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Berry Pecan Salad – Easy & Delicious Salad For Anytime!

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Berry Pecan SaladOnly have five minutes to whip up a tasty lunch? You don’t have to settle for a tiny meal bar or endure another boring sandwich. With just a few ingredients you can throw together a Berry Pecan Salad that’s loaded with big, fresh flavor!

This is one of my all time favorite salads. The sweet and tangy ingredients combine for a flavor explosion. While this is a meat free meal, I promise that with all the big flavors you’ll feel satisfied and won’t miss the meat at all. The cheese, nuts and fruits make this a hearty favorite that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

There’s no measurements required. Simply toss in your desired amounts of strawberries, blueberries, praline pecans and goat cheese over your favorite lettuce. Then a drizzle of dressing is the final touch for an amazing salad that is the ultimate light and healthy meal that’s ready in just minutes!

Berry Pecan Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • Spring Mix
  • Strawberries
  • Bluberries
  • Goat Cheese
  • Praline Pecans
  • Raspberry Hazelnut Dressing
Instructions
  1. Toss all salad ingredients together and drizzle with dressing.

I think it’s perfect with a raspberry hazelnut dressing, but if you want to cut the sweetness, try the salad with a balsamic vinaigrette instead.

Southwestern Brussels Sprout Slaw

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Brussels Sprouts Slaw-
Don’t you hate when you go in your fridge to grab something and it’s gone?!

With the St. Patrick’s Day sales, I picked up two heads of cabbage. I made a batch of Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with one of the heads of cabbage. I went to grab that last one and it was gone! I forgot that I used to make Roasted Cabbage “Steaks” as a side dish for my chicken the other night.

I was bummed as I had already started some Southwest Crockpot Chicken and had planned to do a make ahead slaw for quick and easy tacos. I needed a dinner that I could come home and assemble as we only had 20 minutes to eat between tutoring, karate and baseball. I started going through my fridge looking for hidden lettuce, maybe some spinach…anything fresh to go with that chicken!

I didn’t find any lettuce but I did have a big bag of Brussels Sprouts! I actually bought them to try my hand at recreating a delicious side dish that I recently had at a local restaurant called Clyde’s. It was a warm mixture of greens, kale and Brussels Sprouts. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Well…I started thinking that maybe I could whip up a slaw using the Brussels Sprouts in place of the cabbage. Hey…they look similar – right?

Holy moly – my Southwestern Brussels Sprout Slaw was amazing. I didn’t even bother to tell my guys that it wasn’t cabbage. The slaw had the perfect crunch that you’d expect and gave those tacos that fresh taste that was just perfect!

I think next time I make my tacos, I might actually choose to do the Brussels Sprouts Slaw!

sliced brussels sprouts

Southwestern Brussels Sprout Slaw
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1½ tablespoons sugar
  • 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 pound Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and finely sliced
  • ¼ cup red onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Make the dressing by whisking the oil, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, cumin, chili powder and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Cut the tough stems from the Brussels Sprouts then thinly slice crosswise to create thin ribbons.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the sliced Brussels Sprouts, red onion, bell pepper and cilantro.
  4. Toss with the dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

 

Asian Ramen Salad

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Asian Ramen Salad

I know most of you guys have had this Asian Ramen Salad. If you have ever been to a potluck or pretty much any gathering of 20 or so people, it never fails someone will bring this dish. I’ll admit that I have taken it to my fair share of this to group events. It’s so dang easy and I don’t think I have ever brought home any leftovers.

Now this is my shortcut version because the hardest thing you have to do is open up a few packages, bottles and grab a few kitchen items. You can have this salad put together in well under 10 minutes. This recipe I am sharing today is what I use as a side dish. You can easily turn this into a main dish just by adding some thinly sliced grilled or rotisserie chicken.

As you can see by the ingredient list this is a very economical dinner option. I bet many of you guys enjoyed a bowl or two of ramen noodles when money was tight. These were a staple item for me and my college roommates. Heck, even after college I found myself picking them up so I’d have something to eat on those lean weeks.

My finances have improved since my college days but I will still pick up a pack of ramen noodles just for this recipe.

Now before I get a million comments about the use of the little packets in the ramen…you can leave them out. This is not something we eat all the time so I opt for the old adage…”everything in moderation.” I know they have MSG, lots of sodium and they might even have unicorn horn powder in them–tee hee. If you opt to leave them out, I might use a little chicken bouillon and soy sauce instead. For you all with food sensitivities, it really is a super simple recipe modification so give this a try when you need a quick and easy side dish (or main dish).

