Welcome back!  Today, we have an fresh and easy Italian dish: Caprese Salad! Caprese salad is possibly the most iconic Italian dish that isn't also loaded with carbs: it's really just cheese, tomatoes, and basil. These are also the three colors that make up the Italian flag, as well as the three ingredients that you find on the classic margherita pizza. There's just something refreshing about eating the juicy tomato with the creamy mozzarella together; plus, it's super healthy! Caprese Salad Ingredients: Fresh mozzarella cheese Tomato Basil leaves Extra virgin olive oil Balsamic vinegar Directions: Slice the mozzarella and tomato into similar sized slices. Aim for about a quarter of an inch. Pick and wash some basil leaves. Arrange the ingredients in the pattern of tomato, cheese, and then basil. Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. Balsamic vinegar isn't always a necessary addition, but we found it to be a nice flavor contrast with the rest of the in...

Welcome back to Chez Chefpo!  Today, we have a wonderful pasta salad. This works great chilled or not, and accompanies nicely with stronger flavors. This recipe was actually supposed to be a replication of La Madeleine's Pasta Salad, but after making it several times, we felt that it has deviated enough from it since it really doesn't taste quite the same. However, it's still got the same idea: a simple, light dish that can stand on its own or be with a friend. Pasta Salad Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 8 ounces pasta (preferably bowties) 4 tablespoons pesto 2 tablespoons Caesar dressing 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1/4 to 1/2 cup green onion, parsley, or spinach, chopped 1/4 cup (or about 1 ounce) olives, chopped Directions: Cook the pasta. Mix all the ingredients and combine with the pasta. Chill and serve. It's pretty easy, and you can make a lot of it at once. It also works with anything...

Welcome back!  Today, we got a refreshing kale salad! This is different from the other types of salad that we usually eat, and although it was different, it was actually really nice. It's very cool and relaxing to eat, which is a little strange, but it's healthy and you feel good after eating it. Once again, this is recipe where you can pretty much add anything in your pantry or fridge, just as long as there's kale. Kale Salad Makes about 4 servings Ingredients: Salad: 1 bunch kale 1/4 small onion 1/4 cup corn 1 avocado 1/4 cup raisins 2 mangos Dressing: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons dijon mustard Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Prepare the kale: Wash it thoroughly, remove the stems, then drain. Chop the kale into small pieces Spray with some olive oil Massage the leaves for a couple minutes to soften the kale Prepare your toppings, just chop everything into chunks of similar size to t...