Blackened Salmon + Cobb

Hello everyone!  Today we bring you a versatile, HEALTHY recipe, to help you get back on track after the holidays.  This blackened salmon, and the dish I created to serve it in, is inspired by a fav restaurant of mine here in Mpls., The Capital Grille.  Although a traditional steak place for dinner, they have an amazing cobb salad on their lunch menu.  In a previous life I would lunch their weekly, and almost always got this salad.  You could choose your protein I liked their blackened salmon because it is something I would rarely cook at home, and had an amazing flavorful crust.  This meal was easy, and now maybe I will eat it at home once a week!  

Servings: 2

Servings Size: 2 salads, each with 3 oz salmon, 1 egg, 1 full tomato, 1/2 oz blue cheese and 1 t. olive oil

Points Plus: 10 pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent! 

Ingredients

6 oz raw WILD salmon

2 1/2 T. paprika

3/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T light butter

1 lemon, cut in half

4 cups of lettuce, washed and chopped

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 oz good quality blue cheese, divided into two pieces

2 t. olive oil

Salt + Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a shallow bowl mix together your paprika, cayenne, thyme, garlic powder and salt.  Cut your salmon filet in half, so that each filet is about 4 oz. In another shallow bowl melt your butter and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Take the first filet and dip it into the butter, and then the spice mixture.  Use your hands to be sure it is completely covered with spices. 

Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the filets on your stovetop, about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer your filets to an oven safe dish (or use a dish that can be used both on the stovetop and in the oven) and back them for about 8 minutes.

While salmon is baking, arrange your plate! Put down lettuce, and then arrange your egg, tomato and cheese around the outside.  When the salmon is done remove it from the oven and place in the middle.  Drizzle each salad with 1 t. olive oil, a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Tip

I didn’t know this until yesterday, but salmon is best right out of the oven (hence reheated salmon is gross J).  So find a buddy to share this salad with, or only cook the amount you will eat fresh.

XOXO - Katie

Kale Salad with Avocado, Almonds & Apricots

After a weekend full of LOTS of food, what is better than a nice healthy salad??  We made this for dinner on Saturday night after lots of rich and indulgent foods over Thanksgiving.  This was the perfect thing to get back on track with!  Kale is a hearty green that is packed with flavor.  This recipe calls for kind of an odd pairing of ingredients, but all the flavors really come together!

Servings:  2

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus: 7pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 3 stars – Good

Ingredient List:

A large bunch of kale
10 dried apricots, diced
¼ cup almonds, sliced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, flakes
½ avocado, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Directions:

Wash and chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces; add to a large bowl.  Dice the apricots and add to bowl along with almonds and parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.  In a small Pyrex measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar; pour over the salad and mix well.  Just before serving, dice the avocado and add to the top of each serving.

Tip:

It's really important to get yourself back on track after a holiday weekend!  Eat lightly and pack in a lot of salad, broth-based soups and other low pp value meals early in your week.  Take advantage of zero pp fruits and veggies for snacks too!

XOXO Megan

Fall Mixed Green Salad w. Chipotle Vinaigrette

Welcome to THANKSGIVING WEEK on Eat Me!

Yes, that's right.  This is the week of Thanksgiving and we will be posting some recipes and tips to help you stay on track!  We all have our Thanksgiving favs (mine is green bean casserole) and I know from experience you have to be able to be comfortable indulging in these holiday foods in order to stay in control.  The last thing you want is to skip that green bean casserole on Thanksgiving, and then lay in bed on Thursday night with the green bean casserole in your head saying 'EAT ME, EAT ME'! When you don't indulge you many times end up going out of control.  So, anyways, what better recipe to start Thanksgiving week than a delish and flavorful fall salad.  This salad is anything but boring, easy to put together and low in points - YAHOO!  

Servings: 8
Serving Size: about 1 1/2 cups
Points Plus: 3 points plus
Level of Difficulty:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients
Dressing
3 T. olive oil
3 T. balsamic Vinegar
1-2 T. Chipotle
1 T. apple cider
1 t. dry parsley


Salad
1 package mixed greens
1 cup carrots
1/8 cup toasted almonds
1 oz goat cheese
1 apple, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

This recipe is super EASY! Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl of THIS! If you have never tried chipotle peppers you should.  You can find them in your local market in the ethnic foods aisle. For this recipe, you only need to add the sauce.

Heat a tiny sauce pan on the stove and add the almonds.  Sautee them until they are toasted and light brown! Add all of the lettuce to a bowl and toss with the dressing.  Then, add the carrots, almonds, apple, onion and cheese.

