Rainbow Fruit Salad

Summer is approaching and that means you'll need your fair share of snacks to cool you down.  This is one that you need to have in your refrigerator, for those hot days.  

Of course fruit is good by itself but if you leave it cut up in your refrigerator for too long, it begins to turn strange colors.  Especially those darn bananas.  This recipe is great because it isn't covering up that great fruit flavor, but adding a hint of extra flavor.  Coincidentally it's also helping to preserve that lovely color.  Lime juice is good like that. And you can't go wring with honey, I mean, really. 

This recipe is perfect for a quick snack on a hot day.  

Rainbow Fruit Salad

Recipe from Buzzfeed

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh strawberries, quartered
• 4 kiwi's, peeled and diced
• 2 mango's, peeled and diced
• 2 bananas, peeled and diced
• 12 ounces fresh blueberries
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 limed, juiced

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the cut up fruit in a medium sized bowl. Mix together the honey and lime juice and pour over the fruit, stir. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Cucumber Salad

I'm so looking forward to the weekend.  I'm just sayin', things have been tough this week.

I want it to be fall. Yet it's still like 90º here. Ugh.

OK, enough complaining.  Recently we had our Labor Day party in our neighborhood and I was too hot and tired to actually bake anything.  So I threw this together and brought it.  This was easy, and heat friendly.  Nothing in here will melt or go bad from the hot weather, making it a perfect picnic food!

I found that it was even better the next day.  The vinegar really has a chance to soak in and get better and better.  Very healthy and "diet friendly", definitely one to remember.

Cucumber Salad

Recipe modified slightly from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

• 2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/3 cup cider or white vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• chopped fresh dill or parsley (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Refrigerate and stir or shake periodically.
2. Keep refrigerated for at least 3 hours, overnight is best.

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

My husband and I have been on a spicy kick lately, so when I saw The Pioneer Woman make this on her show I knew I had to give it a try.  She served hers with raw veggies, I made mine a dressing.  This definitely has a kick to it.  I love the smokey taste of chipotle but they can be very spicy.  Luckily the other ingredients cool it down a bit and the flavor just gets better as it sits in the refrigerator.

Loads of flavor here, very herby and fresh tasting.  Creamy and smooth texture.  Love the tang from the vinegar and the slight reddish color the chipotle's give it.

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives, minced
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• dash hot sauce
• 1-2 chipotle peppers, minced
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk, or more depending on whether you're using it as a dip or a dressing.

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients together in a bottle you can shake, or a dish and whisk together until smooth.  Keep adding buttermilk until it is at the consistency you wish.  Serve as a dip with raw veggies or a dressing. 

Corn Salad

Eating seasonal foods is always best, you can guarantee that your family is eating the freshest foods possible.  They are at their peak flavor and ripeness.  

This recipe is something I came up with using just what I had in my pantry, refrigerator and garden.  My family loved it!  The fresh corn really put this over the top, but frozen or canned will work too.  The mayonnaise added creaminess and the hot barbecue sauce added spice with a little vinegar bite.  

Truly delicious! 

Corn Salad

From Alissamay's kitchen

Ingredients

• 4-6 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and cut off the cob (or canned or frozen but thawed)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, cooled
• 2 banana peppers, membranes removed and seeded, chopped
• 1/2 can black olives, sliced
• 1/2 - 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 cup hot vinegar based barbecue sauce (I used Scotts Barbecue Sauce, but it might be a Southern thing) 
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Make sure all the the ingredients are cold or no warmer then room temperature.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Serve cold and refrigerate leftovers.

Alfresco Bean Salad

If there is one thing that is almost always in the refrigerator lately, this is it.  The great thing about it is that you can change it up to fit your mood or personal preference and the longer it stays in the refrigerator the better it tastes.

I had another very similar recipe that I made quite a few years ago that I referred back to in order to get this  recipe in line with my tastes.  Feel free to mix the veggies up to your liking and if you top it with cilantro right before serving, well it's just that much better.

I did a month of vegan eating in February and I practically lived on this recipe.  It's easy to throw together and have in the refrigerator when the snacking urge hits you.  I love anything with that vinegar tang to it and the crunch of the onion is perfect.  Not to mention the fiber and vitamins you get, I noticed that I felt less bloated and more energetic.  I attribute a lot of that to this salad, after all I did eat it at least once a day.

If you're feeling like you need a little healthy snack to improve your life, or just a quick side at dinner then you will love this salad. Oh, and it is bound to warm up sooner or later so this recipe is great for outside parties.

