Tag Archives: salads

Healthy, Informative, Main Dishes, Salads, Vegetarian

Kale & Wasabi Pea Caesar Salad

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Are you getting in the spring of things? Have you begun a whirlwind of cleaning out rooms, old clutter, elbow greasing the bathroom, and sorting through wardrobes? Do you day dream about tender green baby lettuce, the first sweet juicy strawberry, or delicate spring peas that pop in your mouth? I know I am!

Spring is a time of freshness, rebirth, and growth. The world re-awakens after a long, cold, terrible winter.

Though it is hard to believe now, with the still-cold, hard earth brown and bare, soon rain will drench everything, sun will warm it again, and greenery will burst forth! Birds have begun singing, small furry animals are emerging from hibernation, and gardeners all over are just itching to get outside and play in some dirt!

Now might be a good time to assess your food preservation options. If you don’t have canning jars or could use some more, I recommend at least a case of pint jars (wide-mouth can fit more in easily, you can can or even freeze them), as well as a case of quart jars, and if you make lots of different flavored jams, jellies, or salsas, maybe a few tiny 4 oz jars too. These also make great gifts!

Don’t forget the lids, regular mouth lids and  wide-mouth lids. These cannot be reused (they lose their seal) but the rings you can reuse.

Even if you don’t have a garden yourself, canning is an excellent skill to begin learning. You can get steals and deals at the end of the day in farmer’s markets, pick-your-own bushels of fruits at an orchard, or on-sale in-season produce at the grocery store.

Canning is a great, non-electricity-using way to store these seasonal delicacies for the future dreary winter, that we don’t even want to think about yet. Read my earlier foray into canning beans for more information, directions, and especially important safety information to consider if this is your first time (or hundredth).

In honor of this season of green, here is a lovely salad recipe using fresh greens, wasabi peas, sunflower seeds, and other fresh veggies. Feel free to make it your own based on your tastes and what is currently in season near you.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups assorted greens (romaine, kale, spinach used here. also try arugula, watercress, chard, or endive)
  • 1/2 cucumber, washed and sliced
  • 1/3 cup wasabi green peas (use fresh peas if you have them or don’t like wasabi spice/flavor)
  • 1/2 cup homemade croutons
  • 2-3 tbsp Caesar dressing (or Ranch)
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • Optional: grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese

Step 1: To make croutons, cut 2 slices of old bread into cubes. Toss in 2-3 tbsp olive oil, and sprinkle on seasonings (I recommend Italian). Toast on a flat cookie sheet in an oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Or use store-bought, or omit entirely. Up to you.

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Step 2: Shred or slice the romaine, spinach, and kale, and pile on a plate. Top with cucumber slices, sprinkle on the seeds, peas, and croutons, and add dressing. Toss lightly to coat.

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I had this for lunch with an apple, a piece of homemade corn bread (with canned corn in it) and a big glass of water. Just a perfect amount of crunch and spring flavors to perk you right up. Now if only there was no more frost danger so I can set out my seedlings…

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Informative, Main Dishes

Baker’s Dozen: Quick Lunch Ideas

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Happy Easter my dear readers! Hopefully you are reading this after the fact, because when this is published I wish you all the love of family and friends, good food, and chocolate bunnies. Wherever and whenever you are, thanks for reading! (By the way, you may enjoy last year’s Easter article, or this handy guide of ideas for leftover ham).

Somewhere between 11 and 1 each day, your stomach or your watch will bring up that daily question: What’s for lunch? While leftovers make a fantastic lunch option, you can only tolerate ham sandwiches or the same old pasta so many times in one week.

If you’re tired of the same sandwich every day, if you’re going broke eating out 5 days a week, or if you just want to try something new, look no further! Here are 13 great ideas for lunch today, tomorrow, next week, or forever. Mix it up based on your own tastes, and what you have available.

