Sweet Love and Ginger

Vegetarian

Loaded Greek Salad

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Loaded Greek Salad
It’s Tuesday, and I’m posting because I was too busy recovering from bachelorette party shenanigans to put anything together for yesterday. I’m pretty sure that none of you noticed, but I still feel guilty enough to explain my reasons why.
So ok now that that is out of the way let get on with today’s post.
I was flipping through my previous posts, you know wondering at my own genius and taking note of a few things, when I realized that I never covered a recipe I meant to cover right after I did this post. It’s fitting because this is a great salad to help bounce back after a long weekend of champagne, rocking out, and too rich food.
This is one of my favorite salads to make at home. I love the bold colors, and different textures. If you want to up the protein add an egg, or some grilled chicken, but they aren’t necessary this is a super hearty salad that stands on its own for an awesome and easy summer meal.
Loaded Greek Salad
I think it’s pretty obvious that this one is clean and healthy, but it’s also packed with antioxidants and tons of nutrients. I paired it down to serve one, for ease, but it’s super easy to double.
Loaded Greek Salad
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 1
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mixed baby lettuce
  • ½ cup baby arugula
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • ½ a cucumber, sliced
  • 1 tbsp of red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup of low sodium chickpeas, canned, drained
  • ¼ cup of kalamata olive, halved
  • 1 tbsp of low fat crumbled feta cheese
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Light drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl toss all ingredients together and serve
  2. immediately.

Since we are on the topic what’s your favorite hang over cure? I sure could have used some good ones this weekend.

Spring Vegetable Couscous

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Spring Vegetable Couscous
Spring has sprung! Grocery stores and farmers markets are filling with wonderful, luscious, and vibrant colors. Rainbow Swiss chard, purple asparagus, green peas are just the beginning. My favorite part of spring, after the fresh post rain smell is the amazing vegetables that finally start their rotation on our plates. I could seriously eat a salad of some kind for every meal right now and never get bored.
In fact this salad I did eat for several days in a row. It’s super filling and wonderfully satisfying. I swear it’s like I can feel the sun shine in every bite that I take.
Spring Vegetable Couscous
I started out cooking the couscous in vegetable broth, just to impart it with a bit more flavor, an added the veggies at the very end of the cooking process to save on dirty dishes. I mean I was going to steam them anyway to why not do it all in one pot? Besides I wanted them still pretty crisp, so just a few minutes in a hot pan was all that was needed. Finish off the flavor with a handful of fresh chopped herbs, maybe a tiny bit of fresh cracked pepper and you have yourself a wonderfully flavorful salad type thing. I did also top it with some fresh alfalfa sprouts for a bit more protein, and a cooler contrast to the warm salad.
Spring Vegetable Couscous
It’s really enough to feed a group of 4 without anything else, but
if you wanted to stretch it I’d grill up some meat or veggies and then you
could feed more like 6 or 8.
Spring Vegetable Couscous
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups dry couscous
  • 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 lb asparagus
  • 1 cup of fresh or frozen green peas
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • ½ cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook couscous according to package instructions with the broth substituted for water. 5 minutes before cooking is complete, add asparagus and
  2. peas.
  3. Once finished toss with herbs, and adjust seasoning.
  4. Serve warm or cold with sprouts on top.

Dinner 4One: Spinach Artichoke Pasta

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Spinach Artichoke Pasta

This whole week has been just little ol’ me and the Brody Monster haning out a la casa de Ginger. It’s been a while since Chuck has had to be gone for more than a night, and as much as I love having him around sometimes it’s just nice to be on my own.