Alfresco Bean Salad
Recipe modified slightly from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 can (16 oz) red beans (kidney), rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 1/4 oz) whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small container cherry tomatoes, quartered and seeded
• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 large red onion, diced

Vinaigrette

Modified from here

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp Franks Red Hot
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Top with the vinaigrette. Stir to incorporate thoroughly.
3. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving for best taste. 

Dinner Club: Theme - Healthy Foods

Dinner club took a slight hiatus this last year but we're back on track for 2014.  I hosted January's dinner club and I chose "healthy" just because it was January and everyone I know is on a diet.  I wanted to see what other people were making for their own families so I could promptly steal their recipes. :) Not steal so much as just kindly borrow.

Turns out my neighbors make some killer healthy food.  Not everyone submitted recipes to me but I'm still going to show pictures and describe them the best I can.

Thank you everyone for coming to dinner at my house!  I can't wait till the next one!

I cannot believe that I didn't remove the cap to the fruit dip BEFORE taking a picture.  UGH!  I promise to make this again myself very soon and replace this horrible picture.  I'm so sorry because this dip was the my biggest weakness of the night.  I LOVED it!

This dip was brought my Melissa Y.  She brought one other item too but hasn't given me the recipe for it just yet.  I will post it as soon as I get it.

Chocolate Fruit Dip
Recipe from EmilyBites via Taste Of Home Cooking School Cookbook

Ingredients

• 8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups light whipped topping

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl or a stand mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder together until creamy.
2. Add the vanilla extract and whipped topping and beat together again until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
3. Serve with any fruit, graham crackers, marshmallows or anything that might be delicious covered in chocolate.

I had posted about these meatballs already but here they are again.  They were nice to have at dinner club not only because of their yummy flavor but also because they were in the slow cooker and they didn't require my constant attention.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Recipe from here

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup wing sauce (I used Franks)

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a medium bowl making sure the ingredients are well dispersed.
2. I used a small cookie scoop to get even sized meatballs. Roll them in your hands to make them a nice round shape. 
3. Place the meatballs in your slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top.
4. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for about 3-4 hours.

This dessert is one I made based on the fact that it didn't use sugar, which I gave up in January….well tried to give up.  I did sample some of the cake below.  I had to, as a blogger it was only right.

The filling in these little babies does taste like cheesecake and with no sugar you don't have to feel guilty about two or three or four.  Just sayin.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
Recipe from French Press

Ingredients

• 1 pound hulled strawberries
• 8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup fat free or low fat Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
•  graham cracker crumbs

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, honey and vanilla in a bowl and use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream the ingredients together until smooth.
2. Use either a small spoon to scoop the cream into the hulled strawberries or use a frosting bag and tip for a more decorative design.
3. Top each cream filled strawberry with the graham cracker crumbs.

Brought by Lynn T this was our one "not so healthy" OK not healthy at all but totally delicious and very much appreciated cake.  Very chocolaty and moist, great option if you need a dessert and don't have time to use traditional methods!

Crock Pot Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Cooks.com

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 package instant chocolate pudding
• 4 whole eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 cup water

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a 5 quart slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray, or you can use a metal coffee can or a crock pot cake bake pan.
2. cover
3. Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low

Another great recipe brought from Lynn T was this Couscous and Lentil recipe.  I really liked it and I think everyone else did too.  I'm a huge fan of Feta cheese and it was the perfect cheese here.  Healthy really does taste good!

Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad
Recipe from MyRecipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 can (14 oz) low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
• 1 cup red diced bell pepper
• 1 cup fresh mint
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Place lentils in a large saucepan and cover with water so it's 2 inches above the lentils.  Bring to a boil, cover and then turn to simmer and let cook for 25-30 minutes. Drain well and cool.
2. Bring the broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan, add the couscous.  Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork. 
3. Combine the lentils, couscous, bell pepper, mint, parsley and onions. Stir together in a large bowl. 
4. In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, oil, Dijon, garlic and black pepper.  Whisk to combine and then pour over the lentil mixture.  Add the crumbled feta and gently mix. 

The pictures below are for the other items that were brought but that I didn't receive recipes for. 

Beautiful spinach salad with cucumbers, beets, and avocado's brought by Emily L.  Thanks Emily!

I'm not sure of the exact name for these but they were little pizza's in won ton wrappers brought by Melissa Y.  She brought some marinara to dip them in and they were so so good.  Thanks Melissa!

