Insalata Caprese Authentico!

.This is the real deal in regard to Italian Caprese Salad. There are numerous varieties for presentation of this appetizer/salad, including the salad that I have provided (in my sidebar). But the true, most authentic way to prepare "Insalata Caprese" is extremely simple and delightful, especially in these summer months when tomatoes and basil are at their freshest!
.
As the name implies, this salad originated on the isle of Capri, off the west coast of Italy. The colors of red, white, and green are the colors of Italy's flag as well, which makes it a little bit more "Italian". Most of all, Insalata Caprese, encompasses the pure, delicious simplicity of Italian cuisine at its utmost!

Pin It

Panzanella ~ ~ Italian Tomato, Bread and Basil Salad!

.

Bread is perfect for mopping up sauces and broth!  That's the basic idea of this wonderful, traditional Italian, fresh tomato and bread salad known as "Panzanella":  crusty, hefty, day-old bread chunks tossed into tomatoes, onions, and fresh basil with a vinaigrette dressing.  This simple and delicious salad is a creation from the central region of Italy.  Panzanella is also another great way to use those juicy tomatoes that are in the peak of the season.  You won't even have to use the oven or stove; it's a cold, lovely, and light salad full of rich flavor!  

Chopped tomatoes, red onion, and basil in vinaigrette, all juicing up nicely!  The bread soaks up up all of that wonderful juice.

 Several days-old ciabatta or sour dough bread cut into 1" cubes.  These were rock hard!

Toss everything together . . . the orange-colored bread is from the red tomato juice/vinaigrette being soaked up.

Panzanella

4 cups fresh, ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes

1 cup red onion, chopped into 1/2" pieces

20 fresh basil leaves, sliced into slivers or shredded

6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

8 cups of day old/several days-old ciabbata or sourdourgh bread, cut into 1" cubes

Sprigs of fresh basil for garnish.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onions, basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper until well mixed.

Just before serving, toss in the bread cubes.

If you prefer, you can allow the salad to set for 10 minutes before serving so that the bread soaks up the vinaigrette more.

Kick it up a notch by doing any of the following:

Add some chopped up cucumbers.
Add cubes of fresh mozzarella.

Or add chopped prosciutto.

OR, add a combination or all of the above!

Our golden retriever, "Buckeye", just LOVES tomatoes and bread.  

With the basil and vinaigrette, he was smacking his lips in appreciation!

Italian Panzanella

Pin It

Garden Fresh Heirloom Tomato, Pepper, and Cucumber Salad

.

Eat your vegetables!  
Eat a more colorful array of foods!
Eat more local, more fresh, and more in season!

Not a problem with this summer salad!
.
Growing up, my mother always made very simple, delicious salads using tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onions.  There's no secret, magic recipe to this.  Just cut up what you've got in your garden or that's available in the fresh markets or at your local farmers' market, mix them up with a bit of red wine or balsamic vinegar, some olive oil, garlic and basil . . . and there you have it!

It's the garlic and the fresh basil that takes the flavor of this vegetable salad over the top of deliciousness!

I have heirloom tomatoes falling off the vine in perfect ripeness right now, along with all of the other tomato varieties doing the same thing!  The peppers are in perfect harmony of readiness in picking too!  Looks like it's time for me to start freezing and canning sauces!

In the meantime, it's a scorching hot weekend . . . even our cats who love to bask in the heat of the sun are refusing to go outside.  This means it's time for some no-cook/no-bake items whenever possible.  This salad is perfect for that!

Garden Fresh Heirloom Tomato, Pepper, and Cucumber Salad

3 heirloom and/or regular tomatoes (in a variety of colors if possible), cored and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 large green pepper, cored, seeds cleaned out, and cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
10 large basil leaves, chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, generously used to taste.

Blend all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Add more of any ingredient that you prefer.
Salt and pepper to taste (I use a good bit of these).
Allow the salad to set for about 15 minutes for all of the juices to blend well together.

Now how easy is that?
Plus you get your veggies in all of their summer color and vine-ripe freshness!  
Cool stuff on a hot summer day! 
.
Happy 4th of July weekend!

Garden Fresh Heirloom Tomato, Pepper, and Cucumber Salad

Pin It

Roasted Garden Vegetables with Garlic and Rosemary!

.

