Moroccan Salmon Salad

Yikes! This recipe is from May - still editing photos, eek! - but it's a great to time to share it. The flavors are so unexpected and refreshing! Such a great meal to kick off your week, and so very simple to do. Thanks to Jourdan for posting this, and for Ally, who gave her the original recipe!

Moroccan Salmon Salad
Recipe by Whole New Mom, via Jourdan Leigh in the Kitchen
Serves 2

Crispy Avocado BLT Salad

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, much like this recipe. Crispy Avocado is fantastic. And easy. And going to be making many appearances in the coming months, thanks to this amazing salad. The drizzle and dressing compliment all the tasty treats in this perfectly. The entire salad came together in less than 15 minutes. Do yourself a favor, and put this on your list to make this week!

Crispy Avocado BLT Salad
Recipe by soufflebombay, via Tasty Kitchen
Serves 2

Southwestern Steak Salad

 

I have a fantastic and fast recipe to share with you today. As a former salad-hater, I understand the "meh" feeling that can come from seeing a recipe for rabbit food (or, "cow food", to my dear husband!). However, I learned that the key is to include lots of colorful ingredients and whip up an easy, homemade dressing. I promise, it makes all the difference!

The dressing on this salad is unbelievable and was so surprising. It is a bit spicy, but you can turn down the heat by reducing or omitting the canned chipotle chiles. I have terrible heartburn, but this salad was so good I couldn't help but dig in. This would be great for a relaxing night at home or for entertaining a group. Enjoy!

Southwestern Steak Salad

Recipe via Jourdan Leigh in the Kitchen, adapted from Martha Stewart

serves 2-4

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Wasabi Vinaigrette

I feel like a blogging machine this week! I've been so excited about all the tasty new recipes that I've tried - and sunlight past 6pm! I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - or day! - and could not be happier. Hopefully this will continue and you'll see more frequent posts heading your way.

This salad was fantastic. I mean, really, really good. I adapted this recipe from Rachael Ray and absolutely loved the flavor combination. John told me right away that I needed to "add it to the rotation" and not to let him forget about it. Sometimes I go through phases where I make tons of new recipes that we love, and then we completely forget about them. I guess I should peruse my own previous posts more often, huh? :)

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Wasabi Vinaigrette
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
Serves 2-4, depending on portions (we used 1/2 tuna steak each to lighten it up) 

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

This definitely goes on the best meals/salads EVER list. John and I could not get enough of this salad! It was filled with flavors and had a wonderful crunch to it. We gobbled it up immediately and then made even more the same week. Not to sound obsessive, but it's on the meal plan for this week...again. Jessica has certainly outdone herself again, and I cannot recommend this recipe enough!

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad
Recipe by How Sweet, via Jourdan Leigh in the Kitchen
Serves about 4

Seared Scallop Salad w/ Orange Champagne Vinaigrette

As I hinted at here, there is not much to say about this salad other than it is fantastic. I almost flinch as I type that because I used to be the person rolling her eyes after someone told me about a "great" salad. However, as I've developed better eating habits I've come to appreciate a really flavorful and filling salad. Even John raved about it - "Mmmm, good cow food!" (aka "rabbit food")

The original recipe for this, courtesy of Skinnytaste, used grapefruit instead of orange. I found orange champagne vinegar for a couple dollars at Trader Joe's, and John isn't the biggest grapefruit fan, so the modification were perfect for us. I do apologize for the lack of step-by-step pictures, but I think you'll find this recipe easy to follow. This came together in a flash, in part thanks to how quickly scallops cook, and is a perfect summer meal.

Seared Scallop Salad w/ Orange Champagne Vinaigrette 
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste
Serves 2-4, depending on portions

BBQ Chicken Salad

Happy first day of summer! In honor of this glorious day, I decided to make a yummy salad that screamed summer to me. And let me tell you, this salad is one of the best I've had. Well, that John and I have both had, because he raved about it all night.

This salad is packed with so much flavor, that even 3 hours after eating, I'm still satisfied and quite full. Though, full disclosure, I did have some PBF saltine sandwiches for dessert. Anyoo...I guarantee you and your family will love this. It is filling and beyond tasty. We're already planning to have it for lunch tomorrow!

PS: Do yourself a favor, and make it with the blue cheese vinaigrette. Jackpot!

BBQ Chicken Salad
Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod, via Jourdan Leigh in the kitchen
Serves 2

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

This is the delightful dressing that I paired with this fantastic BBQ Chicken Salad. I made a few modifications to the original recipe to lighten it up a bit, and we thought it tasted great. And by great, I mean super fantastic. Wow! I will definitely plan to use this with some other salads this summer. Thank goodness it was just two of us so we have leftovers for more salads this week. Yum! :)

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette 
Recipe adapted from Two Peas in Their Pod, via Jourdan Leigh in the kitchen
Serves about 8

I'm here!