Spaghetti with tomatoes, Kalamata olives and plenty of Feta cheese brought by Shannon B.  I love these flavors together.  Yummy, thanks Shannon!

Lisa F brought some yummy sushi and California rolls.  Delicious!  Thanks Lisa!

Fantastic Fruit Salad

We finally made it back home!  It was a long, long process.  I had such a good time visiting my family in Montana that it overpowers our struggles to get home. I will be posting pictures soon, I still need to figure out how to get some off of my phone....I guess I'll google that.

While we were there, my aunt made us several meals and this fruit salad was at two of them.  It was a definite hit.  Even though I didn't make this myself, I felt it had to be shared.

Talk about the perfect summer fruit salad.  Since there isn't any dairy this can be brought on a picnic where refrigeration isn't possible.  The pie filling made the salad smooth and added a nice sweetness.  I really liked the use of fresh strawberries vs frozen, I would definitely make this again.

Fantastic Fruit Salad

Recipe from my aunt Cathy

Ingredients

• 2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
• 2 cans (15 oz) pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 (16 oz) package frozen strawberries (she used fresh)
• 1 can peach pie filling
• 1 can apricot pie filling (she couldn't find this so she used 2 can's of peach)
• 2 banana's, sliced

Cooking Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients into a medium bowl and gently mix together.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Every once in a while I make something that forces me to eat healthy.  This salad is one of those times.  It makes quite a bit of salad and therefore it's in the refrigerator staring at me every time I open it, reminding me to eat something good for myself.  Luckily it tastes really good and I don't mind.

I left out the red peppers that were in the original recipe because I didn't have any but that would have added a nice pop of color. I wouldn't leave out the red onion because it gives the black-eyed peas a nice  tang and a great texture.

Don't forget that there is no mayonnaise in this recipe, so it would be perfect for a picnic or road trip!

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Recipe from GoodHousekeeping Family Vegetarian Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion
• 4 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen green beans
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 large ripe tomatoes (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Cut the onion into small dices and place in a large bowl.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the tomatoes to the bowl with the onions and mix well.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours but overnight is best to blend flavors.
4. To serve, cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices and arrange on top of the salad.

Caprese Salad

Sorry for the delay in posts this week, I just got back from a wedding in Massachusetts and we hit the beach while we were there too. It was a fun quick getaway but I'm glad to be home.

This simple salad is always a winner whether it be a side at dinner time or for a party you've been invited to.  Three ingredients and you're done.  I grew the tomato and basil you see here so this is a great way to use up some of your garden harvests.  I used Roma tomatoes but Heirloom would be yummy here also.  This is a traditional Italian salad because of the colors, Green, White and Red are Italy's flag colors.

I've seen people add salt, pepper, garlic powder, Balsamic Vinegar or Olive Oil to the top of this to finish it off.  Simple and delicious.  Great for a summer barbecue.

This can be made as large or small as you need it to be so I'm not giving exact measurements.

6-12 Roma tomatoes, sliced
Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
1/4 cup basil, julienned

Layer the cheese and the tomato and top with the julienned basil.  you can also leave the basil whole but I would use smaller baby leaves if you choose to leave them whole.  Drizzle with Olive Oil or Balsamic vinegar if you desire.

Cheeseburger Salad

Some of the restaurants around here will let you order one of their burgers on a salad instead of a bun and I think it's a great idea.  I've only had it out once but knew it would be something different to try at home. I have fallen deeply in love with this salad.  I've eaten twice this week already.  I think it's because you can make it different each time, the possibilities are endless.  Basically any kind of burger you've ever liked in a restaurant you'll like this way too.

I'm not saying this is a healthy salad, but if you're trying to cut back on carbs this is a great idea!  You can top this with all the things you would top your burger with, like ketchup and mustard or whatever.  You can also just use your favorite salad dressing.

Here's what I used, but this is more of a suggestion than a recipe.

1/4 pound of ground beef, cooked.
2 slices of cheese, one for on top the burger and one to cut up in the salad.
1/2 medium tomato, diced
1 baby dill pickle, diced
1 slice of onion, kept round
handful of your favorite lettuce

Place the lettuce first on a plate or dish.  Top with all your toppings, it's best if they are diced.  Cover with the cooked burger and dress with condiments of your choice.

