24 Thursday Mar 2016
Posted in Cooking, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian
My weekend started yesterday already (Yay me!), so today I didn’t have to eat out a lunchbox today (Yay me again!)! I felt like sticking to the Greek path I started last night with the tzatziki, although without garlic this time, and made a quick Greek salad with quinoa. Here’s what I put in it: […]
12 Friday Feb 2016
Posted in cooking, Food, Healthy Cooking, Recipe
This salad was so fresh and delicious, but it was hearty enough to be a great entrée for our dinner last night. I had a bunch of great items from my organic produce shipment, so a salad was just begging to be made! I had thought of making fajitas with the carne asada, but we have been eating a little heavy lately, so I wanted to keep it light and use the beatiful produce I had on hand. This salad with the savory beef, fresh produce and tangy dressing was incredibly flavorful with a nice crunch!
I had some perfect green leaf lettuce, a perfectly ripe avocado, a nice firm tomato and green onions. I just love my organic produce!!! I also had some organic cilantro, so I decided to make my own dressing. I was really happy with the tangy result that added a ton of flavor to the salad!
I decided to marinade the carne asada for half a day before cooking. I had a few Frontera marinade packets on hand. I decided to go with what was actually a chicken marinade, but what the heck it sounded good! Since I was making a salad, I didn’t want to go with flavors that are super intense, like barbacoa. I had a few Frontera sauce packets in my pantry and I decided to go with the Roasted Garlic Chicken Skillet Sauce with Chipotle and Lime. The flavors sounded good and they did not disappoint! The flavors were light and bright and worked just fine on the beef.
Carne Asada Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Salad
1 pound carne asada beef
1 packet Frontera marinade (I used the flavor above, but they have several flavors, including fajita,that would work well)
1 head green leaf lettuce, washed, dried and chopped
6 green onions, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, diced
Tortilla chips, crumbled
Dressing
Juice of 3 limes
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp peppper
Start by putting your meat and marinade in a zip-log bag. Mix well making sure all meat is covered with marinade. Store in fridge for a few hours. Next, make your dressing. I used my immersion blender to blend all the ingredients or you can put them all in a food processor or blender. Blend until well mixed and cilantro and garlic are in very fine bits.
Heat a pan sprayed with non-stick spray over medium high heat. Sear each piece of meat for a couple of minutes on each side. You don’t want to over cook carne asada or it will get tough. Once all meat is cooked, cut it into bite size strips. Put meat and remaining 5 salad ingredients in a large bowl. Top with some dressing and toss. Add enough dressing to lightly coat all salad. You may have extra left over depending on how much dressing you like. Sliced black olives would also be a good add, but I didn’t have any.
Enjoy!
24 Tuesday Nov 2015
Posted in cooking, Food, Thanksgiving
Tags
Cooking, Dressing, Food, potatoes, recipe, recipes, salad, Sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving, Tips, Turkey
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it is not too soon to start your preparations. This is a reminder that I have been posting a series of posts that can help you have a stress-free holiday. Please look back over these posts starting November 4 that include tips on menu planning, dish planning and preparation and recipes for all the basic (and not so basic!) Thanksgiving dishes including…
I even covered some ideas for your leftovers!
It’s not to late to review these posts and get your Thanksgiving dinner planning underway! I wish all of you a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! Please feel free to send me comments with your questions. I’ll try and make time in all my cooking to get back to you ASAP. I am so thankful to all of you that take the time to read my blog!
Please let me know how your Thanksgiving dishes turn out!
22 Sunday Nov 2015
Posted in cooking, Food, Thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian
Tags
apples, Cooking, Cranberries, Cranberry salad, Food, marshmallows, recipe, salad, Thanksgiving
What’s a family holiday dinner without a salad that in no way resembles a salad??? Every other day of the year, we mom’s try and get vegetables into our kids, but these sweet dishes that more closely resemble dessert sneak on to the dinner table! This one is delicious with the tartness of the cranberry and green apples being offset by those little white marshmallows!
This is another recipe that my mother-in-law shared with me when I first married my husband. We have had it many times over the years. Of course, the kids love it!!! We snuck vegetables into some of my other recipes in this Thanksgiving series, so if you’re cooking some of those you’ll still sneak some vitamins into your crew!
