Ham and Peas Macaroni Salad

Since the pandemic began, we haven’t eaten inside a restaurant. We have visited a few outdoor places, but we are definitely not ready to take a chance on inside dining yet. I find that I really don’t miss it much.  And what I do miss, I am trying to recreate.

That brings us to this tale of Ruby Tuesday’s ham and peas macaroni salad.  That stuff is so damned good. This took a few tries. I think I got it if not perfect then pretty close. I bought a ham steak and rinsed it to remove the salt. I also used homemade dressing. You can just use your favorite brand. You can also substitute any or all of the mayo with ranch. I used baby bells to add a little color, but if you are being true to the RT salad, use green bell peppers.

Now, if I could figure out how to make those pumpernickel croutons….

 

Servings: 6- ½ cup servings (seriously, who eats that little?)
Time:  Prep: 20 minutes, Cook: 9 minutes, Chill: 2 hours
Hardware:  measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a mixing bowl, a pot, a colander, a large storage container

Ingredients

• 8 ounces rotini pasta
• ½ cup ranch dressing (your favorite brand or make your own) + 2 tablespoons
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 small bell pepper, diced (½  cup) I used 2 baby bells, one red and one yellow for color
• 1 cup diced, cooked ham
• ½  cup frozen peas
• Salt and pepper

1.  Place the frozen peas in the colander. Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain the pasta over the peas. Rinse in very cold water and allow to drain completely.
2. Dice the bell pepper, removing the white pith and seeds. Rinse and dice the ham. Try to make the dice of both the same size.
3. Mix everything with mayo and ½ cup ranch. Reserve the rest of the ranch for later. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
4. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
5. Mix in the reserved dressing and more black pepper just before serving. (Pasta is thirsty and will soak up dressing. The reserved stuff will ensure that your salad is creamy.)

Zucchini Slaw

I realize that most of the recipes that I give you are for main dishes. My husband made grilled chicken last night and I created this simple salad as a side dish to go with it. I  have been working on a how-to video, but it won’t be ready for another week. So, I thought why wait to write up a new recipe.

Zucchini Slaw is really delicious and couldn’t be easier to make. Serve it instead of coleslaw or a salad. You need 8 ounces of prepared squash, so buy 2 large zucchini and 2 large summer squash. If you don’t mind spending the extra money, most grocery stores sell the squash already spiraled and you can save yourself time by buying that.

Servings: 6
Time:  Prep: 10 minutes Chill: 2 hours-Slaw in about 2 hours
Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knife, a veggie peeler, a mixing bowl, a whisk, an airtight storage container 

Ingredients
Dressing

• ⅔ cup mayo
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt

………………..
 Salad

• 8 ounces zucchini
• 8 ounces yellow summer squash
• 4 ounces of matchstick carrots
• Dressing

1. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Set aside
2. Thoroughly wash the squash, especially if the skin is waxy, because you are going to eat the skin. Use the veggie peeler to cut the squash into then strips. Just keep peeling like you do the outside until you reach the seeds. Discard the middle containing the seeds. Cut the long strips into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
3. Toss the squash and carrots. Then toss the slaw with the dressing until everything is thoroughly coated. Chill for at least two hours. Stir and taste and to adjust the salt and pepper just before serving.