California Citrus Salad

I adapted this recipe to make it whole30 and whole30 AIP compliant. I tried making the dressing as well, but I decided it's easier to just use olive oil and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. This recipe makes enough for 4, which is great because I can have it for dinner and then lunch the next day.

Ingredients: 

1 head of romaine lettuce chopped

4 clementine oranges

1/4 cup dry roasted pecans (omit if AIP)

1 large granny smith apple

4 dates chopped or 1/4 cup raisins

1 avocado

1/4 cup dried cranberries (omit for whole30 or AIP)

2 stems green onions chopped

1 lemon (quartered to squeeze onto salad)

olive oil to drizzle

salt

Directions:

Chop ingredients and place in bowl, except for avocado. Slice avocado and place on top of salad when plating. Drizzle lemon and olive oil onto salad. Salt to taste. 

If you plan to use this as a salad the next day, chop the apples and oranges and store them in a separate container. The citric acid in the oranges prevent the apples from turning brown.

Rice Salad with Cannellini Beans & Olives

 

Ingredients:

1 cup jasmine rice

2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 – 15 oz can, rinsed and drained, black olives, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup garlic stuffed green olives, roughly chopped

1 – 15 oz can, rinsed and drained Cannellini beans

a large bunch of green onions, sliced

a large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved (optional)

2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: 

1. Place chicken stalk and rice in rice cooker and cook until done (about 35 minutes).

2. Add black olives, capers, pimento stuffed olives, Cannellini beans, spring onions, parsley, grape tomatoes, to a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm, or room temperature.

adapted from this recipe

Empty the Fridge Pasta Salad (vegan)

I've been working crazy hours at work so I haven't been able to cook as much as I like. The produce I purchased 4th of July weekend really needed to be used, so, inspired by my friend Becki's pasta salad, I made this:

(sorry for the ghetto picture, this is 2nd day pasta salad I had for lunch at work today)

Really, you could use any vegetables you have on hand - the most important veggies are the onions and garlic since they give the most flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 package of twirly brown rice pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove chopped garlic

1 pkg asparagus

1/2 package crimini mushrooms

1 small onion diced

3 zucchinis

1 cube vegetable bullion

Dressing:

1/4 tsp seasoning (lemon pepper, Spike, or TJ's Everyday Seasoning)

1/2 tsp rice vinegar (or more to taste)

1 tsp olive oil (or more to taste)

Boil rice pasta for 7 minutes, drain and set aside in a medium bowl. Add olive oil, garlic, and asparagus to frying pan, saute for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add remaining vegetables and bullion to pan and saute until onions are translucent and vegetables are tender (about 3 minutes). Stir vegetables and seasoning into pasta. Add 1/4 tsp rice vinegar and 1/2 tsp olive oil to bowl and stir. Taste pasta and add remaining olive oil and vinegar (or more) if needed.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Sriracha)

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp dry ground ginger)

1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

2 garlic cloves, minced

Dash of sea salt

1 bunch green onions chopped

1 can water chestnuts, drained & diced

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into chunks (or 1 pkg tofu)

Cooking spray

8 Boston lettuce leaves (butter lettuce)

Toppings:

1 cup fresh mint leaves (optional)

1/2 cup bean sprouts (optional)

1 lime, cut into 8 wedges (optional)

Chopped cashews or peanuts (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 9 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Reserve 2 tablespoons oil mixture. Place remaining oil mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken breast halves; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally. I was so hungry when I made this that I just tossed the chicken in the marinade and cooked it immediately. Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade (if any is leftover).

Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; grill 12 minutes or until chicken is done. Add water chestnuts to pan. Stir until warm. Divide chicken evenly among lettuce leaves; top each lettuce leaf with green onions, sprouts, cashews or peanuts, and about 1 teaspoon reserved oil mixture as desired. Serve with lime wedges.

Spinach Pasta Salad

I found this recipe on a friend-of-a-friend's blog. I ended up making a few adjustments because I forgot to buy everything.

