Roasted Butternut Squash and Crispy Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Tried and Tested!

This was a winner - for sure! Some things on pinterest flop, but I loved this one! 

Its worth the extra work. 

Yummy and large enough to serve for dinner, or make it on monday and eat it all week! 

My kind of lunch!

Isn't it beautiful? Crispy Chickpeas are amazing with the soft, sweet squash!

Click HERE for recipe

I used Baby Kale instead of Arugula, and added feta cheese! 

Enjoy!

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Fresh Mexican Salad

Summer is COMING!!! My favorite time of year for cooking! 

Here is something yummy to get us started!

This one is a winner! I don't know a single person who didn't care for it. Fresh, Simple, and SOOOOO Good! I could eat this ALL DAY!

Salad:

16-20 oz. Baby Spinach (I just used a bag)

1/2 Red Onion, Diced small

1 Red Pepper, Diced Small

1/2 Container of Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced

1 large Corn on the Cob, Raw and corn sliced right off! (this is the best EVER!! I NEVER cook corn!)

1 Avocado, Diced

1 Can Black Beans, Rinsed

Large Handful of crushed Tortilla Chips

Mix all together and Add Salt and Pepper. Mix Dressing and pour over salad and mix to distribute dressing.

Dressing:

1/4 C Olive Oil

Juice and ZEST of 1 Lime

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1 LARGE clove garlic, diced small

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp White wine Vinegar

1/2 Bunch of Cilantro, diced small

1/2 -1 Tbl Honey or Agave (to taste)

(if you want a fat free dressing, skip the oil, and juice the WHOLE lemon, add more honey if needed. Its a little tart, but tastes good once drizzled all over!)

ENJOY!

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8 Simply Fresh and Easy Salads

Just found some fun new salads to add to my lunchtime boredom. 

And they are so easy!

Asparagus Salad, Curried Quinoa, and Fiesta Bowl Salad are just a few!

Check out the recipe's HERE

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Sweet Potato Burgers w/ Orzo Pasta Salad!

These are two HUGE winners in my book! Kids devoured them BOTH!

The burgers they ate as hamburgers, or just plain dipped in ketchup. I just ate mine like a salad.

The salad I brought to a potluck and got some good reviews!! 

Not to be passed by!

Sweet Potato Burgers

Ingredients:

1 C Ground Oatmeal (you can do half oatmeal/ half buckwheat flour) Or whole wheat crackers

1/2 C Onion 

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Celery Stalk

1/2 C white beans

1 Cup Cooked Quinoa (Click HERE to see why this is exciting!!)

1 Medium Sweet Potato cooked. (can do in microwave fast) 

1/2 C Raw orange beets, or carrots, or regular beets

2 Tbls Cilantro chopped

3 Tbls Black Olives Chopped

1 tsp Caraway Seeds

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1) Blend Oatmeal, not too fine - but close. 
2) Place roughly Chopped onion, celery, and garlic in food processor. Process until small.
Heat pan and saute until cooked.
3) Place beets in processor and shred until small. Add sweet potato until blended. set aside.
4) Add beans to onion and celery and cook for a couple minutes. Lightly mash the beans with fork or spoon. Remove from heat.
4) Place in large bowl, add all of the ingredients together. If too dry, add more smashed beans. 
5) Shape into patties and either place on cookie sheet and back for 20 minutes at 375, or place in pan and cook until harder and lightly browned. 
Serve as desired! 
(you can also freeze these very easily!!)

Easy Orzo Pasta Salad (great potluck item!)

Ingredients:

2 small Zucchini Diced 

1 Pound cooked Orzo Pasta (I find Whole Wheat Orzo at TJ or Whole Foods!)

2 Cobs of Corn -with corn cut off cob (not cooked or anything!)

1/2 Red Onion Diced

1 Avocado Diced

1/2 C Diced Black Olives

1 jalapeno diced (no seeds) - Optional

1 Tbl Lemon Zest plus 1/4 C Fresh Lemon Juice (about 2 lemons)

1 C Fresh Basil Leaves (or cilantro)  - Diced very small

Small Handful of crumbled Feta Cheese.

Combine all ingredients and sprinkle generously with Salt and Pepper. 

ENJOY!

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Divine -

Nicoise Salmon Salad

Amazing! That's all I can say!

