Prosciutto – cantelope salad

August 6, 2013 6 Comments

Friends.. If you don’t know by now, I’m obsessed with food. All of it.. Shopping for it , growing , cooking it .

( not so much on the dishes, though )

When I was a J&W we had many classes where we studied flavor profiles . We focused at length on why some foods pair well with others.

As well as why some foods do not pair at all

Have you ever brushed your teeth and then drank orange juice?

I rest my case.

So when cantelope was on sale I knew that I had to pair it with proscuitto

There is something about the sweet, crisp taste of the melon paired with the salty, creaminess of the proscuitto… Well it’s a match made in heaven

Here I’ve made a salad with these ingredients, including fresh mint for zip and toasted pine nuts for crunch

20130806-151849.jpg

1/2 cantelope, cut into cubes
3-4 slices of proscuitto , chopped into small pieces
A few sprigs of mint, leaves picked off
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Sea salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

In a serving bowl , add melon. Top with proscuitto, mint, pine nuts and sprinkle with sea salt .

Add vinegar to small sauce pan and heat, until reduced by half. Drizzle over salad, toss and serve .

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Enjoy!

Filed Under: salad Tagged With: , , , ,

banish boring salads

September 18, 2012 21 Comments

well… maybe not banish but know that there are options out there.

You know how when you got to a restaurant and some of the fancier salads look sooo good… but you have a hard  time shelling out 13 bucks for a salad..

yeah  me too.  Here’s the thing.. you can make these at home!!  Now I know some of you are like, “duh? is she going to seriously walk us through salad making 101?”

yes. Because I have a few friends whose diets have changed and they need to add more fruits and veggies into their diet & want to show the amazing amount options that are out there. If you already know all of this.. I apologize…. just scroll to the bottom to help answer a question about my next giveaway.

WHOA!!! wait.. YOU!… get back up here.. I’m not done yet.

We’ll start with making a dressing….  yes.. making it is super simple.. and there are 17,000 combinations that you can create… just use a basic formula and add the flavors that you like!

you will need

1~ an acid.. either vinegar, lemon or lime juice, wine….  1/8 cup

2~ an oil…. olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil.. coconut oil ( my new FAVORITE! ) 1/4 cup

3~mustard… again… SO many flavors out there… play with it! 1 tsp

4~ honey.. or maple syrup ( the real stuff) or agave…. 1 tsp

5~ (optional) herbs.. fresh or dried… or sesame seeds, or crushed garlic….. 1/2-1 tsp.. depending on how strong you would like ( always start with less then add more)

6~ sea salt and pepper…..  I have a slight salt obsession as well…..  we’ll chat about this later 🙂 remind me if I forget.

simply add everything to a small ball jars

   put the top on the jar and shake….

you just made dressing 🙂

trust me.. you can’t get that out of a bottle…. anywhere.

I don’t like overly dressed salads, so I usually use about a tablespoon per salad.. if you like more, then add more… I mix it with whichever greens I am using so that they are coated, then place in serving bowl… top with toppings…

like the quiche ‘recipe’  ( are you starting to get my method of cooking… it’s always a formula, then playing with ingredients… because I am a firm believer in  play!  <—- please read this post, it’s one of my favorites 🙂

so.. you will want

1~ green of choice… baby spinach, arugula, mesclun, romaine, butter lettuce..

2~ dressing of choice

3~ ( optional.. ) protein of choice… ( chicken, beans, salmon, beef, tofu, edamame.)

4~ other veggies.. just pile them on!

5~ (optional ) cheese

6~ (optional) something for crunch.. croutons, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sliver almonds

7~ (optional) dried cranberries or apricots or mandarin orange wedges

and  you, my dear have just made a killer salad worthy of any restaurant.

here’s your 13 buckaroos back 🙂

This salad  has

baby spinach

basic vinaigrette

topped with edamame ( I used trader Joe’s ).. about 1/2 cup

black beans .. about 1/4 cup

1/4 avocado, chopped

1/4 cup cranberry goat cheese ( if you are vegan, by choice or m=by force, eliminate it…  the avocado give the same mouthfeel… and you probably wont miss it)

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

finish with sea salt and pepper..

