Our Favorite Epicurious 2019 Labor Day Recipes

August 2019August 2019Peter Salerno Inc.

Our Favorite Epicurious 2019 Labor Day Recipes

Labor Day is about food, fun and family. While you’re taking a much-deserved break from the daily grind of work, there’s nothing better than a great meal or two to punctuate a relaxing Labor Day weekend.

As usual, we’re leaning heavily on the expertise of Epicurious, one of the web’s pre-eminent food and recipe sites, to fill our Labor Day table. The recent release of Epicurious’ article “49 Low-Fuss Labor Day Recipes” provides a great deal of inspiration!

Check out Epicurious' 2019 Labor Day Recipes — Check out Epicurious’ 2019 Labor Day Recipes!

Even the most avid “foodie” isn’t going to eat 49 meals on Labor Day weekend – even though you may feel as though you did eat that much by Monday night! We’ve read up on all 49 of Epicurious’ Labor Day recipe selections, and narrowed the list down to a few options we think deserve to be on your lunch or dinner table during the long weekend.

Let’s look at 5 of our favorite selections from this year’s Epicurious Labor Day “food playlist” and we’ll tell you why they deserve the attention of your taste buds!

The Best Epicurious 2019 Labor Day Recipes

1. Smash Burger Alfresco

This double-stack take on classic Labor Day fare is the perfect place to begin our list. Two grilled 3-oz. patties start this fulfilling burger, and a special sauce punctuated with adobo and finely chopped pickles adds a jazzy punch that separates this burger from the standard.

2. Honeydew Salad with Ginger Dressing and Peanuts

One of the most surprising and appetizing entries on Epicurious’ Labor Day recipe list, this honeydew salad is full of contrast and unexpected flavors. What begins as a cold, fresh melon salad quickly becomes captivating with the heat of serrano pepper, spice of ginger and intriguing flavor of Persian cucumbers. What begins as a monochromatic all-green salad bowl ends up being a flavorful, fulfilling salad that kept us coming back for more.

3. Grilled Whole Eggplant with Harissa Vinaigrette

While this dish is listed as an appetizer, you may find yourself eating the whole thing and turning this delicious eggplant into an entree. The direction to grill the eggplant directly on the dying coals of your grill is audacious and guaranteed a smoky, charred flavor. This recipe’s harissa vinaigrette is one of the simplest we’ve made in awhile, and is quite delicious.

4. Grilled Whole Cauliflower with Miso Mayo

The grilled veggie trend continues with this spicy cauliflower recipe. Basting the cauliflower with spicy butter gives it a unique orange color, and serving it over a tangy miso mayo adds an extra satisfying punch. This is another dish that can serve as an appetizer or a main course. Like the eggplant offering above, it’s a filling enough offering to satisfy any vegetarian guests at your dinner table.

5. Strawberry-Rose Agua Fresca

Looking for the perfect drink to cap off your Labor Day meal? This refreshing berry-filled beverage reaches new heights with the unexpected flavors of rose water and agave nectar. Epicurious lists the rose water as optional; we’ve tried it both ways and think that it makes all the difference. You can spike this drink and make it a cocktail, but the non-alcoholic version provided is pretty perfect as is.

To read the entire Epicurious “49 Low-Fuss Labor Day Recipes” article, click here.

The Epicurious #EpiRecipeClub August 2018 Recipe: Oregano-Marinated Tomato Salad

August 2018Peter Salerno Inc.

The Epicurious #EpiRecipeClub August 2018 Recipe: We Love It!

If you follow Design Your Lifestyle, you know how much we love Epicurious. We’ve basically had a running love affair with Epicurious for five years, and they’re our go-to destination for recipes, meal ideas, seasonal menus and food inspirations.

We’re dedicated followers of the #EpiRecipeClub – the official interactive hashtag of the Epicurious Recipe Club. The idea is simple – make the same recipe as the fine folks at Epicurious, post it to Instagram and use the hashtag #EpiRecipeClub, and compare how your creation looks with Epicurious followers the world over!

Post your Oregano-Marinated Tomato Salad to Instagram, #EpiRecipeClub!

The August 2018 #EpiRecipeClub recipe is for Oregano-Marinated Tomato Salad. It’s simple, refreshing, and full of fresh flavors – in other words, it checks all our boxes for a summer recipe! As Epicurious decribes the recipe:

“Marinating sliced tomatoes in salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh oregano intensifies their flavor and brings out their rich juices. Serve with crusty bread for mopping it up.”

With a perfect 4/4 rating from Epicurious users (and a 100% “Make It Again” status), we feel pretty confident that we’re not alone in our love for this Oregano-Marinated Tomato Salad. Try it out for yourself – but before you eat it, make sure you post a picture of your creation to Instagram with the August #EpiRecipeClub hashtag!

Our Favorite Summer Farro Salad Recipe

August 2018Peter Salerno Inc.

Our Favorite Summer Farro Salad Recipe

Summer Farro Salad. (Recipe by Marco Canora, Food&Wine. Photo credit John Kernick.)

Over the past few years, we’ve compiled a great list of recipes and trending food topics thanks to Peter Salerno and his love for not only creating kitchen designs, but creating in the kitchen as well!

One of our favorite recipes of the last 5 years is a simple-yet-exquisite summer salad that always leaves us full and refreshed.

This fantastic summer farro salad comes courtesy of Food & Wine (F&W) and their star chef Marco Canora.

Famous for his Tuscan-inspired dishes, Marco Canora’s experience has taken him from Gramercy Tavern in NYC to Cibreo in Florence, Italy, and back again. Canora now calls Hearth & Terroir Wine Bar in New York City home.

