Salad Central
Prep Time:
25 minutes
Number of Servings:
8
Ingredients
For The Coleslaw
1 medium head red cabbage, shredded, or cut into very thin slices
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
Salt
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (black or white)
For Ginger Dressing
1/4 cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp agave syrup
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 tsp. grated ginger
Directions
Combine cabbage, bell pepper, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. Add salt to taste.
Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Add dressing to cabbage mixture and stir until well combined. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Ingredients
2⁄3 cup hazelnuts
1⁄4 cup hazelnut oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head radicchio, leaves torn
1 head butter lettuce, leaves torn
1 endive, cut across into 1-inch wide strips
2 ripe pears, cored, each cut into 8 wedges
4 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º.
Place hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Then, with your fingers, rub the skins off the hazelnuts. Roughly chop the nuts.
Whisk hazelnut oil and vinegar together well in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place radicchio, lettuce, and endive in a large salad bowl. Toss with just enough dressing to coat greens. Add pear wedges, gorgonzola cheese, and hazelnuts.
Prep Time:
25 minutes
Number of Servings:
6
Ingredients
Spicy Garlic Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground chili powder
1 tsp. honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
4 medium zucchini, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
6 large tomatoes, quartered
Directions
Preheat oven to 375º.
To make vinaigrette, combine vinegar, garlic, chili powder, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until blended.
Place zucchini on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until zucchini are tender, about 20 minutes.
Divide zucchini and tomatoes among 6 salad plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
Healthy Grilling
Prep Time:
35 minutes
Number of Servings:
4
Recipe Source:
The Good Housekeeping 400 Calorie Chicken ($14.95, Hearst Books, 2013)
Ingredients
4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 lb)
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
1 to 2 limes
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes (10 to 12 oz each), cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 red, orange, and/or yellow peppers, each cut into quarters
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup chopped jicama (10 to 12 oz)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus additional leaves for garnish
1/8 tsp. cayenne (ground red) pepper
Directions
Preheat large ridged grill pan or prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat.
Pound chicken to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper.
From limes, grate 1 1/2 teaspoons of peel and squeeze 3 tablespoons of juice. In a small bowl, combine peel, 1 tablespoon juice, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Brush tomatoes and peppers with oil mixture and place on hot grill pan on rack. Place chicken on pan or rack. Cook chicken and vegetables 8 to 9 minutes, turning over once. Vegetables should be browned and tender. Chicken breasts should be browned on both sides and no longer pink throughout; instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into thickest part should register 165°.
While vegetables and chicken are grilling, in medium bowl, stir together avocado, jicama, cilantro, cayenne, and remaining 1/4 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons lime juice. (Makes 2 1/2 cups salsa.)
Serve chicken and vegetables with avocado salsa; garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Prep Time:
30 minutes prep, plus draining time for eggplant
Number of Servings:
Serves 4
Recipe Source:
Summer Gatherings: Casual Food to Enjoy with Family and Friends by Rick Rodgers ($17.95, William Morrow, 2008)
Ingredients
1 large eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick rounds
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the eggplant
8 slices crusty rustic bread
4 Tbsp Classic Basil Pesto or your favorite pesto
2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick rounds
4 oz rindless goat cheese (chevre), crumbled
Directions
Toss eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a colander. Place in sink and let stand for 1 hour to drain off excess juice. Rinse eggplant under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Build a fire for grilling in an outdoor grill. For a charcoal grill, let coals burn until they are covered with white ash. Spread out the mound of coals into a bank, with one side about two coals deep; the other side of the slope should include a scattering of single coals. For a gas grill, preheat grill on high. Leave one side on high and turn the other side to low. In both cases, you will have two areas for cooking, one hot and the other cooler.
Lightly oil cooking grate. Brush eggplant on both sides with olive oil. Place over the hotter side of the grill and cover. Grill until the undersides are seared with grill marks, about 2 minutes. Turn and sear the other sides, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to the cooler side of the grill, cover, and grill until eggplant is tender, about 5 minutes. During the last minute or so, place bread slices on grill to toast them lightly.
