Good day! Today I present to you a recipe for a snow pea salad that I made for our Easter dinner at my Mom’s house. This recipe was inspired by another snow pea salad that I recently tried at a Whole Foods lunch buffet. I did not have their recipe so I came up with this one. This salad is super tasty, but I especially enjoy the fragrance of this salad…ginger, toasted sesame, soy sauce, red onions…mmm. This salad could work as a simple side dish or as a meal (if you have a big bowl). Check out below to see the nutrition facts.

Recipe: Snow Pea Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups snow peas (blanched)
• 1 raw yellow pepper, washed, seeded and cut into long strips
• 1 raw red pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into long strips
• 1/2 red onion, raw (about 3/4 cup) cut into long slices
• 1 cup edamame (beans)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (blanched)
• Organic toasted sesame oil – 2 tablespoons
• Kikkoman Light Soy Sauce (or Gluten Free Tamari) – 2 tablespoons
• Fresh ginger, grated (1 teaspoon)
• Sea salt (to taste) (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• Garnishes: sesame seeds, scallions

This recipe makes about 8 servings. Nutrition Facts below.

Directions:

1. Fill a large mixing bowl with ice and ice cold water.
2. Fill a large sauce pan full of water, cover and bring to a boil so that you can blanch the snow peas and carrots.  Once water is boiling, submerge snow peas and shredded carrots for 60-90 seconds (more if you do not like your veggies to be too crisp).
3. Using a pair of tongs, carefully remove the shredded carrots and snow peas from the boiling water and place into the bowl with ice and water to quickly stop the cooking process and to maintain the beautiful bright color of the vegetables.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the sliced peppers, red onion, edamame beans, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and salt (optional). Stir to combine ingredients & flavors.
5. Now add the snow peas and shredded carrots. Stir.
6. Serve immediately or place in refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

After some personal debating I have decided to post nutrition facts for my recipes (moving forward…and if I have time, moving backward). I have often gotten comments and emails from readers asking about nutrition facts.  I did not always believe that  nutrition facts were that helpful for people (from what I have seen from counseling patients). It seems as though there is a large amount of misinterpretation that goes along with nutrition facts (i.e. sometimes people avoid a recipe with 10 grams of fat/serving when all 10 grams are unsaturated and heart healthy because they believe that all fat is bad). I see this often in counseling so I had made the decision that for the website I would create healthful recipes but leave out the analysis. BUT….alas there are many many people out there who could potentially benefit from having this information (i.e. people doing Weight Watchers) so I have decided to post it. I am going to do my best to ensure that this data is accurate, but I’m only a human and I can make mistakes.

Well, basil seemed to be the clear winner in the Friday Flavor Face-off, so today I present you with a spring pasta salad featuring that flavorful herb – basil! This is a very clean tasting salad. It’s loaded with lots of fresh spring vegetables and works really well as a side dish or as an entrée.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of orecchiette pasta
• 1 “bunch” (about 1 cup chopped) fresh asparagus spears, blanched
• 1 cup shredded carrots, blanched
• 1/2 cup edamame
• 1 can artichoke hearts in water, rinsed and drained (sliced in half if needed)
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
• fresh basil, rinsed and roughly chopped, about 1/4 cup
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• sea salt and fresh black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, cook pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and place into a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate sauce pan, bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil, submerge asparagus spears and shredded carrots for 60-90 seconds. Remove with slotted spoons and place in bowl of ice cold water (to stop cooking process). Veggies should be very bright in color and slightly tender.
3. To the large mixing bowl with the cooked pasta, add edamame, artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes then stir.
4. Now add basil, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and toss.
5. Serve at room temperature. Makes about 6 servings.

Coming soon…Zucchini Parmesan!

Coming up with fresh and exciting lunch ideas can be very challenging. I often get tired of eating the same thing for lunch day after day, but here is one lunch that I never grow tired of…antipasto!

Antipasto is a great lunch because it’s easy to prepare and pack or serve, plus it can be both healthy and filling. When it comes to making a good antipasto are there are no rules (well, there are no rules in my book) so you can feel free to include as many or as few ingredients as you’d like.

Some of my favorite antipasto ingredients are:

• Roasted red peppers
• Artichoke hearts
• Sliced cucumbers
• Marinated olives
• Sun dried tomatoes
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Hummus and/or tabbouleh
• Sliced provolone cheese
• Thinly sliced Genoa salami (might want to go easy on the salami…I’m just saying)

Some of my other favorite antipasto ingredients:

• Roasted or grilled eggplant
• Roasted yellow peppers
• Marinated mushrooms
• Fresh mozzarella balls
• Roasted or grilled zucchini or yellow squash
• Chick peas (garbanzo beans)
• Banana peppers
• Roasted or grilled asparagus
• Marinated fresh green beans

Here are a couple of other inspiring antipasto recipes:

• Antipasto Pasta from Budget Bytes
• Antipasto Skewers from LiveLovePasta

Enjoy the weekend!

I prefer to eat my food inside. It all stems from a traumatic lunch experience that I had at the beach when I was 3 years old.

