Nutty Super Salad

Nutty Super Salad

Even the pup is crazy about this salad.

I'm a big fan of meals that can be made with a general combination of items versus following a strict recipe. This salad is a great concept that becomes a quickly lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

Costco's 7 Superfood salad mix
An array of nuts and seeds (I like to add chia seeds, walnuts, and extra pepitas)

OR

Kale, chopped
Pre-cut cole slaw mix
Radicchio, chopped
A few Brussels Sprouts, sliced thin
Dried cherries or cranberries (preferably with no added sugar)
Poppyseed dressing (I tend to choose Annie's Organic Lite Poppyseed Dressing.)
An array of nuts and seeds (I like to us chia seed, walnuts and pepitas)

Directions

Mix everything together. Eat.

Notes
-You dont need much dressing with this salad. If you're trying to cut back on added sugars, maybe try cutting the store-bought dressing with some extra virgin olive oil. It'll go further and you'll get some extra heart healthy fats.
-This is great with white beans or leftover grilled chicken for a little more protein.
-Don't feel like cutting the kale and radicchio? Check out the Earthbound Organic salad blends and use that.
-Other add-in ideas - fresh fruit, edamame, alfalfa sprouts

Beet and Farro Salad

Beet and Farro Salad 

Makes 8 side salads or 4 dinner salads

Ingredients

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

1/3 c balsamic dressing

2 T grainy mustard

1 pound baby beets, cooked (or canned)

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

½ c farro

½ c Gorgonzola cheese

1 c pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 apple, diced 

Directions

1)    Preheat oven to 400 F.

2)    Make vinaigrette: Mix oil, vinegar and mustard with a whisk or shake in a capped mason jar.

3)    Cut COOKED beets into 1” chunks and spread onto a cookie sheet. Place in oven for 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a bowl. Add dressing and cooked farro to bowl and let sit at least 10 minutes.   

4)    Place lettuce, pecans, cheese and apple in a salad bowl. Once done soaking, pour the beets, farro and dressing onto salad. Toss lightly to combine. Serve! 

Notes

-What's farro, you say? It's a whole grain, a form of wheat. Most grocery stores now carry it, and some specialty stores have it in bulk. Be sure to follow the package's directions when you cook it! Some farro is "pearled" and it can be cooked in 15 minutes. Other brands are not pearled and that takes about 50 minutes of boiling. Easy, yes, but you need to plan for that cook time. 

-This salad might take awhile if you start from scratch right when you want to eat it. But if you plan ahead it's a great use for leftovers! You can pre-toast the nuts, use precooked beets and stash frozen cooked grains in your freezer. Done right, this is a quick meal! 

-I used Trader Joe’sprecooked baby beets.  So convenient! But you can roast your own beets, just roast peeled, cut raw beets about 40 minutes in the oven at 400 with a little olive oil. 

  

-Not into romaine? Try spinach, arugula, and/or watercress for a different take on this salad.

-Make this salad gluten free by subbing wild rice for farro. 

Zucchini Noodles with Almond Marinara

Zucchini Noodles with Almond Marinara

Adapted from Whole 30, original recipe here

Ingredients

5 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

1 sweet onion, chopped

¾ c almonds, chopped

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 15-ounce can no salt added diced tomatoes, “lightly” drained (see note)

2 T red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

2-3 medium zucchini, cut into “noodles”

Optional: Shrimp (uncooked), Chickpeas or Grilled Chicken. A good portion is 4 oz per person, or ½ c beans. 

Directions

*Pre-measure/cut all ingredients as this is a fast cooking dish at times.

1.     Heat 2T oil in large skillet. Sauté almonds for 2-3 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.     Add garlic, cook for 1 minute.

3.     Add paprika and chili powder, cook 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan.

4.     Add tomatoes; cook until heated, about 1 minute. Turn off heat. Add another 2T oil, 2T vinegar, salt and pepper.

5.     Let cool a bit, then blend or process almond marinara into a chunky sauce. Be sure to vent your machine to allow heat to escape, or use an immersion blender right in your pan.