Tip:
Do you know what a mandoline is?  Here is a pic!  You can use it to chop your onions into thinly sliced, beautiful circles! Not to mention you can use it for fruit, potatoes and anything else that you need to slice small.

Broccoli Slaw

Here is a yummy summer salad that comes together quick and is full of flavor.  I would call it Asian inspired, as it uses shelled edameme and a touch of sesame oil. This salad is great for parties or company because it is so pretty and full of color!

Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredients:
Dressing
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 T. salt
1/2 T. black pepper
1/8 cup canola oil
3 T. rice vinegar
2 T. toasted sesame oil

Salad:
4 cups brocolli slaw (can purchase at Trader Joes)
1 cup canned corn
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup yellow peppers, chopped
1 cup soybeans

Directions:
Mix salad dressing ingredients in a bowl with a fork until combined. Mix salad ingredients in a pretty bowl until combined. Pour salad dressing over salad and mix to combine! haha Refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to mingle.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper before serving.

Tip:
Du du duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. Instead of mixing your salad dressing in a bowl use this Pampered Chef salad dressing thingy!  It is FUN to use and it has some delish salad dressing recipes right on the container!

XOXO - Katie

Mixed Greens + Egg + Grains Salad

Here is another unique entree salad (for one) combo that turned out really tasty!  I love putting a soft fried (or poached) egg on a salad, it works as a unique salad dressing.  This salad also features my favorite Trader Joes Harvest Grains.  IF you haven't tried those yet you need to get on that ASAP.  Enjoy!

Servings: 1
Servings Size: 1 salad
Points Plus: 8pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes (for egg)
Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 handful of mixed greens

3/4 cup Trader Joes Harvest Grains, cooked according to package directions

1 egg, raw

1 T. fat free feta

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Salt + pepper to taste

Spicy Dressing (optional, if you omit it will decrease the pp value by 1)

Siracha

1 T. light mayo

Directions:

Heat a skillet and fry your egg until cooked to your desired hardness. Mix 1 T. light mayo with 1 squirt of siracha to make a spicy dressing.

To assemble salad - layer greens, Harvest Grains, cheese, egg, spicy Siracha dressing and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with tomatoes on the side.

Tip:
On a totally unhealthy note (although healthy in moderation), my spicy siracha dressing is inspired by THIS totally delish shrimp sauce with is inspired by MN hibachi restaurant Benihaha. This sauce is really good on rice or grains, I actually have never had it on shrimp.  But I bet it is really good!

XOXO Katie

Couscous Salad with Tomatoes, Green Onions & Feta

This is a really quick salad that I like to serve as a light meal.  Check it out - feel free to add different ingredients if you want to change up the flavor profile!  Starting with a base of a plain couscous mix, your options are unlimited.

Servings:  6

Size:  1/6 of the salad

Points Plus: 7pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Rating: 3 stars – Good

Ingredient List:

1 box couscous, plain
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup feta, reduced-fat
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:

In a saucepan, cook the couscous according to the directions on the box.  I used 1 cup water and 1 cup chicken broth to add some extra flavor.  I also reduced the olive oil by half to cut down on pp.  While the couscous is cooking, you can wash and prep the cherry tomatoes and green onions.  After the couscous is done, transfer it into a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the veggies, feta and any salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!
Tip:
You can subsitute in other types of couscous if you want.  They do make a whole wheat version.  My other favorites include parmesan and toasted pine nut varities!

XOXO Megan

Salad for One! (chicken, veggies, cottage cheese and evoo)

Sometimes salads sound so blaaaaaa.  Sometimes all you need though, is a new mix of salad ingredients to reinvigorate your salad love.  Example - one day my weight watchers leader said 'I love to mix cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, feta, evoo and salt'! I went home, made that salad, and then ate it practically every day for weeks!  Here is an easy salad that I made in an effort to use up some CSA veggies. Also, I am a quantity eater, and I love that this salad is huge, filled my WHOLE plate and made me full. It is packed with protein and made for a great dinner for one!

Servings: 1

Size: 1 salad!

Points Plus: 9 pp (keep in mind this salad is HUGE and could be split in 1/2)

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List: 

1 handful of mixed greens

4 oz. rotisserie chicken

1/2 cup sliced cucumber

1/2 tomato

2 T. fat free feta

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese

4 basil leaves, chopped

1 t. olive oil

Kosher salt

Directions:

Mix first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add olive oil and salt, then toss.  Put on a plate and enjoy!

Tip:

1. I love using cottage cheese as salad dressing, try it! 2. There is something about tossing your salad together at home that makes it feel fancier, try it!

