Tabouleh

This recipe was in the Ladies' Home Journal, March 2014.  The secret is to use a lot of parsley.

3/4 cup dry bulgur wheat
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
1 1/2 cups minced flat-leaf parsley
1 plum tomato, finely diced
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Lettuce laves, for serving (optional)

Cook bulgur according to package directions to yield 2 cups.  In a large bowl combine cooked bulgur, onion, scallions, parsley and tomato.  In a second bowl whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, lemon zest, and pepper.  Pour dressing over bulgur mixture and toss to coat.  Scoop onto lettuce laves, if desired to eat with hands.
Makes 4 cups.  80 cal., per 1/2 cup serving. 

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad

1 lb red beets, scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced

1 lb yellow beets, scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced

6 medium carrots, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp olive oil

seas salt and pepper

3 Tbsp orange juice

1 1/2 tsp sherry vinegar

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves

3 small Belgian endives, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1/3 c. chopped toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 450. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss beets and carrots with 1 1/2 Tbsp oil; season with salt a pepper. Roast until tender, 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile,in a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar, tarragon, and 1 1/2 tsp oil; season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss endives with half the dressing, then transfer to a serving platter. Toss beets and carrots with remaining dressing and add to platter. Top with goat cheese and pecans.

[EDIT: this recipe works much better if you blanch the beets and carrots ahead of time, otherwise they tend to dry out when they are roasted. Extra amazing if you grill the veggies. This is frequent friend request recipe. If you make it for Dad, replace the goat cheese with anything non-goat.]

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad

1 lb red beets, scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced

1 lb yellow beets, scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced

6 medium carrots, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp olive oil

seas salt and pepper

3 Tbsp orange juice

1 1/2 tsp sherry vinegar

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves

3 small Belgian endives, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1/3 c. chopped toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 450. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss beets and carrots with 1 1/2 Tbsp oil; season with salt a pepper. Roast until tender, 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile,in a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar, tarragon, and 1 1/2 tsp oil; season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss endives with half the dressing, then transfer to a serving platter. Toss beets and carrots with remaining dressing and add to platter. Top with goat cheese and pecans.

Creamy Quinoa Tabouleh

2 c. sprouted chickpeas

2 1/2 c. water

1/4 c. tahini

1/4 c tahini

1/4 c. sliced burdock

1/4 c. lemon juice

2 tsp sea salt

1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Tbsp nama shoyu

2/3 c. mint, chopped

1/3 c. diced cucumber

1/3 c. chopped parsley

1 Tbsp garlic

1 tsp minced jalapeno

1 tsp minced ginger

1/2 c. olive oil

1 c. sprouted quinoa

In a blender combine chickpeas and water. Blend well. Pour the chickpea mix into a fine sieve over the sink. Rinse the chickpea mix and pour it back into the blender. Add the tahini, burdock, lemon juice, sea salt, and blend until creamy. Transfer blender contents into a serving bowl and fold in the cherry tomatoes, 1 Tbsp nama shoyu, mint, cucumber, parsley, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, olive oil, and quinoa. Serve.

Bowtie Spinach Salad

Salad--Mix in a large bowl:
8 cups spinach torn
8 oz. Bag of bow bowtie pasta cooked and cooled
1 bunch green onions, chopped
¼ cup parsley chopped (can use dried)
¼ cup salted sunflower seeds
¼ cup red peppers, chopped
¼ cup yellow peppers, chopped


*Marinate chicken and dressing the day before serving.
Boil and shred 4 chicken breasts and marinate in a large storage bag with dressing. (The recipe says to boil, but I've always just cut the chicken into large pieces and sauteed it in a covered frying pan with a little olive oil.)

Dressing:
½ cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup sesame seeds

Directions:  Pour chicken mixture over all salad ingredients when read to serve.

My friend Tonya gave me this recipe to make for Naomi's baptism lunch.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Dressing:
5 T. fresh lime juice
1t. salt
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1 t. cumin
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 t. pepper

Salad:
1 1/2 c. quinoa (uncooked)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 c. corn
1 chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 minced jalapeno
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c. chopped green onion

Dressing: 
Combine all ingredients in blender and set aside.

Salad:
Wash quinoa and cook according to package directions, I pretty much cook mine like rice.  Boil water in medium saucepan (2 water to 1 quinoa) and add quinoa.  Cook on medium for fifteen minutes with lid on then remove from heat, fluff, replace lid and let sit for 15 min.

Combine the rest of the salad ingredients in a bowl then add quinoa.  Toss gently with the dressing and serve.  Tastes even better the next day.

This is my variation on a recipe I found on the Tasty Kitchen blog.

Portobello, Asparagus, Chickpea & Avocado Spring Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

I don't know why it has taken me so long to post a recipe on here, but here is a really good salad we made a few days ago. No meat, but makes a pretty substantial and healthy salad. Seems great for spring.

8 cups mixed greens
1 avocado sliced or diced (I used 2)
1 small red onion, sliced into thin half moons
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 roasted Portobello mushrooms, sliced (marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce)
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 to 1 pound asparagus, blanched and cut into pieces

Dressing:
1/4 c. prepared spicy, smooth Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Put mixed greens in large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Toss and serve. (I didn't mix in the dressing since I knew there would be leftovers, although I think we ended up using more dressing that way.)

Orange Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

This is an incredible dressing recipe that Brenda gave me. It's good with a spinach salad mix, craisins, nuts, red onion, cheese and mandarin oranges. Also, I usually double the recipe.

1 tsp. orange peel-grated
1/2 c. oil
2 T. sugar
1/3 c. fresh orange juice
2 T. red wine vinegar
1T. Italian salad dressing mix (dry)


Blend it all up and you're done!

Super Spinach Smoothie (Blended Salad)

Ingredients
4 oz. Water
1 c. Red Grapes
4 c. Fresh Spinach Leaves
3/4 c. Frozen Berries

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Serve cold and drink immediately. Drink will separate if left standing.

Daily Nutrients
Total fiber 50%
Vitamin A 75%
Vitamin C 100%
Vitamin E 25%
Thiamin 20%
Riboflavin 30%
Folate 60%
Vitamin B6 30%
Calcium 17%
Phosphorus 15%
Iron 25%
Potassium 30%