April 26, 2024

Peach-Quinoa Salad

July 7, 2015 by

Recently a friend told me about this delicious ‘rice’ salad that she and her family were enjoying that she purchased from the fresh salad bar at her favorite grocery store.  Well, as it turns out it wasn’t rice (when I questioned her thoroughly) but red quinoa!  Oh, I do love quinoa…so I was quite interested!  Here is my variation on this salad.  You can surely make this ‘your own’ by varying the fresh veggies added, what type of fruit you put in (berries would also be lovely!), the kind of vinaigrette you use (perhaps use your family’s favorite bottled vinaigrette!), and what variety of nuts you sprinkle across the top!  I would love to hear how you changed it up; leave a comment below!

Quinoa <kEEn-wah> is a grain but it is the seed that we eat! (Good news for those who eat low-carb, right?)  And it is jam-packed full of protein.  Have you and your family enjoyed quinoa before?  To find quinoa in your grocery store, check the natural food section, or the rice/pasta aisle.  Usually when I prepare a pot of quinoa, I make extra to use for another meal. Our favorite is ‘red’ quinoa although it also comes in white (or golden), and black variations. Check out these nutritional facts.  This light salad fits well into our ‘healthy but oh-so-yummy’ POV since it has a great vegetable protein base, and lots of fresh veggies and fruit!  Serve it alongside something yummy from the grill—chicken, shrimp, or salmon, for example.  Oh, and if you DO grill…throw the peaches on the grill for 5 minutes or so, too!  Enjoy!

Quinoa, Peach and Arugula Salad

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ingredients:
1 cup red quinoa
1+3/4 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup mango (or orange) juice
1 tablespoon honey, agave, or maple syrup (optional)
2-3 splashes of white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I use jarred)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 cups arugula
2 ripe peaches (or mango), chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 cup cucumber, small dice
handful of sugar snap peas (defrosted from frozen OR fresh)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup nuts (pistachios, pignoli, chopped almonds)
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions:

  • prepare quinoa: bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; add the quinoa, bring back to boil, stir, cover, and then reduce heat to very low and simmer until the water is absorbed (10-15 minutes).  remove from the heat, keep covered, and let sit for 5 minutes.  fluff up with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool2014-08-17 18.59.45 HDR
  • make vinaigrette:  whisk together the juice, garlic, sweetener (if using), balsamic, and s&p; slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk away ‘til thoroughly emulsified. (this can be done in your food processor or using an immersion blender)
  • assemble:  add the veggies, arugula and herbs to the quinoa already in the large mixing bowl; toss together
  • pour 3/4 of the vinaigrette evenly over the mixed salad; toss gently
  • season well with additional s&p to taste
  • top with sliced peaches, nuts, and cheese

♥    ♥    ♥    ♥    ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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At Home with GCH: Broccoli Bacon Salad

May 3, 2013 by

 

Broccoli Bacon Salad

Bacon!  Did that get your attention?  (My husband’s ears always perk up when he hears that word.)  This salad is a family favorite.  I love vegetables of every kind, but it’s nice to take a break from lettuce-based salads.  You probably have everything you need for this salad at home already.  If not, pick up some broccoli and let’s get to it!

Broccoli Bacon Salad

Ingredients:

  • one pound small broccoli florets, about 7 cups
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 4 strips bacon
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar, honey, or other sweetener of choice
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, gently toss together the broccoli, onion, sunflower seeds, and raisins.
  2. Cook the bacon until done – I like it crunchy rather than chewy.  Drain and dice.  Add to the bowl and combine.
  3. Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, and salt and pepper.  Pour over the broccoli mix and toss to combine.  Taste for seasoning – I usually add a little more lemon juice over the top.  Chill for an hour before serving.That’s it!  This salad is nice the next day, too, since the broccoli softens up a bit.

 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipes, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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At Home with GCH: Greek Salad

January 18, 2013 by

Greek Salad

We are big salad eaters at my house.  (And when I say “we”, I mean my husband and I.  My girls won’t go near the lettuce unless it’s shredded in a sandwich, and even then it’s touch and go!)  We’ll have a big salad for dinner at least once a week, sometimes more.  I’m always on the lookout for ways to eat healthier, get more veggies, and eat less refined carbohydrates.  This Greek Salad really fits the bill!

If you’ve made this salad before or had it at a restaurant, you know it’s fresh, bright and simple.  The two things that make it spark and give it that clean taste are the dressing and the cheese.  The dressing is maybe the easiest vinaigrette around—all you need are dried oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil!  Taste it, add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar to taste, and you’re done!  The cheese is a crumbly white cheese called feta.  It tastes sort of like goat cheese, but it’s a little saltier, a little drier in texture.  It’s also very low in calories, so feel free to add a few tablespoons to your salad.

We had this salad last night, in huge bowls, with braised chicken.  If you want to make it a one-dish meal, add diced chicken or grilled shrimp right to the salad.  Healthy and delicious—it’s what’s for dinner!

