Orange and Avocado Chopped Salad with Citrus Basil Dressing

Orange and avocado chopped salad with a citrus basil dressing.

For some reason in that first photo the orange looks almost fluorescent.

For the rest of the shots they looked much more toned down. Either way it tasted the same - delicious!

This salad was quite a surprise. I just threw some stuff together on a whim and it turned out terrific.

I needed to use up the orange and avocado I had hanging around. I poked around the refrigerator and grabbed some greens and some pickled ginger.

I threw together a vinaigrette that tasted good but when it was paired with the salad? Oh, my word!

All the flavors were bright and clean and the sweet spice of the pickled ginger really put it over the top. 

You should make this salad as soon as you can - especially on a hot summer day.

Orange and Avocado Chopped Salad with Citrus Basil Vinaigrette

Serves 2

Ingredients for the salad:

3 cups of butter lettuce, chopped

1 cup of spinach, chopped

1 medium orange, cut into segments

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp of sweet pickled ginger, chopped fine

1 Tbsp of dressing (see below)

Ingredients for the citrus basil vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp of orange juice

4 Tbsp of olive oil

2 Tbsp of chopped fresh basil

1/2 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp of fresh grated ginger

1/4 tsp of orange zest

1/8 tsp of Mia's kitchen balsamic reduction

1/2 Tbsp of nutritional yeast

black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

Assemble the spinach and lettuce in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Add in the chopped orange, avocado and pickled ginger and toss to combine.

Enjoy!

Spinach and lamb meatballs

Spinach and lamb meatballs.

I am heading off for the Foodbuzz festival tomorrow so I knew that I needed to use up the rest of the lamb before I left.

I wanted spicy and hearty meatballs with a good dose of greens.

And these meatballs pack some heat since I added some Frank's hot sauce.

The meatballs were about 2" in diameter so they could easily be eaten as an appetizer for cocktail parties.

These really came out great - I used yogurt instead of an egg for the binder and it did a great job of mellowing out the lamb without sacrificing flavor.

I was excited to try the San Marzano spaghetti sauce I picked up at Whole Foods the other day. I also made a simple sauce of yogurt and dried parsley.

Mmmm, San Marzano tomatoes...

Which dipping sauce did I like better?

Yogurt sauce.

Tomato sauce.

I think if I was serving them as an appetizer I would use the yogurt dipping sauce.

But I do have to say the San Marzano sauce was incredible! So I boiled up some pasta...

The meatballs turned out tender and full of flavor and with a wonderful spiciness which I loved.

If you are attending the conference please make sure to come over and say Hi! I will be the one with the strawberry blonde hair and a confused look on my face:-)

Spinach and lamb meatballs

Serves 1 - 2

Ingredients:

1 cup of ground lamb
1/2 cup of fresh spinach chopped fine
1/2 cup of Parmesan, grated
1 pinch of basil
1 pinch of oregano
1 clove of garlic, grated or minced
2 Tbsp of yogurt
1 Tbsp of bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
Frank's Hot Sauce to taste (I used about 5 shakes)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all of the ingredients together and form into 2" diameter balls. Place the meatballs on a greased baking sheet. Cook for about 15 minutes making sure to turn them once during the baking (at about 7 minutes).

Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool.

Serve as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce or add the meatballs to your favorite marinara sauce and serve over pasta.

Enjoy!

Crab egg florentine

Crab egg florentine with lime mustard hollandaise.

I woke up this morning wanting Eggs Benedict but the pickings are pretty slim in my cupboard and fridge at the moment so I made some substitutions.

The dish started with a layer of cooked quinoa.

Then I layered on a big handful of fresh spinach.

Next came a generous layer of canned crab meat.

Everything was topped with one perfectly poached egg.

Lastly, the star of the show appeared!

Lime mustard hollandaise sauce.

This was a very comforting and delicious breakfast.

Lime mustard hollandaise sauce

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup of water
1 Tbsp. of Earth Balance spread
1/2 Tbsp. of all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. of nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. of yellow mustard
The juice from 1/2 of a small lime
a pinch of garlic powder
a pinch of onion powder
a pinch of salt
ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Melt the Earth Balance spread in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add in the flour and stir until the roue slightly darkens then add in the water and soymilk.

Add the rest of the ingredients and let the sauce come up to a simmer. Stir frequently. When the sauce starts to thicken turn the heat to low. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Everyone in the pool dumpling soup

This was one of those thrown together soups that came out incredibly tasty!
I put six cups of water in a sauce pan and set it to boil. Then I added in the following ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
a handful of spinach
broccoli florets
2 Tbsp. of miso paste
1/4 cup of vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. of packaged coleslaw mix
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. of cumin
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
1 Tbsp. of nutritional yeast
a pinch of salt
ground black pepper to taste
I let the soup simmer until it was reduced by half then I broke out my favorite dumplings.


Chicken dumplings.



The dumplings made the soup.



Night all!

Tasty hummus rolls

Today I had this to work with:

Cumin, limes, tahini, garbanzo beans, rice and nori.

I was pretty pleased with my efforts which resulted in this:

Tasty hummus rolls.

I put one cup of rice to simmer in a soup pot on the stove. Then I started to create my hummus.

The following ingredient went into a bowl:

1 15oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed.

3 Tbsp. of nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp. of cumin

1 tsp. of garlic powder

2 tsp. of tahini

2 tsp. of Miso Mayo

1/4 tsp. of olive oil

1/2 cup of water

2 pinches of salt

black pepper to taste

The juice of two limes

I used my immersion blender until the hummus was smooth.

Then came the assembly:

A line of hummus, a sprinkle of paprika and some spinach leaves.