Picture this….Summer 1983. Roger Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett, RI (aka Sand Hill Cove to anyone from Rhode Island). Beautiful summer day. I’m 3 years old and at the beach with my family. I just finished my lunch of baked chicken and rice. At this point you may be asking, why would anyone bring a hot meal liked baked chicken to the beach? That is an excellent question and 28 years later, your guess is as good as mine.

Anyway, after I finished my hot lunch, my Mom gives me an Oreo cookie. As I am about to take a nibble, a filthy seagull making a high pitched squawk swoops down and snatches the cookie right out of my hand! Naturally, I did what any toddler would do. In a moment of unbridled anger and disgust, I shook my fist at the sky and demanded justice….and another cookie.

What does any of this have to do with a recipe for watermelon feta salad? Very little in fact. Watermelon is simply summer food to me. Whether you carve out the seeds or ball it up and make a salad, it’s delicious and also good for you.

Watermelon Feta Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups of watermelon (balled)
• 1/2 English cucumber (peeled, hollowed, cut on bias)
• 1/4 or less of a red onion (thinly sliced)
• 4 fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of agave
• sprinkle of feta cheese
• sprinkle of sea salt (optional)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the watermelon, cucumber, onion, and basil
2. In a separate smaller mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, and agave
3. Add the bowl with the dressing to the bowl with the watermelon
4. Sprinkle with feta cheese and sea salt (optional)
5. Makes 2 servings
6. Enjoy as an appetizer or side salad

What does summer food look like to you?

This is a simple and fresh summer salad that can be ready in under 5 minutes.

I was inspired to make this salad from a recipe that I saw in one of my favorite cookbooks . The original recipe is baby arugula with pears, Pecorino Romano cheese, fennel, parsley, and olive oil and vinegar. The sweet cherries are a good balance for the sharp baby arugula.

Ingredients & Directions

For each individual salad toss all ingredients together:

• 1.5 cups of baby arugula
• 1/2  cup of Rainier cherries (pitted and cut in half)
• Fresh Parmesan shavings
• Honey balsamic salad dressing (this is a local product that comes already prepared but would be fairly simple to prepare. The ingredients are olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, sugar, and some fresh herbs and spices)

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Bring on the whole grains! Today I would like to feature a recipe using wheat berries.

What are wheat berries?

Wheat berries are a complete whole grain (whole wheat kernels). That means that they include the bran, germ, and endosperm – all three parts are needed to be considered a true whole grain. Wheat berries are relatively inexpensive (i.e. one cup of wheat berries at Whole Foods Market cost me $0.70) and are easy to prepare.  They taste delicious as an ingredient in both savory and sweet recipes.

Why are wheat berries good for you?

Wheat berries are packed with protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, and vitamin E. All of which are needed to maintain a healthy body.

What can you make with wheat berries?

Wheat berries can be easily be found at Whole Foods Market in the bulk grain section, at health food stores, or in the “natural” section of most large grocery chains. Wheat berries are prepared like pasta – in a pot of boiling water that has been salted. Wheat berries have a nutty flavor and a great chewy texture (kind of like brown rice) and can be added to soups, stews, and salads, or served with fresh vegetables or dried fruit. The only thing to consider when preparing wheat berries (and many whole grains) is the prep time. Wheat berries take about 45 minutes to cook (until they become tender), but they can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for several days. Trust me, like most things, they are worth the wait.

The recipe below has been adapted from a recipe by Pompeian Olive Oil featured in Food Network’s April 2010 issue

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup dry wheat berries
• 1/2 cup of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
• 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium sized sauce-pan, combine water and wheat berries and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes or until wheat berries are tender.
3. Place in a strainer and run under cold water to cool quickly, drain well.
4. Combine the wheat berries with the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
5. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours in advance.

What have you made with wheat berries?

Have you ever felt determined to make a meal from all of the random leftover foods in your kitchen, before spending money on more groceries?

Today, I did just that. I felt motivated to make a meal using whatever ingredients I had in my cupboards and refrigerator. I did this for a few reasons. First of all, I am from a family that believes that it is disgraceful to waste even one morsel of food. If I were caught disposing of any of these leftovers, I would surely be shunned for weeks. Secondly, food is expensive. I enjoy my meal more when I know that I did not go into debt making it. Finally, I wanted to prove to myself that I could make a tasty meal without splurging on expensive ingredients. I am proud to announce that this fancy sounding salad is shamefully simple to make. Don’t let this salad fool you. It is the result of a half used bag of baby spinach, one sorry looking red bliss potato, a can of black olives, a can of tuna, a couple of hard boiled eggs, and some cherry tomatoes that were ready to call it a day.

Every once in a while it’s good to prove to yourself that you’re capable of accomplishing something that you didn’t think was possible.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of mixed greens or baby spinach
• 4 cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
• 2 hard boiled eggs (sliced in quarters)
• 1 small red bliss potato (boiled with the skin and sliced into wedges)
• ½ can black olives
• 1 can of tuna (drained)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the tuna, olives, tomato, potato, olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper.
2. Place the greens on a plate or in a bowl.
3. Place the tuna mixture on top of the greens.
4. Garnish with hard boiled eggs.
5. This recipe makes 2 bowls of salad (about 2 ½ cups each)

What do you make with your leftovers?