Tropical BBQ Chicken & Mango Salsa

Excuse the crappy cell phone picture.

Trying to eat more protein and veggies can be very boring, especially when one is too busy to get creative and there isn't much time to prepare a meal. This recipe is a modified version of the "Caribbean Chicken" recipe from The Eat Clean Diet: Recharged. It's very tasty, easy to make and can be served in many ways. I cook a few chicken breasts at a time and save them for lunches and even snacks throughout the week.

Ingredients:

- 1 orange

- 1 lime

- 1 tbsp agave nectar

- 1 tbsp sucanat

- 1 tbsp minced ginger

- 4 gloves garlic, minced

- pinch ground cinnamon

- pinch ground nutmeg

- 1 tsp hot sauce of your choice

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 tbsp ketchup

Directions:

1. Remove the zest from the lime and orange, setting aside for later use, then juice each fruit.

2. Add juice, agave, sucanat, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg to a jar and shake well.

3. Place chicken in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. When ready to cook, remove from marinade and place chicken in grill pan or over BBQ until cooked through.

5. While chicken is cooking, pour marinade into a small sauce pan with citrus zest and heat over medium-high heat. Boil until sauce has reduced slightly. Lower heat and add ketchup. Bring to a boil again and boil for 5 minutes.

6. Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer, using the back of a spatula to squeeze out the liquid. Discard the solids.

7. Once chicken is cooked, remove from grill and baste with the strained sauce.

Eat hot off the grill topped with mango salsa and grilled veggies, or slice and serve warm or cold over spinach salad. Top your salad with the left over Tropical BBQ sauce.

For an easy Mango Salsa, chop 1 fresh mango, 1/2 a small red onion and 1 handful of fresh cilantro. Toss together in a bowl with lime juice, salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes or hot sauce.

Carrot Apple Fennel Slaw

I have some left over cabbage from last week's Braised Red Cabbage dish so the easiest way to use it up is in a slaw. You can make it even easier buy buying a bag of pre-cut coleslaw, broccoli slaw or carrot slaw mix and add in the fennel and apple. The dressing is a vinaigrette, but if you like it creamier, add more mayonnaise.

Adapted from Evil Shenanigans.

1/4 red cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
1/4 green cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
3 carrots, peeled and shredded or cut into matchsticks
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 apple (any variety), cored and cut into matchsticks (Peel is okay!)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
pinch sea salt
pinch pepper
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. Add all vegetables to a large serving bowl and toss well.

2. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk together until well blended and smooth.

3. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to evenly coat. Top with sunflower seeds.

*For a meal-size salad, top your slaw with some roasted chicken breast.

Winter Apple & Beet Salad with Honey Dressing

Eating locally grown produce in the winter can get really tiresome, really fast. Around Vancouver, winter's bounty is basically limited to squashes and root vegetables - things that don't bode well for a fresh, crisp salad. Thankfully apples are in abundance, as are beets. And although not local, pomegranates are in season until the end of January. Add all that to layer of fresh mixed greens* and you have an artful, appetizing winter salad!

Serves 2 entrée sized salads.

Honey Dressing

A simple oil & vinegar dressing with a hint of sweetness.

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 teaspoons local honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl or salad dressing cruet and mix well.

Tip: Coat your teaspoon in olive oil to make the honey slide off easily into your bowl!

Salad


1 medium size beet, greens cut off
4 cups mixed baby salad greens (I used baby spinach and pea shoots)
1/2 small red apple and 1/2 small green apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons feta cheese (optional)
prepared dressing

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees (F). Rinse beets and place on a sheet of foil and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Seal foil around beets to make a small packet. Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-35 minutes until fork tender. Remove from oven to cool. When beets have cooled enough to handle, put on some rubber gloves and remove the skins using your fingers. Skins should be tender enough to slip off, by pushing up with your thumbs. Once peeled, cut off root ends, then cut beets into small, bite sized chunks.

2. Arrange salad greens over two plates. Top each plate with half the beet chunks, half the red apple slices and half the green apple slices. Sprinkle half the pomegranate seeds and feta cheese over each plate. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over top.

This would also be great topped with toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds!

(*No, salad greens aren't locally available in winter either, but we have to pick our battles!)

This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist.

