21

May

Spinach Orzo Salad

This idea was absolutely not mine. In the days of working in a deli (how humbling), we had to make this every morning. However, the orzo was cooked and everything was prepackaged, ick. A seemingly healthy salad, this deli poured creamy dressing over the greens to dump on unnecessary salt, calories and fat. I will admit, however, that it was delicious but a guilty pleasure because of the dressing.
As you know, we were having a picnic, and I thought this was a perfect opportunity to “healthitize” this tasty salad.

Spinach Orzo Salad
*serves 6 as a side*
3 cups of spinach leaves
1/2 cup whole wheat orzo
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, chopped into bits
1/4 cup feta cheese sprinkles (I used Italian herb flavored)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
2 TB green onions/chives
3 TB Italian dressing or your favorite vinaigrette (+ more to taste)

Boil water and cook orzo as you would rice. (Once water comes to a rolling boil, drop in orzo, cover pot, and lower heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 15 minutes.) Orzo is slightly quicker in cooking time than rice.

Once orzo is cooked, drain and leave in colander to cool. In the meantime, wash and pat dry spinach leaves and put in large bowl. Add toppings and toss. When slicing the roasted red pepper, be sure and pat dry with a paper towel.

Once orzo is cool, use a fork to separate the pieces from sticking together. Add orzo to spinach mixture and toss, adding dressing/vinaigrette as you toss. The dressing should be light and not soupy, which quickly wilts the spinach.

Chill for 1 hour and enjoy! 
This salad would be a great lunch with a grilled chicken or turkey breast on top.

 

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

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19

May

Healthy Potato Salad

When you grow up in Texas, you end up eating a lot of barbecue. Included in the big food category of BARBECUE is sauce, green beans with bacon, baked beans and *of course* potato salad.

I love potato salad, a little bit of mustard in it, with chopped celery, red pepper, relish, the whole bit.

But I find myself feeling guilty about the enormous fat content and amount of mayo, so I end up eating my favorite part of potato salad–the potato–and avoiding the creamy sauce it sits in! Well, I thought it was time to hold back on the mayo (and picnic tummyaches from potato salad left out of the fridge too long) and make the potato the star of the show, once again.

4-Ingredient Potato Salad
*6  1/2-cup servings
5 medium-sized red potatoes (2 pounds)
4 TB yellow mustard
2 TB honey
1 t. dried parsley

ONE: Dice (don’t peel) potatoes into small pieces. Boil in a large pot of water until soft, but not falling apart.

TWO: Drain potatoes in a colander and run over cool water for a few minutes. Let sit out for 1 hour or refrigerate for 30 minutes, until cool.


THREE: In a large bowl, whisk mustard, honey and parsley together. Using a small spoon, carefully coat potatoes with sauce. Serve immediately (room temp salad) or refrigerate for at least an hour to chill.


Nutrition facts for this healthier version 

 The finished product, with only 4 ingredients. Yum!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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18

May

Summer and Mangoes

Matt grilled burgers last night. They were delicious! I haven’t been eating much (any) beef lately, but I wanted a burger and he obliged.

Burgers

Grilled corn on the cob
Grilled squash
Summer salad

 
I thought a colorful salad would be fun with it, but nothing typical and boring. Plus, it’s (almost) summer…why not mix it up?
 

Summer Salad
*4 servings*

6 cups baby spinach or lettuce of your choice
1/2 cup chopped: strawberries, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper
Mango Madness dressing (recipe below)
Toss salad. That’s it. It’s pretty, colorful, and really really healthy. The crunch of yellow bell pepper goes really well with soft, sweet strawberries. Who knew? Not I, said the fly.

And now for the dressing…I added 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, but if you want less of a kick, go for 1/4 teaspoonful.

Mango Madness Dressing (ole!)
makes 1 1/2 cups dressing, 6-10 servings

1 large mango
Juice and zest of one lime
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 TB agave nectar
Process all ingredients in food processor, mixing until smooth. Top on salad, dip for fruit/veggies, sandwich spread, salsa with chips.


 
Here’s how I slice a mango:

Take your knife and cut around mango lengthwise. Twist two halves of mango in palms in opposite directions, to loosen fruit from giant seed.



Holding half of the mango in one palm, carefully slice the mango horizontally and vertically, taking care not to slice through to the peel (and your hand).

 Flip the sliced mango inside out and pull or slice off the mango chunks. 

*This method avoids mushy, mucky mango mess and gives you clear cut cubes of mango. I learned this from Cafe Red Onion, a Latin fusion restaurant in Houston.

 The end result…a creamy HEALTHY mango dressing! Ole!

My happy plate…

Happy Wednesday! Matt and I are having a picnic in the park tonight! We’ve never done that before, and the menu includes sweet and sour chicken drumsticks, spinach orzo salad, healthy potato salad, and homemade hummus! I’ll show you more later. Salud!

 

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

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