crunchy rainbow chopped salad

This salad is so super easy, and because it's hearty, it actually holds up well in the fridge (even with dressing), so you can make it ahead of time, or enjoy any leftovers the next day.

crunchy rainbow chopped salad

(makes 4 very generous servings)

1 tub of Trader Joe's Healthy 8 chopped veggie mix (found in the produce section, by the bagged salads)

1/2 cup Trader Joe's Tzatziki sauce*

champagne or white wine vinegar, to taste

freshly ground pepper

Combine everything in a mixing bowl. Add more yogurt sauce or vinegar until you reach the desired amount of dressing, and your desired level of zestiness and creaminess. This salad is hearty and will hold up for 2-3 days in the fridge, so enjoy those leftovers. If you have any!

* I happened to have a partial tub of Tzatziki Sauce on hand, but or you can simply use Greek Yogurt, like Fage 0% instead for the creamy portion of the dressing.

lemony pasta with chickpeas and Feta

I didn't feel like going to the supermarket today, so dinner was a hodgepodge of what I had on hand. It turned out so well that I'm going to quickly share two of the recipes, because everyone enjoyed them, and they are so ridiculously simple! Plus, if you make a big batch, like I did, you'll have lunch made for tomorrow. Here's the first one, that can be serves warm or room temp, and makes a great vegetarian side or meal:

Lemony Pasta Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

(makes 8 servings)

8 oz dried whole wheat rotini (or your favorite pasta), cooked according to pkg

15 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed

zest and juice of 1-2 lemons

6 oz herb pesto*

6 oz Feta, crumbled

sat & pepper, to taste

Combine everything in a mixing bowl. Serve warm, or room temp. Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.

* I happened to have a jar of Bella Cucina herb pesto (nut-free, bonus so this can be sent in my little one's school lunchbox this week...) in my pantry that I'd been given as a gift. If you want to make your own, simply combine a few hearty handfuls of your favorite fresh herbs in a blender with enough olive oil to reach your desired consistency.

eggs with the devil in them

Trying pants on before bedtime last night, I realize our older son actually does not have pants that fit and are in good enough shape to wear to an egg hunt and dinner this afternoon. So, I'll be spending this morning traipsing around town-- in the rain, two kids in tow-- trying to find pants. Sweet. This is going to leave little time to over think an Easter menu (which might be good...save me from myself). What I do know, is that our casual Easter get-together with the neighbors will include

deviled eggs...or as my little one calls them "eggs with the devil in them". Since the baby chicks hatched in his class last week, he's been understandably a bit skittish about eating eggs. But, I know he digs these so I am thinking a few will go down the hatch.

Eggs with the Devil in Them
(makes 12...double or triple if you're expecting a crowd)

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely minced celery
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced drained capers

Shell eggs, then cut in half lengthwise. Transfer yolks to small bowl and mash with fork. Mix in remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon yolk mixture into whites. Can be made several hours ahead, just cover loosely and pop into fridge.

Then, I'll also make a batch of pea dip or

edamame hummus to serve with pita chips and fresh veggies for dipping.

For sides to go along with the ham my neighbor is bringing, I think I'll make a spinach, jicama, slivered almond salad with this super simple yogurt-based salad dressing. Leftover dressing can be used as a fabulous marinade in the week ahead.

And if the rain ever stops, I'll make a big platter of grilled veggies

or maybe I'll just make grilled asparagus and call it a day. We'll see. I still need one or two comforting, decadent sides to please those (like my husband) who grew up with scalloped potatoes. Ideas and links to your favorite Easter side dish recipes are welcome...I'll be going to the grocery market this afternoon.

The upside of those recipe swap chain emails: Asian Chicken Salad

You know those (really annoying) emails you get from friends asking you to forward an email on to 20 of your friends asking them to participate in a "recipe swap" and then send a recipe to the top person on the email... well, I always do them because some part of me feels guilty that I have this awesome cache of recipes. Either that or I am afraid that I didn't read down to the bottom where it says "if you don't do this you'll have bad luck for a year", or something to that effect. Anyway, this last go round I actually ended up with some new ideas for quick meals from people I had never heard of. And (drum roll) I finally got my hands on Daneille's mom's Asian Chicken Salad recipe. I had only been badgering her for this recipe for what would you say Daneille, about a year? Ironically, another local friend sent me her version of this salad. Tonight I combined the two recipes for a salad my kids proclaimed "the best salad ever". Thanks to you both, this one is a keeper.