Caprese Salad

Everyone loves a caprese salad, especially during the summer months when fresh tomatoes are EVERYWHERE!  A caprese salad can be an appetizer, side dish or even sometimes a full meal.  I served this as the first course to a multiple course Italian feast, and it was the perfect size to get things rolling.

Servings: 4
Size: 1 caprese stack
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
1 Heirloom tomato
4 t. olive oil
5 basil leaves
4 oz. fresh mozzarella
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions: 
Slice your tomato into four thick pieces horizontally, saving the top and bottom piece for personal consumption (0pp)! Slice your mozzarella ball into 4 1 oz slices horizontally.  Clean your basil leaves.  Layer on each serving plate 1 tomato slice, 1 basil leaf and 1 mozzarella slice. Drizzle each serving with 1 t. olive oil and then salt and pepper to taste.

Tip:
This is hands down the BEST cheese knife ever.  It works best for soft cheese, and makes cutting nice and clean.  The knife is a little pricey but for sure worth the investment!

XOXO - Katie

Jerk Chicken Salad with Grilled Pineapple

This is an old Pampered Chef recipe for a good summery salad.  If you haven’t tried grilling pineapple before, it’s really fun!  You need a good grill pan to help get the caramelization of sugars from the pineapple.

Servings:  6

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus:

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time:  10 minutes

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

Salad:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Jamaican Jerk seasoning
1 pound chicken breast, cut into strips
1 medium pineapple, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 green onions
1 large head of chopped romaine
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
6 slices of turkey bacon

Dressing:
2 limes
1/3 cup mayo, reduced-fat
2 Tbsp. pineapple preserves

Directions:

Wash and chop up head of lettuce.  In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and Jamaican Jerk seasoning.  Add the chicken pieces and mix well so the seasoning evenly coats the chicken similar to a marinade.  Cut the pineapple up into ¼ inch slices or wedges.  Using a grill pan over medium heat, grill the chicken strips cooking each side about 3-5 minutes.  Cut the chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces for the salad.  After you are done cooking the chicken, add the pineapple to the pan.  Cook for 1 minute per side, flipping the pineapple wedges over once.  Wash and prep the bell pepper and green onions.  Drain and rinse the black beans.  Cook the turkey bacon according to the directions on the package.  Make the dressing in a small glass measuring cup.  Use the zest of one lime and the juice from both limes along with the mayo and pineapple preserves – whisk together to make the dressing.  Assemble the salad by layering the beans, bell pepper, chicken, pineapple, bacon and green onions and drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving.

Tip:

One of the first things I learned at WW when I joined 7+ years for the first time was a handy little tip to control how much salad dressing you use.  Instead of drizzling dressing over your salad, keep the dressing on the side and just dip you fork into the dressing before you take a bite.  This will really cut down on how much dressing you use and keep the pp value low for the dressing so you can spend more pp on other foods!

XOXO Megan

Summer Vegetable & Garbanzo Bean Salad

This is a perfect light, refreshing summer salad to serve at a BBQ with friends and family.  It comes together quickly and is full of delicious veggies so it is relatively low in pp!  Leftovers would make for a perfect light lunch pair with a piece of fruit.

Servings: 8

Size: 1/8 of the salad

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

1 14 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 English cucumber, diced

3 green onions, diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Dressing:

¼ cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and bell pepper in a large bowl.  In a small Pyrex measuring cup; whisk together the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and salt & pepper until mixed well.  Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.  Just before serving, stir in the crumbled feta and fresh basil.

Tip:

Chopping up fresh herbs can be kind of a pain.  My favorite way to make sure the herbs are finely chopped is to use a good pair of kitchen scissors!  Crate & Barrel even makes a pair of scissors specically for use with herbs if you are interested - check them out here!

XOXO Megan

Mexican Caviar

This is a family favorite recipe and a fun new take on the traditional chips and salsa.  You can find some healthier baked chip options to serve with this to make sure you don’t spend too many pp values when snacking.  I made this for a 4^th of July barbeque I hosted last week.  I chose to serve it with blue corn chips which was a tasty choice!

Servings:  12

Size:  1/12 of the recipe

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 5 stars – Excellent

Ingredient List:

1 can shoepeg corn

1 can black eyed peas

1 can black beans

1 tomato, diced

1 avocado, diced

¼ cup red onion, chopped

½ red pepper, chopped

¼ cup fresh cilantro

Dressing:

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Drain and rinse the peas, beans and corn; add to a large bowl.  Add in chopped tomato, onion, red pepper and cilantro.  Mix the dressing together with a whisk in a small glass measuring cup.  Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.  Refrigerate if you aren’t serving immediately.  Add in the diced avocado just before you plan on serving to avoid browning. 

