Alright, friends, have we all agreed to stop buying frozen, grocery store hamburgers and unanimously decided instead to try making our own patties this summer? Have the last couple days of me preaching from my soapbox convinced you that there are better ways to barb-e-que? Yes? Good. Now we can move on to fantastic salads to accompany those delicious burgers! Below are two, super easy salads that pretty much go with any main dish. Continue reading
Coming home from vacation is always hard, but it’s even harder when that vacation is centered around delicious food, as Alaskan cruises almost always are. This past week I’ve been missing my daily breakfast buffet, the mid-day tea and cupcake social, and the calorie laden 3-course meals that I became accustomed to on the ship. My waistline, on the other hand, is not. After a couple depressing attempts to fit into my summer clothes, I decided that it was time to undo all those lovely inches that I brought back with me from my trip. But how do you go from stuffing your face morning, noon, and night to eating like a rabbit and being happy about it? The trick is it to load up on lean protein and fiber-packed foods that will help fill you up quicker, and keep you fuller longer. Which is why I’ve been living off of my homemade chopped salad for the last few days. Continue reading
One of the many things I love about Easter, aside from the candy and the colorful eggs, is the juicy spiral-cut ham that we serve up for dinner – and keep serving day, after day, after day, until the never-ending leftovers have been used up. Sick of ham sandwiches yet? Me, too! Here’s a quick way to finish off your ham without stuffing it into yet another stale dinner roll!
Split Pea Soup with Ham
Serves 6-8
In a large soup pot, heat oil until shimmering. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables have softened and onion starts to become transparent, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add stock, peas, potatoes, paprika, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Nestle ham bone in the middle of soup then bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until peas and vegetables are soft, about 40-45 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and ham bone from, discarding both. Ladle half of soup into a separate bowl, set aside. With a hand-held immersion blender, purée soup in pot until smooth, then return reserved soup to pot and stir until combined. Or alternatively, ladle half of soup into a blender and purée until smooth, the return puréed portion to pot and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Add diced ham and heat until ham is warmed through. Ladle soup into preheated bowls and garnish with a drizzle with olive oil, some chopped ham, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Serve immediately or refrigerate covered for 3-5 days.
Mixed Green Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 6
FOR THE SALAD:
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients in a liquid measuring cup until ingredients have emulsified.
Pour a little dressing over salad, toss, then repeat as needed.
Lunchtime at our house can be a battle. Up until a few months ago I would change-up our lunch options rather frequently, and my daughter was usually pretty cool with it, but recently she’s discovered a new streak of independence and wants none of that. Most of the parenting books I’ve read say that toddlers should be allowed to make a couple decisions throughout the day, so I decided to let her choose her mid-day meal (within reason). But it’s always the same. “I want peanut butter sandwich – no jelly. Grapes. Carrots. Cottage Cheese. And milk, please…… Pretty please may I have it right now?!!!!” (The last part was added because it takes me longer than 5 seconds to make her lunch.) Now because I’m a mom, I always attempt to offer her a second option; “Mommy’s having blank, are you sure you don’t want some, too?” And this is where she acts as if her world is crumbling down (especially if I utter the word salad, which can single-handedly bring the child to tears). “No!” she cries, and repeats her original request in a quavery voice. I almost always acquiesce, but as we set down to eat, I notice her grubby little hand reach across the counter to steal some of my food. “Oh that’s good, Mom!” she’ll say, then abandon her sandwich and start eating off my plate. (This is why at any given moment you’ll find a neglected, half-eaten peanut butter sandwich in my refrigerator.) So, although my toddler strives so hard for her independence, she is still human, which means that the grass will always be greener on mommy’s side of the fence, and this is what’s on mommy’s side of the fence today…
Roast Chicken Salad with Butternut Squash and Barley
This is a great lunchtime salad; it’s light, it’s healthy, and it has everything you need for a satisfying meal right in one bowl – not to mention it makes plenty of leftovers for the rest of week! Note: vegetarians, see VEGETARIAN MODIFICATIONS at the end of the post. (Recipe slightly adapted from Men’s Health magazine)
Place the barley or farro in a medium pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 25-45 minutes (or per package instructions). Drain and cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, OJ, ginger, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Add the barley/farro, torn chicken, parsnips, squash, grapes, and parsley to the bowl; toss everything to coat with the dressing. Top with pumpkin seeds and goat cheese and serve.
VEGETARIAN MODIFICATION: Replace chicken with 1 15-oz. can of pinto beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
soup bowl recipes 