Caesar Vinaigrette

I made this easy dressing to top a simple Caesar salad for a family get together. Traditional Caesar dressings use raw eggs but one of my family members is expecting so she can't eat raw eggs. Another option is mayonnaise, but it's not my favourite condiment (and store bought mayonnaise is highly processed), so I try to avoid it. I found a simple blender Caesar dressing on Pioneer Woman so I used that as a guide and changed it up slightly. The result was a perfectly balanced, fresh and tangy dressing. It was way better than anything that comes in a bottle. Incidentally, this would also be a terrific as a baste for chicken!



2 whole cloves garlic
2 tablespoons plain Dijon mustard (not grainy)
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
dash of hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Add garlic, Dijon, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt and pepper to a blender.

2. Pulse on low a couple times until blended. Add Parmesan cheese and pulse a couple more times.

3. Add olive oil, a little at a time, and pulse once before adding more. When totally combined, pour into a glass jar or bowl and refrigerate prior to use.

My salad was made with a head of fresh romaine from the Farmer's Market. I added about three tablespoons of dressing, tossed it together, then added shaved Grana Padano and the Pioneer Woman's garlic croûtons, made using fresh country bread, also from the Farmer's Market. To finish it off, I added another tablespoon or two of dressing and tossed everything once more.

Pea Shoot, Tomato and Egg Salad

This is one of my favourites from The 10 Cent Diet. It's so fresh and simple. I eat it as a snack or as a salad with lunch. If you boil a few eggs in advance and keep them in your fridge, you can put this delicious salad together in a couple minutes.

Pea shoots, like all sprouts, are incredibly nutritious. They are super concentrated with nutrients - including seven times more vitamin C than blueberries, eight times more folic acid than bean sprouts and four times more vitamin A than tomatoes. (Source). Add a sliced garden fresh tomato and a perfectly hard boiled, free-range egg and you have a complete snack.

Serves 1

1 handful fresh pea shoots, cut in half
1 tomato, halved and sliced
1 (or 2) hard boiled egg(s), sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt (I use Fleur de Sel) and fresh cracked pepper

1. Layer pea shoots, tomato and egg in a bowl.

2. Top with a drizzle of balsamic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

If you're feeling extra fancy, used reduced balsamic vinegar. It's extra delicious that way. (Put 1 cup balsamic in a saucepan and simmer on low until volume reduced by half and balsamic is syrupy).

Shrimp & Scallop Spinach Salad with Mango Dressing

This is my absolute favourite salad, barely beating out my second favourite salad.

Another dish inspired by the Island flavours of Hawaii and renowned Island chef, Mr. Sam Choy. Fresh, crisp, bright, delicious - the perfect summer salad.

Serves 2 Main Dish Salads
To serve as an appetizer salad, reduce the amount of seafood to 2-3 of each piece per person.

Shrimp & Scallop Spinach Salad:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
10 sea scallops
10 large prawns, peeled & de-veined, tail on
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 small red onion, sliced very thin
1/2 fresh mango, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 avocado, peeled and sliced thin
Mango Dressing (see below)

1. Heat olive oil over high heat and sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add prawns to pan. Sear 1 minute each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Pat scallops dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Add to hot pan and sear for one minute on each side, until lightly brown in colour. Remove from pan and set aside with prawns.

3. Place spinach and onion in a large bowl and toss together. Divide spinach/onion mix between two plates.

4. Arrange the seafood, alternating scallops and prawns, around the outer edge of each plate.

5. Fan a few mango and avocado slices on top and across the middle of each plate.

6. Drizzle Mango Dressing over top of everything.

Mango Dressing:

Yields 1/2 cup dressing

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 fresh mango, peeled & pitted, puréed in blender (for 1/2 cup purée)
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp sucanat
1/2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup macadamia nut or avocado oil

1. Combine all ingredients except oil. Whisk until well blended and sucanat is completely dissolved.

2. Gradually add oil while continuing to whisk. Pour into a container with tight fitting lid and refrigerate at least 20 minuets prior to using. Remove from fridge and shake well to mix. Drizzle over salad.

Garlic Cheese Croûtons

Last week I bought a loaf of delicious artisan Garlic Cheese bread from A Bread Affair. This was my second loaf, and unlike the first that I gobbled up in three days, I could only finish half of this one before it started to dry out.

Marianne suggested that the Garlic Cheese loaf would make tasty croûtons so I stole her idea and made some for my soup.

