30/30 - #16 Caramelized Pancetta and Fennel Salad

Almost halfway through my Top 30 list! Hard to believe it is going by so fast...and that I am almost 30 years old!

Today's favorite is an oldie, but a goodie. This salad was an early recipe on Kettler Cuisine and one that I give credit to my mother. She first made this salad for the Hubby and I several years ago and it has been a frequent favorite ever since. People are always surprised when I recommend this recipe, questioning my affection for fennel. Unfortunately, this poor vegetable has a bad rep, always being associated with anise and licorice flavors. Surprisingly, fennel takes on a whole new flavor profile once it is cooked and pairs very well with the brown sugar and salty pancetta. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself!!

You can find the recipe for Caramelized Pancetta and Fennel Salad here.

30/30 - #21 Grilled Romaine Salad

#21 is a staple in our house, especially when we have the grill going. It is quite possibly one of the easiest salads to throw together. The best part is that there is no chopping required! You simply place a head of Romaine lettuce on the grill and quickly char some of the outer leaves. Top with your favorite salad items and dressing, and BAM!

I try to change up the toppings and dressing so that it seems like we are having a different salad every time. This one below has cucumbers, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and a drizzle of some good olive oil. 

It's the weekend and I already have this recipe posted on my blog, so I will keep this short. Check out how to make Grilled Romaine Salad for an easy, and impressive side dish!

Grilled Romaine Salad

Find the recipe for Grilled Romaine Salad here.

Citrus and Hearts of Palm Salad

Finally, signs of warm weather have emerged in NC. I was really getting tired of the rainy, cold crap that Mother Nature kept sending our way. I hope it is done!

The other day was amazingly beautiful outside. I got out of work at a decent time and stopped at the store, only to see the last signs of blood oranges. I snatched up a few thinking I could use them for something and decided to make a salad to fully motivate me for Spring and it's delicious produce.

I am a big fan of blood oranges, mostly because they are super photogenic. Yep, that's what I said, a fruit looks good behind a camera! Blood oranges are also very sweet, with almost a hint of berries sometimes. The flavor makes for great cocktails or desserts. I went a different route and added it to a salad. I cut off the rinds and pith, so that the bright colors really show up in the salad.

I chose to combine the blood oranges with Hearts of Palm, which is one of my favorite snacks. Heart of palm is pretty much what it sounds like, a vegetable that is harvested from the the inner core and growing bud of palm trees. I usually buy them in cans and jars (located on the canned vegetable section in a grocery store). I also just used the red wine vinaigrette from a previous recipe - Caramelized Pancetta and Fennel Salad. Any vinaigrette or a good quality olive oil would work as a dressing though.

Blood oranges might also be hard to come by, so substitute any sweet orange in the salad. It will be just as tasty. To create the wedges in this salad, slice off the top and bottom of the orange to create a flat surface. Then cut off the skin one section at a time to reveal the crimson red (or orange) flesh of the orange. With a sharp knife, cut into the orange (from top to bottom) along the section edges and a little wedge should come out. Repeat this all the way around the orange.

The only disappointment was that the orange I cut open for the salad wasn't as crimson red as the usual ones. It is the end of blood orange season, so if you find them, snatch them up while they are here!

Citrus and Hearts of Palm Salad

Yields: 4 salad 
Prep Time: 15 minutes

2 blood oranges, peeled, sliced
1 jar Hearts of Palm, drained, sliced
1/4 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted and chopped
Mixed greens (mache, spinach, arugula, romaine)
Fennel, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper together. While whisking, slowly add in the olive oil to help emulsify the dressing. Add more salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

If the hazelnuts need to be toasted, heat them over medium heat in a small skillet. Watch them carefully and toast until slightly fragrant. Do not let them brown or burn!! Cool and chop.

To assemble the salad, layer mixed greens onto the plate and add on the sliced Hearts of Palm and fennel if using.