Asian Spinach Salad with Chicken

(makes 6-8 servings)

Dressing:

12 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons turbinado sugar (or regular sugar)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 seasoning packet from 1 Dr. McDougall's Soy Ginger Noodle bowl

In a blender, combine all of the above. If necessary, add more olive oil or more vinegar to reach desired taste.

Salad:

2 containers Dr. McDougall's Soy Ginger Noodle Bowl, dry noodles only, coarsely broken

2 bunches green onions, chopped

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

spinach, coarsely torn

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted (if they aren't already roasted)

Combine all in a large bowl. Toss with dressing right before serving. If your children are eating earlier than you, simply toss the salad ingredients first and just add dressing to individual bowls.

Here it is in pictures for those that like to see it in action:

Contents of 2 Dr. McDougall noodle bowls, noodles and dried scallions only. (Even though these bowls are Whole Food's "healthier" answer to ramen, they're still really high in sodium (590 grams if you used a whole packet). So,I took the separately packaged flavor packets out, using 1/2 of one of them in the dressing and keeping the other for some other use down the road.)

Scallions next...

Then cabbage...

A big bag of baby spinach...

And one rotisserie chicken, shredded...

Finally a cup of almonds that I carefully toasted on a cookie sheet under the broiler for a few minutes.

Since my children eat at 4:30 (yes, you read that right... you'd have to if you went to bed at 6:30!) I simply tossed the salad ingredients then individually dressed their bowls of salad. When my husband gets home I'll add the remaining dressing to the big bowl for our dinner.

My boys claimed this was "the best salad EVER!". So, it's a keeper around here.

Simple Make-Ahead Side Dish Idea: Lentil Salad

We're on a lentil kick around here. So, in the spirit on having sides on hand to make getting dinner on the table a cinch, here's another favorite make-ahead, simple side to share with you:

Lentil Cucumber Salad

Trader Joe's Black Beluga Lentils (which come fully cooked in a baggie, or cook lentils from your own market according to the package)
English Cucumbers, diced
Fennel (bulb part only, not the leafy part), diced
Dill (fresh, or dried if you forgot to pick it up at the market...)

Garlic
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

Combine the lentils, cucumber, fennel and dill in a mixing bowl. (I didn't put amounts in this recipe because you can go heavier or lighter on any of the individual ingredients, depdnding upon what you and your family like best. The one in the photo is heaviest on the fennel, and about equal on the lentils and cucumbers.)

Then, in a blender, combine the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste. (I like my dressings very tangy. I recommend starting with a 1:4 ratio of lemon juice to olive oil and you can always add more acid (lemon juice) or base (olive oil) until you get the taste you like best. Add salt if necessary.) Pour dressing over lentil salad and let sit in fridge for up to several days. (It gets better the longer it sits and flavors meld.)

If you're looking for more side ideas, check out the comments section of this "Raising Foodies" post. There are so many great ones!! I have a particular affinty for this fellow blogger since we seem to be on the same wavelength... my boys just dug into a scrumptious blueberry crisp we whipped up together.

Sides to have on hand for quick summer dinners: Quinoa Salads

We are having a great summer. But, with days chock full of swimming, parks, tennis, and running around the yard, dinner is often times an afterthought. In the fall and winter I love to fill our home with the smell of something delicious bubbling on the stove. In the summer? We usually roll in minutes before dinnertime. The key to avoiding chaos is to have some good sides on hand. Then you can just pop some chicken or fish on the grill and dinner is made in minutes. The black bean salad I posted a few weeks ago is excellent and will hold up for several days. Quinoa salads are packed with protein and are another favorite here.

Quick Quinoa Salad with Lentils

Quinoa (cooked according to pkg, usually 1 cup quinoa: 2 cups water, covered at a simmer for about 15 minutes)
Trader Joe's Black Beluga Lentils (which come fully cooked in a pouch)
Veggie of choice (I used tomatoes)
Fresh herb (I used fresh mint)
Scallions, white part chopped
Lemon, zested and juiced
Smoked paprika
Vinaigrette (I used olive oil, lemon juice and a dash of kosher salt)

Combine everything in a bowl and let the flavors meld. Will last for up to a week in the fridge. Great served alongside grilled fish, chicken, veggies or meat.