I've always thought it would be so wonderful to live like people in Italy, India, and Thailand, where one visits the local fresh markets in the morning to see what is being offered by the various food vendors.  This traditional, cultural experience influences what one will prepare for that day's meal by what is available in the market.

The only thing fresher than a local or farmers' market is to take a stroll through your own garden and harvest what is ready to use that day  . . . and that's just what I did yesterday!  I just love going out to my vegetable gardens that are right next to my kitchen.  All I have to do is walk out the side door with a basket and a pair of clippers and I'm able to return with nature's freshness to cook with!  It's such a rewarding feeling!  And I always, ALWAYS think about about my grandparents and great-grandparents who were avid gardeners whenever I'm in the garden!

Currently, my bell peppers are growing very well, so I knew I needed to include red, green, and orange bell peppers in a side dish.  The herbs are going strong and so something from that garden bed could join in for added flavor.  I already had on hand some new baby red potatoes, a red onion, and garlic (purchased from the local farmers' market).

A cookbook or a recipe is not always referred to in my Italian family.  The cooks in my family, more often than not, cook and add ingredients as they go.  With that said, I poured some olive oil into a large mixing bowl . . . about 2 Tbsp.  Into the olive oil went two very huge minced cloves of garlic and I gave it a whirl.  Then I cut up the red potatoes into wedges and threw them into the olive oil - garlic mixture, stirring so that they were all evenly covered with oil and garlic.   Then I added the chopped peppers and onions.  Finally, I tossed in about 3 Tbsp. freshly snipped, and finely chopped rosemary.  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper were sprinkled liberally all over these ingredients.

After tossing well, I just placed everything in a medium-sized baking dish and baked them in the oven for about 40 minutes on 375 degrees.  To brown the potatoes, the oven was switched to "Broil" for about 5 - 10 more minutes, with a constant eye on things so that they wouldn't burn and to pull the baking dish out of the oven and toss everything around once to brown everything evenly.

A colorful mixture of the fresh veggies before baking in the oven.

.Golden brown and ready to enjoy!

.

Roasted Garden Vegetables with Garlic and Rosemary

2 Tbsp. olive oil 
2 very huge, minced cloves of garlic
10 - 15 red potatoes, cut into wedges
1 each of green, red, and orange bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, cut into small 1/2" pieces
1/2 an onion (I used red simply because that's what I had on hand), chopped
3 Tbsp. freshly snipped, and finely chopped rosemary
Generously amounts of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

.

Place oil and garlic in a large mixing bowl.
Toss in all of the ingredients and mix well for everything to be thoroughly covered with oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Put everything in a medium baking dish.
Bake on 375 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily be inserted.
Turn oven to "Broil", with a watchful eye, brown the veggies for about 5 - 10 minutes, stirring once, and then brown for another 5 - 10 minutes.  
Do not let these burn under the broiler.

.

Serve warm and enjoy your fresh bounty!


Roasted Garden Vegetables with Garlic and Rosemary

Pin It

Carolina Caviar or Black Bean Salsa for Al Fresco Evening in Tennessee Mountains!

.

With this unseasonably hot weather that we're having here on the East Coast (USA), we were so lucky that our daughter and her husband invited us to their Tennessee mountain lake home this past weekend!  While floating lazily in the cool waters of the lake, we were completely unaware of the 90+ temperatures scorching the region.  Lauren greeted us with cool Margarita's and a delicious, spicy black bean salsa that she called "Carolina Caviar".  I've had this appetizer a few other times, and always called a different name, with a few adjustments here and there.  No matter, it's a great hot weather, al fresco appetizer to nibble on before dinner.  

The view of the lake cove from the deck.  After the heavy spring rains that Tennessee has received, the lake was full and the trees were green and lush!  It was so peaceful, shady and cool!  Just what the stress doctor ordered for a hot weather weekend!

Warning:  This salsa/caviar is totally addicting!

Carolina Caviar or Black Bean Salsa
.
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 2 avocados, peeled, cored, sliced and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1 small package frozen corn, thawed or 1 can yellow & white corn
1 - 2 cans Rotel tomatoes and chiles (be careful, this might be too hot for you)
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
3 - 4 Tablespoons minced garlic
juice of 1/4 lime
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl; tasting and adjusting as you go!
Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Adjust seasoning to preference levels after the salsa sets overnight and the flavors blend/marry.
Serve with tortilla chips.

The cool mountain lake waters kept us from scorching in the 95 degree heat!