Cranberry Salad
Grind cranberries and green applies together (or mix in your food processor). Mix with marshmallows and sugar. Let stand overnight in refrigerator. Just before serving, whip cream (a little added sugar and vanilla are a good add) and fold into fruit mixture.
10 Monday Aug 2015
Tags
Cooking, Dill, Food, Green Salad, healthy, Herbs, lowfat, Ranch, recipe, salad, side dish, summer
I made a green salad this weekend that was so delicious, I have to share! It’s nothing complicated, but it was so fresh and flavorful that I thought others should enjoy it as well!
Our family had a friend visiting this weekend. She is a young college student and is trying to improve her cooking skills. Every time she comes for a visit, I get her in the kitchen and try and teach her a few of my tricks. This time we decided to make homemade marinara and then use that to make lasagna (look for a blog entry soon on these two things). Since lasagna can be time consuming, we thought we would keep the rest of our dinner pretty easy and just serve it with a salad and some fresh baked bread (the bread machine makes this part a breeze!).
I don’t cook with dill very often, but it really was the star of the night!!! This was an ingredient in the salad dressing, as well as the bread. Maybe I’ll include the bread recipe in another post, but I basically added dill and fresh garlic to a basic white bread recipe. It was delicious without being overpowering.
So what’s in that salad you ask???
Dressing
½ Bottle Light Ranch Dressing
¼ cup Finely Chopped Fresh Dill
½ cup Finely Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
2 tbsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
Salad
4 cups Baby Spinach/Baby Arugala Mix
3 diced Roma Tomatoes
1 diced Cucumber
2 oz Tri-color Tortilla Strip Salad topping
I made the salad dressing a few hours ahead and put the covered container into the fridge. This makes dinner time work easier and gives all the flavors some time to mingle. When ready to eat, toss all salad ingredients into a serving bowl and then spoon in some dressing. I think I used a little less than half of the dressing I made. I like a good amount of dressing, but you don’t want to drown your salad. Plus, you’ll have more for another salad later or you can use it as a spread on sandwiches or burgers.
Happy summer!!!
04 Saturday Jul 2015
Posted in Food
Tags
barbecue, classic, entertaininng, outdoors, picnic, potato, potato salad, potato salad recipe, potatoes, potlluck, recipe, recipes, salad, side dish, summer
A decade (or two!) ago I first made a Best Foods Mayonnaise potato salad recipe and eureka! I had found the potato salad of my dreams! Over the years, I made it so much I kind of had it committed to memory, so I quit referring to the recipe and made it on the fly. Depending on how many people I was feeding, the quantities went up and down, so I started tasting as I went and adjusting ingredients accordingly. My friend Vickie, suggested I blog about my potato salad, so I figured I better work on putting a recipe together.
As time went on, I started experimenting with my creamy potato concoction! Tried it with dijon mustard. Husband didn’t like it! Tried adding dill. He didn’t like that either. I like to think paying attention to his opinions is one of the reasons we’ve been married almost 30 years!
As I mentioned in yesterday’s Mexican Pinto Beans post, cumin is my all-time favorite spice, so at some point that made it into the recipe and everyone would ask about that pleasant, but “different” flavor. Am I in a spicy mood? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, so if I am I will add some hot sauce or crushed chili flakes. (Here’s where a confession comes in: Today’s potato salad will not be made spicy! I made my Mexican Pinto Beans and I didn’t notice the can of diced green chilies I added were labeled “hot” and then I added jalapenos on top of that! I think that’s enough fireworks for one 4th of July!)
Another change I made to the potato salad recipe over the years as I struggled with my weight, is to use low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise. This is a big way to lower the fat and calorie content. I’m still happy with the taste and I still get lots of compliments, so it works for me, but you may be a mayo purist and want to stick with the full fat version.
If you haven’t found your favorite potato salad recipe, I hope you’ll give mine a try. Let me know what you think!
You all have a wonderful, safe and flavorful Independance Day!!!