Shrimp and Fennel Salad

We love it when an unexpected meal comes together! Ryan and I were packing up for the beach, which meant cleaning out the fridge for dinner. We had some frozen shrimp in the freezer and just enough ingredients for two salads. Ryan insisted that I add this salad to the blog because it was so good!!

I realize that most people don’t just have some of these ingredients laying around in their fridge, but go get them!

While I was putting the salads together, I was working on one of the new cocktails for a future June Cocktail Month post (spoiler alert – Cilantro Pineapple Julep). The drink and salad paired perfectly together and put us in the perfect mood to finish packing up for the beach.

Here is a tip for using frozen shrimp. A lot of times I will purchase shrimp in bulk and freeze for later use because I can’t always find fresh, local (or wild caught) shrimp on demand. The best way to thaw frozen shrimp is to submerge it into cold water in a very large bowl. Change out the water every 10-15 minutes and the shrimp should thaw in about 30 minutes. I do this right when I come home and prep other ingredients while it thaws and voila! The shrimp is thawed and ready to go.

(Side note: if you have a cat, put the bowl of water/shrimp in the microwave to thaw so you can step away without the cat feasting on the raw shrimp. Obviously don't start the microwave!)

You have to try this salad because the flavors itself will take you to a delightful, tropical place!

Shrimp and Fennel Salad

Yields: 2 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes (to thaw shrimp)

Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

10-12 shrimp, deveined and tails left on (thaw out if frozen)

2 tablespoons Kettler Cuisine blackening rub

6-8 cups salad greens (we used romaine and spinach)

1 avocado, sliced

½ cup fresh pineapple, diced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons red onion, diced

Brie cheese, sliced (can also use feta, goat cheese or other triple crème cheese)

If using frozen shrimp, thaw this out using the method above.

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss the sliced fennel, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and place on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the prepared shrimp with the blackening rub and add the oil to the pan. Sear the shrimp on each side for about 2 minutes and remove from the pan immediately. The shrimp should be just cooked through and slightly bouncy to the touch.

Prepare the remaining ingredients and assemble the salad, then top with your favorite dressing.

There are a ton of ways you could dress the salad, but since Ryan loves his Ranch, I don't make up dressings all of the time. For this salad I just topped with a blood orange infused olive oil that I got for Christmas this year. The citrus flavor complimented the spice of the shrimp and the bitterness and sweetness of the fennel. If you don't have this on hand, you could whisk fresh orange juice with olive oil to get the same flavor or top with your favorite simple vinaigrette.

The wonderful thing about salads is that you can top any way you want! Have fun with it and enjoy!!

Fall Spinach Salad

Fall into Spinach

Leftover night! Our attempt to clean out the fridge before Sunday Fun Day! And yes, Sunday Fun Day is my favorite day of the week, because it usually means going to the Farmer's Market and grocery store, then cooking all day! Oh and not to mention, football!

But, I digress. So, we were eating leftovers and I decided to use the remaining fresh spinach for a side salad to accompany the leftover soup (for me) and pasta (for him). I literally did not have any dressing in our fridge, so decided to make my own. A little homemade dressing, a little nuts and dried fruit and this became a "throw together" that turned into a delicious salad, especially for the Fall.

We devoured the salad so fast, that I didn't take a picture. So I woke up the next morning and remade it. 

Ryan is a Ranch-lover, we all know this. I have been on a mission to create (or buy) other dressings that he will equally love. This was one such success. The key for Ryan is to create a creamy texture that mimics the thickness and richness of ranch. However, I am not a fan of the fat content that accompanies ranch dressing. So I improvised a bit. Yes, I do add a little bit of mayonnaise to this dressing, but only in moderation to get the texture. I have to face the fact that Ryan will never stop eating Ranch, but if I can get him to use it less, then I consider that an accomplishment!

This is a very easy and quick salad, especially in the fall, when apples are crisp and abundant in most kitchens.

