Food

Savory Citrus Salad


What you'll need:
One large romaine heart
One large yellow squash
1 cup wild blueberries
1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
One large ripe orange
1/4 tspn minced garlic
1 tspn white or apple cider vinegar
Olive oil
Handful of chopped hazelnuts/pecans
Salt and Pepper to taste

What you'll do:
In a large bowl add chopped romaine hearts, peeled and chopped yellow squash, I don't remove the seeds but you can certainly do it if that is what you prefer, and wild blueberries.


 In a separate dish zest and juice one large orange, add one teaspoon of vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic, whisk while slowly adding olive oil. You'll want the mixture to homogenize, when you reach that perfect vinaigrette consistency stop whisking and salt and pepper to taste. 


Dress your salad with half a container of fresh goat cheese crumbles and a large handful of chopped hazelnuts/pecans and toss with dressing. Goat cheese is stickier than most cheeses so if its been sitting out while you have been dressing your salad add it last, or right before serving, you don't want a huge conglomerate of goat cheese in the middle of your salad).

 Enjoy! Save any remainder dressing in the fridge, it makes an excellent fish marinade!



Bow Tie Pasta Salad w/GF Alternative


What You'll Need:
1 box of bow tie pasta
1 small (8 FL OZ) bottle of robust italian dressing (We prefer Wishbone Brand, which is gluten free)
2 cups of raw washed baby spinach leaves (I used the pre-washed bagged kind)
1 cup of heirloom cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh sweet basil leaves
1 cup of feta cheese crumbles 
fresh crack black pepper to taste

What You'll Do:
Boil your pasta till al dente, usually the box will have instructions on how long to boil but i usually do about 10 minutes. After the pasta is done rinse it in cool water and let cool while you chop your veggies and herbs up. Chiffonade (if you need help on that, there is a great how to, here) the baby spinach leaves, and sweet basil and add to the cooled pasta. Cut your tomatoes in halves (or quarters depending on size, you want them all relatively the same size) and add to the cooled pasta. While tossing the salad add your small bottle of robusto Italian dressing (if you're not a big fan of Italian dressing you can use a balsamic vinaigrette instead and sub the feta for mozzarella balls instead). Pepper the salad to taste, no extra salt is needed in this dish. Refrigerate till served, about a minute before its served mix in your cup of fresh feta crumbles. Its important to wait to do this last step because you want the feta to retain its crumbly texture and not soak up all the juices from the dressing and/or melt from residual warmth of salad.

This salad is just as good without pasta and is a great GF alternative to most gluten rich BBQ sides. Just double the tomato and spinach amounts and use only 1/2 the amount of dressing. Chicken or fish can also be added to the GF version as well.

Enjoy!

There is something about that wonderful summer smell in the air, its like honeysuckles and fresh grass, wet asphalt and warmth all encompassed in this beautiful season.
I spent the late afternoon watching the sun pierce the trees in our back yard with an interesting but delicious mix I found at Sundays Farmers Market...





Its no secret that my love for goat cheese is stronger than most things, its up there with best friend, and husband. That said, I have a recipe for the easiest summer salad EVER!
You got nutrients for days with this and is so delicious with the dried cherries it'll really hit the spot in between all that summer soft serve and bbq ;)

So use this salad as a base to add whatever you like, Ive done every and anything from sunflower seeds to pumpkin seeds (when I felt I was lacking iron) to watermelon (and sweet thai basil), avocado, grilled fish. The possibilities are endless. But for this to qualify as an Easy Peazy salad I present you the basics...

  • One heaping handful of whatever greens you like, I used a mix of mesclun greens and romaine hearts.
  • 1/2cup of dried cherries, dry them yourself if you're watching your sugar intake or use them pre-dried from the bag.
  • 2 tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese.
  • Top with fresh cracked black pepper and/or fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil.  
When I have the time I love to make my own vinaigrette, I am very picky about dressing so it is rare I love something from a bottle. Champagne vinaigrette is pretty simple to make I use this recipe, its really good and worth the few extra steps.


  • small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • tsp Dijon mustard
  • tsp honey
  • 4 tsp champagne vinegar
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Pinch coarse salt, or to taste
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, mustard, honey and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.



This weekend consisted of a much needed convo with a best friend, you know when you have those moments with some one you've known for years and its like no time has past, ugh! its the best!
Aside from catching up, me and the hubby visited one of our favorite local spots for Bim Bap, Bulgogi and Kimchi. I grew up in Hawaii so I need my Korean food fix at least twice a month, if you've never tried this delicious symphony of flavor find a good mom and pop in your area and run don't walk there right now!

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Thanks for sharing!