You can vary the taste of your quinoa salad based upon the veggies/beans/etc. you add and the vinaigrette. For more of my variations on quinoa salads, you might like to click here or here.

Black Bean, Corn & Jicama Salad

Black Bean, Corn & Jicama Salad

Black beans, rinsed and drained
Fresh corn kernels or frozen corn, thawed
Jicama, chopped
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Scallions, chopped
Basil, chiffonade or chopped

Lime juice
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Use proportions of the first six ingredients (black beans through basil) that your family will enjoy. Mix together in a big bowl, and add fresh lime juice and olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste.

The colors get a little less vibrant, but the flavors meld if it last a few days in your fridge. Great served with grilled fish, chicken, or can become a Mexican Shrimp Salad with the addition of some greens, grilled shrimp, and a drizzle of a little more lime vinaigrette...

Orange Yogurt Dressing...Topping...Marinade...

Orange Yogurt Dressing (or topping or marinade…)

makes about 1 ½ cups

• Garlic, start with 2 cloves and add more if you’d like
• Kosher salt, start with 1 teaspoon and add more if you’d like
• Olive oil, start with 4 Tablespoons and add more until you reach desired consistency
• Plain yogurt, 1 cup (whole fat, low-fat, non-fat...whichever you prefer)
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice, start with 6 teaspoons and add more until desired tanginess (or substitute white wine vinegar)
• Orange marmalade, start with 4 Tablespoons and ad more until desired level of sweetness

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until combined. Taste and add more lemon juice or marmalade for tanginess or sweetness. You may also thin the dressing with olive oil or water, if you’d like.

Make Ahead Side Dishes: Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries & Pecans

Having some interesting sides already made, in my fridge, makes putting lunch and dinner together a snap. Here’s the recipe for a wheat berry salad I recently made that was absolutely delicious. You do need some time to make this, since the wheat berries have to cook for 1 hour. So, it’s a good one to make when you’re home for the afternoon, overseeing homework, etc. Admittedly, this was a side I made for us, more than for the kids. The night I made it, I served it with a simple mustard glazed salmon and some edamame. Then during the week, I had it for lunch, and I did put a scoop on my children’s plate a couple different meals. My older child loved it; my younger child picked the carrots, cranberries and pecans out of it. Not bad. You pick your battles, right?

Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

4 cups of water
1 ½ cups of wheat berries

Handful of shredded carrots
Handful of diced celery
Hanful of diced onion or scallion
Splash of olive oil
Handful of cranberries
Handful of pecans
Splash of red wine vinegar (start with just a little, as you can always add more)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil; add wheat berries (shown above, before they've been cooked).

Reduce the heat to low and cook the wheat berries (uncovered) for about 1 hour or until they are tender and moist (as shown above, see how they puff up and turn a pretty, rich brown color?). Drain any extra liquid.

Return the wheat berries to the saucepan and toss in remaining ingredients. Stir so everything is nicely combined. Once it sits for a couple minutes and the flavors meld, feel free to add a bit more vinegar (to make it more zesty/tangy) or you can add another splash of olive oil if you went too heavy handed on the vinegar the first go round!

Two Potluck Offerings (that use Giada's Basil Sauce)

(I replaced the photo of our vacation with the green bean one but seemed to have accidentally erased the quinoa one off my camera. So, enjoy the vacation photo instead!)

Wanted to share two potluck recipes I’ve made while on vacation, since many of you may be gearing up for Labor Day BBQs and the like. As you may remember from an earlier post, I fell in love with Giada’s Grilled Chicken with Basil Sauce that my friend, Christine, made for our Wednesday dinner swap. So, for these two potluck dishes, I simply whipped up Giada’s Basil Sauce and used it for a green bean side, and later for a quinoa salad. The sauce lasts for several days, so I double Giada’s recipe (the doubled recipe is posted below) and keep in on hand so I can use it in various ways throughout the week.

Green Beans in Giada’s Basil Sauce

Green beans, blanched
Giada’s Basil Sauce
Mixed greens (as a base)
Slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Lemon zest, for garnish

Trim the ends off the green beans, blanch them, and then toss in Giada’s Basil Sauce. I layered the platter with mixed greens, drizzled that with a little of the sauce, then put a mound of green beans, and sprinkled them with slivered almonds and lemon zest.


