The Secret Recipe Club: Dried Cranberry, Grape and Pine Nut Salad

So do you remember when I started to participate in my first food club called The Secret Recipe Club? Well it is finally back this month! There have been a lot of changes to the club but all for good reasons. I’m part of Group B and today is our reveal day. I had such an awesome blog called Cafe Lynnylu. Lynne has beautiful photography skills and lives in Augusta, GA. Sometime last year I was living in Georgia and I wished I would of been able to meet up with her, if I had found her blog earlier! I could use a few photography skill tips from her. ;)

I had a really hard time deciding what to make because everything looked good. I was going to make one of her Thirsty Thursday drinks because it reminded me of the south with their fun lingo. Instead I settled for a salad. A very delicious salad with an orange honey Dijon dressing and crumbles of goat cheese! I added a very small twist to the salad and used a honey goat cheese versus plain. I took her recommendation to add red onion and it brighten up the salad and paired well with the sweet and tart flavors. I don’t usually care to put fruit in my salad but the green grapes actually worked. I like to think of this salad as a nice “winter is almost over but not quite yet” salad! Oh and restaurant quality for sure!



Dried Cranberry, Grape and Pine Nut Salad (for 1 serving) 
Adapted from Cafe Lynnylu

Salad Ingredients:
2 cups mixed baby greens
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
8-10 grapes, sliced
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
1-2 tablespoons crumbled honey goat cheese

Direction:
Combine greens, dried cranberries and seedless grapes. Toss with a small amount of dressing just to coat leaves and top salad with toasted pine nuts and the goat cheese. Drizzle a little extra dressing on top.



Orange Honey Dijon Salad Dressing (6 servings, 1 tablespoon size):
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used less oil, Lynne calls for 2/3 cup)

Direction:
On cutting board, mash garlic and salt together. Place in bowl, whisk in orange juice, Dijon mustard, honey and orange zest. When combined, whisk in olive oil until dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

 

I was getting very bored with salads but I’m glad I experimented with something different! It was definitely worth my while.
Fallon

Loving My Favorite Fall Salad

Gluten free or not, I love wheatberries! I love their chew and how satisfying they are. My favorite way to enjoy wheatberries is by making it with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries (or cherries), nuts, green onions and a dijon honey balsamic dressing. It reminds of the salad I get from the Wholefoods salad bar. As soon as I moved back to Las Vegas, I made this salad. I knew my body needed to stay healthy and this salad would do the trick. Plus it just reminds me of Fall with all the pretty colors added to the wheatberries.

It has been almost 3 weeks now since the “break-up" and I’m surprised at how well I’m doing. I have my good and bad days, which is normal. I still have many questions I need answered. I just need the closure after being in a serious relationship for 3 years. I really felt like this man in my life, was going to be my future husband. How it ended all so quickly, 1 hour before I was moving back to Las Vegas, yes I have a lot of questions and yes I want them all answered. The healing process is still going. In the meantime, I’ll have more wheatberry salad please!

I also just want to thank all the support I’ve received from my readers, family and friends. Thank you!

Here is my original version of my Wheatberry Salad with Dried Cherries, Roasted Butternut Squash and Toasted Pecans

This time around I added in dried cranberries and sliced almonds. That is what my mom had in the pantry and I figured it would taste just as good. I noticed the jar of mustard had just enough for the dressing and I decided to shake up the dressing in the jar. Clever right? Plus I had extra dressing and just left it stored in the jar!

 

Happy Fall!
Fallon

Tomato, Basil and Millet Salad

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone has been enjoying their long weekend. Mike and I just came back from Atlanta this weekend. We saw the Atlanta Braves play against the LA Dodgers and sadly they lost Friday night, but it was still fun! Then Saturday we went to Six Flags and went on every single roller coaster. Mind you.. I’ve never been on roller coasters this crazy before but I got over my fear quickly after Mike made me go on DareDevil!

(Source)

That is how it starts, straight up at 90 degrees and straight down at 90 degrees. Umm crazy! LOL

Anyways I just wanted to stop by real quick to show you this wonderful salad before I head out to get in a REALLY good workout this morning. I had some lingering millet in my pantry and I wanted to turn it into a cold salad. I’ve done it with wheatberries before and that turned out delicious.

