beet salad with oranges and feta

Delicious, delicious, delicious.  I am having a love affair with beets.  They are easy to prepare at home with a pressure cooker, but I have also found a great source at the local supermarket.  They have precooked beets, vacuum-packed, in the produce section.  They stopped carrying them for a while, so I had a little talk with the produce manager.  I won’t admit to batting my eyes, but they do carry them again

Beet Salad with Oranges and Feta

• 2 Beets, cooked, cut in half and quartered
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 orange
• 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion or shallot
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 6 cups arugula
• 1/8 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 ounces Feta, crumbled

Cut ends off oranges, then cut away peel and outer membrane, following the curve of the fruit with a knife.  Working over a bowl to catch juices, cut oranges between inner membranes and fruit to release segments into a bowl.  When segments are removed, squeeze remaining juice from membranes into bowl.  Throw away membranes.

Zest limes finely and set aside.  Juice limes and add juice to zest in a small bowl.  Add onion, vinegar, and juice from oranges.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil as you whisk.  Add beets, toss to coat, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover bowl and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (up to 3 hours).

Arrange arugula on four plates.  Sprinkle each plate with 1/4 cilantro.  Spoon beets and dressing equally over arugula (I actually had some dressing left over) and scatter with orange segments and feta.  Serves 4.

Recipe adapted slightly from Sunset Magazine, May 2011.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 3 PointsPlus.  If a larger salad is desired, this recipe can be divided into 2 for 7 PointsPlus each.

 

mrs. j’s sesame noodles

I was paging through my recipe binder and came across this great noodle dish.  My friend Mrs. J made this for an end-of-the-season track potluck and I hounded her until she gave me the recipe.  The kids love it and it can be easily customized with the addition of veggies.  Try steamed broccoli, sliced red cabbage, or sliced radish.

Mrs. J’s Sesame Noodles

• 1 box Barilla Plus thin spaghetti, cooked al dente
• 1/4 cup dark sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. chili oil
• 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 4 green onions, chopped

Combine sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and chili oil in a small bowl.  Pour over warm, drained noodles.  Stir in toasted sesame seeds and green onions.  Serve room temperature or cold.  Makes 10 servings.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 7 PointsPlus.

 

broccoli salad with tahini and cashews

The kids are back in school today after Spring Break.  We had a “stay-cation”, since the “Italy-cation” is fast approaching.  We took a day trip to Pike Place Market, watched some movies and made homemade gnocchi (recipe coming soon).

So now that I have the house back to myself, I’ve spent the past three hours on my hands and knees scrubbing my hardwood floors.  They desperately need to be refinished, but all resources are going to our European vacation.  So I scrubbed away, humming “cinderelli, cinderelli, night and day it’s cinderelli…..”  If only I had some small creatures to help me.  Oh wait a minute, I do.  But they just went back to school

Marc has also been giving me updates from his dad’s progress in the Boston Marathon.  The temperature is in the 80′s and the officials have requested runner’s not to race today due to the heat, so his dad is just going to take it easy (as if running a marathon could ever be easy!).  After many years of trying to qualify for Boston, he’s not going to let this one go.

Even though I will never run a marathon, this salad makes me feel healthy enough to attempt it (if the feeling of health was the only thing standing in my way).

Broccoli Salad with Tahini and Cashews

• 1 lb. broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup tahini (ground sesame paste)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup cashews
• thinly sliced purple onion, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• freshly ground black pepper

Steam broccoli for 3 minutes, or until crisp tender.

In a small bowl, combine tahini, olive oil, salt, and garlic.  Pour over broccoli and stir to combine.  Add onion, cashews, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve room temperature or cold.  Makes 6 servings.

Recipe from For the Love of Food.

Using the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder, each 2/3 cup serving has 5 PointsPlus.

 

quinoa edamame salad

Our tickets have been purchased, so it’s finally feeling real….we are spending three weeks this summer in Italy!!  Marc and I are excited to return (we last went when Anna was 5 months old, back in 1996).  This time we will be traveling with my in-laws and our darling niece Isabel.  My father-in-law Guido grew up in Italy and moved to the U.S. when he was 26, so we have lots of family to visit.  We’ll be staying in Rome, Orvieto and Venice, making day trips to Pisa, Florence and the coast. 

The food in Italy is going to be fantastic….and I’m going to want to try it all!  So it’s time (again!) to batten down the hatches and get to goal (or even a few pounds lower ) to prepare for the trip.

I’m starting to make big batches of grain or legume based salads on Sundays for good lunch/snack options throughout the week.  This recipe was forwarded to me by my friend Kristina and its wonderful!  I felt healthier just looking at it.

Quinoa Edamame Salad

• 2 cups frozen, shelled edamame
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup cooked, cooled quinoa
• 3 green onions, sliced (just the green parts)
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• freshly ground pepper
• dash cayenne pepper

Boil frozen edamame and corn briefly to thaw.  Drain thoroughly.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, cooled edamame, corn, red pepper, green onions, cilantro.