Hi, strangers! 

I promise I am still alive and well. I have missed blogging, but I have also loved taking a little break from just about everything. I haven't blogged. I haven't worked on school-related things (besides a few emails). I haven't even cooked too much, unless salads suddenly count. And you know what? It's been nice.

Hoosh has really enjoyed the extra "mommy time." She has been my little shadow, even when I'm doing laundry and running around the apartment. Not gonna lie, I love it.

I've missed this little blog and all of you, so I'm back. At least until I go on vacation in less than two weeks...woooo!!!

Okay, I'm done.

So, some things I plan to catch you up on over the next few posts...

That frittata recipe that I promised you...umm almost forever ago.

John's Aunt Lori's awesome surprise party hosted by John's mom and her lovely sisters.

My salad spree lately - lots of good ones!

One of the best, and I mean BEST, chicken recipes ever. It is also one of the easiest

And, finally, and most excitedly for me at this moment...we bought a (almost) new car!!!!

Lots to come, friends, so stay tuned! :)

How have you been doing? Enjoying summer? Vacation? Would you like to see one post sooner than another? I'd love to hear how you're doing and what you're interested in reading about.

WIAW: Girls Dinner!

Well it's safe to say that I've been pretty absent from my normal weekly posts, including What I Ate Wednesday and my Fit Fridays post. If any fellow teachers are reading this, you probably understand my lack of time has been due to all the crazy end-of-the year events and projects to finish. We're done a week from tomorrow, but I feel like there are a million things to do before then - field day, 8th grade graduation, report cards, curriculum orders, class lists...I could go on.

Anyway, I thought I'd jump back on the bandwagon so here goes. This is from yesterday (as most my WIAW posts are from my Tuesday eats). If you're looking for more good eats, head on over to Jenn's blog and see some of the others!

Breakfast: I was dragging this morning. Like whoa. So, I didn't get a nice egg sandwich. Instead I grabbed a yogurt on my way out the door. It was tasty as always, but I've become quite attached to my egg sandwiches.

Lunch: Thank goodness for leftovers! Lunch was a breeze to grab since I already put leftovers together from dinner last night. We had some rockin' salads, with lots of goodies. The salad included: baby spinach, romaine, tomatoes, bell peppers (red, green and yellow), avocado, cucumber, pine nuts and feta. I topped with my favorite homemade dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic & dijon mustard), and it was just packed with flavor. I had some sliced strawberries on the side to satisfy my ever-present sweet tooth.

Snack: Grazer alert! I had a handful of pretzels and almonds sometime after getting home from changing my blow out of a tire. I will post a picture soon, but right now it's not on my computer, and I'm too tired to find it!

Dinner: One of my favorite nights of the month! My Indy girlfriends (and sorority sisters) get together once a month for a "girls dinner." We rotate hosting duties each month, and a different girl brings sides, dessert, appetizers and/or wine/beer. We talk, eat, laugh and have a blast together. It's one of the highlights of my month! Love, love these girls!

Ally hosted tonight's dinner, and it was a fabulous spread. You can see all I noshed on, plus her amazing decorations and hosting skills at work. So grateful for my wonderful friends!

appetizers! boursin + gouda + table water crackers | cucumber + feta + deliciousness wraps

Beautiful table spread!

The fabulous dinner! Chicken (will make and post recipe ASAP!) + roasted potatoes + sauteed veggies |
plus salad with homemade greek yogurt dressing...and the CUTEST owl salt and pepper shakers!
Ally loves salt and pepper shakers ;)

some of the lovely details

girls!

Jourdan's delicious strawberry shortcake!

Chopped Chicken Salad

 
I used to hate salads. Well, not so much the salad as what it represented: people who weren't eating real food because they were on a diet. Speaking of which, I really dislike the word diet, too. It just sounds so... constricting. Who likes to feel constricted? More so, I have an issue with salads that aren't enough to satisfy you for your whole meal.

This is not one of those salads.

Let me tell you - this salad was amazing! So full of flavor and filling. I'm not one to go on and on about how great salads are (because I used to loathe those people and think they were lying to themselves, see above), but this is good. Especially when you top it with a homemade Lightened-Up Blue Cheese Dressing.