If a little comes out the end that is OK!



I finished them off with a sprinkle of paprika. Don’t they look pretty?



These would be a great lunch to take to work. Just make two rolls and leave them whole. It is much less messy to just munch from one end to the other rather than having them cut up.

Breakfast of champions - if champions ate quinoa

I did pick up some new bedding during my shopping trip to Ikea.

And it is doggie approved :-)

Abby testing out the new sheets. Connor is there too but you can only see his butt.

As I was perusing the pantry this morning I spotted my jar of nutritional yeast.

So this morning's breakfast was comprised of the following ingredients:

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 cup of quinoa cooked in vegetable broth
4 florets of broccoli, chopped fine
a handful of spinach leaves torn into small pieces
1 button mushroom, chopped
1/4 of an onion
1 clove of garlic
2 egg whites

This turned out really delicious. And since I threw in the broccoli and spinach into the pot with the quinoa and let it all cook together it was super simple.

I did cook the garlic and onions in a skillet over low heat while the quinoa simmered. When the onions just started to caramelize, I tossed in the mushrooms, covered the pan and let it cook another 5 minutes.


I pulled the onions, garlic and mushrooms out of the pan and then added in the 2 egg whites. I let them cook on low until just set.

Oh, yes, and I stirred in 1 Tbsp. of nutritional yeast into the quinoa when it was done cooking. The nutritional yeast added a nice cheesy flavor that paired really well with the slightly sweet taste of the onions.

I thought this was a great breakfast that was packed with protein from both the quinoa and the egg whites. And I got a nice dose of greens as well. It was definitely a breakfast of champions :-)

I enjoyed my bowl of quinoa with a plump peach and a big mug of tea with soymilk.

I can't believe it is Monday already. Where did the weekend go?

A Popeye start to the 4th

Mostly egg white scramble with tortilla and spinach.

I hope you all have fun plans for the 4th!

I started my day with lots of spinach - a very Popeye themed start to my day :-)

While two large handfuls of spinach was wilting in a skillet over medium heat, I tore 1 corn tortilla into small pieces.

When the spinach started looking a little dry, I whisked in one whole egg and three egg whites.

A pinch of salt, pepper, dried basil and a sprinkle of dried parsley.


I started with one spoonful of salsa on top but by the time I was done eating I ended up having two more spoonfuls. 

Today starts my second week of P90x. I do have to say I am still incredibly sore after every workout. Hopefully that will get better this week.

Oh, and I also had a big mug of tea. I need caffeine to power my workouts!

Have a safe 4th of July!!

Pasta with bacon and onions

Orecchiette pasta with bacon and onions topped with shredded Parmesan.

Cleaning makes you hungry!! I crisped up some bacon and set it aside and discarded all of the bacon grease. I caramelized some onions in a skillet with a few drops of olive oil. Then tossed in 1/2 cup of cooked Orecchiette pasta. I added 2 Tbsp. of the pasta water to the pan and let the pasta get coated with the onions.

I separated the fatty part of the bacon from the meat - set the fatty parts aside for the dogs and chopped up the meat.


I shredded some Parmesan on top and sprinkled the bacon on top. This dish was rich but really delicious. The sweetness of the caramelized onions paired beautifully with the saltiness of the bacon.

And for my greens I tossed some frozen spinach and frozen peas with chopped garlic, shredded pieces of teryaki nori and 2 tsp. of mirin and soy sauce.

This dish turned out better than the pasta dish!

Now it's time to get back to cleaning, Ugh(((  I am looking forward to embracing an Amish-like aesthetic by the end of the day.

Egg muffin

I am really liking this rhubarb jam.

I also just got word that that are 'upgrading' my storage unit on my patio. Upgrading in corporate management speak = we are destroying your storage unit and won't be bothering to build you a new one.

Oh, joy.

This weekend will be spent tossing all the stuff in the storage closet that I haven't looked at in 4 years.

But back to breakfast - 

Whole wheat English muffin with rhubarb jam.

And then I decided to get all egg muffiny with it.

I combined:

1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 slice of deli ham
1 handful of spinach
2 very thin shavings of Gruyere cheese

I crisped up the ham in a skillet then threw in the spinach. When that had wilted I added in the eggs and let that cook for a bit. At the end, I pulled the eggs off the heat and added in the cheese.

 
The rhubarb jam was terrific with the eggs. A definite repeat breakfast.

I am also finding that my gym workouts (ie. the weightlifting part) goes much better if I have some caffeine before a workout.

Today I am going to figure out some kind of use for these:

Happy Friday everyone!

Turkey sloppy joe

I am definitely going to have to have a vegetarian dinner because I made this for lunch:

Turkey Sloppy Joe.

 This recipe started out as just a plain turkey burger.

I mixed together:

1 cup of ground turkey
1 egg white
onion powder
garlic powder
black pepper
dried sage

And then I realized I didn't have any bread crumbs or anything that would make a good substitute. Without breadcrumbs the mixture was too wet to form into a patty.


So, the turkey mixture went into a skillet to cook while I tried to figure out what to do with it.

Enter this guy:

2 Tbsp. of the Chili Sauce went into the skillet and a few sprinkles of Worcestershire sauce and Ta Da! Turkey Sloppy Joe.

I also had a simple side salad of spinach.

With a homemade salad dressing made of:

Udo's oil
Rice wine vinegar
Mirin
Nutritional yeast
black pepper


I love it when great ideas result from kitchen disasters.

This was messy and delicious!

I am off to do a yoga session at home - my sciatica is giving me trouble today and I really need to stretch out my hip.

Oh, and the bun was a toasted whole wheat English muffin.