Greek salads, loaded with healthy fats, can be an easy and satisfying dish to toss together. This is a little twist that adds a bit of "fancy" to it. Bring this to your next picnic!
Greek Salad Cups
Serves 6-8
2 heads butter lettuce, washed well and leaves removed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
4 oz sundried tomatotes (in oil)
4 oz pitted kalmata olives, halved
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
Dash ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients, except for lettuce, in a large covered bowl. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours prior to serving. Note: if olive oil turns solid, allow mixture to set at room temperature for 20 minutes prior to serving.
Serve salad in butter lettuce leaf "cups".
Nutrition per 1/2 cup mixture: 84 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 233 mg sodium
A few months ago I was asked if I would be interested in trying some olive oils that have a unique spin to them.
Pomora Olive Oils is a company that was created to give consumers more direct access to olive oils produced with more traditional methods to give a really great product.
How it works, is you "adopt" an olive tree from a farmer (in Italy). You then receive quarterly shipments of the olive oil produced from that tree!
It's a really fun concept and give you the chance to incorporate something really special into your kitchen.
I
do use olive oil frequently in my meal preparations (as I am sure you
know). It's a versatile oil with the health benefits of monounsaturated
fats. I readily admit that I really have never taken the time to taste different olive oils (without added flavors). But this opportunity was not one to waste!
So, I served up one of our favorite, easy, weeknight meals. Caprese that consists of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I can honestly say that the difference in using the olive oils (I was sent two varieties) was incredible! The flavor was outstanding compared to what I usually stock in my cupboard. My hubby commented several times about how noticeable the taste was- mild yet detectable-- in my opinion something that you should have in an olive oil! You don't want to cover up the flavors in your meal, but accent them.
I encourage you to give them a try-- or gift them to someone whom would really appreciate having their own oil-producing tree!
Eating healthier is a lot easier when your choices have tons of FLAVOR! Often, we rely on salt, sugar, and fat to add flavor to our foods (processed foods get much of their flavor from these culprits). But you don't have to add those things to make food taste good!
This recipe is for my fajita seasoning- using ingredients that already exist in your cupboard! Those seasoning "packets" are often loaded with sodium, so save yourself the moolah and make your own!
Homemade Fajita Seasoning
Enough for one batch of fajitas to serve 3-4
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp low sodium vegetable bouillon powder
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp raw sugar
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash ground cinnamon
Dash black pepper
I use this recipe in my Butter Bean and Mushroom Fajitas- check it out!
I'm totally craving summer. Sun, warm weather, green grass, and camping trips! I guess I will just have to stick with the summery foods for the time being.
The buckwheat flour in this crisp gives it a nutty flavor- and the addition of ground pistachios doesn't hurt anything either!
Buckwheat Strawberry Pistachio Crisp for Two
Serves 2
12 strawberries, chopped
1 tsp white sugar
TOPPING
2 Tbsp GF oats
2 Tbsp buckwheat flour
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp chopped pistachios
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chopped strawberries and sugar in a bowl, then transfer to mixture to two ramekins sprayed with baking spray.
Place the topping ingredients in a small food processor and mix until just combined.
Distribute the toppings onto the ramekins evenly. Transfer ramekins onto the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until berry mixture is bubbly.
Serve warm!