As the saying goes, "Jump in, the water's great!"

Carolina Caviar - Black Bean Salsa

Pin It

Spring Salad with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinaigrette

.

Spring is such a wonderful season for garden-fresh salads that are perfect for luncheons, brunches, and teas . . . and most importantly for daily enjoyment.  I need my greens, folks!  Fresh spring berries add such a wonderful flavor element to a savory salad, whether fresh or in a vinaigrette.  Strawberries, in particular, are one of my favorite ways to enhance a spring salad.
.
There is literally a plethora of recipes in which strawberries play a starring role in side salads of fresh greens.  After reading and researching many of those recipes as usual, I just developed my own version of both the ingredients of the salad itself, but most importantly, the vinaigrette.  This recipe knocked my socks off!  I was so blown away by how delicious this spring fresh salad is, that I will, without a doubt, make this over and over again!  Even my ranch dressing husband enjoyed it without a negative comment!  
.
A big WOWZA for this newly developed recipe in my repertoire!  Thank you sweet strawberries for your fresh inspiration!  And oh yes, thank you balsamico vinegar for the tremendous foundation for the vinaigrette!  Simply delicioso!

Spring Salad with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/8 cup sugar (you can also substitute a few Tbsp. of honey if you prefer)
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
pinch of paprika
1 tsp. fresh garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
3 Tbsp. minced red onion
10 oz. fresh mixed 'mesclun' or spring lettuce or baby spinach
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1 - 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup fresh bacon, fully cooked/browned and then chopped/crumbled

Optional:  For some protein, add chunks of cooked chicken or turkey . . . add the amount that you prefer, one or two cups depending on how many you are serving.

With an immersion blender, mix together the sugar, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, paprika, Worcestershire sauce; dry mustard, salt, pepper, and red onion.
Blend well until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, chopped eggs, almonds, crumbled cheese, and bacon.
Or individually plate each salad to garnish the way that you prefer.
Pour vinaigrette over salad, and toss.  Or pass vinaigrette around to guests for their own dressing preference level.

..
Spring Salad With Strawberries and Balsamic Vinaigrette

.

Pin It

Creamy Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill

.

As the weather begins to warm up, I like to serve cold salads in numerous ways.  One of my favorites is Cucumber Salad in a Creamy Dill Sauce.  This week I was flipping through a cookbook given to me from my God-Daughter for a Christmas gift . . . "Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics" by Ina Garten, and found her version of this chilled salad.  Ms. Garten, just like me, says that she loves cucumbers.

Her recipe is different than most traditional recipes in that she uses hothouse cucumbers and yogurt to create a "lighter and sweeter" flavor, rather than mayonnaise and/or buttermilk.  There is also no sugar in this, which you might want to add if you like.  One of the noticeable differences unique to her recipe that really makes a huge difference is that she drains the excess liquid from both the cucumbers and the yogurt.  This produces a more silky, creamy sauce that is far less runny!

I also used some fresh dill from my garden instead of the jarred variety.  Ina states that this cucumber salad is perfect to pair with grilled chicken and guess what we had for dinner?  Grilled chicken!  So I had to try her recipe!  This recipe makes quite a lot, so I recommend cutting it in half if you don't have many people to serve.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
very slightly adapted from Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics"

4 - 5 hothouse cucumbers, seeds removed and thinly sliced with peel left on
1 - 2 small red onions, thinly sliced and then cut into half rounds
1-1/2 Tbsp. Kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (reduced from 4 cups in the original recipe)
1 cup sour cream
(or 2 cups of sour cream with no yogurt)
2 Tbsp. champagne vinegar (or red wine vinegar is fine too)
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
1-1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I used 2 - 3 tsp.)
2 tsp. sea salt (my addition, since it's in desperate need of it)


In a LARGE bowl, mix the cucumbers, red onions, and 1-1/2 Tbsp. of salt.
Pour them into a large colander and suspend over another large bowl.
Wrap the bowl and colander with plastic wrap.
Place this in the refrigerator to DRAIN for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Discard the liquid that collects in the bowl.
Pour the yogurt into a sieve/fine mesh strainer that is lined with a paper towel and suspend over another medium sized bowl.
Wrap the bowl and sieve in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Discard the liquid that collects in this bowl too.
When the cucumbers are ready, roll them up in paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Press the paper towels/kitchen towel lightly to remove most of the liquid from the cucumbers.
Place the cucumbers and yogurt in a large bowl.
Add the sour cream, vinegar, dill, 2 tsp. sea salt and the pepper.
Toss well.
Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend (this is a very important step not to ignore!).
Sprinkle again with salt and freshly ground black pepper if you prefer.
Garnish with snips of fresh dill for color!
Serve chilled.

