Orange Sesame Dressing

This dressing has become a staple in my fridge over the last month or so. It's a perfect little dressing for the slightly bitter greens I've gotten from my CSA, but would work great with any hardy green.

Salads in my house, are often just a collection of what is in my fridge and pantry. Fresh or dried fruit, toasted almonds, and goat cheese crumbles are pretty much salad topping staples in my house.

Here's the dressing recipe;
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to a week in your fridge.

Here's a salad tip! A perfectly dressed salad leaves no dressing in the bottom of the bowl. Try drizzle a tablespoon (or less) of dressing along the outside of the bowl and mixing in a spoonful at a time.

Asparagus Goat Cheese Crostini

Ever wonder what to do with those asparagus ends that are a little too tough to eat, but you would really like to use? Sure, you could make soup, but it's Summer! This recipe is the perfect fit for happy hour on the patio!

Asparagus Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients:
Asparagus Ends (the tough part) from 1 bunch (about 1 cup)
1 garlic clove
1/3 C Goat Cheese Crumbles
Baguette
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat your oven to 375. Place washed asparagus ends on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, or until ends are soft (stick a knife tip in one to check).

In a small food processor, add 1 whole clove of garlic, and cooked asparagus. Drizzle a little (less than a tablespoon) of Olive Oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Puree.  This will be a little stringy, it will not be totally smooth. Add in goat cheese and puree until blended (3-5 seconds is all it takes).

Spread goat cheese mix onto thinly sliced baguette slices and toast for about 10 minutes or until bread is golden brown around the edges. Makes about 24 slices.

Note: one bunch of asparagus ends makes about 1/3 cup when it's pureed. If you have less or more asparagus, use about equal amounts of goat cheese.

I think this would be great as a hot dip, for crackers or other veggies as well!! While untested, I would guess you would put in an oven proof dish and heat until goat cheese is creamy. Stir in Olive Oil 1/2 Tablespoon at a time to get desired consistency! Serve warm!

Super Foods Kale Salad

Kale is certainly one of the hot veggies these days. But, I have found that people are a little hesitant to try it in salads as it can be a little bitter. So here's the trick with Kale salads-- massage the leaves with your dressing and let them sit for a few minutes before topping with the rest of the ingredients.

Here's a fun salad that will feed an army! It will keep even with dressing for a couple of days in the fridge!

Super Foods Kale Salad

Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 bunch of Kale finely shredded
1/2 head of cabbage finely shredded
1/4 C of sliced almonds (toasted)
1/4 cup Gorgonzola or goat cheese crumbles
1 Apple, cubed
1 cup of fresh blueberries

For the dressing:
1 garlic clove minced or grated
1/2 inch of fresh ginger root grated
3T balsamic vinegar
3T Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Instructions:
In a small bowl (or dressing shaker) whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the dressing is too strong for you add more olive oil and balsamic in equal portions 1 tablespoon at a time. You could also try a drizzle (1 tsp) of honey, if you like a sweeter dressing.

Place the Kale and Cabbage in a large bowl. Pour half of the dressing on top of the greens, and then, with your hands massage the dressing into the leaves for 60 seconds. Take the time to do this step, to ensure a more tender salad. Toss the rest of the ingredients with the greens. Add dressing as desired.

Remember, a perfectly dressed salad leaves no dressing at the bottom of the bowl!

Chicken and Tomato Saute

This is a great dish for any size group (I recently made it for a group of 6, and a group of 17!). It's easy and fun, and a great use of cherry tomatoes!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 half pounds of chicken tenders
2 tsp dried oregano
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
3/4 C dry white wine
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat a little olive oil over a medium high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken tenders with salt, pepper and oregano. Brown chicken in Olive Oil. Hint: Place chicken in skillet and do not touch it for 2 minutes before checking to see if it's golden brown. Flip chicken over, and repeat.

Transfer chicken to a plate. Lower heat to medium. In the same skillet, add the shallots, and cook for 3 minutes or until slightly soft. Add in the tomatoes and cook until they begin to burst (4-5 minutes), add in the white wine, and simmer until reduced to about half. Slide back in the chicken to heat.

