simple salad with grilled portabello and balsamic dijon vinaigrette

{recipe adapted via annies eats}

when i first read annie's post about this salad i knew it was something i wanted to try so i grabbed some portabello mushrooms at my last trip to the store and then i sort of forgot about them.  when i finally noticed the mushrooms again i knew i needed to use them up right away so this became my lunch.  fancy, right?  i know, i spoil myself.

when the making began, it became quickly apparent that i was lacking many of the necessary ingredients to complete the recipe as is so i had to improvise to make my own version.

first, i marinated the mushrooms by lightly drizzling olive oil over the mushrooms and then spreading it around to cover the mushrooms completely (using my hands).  then i did the same with balsamic vinegar until the mushrooms were well coated.  i'd say i used a 1:2 ratio of oil and vinegar.  

while the mushrooms were soaking up the marinade i made the salad dressing.  

balsamic dijon vinaigrette

printable recipe

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup (scant*) olive oil

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

pinch of black pepper

combine.  i used a small mason jar by screwing the lid on tight and shaking the heck out of that jar.  the heck out of it, i say!  *i like a higher ratio of vinegar to oil so scant was probably a tablespoon shy of a 1/2 cup.

once the dressing was ready i grilled the mushrooms on the stove top for about 6 minutes per side over just above medium heat.

the warm mushrooms were perfect on the bed of greens with shaved parmesan.  yum. yum. yum.

we had some chicken leftover from my bday dinner that made this lunch a complete meal.  go me!

dressing yields approximately 10 - 2 tbsp servings

Nutrition Facts balsamic dijon vinaigrette Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 94 Total Fat 9.8g       Saturated Fat 1.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 92mg Carbohydrate 1.7g       Dietary Fiber 0g       Sugars 1.6g Protein 0g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium    0% Iron 3%

grilled veggie panini*

check out my new "recipe index" above.

*because i don't actually own a panini maker.  i faked it.

on friday my mom took the kids and i to corner bakery cafe for lunch.  i ordered a grilled veggie panini on whole wheat bread.  so i decided to try and recreate it for dinner tonight.  the result;  a success. 

i didn't follow a recipe, i just threw together what i had in the fridge.  the zucchini and yellow squash i'd been needing to use for a couple of days now and i'm glad i did, they were ready to become trash and i hate throwing away produce!  the only thing i didn't have was tomatoes and i really wanted roasted tomatoes (so amazing!) so i picked some up at the store today along with some fresh berries and made some fake paninis.

grilled veggie panini

2 medium zucchini, halved length wise

2 small yellow squash, halved length wise

1/2 medium yellow onion, halved for rings

12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved (or sun dried tomatoes if you don't feel like roasting ahead of time)

5-6 cloves of garlic, un-peeled

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

salt and pepper

7 oz artichoke hearts (i used water packed but marinated would have been good too)

1 tbsp pesto

1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

2-4 slices low sodium provolone cheese

4 slices whole wheat bread (thick sliced sourdough bread would be delicious!)

1. roast tomatoes by preheating oven to 375 degrees.  place halved tomatoes on a lined baking sheet with garlic cloves.  drizzle evoo over tomatoes and garlic. sprinkle with sea salt and crushed pepper.  roast for 50-60 minutes.

2. turn grill to low heat.  baste zucchini, squash and onions with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.  sprinkle with salt and pepper.  grill until soft, 3-4 minutes per side (turning once).

3.  chop all ingredients and combine in bowl. (look at those tomatoes ~ YUM!)

4. preheat grill pan or panini press over medium heat.  

5. make sandwiches: start by brushing the first slice of bread (grill side) with olive oil.  spread pesto on the first slice (bottom piece) of bread.  lay spinach on pesto then add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of veggie mixture on top of spinach.  lay slices of cheese on top of veggie mixture then top with the last slice of bread.  brush top piece of bread lightly with olive oil.

