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

Dried Fruit & Nut Bars

Dried Fruit & Nut Bars

Ingredients

1/3 c cashews

2/3 c pitted dates

¼ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Chop all ingredients in a food processor or blender until well combined into a paste. You could use a knife and chop everything by hand if you didn’t have either tool. You’ll just need to chop a LOT.
2. Once well mixed, place mixture onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Use a spatula to guide it into a line, then roll the mixture tightly, pressing down slightly to compact into a large bar. Careful it doesn’t come out the ends of the wax paper though!
3. Chill in refrigerator for about 30 minutes, and then cut into 5 bars or 10-12 bite-size squares. Store in refrigerator, in an airtight container with the wax paper folded between layers of bars. Enjoy within the week or freeze for later.

Notes

• IMPORTANT – measuring for this recipe is a little tough to standardize! To test the consistency, press a bit of the processed mixture between your fingers. It should be moist but not sticky, and definitely not crumbly. The good thing is you can just adjust it! If too sticky, add more nuts. If too crumbly, add more dried fruit. You’ll get the hang of it!
• Try different flavor, or fruit and nut combinations! Leave out the cocoa powder, or try a bar with almonds and dried cherries. You could even experiment with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or mint for different flavors.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 c quinoa

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bell pepper, diced

handful of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

cilantro, about 1 c chopped

1/2 c olive oil

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

¼ tps garlic powder
2 T red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Cook quinoa in plenty of boiling water (at least 3 c) for about 12 minute. You know its done when little rings float to the surface and the center of the quinoa grain is transparent. Drain in a mesh colander, like this one. 
2. Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add quinoa and toss well.
4. Serve room temperature or refrigerate and enjoy cold. Use within 3 days.

Notes

-Feel free to add other ingredients! Try onion, corn, grilled shrimp or chicken, jicama, diced avocado and jalapeño.

-Kick up the spice with a few dashes of sriracha or hot sauce. 

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Cooking asparagus for dinner? 

Double your batch and make this quick soup the next day. 

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 pound asparagus, cooked soft

3-4 c low-sodium vegetable broth

½ tsp ground pepper

½ cup milk of choice (dairy, heavy cream, unsweetened almond, soy milk, etc.) 

1 tsp lemon juice

Directions

1. If your asparagus is still whole, cut into 1-2” pieces.

2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until starting to brown, 8-10 minutes. Add asparagus, 3 cups broth, and pepper. Reduce heat to simmer.

3. Once soup has simmered 5 minutes, remove from heat. Use immersion blender to puree in pot, or blend in batches in a blender or food processor (be sure to vent to let steam escape). Add more broth if you'd like the soup to be thinner. 

4. Return soup to pot and heat until just steaming. Turn off heat and stir in milk, then lemon juice. Enjoy hot or warm/room temperature.

Does this soup look familiar? I hope so! It's nearly the same as the Sweet Potato Soup. Really...you can make almost any vegetable soup using this recipe. Try it with broccoli, squash or even carrots. 

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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