I ate this for lunch yesterday and it kept me full all afternoon!  ( and peeps ask me all the time where I get my protein from 🙂  )

so be brave…. look beyond iceburg, cukes and tomatoes ( not that there is anything with it, it’s the only way I can get my kids to eat a salad, so I still make it… ) and have fun!!!!

NEEEEXXXXTTT…

I have fallen in LOVE with Greek Yogurt. Have you tried it yet? I buy the non fat plain and it tastes just like sour cream. I sub it out for sour cream all the time.  It is also a perfect base to make granola parfait but also… to make some ‘creamy’ sauces!  like this

Chipotle cream sauce

I used about 1/2 the can of peppers.. if you like it more mild, use less

about a cup of the Greek Yogurt

half a lime

I put them all in the magic bullet looking thing and blended

if you don’t have one of these babies, you could use a blender, just keep scraping down the sides.. or use a food processor.

that’s it folks… does it get simpler than that? I think not.

The girls had this on their tacos last night & I topped my tostada with it.

the girls’ taco filling is made with lean ground chicken, then when I add the taco seasoning ( only half the package… it’s so loaded with sodium.. a little goes a long way.. you also can make your own, considerably knocking the sodium down, but I had it so I used it) and when I add the water I add a can of refried beans. They blend in perfectly… it stretches the filling and boosts the protein 🙂 I’ve been doing this for years..

It also freezes and defrosts well, so you can make double the amount and have it in the freezer for a super quick dinner…. If you need to cook for one, make a batch and freeze it into individual portions…  again.. quick dinner for one

*if you have dinner for one, please do me a favor and do it by candle light.. you are special and should have a nice dining experience.. if you want you can face time me and we can eat dinner together 😉 *

My filling was chopped mushrooms, sautéed  in oil, then  I mashed some back beans and lime juice in, seasoned with sea salt, cumin & chile powder

I placed it on a small flour tortilla that I heated in my cast iron skillet ( I CANNOT say enough how much I love  cast Iron to cook with)

top with cheese ( if vegan, try the daiya cheese shreds.. it’s very good, melts and stretches like cheese and can be frozen.. It is on the pricey side ( $5 a bag) but it does freeze, and I just pull out what I need when I need it )

the I added avocado.. fresh salsa.. Chipotle cream sauce and some plain Greek yogurt..  YUM!  ( and sooooooo easy )

As far as the rest of the chipotle peppers ( I’ve never had a recipe that I’ve used the whole can ) I take a freezer bag & label it… place in a jar

then press out the air & seal

Whenever I need some for a recipe, or a burst of flavor, I just break a piece off! No waste here.. yo!

so now that I’ve made you hungry… I have a question for all of you.

I have a fun company that has offered for me to give away one of their products.  I have the choice…

1~ 1 big gift for one lucky recipient…

OR

2~ 10 small gifts ( of the same item) so that TEN of you can win….

so whatcha all think? 1 big winner or 10 smaller ones???

smooches friends!!  oxooxo

Filed Under: Dinner, giveaway, lunch, Main dish, make-ahead, salad, side dishes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

watermelon times three

September 11, 2012 8 Comments

Ya’ll may have given up on me posting tonight.. I mean it’s almost 9 pm .. where the heck has she been?

Training for a race, that’s where 🙂 🙂 🙂

So let’s talk watermelon. It’s a melon. It’s made of water. Lots and lots of water.

It’s fun to eat in the summer. It’s fun to have it drip all over you bbq shirt. it’s a BLAST to spit the seeds. It is summer in a food

It’s PINK!

I have always loved watermelon. As an adult I started to appreciate it back in the early 90s when I read the book Fit for Life .

(anyone else read it? show of hands? oh.. only me.. that’s cool  :))

Anyhoooo… The preface is that your body is made of mostly water so you should eat mostly food made of water. Also, you should never eat a protein and a carb together, never eat fruit with anything other than fruit..  that you get out int the sun and soak up the free vitamin D.. and most importantly, only eat fruit until noon.