 

Simple Sandwiches
The classic lunchtime standby, a cold sandwich is the pinnacle of convenience. You don’t need to heat, mix, or do anything besides open the container and enjoy. Of course, if you are at home or have access to a grill/panini press, more power to you! Here are some fun ideas besides the tired PB&J.

Mediterranean Panini – This combination of fresh, Mediterranean inspired vegetables and warm melty goodness only needs one letter to describe it: Mmmmmmmm…

Vurgers (Veggie burgers!) – These little gems can be made 8-12 at a time and frozen for lunch in a flash. Eat them alone, on bread, or wrapped up, with your choice of toppings. I’d recommend cheese, salsa, and/or coleslaw.

Double Turkey BLT – With sliced turkey and turkey bacon, plus fresh crisp veggies, this protein-packed beauty should tide you over until the dinner bell rings.

That’s a Wrap
Wraps are even more simple than sandwiches because you can close the tortilla on both sides so nothing oozes out. And you can put just about anything you can think of into a wrap, don’t limit yourself to just lunch meat. Breakfast burritos are great at noon too.

Vegetarian Wrap – customize this with whatever you have available: shredded carrots, juilenned cucumber or zucchini, sprouts, homemade red pepper hummus, greens, avocado or guacamole…

Caesar Chicken Wrap – wrap up 1 cup of shredded lettuce (try Romaine, kale, and/or spinach), 1/2 cup grilled chicken (hot or cold), shredded Parmesan cheese, a few croutons and a drizzle of Caesar or Ranch dressing for a quick, easy, portable lunch.

Ham & Veggie Burrito – use whatever fresh or frozen veggies you have on hand to create a unique lunchtime treat. Eat cold or hot.

Super Salads
Salads have a bad rap for being “rabbit food”, something only the super healthy or super weird consider a meal, and not at all filling. That is just a downright lie! You can eat a pile of greens the size of your head for fewer calories than a ‘snack-size’ bag of chips, and if you add the right kinds of toppings you can stay fueled all day. Besides, there are other kinds of salads than the leafy green kind.

Kale & Barley Salad – a vegetarian delight, this hearty mix tastes amazing and will keep your tummy from growling for hours.

Creamy Tuna Potato Salad – with lean protein from the tuna, filling starch from the potatoes, and lots of fresh veggies, this meal has it all.

Steak & Orange Salad – thin slices of strip or flank steak pair perfectly with mandarin oranges and a balsamic vinaigrette. Feel free to use pear or apple slices instead and any dressing you like.

Asian Chicken Salad – use that old package of Ramen noodles in a healthier, more creative, and much tastier way than salty chicken water.

Soup’s On
Soups are a classic budget favorite because they are infinitely versatile and super cheap per serving. But if you get creative, there are plenty of filling, portable options, even some that can be eaten cold. Invest in a nice thermos, or take advantage of the microwave if you have one available.

Ham & Barley Soup – with layers of flavor from the ham bones, healthy kale and carrots, and whole grain barley, this soup should keep you going until quitting time. Add a garden salad, some thick hearty bread or crackers to complete the meal.

Baked Potato Soup – Potatoes are fabulous, they are so cheap and are very filling. Try this twist on classic baked potato soup for far fewer calories and your wallet and waist will thank you.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Best served in a bread bowl, but also great enjoyed with fresh crusty bread.

 

*Those recipes in italics are vegetarian/vegan friendly! Feel free to add meat if that is your thing.

Healthy, Main Dishes, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian

Power Greens & Beans Salad

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If you’re looking to fill up, super-charge your cells, up your fiber intake, and feel AWESOME for around 300 calories a plate, look no further!

This phenomenal salad uses a strong base of mixed greens (romaine & spinach) combined with the vegan four-bean salad from a previous post, and topped with fresh green onion to create a super heart-healthy, cholesterol-reducing, vitality-restoring super salad!

(Claims not investigated by the FDA. I made all this up so far.)