Salad:

1 small package of fresh spinach

1 – 8 oz package of bowtie pasta – cooked, drained and cooled

2-4 TBLS sesame seeds

½ cup sliced toasted almonds

3 chicken breasts – seasoned heavily with lemon pepper seasoning, grilled and cut into bit sizes. (I used the rotisserie chicken from Albertsons and then seasoned with lemon pepper)

1 cup bean sprouts (I forgot to buy these and the salad was great without them)

Mix all ingredients and toss with the dressing just before serving it.

Dressing:

½ cup oil

½ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame seeds

3 TBLS soy sauce

2 TBLS rice vinegar

½ tsp sesame seed oil

1 tsp grated fresh garlic (about 2 cloves)

1 tsp grated ginger (I used 1/4 tsp ground ginger)

Blend in blender or Magic Bullet. Let dressing warm to room temperature before tossing into salad.

This salad could very easily be made into a vegan or vegetarian dish by not including the chicken!

Trader Joe's Apple Sausage Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

4 chicken-apple sausage links, broiled and sliced (trader joe's)

1 bag mushroom tortellini (trader joe's)

1 bag wheat rotini Pasta (trader joe's)

1 can sliced black olives

1 jar (small) sun dried tomatoes

1 jar artichoke hearts

1 pack of feta cheese

balsamic vinegar dressing to taste (start with 1 tsp)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Stir in sausage, olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts. Add Balsamic vinegar, until desired taste. Stir in Feta. Refrigerate until cool (4-6 hours). Can be made 24 in advance.

Nuts about Berries

Ingredients: 

1 cup romaine lettuce

1 small handful blueberries

1 small handful raspberries

4 strawberries (sliced)

1 small handful blackberries

poppy seed salad dressing (optional)

6 cinnamon sugar almonds crushed

If you visit the street fair in Huntington Beach on Tuesdays, you can pick up a snack pack of cinnamon-sugared almonds for $3.

Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 3 chicken tenders
• Cajun spice (to taste)
• Hot sauce (to taste)
• 1 cups romaine lettuce
• 1 tablespoons reduced fat Caesar salad dressing (Newman's Own Lighten Up)
• 1 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Sprinkle spice and hot sauce on chicken breast, catering to your own taste, and grill chicken on skillet or grill (chicken is done when light pink has disappeared from center).
2. Toss lettuce, dressing, and chicken to evenly distribute throughout salad.
3. Add Parmesan cheese to taste, and serve.

Serves 1. Calories per serving: 277

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

I decided I wanted to make a tomato mozzarella salad and went straight to Epicurious.com to see what they had.

• 1 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 lb mixed heirloom tomatoes, quartered if small or cut into 1/4-inch-wide wedges if larger
• 1/2 lb very small mozzarella balls (1/4 inch; sometimes called perlini) or 1/2 lb lightly salted mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 3 Tablespoons packed small basil leaves or torn large leaves

Serves 4

Preparation:

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly until dressing is emulsified. Add tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes:

• Salad, without vinaigrette, can be assembled 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Salad can be dressed 1 hour ahead and kept at room temperature, covered.
• Vinaigrette keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week.
• Heirloom tomatoes were expensive, so I just went for the best looking tomatoes on the vine
  

Three-Cheese Pasta Salad with Olives

16 ounces medium-size Farfalle (bowtie) pasta (about 2 3/4 cups)
1 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (I used red, yellow, and orange peppers to add color)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup diced sharp white cheddar cheese ( about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Gouda cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup basil vinegar or red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
Pinch of sugar

Cook pasta in pot of boiling water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well.

Mix pasta, olives, bell pepper, all cheeses and basil in large bowl to combine. Pour vinegar into small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Add sugar; season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat ( I didn't use all the dressing). Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 24 hours ahead; keep refrigerated.)

Spinach Salad

This recipe is easy and delicious. I made this for my sister's wedding. It's more of a treat than a salad.

1 bag baby spinach
1 cup craisins
2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 bag chopped pecans (sugared)
Wishbone Bountifuls Berry Delight

Place bag of chopped pecans in frying pan. Add 1 cup of sugar and heat on medium. When the pecans start feeling warm, add 1 tablespoon of water so the sugar will stick. Add more sugar if necessary.

Put spinach in bowl, mix craisins, oranges, and pecans together. I serve the dressing on the side so the spinach leaves don't wilt.