Make sure you use day old, dried out bread, not stale bread! Stale bread will make stale croûtons! If you can't find an artisan style garlic cheese bread, use a crusty French or Italian bread and add a teaspoon or so of fresh minced garlic to the mix.

4-6 slices of day old crusty garlic cheese bread
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped fine
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Coarsely chop bread into cubes about 1" square. Add to a large bowl.

3. Add Parmesan and parsley to bread in the bowl. Toss together.

4. Drizzle olive oil over everything and toss well to coat bread cubes.

5. Spread bread cubes in a single layer, on an ungreased baking sheet.

6. Bake in oven until crisp, about 20 minutes. This could take longer, depending on volume of pieces, size of cubes and density of bread. Keep an eye on your cubes and remove from oven just as they start to turn golden.

7. Set aside to cool. Store in container with tight fitting lid. Use within a week or so otherwise your croûtons will be stale!

Use on top of salads or soups. They are even tasty enough to eat on their own... although not recommended!

Ahi Tuna Asian Salad

It's left overs for lunch.

Top a big plate of lettuce and veggies with left over Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna pieces. Drizzle generously with the Sweet Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce (from the Ahi recipe). Sprinkle with crispy wonton pieces and mandarin orange segments. Add a dollop of Wasabi Mayo to the centre (to dip your Tuna into) and voila. Left over lunch perfection!

Yum yum!

Poached Chicken Salad with Spicy Almond Dressing

I'm back from Vacation and in need of a diet detox. Twelve days of pure indulgence: brisket, baked beans, crab, steak, bacon & eggs, pancakes, butter, chips, candy, pop, alcohol, FRIED PICKLES! It was heaven. Unfortunately, a week and a half of heaven is reflected on my scale this morning. No fear! A few weeks of clean, healthy cooking and I should be back on track. Fingers crossed. :)

This recipe is adapted from "The Eat Clean Diet - Recharged". It's Fresh, wholesome, filling and tasty.

Serves 2 lunch sized salads. For entree size, use one whole chicken breast per person.

Chicken:
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 Thai chili pepper, cut in half and seeded
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1. Add stock, ginger and chili to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add chicken and let cook for about 10 minutes until inside is no longer pink.

2. Remove chicken from stock. Place on cutting board and shred chicken using two forks or cut into thin slices. Set aside.

Dressing:
2 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp honey
1 Thai chili pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 cup stock used to cook chicken

1. Add all ingredients to a blender. Pulse until well combined.

Salad:
Chicken
Dressing
1 x 3" section English cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1/2 medium carrot cut into matchsticks
2 green onion, sliced into 1" thick pieces
4 handfuls romaine lettuce, chopped
handful fresh cilantro
crushed peanuts or sliced almonds (optional)

1. Split romaine lettuce between two plates. Top each with half the cucumber, carrots and green onion.

2. Top each plate with half the shredded chicken. Drizzle with as much dressing as desired and sprinkle fresh cilantro and nuts over top of everything.



Cook extra chicken for left overs and use the left over chicken stock to make soup! Use the left over dressing over soba or vermicelli noodles, topped with veggies.

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Salad

This salad is very quick and easy to toss together. It only uses 4 main ingredients (plus seasonings) and is the perfect lunch or side dish on a warm spring or summer day.

2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, assorted colours
1/2 one small shallot, diced fine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh parsley or basil, chopped
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

1. Rinse tomatoes and cut in half vertically. Add to a serving bowl.

2. Add diced shallot, vinegar and olive oil. Gently toss everything to mix together.

3. Add herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If you are not planning on serving the salad immediately, do not add the salt until just before serving. Salt will draw the juices out of the tomatoes making the salad very watery.

Heirloom Tomato, Bocconcini & Basil Spinach Salad with Balsamic Reduction (Insalata Caprese)

I think this one takes the prize for longest title. Some fancier foodies/chefs/bloggers would call it Caprese Salad but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it as HTBBSS. It also takes the prize for quickest, tastiest and most gourmet lunch ever.

There is no recipe for this salad. I sliced some fresh heirloom tomatoes (pretty orange & yellow striped ones), tore up some fresh basil leaves, threw some spinach on the plate, topped it all with some baby bocconcini pieces, sprinkled it all with course salt and fresh cracked pepper and drizzled on a generous amount of reduced balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Delicious!

I've been making this salad for quite a while. It was inspired by a similar one I had at a local Irish Pub once. Normally I make my own balsamic reduction by simply simmering one cup of balsamic vinegar until it's been reduced by half. It's easy to do but it takes a while and smells up the kitchen.