Chopped Chicken Salad
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp
Serves 2-4, depending on portions
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Ingredients:
*2 cups baby spinach
*8 romaine leaves, chopped
*2 chicken breasts, cooked (I poached mine and it was perfect!) and sliced into bite-size chunks
*3 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
*2 roma tomatoes, chopped
*1 avocado, seeded and chopped
*1/2 cup green beans, cooked (I roasted mine, see below)

Preparation:
If poaching your chicken, see this post on how to do it. It's easy and a super healthy way to cook it - no oils or frying required!

If roasting your green beans, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss green beans with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast until crisp. Anywhere from 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven. 

*Toss spinach, romaine, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, avocado and green beans in a large bowl, making sure ingredients are evenly distributed. 


*Serve in individual bowls or plates and top with your favorite dressing. I used my Lightened-Up Blue Cheese Dressing.

Some of the fixings

ready to be served

close up

leftover lunch! with lightened-up blue cheese dressing :)

Niçoise Salad

Happy new year (a few days late)! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and I am back to blogging (have you noticed?)! I kind of fell off the map as we got to Christmas break because we were so busy getting ready and traveling for the holidays. We went to Lexington to watch John's sister graduate from college, and we also went to Chicago for several days to see my family. We made it back late Christmas night in time to celebrate with John's family. We had a truly wonderful holiday.

However, in going home to Chicago I indulged way too much with all the amazing home cooking! I definitely needed to get back on track with working out and eating healthy (while indulging in moderation!), as I mentioned in my post about Resolutions. This salad was a great start to getting back to my routine.

I adapted this recipe from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible. John's mom saw this in Napa and grabbed it for me because there is a picture of every single dish! She knows how I love having pictures of food before I make it (and after as you can clearly tell!), and this book was perfect! It was so many yummy recipes that I'm going to be trying out in the near future. Not to mention it gives you great step-by-step tips for things like how to make an omelet, cooking meat, etc.

I changed up this recipe to meet our taste preferences and also to use what I had in the fridge. I am very glad I changed the dressing up, too, because it was perfect! Such a nice and filling dish without being heavy. John texted me at work to tell me "That was a good salad! I legit really liked it! GREAT dressing!" So there you have it. Perfect way to get on track for the new year. Cheers!

Niçoise Salad
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp; Adapted from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible
Serves 4, depending on portions
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Ingredients:
*lettuce (I used a whole bag of spring mix, but romaine would be nice too)
*2 tuna steaks
*3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced in half
*6 asparagus spears, cooked & sliced in half (original recipe calls for green beans)
*8-10 fresh basil leaves
*grape tomatoes, sliced in half (I didn't have these but it's in original recipe and would be great)
*1/2 cup olive oil
*2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
*1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
*1 clove garlic, minced
*2 tsps. dijon mustard
*salt and pepper

Preparation:
*Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan (my burners were on medium-high). 

*Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper on both sides of tuna steaks. Grill tuna -for about 2-2 1/2 minutes on each side. You want the inside to be warm but light pink.

*For dressing: Combine vinegar, garlic and dijon mustard in a small bowl using a whisk. Once combined, slowly add olive oil, whisking as you pour. 

*Toss lettuce, basil, asparagus, tomatoes and dressing together. Add hard boiled egg slices to each salad bowl/plate, and top with tuna steak.

*Enjoy!

first side done! (thankful for the hubby fanning our smoke detector because this grill pan smokes up the place!)

Note: If you use one of these cute olive oil holders, it will take forever to pour it into this cup and your arm might feel like falling off after completing a circuit arm workout leaving your arms feeling like jello.

dressing!

dressing is on, ready to toss

ta-da! tomatoes would make this so much prettier...

mmm

salad without tuna!

I put my tuna on the side and picked up a bite before each bite of salad. Perfect!

Guacamole Salad

All I had to do was see a picture of this in Barefoot Contessa At Home (thanks again, Aunt Em!), and know that I wanted to make this asap. Not to mention my new obsession with Trader Joe's and its cheap produce! I thought I would eat this as a salad, or use it as a dip with tortilla chips. I did both. Because it was so tasty. And filling! But, if you look at the ingredients, guilt-free. I meant to serve this as an appetizer but it was so filling I at it as my entire meal. John said he'd never thought a salad smelled so good!

Guacamole Salad
Recipe by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)
Serves 4-6 for entree (depending on portions) or more for appetizer
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Ingredients:
*1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
*1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced
*(I also added 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced)
*1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
*1/2 cup small-diced red onion (I used 1/2 red onion)
*2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers (I skipped this)
*1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
*1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
*1/4 cup olive oil
*1 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp ground black pepper
*1/2 tsp minced garlic
*1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
*2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

Preparation:
*Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, (jalapeno peppers if you're doing this), and lime zest in a large bowl.


*Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss well.

