Pear and Spinach Salad with Lemon-Shallot Dressing and Roasted Sausages

Simple, flavor-packed... No reason to not make it! I found the original recipe in Everyday Food and modified it a little to fit our diet. It has become one of our favorite post-workout meals because it's so quick.

Serves: 3-4

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pear (I like using Red Anjous - the contrast is pretty!) cut lengthwise into 1/4" slices

1 heaping tablespoon minced shallot

3 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse salt and pepper

5 ounces of baby spinach (or your favorite leafy greens - I used a combination since our gardens have finally started producing!)

4-6 sweet turkey sausages

1) In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, shallot, and oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

2) Heat oven broiler to high and make sure the rack is about 4" below the heat. Pierce sausages all over with a fork and place on a rimmed baking sheet under the broiler. Cook 8 minutes, turning once. (I always cut into one just to ensure that it's really done before I take them out!)

3) In a medium bowl toss together pears and greens. Divide among dinner plates, and drizzle with dressing. Dinner is served!

"Good Fer Yer Eyes" Salad

When I was growing up, my mom was deathly afraid that all of her many (7!) kids would follow in her and my dad's genetic footsteps and grow up to be blind. Well, not truly blind - my dad is legally blind, and she wears glasses, so I think she was mainly trying to avoid the glasses for all of us. The easiest and cheapest way to do this was to include carrots in each and every one of our lunches. I hate eating carrots now. I really do. But I have to say, this salad has really made them quite palatable, if  not just downright delicious. Make it, eat it, discover a love of carrots previously unrecognized...

Total time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

6 carrots, cut into long, thin strips with a vegetable peeler
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper

1) In a medium bowl, toss together all ingredients to coat evenly.

2) Serve!

Cold Cucumber-Avocado Soup

So earlier this week, I was pretty convinced that summer was officially here. And while the weather today completely disproves that idea, I did stumble across this amazingly simple little soup recipe that is perfect for a warm spring evening! Yes, as my man pointed out, it is basically a smoothie with no ice in it, but something about eating a fresh and tasty cold soup for dinner feels so... grownup. Love it!

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber, peeled, diced, and 1/4 cup reserved for garnish
1 avocado, diced, removed from skin, and 1/4 reserved for garnish
1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest, plus all the juice from the lemon
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus a tablespoon reserved for garnish
1 scallion, white and light green parts only
1 jalapeño (I left the seeds in mine, but if you prefer a milder flavor make sure you remove the seeds!)
1 small container of plain Greek yogurt
1 cup cold water
Coarsely ground salt and pepper

1) Puree ingredients in blender until smooth and slightly frothy. Pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1+ hour before serving. Garnish with leftover avocado, cilantro, and cucumber.

Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

I'm falling down on this blog thing! Yesterday, Aric actually gave the link to a friend, prompting the realization that I hadn't posted in almost a month. Yikes! So here we go...

Don't let the oh-so-bland name of this dish fool you - it's really too good to be true. We had it for dinner last week, and when we invited my dad over for dinner tonight Aric begged for it again!

(Note: You will need a grill for this! I guess you might be able to pull off a decent rendition of it with a broiler, but I'm not certain...)

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
1 large zucchini, cute lengthwise into 1/4 slices
1 lb. chicken tenders
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Course ground salt and pepper
Coconut oil for grilling

1) Heat the grill to a medium heat. Place the bell peppers over the flame and roast for 16 minutes, turning every few minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and cover tightly, allowing the peppers to steam. Set aside.

2) While the peppers are steaming, brush the sliced zucchini with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for 4 minutes, turning once.

3) Season chicken with salt and pepper, and grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. While it is grilling, remove peppers from bowl (they will be hot!) and run under cool water. Gently rub them with your fingers to remove the burnt, loosened outer skin. Once they are cleaned, discard stem and seeds, and slice into 1/2 slices.

4) Whisk together olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl, and add parsley, cranberries, and artichoke. Season with salt and pepper.

5) Layer the zucchini, chicken, and bell peppers on each plate, and top with dressing mixture. Enjoy... then double all the ingredients next week and invite your friends (or parents) over to enjoy it again!

Carrot Juice Morning!

Last weekend was my birthday, and we went to an Asian-style spa for the day. It was a great experience, one I had missed since returning from Japan! In the cafeteria they served lots of traditional food, and some delicious cleansing, refreshing juice combinations. The carrot juice was so good I decided to try to make it at home this morning. It's has an interesting flavor, and is packed with awesome nutrients like vitamins B and E, and tons of beta carotene (which turns to Vitamin A in the body) and helps to eliminate cancer-causing free radicals... Worth a try for sure!

Serves: 1

Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

4 carrots
1 apple
1.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1) Put carrots and apple the blender and blend on high until they liquefy. At first I repeatedly had to push them down since they kept creeping away from the blades, but eventually the mixture settled in the bottom and blended thoroughly.

2) Place a strainer over a bowl and pour juice mixture into strainer. (It will be quite thick and creamy!) Gently shake strainer so that juice continues to flow into the bowl. I strained mine twice to make it extra smooth, and saved the thick residue for smoothies later this week.

3) Pour the juice over ice and stir in the vinegar. I know the vinegar seems like an unlikely addition, but it's actually really tasty! Enjoy!

Sausage with Kale and Cannellini Beans

Continuing with the one-bowl theme... I nabbed this from Everyday Food, and we enjoy it on pretty much a bi-weekly basis. Super meaty and filling, this one is a keeper. (Pardon the photo - this is such a great dish that I couldn't let my terrible color photo do it injustice!)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large bunch kale
3 cloves garlic
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 lb sweet turkey sausage
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

1) Remove thick stems from kale, wash, pat dry, and coarsely chop. Peel and thinly slice garlic.

2) Heat oven broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. With a fork, pierce sausages all over; place on a broiler-proof, rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

3) While sausage is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add kale, garlic, and half a cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cover skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until kale is wilted and tender, 10-12 minutes. Add beans to skillet with vinegar. Cook, uncovered, tossing gently, until beans are heated through, 1-2 minutes.

Good Morning Friends!