6.     In another pan, heat 1T oil and sauté shrimp, chickpeas, or COOKED chicken, if using. Once done, add zucchini noodles and cook 2-3 minutes, or until they are tender. If not using protein, simply sauté zucchini 2-3 minutes. 

7.     Serve! I like to put the sauce on the bottom, pile on the zucchini then top with protein. If you're not using a separate protein you could use a few chopped almonds on top for a little something extra.

Notes

-THIS IS SO KEY!! You can make the sauce up to 3 days ahead! When you do this, it's such a quick weeknight meal. Also, the sauce makes enough for 6-8 servings, and you can freeze it. Use leftover sauce in many ways – top a sweet potato, eat on its own as a “soup” or enjoy it over sautéed vegetables, rice and kidney beans.

-You can cut the zucchini noodles by hand, or use a mandoline slicer, or spiralizer. - Don’t want to mess with the “noodles”? You can make this same dish with sliced zucchini. You just may have to cook them a tad longer.

-You don’t have to squeeze every ounce of juice out of the diced tomatoes. Just pour the liquid off the top, using your hand as a strainer, and give the can a little shake.

-Make multi-colored noodles and use ½ zucchini, ½ summer squash. Pretty! 

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Warm Breakfast Quinoa

Warm Breakfast Quinoa (“KEEN wa”)

Adapted from 101Cookbooks.com

Ingredients

1 c water

1 c milk of choice (dairy, almond, soy)

1 c quinoa

Toppings: cinnamon, real maple syrup, agave, berries, nuts, seeds, dry fruit, granola, etc.

Directions

Add water, milk and quinoa to a large saucepan, preferably a wide shallow pan with sides but a pot will do. Bring to boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. All the liquid will absorb so keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Once liquid is absorbed remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. To serve, top with fruit, nuts and seeds, and a little sweetener of your choice.

I usually have this warmed, but it’s good cold. This dish makes great leftovers, so cook it up on a Sunday for quick, healthy breakfasts all week! My favorite topping combo is cinnamon, blueberries, chia seed, pumpkin seeds, pecans and a drizzle of real maple syrup.

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Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Adapted from Food Network Kitchen

Ingredients

Dressing:

¾ c extra virgin olive oil

1 T honey

2 T red wine vinegar

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp whole grain mustard

Salad:

½ pound Brussels sprouts

¼ cup dried fruit (like cherries, currants, blueberries or cranberries)

1 crisp apple, diced

¼ c sliced almonds

Directions

1.     Mix dressing ingredients in a large bowl with a fork or whisk.

2.     Wash and shave the Brussels sprouts using the shredding plate on a food processor or sliced very thin using a chef’s knife. Add to dressing and toss to coat.

3.     Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix.

4.     Serve salad right away or store in fridge. Keeps for 1-2 days. The sprouts got a tad soggy on day 2.

Roasted Southwest Salad

Roasted Southwest Salad

Ingredients

1 yellow onion

2 red bell peppers

2 c frozen corn

1 15-ounce can salt-free black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Chop onion and peppers into approximately 1/2-inch pieces. Pile half the onions and peppers onto one rimmed baking sheet, the other half on another sheet. Pour 1 c corn onto each baking sheet. Drizzle each sheet with some of the olive oil (reserving about half the oil) and toss well.

Roast vegetables for about 30 minutes, tossing 3-4 times. Leave in longer if you want the vegetables to get more charred.

Remove from oven and let cool a bit. Using a rubber spatula, scrape vegetables and any charred bits and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add black beans, remaining olive oil and spices. Stir well.

Notes

Serve with fish tacos, taco salad, or on top of grilled shrimp or salmon. Keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days.

For an extra dose of protein, add cooked quinoa to this salad.