With Yummy Roasted Potatoes, and a Divine Dressing!

Click HERE for the recipe!

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Having Mexican?

Try this Awesome, Fresh, Simple Salad for a side Dish

Mango Avocado Salad

1 Mango Diced

1 Avocado Diced

1/2 Red Pepper Diced

1 Can Black Beans (rinsed)

2 Scallions, Chopped (green parts only)

Chopped Cilantro

2 Tbl of Lime Juice

1-2 Tbl of Olive Oil

Little bit of Salt if desired

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Salads, Salads, Salads

Sorry for the lack of recipes (my son got strep throat this week, not fun :( )

I am trying so hard to find some new salads to add to my repertoire.

Salads are hard to come by,

and I definitely have to have something more exciting than iceberg and tomatoes! Yuck!

So here are a few I have found that I have enjoyed so far.

I hope to keep adding more - please send me any ideas!! :)

From a new Fav Cookbook Vegan Express:

Asian Edamame and Tofu Chopped Salad

I LOVED this!! The health benefits of Edamame are INSANE! So enjoy!

Pic from eatingandliving.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

1 Cup Frozen Edamame, thawed and cooked

1/4 C Pine Nuts (or sunflower seeds or sesame seeds)

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 large Celery stalks, sliced

4-5 oz. Firm Tofu

1/4 C thinly Sliced Scallions

2 T Olive Oil

2 tsp Dark Sesame Oil

2 T Rice Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

(optional additions: red onion, and mung bean sprouts)

1) Take tofu and blot dry with paper towels. Dice into 1/2 inch cubes and dip each peice into seasoned bread crumbs. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. (this is my favorite way to eat tofu!)

2) Toast pine nuts, or seeds

3) Combine all ingredients and mix well. Enjoy!!

Thai Peanut Salad

This one is close to the top in my fav's. Way Yummy and totally GOOD FOR YOU! I am big for something crunchy, so I might have slightly overindulged in the peanuts on top.

Click HERE for the recipe.

Another Thai Salad - similar, yet slightly different:

Thai Tossed Salad

(recipe from Vegan Express)

Ingredients:

1 C small Broccoli Florets, raw or slighly steamed

2 Plum Tomatoes, diced

1/2 Medium Cucumbeter, peeled and diced

1 medium Red Bell Pepper, cut into narrow strips

1 C Unsweetened Pineapple Chunks

1 Large Celery Stalk, sliced diagonally

1/2 C Sliced Cremini or Baby Bella Mushrooms

Mixed Baby Greens

1 C Mung Bean Sprouts

3/4 C Coconut- Peanut Sauce (below)

Combine all ingredients except sauce. Serve salad with sauce on the side.

Coconut Peanut Sauce (this sauce makes the whole salad!!)

One 8 oz jar Thai Peanut Satay Sauce (in Thai section of grocery store or produce dep.)

1/2 C Light Coconut Milk

Juice of 1 Lime

1/2 tsp Red or Green Thia Chile paste (dissolved in a little hot water first)

2 tsp agave nectar or maple syrup or honey

8 oz. Slender green beans

Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine.

SIMPLE Greek Salad

I LOVE a good Greek salad! Yum!

This one is so simple, you could make it any time of the day with any meal!

Ingredients:

English Cucumber sliced into 1/2 moons

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Cherry Tomatoes, a few

Plum Tomatoes, 3-4 diced

1/4 C sliced Olives

1/2 C Sliced Mushrooms (optional)

Feta Cheese, crumbled and Sprinkled on top

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 tps Dried Oregano

3 Tbls Olive Oil

1 Tbl Lemon Juice

1 Tbl White Wine Vinegar

Salt And Pepper

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Father's Day Dinner (Or Great Summer Meal!)

I am SO bummed I forgot to take final pictures of the meal!! But it all turned out perfect. I loved the fresh taste of the chicken with the Bean Salsa and the dessert was a little out of my comfort zone, but SO worth it! My Hubby LOVED the dessert! So here we go:

Grilled Chicken with Italian Bean Salsa

Photo from Eat Better America

So fresh tasting!

Perfect for a topping on a quick BBQ chicken dinner.

You can get the recipe HERE.

Israeli Potato Salad

I LOVED this!

Taste like a juiced up regular potato salad.