Spread 4 bread slices with pesto. Place, pesto side up, on a work surface. Top each with equal amounts of eggplant, tomatoes, and crumbled goat cheese. Top each with a slice of bread and cut in half crosswise. Serve immediately or cooled to room temperature.
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Number of Servings:
6 to 8
Recipe Source:
300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig ($24.95, Robert Rose, 2009)
Ingredients
Vegetables
4 lb mixed seasonal garden vegetables (such as zucchini, yellow summer squash, romaine, tomatoes, eggplant, and onions)
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe chimichurri (recipe follows)
Chimichurri
12 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. hot pepper flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Vegetables
Halve zucchini, squash, and romaine lengthwise. Cut tomatoes, eggplant, and onions into 1-inch-thick slices. Brush the cut side of the romaine with olive oil. Brush the other vegetables with oil on both sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Prepare a hot fire in your grill.
Grill eggplant and onions for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until charred on both sides.
Place zucchini, squash, and romaine cut side down on the grill. Grill for about 4 minutes, until the cut side is charred and has nice grill marks.
Grill tomatoes on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, until charred.
Arrange vegetables on a platter and drizzle with chimichurri.
Chimichurri
In a bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano, hot pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 day. (If you don’t have time to let the chimichurri stand for a day, transfer it to a small saucepan and warm over low heat to about 120º for 1 to 2 minutes and then let stand for about 1 hour to blend.)
Notes
Leftover chimichurri can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Smart Snack
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins or craisins (optional)
Directions
Stir rice cereal and oats (raisins / craisins optional) together in a large bowl.
Grease a 9 by 13 baking dish.
Combine brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil.
Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
Mix sugar mixture into cereal and oats. Mix quickly!
Press into pan, smooth top using a spatula.
Allow to cool, then cut into squares.
Ingredients
3 cup cooked white rice
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions
Grease the inside of a 2 to 3 1/2 quart slow cooker.
Mix all ingredients except sugar and cinnamon in cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 3 to 4 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Stir pudding.
Sprinkle pudding with sugar and cinnamon and serve warm.
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened.
Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 65 to 70 minutes
Notes
Try playing with this recipe by adding raisins, cranberries, nuts, or caraway seeds before baking.
Slow Cooking
Ingredients
36 oz low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15 ounces) can organic tomato puree
1 (15 ounces) can organic white beans
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chopped fresh kale leaves
Equipment
Slow Cooker
Directions
In a 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker, combine vegetable broth, tomato puree, beans, rice, onion, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Cover; cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours
Just before serving, stir in kale.
Ingredients
2 lbs bottom round, well-trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup baby carrots
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
Equipment
Slow cooker, 4 to 6 quarts
Directions
Coat the beef in the flour. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary.
Transfer to the slow cooker.
Add the onions and celery to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions and celery; transfer to the slow cooker.
Pour the water into the skillet and scrape. Add mixture to the slow cooker.
Stir the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, thyme, and bay leaf into the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat for 7 1/2 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Add the peas and heat through.
Prep Time:
10 minutes, 8 hours slow cooking
Number of Servings:
8
Recipe Source:
Everyday Gluten-Free Slow Cooking © 2012 by Kimberly Mayone and Kitty Broihier, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
Ingredients
3 3/4 cup water
1 cup Japanese medium-grain brown rice
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2 Tbsp dried currants
2 Tbsp real maple syrup or honey
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon or ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Toasted almonds or walnuts (optional)
Light cream (optional)
Directions
Stir together all ingredients except nuts and cream in slow cooker crock. Cover and cook 1 hour on LOW (or 30 minutes on HIGH). Stir and then cover and cook an additional 7 hours on LOW (or 3–3½ hours on HIGH).