If you’ve never eaten farro, it’s all the rage lately in a variety of dishes. From salads to soups to meat dishes, farro is a versatile hulled wheat grain that is well-loved by savvy eaters as a great source of fiber and a “smart carbohydrate”.

This summer salad combines the hearty, nutty flavor of farro with the crunch of carrots, celery and onions and the freshness of cucumbers and tomatoes. We’re sure you’ll love it at your table as much as Peter Salerno and his family love it at theirs.

Recipe: Summer Farro Salad (courtesy Food&Wine, Marco Canora)

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1 small carrot, halved
1 celery rib, halved
12 ounces farro (1 3/4 cups)
5 cups water
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the yellow onion, carrot and celery, cover and cook over moderately low heat until barely softened, about 5 minutes. Add the farro and stir to coat with oil. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the farro is barely tender, about 10 minutes; season with salt. Cover and simmer until the farro is al dente, about 10 minutes longer. Drain the farro and discard the onion, carrot and celery. Let cool completely.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the farro, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Epicurious Scores Again With Thai Green Bean Summer Salad Recipe

July 2017July 2017Peter Salerno Inc.

Epicurious Scores Again With Thai Green Bean Summer Salad Recipe

Epicurious, you have to stop this. We’re starting to develop real feelings for you.

Okay, maybe we’re exaggerating a little bit. But Epicurious has long been our favorite recipe blog here at Design Your Lifestyle, and no matter what our trending tastes happen to be, their staff seems to have the right recipe for us.

This time, it’s a summer take on a classic Thai salad that left us scrambling for seconds – and thirds… and fourths…

Give your green beans a kick in this awesome Epicurious recipe for Thai Green Bean Salad!

After a long 4th of July weekend of delicious burgers, ribs, hot dogs and more, we were feeling a bit overstuffed on meat dishes. But no matter how hard we tried, it was difficult to find a vegetable or salad dish that left us feeling completely satisfied.

Enter Epicurious’ Thai Green Bean Salad for Summer. This grilled green bean salad isn’t your usual “light fare” that leaves your stomach growling. Add in marinated tofu, in-season avocados and a zesty homemade papaya-salad dressing with lime and jalapenos, and you have a real winner and crowd pleaser.

We love the texture contracts between the grilled green beans and the tangy citrus of the dressing, and the tofu is surprisingly more than filling – especially when paired with the avocados!

If you’re a fan of Thai dishes and love taking adventures with your home meals, then this is a great recipe for you. All credit to Katherine Sacks at Epicurious for this tremendously inventive take on summer salad and Thai food.

For the full recipe for Epicurious’ Grilled Thai Green Bean Salad for Summer by Katherine Sacks, please click the article.

2015 Earth Day Recipe: Spinach and Nectarine Salad

April 2015April 2015Peter Salerno Inc.

2015 Earth Day Recipe: Spinach and Nectarine Salad

Delish Presents 2015 “Go Green” Earth Day Recipes

From Delish: a refreshing spinach and nectarine salad recipe.

Leave it to the fine people at Delish to provide us with sumptuous recipes for any occasion. As we celebrate Earth Day 2015 during the last full week of April, Delish encourages us to “Go Green” with a list of leafy and delicious recipes to enjoy!

We don’t feature salad recipes often on Peter Salerno Inc.’s official blog, but this one was too interesting and enjoyable to pass up. It’s a bold and refreshing Spinach and Nectarine Salad recipe, and it’s sure to provide a refreshing twist on your classic spinach salad.

Originally contributed by Kate Mathis to Delish, this Spinach and Nectarine Salad combines recognizable spinach salad elements (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, baby spinach) with zesty, refreshing twists (orange marmalade, nectarines). Try it for yourself, and see why it’s our favorite Earth Day 2015 salad recipe!

From Peter Salerno’s Kitchen: Spinach and Nectarine Salad Recipe (courtesy of Delish)

Ingredients

2 tbsp. orange marmalade
1 large shallot
2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil
0.25 tsp. salt
0.25 tsp. ground black pepper
0.25 c. slivered almonds
1 package baby spinach
2 ripe nectarines

Preparation

In microwave-safe small bowl or 1-cup liquid measuring cup, combine marmalade and shallot. Cover with vented plastic wrap and cook in microwave on High 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.
In small skillet, cook almonds on medium 5 minutes, stirring until toasted. Set aside to cool, about 2 minutes.
To serve, toss spinach, nectarines, and marmalade mixture until combined. Place on 2 dinner plates; scatter almonds on top.

From Peter Salerno’s Kitchen: Summer Farro Salad Recipe

August 2014August 2014Peter Salerno Inc.

Our Favorite Summer Farro Salad Recipe

Peter Salerno Inc. has been searching for a fresh Italian summer salad recipe to share with our readers, and we’ve finally settled on our favorite salad recipe for the summer of 2014.

This fantastic summer farro salad comes courtesy of Food & Wine (F&W) and their star chef Marco Canora.

Recipe: Summer Farro Salad (courtesy Food&Wine, Marco Canora)

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1 small carrot, halved
1 celery rib, halved
12 ounces farro (1 3/4 cups)
5 cups water
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the yellow onion, carrot and celery, cover and cook over moderately low heat until barely softened, about 5 minutes. Add the farro and stir to coat with oil. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the farro is barely tender, about 10 minutes; season with salt. Cover and simmer until the farro is al dente, about 10 minutes longer. Drain the farro and discard the onion, carrot and celery. Let cool completely.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the farro, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and serve.