6. grill for 4-5 minutes per side with a fake panini maker like i did (yes, i actually smashed the sandwiches flat with a stock pot)

or, follow the directions for the panini press.  i wouldn't know what they are.  did i mention i don't have one?

yum!

sunshine and salad!

a few days ago my cousin gwen said some nice things about me on her blog and, as if that weren't enough, she gave me a sunshine award! now, i don't know what a sunshine award is but, i'll take any kind of award i can get these days.  thanks gwen!

she told some folks i have a great blog and i really appreciate this although i realize that lately, it's not been so great.  i guess i have been busy?  not really.

really, our grocery budget is tight lately with the husbands employer asking each employee to take an unpaid day off each month for the next six months.  i have a hard time not sticking to my "go to" meals when i'm trying to pinch pennies.  but, that doesn't mean i haven't been cooking.  actually, we've had some yummy things as of late such as this wonderful recipe for barbecue chicken sandwiches grilled with smoked gouda and sliced apples.  it was good, we had it more than once but, the gouda isn't all that nutritious, just really delicious.

we've been enjoying lots of homemade ice cream too.  maybe a little too much.  and one day last week i made some amazing coconut cupcakes to "sample" before i serve them to a large group of people here soon at my cousins bridal shower.  i'll have to share that recipe on my other blog, amazing!

mostly though, we've been sticking to the basics and eating lots of leftovers.  here's one concoction i came up with using what i had on hand which turned out to be super awesome.

spinach salad with teriyaki chicken, mandarin oranges and toasted almonds

this salad was super easy to throw together.  i had some leftover teriyaki chicken in the fridge and a box of mini bow tie pasta that took 5 minutes to cook (rinse with cold water).  i toasted some almonds and sesame seeds in a small saute pan over medium heat for about 7 minutes and then drained some canned mandarins (packed in light syrup).  throw this all together with a bunch of spinach and top with newman's sesame ginger dressing = YUM!  (p.s. i like cold chicken so i didn't heat it up but, it be great either way).

give it a try, okay?

in the meantime, i'm going to share the sunshine award with my friend melissa.  her blog isn't technically a "foodie" blog but, she's a mom (a great one at that) and, she posts a lot of super yummy and sometimes even nutritious recipes so, go check her out!

here's what you do:

1. put the award on your blog and/or within your post.

2. pass the award onto other bloggers.

3. link to nominees within your post.

4. let them know they received the award by commenting on their blog.

5. share the love and link the person from whom you received the award.

summer pasta salad

i'm loading up on the carbs this week.  can you tell?

this is an old family favorite.  i use bottled italian dressing because it's easy, not because it's nutritious.

summer pasta salad
1 lb chicken breast, seasoned and grilled (i use lemon pepper seasoning)
16 oz of your favorite pasta, cooked, drained and chilled
2 heads of broccoli, chopped and blanched*
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
grape tomatoes (as many as you like)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 bottle kraft free zesty italian dressing
cheddar cheese, cubed (optional .. the kids love it)

*i blanch the broccoli during the last minute of cooking the pasta.  throw it in the boiling water, boil for 1 minute and then drain it with the pasta immediately rinsing under cold water to stop the cooking.  blanching will bring the color out in the broccoli which makes this dish so pretty.  i personally prefer my raw veggie blanched anyway so ...

once everything is cooked, cooled, chopped, rinsed, etc.  mix it all together in a big bowl.  the leftovers are amazingly delicious.

p.s.  my mom really likes olives in hers.  feel free to add whatever you wish.
p.p.s  i didn't run the nutritional info.  it's healthy, especially with wheat pasta.
p.p.p.s could easily be made vegetarian

mandarin chicken pasta salad

{image and source}

i made this dish today to share with the family up "camping" for dinner.  "camping" is when we go hang out for the day with my parents at their resort/time share/campground.  

i forgot to take a picture before we ate it and so i had to borrow the photo from the original source.  i must mention i also forgot to add the spinach.  it wasn't missed at all though.  the salad was amazing without it and i will definitely make it again with our without the spinach.

mandarin chicken pasta salad

Dressing
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, diced
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
2 tsp sugar

Mix well and refrigerate. {i used my food processor and added the oils very slowly as the last two ingredients while it was processing.  this is the best way to mix oil and vinegar by the way}.

