Three Summer Dairy Recipes With Safeway #EverydayDairy

 

Summer can be a challenging time to cook.  When the thermometer says 109 degrees outside, it’s too hot to heat the house with a hot oven, and I don’t feel like cooking .  We use the grill, or I make cold salads to cool us down.  We get plenty of vegetables with those salads, but fitting dairy into our summer menu can be a little more challenging, so I’ve learned to get creative.  Fortunately, Safeway helps make it easy to meet that challenge with their June Everyday Dairy promotion.  I stocked up on cool dairy products, such as Fage Yogurt and Sargento Shredded Cheese to use in our meals, and saved a little bit of money in the process.  You can see my shopping experience here. 

Throughout the entire month of June (5/29 – 7/2), when you purchase $15 of participating dairy products at Safeway, you will get back $5 to use on your next shopping trip.   There is a huge list of participating products, so I found something to please everyone, including shredded cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, and orange juice.  Even ice cream bars and pudding cups are included in the promotion, much to my families delight!

My son loves Caesar salad,  but my husband wanted a little bit “heartier”  dinner, so I created this Chicken Caesar Pita Pocket to keep them both satisfied.  I also made a Pesto Pasta Salad and Low-Fat Tropical Cole Slaw to go with our Chicken Caesar Pockets, all using dairy products I purchased from Safeway with the Every Day Dairy promotion.  One of my husband’s favorite foods on the promotion were the Magnum Ice Cream bars that I bought for dessert.  I got mini caramel bars for my son, and mini almond bars for my husband and I.  They certainly cooled us off!

Chicken Caesar Pita Pockets

• 3-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Package of Pita Pockets
• 1 Bunch of Romaine Lettuce
• 1 Tomato
• 1 c. Sargento Shredded Parmesan
• 1 Bottle Caesar Dressing

Grill the chicken breasts, and cut into thin slices.  Wash and cut the romaine lettuce into bite size pieces.  Cut the tomato into thin slices. Place the chicken,  lettuce, tomato, and Sargento Parmesan into bowls, so each person can serve themselves.  Fill each pita pocket with the chicken, lettuce, tomato, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing to taste.

Pesto Pasta Salad

• 2 c.  Penne noodles
• 2 Tbsp pre-made Pesto sauce
• 1/2 c. Grape or Cherry Tomatos
• 1 c. Sargento Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Cook the penne noodles per package instructions.  When the noodles are done, drain the water, but do not rinse the noodles.  Place the noodles in a large bowl and stir in the pesto sauce until well blended. Let the noodles cool about 15 minutes, then stir in the mozzarella cheese.  Let cool another 10-15 minutes.  Wash and cut the tomatoes in half, and toss into the pasta.  Serve the pasta at room temperature.

Tropical Cole Slaw
(This is an adaption of my grandmother’s pineapple slaw recipe.  I used Greek yogurt and honey instead of Miracle Whip to sweeten the slaw.)

• 1 Package Angel hair shredded Cabbage
• 1 8 oz. Can of Crushed Pineapple
• 1/4 c. Shredded Coconut
• 1 Container of Fage Greek Yogurt, Plain with Honey

Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl.  Drain the can of crushed pineapple, then pour over the cabbage.  Add the shredded coconut.  Spoon the container of yogurt over the cabbage, and drizzle in the honey.  Mix together well to incorporate the flavors.  Let sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to set.  Serve chilled.

We were so full from dinner, we had to wait awhile before having the Magnum ice cream bars…but they were worth the wait!

How do you incorporate dairy into your summer cooking?  Did you have any special recipes to keep cool?

For more information about the Safeway Every Day Dairy promotion, visit  www.everydaydairy.com
You can also find out more information about Safeway Dairy products at www.Safeway.com   or visit them on Facebook or Twitter.

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