And the fruit should have high water content. Like watermelon. Because it’s made of water.

Are you gettin’ where I’m going here?

Are you smelling what I’m cooking?

watermelon is chock full of water.

*ducks* ok. ok. I get it…  you know what I am trying to say..

soooooo our first recipe will blow you away. Or at least it did me. I saw this earlier this summer on the Rachael Ray show and I was like, ” GENUIS!”

*side note.. I was on the Rachael Ray Show last year.. yeah.. I’m famous ~~  :inspects manicure like I’m important)*

So Rach (I can call her, that, we’re buds)was talking about how watermelon was made of….ok.. you get it, I know, I know!!!

do you know where I’m going with this?

Let’s play a game. Let’s look at some pictures.

look liked plain old cubed watermelon, right?

look again

getting cooler warmer?

ok.. I’ll give it to you… I’m nice like that 🙂

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!  you have figured it out, haven’t you… you are a genius.. you are… YOU ARE!!   She made watermelon ice cubes!!!!  because #$%^&  melon is made of #%$%^ which freezes! GENUIS! 

so to make these watermelon cubes even better.. I added them to this…
tea that Amanda and I found while she was here..( on clearance!).. although I think that you could use any fruit tea.. truth be told, it was her idea to use this tea with the cubes… she also comes from great jeans genes.

brace yourself..

I’ll give you a minute… I understand…

So the next recipe…. Years ago I came up with a brilliant idea to make a watermelon salsa. I was SOO proud of myself and promptly made some for my mom proclaiming my obvious talent.

And while we were eating it, a chain restaurant advertised on tv their ‘new watermelon salsa’

Really? REALLY?  yeah, really.

But in my heart of hearts,. even if the rest of the world was already doing it, I came up with my own in my kitchen, so I’m ok with that 🙂

Watermelon Salsa

2 Cups cubed seedless watermelon

1 bunch cilantro, rinsed, chopped and soaked like we did for the leeks

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Sea salt & pepper

~ everyone in the pot~

and mix :).. seriously…  you CAN do this!

volia!  done 🙂 I like it if it sits overnight but it is reallllllly hard to do… cause it’s

so

darn

good

You can top grilled chicken with this, tofu. Top a salad… or eat it alone. 

Maybe if you live on the wild side like me, you could put it on vanilla ice cream

*note to self.. buy ice cream tomorrow*

here’s a napkin for you 🙂

Okkkeeddookee…. last recipe…

we are going to get smoky.. and sultry.. and tangy

with watermelon?

um. yes.

Grilled Watermelon Salad

1 thick piece of watermelon, about 2×4.. sprinkle with salt & drain on a paper towel ( I tried to use my tofu press, but it didn’t do much) then rinsed after 10  min

1 tomato, sliced, sprinkled with salt, drained on paper towels ~ I did not rinse the salt of these babies ( I chopped the end up for topping)

1 thick slice of red onion

A few chunks of feta cheese

2 wedges of lime

Olive oil & a pastry brush

Grill pan

Sea salt and pepper

start by making sure that everything is as dry as it can be. Then using pastry brush, brush all veggies with olive oil. Preheat he grill pan until it is super hot then place watermelon, tomato and onion in the pan. then let the pan do it’s work.. don’t play with it!  After about 5 minutes, using tongs, carefully flip them. ( my tomatoes didn’t look so purty.. but they did taste good 🙂

Place the watermelon on a plate, pretty side up, then arrange remaining ingredients ( except lime) on the plate..  Squeeze on wedge of lime over the salad and garnish with another.

this recipe is sensory overload. The smokiness from the watermelon with the sweetness of the onions, the depth from the tomatoes and the zing from the lime juice & saltiness of the feta….. I loved this!

Ic ame up with the idea after seing one of the contestants on Hell’s Kitchen the other night ( don’t tell me the winner, I had to DVR it until Scott comes home this weekend )

I saw a similar combo on the show and have obsessed over it since then.

’cause sometimes I do that..

like with watermelon 🙂

night friends…..

I have a kitchen to clean!

oxox

Filed Under: beverages, make-ahead, salad Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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