Broccoli Salad

I was at my friend Kristi's house not long ago and she was having a party where everyone was bringing a dish of some kind.  One of her neighbors brought a broccoli salad and it was a huge hit!  Seems so easy now that I know the recipe!  Nice healthy broccoli in a creamy sauce made from mayo, sugar and vinegar and sprinkled with BACON! Bacon makes eating a nice healthy broccoli salad seem less healthy and more delicious.  The addition of sunflower seeds right before serving really pushes this salad over the top. Every so often you get a bite of the dried cranberry and some red onion.  Whoever thought of this is a genius!

I found this recipe here

10 slices bacon
1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sunflower seeds

In a large frying pan cook the bacon until crisp, move to a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb any grease and let cool.  You can either cook the bacon in full slices and then crumble when cool enough, or you can cut the bacon into pieces before frying it (which is what I did).

In a small bowl combine the mayo, sugar and vinegar and mix until smooth.  In a larger bowl cut the broccoli into bit size pieces.  Chop the red onion into small pieces.  Add the onion and the raisins to the broccoli and coat in the dressing.  Reserve the bacon pieces and sunflower seeds until just before you serve it.

Vi D's Bean Salad

My niece recently gave me this recipe and told me how addictive it was.  I found that hard to believe, because as you can see it's all veggies.  What's so addictive about that?  I admit, I was wrong.  This is so very addictive.  It's the yummy vinaigrette that does it.  I'm pretty sure you could fill this full of all your favorite veggies and as long as you kept the vinaigrette the same it would be fantastic!

Chop up a small red pepper and a small red onion.

Add a can of black beans that have been rinsed.

Add a can of corn - drained.

One can of chick-peas (garbanzo beans) - rinsed.

Pour the magic elixir over the top and refrigerate for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Eat, eat some more, then go get some more and eat that too.  It's delicious. 

To my Niece Carol - you da bomb.  To Carol's friend Vi D. where Carol got the recipe - you da bomb too!

Here's what you'll need:

1 can black beans (drain)
1 can corn (drain)
1 can chick peas or garbanzo beans (drained)
1/2 large red onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoon of Tabasco

Chop the red onion and red pepper and add to a mixing bowl.  Open the can's of black beans and drain it then rinse and add to the mixing bowl. Open the can of corn and drain and add to the mixing bowl.  Open the can of chick peas and drain and rinse; then add to the mixing bowl.  In a separate small bowl add the vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar and Tabasco sauce (this does not make the dish too spicy, trust me) and mix well.  Pour over the other ingredients and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours but over night is best.  Serve cold.

Dinner Club Mediterranean Greek Salad and Mediterranean Couscous

Hey there, welcome back.  I'm finally going to post some of those recipes from Dinner Club last week!  I'm still waiting on some people to send me theirs but here's what I've got so far.

This salad was served at our most recent Dinner Club and was made my my neighbor Anjanette. 

Mediterranean Greek Salad

3 Cucumbers seeded and sliced - or substitute 2 hothouse cucumbers.
1 1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese
1 C. black olives, pitted and sliced
3 C. diced Roma tomatoes
1/3 C. diced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, oil reserved
1/2 C. red onion

In a large salad bowl toss together all the ingredients with 2 Tbsp. of the reserved oil from the sun dried tomatoes. Chill until ready to serve.

Mediterranean Couscous

Found this recipe here.

Ingredients


1 3/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Combine couscous, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl

Chicken Salad

In my attempt to use leftovers/prove I eat things other than sugar I decided to make this chicken salad.  The chicken itself was a beer can chicken my dad made on the grill while he was visiting so there were some nice pieces of grilled crispy meat in here.  Delicious.  It just gets better with time too, my husband had some just yesterday and commented that it was even better then when I made it a couple of days ago.

Start by cubing up some chicken, I used both the white and dark meats here.

Bacon!

Onion - diced

Dried Cranberries

Water Chestnuts - diced

Added mayo, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper

I didn't really measure anything so I'll try to guess at the amounts I put in.  You'll need to do some taste testing if you make this to make sure it's just right for you.

3 cups chicken - diced
3/4 cup onion - diced
1/2 cup cooked bacon - diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 water chestnuts - diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste.

Dice up the first 5 ingredients (no need to dice the cranberries) and add to a bowl.  Making them all about the same size looks nice for presentation but isn't necessary.
Mix the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper in a small bowl and then add to the chicken mixture.  Stir until evenly coated, adding more mayonnaise if needed. 
Server immediately or refrigerate overnight.  It just gets better the longer it sits.

Some additional add-ins that would be yummy.

Tabasco sauce
celery
apple
cheddar chunks
chili powder