Yesterday I went to the 18th Annual Vancouver Wellness Show and bought a bottle of Nonna Pia's Gourmet Classic Balsamic Reduction. It's produced and bottled in Whistler. It feels right to support a local, family run business. And it's a good product; a really, really good product. Saves time and no smelly kitchen!

Speaking of local eating, this month marks the opening of many community farmers markets. If you're in the Coquitlam area check here. Vancouver? Look here. Other cities across the province of BC? Check this one.

I will post more in depth about farmers markets and what it means to be "local", another day.

Chickpea Vegetable Salad

I had some left over veggies and dressing from my Greek Salad the other night so I put together a super quick salad. Perfect for lunch because Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) are high in protein to keep you kicking all day long. They are also loaded with fiber and I'm sure we can all use a little more fiber in our diets!

Chickpea Salad:

1 28oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/4 English cucmber, quartered and chopped
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
handful Italian parsley, chopped
Greek Salad Dressing (see below)

1. Toss everything into a bowl and mix well. Add some crumbled feta if you're feeling really sassy!

Greek Salad Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp Greek seasoning
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
dash balsamic vinegar
pinch salt & pepper to taste

1. Add everything to a Mason Jar or salad dressing cruet. Shake well to mix. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Shake again before using. Store in fridge for up to a week.

Sunomono Salad

Japanese Sunomono Salad is a cold dish of rice noodles, thinly sliced raw vegetables and seafood marinated in a vinegar based dressing. ("Su" means vinegar in Japanese.) The result is a light, refreshing dish, most often served as an appetizer. Sunomono is easy to prepare as it requires no cooking.

Serves 2

1 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp sake or mirin
dash soy sauce
dash sesame oil
1 tbsp agave syrup
1/2 cup warm water (use more water if you'd like to dilute the vinegar taste a bit more)

1/2 carrot, sliced very thin
1/2 cucumber, sliced very thin
2 thin slices of lemon, cut in half
handful of cooked baby shrimp (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per person)
1 cup softened rice vermicelli noodles (prepared according to package directions)

1. In a small bowl whisk together marinade ingredients and let stand while you slice the vegetables.

2. Place carrot and cucumber slices in the marinade and leave for 5-10 minutes then remove the veggies and set aside, reserving the marinade.

3. Use small soup bowls to assemble the Sunomono. Place 1/2 cup softened rice noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Pour some marinade in until it just reaches the top (approx 1/2 cup).

4. Arrange carrots, cucumber and shrimp on top of the noodle/vinegar. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve (no more than a couple hours).

Breakfast Egg Salad

Last night I hard boiled a big batch of eggs to leave in my fridge for quick meals. This morning I had some extra time and lots of veggies to use up so I put together a hard boiled egg salad. Salad for breakfast? Sure, why not!

2 hard boiled eggs, yolks removed, broken into pieces
1 hard boiled egg, with yolk, sliced
1 tomato, sliced and quartered
1 green onion, sliced
1/4 red onion, diced
fresh chopped parsley
fresh cracked pepper
fleur de sel or course sea salt
balsamic vinegar
flax seeds (optional)

1. Assemble salad by arranging broken egg white pieces, tomato slices, green onion and red onion on a plate.

2. Top with sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.

3. Arrange sliced egg in a fan over top of everything.

4. Finish with fresh cracked pepper, a sprinkle of fleur de sel and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

5. For an extra healthy kick, I sprinkled 1/2 tsp of flax seeds over top of everything. You may also notice the white creamy stuff on the right side of the plate. That is left over homemade Tzatziki sauce. I used 10 Cent's recipe and it turned out fabulous.

Soba Noodle Salad

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living.

The cast of characters:



Dressing:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp garlic chili sauce
1 tsp sucanat
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp grape seed oil

1. In a container with a tight fitting lid, add all ingredients and shake well to combine.

Salad:

12 oz soba noodles, cooked per package directions and cooled
1 mango, peeled and julienned
1 small red pepper, julienned
1/2 cup snap peas, sliced vertically
2 carrots, sliced then julienned
3 green peppers, sliced thin on a bias
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
prepared dressing (may not need all of it)

1. Place chilled soba noodles in a large serving bowl.

2. Add vegetables and herbs. Toss to combine.

3. Shake dressing again and drizzle 1/2 over top of salad and toss well. Add more dressing to suit your tastes.

Variations:

- Add some cooked, diced chicken or shrimp. Use this sauce to marinade the chicken or try the marinade from my Vietnamese Salad recipe.
- Add fresh, chopped cilantro.
- Kick it up a notch by adding finely sliced fresh Thai chilies.
- Serve the noodles warm and lightly stir fry the vegetables (peppers, carrots & peas) then toss.
- Use rice vermicelli noodles instead of Soba noodles.

