Morning,
I want to be sure to let all of you know that the salads that follow are not original to me. They are mixed around and switched from a bunch of recipes. If you want to get the originals, feel free to ask. I don't use measuring spoons or cups, I go by the look of it. Does it look like it needs more, then add some more. Eating is done with the eyes, the nose and the mouth. Also, most ingredients can be found at Aldi's, some at Trader Joes and some at main grocery stores. Otherwise, here are my versions:
Strawberry Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1pint strawberries (cut up to your prefered size) Aldi's
1 pint blueberries (can skip) Aldi's
1 can chicken (shredded with fork) Aldi's
sunflower seeds for crunch (maybe 1/3 cup) Aldi's
some basil ( I just shoke it in for some color, but the added flavor is awesome) Aldi's
spinach for the base (I like my spinach cut up real small to match the size of the fruit) Aldi's
Dressing:
2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
OR
any low-fat, low-sugar balsamic vinagrette (I use Maple Groves Farms Gluten Free Sugar Free Fat Free Balsamic Vinagrette) Schnucks
Directions:
Dump all of it in a bowl and mix. This was really good on day two also. This could also be frozen if desired)
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Mexican Salad
Ingredients
1 can black beans rinsed Aldi's
1 can garbanzo beans rinsed Aldi's or Trader Joe's
2 green onions (use the white part as well) main grocery stores
1 lime Aldi's
salsa to taste or rotel Aldi'sblack olives chopped Aldi's
greek yogurt Trader Joe's or sour cream Aldi's
tortilla chips Aldi's
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in bowl and serve. Can be used as a dip or as a salad. If you want it as a dip, try blending the garbanzo and black beans together with some salsa and greek yogurt. You can blend it as much or as little as you want. Use the yogurt sparingly at first to see the consistency.
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Quinoa (keen-wah)
This can be cooked in many liquids. Each liquid will change the flavor slightly, and is fun to play with. You can also use plain old water and add seasoning that match with what you are going to use it with. OR, just water so it can go in multiple dishes.
Many people rinse their quinoa, and that is recommended, but I don't have a strainer small enough for the little tiny balls, so I just don't. And nobody has died yet!! haha
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Bring to a boil, then simmer til water is gone. You can make your quinoa as soft or not so soft (not my favorite) as you want, the same as rice.
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Tabbouleh (ta-boo-lee)
*this is normally made with bulgar**
Here is what I made on Wednesday:
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa Trader Joe's
1 cucumber Aldi's
1 avocado Aldi's
light italian dressing to taste Aldi's
salt
lemon Aldi's
Directions:
half avocado, slice in the skin, spoon out the slices into the quinoa
peel cucumber and chop or slice
chop green onions
mix dressing in
then add lemon to taste
more traditional
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa cooked Trader Joe's or main grocery stores in grain aisle
tomatoes (cut small or grape tomatoes cut in half) Aldi's
2 green onions (use the white part as well) main grocery stores
olive oil to taste Aldi's
lemon to taste Aldi's
salt and pepper to taste
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Warm Greek Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa cooked
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled Aldi's
10-15 Kalamata olives Trader Joe's
2 green onions chopped Aldi's
Dressing:
2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
OR
any low-fat, low-sugar balsamic vinagrette (I use Maple Groves Farms Gluten Free Sugar Free Fat Free Balsamic Vinagrette) Schnucks
Lemon is a key for this. You really need the acid to bring together all the flavors.
Directions:
feta can be bought crumbled or blocks. no worries, just crumble up the block yourself. Sam's has excellent feta at a great price if you will use this alot. Otherwise Aldi's and Trader Joe's has the best price for the small amount. and it tastes great.
kalamata's can be purchased anywhere. I bought just the amount I needed at the salad bar, but also use Trader Joe's and they last a long time.
Mix all of this and stir.
********Please note: I am a person who tosses in what looks good, so forgive me if I left anything off that we covered on Wednesday. Does it look like it will work? Try it!!!*************
Monday, August 8, 2011
a few recipes I like
This is a paper I made up for the ladies at my church. I will send my revised version in a minute. The links should be available for everyone that I used.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE SALAD!!!!
There are different varieties of lettuce, such as iceberg, leaf, spinach, escarole, romaine, or butter. The darker lettuces offer more vitamins than pale iceberg, for example. Spinach has iron, and all varieties are low in calories. One cup of shredded lettuce has about 5 to 10 calories.
Types of Lettuce:
Red-tip leaf lettuce has a tender, sweet, delicate flavor that makes it versatile for many types of green salads.
Radicchio is bitter and peppery-tasting when eaten alone, but small amounts add a nice accent to other greens.
Spinach has a mildly hearty flavor and is often used raw in salads.
Swiss chard has large stems with a delicate flavor similar to celery; leaves have a hearty spinach-like flavor.
