Winter Family Dinner Idea and Lemon Parmesan Rapini Salad Recipe

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with the weather finally cooling down here in SoCal, and how busy our family's schedule have been lately, Marie Callender's pot pies have made it into the family dinner rotation in our home. they are the perfect family pleasing meal that doesn't take a lot of time to make or leave me with piles of dishes to clean up. my boys...including the hubby, love Marie Callender's pot pies, especially the chicken chunks and vegetables in yummy gravy and the golden flakey crust. they can be cooked within minutes in a microwave, or put in the oven when you have a little more time. either way, they come out tasting perfecly.

Marie Callender's pot pies are a meal in themselves, but i always like to add a green salad to the side. this week i found some great tasting Rapini at my local market. so i whipped up a Rapini Lemon Parmesan Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts to go with our pot pies.

Rapini is the leaves and buds of the broccoli plant. they have a mild broccoli flavor, but are considered a hearty dark green vegetable similar to spinach. some people find rapini bitter. it can be bitter at certain times of the year, but during the winter months, it is not bitter and has it's best flavor. i recommend tasting a leaf before you purchase it, to see what kind of flavor it has. rapini is one of my favorite leaves to use in salads during the winter months. i love its flavor.

to make a Rapini Lemon Parmesan Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts, you will need, rapini, a lemon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh parmesan and pine nuts.
roughly chop the rapini into bit size pieces and place into a salad bowl.

rapini has a great flavor. it hearty dark green leaves are often boiled...like spinach. but i prefer to eat it like a salad.
next, toast the pine nuts by carefully heating them on a frying pan over medium heat just until toasted. be careful not to burn them, they can burn in a matter of seconds. keep stirring them over the heat and as soon as you see them start to brown, remove them.in a bowl, add olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and the juice of half a lemon.

add salt and pepper to taste.

whisk dressing until fully combined.

add freshly grated parmesan...

and pine nuts to the rapini.

then add just enough dressing to coat the salad leaves.

toss the salad with the lemon balsamic dressing until everything is evenly coated. garnish with more fresh parmesan.you will end up with a fresh and hearty salad with a hint of lemon and savory parmesan. it is a family pleaser since the taste is mild and just plain good.paired with a Marie Callender's Pot Pie, it makes a perfect dinner that adults and children love. even picky eaters will enjoy this comfort food. it is sure to warm your family up on those cold winter evenings.

a chicken pot pie makes one of the warmest comforts of the season....with homemade gravy mixed with vegetables and all white-meat chicken, in a golden, perfectly flaky crust that's tastes like it was made from scratch. this is one of my family's favorite meals. and they taste homemade!

ingredients
1 bunch rapini
½ lemon
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
fresh parmesan

directions
in a bowl, whisk juice of half a lemon, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. add salt and pepper to taste. next, toast the pine nuts by carefully heating them on a frying pan over medium heat, just until toasted. be careful not to burn them, they can burn in a matter of seconds. keep stirring them over the heat and as soon as you see them start to brown, remove. finally, chop rapini into bit sized pieces and place in a salad bowl. add freshly grated parmesan, toasted pine nuts, and toss with the lemon balsamic dressing until evenly coated. serve immediately. enjoy!

you can purchase Marie Callender's pot pies at your nearest Walmart store. and for more great Marie Callendar's recipes, visit potpieplease.com or their Facebook page.