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced in half, then into half-moons
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced as thin as possible
  • 1/4 cup black olives (I like Kalamata; make sure you buy pitted olives – I hate spitting out the pits!)
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

  1. Make the dressing:  In a small Tupperware cup with a tight-fitting lid, mix together the oregano, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.  Set aside – this gives the oregano time to “bloom” in the lemon juice and release it’s flavor.  If you add the oil too soon, you coat the oregano and it’s flavor won’t be as strong.
  2. Cut the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and wash well.  To compose, fill a large bowl with the lettuce, then top with bell pepper, cucumber, onion, olives, and feta.
  3. Add the oil to the oregano and lemon juice, shake well to combine, and pour over salad.

Notes:  This recipe makes 2 big salads, or  4 side salads.  Many people add tomato to a Greek Salad, and I encourage you to try it out—in the summer, when they are in season.  If you have leftover salad ingredients, this makes a great wrap—just roll it all up in a tortilla and eat like a burrito – especially great with chopped, cooked chicken! 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

Please visit me at Frugal Girlmet for more unique recipes!

If you would like to send Dana a private message in regards to this recipe, please email her at: Dana@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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GCH: What’s on Your Plate? Chicken (or Turkey!) Fajitas Salad

November 22, 2012 by

Happy Thanksgiving!  Chances are, if you live in America, right now you are either preparing the Thanksgiving turkey, eating it, or wrapping up the leftovers!  There are so many great ways to use up leftover turkey, but if you are burned out on your old standbys and are looking for something different, I have the solution to your big bird blahs!

There are two ingredients you may not have in your fridge right now that you need for this salad:  cilantro and chipotles in adobo.  Cilantro, that green leafy herb that imparts a fantastic flavor to many south-of-the-border dishes, should be easy to find in your grocery store.  Make sure you’re buying cilantro and not Italian parsley!  (Trust me, I’ve made this mistake!)  The chipotles in adobo will be in your “ethnic food” aisle at the grocery store.  They come in a small can, a little larger than a can of tomato paste.  These are smoked jalapeño peppers in a spicy red vinegar sauce.  Their smoky, rich taste is incomparable and irreplaceable in many Mexican dishes.  Once you taste them, you’ll never forget them!  They are not too spicy, but provide the perfect kick to everything they touch.  You only need one chipotle pepper in this recipe, so transfer the rest to a Tupperware container and stash them in your fridge – they last for a few months since they are already smoked and soaking in vinegar.  Blend one up and add to your next batch of chili!

Everything else should be easy to procure.  This recipe makes two large dinner salads, or 4 or 5 side salads.  I serve this with chips and salsa, but feel free to supplement with whatever other Thanksgiving leftovers you have handy.  Rolls or garlic bread would be welcome (but maybe save the pumpkin pie for later.)

Chicken (or Turkey!) Fajitas Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (and about a teaspoon of the sauce)
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro (use the upper stems too, but discard the lower, tougher stems)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • juice of 1/2 lemon (or more … I like more!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 large onion, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 zucchini, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, shredded
  • 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons salsa (optional)
  • large bag of salad greens – romaine is best, but regular old spring mix is fine too

Directions:

  1. Toast the cumin seeds over medium heat for a few minutes until they get a little darker and start smelling delicious.  When toasted, grind in food processor or pulverize in mortar and pestle.  (You could use pre-ground cumin, but please look into  buying the whole seeds!)
  2. With cumin in the food processor, add chipotle and a little adobo sauce, garlic, cilantro, mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, salt and sugar.  Buzz to combine.  Taste for seasoning – too spicy?  Add more mayo or yogurt.  Too tart?  Add a pinch more sugar.  Put the dressing in the refrigerator while you cook the veggies.
  3. Add a little oil or butter to a large pan.  Add the sliced onions and sauté until golden, then add the peppers and zucchini.  Cook until hot and tasty (not for too long, don’t let them get mushy!)  If you have any leftovers, these are amazing mixed with scrambled eggs and a little cheese.
  4. To serve:  Lettuce on the bottom, top with hot veggies and shredded chicken or turkey, and dress liberally with the chipotle dressing.  Scatter some avocado over the top, dot with salsa and dig in!

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

Please visit me at Frugal Girlmet for more unique recipes!

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GCH:What’s on Your Plate? – Roasted Winter Veggies & Broccoli Craisin Salad!

November 19, 2012 by

Thanksgiving week!  Oh boy…here we go!  Don’t you just love it?  I do.  My favorite foods on the table are always the side dishes.  So this week I am going to share two recipes.  Maybe one of them might even end up on your table this year!  Both of these recipes also fall into the healthy but oh-so-yummy category, too!