Ingredient:
4 Medium Potatoes (boiled, peeled, and cubed)
1 Large Carrot, peeled, boiled, then cubed (I just steamed it)
2 Large eggs, boiled, cubed
1 small Onion, finely chopped
3-4 Tbl peas, canned or frozen (frozen is ALWAYS better)
3 Medium pickles, diced
S&P to taste
1/2-1 C Mayonnaise - Here's the catch. I used about 1/4 C of Kraft Low Fat Mayo with Olive Oil and about 1/2 C of Nayonnaise (you could also use Vegannaise -both found in health section of store. Its a better low fat version of mayo. If you don't mind a slight sour taste, use Greek yogurt for half the mayo. I LOVE this swap!)

Dessert: Sauteed Bananas with Sweet Cream

Photo From FoodNetwork.com

Get the recipe HERE

We didn't love the cream. We ended up eating the bananas with chopped almonds

(I pulsed the in the food processor with a pinch of sea salt) and some vanilla ice cream. (Or you could easily do frozen yogurt! - Which I just found a great kind at target!)

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Chili-Lime Barley Salad

I am totally into these Whole Grain Salad's lately, they just seem like the perfect summer meal. The Hubs not too hip on it though. :)

This one was pretty good, I still don't think it tops the Wheat Berry Salad. But, still good. Maybe not for dinner though. I am going to stick with eating them cold for lunch. Maybe making a batch for the week and just keeping it in the fridge. YUM!

My three year old actually finished his whole bowl - I was shocked! I did have to add avocado's, because he will eat almost anything if it has avocado's.

Barley is like Wheat Berries. I nice chewy texture full of heart healthy fiber. Whole grains can fight against cholestorol, High Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Disease. And they are high in Protein!

1 1/2 C Barley (cooked according to directions) - This takes about 45 minutes
3/4 tsp. Salt
4 tsp. Olive Oil
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium Red Onion, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 C Frozen Corn
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 C Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 C Crumbled Feta Cheese

1. Cook Barley
2. In large skillet, heat 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. Add pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook, until Red Pepper is crisp tender. About 5 minutes
3. Add corn and Chili Powder. Increase heat slightly, cook until corn is piping hot.
4. In large bowl whisk 1/2 tsp. Salt, Lime Juice, and Black Pepper. Add the Barley, and cooked Veggies. Add remaing 2 tsp of Oil, and cheese. Toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Per serving: 332 calories, 5 g fat, 15 g protein
Recipe taken from Healthcommunities.com

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Wheat Berry and Arugula Salad

Yum! Just did this one tonight. One of my favorites for sure! The somewhat crunchy texture of the wheat berries, mixed with the sweet, yet spicy dressing is SO yummo! The perfect meal in one on a summer evening.

Don't forget the healthy benefit of the wheat berries, they are an excellant souce of Dietary Fiber! Something that is really hard to get enough of every day. And the Garbanzo beans are a little gem themselves. They provide good fats, high fiber, protein, and even calcium!! (I have added them to chocolate chip cookies before! Who knew?)

Dressing:

1 C fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)

1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T water

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp. honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Bring OJ to boil in small saucepan - medium heat. Simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup. (about 12 minutes) Refrigerate until cool. Whisk in cilantro, lime juice, water, oil, honey, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Set aside.

Salad:

1 C wheat berries (I used white whole wheat berries)

Salt

1 Can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/2 jarred roasted red peppers (in water) drained and patted dry, and chopped

2 oz feta cheese crumbled

Pepper

8 oz baby arugula (I didn't have this and just used baby spinach)

I had a few extra ing. on hand and wanted to use them, so I added Cranberry's and Avocado

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add wheat berries with 1/2 tsp salt. Partially cover and cook stirring often, until tender but still chewy (about 1 hour). Drain and rinse. Mix chickpeas, red peppers, feta, cranberries, avacado, and wheat berries, and half the dressing in a bowl. Season with Salt and Pepper. In remaining bowl toss arugula with remaining dressing. Place 1 C of berry mixture on top of a each plate of lettuce and enjoy!

Me score: 5 stars

Hubby's score: 3 stars (bummer, should have used arugula)

I kept the lettuce out and just gave the berry mixture to the three year old:

He ate the whole thing!

recipe from: Light and Healthy magazine 2010

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