Stir cereal well before serving. Garnish cereal with nuts and a touch of cream, if desired.
Sweet Treats
Ingredients
2 lemons
1 1/2 cups water, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup strawberries or raspberries
1 cup blueberries
Directions
Make the simple sugar syrup by mixing 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid becomes clear. Let it cool and refrigerate it in a sealed container.
Make the strawberry-raspberry purée by blending the berries until a thick liquid is formed. Add as little water as necessary to allow the fruit to blend. Repeat the process with the blueberries. Store the purées in sealed containers in the refrigerator.
Mix the juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp of simple sugar syrup and 1 to 2 spoonfuls of strawberry-raspberry purée in a martini shaker or a pitcher. (In place of the simple syrup, you can substitute 1 Tbsp sugar.) Add more simple sugar syrup or strawberry-raspberry purée to taste. Repeat the process with the blueberries to make the blueberry lemonade.
Pour the juice into the popsicle molds. Add a few sliced strawberries or raspberries into the molds with the strawberry lemonade and a few frozen blueberries into the molds with the blueberry lemonade.
Place the lids on the popsicle molds and place them in the freezer.
Freeze them for several hours or until the juice is frozen.
Remove them from the freezer and gently pull the popsicles out.
Notes
If you have difficulty removing the popsicles from the molds, run some warm water on the tips of the molds while gently twisting the molds to work the popsicles out of the molds.
Ingredients
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
8 Tbsp honey*
Vanilla extract to taste (optional)
Equipment
Ice-Cream Maker (optional)
Directions
Pour coconut milk in a large mixing bowl.
Add cocoa powder a small amount at a time, whisking until smooth each time.
Add honey and mix well.
Pour mixture in a 13 by 9 metal baking pan.
Freeze until firm, approximately 3 hours. Stir with a fork every 1/2 hour until frozen.
Notes
You can use an ice cream maker. Simply follow the directions on your appliance.
*This frozen delight can easily be vegan by replacing the honey with maple syrup.
Prep Time:
15 minutes + Freeze time
Number of Servings:
12
Recipe Source:
Gluten-Free Girl Every Day by Shauna Ahern ($29.99, Wiley, 2013)
Ingredients
3 cups whole-milk yogurt
2 cups fresh blackberries, divided
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil (optional)
Directions
Making the iced pops: Add yogurt, 1 cup of the blackberries, honey, and basil, if you are using it, to a blender. Blend until everything has turned purple and has a smooth texture.
Filling the molds: Plop a whole blackberry into a frozen pop mold. Pour a bit of the yogurt mixture into the mold. Plop in another blackberry and more of the mixture. Repeat until mold is three-fourths full. Repeat with remaining molds.
Freeze until treats are frozen through, about 1 hour.
Healthier Baking
Prep Time:
25 minutes
Number of Servings:
1 dozen
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
1/3 cup Organic Rolled Oats (uncooked)
2 Tbsp organic brown sugar
1/2 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp organic butter, melted
Muffins
1 cup Organic Multigrain Hot Cereal (uncooked)
1 1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
1 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup organic milk (dairy, almond or soy)
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup organic sunflower oil
1 organic egg
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups or lightly oil bottoms only.
Prepare topping by mixing the cereal, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Add the melted butter. Mix well.
Prepare muffins by combining cereal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the applesauce, milk, brown sugar, oil, and egg. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Serve warm.
Prep Time:
10 minutes prep time
Number of Servings:
6
Recipe Source:
50 Ways to Take the Junk Out of Junk Food by Julie Whittingham (Globe Pequot Press, 2004)
Ingredients
6 large Delicious apples, cored
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
6 Tbsp light margarine
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place apples in a baking dish.
Mix raisins with cinnamon. Stuff mixture into apples.
Combine maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Dot top of each apple with 1 tablespoon margarine and pour maple syrup mixture over top.
Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until apples are tender, basting every 15 minutes.