need to chop it up or anything. Smash the garlic cloves and peel off the outside layer and discard. Don't chop the cloves, just leave them smashed. Heat the olive oil on low heat and add the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves. When it gets hot enough for the herbs to start sizzling, remove from heat and stir a bit to cool it down then just let it sit and cool for several hrs, letting all that fragrant rosemary and garlic infuse into the oil

When you're ready to make your veggie skewers, assemble the skewers with all the veggies, then brush them with the rosemary garlic infused oil on all sides. Season with plenty of salt and fresh ground pepper. They are ready to go on the grill. You can also cover them and let them sit and marinate for up to 2 hrs before grilling.

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon and Skewered Veggies

This was SOOOOOO Good! One of the best meals we've had at home in a long time! The salmon had a wonderful spicy flavor with the rub and a smoky flavor from the cedar. It was nice and tender, but well done. Carl even said its in his top 3 favorites! If you know Carl, you know that he is a terribly picky eater and that is a huge compliment coming from him. I just love when a recipe turns out perfect! Even better than expected! I honestly didnt have high hopes for this, but since I had these Cedar Planks that Carl's uncle bought him a couple years ago, I figured it was finally time to try them out. WOW. What a great way to grill fish. I served this with veggie skewers that I brushed with rosemary infused olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. I also served it with a 50/50 mixture of brown and white jasmine rice, seasoned with soy sauce and pepper.

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

1 cedar grilling plank, soaked in water for 2-24 hrs

1 1/2 lbs salmon fillets, with skin on one side

salt and pepper to taste
2-4 tsp. Potlatch Seasoning Salmon and Seafood Spice Rub

Soak the grill plank for as long as you can up to 24 hrs. Preheat a grill on Med Low heat to about 350 degrees. Put the plank on the grill and let sit there until it starts smoking, about 15 minutes.

While the plank is heating up, prepare the salmon. Salt and pepper each side, then rub 1-2 tsp seafood spice rub onto each piece of salmon. Lay the salmon on the grilling plank skin side down and close the grill. Cook at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until done to your liking. We like our salmon pretty well done, so it took about 15 minutes. Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Fish baked in Foil Packets and Asparagus with Balsamic Butter

This is a nice healthy flavorful dinner. Ive been making fish like this for years, it was something my mom always made and one of the first recipes I asked for after moving out on my own. You can use whatever veggies you like, just make sure they are julienned or chopped up small because the fish doesn't cook for long and you don't want the veggies to be too crispy.

The Asparagus is sooo good. The original recipe is from Allrecipes.com and I tweak it just a little bit by switching the amounts of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. I think this dish is already salty enough, I cant imagine having an entire Tablespoon for soy sauce.

Fish Baked in Foil Packets

3-4 white fish fillets (I like mahi mahi or halibut)

2 celery stalks, cut in 3 or 4 pieces, then julienned

2 carrot sticks, cut up and julienned

1/2 of a red bell pepper, julienned

1 lemon

a couple pats of butter

salt, pepper and dill to taste

For each piece of fish, use a large piece of tin foil. Place the fish in the middle of the foil. Season it really good with salt, pepper and dill. Then squeeze lemon juice over it (I used 1/2 lemon for 3 pieces of fish) Slice up the other half of the lemon and set aside. Now arrange equal amounts of veggies onto each piece of fish. Season with more salt and pepper. Throw on a pat of butter and a slice of lemon. Wrap the fish up really good, sealing the top and sides. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Asparagus with Balsamic Butter

1 bunch of asparagus

salt and pepper

a drizzle of olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce

Lay asparagus into a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake 375 for 15 minutes. While asparagus is baking, microwave butter in a small dish to melt, then add balsamic vinegar and soy sauce, mix well, pour over asparagus and toss right before serving.

Grilled Polenta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

This was such a great snack. Actually it was my lunch. Carl went out with Sam and Charlie is taking a nap so I decided to whip something up for myself that was really yummy and enjoy my lunch alone.

I sliced polenta 1/2 inch thick and brushed olive oil on both sides and grilled it for 5-7 minutes per side. Then I topped it with salt and pepper and cheese and fresh tomato sauce. The fresh tomato sauce is common in Spain. You just take a couple whole tomatoes and grate them on a cheese grater. All of the pulp and seeds and juices come out and you are left with the entire peel in your hands, which you toss. Season with salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil and you are ready to eat!

Grilled Polenta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

6 big slices of polenta, 1/2 inch thick.

olive oil

2 small tomatoes, grated to make a fresh sauce

Parmesan or feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Hoisin Mahi Mahi with polenta fries and green beans

Tonight's meal was really good. I made up a sauce with hoisin and soy sauce and I was planning on grilling these babies, but then I didnt feel like standing outside in the 110 degree heat, so I heated up my kitchen with the oven instead! Anyways, the mahi mahi turned out so good. Just the right amout of sweet and salty and spicy! The sauce was yummy, but could probably be scaled way down. I wrote out the measurements I used, but I had least half of the sauce left over.

I made the polenta fries from some polenta that I made earlier today from scratch that I let set up, then sliced into 1/2 inch slices. I plan on doing a whole entry just on polenta, so I will have the entire recipe there. These polenta fries were just fried in olive oil until crisp, then seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper and topped with parmesan cheese. Yummy! And the green beans were just steamed and tossed in butter, salt and pepper. What a great meal. Even Sam at every single bite, so that means it was a good one.

Hoisin Mahi Mahi

4 mahi mahi fillets, 1/2 inch thick
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 T sugar

Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.

Whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, water, sesame oil and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Lightly brush the sauce onto both sides of the fish. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint and Lime

This is a great, refreshing summer recipe. So cool for a hot day, which we have been having a lot of. I got this recipe from a blog I like to read, Whipped. If you aren't afraid of trying out new flavors, then this salad is for you. Its awesome. Something about this combo of flavors just works so well.

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint and Lime

Watermelon, cut in chunks or cubed
Feta Cheese
Fresh Mint Leaves
Lime
Finishing Salt, I used an Australian pink salt that was light and delicate.

Place your watermelon on a plate or bowl. Sprinkle it with feta cheese. Wash mint leaves and cut them into threads. Sprinkle it over the top. Squeeze a lime wedge onto the fruit. Sprinkle with a heavy pinch of salt. Do not use a heavy pinch of table salt. I suggest a courser salt. If you don’t have it, just use a touch of table salt or none at all.

Quick Pasta Salad

I threw this recipe together in the time it took for the pasta to cook. Its so versatile. Add whatever veggies you have. I would have added tomatoes to this, but we aren't eating them right now with the salmonella outbreak. I served this up with some grilled BBQ shrimp and baked beans.

1/2 box mini penne pasta
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 cheese sticks, cut into chunks
1/2 cup imitation crab meat, shredded
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup Italian dressing (I used balsamic)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

While pasta is cooking, prepare veggies and cheese sticks and crab. The last 30 seconds of pasta cooking, add broccoli. Drain and run under cool water to chill. Add carrot, cheese, and crab to pasta and broccoli. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo and dressing. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over pasta, then pour dressing over and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Pineapple Wontons

One of my favorite places to have sushi is Ra. I always love to get their pineapple wontons. I decided to try to recreate them myself. I used whipped cream cheese because that was all I had. The cream cheese part just didnt hold together like it would have with regular block cream cheese. The flavors were there though. I served it with a hoisin dipping sauce, but I wish Id have had a sweet and sour sauce or a plum sauce instead. It needed something more sweet and less salty. Hoisin is just such a strong taste.

24 refridgerated wonton wrappers
1 sm can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, drained
1/4 cup cream cheese

Mix the pineapple with the cream cheese until well combined. Put 1/2 teaspoon filling into center of each wonton wrapper. Wet the edges with water and fold over and seal with your fingers. Just press them together really really good, squeezing out as much air as you can from the filling. Fry the wontons in hot oil till browned on both sides, drain on papertowels.

I made a bunch of these and I froze some for quick snacks or appetizers. They reheat pretty good in the oven. I just heat up a pizza stone to 350 degrees and then throw the wontons on. Bake 5 minutes, or until sizzling and heated through. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Buttermilk Biscuits

This is Homesick Texan's recipe and when I saw it today when I was looking at her strawberry shortcake recipe, I just had to try them. I have never pounded and folded my dough like that before and I really wanted to try it. Sam had a lot of fun helping me beat the dough. We used our hands because its more fun that way. Also, he got some of his own dough to make his own biscuits which turned out quite well! I am amazed at what all the pounding and folding the dough does...it makes flaky layers! Kind of like the texture of the Pillsbury Grands biscuits! I know that Homesick Texan would cringe that I said that since she doesn't think biscuits from a can are real biscuits at all, but for me...home made biscuits have never turned out good. They have always been dense and dry! So I rarely tried to make them. Until now. These biscuits are the best Ive ever made. They were so moist and rose almost 2 inches high! I served these with some grilled chicken breast and a nice salad. But I ate 5 of them, so that made this meal very fattening for me. Doh!

Homesick Texan's Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 Tbps baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, cold (8 tbsp)
3/4 cup buttermilk, cream or half-and-half (I used half-and-half)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Cut the stick of butter into pieces, and work into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
Add the liquid, mixing until a bit loose and sticky.
Pour dough out on a floured surface, and knead for a minute. Dough should be smooth and no longer wet. You can sprinkle more flour on the surface if you find it’s sticking.
Take dough into a ball, and hit it with a rolling pin, turning it and folding it in half every few whacks. Do this for a couple of minutes.
Roll out dough until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick, and then fold it in half.
Using a round cutter (can use a glass or a cup if don’t have a biscuit cutter) cut out your biscuits from folded dough.
Place on a greased baking sheet close together (so they rise up not out), and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Makes 10-12 biscuits.

If you don’t want to roll and cut them out, after kneading and beating the dough you can drop the dough onto the baking sheet with a spoon. They’re not as symmetrical (dropped biscuits are also known as cat head biscuits) but they’re no less delicious.

House Fried Rice

Fried Rice. Its so easy. You can use pretty much use any leftovers you have in the fridge all at once. I used leftover carne asada meat from a Mexican dish we had. I also threw in a left over grilled mahi mahi fillet. I also used Saffron rice, hence the yellowness.

House Fried Rice

1 1/2 Tbsp oil

1 carrot, sliced thin

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

1 egg

1 tsp soy sauce

2 cups cold leftover rice

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp hot sauce

soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste

1 cup leftover meat ( I used beef and mahi mahi)

Heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add carrots and fry until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Add peas, corn and cabbage and cook until cabbage gets soft, another 2-4 minutes. Whisk egg and soy sauce. Push veggies to one side of pan and pour egg on the other side. Let cook until set, then scramble. Add rice and meat and fry until heated through, another 2 minutes. Season and serve!!!

Chicken Pasta Salad with Fried Shallots

I took this salad to a family reunion last night and I got a lot of compliments on it. The fried shallots are soooo good on this.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Fried Shallots

1/2 pound penne pasta
2 cups thinly sliced shallots
2 cups vegetable oil
salt
1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1/2 of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
10 radishes, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped (I skipped this since I didnt have any)
grated peel and juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp honey
Pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a medium sauce pan, bring the shallots and oil to a simmer over medium heat and fry, stirring until golden, 18-20 min (this took about 10 minutes for me) Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Reserve 1/4 cup shallot oil for the dressing.

In a large serving bowl, combine the chicken, cucumber, radishes, carrots, cilantro and pasta.

Whisk the lime peel and juice and honey into the shallot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad and season with more salt and toss to coat evenly. Top with the fried shallots.