The first recipe is for Roasted Winter Veggies.  I love roasted veggies…the melange of colors, and textures, and flavors; the nicely caramelized bits; the few little pieces that hover just this side of burnt!  Making roasted veggies is a very forgiving recipe, too.  I have the veggies ready to go into the oven the moment the turkey comes out to rest and be carved.* There are a few basic ingredients; but then you can add and subtract to your heart’s content.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeded and peeled

1 large Vidalia onion, peeled

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes  (or 4-5 medium red potatoes), peeled

1 bag (12-16 ounces) carrot chips (or baby carrots)

1# brussel sprouts, trim end off and remove outer leaves (if large, cut in half)

1 small head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1+1/2″ florets

12 ounce pkg Baby Bella mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned; cut into appropriate size

3 medium red beets, peeled (rinse your hands after handling the beets..unless you like a pink tint to your nails and fingers!)

1 tablespoon each: sea salt,  freshly ground pepper

 

Directions: Prep the veggies, washing anything that needs it. Place two really large low-sided roasting pans (sometimes called cookie sheets with sides) into the oven and preheat oven to 425. Cut everything into approximately 1+1/2″ pieces; don’t cut the veggies too small as all they will shrink a bit while roasting. Just try and have everything fairly close to the same size.

Place all the veggies, EXCEPT for the beets, into a really large bowl (or stockpot). Pour most of the oil over the veggies (add the rest if necessary), add salt &pepper, then gently mix together making sure to thoroughly coat each piece of veggie. Pour onto the heated pans. Then place the cut-up beets into the bowl stirring to coat, and add them to the veggies on the roasting pans. It is important that the veggies are not piled up on one another. You do not want them to steam but to roast.  They should be in a single layer. It might be very snug but they will shrink slightly as they roast.

Roast for 30-35 minutes ‘til the most dense veggies are done when poked with a fork.  I like to <attempt> to turn the veggies over after the first 15 minutes; that way more sides of each piece will caramelize; yum.  Be fairly quick during this turning process as you don’t want to leave the oven open very long!  Once you have determined that they are done, remove from oven.  Turn off the oven.   Carefully taste, adding additional salt and pepper (I always add more!) and place into your serving bowl.  <3

A few other things to keep in mind:

If you are preparing this recipe…and there is nothing else in the oven…follow the directions in the recipe.  HOWEVER, if you are making this on Thanksgiving Day: put the pans into the oven for about 10 minutes before you take the turkey out.  Then while the bird is resting, and being carved, and the gravy is being made, the veggies can be roasting. When the turkey is removed, bump the heat up to 425.  Fill the heated pans, and place them back into the oven.  Roast the veggies for approximately 30-35 minute, check that the densest veggies are done and, if so, remove the pans from the oven and turn off the oven.

At this point, if the meal is not ready to be brought to the table, place the veggies into a serving dish, and place back into the oven ‘til you are ready to go. Other veggies to consider: asparagus, broccoli, parsnips, sweet potatoes, fingerlings, fennel. Leftover roasted veggies?  (Hard to believe, but…) Use them as the key ingredients to roasted veggie lasagna, roasted veggie chowder, roasted veggie omelet or frittata, roasted veggie burritos…the list could go on and on.  These are particular dishes I have made.  How kind would you be to yourself but to have one of these chosen as a quick and easy meal to come home to after Christmas shopping-til-you-drop?

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

And here is the recipe for the second side dish: Broccoli-Craisin Salad.  This is a beautiful raw salad, a very healthy but oh-so-yummy addition to the side dish array on your Thanksgiving Day table.  It has a slightly smoky (from the bacon), slightly sweet (from the honey), slightly tart (from the vinegar), very mellow taste.  I have had MANY supposed broccoli haters be prompted to try just one tiny taste…only to find they enjoy it and come back for more!  We enjoy this salad all year long!  Hoping that your family enjoys it, too!

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli crowns, cut into small florets*

1/2 pkg Craisins (dried cranberries)

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2  cup sour cream

1/4 cup honey, warmed

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup sunflower seeds

freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, and vinegar; set aside. In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Take mayo mixture and pour over broccoli mixture, tossing gently to thoroughly coat. I pour the dressed mixture into a large zip-top bag to go into the fridge.  Every once in a while, give the bag a flip-over and a couple of squeezes to massage the yumminess all around!

Then when your meal is ready to go onto the table, just pour the salad out into a serving bowl.  Easy-peasy!

Should be prepared at least 4 hours beforehand, up to 8 hours or so. Just prior to serving, stir in the sunflower seeds and ground pepper to taste.

* The biggest hint I can offer to you for this salad is to cut the broccoli florets as small as you possibly can.  I consider it a labor of love and, oh, so worth it!  It is MUCH more palatable to have little florets in your mouth as you munch on this salad rather than a large hunk of broccoli!  Trust me!  You can do the chopping ahead of time, even a day or so, and simply store in the fridge. 😉

Honestly, I have been known to sit in front of the television while doing it! <3

Have a wonderful, thanks-filled Thanksgiving Day! May we each always remember how very much we have to be thankful for and give thanks to the One Who so perfectly and abundantly and graciously provides for our every need!

Psalms 30:12

To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. <3

God loves you!  and I do too.

Coleen <3

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