Pin It

Fresh Green Hericot Vert with Roasted Vegetables

.

For me, the color green is probably the most beautiful color on earth!  When I lived in Arizona, someone once said to me in reference to the colors of the Southwestern landscape, "you're either a green person or a brown person", which at that time I realized that I'm definitely a 'green' person.  In my natural surroundings, green just signifies life!  But to many people at this time of year, the color green represents St. Patrick's Day!  So in honor of this great saint, I prepared a lovely and mouthwatering side dish.

I wanted to use the small and delicate French green beans, known to many as Haricots Vert.  The peppers in the market right now are so shiny and bright that I had to add them to the green beans.  Roasting veggies is the way to go for us; by doing so their flavor is enhanced to perfection!  The beans are also lightly coated with a warm garlic-onion-herb mixture with just a touch of lemon zest.  This dish is so easy and healthy!  The vivid colors of the vegetables truly stole the show from the grilled salmon that I served them with.  We could have eaten the ENTIRE platter of these wonderful crunchy beans!

Just look at the color of these vegetables!!!  Just gorgeous!

The Italian parsley and chives came straight out of my garden today; and I picked up those huge leaves of basil from Trader Joe's.

A bit of a blurry photo, but both my husband and I were super anxious to dig in and so the blurriness shows my excitement!

Haricot Vert with Roasted Vegetables

1 pound thin green beans (Haricot Vert), trimmed
4 Tbsp butter
8 green onions, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped fine
2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped fine
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
olive oil
1 medium sized tomato, diced
1/4th of a red pepper, diced
1/4th of a yellow pepper, diced
Freshly grated sea salt and black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
In a large frying pan, melt the butter and then add the sliced green onions and garlic.  On medium-low heat, saute the onions and garlic.  Watch them carefully, so they do not turn brown, which by that time, the garlic is burned.  Take them off the heat as soon as a hint of golden comes to the garlic.  You will re-warm this just before adding the beans so that everything is warm.
Meanwhile, coat a baking sheet with olive oil.
Scatter the chopped peppers and tomatoes on the baking sheet and roll them around to coat them well.
Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the vegetables.
Place the baking pan with the veggies on a middle rack and roast for 10 minutes, stirring around occasionally to make sure that all sides of the vegetables are roasted.
When water on the stove is boiling, add the Haricot Vert green beans, and cook for 4 minutes (or steam the beans, if you prefer).
Immediately transfer the beans to the frying pan and coat completely with the warm garlic and onion mixture.
Add the herbs and lemon zest to the bean mixture.
Gently mix everything together so that the beans are coated with the herbs, zest, garlic and onion.
Transfer the beans and garlic-onion-herb mixture to a platter.
Scatter the roasted vegetables on top.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.

This is simply one of the most beautiful and delicious side dishes ever!!

Just look at the HUGE size of the basil in comparison to the yellow pepper next to it.  I've never seen such large basil leaves.  Just incredible!

I just can't get enough of this color ~ ~ now, this is eye candy to me!

Pin It

Red Citrus Fruit Salad with Fresh Sweet Clementines

.

.
With the warmer weather that has arrived here in a most unseasonal way, I have lighter foods on my mind.  I always eat less when it gets warm, and the last two days of 77 degrees has motivated me to eat lighter and lighter.  Yet, it is still winter!  And as we know, winter is citrus season.  Besides my love of blood oranges, I can't get enough of those tiny, oh-so-super-sweet Clementines.  These little darlings are best if you can find Spanish Clementines.  They are so much sweeter than those produced in California . . . absolutely no comparison!  NOTE:  I bought them from Whole Foods and they were in a little distinctive wooden crate.  My mother bought a little bag of them from Wal-Mart and they were completely tasteless!  So BUYER BEWARE!  But they are here in the States for only about another month at the very most, so grab them in the market if you can find them.