Tip:

It might be difficult to find a can of black-eyed peas.  I looked at a few different stores and was unsuccessful.  A good substitute is pinto beans! 

XOXO Megan

Moroccan Couscous

This is a tasty, somewhat spicy, veggie packed side.  In an attempt to utilize as many CSA veggies as possible as fast as possible, this recipe was inspired by this week's box.  Cubed squash, onion (my fav) and zucchini paired with some Moroccan inspired spices make this dish really delish!

Servings: 6

Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List: 

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cubed

1 yellow onion, diced

1 large zucchini, cubed

1 T. olive oil

1 1/2 stock of your choice

1 T. Smart Balance light butter

1 t. McCormick - Moroccan Seasoning (mixture of cinnamon, cuman, coriander, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, paprika and turmeric)

1 cup uncooked couscous

4 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
Lettuce and/or spring mix, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Place quash, onion and zucchini on a rimmed sheet pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes, string after 10.  Increase oven temp to 400 degrees and roast for an additional 10 minutes.  While veggies are roasting heat stock in a large pan and add McCormick seasoning. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and let steep for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes bring to a boil again, sprinkle couscous into stock mixture, stir, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.  When veggies are done remove lid from couscous and fluff with a fork.  Add veggies over couscous and toss.  Serve over copped lettuce and top with chopped scallions!

Tip:

For additional protein consider adding some roasted chicken.

XOXO - Katie

Greek Chopped Salad

A Greek salad is my go to salad – I never get sick of the combination of these ingredients!  Although chopped salads require extra prep since you have lots of veggies to wash and chop, I think they are well worth it and delicious.

Servings:  2

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus: 6pp (does not include pp value for dressing)

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

Chopped romaine
1 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup crumbled feta, reduced-fat
12 Kalamata olives, halved

Directions:

Chop up hearts of romaine and plate out portions for two main course salads. Wash and chop up your other veggies (cucumber, bell pepper, celery and grape tomatoes), make sure they are chopped into smaller pieces since this is a chopped salad.  Open a can of chickpeas and rinse and drain.  Slice the olives in half.  Throw everything into a large bowl to mix thoroughly.  Add in the crumbled feta and serve with your favorite dressing – I would recommend some sort of vinaigrette.

 

XOXO Megan

Harvest Quinoa Salad

As you know, I love mixing quinoa with a variety of things.  Below is one of my favorite blends.  It is the perfect mix of sweet and salty, and can be eaten as a full meal of just a side.

Servings: 4
Size: 1/4 of salad
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:
1 cup uncooked quiona
2 cups vegetable stock
2 T. apple cider
1/3 c. craisins
1/3 c. sliced almonds
1/3 c. chopped celery
1/3 c. light feta
1 apply sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Add quinoa, veggie sotck and apple cider to rice cooker.  Turn rice cooker on and cook until rice cooker says quinoa is done!  Put cooked quinoa in a bowl and mix in craisins, almonds, celery, feta and salt and pepper to taste.  Eat and enjoy hot OR cold.

Tip:
Cook your quinoa in a rice cooker, adding just a tad more liquid than suggested (usually when cooking quinoa it is a 1:2 quinoa:liquid ratio.  I love how it comes out using the rice cooker, my quinoa normally turns out soggy when cooking on the stove!

XOXO Katie

Southwest Chopped Salad

This salad is full of flavors and bright colors!  I love all the colors throughout; it definitely reminds me of summer.  I found the original recipe on Pinterest and I adapted it slightly by adding in some avocado.  The recipe calls for a homemade cilantro-lime dressing found here.  It sounded DELICIOUS, but I had to opt for a store-bought dressing for a few reasons. 

1. I’m moving soon and have already packed up my blender. 

2. Although the recipe says to make the dressing in either a blender or food processor, I really think it would work best in a food processor and unfortunately I don’t have one.  Hopefully sometime soon I will have this kitchen tool since it’s on my wedding registry :)

Servings: 6

Size:   1/6 of the salad

Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

Large head of romaine lettuce

1 large orange bell pepper

5 green onions

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz. can of corn, drained

1 medium avocado, diced

Directions:

Wash and finely chop the romaine, bell pepper and green onions.  Wash and quarter the cherry tomatoes.  Open the cans of black beans and corn, drain and rinse. Dice the avocado.  Add all ingredients into a large bowl, stir to combine.  Toss salad with your desired dressing and enjoy!

Tip:

Don’t underestimate the size of the bowl you need to mix up this salad!  There are lots of veggies in this recipe and you will want a bowl big enough that you can really fully mix all the ingredients in.  Also, a little tip for really brining out the flavor or your avocado. Sprinkle some salt on top of your salad with fresh avocado - the salt will really heighten the taste of the avocado - yum!