Pomegranate Persimmon Apple Salad

It's persimmon and pomegranate season! What better way to make use of these two delicious fruits than to make a simple salad. I also threw in some sliced Grapple, but any old apple would do, or try pear instead of apple! The dressing recipe is courtesy of POM.

Pomegranate Persimmon Apple Salad:
Assorted mixed greens (I used 1 bag of mixed greens)
1/2 pomegranate, seeded (about 1 cup)
1 persimmon, quartered and sliced (peeled if you wish)
1 apple, diced
1/4 cup sliced, toasted almonds or pine nuts
1/4 cup blue, goat or feta cheese crumbles

1. Add salad greens, pomegranate seeds, persimmon and apple to a large serving bowl. Toss to mix. Sprinkle nuts and cheese on top. Serve with dressing.

POM Honey Dijon Dressing:
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 lemon, juice and zest
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup grape seed oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Add everything to a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake to mix well.

Vietnamese Salad

This recipe comes from an old, old, old issue of Canadian Living Magazine. The recipe is actually called Vietnamese Bun but I changed the name to avoid confusion. In Vietnamese, "bun" is pronounced "boon" and refers to a "fresh, light salad of grilled meat, herbs and rice vermicelli". It's very similar to the flavours of Thailand so it's one of my favourites!

Serves 2 entree salads or 4 appetizer salads

Marinade:

8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water or 8 metal skewers
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 green onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch section of fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
1 red Thai chili pepper, sliced
2 tbsp peanut oil
4 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sucanat
1 lemon grass stalk, peeled, trimmed and bruised with the back of a knife
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Add marinade ingredients to a shallow glass dish and mix. Set aside.

2. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut each piece in half lengthwise and place into the dish. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Thread chicken accordion style onto soaked bamboo skewers. Place on oiled grill over medium-high heat. Turn once. Cook for approximately 8 minutes until nice grill marks appear and chicken juices run clear.

Dressing:

2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 tsp gluten free soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch section fresh ginger, minced
4 tsp sucanat
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1/3 cup water

1. While chicken is marinating, whisk together sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Salad:

8 oz (250g) rice vermicelli noodles
1 5 inch length of cucumber
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh Thai basil, chopped
1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
1 carrot, julienned
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1. In a large bowl, cover vermicelli with boiling water and soak until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water, ensuring noodles are separated. Blot dry with paper towel. Divide among 4 serving bowls.

2. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips then cut those strips again into 1/8 inch strips.

3. On each bowl. sprinkle vermicelli with basil and mint.

4. In rows, neatly arrange lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, bean sprouts and carrots on top of each bowl.

5. Pull chicken off skewers, if desired, and place on top of each salad bowl. Sprinkle with peanuts and remaining basil and mint.

6. While eating, pour a little sauce at a time over the salad and toss to to combine.

Variations:

- To make it fun, place all the vegetables and garnish on a serving tray and allow each person to dress his/her own salad.
- Skip the salad and just make the chicken for a chicken satay appetizer.
- Use shrimp or beef instead of chicken.
- Add diced red chilies for more heat.

Zesty Brown Rice Vegetable Pilaf

While brown rice is not the first rice choice of most, it is the better choice. Brown rice is a whole grain. It is unrefined and has 3 times as much fiber per cup as white rice. It has been said that fiber leads to the feeling of fullness which leads to eating less which could lead to weight loss so maybe brown rice isn't so bad after all.

Makes about 3 cups (6 servings)

1 cup dry brown rice,cooked

1/2 cup green beans, trimmed, cut in half & blanched
1/4 cup snap peas, cut in half
2 green onions, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 red onion, diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and sliced into strips
handful flat leaf parsley, rough chopped
zest of 1 lemon
juice of half 1 lemon
pinch of salt

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Once cooked, set aside for a few minutes to cool.