I had basil and the little tomatoes to use up. I googled for ideas and right away Wholefoods popped up with their Tomato, Basil and Millet Salad. Umm perfect and super delicious! This complimented the basil chicken very well. It makes a ton and is a great vehicle for leftovers to take to work. And to REALLY save time I used my favorite balsamic vinaigrette dressing but making up your own isn’t a bad idea either if you have extra time.

Tomato, Basil and Millet Salad
Adapted from Wholefoods

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked millet, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth works too)
1 cup water
1 (15oz) can pinto beans (or black beans, black-eyed pea, garbanzo etc.)
1 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup finely sliced basil
1/4 cup favorite balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Spinach
Crumbled fresh goat cheese (optional)

Directions:
Toast millet in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and golden brown. Remove saucepan from heat and carefully add broth and water. Return to heat and bring to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce to medium low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and millet is tender, 20- 25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, let stand, covered for 5 minutes. Transfer millet to a large bowl and fluff with fork, and set aside to cool.

Add the beans, onions and basil to millet, gently toss and set aside. Add the dressing, toss to coat evenly. Then add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of spinach and crumbled up fresh goat cheese on top (optional).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy this lovely salad, it reminds me of summer and is great to bring over to a friends gathering. Our Labor Day will be low key. I’m going to grill up some brats and kraut for Mike, while I enjoy some meatballs I made last week. Dessert will be amazing though, Mike requested a Cannoli Cake for his birthday which is tomorrow (Sept. 6th). I’m so proud of my Cannoli Cake making skills, just wait and see! I’ll share with you later this week.

Love,
Fallon

In a Jiffy Curry Chickpea Burgers

(This post is originally from July 19th, 2010.)

Whenever I see something curry in the blog world it definitely gets my attention. It is a new spice I've introduced to my pantry and I'm loving it! Like when Ashley from The Edible Perspective posted her recipe for Curry Honey Hummus that was the first time I ever experienced curry. Just recently Angela at Oh She Glows took her jiffy burger recipe and transformed it into a Curry Chickpea Burger.


In a Jiffy Curry Chickpea Burgers
(Adapted from Angela, Oh She Glows)

Ingredients:
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinse
1/2 cup regular oats
10 baby carrots or 2 carrots ( I used 11 baby carrots for good luck.)
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1-2 tsp water
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp parsley flakes
3 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. *I used a pizza stone, I left it in the oven while it was preheating to give the burgers a nice crunchy outside.*

Love the colors.

In a food processor, process the oats, carrots and all the spices/seasonings for 30 seconds or until somewhat smooth. Now add in the chickpeas for 1/2 cup increments and coconut oil, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. If the mixture is still a bit dry, add a teaspoon or two of water to have everything come together smoothly.


Once the chickpeas are mostly processed and smooth, take the mixture and place in a medium sized bowl. *I left mine in the food processor, don't forget to remove the blade if you do this.* Stir in the sunflower seeds and pepita seeds.


Wet your hands and shape into patties. Makes about 6-8 patties. Bake for 20 minutes and then flip over for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy as a burger or on top of a delicious salad!


And a delicious salad it was. I had made a tomato, radish and artichoke heart salad earlier with an orange champagne vinegar. Topped on a bed of romaine and a generous portion of crumbled goat cheese, this salad was popping with flavors! The curry chickpea burgers were the perfect topping to this salad. While the burgers cooked, it also toasted up the nuts that left a great flavor to counteract with the sweetness of the carrots and the tang of the curry spice.


I'll be making these again because they took minutes to put together and minimal kitchen mess!

Fallon
PS: I think this is the year I'll be getting a new camera. Can you see how poor quality some of my photos have been lately? Blurry, grainy.. It is driving me nuts!

Quick German Potato Salad

Using my boyfriend’s iPad in the kitchen, great for pulling up recipes.

I say quick because I was in a super pinch one weekend to get to a BBQ within 3 hours. I also made a quick dessert too. I love potato salad but not the kind that is loaded with mayonnaise and eggs. I’m not a mayo fan at all and just the sound of eating a fat laden salad with all that goop in the hot summer heat at a BBQ, in your bikini just sounds repulsive! I’ve been to several BBQ’s and the options just aren’t always healthy. Sometimes you just go with the flow and bring something you know you will enjoy. I usually bring fresh fruit like watermelon!

