Pea Shoot and Mixed Green Salad

Over the weekend my mom and I headed over to our local farmers market. Along with a dozen farm fresh eggs we picked up a bag of fresh pea shoots and sunflower shoots... I was so excited!



At that moment I decided we would be having salad for dinner, this way I had an excuse to use my fresh new ingredients. So this is the salad I created, it is just a simple combination of mixed greens, spinach, peas (one of my favourite salad toppings), red pepper, chickpeas and of course the star ingredient pea shoots! The combination was simple, clean and delicious, great for a quick dinner on a warm summer night. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer... what is your favourite summer salad combination?

 

Ingredients:

1 cup mixed greens
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup of peas
handful of red pepper, chopped
approx. 1/4 cup chickpeas
a small handful of pea shoots

1. Combine all ingredients, top with your favourite dressing ( I used my Garlic Oregano Salad Dressing) and enjoy!

Chicken Salad w/ Walnuts & Pumpkin Seeds

My lovely dinner from lastnight. I always enjoy a healthy, clean salad, it is fast and obviously easy to put together. 

For my salad I seasoned my chicken breast with some spices and garlic, then grilled it on the BBQ until tender. I then combined it with romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, cucumbers, red peppers, cherry tomato’s, broccoli, red onion and shredded carrots. 

I topped it with walnuts, pumpkin seeds, alfalfa sprouts, feta cheese and finally a drizzle of Kraft huile d’ olive oil greek feta salad dressing. 

Beet and Avocado Salad

 

I love salad! It is a healthy, quick meal and you can keep it interesting just by adding or subtracting different ingredients. For this salad I included, romain lettuce, tomato, orange pepper,beets, cucumber, grilled chicken breast, avocado, pumpkin seeds and topped it off with a beautiful balsamic vinegar.

A light and delicious lunch for the beautiful summer days!

 

Asian Inspired Salad w/ Grilled Chicken Skewers

 



I am always thinking of creative new recipes to enjoy some of my favourite dishes, one of which being salad.This beautiful Asian Inspired salad was a hit in my house. The combination of flavours and the Vinegar Lime Dressing all paired together perfectly.



This simple, and very visually appealing recipe was a hit in my home and will be made over and over again especially as the summer months approach. To add to the salad I created chicken skewers, to up the protein level and they were a great touch as well.



Simplicity and fresh ingredients are the key elements to this dish which make it a stand out creation. I hope you all enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 carrot, julienned

approx. 1 cup red cabbage

2 handfuls spinach, chopped

approx. 2 cups ice burg lettuce, chopped

1 mango, thinly sliced

a handful of peanuts

Vinegar Lime Dressing: 

1 lime, freshly squeezed

4 tbs. rice wine vinegar

1.5-2 tbsp. coconut sugar

1 tsp. soya sauce

2.5 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. sriracha sauce

1.Combine all salad dressing ingredients, mix well.

2. Slice chicken into thin strips. Marinade in approximately 3 tbsp. of dressing for at least an hour.

3. Prepare all salad ingredients, combine in a large bowl, excluding the peanuts.

4. Thread the chicken onto skewers and BBQ for 5-7 minutes.

5. Top salad with dressing and peanuts then enjoy!

Mexican Night Corn Salad

This Sunday I came up with the wonderful idea to do a Mexican night! Its always fun to eat food (tacos) you can customize and create to your own tastes.

To go along with these tacos I prepared a light corn salad as a side dish for everyone to enjoy. I basically just threw together some ingredients and came out with a salad that was light, refreshing and super tasty!

Ingredients:

1/2 can of corn

1 carrot, julienned

1 red pepper, finely chopped

approx. 2 cups spinach, chopped

approx. 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Dressing: 

3-4 tbsp. olive oil

2-3 tbsp. lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

1. Combine all salad ingredients. Top with dressing, mix well and enjoy!

 

 

 

Garlic Oregano Dressing

This simple salad dressing has quickly become a staple in my household. I feel like I make a new batch almost every night! Thats how popular it is. It combines simple ingredients, that when added together create this perfect tasting dressing. Not only is it delicious on salads but it is also super versatile and can be used on things such as rice bowls and drizzled on top of vegetables to give them a little punch! So give it a try, I know you won't be disappointed. 

Ingredients: 

2/3 cup olive oil

3 tbsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. water

1.5 tbsp. honey 

tbsp. oregano

1tsp. lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic

1. Add all ingredients into a blender, blend until well combined and smooth. 

 

Roasted Vegetable Salad

This is probably one of the best salads I have ever made for myself. It was light and healthy but the roast vegetables added a warm comfort food like touch to it. The honey garlic dressing was also a hit and paired perfectly with the taste of the salad. I will definitely be making it again and I hope you all enjoy this tasty meal!

