Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

So I decided to take a different take on my salad recipe this week and decided upon a black bean quinoa bowl that I saw on Pinterest. Not to mention my husband is tired of my "bunny" food and thinks I am trying to starve him with all the lettuce, kale and arugula. Haha!

This salad is all over Pinterest so I decided to make it. The recipe originated on the Veggie and the Beast Feast. The recipe on the website is vegan and gluten free but I adapted it slightly. I noted below where I switched ingredients, or added additional ingredients.

Black Bean Quinoa Bowl Salad Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons of canola oil
• 1/4 diced onion
• 1 cup quinoa 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 red onion - cut into thin slices (I just diced)
• 1/2 red pepper - cut into this slices (I just diced)
• 1/2 yellow pepper - cut into this slices (I just diced)
• Cilantro, for garnish
• Optional Toppings: Sliced avocado, grilled chicken, mango, crushed tortilla chips, monterey jack cheese with jalapeños

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of honey (I used agave)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 lime, juiced and zested
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/ teaspoon salt 

Directions: 

• Heat 2 tsp of canola oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped red onion and cook until starting to soften (2-3 minutes). Pour in the dry quinoa and toast, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and salt, bring to a boil and cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Set aside. 
• Toss together the cooked quinoa with the black beans, red onion, peppers in a bowl. 
• To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. 
• Pour the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss well. Add additional toppings such as grilled chicken, avocado, cheese!

I forgot to mention that I added grilled chicken that had a mexican rub on them. Just to give the salad more flavor. I served the meal and forgot to take a picture of the finished product! My apologies!!

This salad made a lot so I was able to re-use the salad and served it with tacos (see tomorrow's post) the next day. The only thing I did notice about the salad is that it dried out. So to make it fresh I added another juiced lime and it perked the salad right up. 

What else would you add to this salad? 

Happy Pinning!

By Jennifer Shelton

Kale, Strawberry & Avocado Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

Okay, I decided to limit myself to one salad recipe a week for the blog. There are just so many great recipes out there I can't help myself. Not to mention they are super simple and don't require hours in the kitchen. Today's recipe was inspired by Two Peas and Their Pod kale, strawberry & avocado salad with lemon poppy seed dressing recipe.

This salad is super simple and great for lunch as well! I had to stop myself from eating the entire bowl. 

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 cups chopped kale
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup feta cheese

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey (I used agave)
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1/8 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper

Directions: 

• Put the kale in a large bowl and massage with a pinch of sea salt to soften. Massage until the leaves are darker and tender. 
• Add the salad ingredients and toss lightly. 
• In a small jar (I used a mason jar) add salad dressing ingredients and shake!
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat!

You can also add grilled chicken or shrimp to this salad as well! I just didn't have any chicken prepared!

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Chicken Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Kiwi and Cashews in Honey Sesame Dressing

You can tell it is summer by the amount of salads I have been making for dinner. Obviously eating salads for the sole purpose of eating Ben & Jerry's after dinner. Or on a good night being able to go to the ice cream shop and get a Reese Pieces sundae!! I saw this recipe on the Food Network (not on Pinterest I know I know) for Chicken Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Kiwi and Cashews in Honey Sesame Dressing. I wasn't 100% sure about using chicken broth as a salad dressing. So I adapted the recipe slightly.

Since I had to cook the chicken anyway, I figured I would use the dressing they have listed as a marinade for my chicken (marinade recipe below).

Salad Ingredients:

• 6 cups baby spinach
• 1lb cubed cooked chicken (see chicken marinade recipe below)
• 1 cup hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 kiwis, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch think slices
• 1/2 cup salted dry-roasted cashews

Salad Dressing Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons honey mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Arrange the spinach on salad plates or a bowl. Top with chicken, strawberries, kiwi slices and cashews. Drizzle dressing on top of salad. 

Chicken Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons honey mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

I mixed all the ingredients in a shaker and then poured over chicken in a freezer bag. I let the chicken marinate for about an hour before taking it out to grill. 

A few things to note!

If you can't find toasted sesame oil at your local store, try Homegoods or TJ Maxx. Every so often I can go in there and pickup flavored oils or spices that my local grocery store doesn't carry.

And my new favorite find (courtesy of my mother-in-law) are these small chicken broth containers. They are perfect for cooking. I always feel like I waste so much chicken broth when recipes only call for 1 cup or 1/2 cup. I bought these at Fresh Market but I am sure you can find them anywhere.

By Jennifer Shelton

Steak and Potato Salad

Our favorite guest blogger Kate is back! Today she is sharing with us her steak and potato salad!

This is a great salad for a weeknight dinner. It has a few different steps but comes together pretty easily and is hearty enough to fill you up. Adapted from this recipe, with potatoes, green beans and the addition of some steak tips its like a whole meal in salad form!

For the Walnut Dressing...

• 2 TB Vinegar
• 2 TB Plain Non-Fat Yogurt
• 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/3 C Walnuts
• 2 TB Walnut Oil

The original recipe called for white wine vinegar, I didn't happen to have any and used regular white vinegar. I also used plain Greek yogurt. I found walnut oil with the olive oil in my regular grocery store, if you can't find it you can probably substitute olive oil you may just lose a little walnut flavor. 