Fall Spinach Salad

Yields: 4 salads
Prep Time: 10 minutes 

2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup apple, julienne (we use Honeycrisp)

1/3 cup raisins (can use dried cranberries, cherries or currants as well)

1/2 cup raw walnuts, toasted, chopped (can use hazelnuts or pine nuts here too)

Sharp cheddar or Gruyere cheese, grated or chopped into small squares

2 tablespoon cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoon  honey

2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

For the salad, place spinach on a small plate and equally distribute the apple, walnuts, raisins and cheese among the plates. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey and salt and pepper. Slowly add in the olive oil, while whisking. 

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Light Macaroni Salad

We all know I can't resist a good recipe makeover!! Ryan and most of my friends like creamy- (a.k.a. mayonnaise) based salads. However, I have never been a huge fan of mayo, except for on a BLT sandwich. To make matters worse, creamy salads never agree with my stomach, although I do crave the creamy consistency sometimes. Ice cream is the thing that I miss the most! In addition to creamy, I try to stay away from gluten.

Although I don't have a huge problem with gluten, it is usually advised that people with Crohn's Disease should avoid it. After my diagnosis a few years ago, I researched and found various helpful sites, books, discussion boards and even a support group that Ryan and I frequented when my symptoms were bad. However, learning how to eat for my disease was a whole different story. Unfortunately, patients with Crohn's are all effected differently by different foods.

The best way for me to understand safe foods was to keep a food journal, which I did for the better part of a year. I learned a lot in that year, mostly the "trigger" foods. Anything fried was out of the question (although this wasn't too upsetting for me). Beets, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream and red meat are always painful. Corn, sugar-loaded things and creamy salads (tuna, chicken, creamy cole slaws) can trigger symptoms as well.

Recreating Delicious

As for the foods I had to leave behind, I learned how to substitute ingredients or recreate recipes so I didn't always have to miss out on great flavors. Comfy Belly is one of the blogs that I follow. The author focuses on healthy, healing recipes for her son with Crohn's. I like her recipes because they usually shy away from my trigger foods and include healing, power foods. I decided to try her macaroni salad, which I have not had in about three years. I made some changes and substituted greek yogurt for most of the mayo to cut down on the fat. I was secretive and didn't tell Ryan it was gluten free and light, to get his full reaction. He thought It was delicious!

I should point out that this is great for parties, but not tailgates in 85 degree weather! The creaminess of the pasta starts to break down in the sun and the gluten free pasta gets hard and clumps together.

I also had some the next day after all of the flavors melded together and it was delicious,  so this is a great make ahead side dish.

You can substitute whole wheat pasta or regular pasta in this recipe as well.

Light Macaroni Salad

Adapted from Comfy Belly

Yields: 4 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: Pasta cooking time

4 cups of cooked pasta (I used gluten-free pasta - Quinoa pasta)

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup of mayonnaise (can use low fat)

3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt (can use low fat)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box. I reserved some of the pasta water just in case the dressing got too thick. Drain and rinse the pasta in cool water and set aside.

Mix the pepper, celery, mayo, yogurt, mustard, vinegar, honey, cayenne, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir in the pasta and mix to combine. Store the pasta salad in the refrigerator for at least and hour and up to overnight. Serve chilled.

Curry Broccoli and Couscous

Yay!! I am so happy to be back in the kitchen! July was a whirlwind of traveling to every corner of North Carolina and beyond. We had A LOT of great times with friends and family, by all the traveling messed with my weekly routine of training for the marathon, healthy eating and sleep! So when I actually had a day off of training and no errands to run after work the other day, I told Ryan that he could find me in the kitchen for the next 4 hours! I was so happy, cooking, taking pictures, blogging (and maybe drinking a martini or two). Ryan snapped this pic when I turned to get my camera!

Back in the Kitchen

I had several things on the docket for the evening cooking event:

• Cherry Chocolate Brownies - to be posted later
• Mango Black Bean Salsa for my weekend girls beach trip
• Roasted Red Pepper dip - to be posted later
• And dinner - a new Kettler creation - Curry Broccoli and Couscous

I believe I have mentioned this before, but Ryan and I LOVE Indian cuisine. We have our dear friends Dhruv and Karishma to thank for this. We kept telling them how we disliked Indian cuisine and one day Dhruv said, "We are going to cook you a traditional Indian meal, then we will see." Karishma made 7 or 8 dishes, and each of them blew us away! Ever since then, we have been hooked. Dining out, making our own curries, shopping at the local Indian market for better spices, yum! 

I started playing around with different types of sauces, spices and Indian flavors based on a cookbook I had bought. I am certainly no expert yet, but at least my dishes can keep the Hubby happy :)

So after a lot of basic American cooking this past month, I decided to change it up and try a new curry recipe starring Ryan's fav - broccoli. (And you know me, anytime I can get him to eat more veggies, I am happy)!

I started by chopping up all the vegetables, then played around with the sauce flavors. After about 3 attempts at the sauce, I finally was happy with the results. I then made the couscous, steamed the broccoli, sauteed the veggies and mixed everything together.

Curry Broccoli and Couscous

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 small broccoli heads, chopped into bite size florets

3 carrots, shredded (about 1 cup)

8 mushrooms of choice, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 small red onion, chopped (full 1 cup)

2 T ghee or butter

salt and pepper

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 cup plain dried couscous

salt

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
4 T olive oil
1 tsp agave or honey
1 tsp curry paste (we used red)
3 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup low fat milk

Optional - golden raisins for garnish

Start by chopping and shredding all the vegetables (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onion). Feel free to add in other vegetables of choice as well. I like to chop and cut all the ingredients first before cooking, so I am ready for steps when needed.

Steam the broccoli florets. I like to use a microwave steamer for ease, but anyway you can steam them is fine. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, agave/honey, curry paste, curry powder and milk together. Whisk well until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Set the curry sauce aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil, then add the couscous and a pinch of salt. Quickly stir this, remove from the heat and cover the saucepan. The couscous will be done in about 5 minutes, at which point you can fluff the couscous.

Once the couscous is cooking, start sauteing the vegetables. In a large saute pan, melt the ghee or butter and add the onions. Saute the onions for about 2-3 minutes and add in the shredded carrots. 

Cook this for another 2-3 minutes and add the mushrooms (and any other raw vegetables except the steamed broccoli). Let this saute for about 5 minutes until cooked down. Add in the broccoli and curry sauce and lower the heat to medium-low. Stir to combine all the ingredients and cook on low for about 5 minutes to incorporate the flavors. 

To serve, either add in the couscous to the vegetable mixture or serve the vegetable mixture over the couscous. Either way, it is delicious with some Naan and mango chutney! Ryan likes to add some heat, so he has a hot garlic chutney that Dhruv had recommended.

*Note, if you like more sauce, just double the recipe, except for the vegetables.

*Note, this can easily be served over quinoa or other gluten-free grain for specific dietary needs. I put the leftovers over lettuce and it was a fantastic salad for lunch!

Fresh Watermelon Salad

July is a very crazy month for the Hubby and I. We are traveling every weekend from the mountains to the coast and even up to Chicago. We do this to ourselves every year, despite swearing we won't. Somehow the summers just fill up for us though. Trust me, we aren't complaining, but the temptation to order take-out or go out is very strong when we are this busy. 

Must....stay....strong and fight the urge to order take-out!! 

So I use my strength and focus on quick recipes. One of our favorite quick and healthy recipes is a Fresh Watermelon Salad - great in the summer. Originally inspired from an Italian restaurant my Mom and I went to several years ago, and then tweaked, this is a great way to use all the fresh watermelon taking over Markets.

I like to drizzle the salad with olive oil right before serving, but that is not necessary if you are cutting back calories. Also, the salad pictured above is vegetarian, however by adding a few slices of prosciutto the salad takes on a delicious salty bite. It covers all the taste-bud-basics, sweet, salty and savory! Not to mention, husband-approved :)

Fresh Watermelon Salad

Yields: 4 salads
Prep Time: 5 minutes

4 watermelon slices, leave rind on

1/2 cup feta cheese, divided

2 cups arugula, divided

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Prosciutto slices (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Divide the arugula among the plates. Top each plate with a watermelon slice and drizzle with balsamic vinegar to taste (a good rule of thumb is one teaspoon per plate). Add feta cheese, salt and pepper to each. Top with prosciutto if using and lastly, drizzle with olive oil if desired.

Spinach Salad with Warm Shallot Dressing

For the most part, Ryan is really easy going when it comes to my meal planning. Since I dedicate time and energy to thinking and planning ahead, he is very respectful with whatever ends up on the dinner table. However, there are occasional days when he has a craving for something in particular, and when that happens, my meals don't stand a chance! 

The other night he had a hankering for bacon. I know, surprise, surprise! Since we happened to have bacon in the refrigerator and an abundance of spinach in the garden, I figured a spinach salad would settle his bacon cravings, my green vegetable needs and allow me to play around with a new salad dressing. That it did!

I am not a huge meat eater, as we all know, so I decided to make this again a few days later without the bacon for my vegetarian followers. I have to say the dressing is what makes this salad so amazing - with or without bacon!

To put my healthy spin on this salad, I removed most of the bacon fat before sauteing the shallots and left out the hard-boiled egg and croutons. I then added fresh vegetables (mushrooms, radishes and chives) and reduced the oil in the salad dressing. If you are not a huge mustard fan, you can cut back on the amount of mustard. Adjust the flavors to your liking! Enjoy!

4th of July Recipe Ideas

The nation's birthday, a day to get together with friends and family in your most patriotic outfit and grill while you drink fun cocktails and watch your neighbor set off fireworks from his driveway. I couldn't think of a better day! This year, the holiday falls in the middle of the week, so planning ahead is a must. There is a recipe on KettlerCuisine for every culinary need this holiday.

Side Dish Ideas

Most are probably either hosting a cookout, attending one or packing a picnic. Side dishes tend to be abundant for the July 4th holiday. Since the host of the celebration usually takes care of the main course (i.e. meat), guests are always asked to bring a side to share. Here are some of our favorites from the blog:

• Kale Salad
• Roasted Vegetable Couscous
• Roasted Grapes with goat cheese
• Caramelized Fennel and Pancetta Salad - can also be an appetizer
• Fruit Salad
• Mango and Black Bean Salsa
• Grilled Romaine Salad

Master of Grill-ology

If you find yourself hosting a shindig, try the Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops. These are the most tender and juicy chops you will ever eat, not to mention super easy to prepare AND ahead of time. Several of our friends have tried this recipe with other meats such as a pork tenderloin, chicken thighs or breasts and had equal success. 

Red, White and Blue Desserts

For something on the sweeter side, you can whip up the Chocolate Stout cake with macerated blackberries or top with other fresh summer berries. If you can still find good strawberries, go for the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble or my grandmother's Strawberry Pie with fresh whipped cream. Whichever dessert you choose, be sure to include fresh summer berries not only for their sweet taste, but their resemblance to our nation's flag!!

Even though the weather is expected to be 100F in North Carolina on Wednesday, this won't stop us from enjoying food, fun and friends. What are some of your favorite July 4th dishes??

Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad

If I had to pick a favorite fruit season, hands down, it is peaches! Don't get me wrong, I love my strawberries, but there is something special about a good peach season.

With the first sight of peaches at the market, my brain starts spinning of recipe ideas. I usually have to narrow it down since I still have a full time job and can't cook all day (although I would love to). One of the recipes I knew I wanted to work on for the blog was using grilled peaches. From previous posts, we all know my love for grilling any type of vegetable, including lettuce, but really this love also applies to the sweet nectar of the gods....peaches!

Typically, you don't get the fall-off-the-pit peaches until later in the season, but I was so impatient, I bought some anyways and cut around the pit to get perfect nice halves.

