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.

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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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. 

Sweet Potato Crisps

Sweet Potato Crisps

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato (or 2 small) 

3 T extra virgin olive oil

Ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Peel the sweet potato and cut about ½ inch off each end.
3. Slice potato into ½ inch wide sections, about 4-6 "slabs" depending on the size of your potato.
4. Slice each section into very thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer. You will have a little chunk leftover from where you hold the potato. (See note)
5. Spread ribbons of potato onto two cookie sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and toss well. Spread ribbons into a single layer. 
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes total, tossing with a spatula after 15 minutes then every 3-5 minutes thereafter. Be sure to spread the potato out again after each tossing. Once you get close to the 20 minute mark, they will start to crisp quickly and you’ll want to watch them closely and toss often. Really, it's worth the 10 minutes of effort!
7. Dig in. Try dipping in a little sriracha spiced hummus, or for a treat try this delicious dip: 1/3 c veganaise, 5 dashes sriracha, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp paprika. Stir.

Notes

-This is veganaise. 

-Throw your extra sweet potato in the microwave or steam it on the stovetop. Mash it into your oatmeal the next morning for a little fiber boost.

-Spice up your crisps by sprinkling with garlic powder, cumin and cayenne pepper before baking!

-Try this same recipe with carrots, parsnip, or beets. Cooking times may vary. 

Spinach Loaded Falafel

Spinach Loaded Falafel

Adapted from Spilling the Beans, by Van Rosendaal and Duncan

Ingredients

1   15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ yellow onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1 tsp cumin

dash dried red chili flakes

¼ c flour (or cooked quinoa to make gluten free)

1 tsp baking powder

olive oil

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic, spinach, cumin and chili flakes in a food processor or blender. Pulse until chunky.
2. Add flour/quinoa and baking powder and pulse until just combined. The mixture should be soft, but not sticky. Add a tad more flour if needed.
3. Using your hands, form the mixture into balls, then slightly flatten. I usually make about 12 with this recipe. Place falafel on a plate lined with wax paper. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
4. When ready to cook, lightly coat a large skillet with oil. Cook falafel for 3-4 minutes per side, turning when nicely browned.
5. Serve! We like ours with halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, hummus and tzatziki. Sometimes we stuff all those ingredients into a pita or lettuce wrap, sometimes we make a “bowl” and just dig in with a fork.

Notes

-You can make this without spinach.

-You can double the batch and freeze the uncooked falafel for an easy meal on a future busy day.

-My friend Dawn turned me on to this great Tzatziki recipe! Its delicious, easy and lasts a few days in the fridge.