The recipe for German potato salad comes from Wholefoods. Boy do I miss that grocery store! I’m glad they have a huge database of ingredients, so I can still get my Wholefoods experience. My father use to make a delicious German potato salad back in his day. He added eggs, red bell peppers, red onions and a red wine dressing. This Wholefoods recipe is a little different with the addition of bacon (YUM!), apple cider vinegar and whole grain mustard.

Everyone loves bacon!

Now if you need something to bring to a BBQ this weekend I’d recommend this recipe. It is healthy, delicious and very satisfying. It won’t go bad in the heat and it will be a crowd favorite. It literally takes an hour from prepping, cooking and putting together. German potato salad is always warm and I think this is why it is such a quick dish to put together. Make it for those BBQ’s you are invited to this weekend.

To make the German Potato Salad this weekend head on over to the Wholefoods website to get the recipe. I’d post it here but I have to be at work in an hour!

Always,

Fallon     

Wheatberries with Balsamic Honey Dressing

I’m working a lot and that means I pack a lunch every single day for work. On the weekend I will make some sort of grain and whip it into a salad that I can put on top of lettuce, spinach and dress up with additional vegetables. Well here is another tasty wheatberry salad with a balsamic dressing sweetened with honey and a sweet/spicy mustard! I’ve tweaked it from my last wheatberry salad. That was a very popular recipe due to the roasted butternut squash and dried cherries. This salad is just as delicious but for a lighter appetite. The sweet and spicy mustard gives it a nice kick. You could add more for an even bigger kick!

Balsamic Honey Dressing

By Fallon

Ingredients

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons sweet and spicy mustard (Trader Joe’s has a great one!)

2 teaspoons honey

Salt and pepper

Direction

Mix everything into a bowl with a wire whisk or shake up in a mason jar.

To prepare the wheatberry salad, make sure you have soaked and cooked the wheatberries. I measured out a 1/2 cup of wheatberries to soak and then cooked them in 2 1/2 cups of water. After they have cooled off place into a large bowl, add 1/2 cup sliced green onions, 1/4 cup Thompson seedless raisins, and 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans. Pour dressing and mix to combine.

Enjoy!

Fallon

Quinoa Salad Recipe + More Favorite Spring Recipes

How is everyone doing? I’m currently getting ready for my big road trip. I can’t believe how much stuff I actually own. Even with  items I’ve donated I still own a lot of stuff! Moving is hard work and this is already the second time this year I’ve had to move EVER! Crazy how life can just turn around but like I said I’m ready for the adventure.

I have a delicious quinoa salad recipe to share with you from Clean Food. This was a great side dish to have with BBQ. So much nutrition is packed into this side dish, that a green leafy salad is not necessary! My favorite part about this salad was the addition of fresh mint. I’ve never used fresh mint before because I was scared of it. I went lightly for my first time and next time I’d use the suggested amount. It was very refreshing!

 

Mangoes have been so delicious lately, and when I saw this salad I knew I had to make it. Make sure when you pick  your mangoes they are slightly firm and green. They are just about ripe at this point. This recipe makes 8 servings and can be easily doubled if you’re invited to a potluck BBQ this summer!

Don’t forget I’m posting some of my favorite spring recipes and I have more below to share with you!

PS: I slightly altered some measurements to my salad and that is what I have posted below.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Apricot Lime Vinaigrette

From Clean Food

Ingredients:

6 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 16oz can black beans, rinsed and drain

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced

1 cup peeled and diced jicama

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Vinaigrette:

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup apricot nectar

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

To make quinoa, follow the directions on the package. This site explains it perfectly on how to prep and cook your quinoa.

Place beans, onions, mango and jicama in large bowl. Fluff cooked quinoa with fork, add to bowl and gently fold to combine.

In small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Fold in tomatoes, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds just before serving.

 

Favorite Spring Recipes continue:

Light Tastes:

Cantaloupe Wrapped in Prosciutto

Curry Honey Hummus

Marshmallow Fruit Dip

White Bean Hummus with Fresh Thyme and Basil

Caprese Salad

Broccoli Salad (My FAVORITE!)