Salad
8 oz bowtie pasta, cooked {i used iron fortified barilla plus+}

1 lb chicken breast, poached and diced
1/2 of a cucumber, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
6 oz. baby spinach
11 oz can mandarin oranges, well drained
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (350 for 8 minutes)
Toasted sesame seeds (optional, I think they go well with the sesame oil in the dressing)

Toss and serve immediately.

grilled vegetable pasta salad

this was yummy.  obviously (or i wouldn't be posting it).  i actually made this earlier in the week but after a dramatic experience involving a bird and our grill, i hadn't been in the mood to post the recipe until now.  this is one of three pasta salads i made this week.  all of which are perfect for summer bbq's.  i'll post the other two later.

two things; 1) i've fallen in love with tomatoes roasted with garlic and 2) i added a few grilled chicken breasts to this dish to make it more of a meal.

grilled vegetable pasta salad

source

1 pint grape tomatoes

5 cloves garlic

1 medium zucchini

1 medium yellow squash

1 medium green bell pepper

1 small eggplant

1 medium red onion

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley

14 oz pasta (i used cavatappi)

1 cup balsamic vinegar (i used newman's light which was good but next time, i'm going to make my own for the fun of it)

salt & pepper to taste

parmesan cheese (enough to sprinkle on top)

STEP 1: If using roasted tomatoes, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Pour the tomatoes out onto a baking sheet with 5 cloves of peeled garlic. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of olive oil over them along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands, stir it all up to make sure the tomatoes and garlic are well coated in the oil, salt and pepper. Place them in the oven to roast for about 40 minutes. Stir them twice during the roasting process.

STEP 2: Light the grill or charcoal and allow to heat while you prep the vegetables. Wash and slice the rest of the vegetables. Only slice them into two or three large chunks so they do not fall into the grill (see photo below). I cut the squash, onion and bell pepper into two pieces each and the eggplant into medallions about 1 inch thick.

STEP 3: Place the sliced vegetables onto another baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining 3 Tbsp of olive oil and another pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands mix them all up until they are all well coated in the oil. The eggplant will soak the oil up like a sponge so to make sure it is coated you can wipe it on the tray where oil has dripped off of the other vegetables.

STEP 4: Grill the vegetables until they are slightly charred on the outside and slightly soft but not mushy (see photos below). Return them to the tray and allow them to cool.

STEP 5: While the vegetables are cooling, begin boiling the pasta according to the directions on the box. While the pasta is boiling, chop the grilled vegetables into small, bite-sized pieces. Coarsely chop about 1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley.

STEP 6: After the pasta has been cooked and drained, allow it to cool slightly. Combine the chopped vegetables, parsley, pasta and 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette. Stir until everything is evenly coated with the vinaigrette. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

lunch :: chicken salad sandwhich & spinach salad

yesterday i made myself some chicken salad for lunch and saved half for today.  i do this often, make enough for more than one meal and eat it a couple of times in one week.  it satisfies my hunger and takes the guesswork out of "what should i have for lunch today?"

so here you have it

chicken salad

6 oz chicken (boiled and chopped)

1 tbsp light sour cream

1 tbsp light mayo

.5 cup grapes

3 green onions chopped

yields 2 servings (less the bagel)

1 serving; 206 calories, 6.1g fat (1.6g saturated fat), 78mg cholesterol, 132mg sodium, 9.4g carbs, 27.4g protein.

spinach salad

1 - 2 cups fresh spinach

4 sliced strawberries

1/3 cup sliced grapes

1-2 tbsp red onions

1/2 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

sprinkle truvia on top

79 calories, 2.8g fat (.2g saturated fat), 0mg cholesterol, 44mg sodium, 13.7g carbs, 2.3g fiber, 9.9g sugar, 1.8g protein

the drink, i didn't drink.  i happend to get this for "free" at smith's as part of a promotion.  i thought i would try it with my lunch until i read the label and realized i didn't know what most of the ingredients were.  these are the times when i wish i understood more about food and nutrition.  maybe some of this stuff is really good for you but, since i didn't know, i decided not to drink it.

normally i wouldn't eat the bagel twice but today i was in hurry and this is what i chose.  i probably would have been better off to just eat the other half of my bagel from breakfast but i burned plenty of calories during my run so i'm not worried about it.