Apricot Jalapeno Fiesta Salad

 This salad is oh-so-good, folks. The apricots and jalapeno create the perfect accent to the flavor profile. Think of this as a taco salad, but….more exciting. 🙂

Ingredients

Salad:

• ~4 cups spring mix, or salad greens of your choice
• 1 ripe apricot, sliced
• 1/2 -1 avocado, sliced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 cups black beans

Dressing

• 2 1/2 tbs natural apricot jam
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tbs water (or as needed)
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• heaping 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbs diced shallot (about 1/2 plump shallot)
• salt to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients except water together until smooth. Add water in, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Prepare the salads by dividing the salad greens between 2 bowls, and arranging the apricot, avocado, jalapeno, and beans on top. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy! Recommended: serve with tortilla chips.

Summer Stonefruit and Arugula Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette

It seems all I want to eat in the summer is salads. That and fresh fruit.

It’s only natural that I eat a lot of salads that feature fresh fruits. 😉

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 4 cups fresh arugula
• 1 ripe peach or necta rine
• 1 cup cherries (any type will work)
• 2 oz goat cheese (about a scant 1/4 cup crumbled)
• 1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp honey
• salt to taste
• lemon pepper (optional; can use black pepper too)

Directions

Chop the peaches and cherries and arrange them on top of a bed of arugula. Crumble the goat cheese on top. To prepare the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth. (You may need to heat the honey slightly until it whisks smooth). Drizzle the dressing over the salad and enjoy!

Quick ‘n’ Easy Creamy Broccoli Potato Leek Soup

I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas and New Year’s. Here’s a comforting, healthy, and flavorful soup perfect for these post-holiday relaxing days.

This humble little soup is amazingly delicious…I sent it with my husband for lunch one day, and the first thing he said when he got home was ‘That was the best soup ever!’ Quite a testament. 🙂

Ingredients

Ser ves 3-4

• 2 small heads broccoli, chopped
• 2 medium russet potatoes, chopped
• 2 leeks (chopped, white parts only) and 1/2 shallot, chopped (or 2/3 cup chopped onion)
• 1 tbs oil
• 3 cups water or broth
• salt or a seasoning mix like Herbamare (omit or use sparingly if you use broth)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium pot on medium-high, heat the oil and sauté the onions (or leeks and shallots) until soft. Add the potatoes and broccoli and cook for another couple minutes. Then add the water or stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Puree the soup in a blender. Season to taste.

I served this with my favorite spelt flax crackers for a light meal, or with a protein for a heartier one.

Perfect Lunches for a Week: Butternut Squash, Chickpea, and Kale Salad

Good morning! I’m back from my recent travels and am excited to share a handful of recipes with you. Thanks, by the way, to those of you that gave me great tips for dining veg in Europe!

I’m particularly excited about this recipe. I call it perfect because, in addition to being oh so tasty, it’s a super easy and cheap way to have a sack lunch during the week. It works great to cook up a big batch of the ingredients on Sundays, and then quickly assemble the salads into tupperwares (maybe wait til the morning of to dress them) for weekday lunches.

 

For an example, on Sunday:

– Cook a batch of chickpeas. Soak them overnight or do a quick soak (bring dry beans to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit for 45 min), then bring to a boil in a large pot. (I use 2 parts water per 1 part chickpeas. Remember that 1 cup dried chickpeas yields about 2 1/2 cups cooked) Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour.

– Meanwhile, roast a butternut squash. Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and pierce the flesh with a knife. Place in a baking dish in 1/2 inch water (to prevent the skin from burning), drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 400 F until tender and golden (~45 min in my oven).

– Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. Add 1 part quinoa per 2 parts water to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed. Note that 1 cup dry quinoa yields about 2-3 cups cooked.

– Meanwhile, clean and chop the kale, onion, almonds, and any other veggies you want to toss in.

Now you have lunches for the whole week! I also love that this dish features simple ingredients that cost pennies per serving. (Well, quinoa can be kinda pricey, but feel free to sub in another grain of your choice if quinoa is pushing the budget…) Those simple ingredients, however, are anything but plain here. I’ve been enjoying this hearty and fancy lunch all week!

Note: the amounts given below are for just an individual salad (or 2). I definitely recommend making large batches of all ingredients in the beginning of the week.

Ingredients

For 2 servings (or a very hungry 1)

• 3-4 cups kale, chopped
• 2/3 cup cooked chickpeas (see directions above)
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa) (see directions above)
• 1 cup butternut squash, cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces (see directions above)
• 1 tbs chopped red onion
• 2 tbs dried cranberries
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• optional add-ins: chopped toasted almonds (1/4 cup), caramelized fennel (about 1/2 bulb), dried apricots instead of cranberries, orange zest (about 1 tsp), pinch of cumin, pinch of cinnamon

Directions

Add all ingredients except salt, pepper, vinegar and oil into a mixing bowl or a tupperware container (if taking it to go). In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and oil. Drizzle over the salad. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

I’ve been working on cheap, convenient, healthy lunch ideas for a while. Do any of you have great go-to sack lunch ideas? I find legume-centric ones work great. I hope you enjoy this as much as we have!

Moroccan-spiced Arugula Salad with Cranberries, Pistachio, and Pear

Inspiration for this salad came from a lovely Moroccan stew a friend served us for dinner. I like pairing the peppery intense flavors of arugula with something sweet like fruit and something creamy like goat cheese or avocado.

This salad turned out beautifully – a lovely blend of seasonal flavors.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

• 4 cups fresh arugula
• 1 ripe Bosc pear, cored and sliced as you prefer
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup roasted, salted pistachio nutmeats
• 3 tbs crumbled goat cheese OR avocado chunks (for dairy-free option)
• 1 tbs diced shallot (could substitute red onion)
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 tsp cumin, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Combine the arugula with cranberries, pear, shallot, and pistachio. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and spices until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Drizzle over the salad and enjoy!

White Bean, Chard, and Cherry Tomato Stew

Here is a quick ‘n’ easy soup recipe that’s hearty, filling, healthy…oh, and crazy delicious. I stumbled upon this killer flavor combination by accident and am so pleased with how it turned out!

And, I’m trying to be more regular with my posts. Thanks for bearing with me 🙂

Ingredients

Makes 3-4 servings

Time: about 20-30 minutes

• 2 15-oz cans white beans (or about 4 cups cooked)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbs oil
• 6 cups chopped Swiss chard, kale, or other greens
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 tbs fresh oregano (could substitute 1-2 tsp dried oregano, or other fresh herb)
• lemon pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the onions until soft and transparent. Add the greens, stock, lemon juice, water, garlic, and oregano. Cook until the greens are soft. Add half of the beans to a food processor or blender, and add the kale from the pot and 1 cup of the liquid. Puree until smooth. Transfer the pureed bean mixture to the pot, add the tomatoes. Cook over medium-high heat until the soup is warm and the tomatoes are “popped.” Add lemon pepper to tatse, adjust seasonings, and serve with whole grain bread and a fresh green salad.

This is also fantastic spread over toast the next day!