I have finally gotten some much needed cleaning done, set up some new camera toys and practiced. I bought Tasty Food Photography way back in January and though I’ve read it through I haven’t had much the opportunity to practice what I have learned. Something about a big bearded man craning his neck over my shoulder, asking “when’s dinner” that really puts the ki-bosh on getting the AH-mazing photos I know I’m capable of. I keep telling both him and myself that patience is a virtue, but this week has helped me get my feet back on the ground with it all.
Spinach Artichoke Pasta
I mean look at these pictures!
Now let’s get back on track here and talk a little bit about the Spinach Artichoke Wonder-Pot. Call me crazy but I simply cannot understand these “wonder-pot” things that seem to be floating around the internet, I mean even Martha is on that band wagon. I just cannot get behind the idea of dumping everything into one pan, adding water and boiling the hell out of it. Why aren’t we sautéing the onion and garlic? Or getting some good carmelization on the mushrooms people? The point is to make a pasta dish, not coddle, or a pot roast or something.
I know we are all going for ease here, but that couple extra minutes to get some more flavor out the food we are cooking is so worth it. Don’t you think?
Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Dinner 4One: Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 1
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 cup of uncooked pasta
  • 2 cups of vegetable broth
  • 1 cup loosely packed baby spinach
  • 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a thick bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onion just begins to turn translucent then add the garlic and red pepper flakes.
  2. Cook for 1-2 additional minutes before adding the artichoke hearts, pasta, and broth, stirring well to combine.
  3. Continue to cook stirring regularly until the pasta is aldente. Fold in the spinach and cheese until the spinach has wilted.
  4. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve warm with an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
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Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

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Shrimp & Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

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St. Patrick’s Day & Irish Vegetable Soup

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This is an updated version of the Irish vegetable soup recipe first posted in 2012.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming. It’s the one day a year when all of us Americans show our Irish pride, claim to be Irish, and drink ourselves stupid. We all also eat a boat load of corned beef & cabbage, because, you know, that’s all they eat over their really. Or so we all seem to think.

Irish Vegetable Soup
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Leftover Chicken Croquettes with Smoked Cheddar & Squash Soup

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You may have noticed I have been into posting whole meals. I feel like it’s more real this way. Everything I post here is usually made right before we eat it. Occasionally I will make something ahead so I can get a good picture of it but it’s always eaten for dinner later or lunch the next day, besides some things just taste better after a few hours of sitting in the fridge, soups and stews especially.

What I’m getting at is that I hope you don’t mind that I do this sometimes. You know, bombard you with 3 or 4 recipes in one post. This is how we eat, what we eat all together I thought it might be helpful for people trying to come up with dinner menus, weeknight meals and other combinations. Plus I also get really excited about some of these recipes and combos and want to share them all at once.

This collection of recipes seems a little off at first glance but I’m telling you all the pieces fall nicely into place. The croquettes were developed out of necessity I have an abundance of leftover chicken, and we are kind of getting sick of chicken soup these days. My step mom Miss Amy has made these same croquettes before with turkey so I figured the same could be done with chicken. Now what do you serve with such a thing?
Squash soup of course! Chuck just really wanted it, and I really wanted Maple Walnut Salad Dressing, which goes so well with the smoked cheddar and apples, so let put it all together. What goes better together than soup and salad anyway?

The croquettes need liquid, whether it be gravy, salad dressing or some other kind of sauce it‘s definitely required because they  are kid of dry
without it. They are a pretty blank canvas which I like because I wanted to taste more of the dressing; however you can jazz them up by adding some chopped up veggies or spices to the mix.

 

Leftover ChickenCroquettes
5 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
2 cups cooked and minced chicken (you may want to use a food
processor)
½ cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat, and whisk in flower.
Cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously.
Add milk whisking until well combined and cook for 1-2 minutes, until thickened then remove from heat and allow to cool. In a large bowl combine the chicken and cooled sauce, mixing well. The combination should be sticky, if it doesn’t start to form clumps then add a few bread crumbs a pinch at a time.
Sift together breadcrumbs, parsley and salt in a shallow dish or plate.
With your hands create hockey puckshaped disks. Coat the disks with the bread crumb mixture and place in a greased baking dish.
Bake for 30 or so minutes or until the croquettesbegin to turn a golden brown color.


Maple Walnut Salad
Dressing
¾ cups chopped walnuts
3 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp pure maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or jar, then whisk or shake well to combine.

Squash Soup with Smoked Cheddar
and Apple
 1 medium onion, peeled & chopped
 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium roasted butternut squash, flesh only
 ½ cup apple cider vinegar
 4 cups Low Sodium vegetable broth
 1 medium apple, peeled and diced
 1/3 cup apple smoked cheddar
In a large thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onion until it begins to soften and become translucent.
Add squash and broth to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes then with an immersion blender or in batches blend until smooth.
Over medium heat add apple and smoked cheddar and cook for 5-6 minutes stirring regularly.
Adjust seasoning and serve warm with extra cheese for garnish.