I also found some amazing micro arugula from the market. If you think regular arugula is good, try the micro greens! They are basically baby versions of the green, but pack just as much vitamins, minerals and taste as the "adult" version. Another fantastic find from the market was some Farmer's goat cheese from one of the vendors. Top this off with chives from my garden and some of my good olive oil and balsamic vinegar....you got yourself one heck of salad there, Champ!

Ryan was in charge of the grill. I told him to get some nice grill marks on both sides, but not to cook the peaches down too much or else it will start to loose all the juices.

Then came the ultimate test, the husband taste test. Ryan probably gets so freaked out when we first sit down to a meal and I stare him down, waiting in anticipation for his facial expression and remarks from the first bite of a new dish.

He loved it! Ryan likes to eat the salad first at a meal, so he scarfed it down and gave me that, oh, so wonderful, reassuring look of approval. Success! Another peach recipe in the docket!

Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad

Yields: 2 salads
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5-8 minutes

1 ripe yellow peach
Fresh arugula (find micro greens if you can, or spinach)
Favorite goat cheese
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Fresh chives, chopped
Salt and pepper

Slice the peach in half and remove the pit - try to do this as gently as possible to leave the halves intact for presentation. Heat a grill (or grill pan) on medium heat and place the peach halves on the grill cut-side down first. After a few minutes, flip the halves to cook the other side.

Meanwhile, assemble the lettuce, cheese and chives on a plate. Place the cooked peach halves on top of the salad and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Seared Squash and Quinoa Salad

Last night was one of my favorite kind of nights....I look into the refrigerator, see what we have and came up with a new dish! This is like a fun game for me, I try to do this about once a week, if I can. Of course, I think about things ahead of time and ponder on various ideas, but it usually doesn't come together until I am standing in front of the open fridge door!

This weekend, my friend Tom brought us some fresh green beans and squash (huge squash I might add) from his organic garden. Tom DEFINITELY has a green thumb! He makes his own fertilizer and grows from seeds.

Since the veggies were straight from his garden, I wanted to use them right away. I had this huge bag of multicolored quinoa that was screaming my name and a few more romaine leaves. Hence, the following dish came together while Ryan was patiently waiting for me to start movie night! 

Grilled Romaine Salad

What is it about summer that makes you want to stand in front of a hot Weber and grill...everything!! This is always the first thing Ryan and I do when the weather warms up in NC. We stock up on charcoal and fill our refrigerator with meats, vegetables, pizza dough and even fruits for the grill. One of our favorite grill recipes is a grilled romaine salad.

Possibly the quickest and easiest salad with the most flavor! If we are grilling a meat we always have this as a side to help reduce the dirty dish load. This salad is so versatile and great for cleaning out your fridge! I usually never use the same toppings, but my favorites are roasted red peppers, Parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Another great thing about this salad is that it doesn't need a dressing. The lettuce gets so much flavor from the charcoal. However, a little drizzle of olive oil is nice to moisten up the lettuce a bit.

Above all else, remember the rules for grilling: Rule #1, pour yourself a cocktail!

Mint Julep using mint from my garden!

Grilled Romaine Salad

Yields: 4 salads
Prep Time: pretty much nothing!
Cook Time: 3-5 minutes

2 Romaine heads, cut in half lengthwise
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper
Favorite toppings

Prepare a grill to medium heat (or if cooking something else on higher heat, use the outer edges of the grill to cook the romaine hearts). Slice the romaine hearts in half, lengthwise and spray with olive oil spray (lightly). Grill the romaine halves on medium heat or on the outer edge of the grill for 2-3 minutes per side. The goal is to get a slight grill mark on the lettuce, but still keep it's crispness. 

Remove from the grill and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and your favorite toppings. Serve immediately. 

Curry Egg Salad

There are moments of compromise and then there are moments of just giving in! Coming up with this recipe was one of these moments. I have never, ever been a fan of egg salad, but my husband loves it! He religiously orders an egg salad sandwich on white bread with bacon at one of our favorite golf courses. When we get to #8 and reach the deli "Order Ahead" phone on the course, he hops over to the phone and places his order. Sometimes he will throw in some chips or a pickle on the side, but that egg salad is a highlight for him!