What You'll Need: 

For the Salad:

Acorn Squash

Red & Orange Peppers

Onion

Tomato

spinach & lettuce

Chicken Breast

Toasted Pine Nuts

Honey Garlic Salad Dressing: 

2/3 cup olive oil ( I used slightly less then that)

3 tbsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. water

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp. oregano

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Chop acorn squash, peppers and onion place on a baking sheet and bake until almost tender ( approx. 20 minutes), chop up your tomato and add to baking sheet, bake for an additional 10 minutes.

2. While vegetables are roasting cook the chicken breast in a frying pan for approximately 15-20 minutes.

3. Plate your lettuce and spinach, top with roasted vegetables, toasted pine nuts and honey garlic salad dressing.

Sundried Tomato & Mixed Greens Salad

This is my lovely salad which I had for dinner last night. I am a huge fan of salad as it is a light yet nutritious meal with so many different combinations! For my salad I combined some mixed greens, cherry tomato's, red peppers, sun dried tomato's, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, grilled chicken breast and feta cheese. For a dressing I just mixed together some wine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and some raspberry jam for sweetness, it was delicious! 

Labour Day Festivities

For labour day this year my mom and I took a little day trip across the boarder to Grand Marais Minnesota to visit Whole Foods and have a nice lunch. A little fact about me, i'm obsessed with grocery shopping, so when I travel I love hitting up as many different grocery stores as possible to look at the products. 

 

This is my little grocery haul, I picked up the earth balance coconut peanut butter, gluten free sesame pretzel rings, So delicious dairy free coconut milk ice cream from whole foods and  the brown rice spinach gluten free pasta, the fruit jams, and the chicken stock from IGA. 

After spending an hour or so looking at all the different food products my mom and i went to an excellent restaurant for lunch called the angry trout where I got the garden salad with a tomato basil dressing. There food is very fresh and organic if possible and it tastes great... I'v never been disappointed with food from this restaurant. 

 

We also got to side outside, which has a great view of Lake Superior and the harbour. Overall our little day trip was a success! I got to do my grocery shopping, picked up some new products and got to spend some quality time with my mom. I hope everyone else had a great labour day as well!

Summer Lunch: Turkey Sandwich & a Side Salad

I like to include as much protein, fibre, vegetables and nutritions as I can in all my meal. So today this is my clean, healthy lunch , a turkey sandwich with a side salad. To make my sandwich I used two pieces of gluten free bread, mustard, alfalfa sprouts, tomato, spinach and roast turkey deli meat. To balance out my meal I included a side salad which had some ice burg lettuce, cherry tomato's, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, some feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette as salad dressing. 

Spinach & Chicken Salad: Summer Lunch of the Day

I just wanted to share with you my lunch I had today :) I enjoyed a lovely spinach and chicken salad which included, spinach, grilled chicken breast, orange peppers, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, blueberries, walnuts, topped with a tiny bit of feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing! I love having salads for lunch in the summer because it is a light nutritious meal with lots of room for creativity!

Chickpea & Spinach Salad

This is a lunch time salad I like to make for myself. It is quick & simple but healthy, filled with protein and lots of vitamins and nutrients. 

I combined spinach, tomato, chickpeas, cracked pepper and topped it with Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing. Simple but satisfying!

Gluten Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

What You’ll Need: 

3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp. warm water

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 clove minced garlic

salt & pepper

1 tsp. jam (I used blueberry) 

1/3 cup olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients, mix well, serve over your favourite salad!

* This is a healthy, clean, gluten free dressing, that is made of ingredients that most people have in their homes already. Home made dressing is the way to go, it is easy to make and so much healthier then store bought!

Blueberry & Walnut Summer Salad

I am a huge salad fan, not only are they clean and healthy but they can have so much variety! I love creating new salad combinations that are visually appealing as well as delicious. 

In my salad today I have: 

- ice burg lettuce/ spinach/ romain lettuce

- cherry tomato's

- orange peppers

-blueberries

- alfalfa sprouts

- cucumber

- walnuts

-pumpkin seeds

& it is topped with my Gluten Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

I hope you take some inspiration from my creation :)

 

Arugala Walnut Salad

A simple healthy lunch or side for dinner option.

Just combine arugala, ice burg lettuce, strawberry, cherry tomatos, cucumbers, red pepper and walnuts and top with your favourite dressing. My personal favourite is a balsamic vinaigrette :)