But seriously folks, this is delicious, and there is so much gorgeous color and fiber here, it might be a challenge to finish the whole plate! And with the vinaigrette from the four bean salad, you don’t even need dressing, which is where a lot of salad calories tend to come from.

So you can feel really super awesome about eating this.

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 romaine leaves, chopped or torn
  • 1 cup fresh spinach
  • 1 cup vegan four bean salad
  • 2 green onions, chopped

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Step 1: Create a giant bed of greens on your plate. The more the merrier!

“Oh no, not more green leafy vegetables!” — Said no one’s internal organs ever.

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Step 2: Smother the greens in the bean salad. Chop the green onions on top and that’s all there is to it. Enjoy your phenomenally healthy and tasty lunch/dinner/whatever.

Optional substitutions: Use any kind of leafy green here, kale would also work, even iceberg if you must. If you don’t like green onion, use any other fresh herbs. You can also add other toppings like raw nuts or seeds, croutons, olives, sliced peppers, etc.

 

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Salads, Vegetarian

Strawberry, avocado & feta salad

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I am always trying to get more veggies into my diet, and salads are a great way to do so. But no one likes a bowlful of lettuce leaves with just a splash of dressing for flavor. I like to add extras to make my salads more interesting. Since I had just bought a fresh head of lettuce, I used the fruits/veggies I had on hand, and it turned out great!

The lettuce was $1 and I will probably get at least 5 salads from it. The avocado was also $1, as were the strawberries. The feta was left from a while ago (and you can omit the cheese or use whatever kind you like/have) as was the dressing. So for 5 salads worth, the cost per serving is only $0.60! Plus it’s good for you, and a great side to just about anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:
1 cup torn lettuce leaves
3 large strawberries, quartered
1/4 Haas avocado, diced
1 tbsp feta cheese
1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

Simply toss and enjoy!

Main Dishes, Vegetarian

The versatility of stir-fry

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Especially during the summer, when fresh produce is cheap and plentiful, a veggie stir fry is always an awesome option. Cheap, easy, very filling and excellent for you. It is also very versatile, as my many meals from the stir-fry will show!
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Ingredients:
1/2 red, orange, and yellow bell pepper, julienned
1/2 zucchini, diced
1 large radish, diced
2 turnips, diced
1 med carrot, diced
1 can black beans
1/2 red onion, diced
1 cup cous cous
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Extras:
Torn romaine lettuce, tomato chunks, sour cream, salsa, diced avocado

Step 1: Saute all the veggies in order of hardness, until all are tender. Add the black beans and heat until warmed through. Season if you want with garlic and other spices.

Meal 1: Add the stir fry and all extras into a flour or corn tortilla, eat as a burrito.

Meal 2: Put the hot stir-fry over some freshly cooked cous cous. You can top with hummus, salsa or a dressing if too dry.

Meal 3: Cover a large plate with torn romaine, add cooked cous cous, and veggies and extras on top, eat as a salad.

These meals were all eaten on different days, because the stir fry makes a ton and keeps well in the fridge. This is easy, cheap and very versatile. Add whatever veggies you like and have on hand. These 3 meal types will work well with any kind of stir fry, so go crazy!

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Healthy, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spinach fruit & nut salad

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Well as you may remember, I am eating healthier this year. Working out has been kind of off and on due to sickness, school visits, and I admit, laziness. I have been pretty good about eating better overall though. So today I decided to make a super healthy salad.
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Spinach is one of the best greens out there, with tons of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Then I added some fruit for natural sweetness, and nuts & seeds for healthy fats. The only thing that could make this better is some grilled chicken breast to top it off!
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Ingredients:

2 cups fresh, washed spinach
1/2 kiwi
4-6 strawberries
1 roma tomato
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tbsp. sunflower seeds
Balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Step 1: Cut the peel off the kiwi and cut into slices. Slice the strawberries as well.

Step 2: Put a big pile of spinach leaves on a plate, cover with diced fruits & nuts. Add dressing, enjoy!
Here’s to eating healthy and enjoying it for life!