Shredded Cabbage Slaw with Radishes, Raisins and Dijon Dressing

Wheatberry Salad with Dried Cherries, Roasted Butternut Squash,
and Toasted Pecans (Another FAVORITE!)

Wheatberry Salad

Always,

Fallon

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Don’t forget to leave me a comment to be submitted into my giveaway! Friday is the last day. Extended till Saturday, March 19th till Midnight!

My father use to work in an Italian restaurant that was 5 stars in Las Vegas. When I was younger he invited my best friend and I for dinner. I think we were 16 or 17 at the time. We got really dressed up for the occasion and couldn’t wait to have a really delicious dinner. My dad had it all planned out with what we would be getting at the table. We had 6-7 dishes served to us, including a palate cleanser. Everything was delicious but the spinach salad always comes back to memory for me. The salad was made at our table with crispy bacon and a warm Dijon bacon dressing that wilted the spinach perfectly. This was the best spinach salad I’ve ever had and usually no other restaurant can compare.

My good blogging friend Shelby from The Life & Loves of Grumpy Honeybunch made a delicious spinach salad with shrimp. I on the other hand made the same salad, minus the shrimp. Remember I don’t like dish or seafood! I added crumbled goat cheese instead. It reminded me of the salad I had at my father’s restaurant flavor wise. I didn’t make enough of the dressing so the salads were slightly dry but they still tasted fabulous. I blame those mushrooms for soaking up all the liquid! I didn’t realize making a spinach salad with bacon dressing could be so easy to make. The version below is for 2 people but I made mine for 3 people.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing                                    Adapted from Cook This! Not That!

Ingredients

3 strips bacon

1/2 red onion, sliced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 bag (6oz) baby spinach

2 hard boiled eggs

1.5oz crumbled goat cheese

Directions

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel on a plate and reserve.

Add the mushrooms and onions to the hot skillet and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the mustard and vinegar into the pan; season with salt and pepper. If the pan looks dry, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. To serve, top spinach with mushroom and onion dressing. Sprinkle bacon, goat cheese and chopped egg on top.

 

Buon Appetito!

Fallon

Wheatberry Salad

If there is a cookbook I need to utilize more often it would be Clean Food by Terry Walters. All her recipes are vegetarian based and are divided by seasons. I’m more aware of what fruit and vegetables I should consume during Winter and vice versa thanks to this book. I’ve been going through it a lot recently and have tried several of the recipes. Making these healthy meals has helped me maintain my weight since moving to El Paso. I thought I’d have a more difficult time but I’m actually doing really well on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I’m not able to get to the gym all the time but I push myself to workout at home using DVDs. At the end of the day it all balances out but it helps to eat a healthy meal that will satisfy you and not leave you feeling hungry during the day.

I’ve recently been on a wheatberry kick and came across a salad in Clean Food. It was slightly different from the first wheatberry I made. This had a simple dressing of lime juice and toasted sesame oil. Since it is still winter here, I opted to use pink lady apples. In the summer though peaches would be a wonderful addition!

This salad was delicious after I let it set in the fridge overnight and let the flavors come together. There was a lot of action going on with this salad from the chewy wheatberries, crisp apples, sweet currants and toasted sunflower seeds. I once again set the wheatberry salad on top of spinach! It is one of the best lunches I’ve been having lately.

Wheatberry Salad From Clean Food

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups wheatberries

Sea salt

4-5 scallions, chopped

1 cup chopped apples (granny, pink lady etc)

1/2 cup currants (I used organic Thompson seedless raisins)

1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Juice of 1 lime

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Directions

Rinse wheatberries, soak in bowl with enough water to cover for at least 1 hour, then drain. In large pot, bring 3 1/4 cups water to boil. Add wheatberries and pinch of salt, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until all water is absorbed (35-45 minutes). Set aside to cool, then fluff with fork.

In large bowl, combine cooked wheatberries with scallions, apples, currants and toasted sunflower seeds. Toss with lime juice, toasted sesame oil and pinch of salt. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

 

Eating healthy really is not difficult at all! Look at how simple the ingredient list is and how quick everything eventually came together once the wheatberries have cooked. I tried out a cookie recipe the other day using some ripe bananas. I can’t wait to show you guys that recipe as well from Clean Food.

Enjoy,

Fallon