Romaine has large, crisp leaves and a slightly sharp flavor that make this the classic lettuce for Caesar salad.
Curly endive has a mildly bitter flavor and adds visual interest to salads.
Arugula has a peppery, pungent flavor that is an ideal contrast when mixed with milder greens.
Strawberry Balsamic Salad with Basil and Feta
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 cups sliced strawberries
2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese
Directions:
1. Place sliced strawberries in a medium bowl. Drizzle strawberries with balsamic vinegar. Stir until strawberries are well coated.
2. Sprinkle fresh basil over the strawberries. Add feta cheese and stir.
3. Serve cold.
This delicious recipe brought to you by Two Peas & Their Pod
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/strawberry-balsamic-salad-with-basil-and-feta/
Chicken and Berry Salad
3 ounce skinless chicken breast - grilled, chopped, and chilled
- 1 cup each - blueberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries
- 1/3 cup each - raw chopped green beans, carrots and red peppers
- 1 cup chopped lettuce
- 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 Tbsp fat-free Italian salad dressing
(55g carbohydrate, 380 calories, 12% calories from fat)
http://diabetes.about.com/od/dieticianapprovedrecipes/a/summersalads.htm
GRAINS IN YOUR SALAD, OR AS YOUR SALAD
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Great Grain Side Dishes
Here’s a collection of grain side dishes that can be enjoyed as they are, beefed up with protein for lunch or dinner, or stuffed and baked into large bell peppers for an exciting vegetarian entrée. |
http://www.weightwatchers.com/templates/print.aspx?PageId=1205071&PrintFlag=yes&previewDate=7/12/2011
Quinoa and Spinach
Weight Watchers Recipe
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| Course: side dishes PointsPlus™ Value: 3 Servings: 8 Preparation Time: 12 min Cooking Time: 25 min Level of Difficulty: Easy |
| Quinoa’s delicate flavor pairs well with spinach. Since it’s not an actual grain, it makes an excellent Passover side dish. |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add quinoa to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until quinoa starts to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add broth, black pepper and red pepper flakes to skillet; bring to a boil. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low and simmer for 13 minutes; stir in spinach. Cover skillet and cook until spinach and quinoa are tender and liquid is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes; season with salt. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.
- *To rinse quinoa, place quinoa in a fine wire-mesh sieve. Place in sink and set under cold running water until water runs clear; shake off excess liquid.
Quinoa is available in the grain or natural food section of the supermarket.
Warm Barley Salad
Weight Watchers Recipe
| |
| |
| Course: side dishes PointsPlus™ Value: 6 Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 12 min Level of Difficulty: Easy |
| This simple side dish makes a wonderful accompaniment to any spring meal. The combination of salty capers and feta, and slightly sweet vinaigrette is fantastic. |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium-size pot; stir in barley and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 10 minutes. (There may still be some water in the pot. If so, cover the barley and set it aside for 10 minutes for the liquid to be absorbed. Or you can drain the barley).
- Spoon cooked barley into a serving bowl; add cheese, capers, dill, scallions, vinaigrette, pepper and lemon zest. Stir gently but well; serve warm. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.
Notes
- Oregano and chives are also delicious in this salad. Replace the dill weed and scallions with a quarter teaspoon of dried crushed oregano and two tablespoons of minced chives.
For extra flavor and color, consider stirring two cups of torn baby spinach leaves into the salad just before serving and increase the dressing to taste (could affect PointsPlus values).
From Amanda Sodam:
Fruit Crisp
(Modified recipe from The Joy of Cooking)Filling:
2 bag of frozen berries
1 bag of frozen peaches
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
Butter your pan. Then mix the filling ingredients inside the pan. Fruit does not need to be thawed.
Topping:
1 stick of butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ to 1 tsp cinnamon
About 2/3 cup oats
About 1/3 cup chopped pecans (you can definitely add more if you want)
Mix all the dry ingredients together really well. The recipe says to cut in solid butter, but I just melt it, pour it over and mix it in. Cutting in butter is often too much work. Crumble over filling.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and hot. Serve warm with ice cream or honey Greek yogurt.
| Microwave Popcorn | |
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"Believe it or not, you can make your own delicious, low-fat microwave popcorn using standard popping corn and a brown paper lunch bag. It works perfectly."
Ingredients:
| 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn 1 teaspoon vegetable oil | 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste |
Directions:
| 1. | In a cup or small bowl, mix together the unpopped popcorn and oil. Pour the coated corn into a brown paper lunch sack, and sprinkle in the salt. Fold the top of the bag over twice to seal in the ingredients. |
| 2. | Cook in the microwave at full power for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, or until you hear pauses of about 2 seconds between pops. Carefully open the bag to avoid steam, and pour into a serving bowl. |
| ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com | Printed from Allrecipes.com 7/13/2011 |
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/microwave-popcorn/detail.aspx
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