Sweet Love and Ginger

Salad

Cherry Arugula & Wild Rice Salad

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Cherry Arugula & Wild Rice Salad 

Summer is the glorious season of fresh fruit in the northeast. The strawberries have come, with blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and blackberries quick on their heels. Evidence of which you might have seen if you happen to follow SL&G on Instagram.

When fruit is in season, it is at its height of flavor and freshness. There is no other time of year when you will get the voluptuous flavor than when a piece of fruit is newly ripe.

Yeah, you totally loved that description right?

Voluptuous flavor.

We are talking sweet, tangy, juicy, and delectable. I mean all the flavors here.

Fresh Cherries

But, I digress to the topic at hand; mixing fresh fruit into our daily meals.

I’m a huge proponent of this; mainly because fresh fruit is delicious, but also because it adds a ton of extra vitamins, antioxidants, and all the other stuff that we never seem to get enough of.

A lot of people choose to add fruit to their meals with pie.

This is not my go to. Don’t get me wrong I like pie as much as the next person, but really its summer I don’t want to be inside baking away, trying to roll out a finicky crust when I could be outside. I prefer to use seasonal fruit in jams, sauces for meat dishes, or simply adding it to salads like we have done here.

Cherry Arugula & Wild Rice Salad

This salad is hefty enough to be a main dish, but would also go wonderfully with a side of grilled salmon or chicken. The tart cherries combine with the peppery arugula and sweet lemon honey vinaigrette to create a wonderful sensation of flavors. The addition of wild rice, as well as walnuts, adds a lot of texture and some crunch as well as some bulk to an otherwise light feeling dish.

Altogether, this dish is the perfect compromise for a hot summer day. It is light enough to prevent you from feeling sluggish and bogged down, while still being filling and healthy. It goes especially well with a glass of chilled white wine, so really there’s nothing more you could ask for.

Cherry Arugula & Wild Rice Salad

Cherry Arugula & Wild Rice Salad
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ tablespoon honey
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • 16 cherries, washed, halved and pitted
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup wild rice, cooked according package instructions & cooled
Instructions
  1. Stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside
  2. In a large bowl toss together the arugula, walnuts, and rice.
  3. Drizzle the lemon-honey mixture over the top and serve immediately.

 

Confetti Bean Salad

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So meal prep; do you do it?

I’ve never been that good at doing too much of it beyond meal planning and grocery shopping. I have friends who actually spend a few hours each week preparing their meals in individual containers, including snacks so they don’t even have to think about it. Personally I don’t think that is a system that works for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fabulous idea if that’s what works for you.

Confetti Bean Salad

Even though I don’t do a full on meal prep each week I like to make sure that we have some stuff ready to toss onto a salad for lunches or snack really for convenience sake, and because every now and then we end up without leftovers for lunch.

Whether you call it confetti salad, cowboy caviar or just bean salad this little dish is a great addition to your meal prep plans. I love it because it’s easy to toss together, made with unprocessed food and so good! It’s also one of the most versatile recipes in my arsenal lending itself to so many applications. I try to make this every couple of weeks just to have around the house. It’s so convenient to pull this salad out for a snack, a lunch or an addition to a meal. Knowing that it’s totally healthy is just an added bonus.

To date we have used this mixture in stuffed peppers, as a dip with chips, over French fries with cheese, to top a salad, in enchiladas or wraps or just on its own. It’s pretty easy to see how this one dish can quickly become a meal prep staple.

Confetti Bean Salad

Confetti Bean Salad
Serves: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (11 ounce) can sweet corn, drained
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 jalapenos, ribs, seeds removed and chopped fine
  • Pinch salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Juice of half a lime
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss until well combined. Serve immediately.

 

French Lentil and Arugula Salad

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This is a review of Food 52 Vegan. 

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this review through the Blogging for Books Program.

French Lentil and Arugula Salad

As we try to eat more vegetable based meals I find that I’m running out of steam. I’ve kind of been stuck in the same rotation of meals, which quite clearly has not helped our waste lines. That’s why both Chuck and I are trying a diet challenge for the month of January. These little challenges give me a chance to flex my creative muscles in the kitchen and cook a different style of food. I have found that in my attempt to make sure I’m still getting enough protein on a restricted diet, while also maintaining my part time vegetarian diet and not getting completely bored, vegan cooking seems to be the way to go.