Preheat the oven to 400 and toast the walnuts for about 6 minutes, until they are fragrant. Meanwhile in a small mason jar combine the vinegar, yogurt, mustard and salt, and give it a quick stir. Roughly chop the walnuts and add to the jar with the walnut oil. Place the cover on the jar and give it a good shake. Set the dressing aside or place in the fridge.

For the Salad...

• 3-4 Red Bliss Potatoes
• 1 C Green Beans
• 3-4 oz Arugula
• 1/2 lb Steak Tips

Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 400 (or leave it on if you have just made the dressing). Dice the potatoes into bite sized pieces, toss lightly with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 45-60 min until cooked through and lightly browned. The timing may depend on how large of a dice the potato is and how brown you like them.

While the potatoes are roasting  bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Trim the green beans then cut them in half or in thirds, so they are also bite sized.

Once the water is boiling, drop in the green beans and cook for about one minute. Then drain and transfer the beans to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Once the beans are cooled drain on paper towels.

Once the potatoes are done roasting let them cool slightly and prepare your steak tips to your liking. I used an Italian seasoning and grilled them. When the steak tips are cooked, let them rest while you assemble the salad. Toss the arugula, potatoes and green beans with the walnut dressing, divide between plates and top with the steak tips. Enjoy!

How delicious does this look? I can't wait to make this. Let us know if you try this recipe and how you adapted the recipe. 

Happy Pinning!
By Kate Lindsey

Strawberry Avocado Couscous Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Sorry for such a late post! Coming back from vacation is rough! Haha! I spent 3/4 of the day running errands and unpacking.

Tonight for dinner I made strawberry avocado couscous salad with a lime vinaigrette which I saw on Pinterest. I served this with grilled chicken that had a William Sonoma Meyer Lemon Peppercorn Rub.

This is definitely a quick and easy recipe to make, not to mention perfect for summer bbq's.

Recipe adapted from http://damndelicious.net.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 avocado diced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (I used the bird's eye frozen, but would use fresh corn next time!)
• 1 cup of strawberries cut into quarters (recipe calls for 1/2 cup but I doubled the recipe)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (recipe called for 2tbs pine nuts but I couldn't find them at the store)

Lime Vinaigrette Ingredients: 

• 1/4 olive oil
• 1/4 apple cider vinegar
• zest of 1 lime (I would use half, taste dressing and add more if desired)
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Directions: 

• Prepare couscous according to directions and let cool
• Make vinaigrette, and whisk together
• In a large bowl, carefully combine couscous, avocado, corn, strawberries, cilantro, and almonds. Stir in lime vinaigrette.
• Chill for 10-15 minutes in fridge (recipe says serve immediately but I preferred the salad cold)

Enjoy and Happy Pinning!!
By Jennifer Shelton

Fiesta Salad

So along with nice weather means lots of ice cream! So instead of cutting out my ice cream consumption I decided that eating salads for dinner would allow me to eat more ice cream. The other night we bought a bunch of chicken and put it on the grill for salads for the week. Which makes life so much easier when you want to assemble dinner quickly.

We had some leftover corn from dinner the night before which inspired my fiesta salad! This is one of my favorite salads and basically I just grab whatever ingredients that I have around the house that sound good to me. 

Sample ingredients can include: grilled chicken, grilled steak, shrimp, avocado, jalapeños, jicama, peppers, pepper jack cheese, mango, black beans, corn, cilantro, red onion, etc! 

Now you can always make a creamy BBQ Ranch dressing, but since I am trying to cut down on calories (to eat more ice cream) I adapted a recipe from SkinnyTaste that I found on Pinterest. 

The recipe is for a bean salad, but since we were making this a meal I made it into a salad. 

Dressing Ingredients: 

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients: 

• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Red onion
• Grilled chicken
• Corn
• Black Beans
• Cilantro
• Red Pepper
• Pickled jalapeños
• Shredded cheddar cheese (or pepper jack if you have it)
• Whatever else sounds good to you (avocado, mango, etc)! 

Toss the salad with the dressing and you have a super simple dinner! You can also add fresh jalapeños if you like more hotness! I served this with black bean mango salsa and of course a fun cocktail! 

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Fresh Mint, Beet, and Grilled Chicken Salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing

Yesterday was a busy day! I had to drive my husband to the airport and then ran a few errands at the South Park Mall, and may have also done some shopping. By the time I got home I just wanted to make something simple for dinner.

I recently found a recipe for Fresh Mint and Beet salad with Lemon Dressing and decided that it would be perfect for dinner. I also had some grilled chicken and feta cheese that I thought would be a perfect addition.

For the grilled chicken I used a Meyer Lemon Peppercorn Rub I bought at William Sonoma last fall. Unfortunately they don't sell this rub anymore. I would maybe substitute with lemon pepper seasoning.

Also have you seen these prepackaged fresh beets? I know it is cheating not roasting them myself but they are so quick and easy when you want to be lazy!

You can find the recipe for the salad and dressing here.  But here are the basics just in case...

To make the salad just add arugula, fresh beet, sliced cherry tomatoes, slivered almonds, and fresh mint. Once I started eating the salad I was thinking maybe a few kalamata olives might be tasty too! The dressing is simply Meyer lemon juice, olive oil, shallots, salt & pepper.

The entire meal took less than 30 minutes to make! And with the warm weather we are having in Charlotte it was the perfect summer dinner!

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton