Carrot Ribbons with Sorrel Pesto and Goat Cheese

I had the amazing pleasure to meet my favorite cookbook author, Diane Morgan at a dinner featuring her recipes at Lou's Food Bar in Denver. I enjoyed a five course meal of recipes from her newest cookbook, Roots and was able to chat with Diane about techniques and preparation.  This was one of the hit dishes of the night. It's raw, healthy and the flavors are perfect. It is a great alternative to the typical green salad that is passed around the table.  Serve this colorful salad family style for your guests to enjoy. Also, if you've browsed my 'dips' you will see most of them come from Diane's Skinny Dips cookbook!

Main Ingredients:

-2 large garlic cloves

-2 tsp salt

-5 large carrots, trimmed and peeled

-4 ounces fresh crumble goat cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

-4 Tbsp olive oil

-1 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar

- 3/4 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp pepper

Pesto Ingredients: 

-2.5 cups lightly packed sorrel, roughly chopped

-2 cloves garlic, chopped

-1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

-1/4 cup pine nuts

-1.5 tsp lemon juice

-1/2 tsp sea salt

-2/3 cup olive oil

Red Cabbage Asian Slaw

This recipe was developed to be a bed for my Healthy Bang Bang Shrimp recipe, but this made a lot of leftovers so I had it for lunch the next day and then topped on black bean burgers another night.  It's a versatile coleslaw that will last for days in the fridge because the cabbage is crisp and doesn't wilt easily.  Feel free to use green cabbage or any cabbage you can find in the grocery store.  I just thought the red would add great color to the plate.  

Ingredients: 

-1/2 head red cabbage

-1 carrot julienned (or 1 small bag thinly sliced carrots)

-1/2 bunch cilantro

-1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

-1/2 cup slivered almonds
-2 Tbsp sesame seeds
-2 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
-1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
-1/8 cup white vinegar
-1 cup vegetable oil
-3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
-1 Tbsp ground cumin
-juice from 1 lime

Quinoa Tabbouleh

My last recipe was Easy Hummus with Cavender's which can't be made without Tabbouleh in my opinion.  I love layering a pita chip with a little hummus and a scoop of tabbouleh to top it off.  This can also be made as a fresh summer side dish.  This specific recipe is made quinoa, an ancient power grain.  If you want to check out another quinoa recipe look at my Light Mexican Quinoa with Tomatoes and Black Beans. 

Ingredients

-2 cups quinoa
-2-3 garlic cloves, minced
-zest of 1 lemon
-juice of 1 lemon
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 pkg grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
-1 smal bunch green onions, chopped
-1 large handful of cilantro, chopped
-1 large cucumber, diced
-salt and pepper

How-To: Growing Sprouts

Did you know you can grow your own sprouts, in your kitchen, in a mason jar?  It's basically that easy and only takes about 10 days until they're ready to be thrown on a salad or sandwich.  The most popular sprout may be alfalfa which is what I grew my first time around.  Come to find out though there are many many different seeds that can sprout into these crunchy edible garnishes.  And each of them have a different flavor whether it be zesty, spicy, earthy, you name it.  You can grow leafy sprouts, bean sprouts, and even nuts! Give it a shot.  You can get sprouting seeds at health food stores including Whole Foods, your local nursery (mine had 3 varieties) or you can order them online from Sprout People.

What you need:


-1 Tbsp of sprouting seeds
-1 quart-size mason jar with ring
-1 - 6 inch x 6 inch square of cheesecloth (I doubled mine in thickness)

Zesty Broccoli Salad

Most people don't like their dorm or sorority food in college, but I found ours to be pretty darn good! I was a Pi Phi at the University of Kansas and our cook, Mary whipped this up every few weeks.  I've been craving this for years and finally found a few recipes, merged them and created my own.  The Pi Phi broccoli salad never had bacon, but it seemed to be a common ingredient in the recipes I stumbled on.  I gave it a shot.  Wow, was it a great idea.

Ingredients: 


-2-3 large heads of broccoli
-6 slices bacon
-1/2 cup sunflower seeds
-1/2 cups golden raisins
-1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
-1 cup light mayo
-3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
-1/4 cup honey
-salt and pepper to taste

Light Ranch Dressing from Cottage Cheese

A fellow friend and food blogger, Hannah from Never Fail to Impress showed me a new and revolutionary way to make my all-time-favorite dressing: Ranch.  I love ranch out of the bottle, but even better is homemade buttermilk ranch.  This is a "skinnier" version than the regular ranch dressing recipe.  People either love or hate cottage cheese, but when blended in this recipe, you'll never even notice it's there!  I served it as a dip with an array of veggies for a fabulously light appetizer.

Ingredients:


-1 packet of dry ranch dressing seasoning packet
-2 cups of low-fat cottage cheese
-1/4 - 1/2 cup of water

Gadgets Needed:


-Food Processor or Blender

Spinach Salad with Cajun Pecans and Poppy Seed Dressing

Have a holiday party coming up and you've been selected to bring a salad? Well this is an easy yet, knock-your-socks off of recipe.  Most of it can be done days in advance so you aren't in a time crunch running out the door.  I brought it to a book club last week and it was a hit.  The dressing is homemade, but very easy if you have a food processor or blender. Also, the recipe makes a TON more dressing than needed for the salad so you will have it for weeks in your fridge.

This recipe was first posted on Tutto Bella Blog.  I was so excited when these three sisters reached out to me to do a guest post.  Their blog is a compilation of weddings, parties, fashion, decor and DIY (and everything in between).  It's truly a great place to get ideas and just raise your spirits! Check them out here!

Ingredients:


-2 bags baby spinach salad
-8 ounces pecans
-1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges (or two smaller ones), drained
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-2 Tbsp cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's)
-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing Ingredients:


-1.5 cups sugar
-1 tsp dry mustard
-3 cups (plus 1 Tbsp) vegetable oil
-1 cup apple cider vinegar
-2 Tbsp chopped white onion
-1.5 Tbsp poppy seeds

Salad Jars

I like salads..especially with fabulous toppings.  The problem is chopping, washing and drying the lettuce EVERY TIME you want a small, quick salad for lunch.  Paula over at Salad in a Jar became the solution to my frustrations.  You only have to prepare your lettuce ONCE and you can enjoy it all week, or even for the next two weeks...yes, that's how long it lasts in these pretty, little, vacuum-sealed mason jars! 


I'm sure you will quickly say, "Ehh, I don't have a vacuum sealing thingy, so this isn't for me".  That's not true.  Yes, they are $150+ at the store, but I found mine on Craigslist for $20, no joke.  Most of them come with the accessory hose, or you can get it from the manufacturer here for $3. The last piece you need is the mason jar attachment(s) found here on Amazon. All mason jars have either a regular or wide-mouth opening. Pick the one that fits your jars or get both, they're only $9.  If you don't have an enormous collection of mason jars and lids (like I do) you can get a pack at Wal-mart or your grocery store. The cute, vintage containers can be used for a lot more than salad containers. Try putting candles in them, a vase for your flowers, or used as lemonade glasses in this summer heat!


Ingredients:


-1 package of romaine lettuce


Equipment Needed:


-6-10 mason jars with lids (2-piece lids)
-FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer
-Accessory Hose
-Wide or Regular Mouth Jar Sealer
-Salad Spinner

Tuscan Panzanella

This is to die for.  I know that doesn't sound too humble, but it wasn't my recipe....so I guess I can say that.  I stumbled upon this in an old cookbook, Easy Summer Food, and happened to have every ingredient on hand.  I keep a well stocked pantry, but that doesn't usually happen! 

Panzanella is a Tuscan dish, hence the title.  It's a salad with crusty bread, roasted tomatoes and other fresh veggies with an olive oil and vinegar dressing. Yum. 

Ingredients:

-6 very ripe tomatoes (you'll notice I was a few short)

-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

-5-6 slices of Italian bread, preferably a few days old

-1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped

-1/4 red onion, chopped

-1 Tbsp chopped Italian/flat leaf parsley

-1/2 cup oliv oil

-2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

-handful of basil, roughly torn

-3 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

-1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

-sea salt and freshly ground pepper