Clementine's are the tiniest of oranges, a cross between an orange and a mandarin, and they are usually seedless. They are not mandarins, nor are they tangerines . . . yet they have a most notable sweet taste, lending them to be extraordinary to eat straight out of your hand!  In fact, it's difficult to just eat one, even two or three without stopping!  Clementines arrived in the U.S. only recently in the 1980's, but as demand and popularity has increased, they have become more expensive as well.  Don't let them get old or you'll throw some good money down the drain!  Look for shiny, firm skins with no feeling of airiness between the skin and flesh.  The size of a small Spanish Clementine should fit inside the palm of your hand, unlike a regular orange which fits inside your whole palm and fingers.

With more fresh and light food in mind and with sweet Clementines now briefly available, I put this fruit salad together with bright red and orange citrus as the highlights.  I also added bananas and apples for balance, and finally, blueberries for color (all those healthy antioxidants you know, really enhance all of the Vitamin C).

This is such a simple fruit salad to put together.  At the last minute for Christmas Eve, I whipped this salad together (without Clementines because I couldn't find them at the time) for something lighter than the heavier holiday dishes that we always enjoy . . . and often have regrets later for overeating!  Everyone, seriously, everyone in the family was surprised, thrilled, and grateful to see something healthier, fresh, and non-cooked/baked on the table.  The fruit salad was devoured instantly.  My daughter even commented, "Let's make a fruit salad every year from now on."  Now that's a great endorsement for this salad's repeat performance!

Red Citrus Fruit Salad with Fresh Sweet Clementines

4 clementines (from Spain if possible), peeled, with pith and membranes removed
1 blood orange, peeled, with pith and membranes removed
1 ruby red grapefruit, peeled, with pith and membranes removed
1/4' fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into chunks
1 red apple (I used Braeburn), peel left on, sliced and cut into chunks
8 fresh strawberries, stems removed, cut into halves
1 banana, sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries

Add all of the fruits together and toss with 1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup of white sugar.
This will form a light coating of sweetness.
Adjust sugar level to your desired level of sweetness.
(I do use sugar replacement (Splenda) instead of sugar, so you might want to make two separate bowls of fruit for those guests/family who want the real sugar deal and one for those who are counting calories and carbs!)
If you are preparing this salad ahead of time, do not cut up the bananas and/or apples until just before serving to prevent them from discoloring.
Add bananas and apples at the very last minute.

One last note:  Adjust all of the fruit to your preference levels.  If you like more bananas, add them.  If you like more Clementines, than add those, etc.  Make it YOUR salad to enjoy!
. Pin It

Time for Thai (Chicken Salad)!

.

.
No one needs to suffer through terribly tasteless food while losing the excess poundage on one's bod-ay on their journey towards better health, huh?  Not me anyway.   Otherwise, the whole thing ends without results, because I just cannot, simply cannot eat garbage-tasting, bland food for even a second, let alone a prolonged period of time in order to lose excess fat on these old bones of mine.

Anytime I hear the word "Thai" I know, without a shadow of a culinary doubt, that there will be a circus of flavors going on in the recipe.  I also know, with solid conviction, that a Thai dish will be very healthy for me.  Just think about it for a moment:   there are just not that many overweight Thai people on this planet, and yet they are a people/a culture whose lives are centered around incredible food . . . just like Italians.  So here I go . . . off to Thailand for some beautiful food inspiration, a distant cry from Italian cuisine, but oh so delicious, healthy, and good for us!  I'm lovin' this Thai Chicken Salad (often called "Laab" or "Larb") and will pack whatever is left over for my lunch tomorrow at the office!  Your taste buds will surely sing "Wow" too!

The fresh lime, pungent ginger, sharp cilantro, spicy, garlic-y Thai seasoning are blended with the mild, buttery nuttiness of cashews and the sweetness of natural honey to balance those powerful playing ingredients!  Like all Thai recipes, it's all about a balance of contrasts and this recipe has it all.  Even my mother, who has never eaten a morsel of Thai food in her 83-years of life, enjoyed this flavorful salad.  I hope you try it!

PS:  Stay healthy and stay full of love!
.
.