In a small bowl combine oil, lemon and lime juice, chili powder, thyme, salt, pepper and cayenne.  Mix well to combine and pour over quinoa mixture.  Stir well.  Makes 4 cups.

Recipe slightly adapted from eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each 1 cup serving has 6 PointsPlus.

 

apple-cabbage slaw

This salad is great on its own, or it makes a great base for add-ins.  Try cubed chicken or turkey, dried cranberries and/or slivered almonds (add-in’s will increase point value for the salad).  I ate it for lunch three days in a row and it was fantastic.

Apple-Cabbage Slaw

• 1 small Granny Smith apple, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 head Napa cabbage, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 tsp. honey
• 3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• freshly ground pepper

In a serving bowl, toss apple slices with lemon juice.  Add cabbage, carrots, and green onions.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oils, ginger, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over slaw.  Toss and serve, or chill for up to an hour.

Recipe adapted from Shape, January 2012.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

6 servings= 2 PointsPlus

4 servings= 3 PointsPlus

 

massaged kale and currant salad

I had plans to serve a roasted pear salad for Thanksgiving, but then I got an email from cookusinteruptus.com that listed their top five leafy green side dishes.  This salad caught my eye.

This salad actually tastes better after a few days.  I made it 30 hours before Thanksgiving dinner and it was great when we ate it.  It was even better the next day!  I used two different varieties of kale: Tuscan and curly purple.

Massaged Kale and Currant Salad

• 2 bunches kale
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 cup currants
• 1 cup diced apple
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Remove stems from kale.  Wash and dry leaves.  Stack leaves and cut into thin ribbons.  Put kale in a large mixing bowl.  Add salt and massage it into the kale with your hands for 2 minutes.

Stir onion, currants, apple, and sunflower seeds into kale.  Mix oil and vinegar together and toss with salad.  Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary.  Toss in cheese.

Recipe adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, this recipe has 32 PointsPlus.  If you divided the salad up into 6 servings, each would have 5 PointsPlus.ft

 

three sisters salad

I have procrastinated in getting my ceu’s (continuing education units) this year.   So I was in Seattle twice last week, taking 3 hours of pilates classes.  A required stop is PCC Natural Market deli. They have a wonderful salad called “Three Sisters Salad”.  I’m not sure who these sisters are, but I love their salad!  And I love how I was able to decrease the original recipes amount of olive oil…1/2 cup to 3 Tbsp.

Three Sisters Salad

• 1 1/2 lbs. cubed butternut squash
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. dried savory
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 lb. frozen corn, thawed
• 1 (8 oz.) bag of shredded red cabbage
• 2 cans (15 oz. each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Using a Misto filled with olive oil, or with non-stick spray, lightly coat a baking sheet.  Place squash on sheet and mist again with olive oil.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender.  Let cool.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, savory, and garlic.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine corn, cabbage, kidney beans, and basil.  Add dressing and toss well.  Add squash and gently toss.  Best if refrigerated for an hour before serving (it’s actually better the next day).  Makes 8 cups.

Recipe adapted from PCC Natural Markets.

Using Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each 1 cup serving has 5 PointsPlus.

1 1/3 cup serving size= 7 PointsPlus

 

creamy cilantro tomatillo dressing

Homemade salad dressing is really the way to go.  Super fresh tasting.  Plus, you control the ingredients so there are no artificial stabilizers or unpronounceable chemicals (unless, of course, you have them on hand in your pantry).

This dressing comes from Gina’s Skinny Recipes and it’s great on a green salad or a taco salad.  I’ve made it before as written, but this time I realized I was out of light mayonnaise, so I just increased the Greek yogurt to 1/2 cup.  Just as tasty!

Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dressing

• 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/4 jalapeno, seeded
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 tomatillo, husks removed, quartered
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 green onion
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
• 1/8 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Recipe from Gina’s Skinny Recipes.  1/4 cup dressing is 1 WWpts+.

 

brown rice, chicken and bok choy salad

My mom saw this recipe in the latest Martha Stewart Living Magazine and thought it was “right up my alley” with the whole grains and greens.

I haven’t made many rice salads due to my assumption that the rice wouldn’t be very flavorful.  This recipe’s method of stirring the rice vinegar into the warm rice so it absorbs the flavor really works!  Forkful after forkful was delicious, even when the bite was only rice.

I had some leftover Costco roasted chicken strips that I wanted to use up, so I diced 9 ounces and skipped the step of cooking the chicken in the water/soy mixture.  I heated the water/soy mixture in a pot, low-boiled it for a minute, then tossed in the cooked chicken so it would absorb the flavor.  Worked great!

Brown Rice, Chicken and Bok Choy Salad

 

mustard chicken with black-eyed pea salad

When my son asked what was in the salad, and I told him “black-eyed peas”, his reply was “you mean, like the band?’  If that’s what gets him to try it, who am I to complain?  He did eat a good sized portion too.

You can prepare this meal in the time it takes to preheat your broiler!

Mustard Chicken with Black-Eyed Pea Salad