Spring – College Cooking with Celia

It has been HOT in Pittsburgh this week. I think the high today is 80° which is a far cry from the snow storm we had last Thursday. But with this heat comes the need for cold, refreshing recipes and this salad from Budget Bytes is perfect.

I made this this past weekend as a side for the burgers we made for dinner, and it was delicious. Refreshing, fresh, crunchy, and so easy! Just chop up your veg, make a quick dressing, and enjoy! Or let it hang out in the fridge to absorb all the tasty flavors (which is what I did).

We’ve had this just chilling in the fridge for the past couple days and it’s made an excellent side for burgers or sandwiches (especially made with leftover Easter ham!) but today I decided to switch it up by mixing it with pasta! It made for an excellent, pretty filling lunch for today and was a nice little change up from eating it plain. You could also totally do that with rice or quinoa too!

So try out this cucumber salad for your next hot spring or summer day! You won’t regret it.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Salad

2 cucumbers
4 Roma tomatoes (about 1 lb)
1/2 small red onion
1 bell pepper
2 oz feta

Instructions

Prepare the vinaigrette first to let the flavors blend as you prepare the rest of the salad. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Peel the cucumbers if desired. Dice the cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Thinly slice or dice the red onion. Crumble the feta cheese.
Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, and feta in a large bowl Pour the dressing over top and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

We’ve had a few really lovely days of sunshine and warm temperatures up in Pittsburgh these last few weeks, and it really put me in the spring mood. So I decided to spend a random Wednesday afternoon off of work making this lemon cake! I saw this Ina Garten recipe on Twitter forever ago, and it seemed like the perfect treat to get us in even more of the spring spirit.

And it totally did! Super moist, super easy, and delicious. The bulk of the lemon flavor comes from the syrup that you pour over after it bakes, which means the cake itself is very subtle. But I felt like the balance was perfect, and it was enjoyed by me, my roommates, and the boyfriend.

Now that it’s continuing to warm up and Easter is approaching, try this Lemon Yogurt Cake! You won’t regret it.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Time: 1 hour 20 min

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
Optional: combine 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and 2 tbs lemon juice to make a glaze, and drizzle on top