This is served best with a side dish like rice or noodles, or perhaps potatoes-- something to soak up the delicious sauce!

'Faux 'Fredo

The number one food that I get asked to recreate, is Fettuccine Alfredo. But, I am not a fan of Alfredo sauce, so it's something I've continued to put on the back burner. Then one day, I was watching The Chew, and Daphne Oz made a healthy alfredo! Boiling cauliflower in milk sounded disgusting to me, but I tried it, and while it needed a few tweaks for my taste, it turned out quite good!

Ingredients:

1 pound Fettuccine noodles

4 cups cauliflower, cut into large chunks (about 1 large head)

1 cup of milk

2 Tablespoons butter

1 large shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Place the milk, and cauliflower in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook cauliflower until it's fork tender (10 minutes). With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked cauliflower to blender, then add the milk back in. Carefully blend, to make a creamy sauce. Add butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to blend until completely smooth. (or leave it chunky if you'd like).

Cook fettuccine according to package instructions minus one minute.

In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil and sauté the shallot and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add wine to deglaze the pan and reduce by half. Stir in the cauliflower puree adding starchy pasta water as needed. Add the noodles, Stir in the parmesan cheese, toss and serve! 

No one will believe it's healthy!

As a side note: the first time I made this I used almond milk, as I do not drink cow's milk. It turned out fine, perhaps a little sweet. The second time I made it- I used regular milk- I have to say it was creamier and tastier (of course I'd refined the recipe as well). None the less, you should be able to use just about any milk substitute.

Also- add some color by stirring in some frozen peas at the last minute (before you add the cauliflower puree, I'd guess). Or maybe some steamed broccoli when you toss the noodles! Yum!

Nutty Broccoli Spread

This easy peasy spread idea was found in an appetizer cookbook that I got a few few years ago. As is typical, I found a way to make it mostly healthy! And we snuck it some good veggie action!

Ingredients:

Nutty Broccoli Spread

1-10 oz bag of frozen broccoli florets
4 ounces of cream cheese (half a brick)
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
1 clove garlic, sliced or minced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 loaf of french bread

Cook broccoli according to directions and drain well.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place broccoli, cheeses, garlic, and basil in the food processor and blend until ingredients are mixed. Add the walnuts and process for another 4-5 seconds.

Split bread loaf lengthwise, and spread broccoli mix over it evenly.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until bread is toasty, and everything is heated through.

Cut into small slices and serve warm.

Options: I think this would work with a lot of frozen veggies, spinach, peas, asparagus! You could probably trade out the cream cheese with goat cheese, and the walnuts with pine nuts, for a "fancy" version! It may also work great as a dip for crackers or other veggies. Huh, seems like I have some more experimenting to do!

Midway through Week 2 of Cleanse

We are chugging along with the cleanse! Added grains back in has helped a TON! I'm less food focused and feeling like it's really a fun challenge. A few tips for anyone doing it?! If you are someone who likes to cook, go off the menu. Remember the rules, but branch out a bit. I got caught up in week one and forgot about all of the other vegetables that I LOVE (like brussels sprouts), no reason you can't eat them.

Banana Oat Pancakes

The banana oat pancakes were killer. My first batch didn't well, I think using a cast iron skillet is not the best choice, and perhaps related, the heat was too high.. they didn't cook through. I used those as my "leftovers" and packed them for the next morning, reheating them in a non-stick skillet and they were great! It was a good first entry back into the real world!

Mushrooms with Kale

Here's one I forgot to post in week 1... the portobellas with kale! YUM! The marinade was fantastic! And the mushroom was so meaty, it made a great dinner!

Quinoa with pears and almonds is pretty good. Honestly, I was hoping that it would be better.  In my head, it was going to be sweet creamy deliciousness... it wasn't. It wasn't bad- don't get me wrong, but it wasn't what I expected.

Black Bean Patties with Sesame Kale Salad

The other night I made both the black bean patties and the Sesame Kale salad (I omitted the quinoa, because it just seemed weird). It was a perfect combination! Here's a hint with the black bean patties, make them thinner than you think.  I think like- CD size? They get a little crispy on the outside, adding fun texture, and I think if they were bigger (and thinner), they would be crispier and delicious!