2. While rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables and seasonings. Place chopped veggies into a serving bowl. Grate lemon zest and squeeze juice into the bowl.

3. When rice has cooled slightly, add to serving bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Fold the rice into the veggies and mix gently.

4. Serve immediately (should still be warm, but can be served cold too).

Variations:

- For a Spanish kick,instead of parsley use cilantro and instead of lemon, use a lime.
- Use bell peppers instead of snap peas and green beans.

Quinoa Vegetable Salad

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA) is an ancient grain (actually a seed) that is super nutritious. It's high in protein and iron, low in sodium and has high amounts of 7 major minerals (more than found in wheat, barley or corn). It also has 5g of fiber per half cup! And it's super easy to make and use. It cooks like rice and is just as versatile.

This recipe was adapted from Michael Smith's, the Chef at Home.

You will need:

-Quinoa (either packaged or bulk)
-assorted veggies (carrots, cucumber, onion, celery, radish, green pepper, red pepper
-fresh parsley
-1 can of mandarin orange segments, with juice reserved
-1 fresh lemon
-grape seed oil (or olive oil)
-raspberry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
-salt & pepper

1. Cook 1 cup of quinoa per package directions. Some guides say 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. The brand I use calls for 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/4 cup water. Either way, rinse your quinoa before cooking. I also cook mine in an automatic rice cooker and it comes out perfect every time. Once cooked, fluff with a fork, set aside and let cool.

2. Chop assorted vegetables of your choice into small pieces and throw into a salad serving bowl. I always use carrots, cucumber, tomato and red onion. For the batch in the photo I added radishes and celery.

3. Coarsely chop a bunch of parsley and add to the salad bowl.

4. Grate the zest of your fresh lemon directly into the salad bow, then cut the lemon and squeeze in the juice from both halves.

5. Add your salad dressing ingredients directly to the bowl and mix well. Generally the ratio of oil to vinegar is 3:1. Measure in tablespoons and make as much as you need. Add a splash of mandarin orange juice from the can. I find this salad takes a bit more salad dressing than more salads because the quinoa soaks it all up. Be generous!

6. Season with salt & pepper and toss all the veggies with dressing.

7. Add the quinoa to the salad bowl and mix well.

8. Add the mandarin oranges to the bowl and turn gently to incorporate, careful not to break the pieces.

9. Chill in refrigerator before serving.

Variations:

-Greek Quinoa Salad: Use cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes, black olives, feta and a basic balsamic vinaigrette.

Roasted Beet & Sweet Potato Salad

This salad is so delicious but it takes a bit of time to prepare, most of it inactive while you wait for the veggies to roast. An hour to prepare a lunch dish can be a little unreasonable. If you have the time, definitely do it. If not, I suggest making roasted veggies for dinner the night before then use the left overs to make the salad for lunch the next day.

Serves 2

1/2 large sweet potato (or 1 small), peeled and cut into chunks
2 small beets (or 1 large), trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks (use gloves to avoid red hands!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 avocado
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp goat's milk feta cheese
3 cups mixed greens (baby spinach, spring mix, arugula etc)

dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
pinch salt
pinch pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Arrange sweet potato chunks on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Arrange beet chunks on a separate baking tray and drizzle with the other 1 tbsp olive oil. Separate trays are necessary otherwise your lovely orange sweet potato will turn pink.

3. Roast veggies in the oven until tender, about 30 mins-40mins.

4. While veggies are cooking, roast pine nuts over medium heat in a dry skillet. Remove from skillet just as they start to turn golden brown. Do not leave unattended as they can burn quickly and you will need to start over!

5. In a glass container with a tight fitting lid, mix dressing ingredients and shake well.

6. Arrange the lettuce on two plates. Top with red onion slices.

7. When cooked, remove veggies from oven.

8. Peel, pit and slice the avocado. Arrange avocado pieces on top of lettuce (1/4 avocado on each plate).

9. Arrange roasted sweet potato and beet pieces on top of salad (1/2 on each plate).

10. Sprinkle pine nuts and goat's feta over top of each salad.

11. Finish each salad with a drizzle of dressing.

12. Serve immediately, while veggies are still warm.

13. Sit and savour. Smile at the gorgeous, healthy meal you have created.

Variations:

- Use walnuts instead of pine nuts
- sub butternut squash for the sweet potato
- try blue cheese instead of feta or...
- omit the goat's feta for a vegan dish

The possibilities are endless!