*Just before you're ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature (with chips, if you want!).

First batch of ingredients. Look how bright and colorful!

Mixed and ready for dressing and avocados!

Loooove avocado

Beautiful! And delicious! And healthy!

And for the record the avocado stayed nice and green overnight. I ate this for lunch today, and my avocados looked great. I suggest saving the pit and storing it with that, because it helps the avocado keep its color (in addition to the lime juice).

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken

Continuing my quest for healthy living (I went for a run before work the past two days!), I started looking up some options for lunches that would be easy to bring to school and eat during my limited lunch break. Otherwise, I might be tempted to get a quick drive-thru meal or go for the vending machines, neither of which would be a great idea. My friend Jourdan told me about this website "Eating Well" and all the great recipes it has. It's where I got the recipe for that Pimiento Cheese and Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breasts that were oh-so-delicious.

Anyhoo, the second I got to the website I saw a dish I immediately wanted to try. This chopped Greek salad with chicken looked absolutely yummy and perfect for lunch. I have to admit, I began typing this blog post before I even made the dish! I also made a few modifications. I don't care for olives, so I added some pine nuts for a little extra flavor. I also used grape tomatoes instead of regular ones, and I halved the recipe (shown below).

Let me tell you, this salad was amazingggg. When I brought it to the table the hubby said, "That smells really good, which is strange to say about a salad!" He was a little skeptical of the dressing, too, but once he tasted a bit he spooned it all over his salad. I am so glad I made extra of this because I am going to have it for lunch tomorrow! Actually, I'm thinking this salad will become a weekly staple and perfect quick lunch...This salad is filling, satisfying, and delicious. Try it ASAP!!

Ingredients:

*1/3 cup red-wine vinegar

*2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

*1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

*1 teaspoon garlic powder

*1/4 teaspoon salt

*1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

*3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

*1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

*3/4 container of grape tomatoes, sliced in fourths or halves

*1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

*1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
*2 tablespoons pine nuts
*1/3 cup red onion, diced or finely chopped

Preparation:

*Prepare chicken (unless you have some leftover or store-bought).

For healthiest chicken, poach: Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan. Add lightly salted water (or chicken broth) to cover and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.     

        

*Whisk vinegar, oil, dill (or oregano), garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

*Combine lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, pine nuts and feta; toss to coat.

*Spoon dressing over your servings of salad (I prefer to do this because if you have leftovers it keeps the lettuce and veggies crisp and soggy from dressing. You can also toss the whole salad in the dressing if serving it all).

*This is a wonderful low-calorie meal so enjoy it! YUM!

Very finely diced red tomato.

Peeled and seeded, ready to be chopped.

Let the mixing begin!

All mixed up, just waiting for the dressing.

Nice. Salad. I don't say this often.

Did I mention this was a horrible salad?

Low-Fat Waldorf Chicken Wraps

Remember how I said I was working toward a healthy lifestyle? Well, I've got a great recipe for you chicken salad lovers that will leave you guilt-free! I got this recipe from an episode of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. Because I love you all so much I spent time searching the Food Network website to find her exact recipe, which you can find here. I didn't make mine exactly the same way, so I'm including the directions for my way below.

This is such a refreshing and light yet filling dish. Instead of the traditional mayonnaise-heavy chicken salad, this substitutes Greek yogurt. You get the creaminess you want without all the extra fat. It's perfect to make for lunch, and if you don't like wraps you can eat it all by its lonesome. I dished it up with some toasted pita and it was yummy. Experiment as you like!

Ingredients:
*3/4 cups nonfat Greek-style yogurt
*2 tablespoons mayonnaise
*1 tablespoon lemon juice
*2 teaspoons dijon mustard
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon minced thyme
*1 pound grilled, skinless chicken breasts, sliced or cubed
*1/2 cup seedless grapes, sliced in 1/2
*1/4 cup toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts
*1 medium apple, cored and diced (about 3/4 cup)
*Freshly ground black pepper
*large lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry
*whole wheat wraps, about 8 inches in diameter

Preparation:
*If you haven't bought grilled chicken breasts, go ahead and grill some up on your grill pan or actual grill. Allow chicken to rest before you dice or slice it.

*In a small bowl, comnbine Greek-style yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and thyme until smooth. Fold in chicken, grapes, walnuts and apples. Season with pepper.

*Place 1 lettuce leaf on a wrap. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the chicken filling onto the wrap and roll around filling. Enjoy!

Ready for the dressing

Dressing! I bet this would be great with a tuna salad, too.

All mixed up! It looks heavy on the dressing, but because it's primarily yogurt it does not taste that way at all.

Voila!