.
Thai Chicken Salad (a somewhat lighter version of "Laab"/"Larb")

For the dressing:
(Double the following ingredients)

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp. freshly minced ginger
1 tsp. honey (preferably locally-produced)
1/4 tsp. Thai chili garlic sauce, increase to taste preference
1/8 tsp. salt (preferably sea salt)
1-1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:

1/3 pound extra-lean freshly ground chicken breasts
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup red onion slivers
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped mint leaves
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro leaves
4 Tbsp chopped cashews

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, ginger, honey, chili garlic sauce and salt.  Whisk, gradually adding the oil, until well blended.
Lightly coat a small non-stick frying pan with cooking spray.
Add chopped chicken to the pan, cook, breaking up into small chunks, for about 5 minutes, or until no longer pink.
Remove cooked chicken from the heat.  Stir in 1-1/2 Tbsp. of the dressing.
In a large serving bowl, combine the lettuce, carrots, onions, mint and cilantro.
Add the remaining dressing and toss until well blended.
Top with the cooked chicken, blend.
Plate the salads.
Sprinkle each salad with the chopped cashew nuts.

** NOTE:  I recommend making even more dressing than the doubled recipe above in order to pass around to your family and/or guests to use more if desired.

Enjoy!
(333 wonderfully, flavorful and LOW calories!)
.

.

The brilliant, vivid colors of this salad in the middle of this cold, dreary winter, just make me so happy!!

Pin It

Blood Orange Vinaigrette on Grilled Salmon, Grapefruit & Manchego Cheese Salad

.

.
Never give up . . . never, ever give up!  Those famous words of Winston Churchill!  Keeping that sentiment on the forefront of my mind, I've stayed motivated to reach my health goals.  The official date that marks when most people end their efforts to meet their goals (whether to lose weight, quit smoking, pray more, meditate, etc.) has come and gone.  But I'm still on this bus ride, so I continue to peruse more healthier and lower calorie recipes to try and then share with you.


Here is a nice recipe for a lighter salad for a filling meal.  I used salmon filets that we had left over from the weekend.  All of the other ingredients were on hand as well.  I've been so intrigued by blood oranges lately and the nice thing is that they are available in some markets right now.   Luckily, this recipe jumped from the pages of my Cooking Light cookbook.  It is quite easy to make and packed with Vitamin C.  Although the vinaigrette is a bit on the sweet side for my tastes, it was simple to add more Dijon mustard for a more savory blend in flavor.  If this vinaigrette isn't appealing to you, then you can always use your own favorite.
.

.


Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette & Manchego Cheese
(very adapted from Cooking Light)
.
2 (6-ounce) salmon filets
Lemon pepper seasoning (my addition)
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning (my addition)
Nature's Seasons (my addition)
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2" slices and chopped
Cooking spray
8 cups mixed baby salad greens, or baby spinach, or combination of both
1 red grapefruit, halved, sectioned, and removed from skin, drained.
Manchego Cheese slivers (my addition)
.
Prepare grill, pan, or heat oven to 350 degrees.
Season salmon filets.
Coat grill, pan or baking pan with cooking spray.
Grill, cook or bake fish until flakey when tested with a fork.
The onions can also be grilled, cooked, or baked with the salmon.
Place salad greens on 4 salad plates.
Arrange 2 ounces of salmon, the onions, grapefruit sections, and Manchego cheese evenly over the greens on each plate.
Drizzle Blood Orange Vinaigrette evenly over each salad.
(350 calories per serving, including vinaigrette)




Blood Orange Vinaigrette


1/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
2 Tbsp. minced shallots/green onions
2 Tbsp. honey (locally harvested, if possible)
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tsp. Dijon mustard (I increased from 1 tsp.)
1/8 tsp. salt (preferably sea salt)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
.
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; stirring well with a whisk.
(75 calories in 3 Tbsp.)
.

.

The ingredients for the vinaigrette.  Look how RED the blood orange juice is on the upper right!  Wow! 

.

.

The vitamin C-loaded vinaigrette once blended well.

Truly this was an unusual salad, with a slightly sweet, citrusy vinaigrette that was quite light and fresh.  I'm glad that I tried it!  
..

Pin It

Broccoli, Dried Cranberry and Smokey Bacon Salad

.

.
Our neighborhood held it's annual Fall Potluck Lunch over the weekend that always takes place along the banks of our little community "pond".  You know the routine, bring one covered dish and the main dish will be provided.  So I thought that I'd make my own version of a salad that I've had several times since moving to the South and have fallen in love with.  Nothing gourmet or complicated about this recipe, just easy and filled with lots of flavor.  Oh yea, there's a lot of broccoli in this deal, so it's a little bit healthy for us too.  If you want it to be more healthy for you, then eliminate/reduce the mayonnaise.  At the potluck, there were many typical, 'expected'  and 'safe' dishes brought to the potluck (potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs, baked beans, etc.) and so this salad was the first to disappear from the food spread!