Quinoa Salad with Giada’s Basil Sauce

Quinoa, cooked according to package
Chicken broth (I used it to cook the quinoa, instead of water)
Feta, crumbled
Cherry tomatoes, halved (unless they’re already tiny)
Roasted Peppers, chopped
Pistachios, roasted
Basil, chiffonade
Giada’s Basil Sauce

Toss everything together, and dress with an ample amount of Giada’s Basil Sauce. Serve room temp. Will last several days in the fridge, and you can turn it into an entrée with the addition of some roasted veggies, grilled chicken or shrimp.

Note: The market out here only had one box of regular quinoa left on the shelf, so I also cooked up a second box of black quinoa (which I had never seen before). The black quinoa was costly, so I probably would just stick to the more easily found regular kind, but it sure was pretty.

Giada’s Basil Sauce is linked here, but for those who like everything in one place, I will copy the recipe below as well:

Giada’s Basil Sauce (makes about 3 cups)

2 cups olive oil
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
salt and pepper, to taste

Put everything in a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth. Store in a tight fitting container, in the fridge, for up to 1 week.

Quinoa Salad for a Potluck

Tonight my Wednesday Supper Exchange will be dining together. It’s been an amazing treat to cook once for the group and then receive meals the next three Wednesdays (click on the link above if you want to set up your own supper exchange, which I highly recommend for a healthy alternative to take-out when you need a break from cooking). Since this is the first night we're actually dining together instead of cooking/picking-up meals at each other's homes, we’ve divvied up the menu. Shocking, I know, that I offered to make one of my quinoa salads. As mentioned in earlier postings, I like quinoa because it’s healthy, it's quick to cook, and very versatile-- really you can add whatever you have on hand to come up with a delicious end product. Plus, it’s an easy sell if your children already eat cous cous…similar consistency.

Potluck Quinoa Salad

1 box of quinoa (prepared with vegetable stock which adds more flavor that cooking it in water)
Zucchini and Squash, drizzled with olive oil and grilled, then chopped
Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Peppers, drained and chopped
Cherry tomatoes, chopped
Feta cheese
Lemon Zest (a microplane zester comes in handy for zesting)
Vinaigrette (in a blender I combined lemon juice, olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic and a dash of Kosher salt)

Combine all ingredients and let sit for a couple of hours so flavors blend. Will last several days in the fridge, so makes an excellent lunch the next day...and the day after that...

Quinoa Salad(s)

I’ve been averaging one Quinoa Salad a week this summer. Usually it’s first made for dinner, alongside grilled fish or chicken. And usually I make made way too much, so I have plenty for lunch in the days that follow, or I can leave my dinner host with an ample supply to enjoy later on. Each time I make it the ingredients are a little different, depending upon what I have in my fridge and pantry, but every time the results are equally delish. It doesn’t photograph well with my little rinky dink camera, so you’ll have to just take my word for it.

One Quinoa Salad That Was a Hit
1 package of quinoa (prepared according to the pkg, though I use vegetable broth instead of water)
Baby Heirloom Tomatoes (pretty colors), quartered
Artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
Feta cheese, crumbled
Toasted Pine Nuts
Vinaigrette (see below)
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add enough vinaigrette to your desired taste. For this one, I emphasized the lemon in the vinaigrette so I also dressed it with some lemon zest curly q’s.

Another Quinoa Salad That Was a Hit
1 package of quinoa (prepared according to the pkg, though I use vegetable broth instead of water)
Bell peppers, roasted and chopped
Zucchini, roasted and chopped
Squash, roasted and chopped
Cherry tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil, chiffonade (chop without bruising the leaves)
Feta cheese, crumbled
Pistachios
Vinaigrette (see below)
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add enough vinaigrette to your desired taste. For this one, I had tons of basil and pistachios, so I saved some of each to sprinkle over the top before serving.

Basic Vinaigrette
fresh basil
olive oil
lemon juice
garlic
splash of red wine vinegar
kosher salt
pepper
Toss all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more olive oil or acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to suit your taste and texture. If you want to thin it even more but are happy with the level of zing you’ve got going, you can add a bit of vegetable broth instead of citrus or vinegar.

This is a great make-ahead dish for the Waveny Concerts or other outings when you want a sophisticated side that will travel well. It’s hearty enough to please a vegetarian guest, and is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled veggies, fish or meats. (Hint: skewers travel well, and can easily be eaten in your lap.) You can play with the ingredients to create your own signature Quinoa Salad.