Kel’s Classic Potato Salad
7 medium russet potatoes, peeled, washed and halved
2-3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped – I sliced one to add to the top
1 cup mayonnaise (If you use regular mayo, also add a tsp of sugar. I find low-fat/fat-free mayo to be sweeter, so I pass on the sugar)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2/3 cup sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp yellow mustard (I sometimes use Sweet/Hot Mustard)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp vinegar (use white or apple cider)
1 small can of chopped olives
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Optional: 2 tsp hot sauce or crushed pepper flakes
Boil potatoes for about 20 minutes and then remove from water and cool. Cut up potatoes into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients and refrigerate. I think this is best served cold, so it will need a couple hours in the fridge. This is one of those dishes that is even good made a day ahead as it improves as the flavors mingle.
30 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted in cooking, Food, healthy, low-calorie, Uncategorized
Tags
Balasamic Vinegar, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Cooking, Dressing, Easy, Food, healthy, low-fat, marinade, Olive Oil, Quick, salad, Salad Dressing
The great thing about making your own foods, rather than buying them, is you know EXACTLY what is in the food. You get fresher, healthier foods with less chemicals. You can also more accurately track the nutritional values of the food.
Today I thought I would share my super-easy to make Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe. It’s so tasty and versatile. In addition to using it on green salads, I’ve used it on my Southwestern Layered Salad (see previous post for recipe) and as a meat marinade on both chicken and beef.
Another great thing about this recipe, is that you can adjust the oil to vinegar ratio to fit your taste or fat content desires. I usually go 50/50, but at times I do use more vinegar to lower the fat content. Balsamic vinegar is such a mild vinegar, you can get away with doing this and still get good flavor.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Note: My recipe is based on the size of my salad dressing container. Adjust quantities to suit your needs.
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 crushed and chopped garlic clove (I use my garlic press)
1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped (can substitute 1 tsp dried basil, but fresh is best!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Put all ingredients in your container, shake or whisk vigorously and enjoy!
Tip: When dining out, don’t be afraid to bring your own salad dressing. Dressings can be a diet killer! I do this all the time. I just order my salad with no dressing or dressing on the side. I take a little teasing, but hey! They don’t have to wrestle my bod into jeans!!!
16 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted in Food
Tags
barbecue, Cooking, healthy, low calorie, low-fat, picnic, potluck, recipe, salad, side dish, southestern salad, southwestern, southwestern layered salad
Since the weather is so pretty, I’ll stick with good barbecue/picnic fare. Today I would like to share a recipe that has been a favorite with our friends and family. As you can see from the photo, this is a visually beautiful dish and it’s SO delicious! I usually make and serve it in a glass bowl, so I can show off the colorful layers. I also like that there is nothing in this that is incredibly perishable, so it can sit out a little longer than some dishes, which makes it great for entertaining and potlucks. And last but not least, I love the salad because it is low calorie and low fat!
Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the recipe. I have to give that to Weight Watchers. This recipe is in their Winner’s Circle cookbook. I have to give Weight Watchers kudos on their recipes! I can’t recommend their cookbooks enough! If you’re trying to cook healthy, delicious foods, you will find wonderful recipes in their cookbooks. I have found that after cooking their recipes for years, I have learned numerous tricks that have helped to make my cooking lighter overall. I will share more of these tips and tricks in the future! If you’re looking to buy Weight Watcher cookbooks, there are a number of them available at Amazon.com. You can buy them both new and used.
Southwestern Layered Salad
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup prepared tomato salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 (15 1/4 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained or equal amount of thawed frozen corn
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced (I actually always use red bell pepper as I think green has an overpowering taste, but this is up to you)
1 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (reduced fat or fat free)
1/2 avocado, peeled and cubed
2 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup fat free Italian Dressing (I’ve also been known to use my homemade balsamic vinaigrette)
1. Combine the beans, salsa and 2 tbsp. of the cilantro in a small bowl. Layer the various ingredients in the bowl in this order: bean mixture, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, bell pepper, onion and cheese.
2. Just before serving arrange the avocado on top. Sprinkle with bacon and remaining cilantro. Drizzle salad with dressing.
My 2 cents: I sometimes change up the order of the layers to make sure the colors vary for aesthetic purposes. I also drizzle some of the dressing half way through the layering process, so it can reach all the ingredients. Also, if you don’t feel like layering it, you can just toss all the ingredients together. I did this the last time I made it. It’s still gorgeous and just as delicious! Enjoy!
This makes 8 servings with 166 calories, 6 g of fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 396 mg sodium, 23g carbs, 6 g fiber, 8 g protein.
Inside Kel's Kitchen 