The changes that I made from recipes found in numerous 'community' cookbooks were:  I used the thickest-sliced, meatiest, smokiest bacon I could find . . . none of this mamsy-pamsy thin, complete-white-fat-stuff that pretends to be bacon allowed!  Plus I used a full pound of this thick bacon, instead of 6 oz. of skinny, fatty bacon.  I also replaced ordinary raisins with more flavorful and colorful dried cranberries (plus hubby won't eat raisins and he'll devour dried cranberries!).


Broccoli, Dried Cranberry, and Smokey Bacon Salad

1 pound thick-sliced, hickory smoked bacon (this makes ALL the difference!) fried completely until dark reddish-brown and crispy, then cooled, and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.
1 - 2 pounds fresh broccoli, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup thinly shredded mild cheddar cheese, or small cubes if you like

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 - 2 cups mayonnaise
4 Tbsp. vinegar (try using red wine vinegar)
3 Tbsp. sugar

In a large mixing bowl, blend the first 6 ingredients together (from the broccoli to the sunflower seeds).
Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar.
Blend well until sugar is dissolved.
Combine the broccoli mixture with the mayonnaise mixture.

I have sent this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays (salad and sandwiches included!) and Fresh, Clean and Pure Friday.

Broccoli, Dried Cranberry and Smokey Bacon Salad

Pin It

Thai Cucumber Salad That Tops Them ALL!

.

.
I simply love Thai cuisine!  The food creations of this spicy cooking style is second only to my favorite Italian cuisine.  I've been so fortunate to have been able to spend a good deal of time over the course of two years in Thailand . . . and in various regions of the country too.

While there, I had a wonderful woman from the university I was working with on some academic research, drive me everywhere, including taking me to the best restaurants.  She knew what I loved and always ordered the food off the menu for me. . . I was never disappointed with her selections.  One of the lightest dishes that I went crazy over (and still do) that bursts with flavor in your mouth, is the uniquely Thai version of cucumber salad.  You can find this salad on the menus of nearly every Thai restaurant, but it will be difficult to find this creation, because from consolidating about 10 different recipes, I can claim this recipe as my own.  I could literally eat the entire serving bowl of this stuff.  I hope that you try it and feel the same!  PS:  This is not hot or fiery at all, as are many Thai dishes.  However, if you want some heat, then just add it.

Before I provide the recipe below, I wanted to point out the place mat with the embroidered pink flowers in the next picture.  This dainty place mat is just one example of the native, handmade crafts that I purchased in Thailand.  I've always loved the combination of pink and green in my gardens and even decorated my home with those colors (sometimes dominant in rooms, and other times barely there in other rooms).  The ceramic celadon plate is from Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, from the Baan Celadon pottery company.  I don't know how much of that celadon I purchased, but it is all over the house for use or for decorating accents.   Celadon pottery is just exquisite!

.
.

.
.

The soft minty green color of the celadon pottery coordinates perfectly with my dishes!  What luck!

.

Thai Cucumber Salad (Roz's version)

2 cucumbers, seeded, cubed or sliced (you can also peel them if you like)
1/4 cup red or white onions, chopped
1/4 jalapeno pepper, seeded, and finely chopped (add only if you like spicy heat)
5 - 6 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Dressing:

3 Tbsp. peanut oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. Thai garlic chili pepper sauce (this is not HOT sauce at all)

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup sugar
Zest of one lime
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper

Red pepper flakes (sprinkle on only as much as you like or eliminate for no heat addition)

1/4 - 1/2 cup finely chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts (optional)

.

.
Blend all the dressing ingredients together.
Mix in all of the chopped vegetables and herb, and peanuts (if you want the peanuts).
Add more of any of the flavors that you prefer, which is the true Thai way.
Garnish each plate with cilantro leaves and sliced limes.
Serve with a patter of add-ins:  lime slices, red pepper flakes, chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts, Thai sweet chili sauce, sugar, salt, etc. for your guests to add more of their favorite flavors.

.

Ahhhh . . . so fresh and so colorful . . . and so deliciously Thai!

.

Thai Cucumber Salad Pin It