Arugula Salad with Tomatoes

Are you ready for the easiest salad accompaniment ever?  Perfect.  I serve this salad all the time.  My Mom serves this salad all the time.  It goes great with any Italian meal or as a nice summer salad.  I served it tonight with eggplant parmigiana and some homemade bread... delicious!

Arugula Salad with Tomatoes

Arugula Salad with Tomatoes

Ingredients:
6 oz. arugula (1 bag)
1 tomato, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 lemon
parmesan, to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil, more to taste
salt, to taste

Preparation:
Add lemon juice and olive oil in small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Place arugula in large bowl. Sprinkle parmesan on top of arugula, to taste.  Add salt, to taste. Mix well. Add tomatoes on top.
Enjoy!

Tex Mex Sweet Potato Salad

I really needed a side dish for my cilantro lime salmon and this seemed like a perfect solution!  I'm not a huge fan of overly mayonnaise-y potato salads, so I really wanted something that would fill me up without being too much.

This potato salad uses a homemade honey mustard dressing that feels like a nice light solution to mayo.  I halved the dressing recipe for you guys because there was a ton in the bottom of the bowl when I was done.  

This recipe is also very easily made vegan, substitute agave or maple syrup for the honey!

Tex Mex Sweet Potato Salad

Tex Mex Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:

about 1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 jumbo), washed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced 

1 cup corn (I use frozen that I allowed to thaw)

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, minced

1 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Add the sweet potatoes in an even, flat layer. Evenly drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until fork-tender and done. Halfway through baking flip potatoes to ensure even cooking. Baking time will vary, I recommend starting to check at 30 minutes for doneness.

Add the green onions, red pepper, corn, cilantro to a large bowl; set aside.

Add the honey, dijon mustard, lime juice, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper, optional cayenne pepper to a medium bowl, whisk to combine; set aside.

After potatoes are cooked, add them to the bowl with the beans and vegetables, add the sauce, and toss to combine. Taste, check for seasoning balance, make any necessary tweaks, and serve. Potato salad can be served warm, at room temp, or chilled.  

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Averie at Averie Cooks

Chicken Salad

The other day I made Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice and the original recipe called for four chicken breasts, however only three fit in the bottom of my crockpot and then I had the issue of an unthawed chicken breast in my fridge.  Hence, chicken salad!  I really wanted to make a healthy alternative to the normally mayonnaise-heavy dish so I subbed in Greek yogurt and fat-free mayonnaise.
I also wanted to add in grapes and apples, but I was cooking for my sister, meaning nope!  I just threw them into my salad instead!

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad 

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed (or 1 cup rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise (you can add more if you like, I like mine on the drier side)
1 tsp. onion flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup granny smith apple, julienned

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together.
Serve on either a nice roll or over some lettuce for a yummy salad.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Familyfeatures.com

Taco Salad

I wish I could have been so cool as to have made bowls out of tortillas, but alas, I was not.  Matt and I have been trying harder to eat healthier lately, so we decided to have taco salads for dinner... that and avocados were on sale.  I cheated a little bit and had previously bought ground turkey already taco seasoned, so all I had to do with that was brown the meat.

Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey

Normally when I make taco salad, all I do is throw in fresh vegetables, but Matt recently had a taco salad with cooked peppers and onions in it and it was delicious, so I decided to follow suit. I cooked down a red pepper, a green pepper, and half an onion.  I seasoned them with some pepper, a tiny bit of salt, and some adobo seasoning.

Peppers and Onions

I also decided to add in some black beans, because who doesn't love black beans?!  I threw those in with the meat for a couple of minutes, just to heat them up.

Turkey and Black Beans

Finally it was time to assemble!  We didn't have lettuce, so we used fresh spinach as our base, then came the cooked vegetables, the turkey and bean mixture, one avocado apiece (YUM!), some lite sour cream, and a garnish of some cilantro and scallions.

Taco Salad

Taco Salad

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
8 oz. spinach
2 stalks celery
Guacamole
1 avocado, pitted
1/4 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 roma tomato, diced
1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
Salt

Preparation:
Guacamole
Add avocado, onion, garlic, tomato, and cilantro to a small bowl.
Cut the lime in half and add the juice.
Stir.
Add salt to taste.
Set aside.
Salad
Place a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 Tbsp. oil.  Add turkey to skillet.  Add cumin and garlic powder.
Cook until turkey is almost cooked through.
Add black beans.
Cook until heated through.
Set aside.
Add additional oil, if needed. Add peppers and onion to skillet.  Cook until onions and peppers are soft, about 5 minutes.
Place spinach in bowls.
Add turkey and bean mixture on top.  Add peppers.  Top with guacamole.
Enjoy!