Asian Ramen Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 8 oz prepackaged broccoli slaw
  • 8 oz prepackaged cole slaw
  • 4 - 6 green onions, chopped
  • ½ cup sliced almonds
  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 packages of ramen noodles with the enclosed seasoning packet (choose your favorite flavor--i went with chicken)
  • salt & pepper, if desired
Instructions
  1. Place the slaws and green onions in a large bowl.
  2. Toast the almonds and sesame seeds then set aside.
  3. Mix the oils, vinegar, sugar and two seasoning packets and whisk until combined.
  4. Pour the mixture over the slaw and onions.
  5. Add the toasted almonds and sesame seeds.
  6. Crush the uncooked ramen noodles and add to the mixture.
  7. Gently mix everything together Taste and add additional salt and/or pepper if desired
  8. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you are not serving the salad immediately, you may want to wait to add the almonds, sesame seeds and noodles right before you serve the salad.

Cucumber Carpaccio

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Cucumber CarpaccioMy friend Amy came over last week and brought me a delicious Cucumber Carpaccio that she had made with ingredients fresh from her garden. Now, the dish was supposed to be for my whole family but I won’t lie…I ate the whole thing!

It was so good, I decided to whip up my own version. My mom brought me a ton of cucumbers from her garden and I happen to have a basil plant so I just went from there. Amy’s version had a balsamic type dressing but I thought a sweet citrus type dressing would taste great. Boy, I think I might have outdone myself. The slight sweetness was such a compliment to the cucumbers and tomatoes. The feta and pine nuts add such a great texture combination.

This is a perfect summer salad that’s light and refreshing. Plus, you can adjust the servings as needed. Cut just enough cucumber for one or whip up a huge platter to feed a crowd.

I would recommend pulling out the mandolin so you can make quick work of the cutting. To really get that paper thin cuts that are uniform, the mandolin is the only way to go. You can have this one made in under 10 minutes from start to finish making this a great lunch salad. The presentation is so pretty…you could also take it to your end of summer cookouts too!

Give this a try and let me know what you think!

Cucumber Carpaccio
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 cucumbers cut paper thin
  • 1 tomato, sliced thin (or a few cherry tomatoes)
  • 4 - 5 basil leaves, chiffonade
  • 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon feta, crumbled
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1½ tablespoons orange marmalade
  • 1 teaspoon honey dijon mustard
  • salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Arrange the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on a platter.
  2. Top with the cut basil.
  3. Sprinkle with feta and toasted pine nuts.
  4. Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, marmalade, mustard and salt and pepper until emulsified.
  5. Drizzle the dressing over the salad prior to serving.
  6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

Lemon Orzo Salad with Watermelon & Feta

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Lemon Orzo Salad with Watermelon and Feta

The folks at Good Cook sent me a big ProFreshionals Cut Fruit Bowl the other day. It’s a huge 7 quart capacity bowl so I knew I’d be filling that baby with a whole bunch of watermelon. Well, when I think watermelon – I  think of my all time favorite Lemon Orzo Salad with Watermelon & Feta.

I love a good salad…especially in the summer. A light and refreshing salad is the best thing on a super hot day. A long time ago I found a Weight Watchers salad that combined orzo, watermelon and feta. At first, the combination just didn’t sound all that appealing to me. I was in an online group and when I saw the picture from another member who gushed at how good it was, I decided to give it a try. Thank goodness for that picture as this is one of my all time avorite salads.

I am always changing up and modifying recipes and I finally found a combination that I love. I add the tang of lemon plus the texture of toasted walnuts to make a good salad even better!

This salad comes together very quickly and I have even served this one with thinly sliced steak to make my carnivores happy. It’s light, refreshing and oh so good!

profreshionalsIf you are looking for a way to keep your cut fruit fresher for longer, you might want to grab your own ProFreshionals Cut Fruit Bowl. The internal bowl is like a big colander and allows the excess juice to fall to the outer bowl. Since the fruit is not sitting in it’s own juices, it stays fresher longer – super smart!!

Lemon Orzo Salad with Watermelon & Feta
 
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Serves: 6 - 8
Ingredients
  • 1 cup orzo pasta
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 large bunch fresh basil, chiffonade
  • 2 cups watermelon, cut into bite size pieces
  • ¼ cup feta, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted
Instructions
  1. Cook the orzo pasta according to package instructions.
  2. Drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to drain completely.
  3. In a small bowl, combine honey and lemon juice then whisk in olive oil until emulsified.
  4. Mix in salt and pepper.
  5. Place pasta, watermelon, basil and feta in a large bowl.
  6. Toss with the prepared vinaigrette then sprinkle with walnuts right before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Weight Watchers

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