So, it came time for me to learn how to make egg salad, and when researching all of the recipes, I was appalled at how much mayonnaise was in it. I love Ryan, but just could not bring myself to make him something knowing how bad it is nutritionally.

I went in search for other recipes, and came across a curry egg salad recipe. It still had a lot of mayo in it, but I thought this was a great idea. Substitute mayonnaise with flavor and spice! After a few tries, I came up with a good combination that he really likes and continues to ask for. I have to admit, I rather enjoyed the curry egg salad myself. I prefer it with mango and spinach on pumpernickel bread though.

Royal Beet Salad

Let's get real with beets! Sometimes you just need to get creative with vegetables. They may not always be the most desirable by themselves, but when paired with the right flavors, they can take your taste buds to the moon!

I had the day to myself to get errands done and play in my garden and kitchen. I planted the rest of my summer herbs and vegetables and got a little inspiration to experiment in the kitchen with a few beets that I got at the Farmer’s Market.

Beets are full of amazing vitamins and minerals, the most notable is betalains, which gives them the bright, royal purple-reddish color. Betalains are said to have many health benefits including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, fiber and antioxidant agents. It is also said to help with detoxification! 

Unfortunately, I don't like beets by themselves. However, with all the health benefits of this root vegetable, I was determined to come up with a recipe that highlights beets, but includes many other flavor combinations.

Needless to say, I had a lot of free time yesterday, and just kept experimenting with flavors. It certainly paid off, because this was a phenominal salad and a delicious way to eat some healthy anti-inflammatory, detoxifying beets!

Royal Beet Salad

Serves: 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-50 minutes

4 small fresh beets

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh spinach leaves

1/4 cup raw walnuts

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Toppings:

Goat cheese

Truffle oil

Salt and pepper

Start by preheating an oven to 400F. Clean off the beets (and cut off the green stems if purchased this way). Place the whole beet with skins intact on a small, aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and sea salt. Fold the foil over and seal tightly to create a pouch for the beets to cook in. This helps cook them evenly and makes for an easier clean up job. Place in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. 

Beets are flexible when it comes to cooking temperature and time, depending on size and freshness. Fresh beets cook quicker than older ones and smaller beets cook faster than larger ones. You can also put these into any temperature oven to cook (ranging from 350F to 425F), depending on if you are cooking something else in the oven.

While the beets are cooking, place the raw walnuts onto a small skillet over medium heat. Cook these for about 5 minutes, watching carefully. Once the walnuts start emitting a nice aroma, they are done. Set these aside.

In a small sauce pan, heat the vinegar over medium heat and bring to a slight boil. Cook this until it reduces by half and becomes thicker in consisency. Set this aside to cool.

Remove the beets from the oven when a fork easily pierces through. Once the beets are cooled enough to handle, peel them. I recommend wearing gloves to handle the cooked beets to avoid staining on your hands. The skin should just peel right off or you can use a small pairing knife to help peel.

To assemble the salad, split the spinach on the plates and top with the raisins, walnuts, beets (sliced or cut into small wedges), goat cheese and drizzle of the balsamic reduction. Drizzle with the oil and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Mango and Black Bean Salsa

Sometimes the best recipes come together when you least expect it. This is exactly what happened to me on a cloudy Saturday afternoon while visiting my parents. After an unsuccessful trip to the Farmer's Market (the produce wasn't quite ready in the colder climate of Boone), I headed to the local grocery store to get some inspiration for lunch. The mangos caught my eye while perusing the produce section. My mom listed some of the ingredients she had at the house already and the inspiration wheels started churning!

I grabbed the mango and figured out the rest at home. After 30 minutes, we had a yummy sweet and spicy mango salsa that was fantastic!

I put this salsa on top of a salad with avocados and crumbled Black Bean and Quinoa flavored tortilla chips from Trader Joe's! A little drizzle of olive oil, the salad didn't even need dressing!

However, there are a million other ways to serve the salsa: