June 21, 2016

Strawberry & Avocado Salad

It’s a beautiful thing when superfoods come together to make something incredibly delicious. I saw a photo for a Strawberry & Avocado salad from health.com that looked so incredible, I wanted to make it. The photo was a good reminder that you truly eat with your eyes first. This salad contains strawberries, baby lettuces, avocado and roasted pine nuts. It is fresh and buttery all at once and the vinegar adds a slight tang to balance the smoothness of the avocado. Individually, I love all the ingredients so I was really curious to see how these flavors combine. This salad is a mix up of unexpected ingredients that complement one another really well.

I have to admit that I’m not very inventive when it comes to experimenting with food combinations and admire people who have a knack for it. It’s probably one of the reasons that I’ve been known to binge watch the Food Network. I’m fascinated with food and have such a deep respect for chefs who are passionate about their craft. Last night, I finally got around to watching the movie, The Hundred-Foot Journey. It has been on my bucket list ever since I watched Julie & Julia, another great movie about mastering cooking techniques. Movies like those open my eyes to an entirely new world where people take culinary art to remarkable levels.

Below is the recipe that I adapted from heath.com, it’s quick and easy to make and great for summer entertaining!

Strawberry & Avocado Salad

Active: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Serves: 6

1/4 cup finely diced fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 Tsp. kosher salt
1/2 Tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups mixed fresh baby lettuces
3 cups quartered strawberries
3 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

Stir together diced strawberries, shallot, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes. Slightly mash with a whisk. Whisk in oil, reserve 2 tablespoons for the dressing mixture.
Add lettuces and quartered strawberries to dressing mixture; toss to combine. Transfer to a platter or individual plates top with avocado slices and pine nuts. Drizzle with reserved dressing.

Only 175 calories per serving (yay!)

Now, feed your brain – Here’s a link to your daily World news via theSkimm

April 4, 2016

Cobb Salad Lunch

One Friday afternoon several years ago, a friend invited me and another mutual friend to lunch at her home. It was billed as a quick meal and it would be fair to say that no one anticipated that it was the beginning of something important. We sat down for lunch and once the prosecco started flowing, so did the words. What started out as a casual lunch turned into a no holds barred conversation about life, motherhood and marriage. Barriers came down, bonds were formed and we made a “What happens in Vegas…” pact.

Later, we discussed the fact that despite the constant struggle (and stress) to achieve the right balance between our careers and family lives, we were all missing the girlfriend factor. To me, it is the opportunity to vent, share, ask questions and get feedback. The value of spending time with my girlfriends is the best free therapy in the world. That day, over a simple meal, Ladies’ Lunch was born. It continues to be one of the occasions that is a priority in my life. All you need is a delicious lunch and some bubbly to get started. My “go to” meal that I like preparing whenever I host is Cobb Salad. It never fails to be a crowd pleaser and I love the fact that something this divine can be whipped together in 30 minutes. Because Cobb Salad contains so many ingredients, I don’t feel the need to serve anything else with it except warm bread and butter. And icy cold prosecco.

Cobb Salad Lunch

Ingredients:

One package of Bell & Evans Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (3-4 breasts), seasoned with salt and pepper
One half a package of bacon (cut the bacon into 1″ strips)
One package of baby lettuces (washed and dried)
Two perfectly ripe avocados (cut into slices)
One small container plum tomatoes (wash and dried)
Six hard-boiled eggs (peeled and halved)
Salad Dressing of your choice

Directions:

If possible, allow the chicken and bacon to sit at room temperature for an hour before you begin cooking them, it speeds the cooking time and I think makes the flavor more intense.

Preheat a skillet to medium heat and cook the bacon, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel covered plate

Leaving the bacon oil in the skillet, saute the chicken breasts in the oil (about 10 minutes per side) until golden brown

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad. You can use one large plate, or individually plate each meal.

As soon as the chicken is done, transfer to a chopping board and cover with aluminum foil for about 5 minutes to let is rest (resting allows all the juices to remain inside the chicken to keep it moist. If you slice chicken that is hot off the skillet all the juices will run out). After 5 minutes, slice the chicken, add it to the plate and top with the bacon. Serve immediately.

Cobb Salad Lunch, enjoy!

P.S. here’s a link to today’s theSkimm to get your world news

January 18, 2016

A Smart & Healthy Lunch

{Trader Joe’s Broccoli Slaw and Kale Salad with Grilled Chicken}

I’d like to introduce you to my latest lunch addiction. Meet Trader Joe’s $3.99 Broccoli Slaw and Kale Salad with Grilled Chicken. It is a bright and colorful salad that covers a lot of important food groups – and it is dee-lish-ous! Usually, I don’t purchase prepared meals to bring home. I grew up in a home where we shopped daily for food and made everything from scratch. And for the most part, I still cook that way. I do have a few exceptions. The first exception occurred years ago and it was in the way of Mrs. Smith’s Apple Pie. I was pressed for time one Saturday when I was preparing to host dinner for friends and didn’t have a dessert. My sister had recently regaled Mrs. Smith’s Apple pie and I decided to give it a try. Let me tell you that I have never made apple pie again. That pie is ridiculously good. The key is to serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. You end up with a spoonful of warm, soft, sweet apples and a buttery, crispy and slightly salty crust, wrapped up with semi-soft vanilla cream. It’s heaven on earth. I immediately changed my thinking about prepared foods and my motto became “If someone else can make it better than I can, I’m buying it.”

Back to this salad that contains broccoli slaw blend (broccoli, carrot, red cabbage), grilled chicken breast, kale, dried cranberries and roasted sunflower seeds and has joined the exception list. Why? Because it is delicious, healthy, inexpensive and the amount of time that I save because someone else has made it – makes it a no brainer. Just think of how long it would take to shop for all the ingredients, cook the chicken and shred the veggies. It is one of those “prepared food” lunches that I feel really good about because it’s smart and so convenient to grab and go.

When I realized that this lunch was going to become a regular part of my weekly meal plan, I scrutinized the nutrition label. I did have a “whoa!” moment when I read that the salad dressing (packed in its own container) made up half the total calories. Never one for smothering my food with condiments, I simply use half the amount of salad dressing and it’s perfect. It’s enough to elevate the flavors but not mask it. All in, it comes to about 390 calories. I don’t count calories per se, but I know I need to stick to 1,800 – 2,000 a day and I aim for 500 per meal and a glass of wine or Blue Moon beer with dinner.

May 27, 2015

Fruit Salad with Honey Ginger-Lime Dressing

CT in Style, a Connecticut-based lifestyle blog by Sarah O’Brien

I tend to eat seasonally and have been craving fruit salad. The timing was spot on because the markets are bursting with fresh fruit. When I got home and started preparing the fruit I realized that I had all the colors of the rainbow. It immediately reminded me of something a stranger once told me that I’ve never forgotten. I was on the airtrain with my hubby and our son (Catherine was not born yet) and we were headed to catch a flight. At the next stop a man enters the car and he was just one of those people whose presence you feel. I tried not to stare at him but he seemed larger than life and I was a bit fascinated with him. He radiated pure happiness and so it seemed perfectly natural to me that he should start singing to himself. It wasn’t weird at all, trust me. I could tell that he was an older gentleman, but he was incredibly spry and I said to him “You are so happy and fit, what’s your secret?” to which he replied, with a smile, “I am 87 years old and I eat a rainbow everyday.” He went on to tell me that daily he makes it a point to eat food that is every color in the rainbow. It was one of those moments that stuck with me, and every time I think about the word rainbow I remember what he said.

I love fresh fruit salad on its own, but I wanted to add some zest to it, so I made a honey ginger-lime dressing. For the fruit salad: wash all the fruits thoroughly and cut into small pieces. For the dressing: Combine 1/4 cup of honey with a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, some lime zest and 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice. Mix well and drizzle over the fruit salad. Just like salt does to chocolate, the lime elevates the fruit. Chill before serving.

I have only one tip for buying delicious fruit. Taste it. I open every container of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes and cherries and I sample them in the supermarket to make sure they are not too green or too ripe. For fruits that you can’t sample like pineapple (unless you have frighteningly sharp teeth), my best tip for making sure that pineapple is ripe is to pull at one of the leaves, if it comes off it is ready.

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