XOXO Megan

Fresh Basil & Spinach Salad

Making your own dressing makes such a difference, and is usually easier than you might think. This is my favorite salad of all time, combining spinach, warm egg and fresh basil and green beans.

Servings: 4

Size: 1/4

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent

Ingredient List:

Salad:

1 1/4 c. 1-inch pieces of green beans

3 cups baby spinach

1 cup torn basil leaves

2 hard - cooked eggs, coarsely chopped

Dressing: 

3 T. olive oil

1 t. balsamic vinegar

1 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground pepper

Directions:

Heat 1 inch of water to boiling, add beans. Cook 7 minutes and drain. Mix all dressing ingredients in a shaker and chill until ready to serve. Place beans, spinach and basil in a bowl. Add vinaigrette, toss until evenly coated.  Add eggs and then dressing, toss gently.

Tip:

Try buying a basil plant from the store, using the leave off it, and then setting it in your window.  The plant should regenerate soon and you can enjoy fresh basil all the time (if you are good at keeping plants alive :) Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

I love buffalo chicken!  It’s such a great flavor profile.  Depending on how much you like buffalo, this recipe allows you to add just the right amount to get to your desired level of hotness.  This makes for a hearty, satisfying salad and is easy to pull together for a quick weeknight dinner.

Servings:  2

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very good
* Recipe from www.siriouslydelicious.blogspot.com

Ingredient List:

6 oz. rotisserie chicken

Frank’s hot sauce – buffalo flavor

Chopped romaine

1 cup tomato, diced

2 oz. blue cheese crumbles

1 avocado, diced

12 blue tortilla chips

2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt, plain, fat free

Directions:

Shred the rotisserie chicken with a fork.  Add Frank’s hot sauce to your chicken and stir until the chicken is evenly coated with buffalo sauce.  Chop up hearts of romaine and plate out portions for two main course salads.  Dice the tomato and avocado.  Assemble your salads by adding the shredded chicken (about 3 oz. per serving), tomato, avocado and crumbled blue cheese (1 oz. of cheese per salad).  Crush 6 blue tortilla chips on top of each salad.  For dressing, use a generous spoonful of plain Greek yogurt.

Tip:

Do you struggle with cutting an avocado?  Here’s a quick and easy way to make easy work of it.  Slice the avocado in half length-wise.  Use your knife to lightly puncture the pit, this will allow you to easily pull out the pit using the blade of the knife.  With the avocado still in its rind, make cuts in both directions which would result in diced pieces.  Use a large spoon to scoop out each side of the already pre-diced avocado pieces and add to your salad (or whatever else you are making with diced avocado!).

XOXO Megan

Harvest Blend + Leeks

I love grains because they are soooooooo versatile.  You can add practically anything to them to create tons of flavorful combos to serve as a fun side or even a main meal over your favorite type of greens.

ie:
Quinoa + black beans + salsa + cilantro = Mexican burrito bowl
Brown rice + tomatoes + red onion + cucumbers + feta = Greek!
Bulgar wheat + apples + onion + roasted butternut squash = unique fall treat

So, clean out your fridge and get cooking with your grains!

Anyways,  the above are fun combos and everything, but have you ever had Harvest Grain Blend from TRADER JOES?? It is a perfect combo of couscous, orzo, red quinoa AND baby garbanzo beans (cute)!  It is creamy, filling and I swear it slightly resembles the flavor of macaroni and cheese, for real!  Anyways, I am also a huge fan of onions, and had some leeks to use up, so created the delicious dish below! It is a mix of sweet and savory and color and crunch!

Servings: 2

Size: Generous cup

Points Plus: 9pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10-12 mins

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 1/4 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Grain Blend

2 1/2 cup water

1 leek
1 t. olive oil

2 T. sliced almonds

2 T. craisins

Salt

Pepper

1/4 cup reduced fat feta

Directions:

Cook Trader Joe's Harvest Grain Blend (mmmmmm) according to package directions on the stove*. Set aside. Dice leek into desired size pieces. Separate leek and rinse in a colander to remove any dirt and grime. Heat olive oil on stove and saute leeks until cooked through, about five minutes. Add leeks, sliced almonds, craisins, salt and pepper to taste.  Mix up and add feta, allow it to melt just a bit.  Serve warm!

Tip: 

You can cook a lot of grains in a rice cooker (it is the only way I cook quinoa). BUT, I tried this in the old rice cooker and it didn't turn out.  Cook the Harvest Grain Blend on the stove and add more water if unnecessary. 

XOXO Katie