Food 52 Vegan

I recently picked up Food52 Vegan Cookbook and immediately fell in love. Not only are the pictures amazing, and the recipes superb, but there is a lot of really amazing step by step instruction, and additional info to help the average person understand the foundations of vegan cooking and diets.

This salad has been one of my favorites of the book, and a great go to for week night meals and lunches. I have made it exactly as prescribed, but also added a few ingredients here and there to spice it up. Thing like roasted red peppers, leftover black beans, hummus, and peanut dressing all work wonderfully with this salad base.

French Lentil and Arugula Salad
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 ½ cups cooked lentils
  • 2 cups firmly packed baby arugula leaves
  • 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
  • 1 cup chopped endive
  • 1 cup sliced cucumber
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, shallot, salt, lemon juice, vinegar and mustard until evenly blended. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the lentils, arugula radishes, endive, cucumber, and dill. Drizzle evenly with the prepared dressing, then toss until the ingredients are evenly coated. Stir in the walnuts and season with black pepper to taste.
  3. Serve immediately.

French Lentil and Arugula Salad

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad

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This is a great recipe for bringing a little summer to winter time vegetables.

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad

Sometimes in winter things can get a little dull. Everyone is making soups, stews, and sauces with mainly creamy and savory components. Don’t get me wrong I love that stuff but sometimes I just want some freshness in my life even if it’s frozen tundra outside. Some freshness and some heat. Who says we can’t eat summery style food with our winter veggies? Not I.

What I’m getting at is that this recipe is the perfect way to squash the summery food craving. The sweet heat of Chipotle and Maple combine to bring a summer barbecue-esk flavor that lends itself well to the warm roasted veggies and fresh kale. Spiced squash seeds add just a touch of the necessary crunch to bring this whole dish together.

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 red onion, peeled and quartered twice
  • 2 turnips, peeled and quartered twice
  • 2 beets, peeled and quartered twice
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peeled & cubed
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup squash seeds, cleaned & dried
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups chopped kale
Instructions
  1. Place the onion, turnip, beets, and squash on a large rimmed sheet tray. Sprinkle with chili powder and drizzle with roughly 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.
  2. Reduce the heat to 325 and spread the squash seeds in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle with remaining oil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until they begin to pop in the oven. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
  3. To assemble the salad place half the kale in each bowl, top with cooled veggies, seeds and drizzle with Maple Chipotle vinaigrette (Recipe Follows). Serve immediately.

Maple Chipotle Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Serve immediately.

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggies

Satay Style Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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This is a great recipe for Satay Style Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Utilizing the flavors of satay chicken in a new and unique way.

Satay Style Chicken Lettuce Wraps with peanut suace

I am just not in the Christmas Spirit this year. Call me a Grinch, but decorating has never been high on my priority list and as someone who is trying to downsize their stuff and move away from the excessive commercialism that is part of our culture the idea of shopping for more commercial stuff is just not appealing. Aside from the occasional soup I am not really into the Christmas food yet either. I’m hoping you guys won’t mind my lack of Christmas Posts this year, I mean everyone else in blog land is doing them so you can get your fill elsewhere, and I will just be your escape from it all.

This recipe is pretty much the last thing I think of when I of Christmas but as far as keeping it healthy and delicious around here it was perfect. So, perfect.

Both Chuck and I loved this recipe, and it came together quickly which is always a good thing, especially when your time is limited.

Satay Style Chicken

Cooking the chicken in a pan this way means that it can then be put over salad greens or steamed veggies with rice to create a number of different kinds of meals. I love versatility.

Now I know that the ingredient list looks gigantic, but do not let it scare you. If you enjoy Asian style foods you probably have most of these in your pantry already, so there is very little actual prep time, despite the large list of things.

Seriously give it a shot. It’s a great way to break up those heavy holiday foods with some healthy Asian style excitement.

Satay Style Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Satay Style Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • Chicken
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
  • Peanut Sauce
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
  • Romaine or butter lettuce leaves for serving
  • 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
  • ½ a red pepper julienned
  • 1 tablespoon scallions, chopped (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl whisk together the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, turmeric, lime juice, and honey. Add chicken and toss.
  2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minute to 2 hours.
  3. Once marinade, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the chicken. Cook chicken, while stirring for 6 to 8 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. In a small bowl whisk together the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and sriracha until well blended and set aside.
  5. Stuff each lettuce leaf with carrot, pepper, and chicken. Drizzle with peanut sauce, top with scallions and serve.