I’ve been emboldened by my successes with raw kale salads. I know that if I massage the kale with the olive oil and the acid (lemon, vinegar), the kale will get tender and melty. The flavors have been incredible. So when I got a big, beautiful bunch of Swiss chard in my CSA box last week, I thought, “why not?” and onto Google I went. Up popped the inspiration for this salad, which D and I enjoyed on Saturday night. The perfect foil to the birthday celebration food we enjoyed on Friday for L’s big family birthday celebration.

This served the two of us as a meal salad, although D did have about 3 ounces of turkey tips with it. I found it filling enough to eat on its own – plenty of protein from all those greens, the hemp seed and the walnuts. Lots of rich and satisfying flavor from the avocados (loving the 5/$5 avocados at Whole Foods this past week!). Definitely one I’ll make again.

Avocado Massaged Swiss Chard Salad (adapted from the Good Food Collective)

Greens:

1 bunch of Swiss Chard, stems removed
Other salad greens as desired (I used red leaf lettuce from the farm share)

Dressing:

1 avocado, divided (mash one half for dressing, other half set aside for salad topping)
1 1/2 T EVOO
1 1/2 T balsamic vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad Toppings:

2 carrots, shredded
1 large tomato, diced
1/8 c. hemp seeds
1/2 c. walnuts, very roughly chopped
Reserved half of avocado, diced

Tear chard and other salad greens, rinse well and spin dry.  In a large bowl, mix mashed avocado, oil, vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Add salad greens and stir, completely coating greens with dressing mixture.  Use your hands!

Add and stir in all desired salad toppings, excluding any of these you don’t like, adding what you do. Hemp seeds are a great source of vegetable protein, but hard cooked eggs or cooked chicken/turkey would be good too.

Allow salad to “marinate” in dressing mixture for 10 minutes before serving.  The avocado and olive oil soften the greens up nicely, making it very easy and enjoyable to eat the chard raw in a salad. This would work great with kale, too.

Serves 2 – 4, depending on if salad is used a meal or as a side.

© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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It’s summer. It can get HOT. You might be cranky. You definitely don’t want to turn on your oven, or even stand over your stovetop. But you want fresh food that’s good for you, right? Here’s a recipe that solves all the problems. It’s vegetarian, but has a lot of protein for those hung up on that stuff (I admit, I am). You could even veganize it if you wanted to (take out the cheese – the horror!). This is a 30 minute deal that’ll leave you cool, calm, collected & satisfied.

Feta, Lentil & Cilantro Salad

Cook the lentils according to package directions until tender, but still a bit firm to the bite, about 20 minutes.

Drain the lentils, place them in a large bowl, and dress with the olive oil, lemon juice and the garlic. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 2 generously as a main dish, 4 as a side dish. Can easily be doubled.

© 2012 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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What? How could I not know this? March 26, 2012 is National Spinach Day?? Did you know that my Baby Spinach Salad, 7 Ways is one of the most popular posts of all-time here on Semi-Sweet? Check out scads of other delish spinach recipes right here, right now! Let’s party down, Sweeties.

Spinach is a superfood that’s ridiculously easy to incorporate into your repertoire – whether you like it cooked, raw or both. Baby or mature, it comes pre-washed and pre-bagged for EZ daily use. I “eat” about 4 cups of organic baby spinach every a.m. in my green smoothie . . . what’re your favorite ways to enjoy this lovely leafy?

Never miss a Morsel! Subscribe to Semi-Sweet by email.

© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Ahhh. Today, my friends, is my 6 month surgerversary! Yes, 6 months ago I was amputated and rebuilt and although it seemed like it took for-evah, I am back to what feels like normal. Maybe in another 6 months I’ll tell you I have more energy and can rebound more quickly, but I know I’m driving myself HARD right now, and I’m holding my own with the best of ‘em. Big gold star for me (and my amazing healthcare team)!

I’ve also closed out week 3 of my intense exercise and dieting plan and I am feeling so, so good. It hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I’ve pushed through the trouble spots and am being rewarded – I am stronger, leaner and I have more energy than I have in months. I can wear my skinnier skinny jeans again. I can now do sissy push-ups with the best of ‘em – moving forward into “big boy” push-ups now. Remember, my goal is to do at least 10 big-boys in a row by the end of this year – so long as I don’t stop, I’ll meet that goal WELL before December. Best yet, I’ve been allowed back into Pilates classes for “normal” people – my strength is back all over my body, and I’m now stronger than ever in my upper body, despite those parts being removed and replaced 6 months ago. I feel, in a word, vital.

It’s a helluva lot of work though. I won’t lie. And there are days (afternoons, mostly) when I say to myself, “This sucks. It’s boring, it’s hard and it’s just not that much fun.” I want it to end. Many days it feels like it’s going too slowly, but I haven’t met my goal yet. 9 more weeks to go. Weight loss done the right way is necessarily slow – 1-2 lbs. a week are all you should lose if you want it to stick later, people. To combat these feelings, I need to spice it up – and you can’t take the foodie out of the girl – so I’m entertaining myself by trying to cook up delicious, but dietetic food. Four words that do NOT always go together. And honestly, this is not as yummy as biting into a cheesy gooey pizza. But it’s got vibrant flavor, is interesting texturally and it’s got lots of protein and fiber to fill you up. There is no substitute for a burger and fries, but maybe this’ll keep you interested enough to go another few days on the healthy eating plan? I hope so. You will feel light and clean and satisfied after eating this, and really, what more can you ask for when you’re dieting?

Peanut Chicken Salad (inspired by The Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook)

Dressing

Salad

If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, quickly poach your chicken breast by placing it in a saucepan with water to cover. Heat until boiling, sprinkle a little salt in the pan, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, let stand for 5 minutes, and then cut into bite-sized pieces. This is a great technique to have in your back pocket when you want to cook chicken with NO extra fat or calories.

Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions (this usually involves pouring boiling water over them, letting them sit for a few minutes, then draining them and rinsing them with cold water and draining again – very very easy).

Combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, lime juice, ginger, garlic and lime zest in a small bowl or jar and stir or shake vigorously until smooth.

Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl along with the rice noodles and toss well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss again. Eat up!

Serves 2, but this could easily be doubled.

© 2012 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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This spring and summer, I have the pleasure of being part of the Picadilly Farm CSA.  Each week, I get to pick up a box of goodies, grown organically in New Hampshire.  This past Wednesday was my first pickup, and the box was packed with salad greens, radishes, hakurei turnips, cilantro, bok choy, pea tendrils and some lovely red Russian kale. 

I started getting creative from day one – I love the challenge of being presented with ingredients and having to dream up recipes.  I had a rotisserie chicken in the fridge and so we had whole wheat rollups with lettuce, cilantro, chicken, grated sharp cheddar and enchilada sauce.  The next night was steamed tofu with bok choy and pea tendrils over rice, with a sauce made from low-sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, tabasco and chopped cilantro.  It was tasty, and it was pretty:

Saturday night, I sauteed the kale and added spicy Italian chicken sausages, tomatoes and garlic and served that over whole wheat penne with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  Delicious comfort food – and the kale was tender and sweet.

And last night, it was giant salads.  Red leaf lettuce topped with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes and salad turnips.  I added some buffalo chicken meatballs from Trader Joe’s (pretty good and heat ‘n’ eat to boot!) and this delicious ranch dressing, inspired by a recipe in Eating Well magazine:

Combine all those in a jar and shake it up – preferably a little bit before dinner so that the flavors have some time to mesh . . . it’s creamy, tangy and a great compliment to the spicy meatballs and crisp lettuce.  Here’s what the final creation looked like:

 So hearty, and healthy . . . and once you start making your own ranch dressing, you’ll never long to go lookin’ for that hidden valley again!

Eating veggies this fresh spoils a girl . . . even for premium produce the likes of Whole Foods’.  There is just no substitute.  I’ll keep filling you in on what I’m doing, and for even more inspiration, check out this great blog, A Bushel of What? 

Do you belong to a CSA?  What’re you whipping up from your spring share?

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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I love salads, but for me, salads need heft if I’m going to have one as a meal.  This one’s got it goin’ on:  A great mix of greens and protein, with sweetness from the mango, savory flavor from the chicken, a wonderful peppery bite thanks to the arugula . . . . all wrapped up with an easy, super-flavorful dressing and the surprising crunch and flavor of cumin seeds.  If you’d like a bit of starch with this, serve warm naan (which you can even get at Costco, now – wow!) on the side.

Arugula Salad With Chicken & Mango (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Whisk the oil, chutney, lemon juice and curry powder in a bowl to blend.  Add the water to thin it out – if you need more water, that’s fine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Put the arugula in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 of the dressing.

Divide the arugula between plates and scatter the chicken and mango over each.  Drizzle with remaining mango dressing (to taste, you may have extra).  Top each serving with a dollop of the yogurt and sprinkle with the cumin seeds. 

Serves 2 – can easily be scaled up.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Hey friends, remember me?  Despite what you might think, I haven’t forgotten about the blog . . . truth be told, I’m actually beginning to miss blogging.  I miss interacting with people about food.  Lately I’ve been interacting with people about floor refinishing, wall-painting, hauling our crap from one house to another, end-of-year teacher gifts, etc.  etc. etc.  All good, but as you know, food’s my real passion.  

Despite the hubbub, I haven’t quit cooking entirely – in fact, this past week was a breakthrough in that I tried some new things again.  D.’s been home more and I’ve had a little more mental and logistical space to be creative in the kitchen.  Today’s recipe is an easy, healthy dinner salad that could easily be made with chicken if you have tofu-haters in the house.  Fear not the mayo . . . D. (who despises the stuff) had no idea there was mayo in the dressing – it’s creamy, zesty and flavorful and not at all mayonnaisey-tasting (‘course, if he takes time to read this, I’m hosed).  And only 30 minutes from counter to table, without much kitchen heat-up in the process?  Great summer dinner, baby!

Teriyaki Tofu Salad (adapted from the Nutrition Action Healthletter)

Slice the tofu in half lengthwise, then cut each slab into 8 triangles.  Place on a plate between sheets of paper towels and place another few plates on top to remove some of the water.  Let sit at least 10 minutes, up to 30 if you’ve got the time.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the tofu and fry until golden, turning once.  Add 3 T. of the teriyaki sauce between the tofu triangles (not on top).  Simmer until sauce is thickened, 1-2 minutes.  Add the rice and scallions.  Gently stir to mix and remove from heat.

To make the dressing , mix together the mayonnaise, ginger, lemon juice, 1 T. of teriyaki sauce and the pepper.

Arrange the salad greens on 4 plates.  Top with the edamame and carrot and the tofu mixture from the skillet.  Drizzle the dressing on top.

Serves 4.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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 So I mentioned that I wanted to make more salads, with really good dressings, right?  Well, in my usual type-A way, I’m going nuts trying all sorts of different vinaigrettes. Today, I’m sharing two of my latest favorites.  I gotta tell you – I’m struck by just how good a salad can be if you use homemade dressing.  Like restaurant good, in your own lil’ kitchen.  It’s really, really worth the effort.

The first recipe is for a delicious, creamy feta vinaigrette from an old issue of Food & Wine.  I used this on giant Greek dinner salads – I chopped up a bunch of romaine lettuce, diced up bell pepper, cubed cukes (for me, remember D. is a cuke-phobe), sliced up cherry tomatoes and grilled chicken cutlets (sprinkled with S&P and oregano) to put on top.  It was delicious.   Here’s what you do:

Feta Vinaigrette (adapted from Food & Wine magazine)

Put the cheese, lemon juice, water, oregano and olive oil into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.   Makes ¾ cup.

Now this next one – this is the dressing I’ve been nomming all week since I made it.  I am literally craving salad.  Craving a salad?  Yes – it is that good . . . it’s crazy-good – I mean, look at that picture up top – that’s my salad, folks.  Baby spinach leaves topped with sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and baby beets – then dressed with sliced almonds and this most luscious sweet vinaigrette.  How can you not love a bowl of healthy goodness like that?  Health in a bowl, I tell you! Here’s what you do:

Honey Vinaigrette (adapted from Delicious Dishings)

Combine the oils in a measuring cup. Place the vinegar and honey into a blender or food processor. Start the machine and add the oils while the machine is running.  This dressing can be stored in the fridge for a month.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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I have a little kitchen crisis every year when the weather turns nice.  I want to maximize time outside goofing off and I don’t feel inspired to cook.  Or at least I don’t want to cook complicated, heavy food.  I develop a yen for convenience food (hello, Trader Joe’s?) and a devil-may-care attitude that leads me to consider feeding my kid dinner from the ice cream truck.  But I know I need to get it together, because I feel crappy when I eat out too often, and frankly, I even find take-out to be boring after too many nights.  So as I resolved to eat more soup this winter (and sure ‘nuf, I’m souped out), I resolve to find more quick-but-delicious items for this spring and summer. 

This salad’s a start.  This is a salad that’ll make you psyched to eat salad.  It’s got a unique collection of ingredients and a tangy yogurt dressing.  It’ll all go together in 40 minutes or fewer, and it won’t mess up your kitchen too much.  I’d put this in the springtime category, though, because you need to use your oven . . . and who wants to do that when the weather gets hot?

 Baby Greens Salad With Roasted Sweet Potatoes (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Preheat the oven to 450.  Toss together the potatoes, onion and oil and spread on a large rimmed baking sheet that’s been covered in foil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the beans and the walnuts to the potato mixture and toss to incorporate.  Roast about 5 more minutes, or until the beans are tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, vinegar and garlic.  Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste. 

Top the lettuce with the roasted veggies and drizzle with the dressing.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Do you have some protein lovers who might feel snubbed by this as a main course?  It’d pair nicely with some pre-cooked chicken sausages – choose a mild flavor – apple, cherry and apple, etc.  Or if you’re veggie, you could bake some tofu steaks alongside your potatoes and serve those alongside.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Last night’s recipe was a winner.  Less of a salad and more of a happy mix-up, the tangy mango chutney dressing and pinch of cayenne turn every-night chicken and potatoes into something a lot more memorable.  This’ll take you about 45 minutes from counter to table if you roast your potatoes, but if you need to shorten it up, see my directions for steaming the potatoes following the recipe.  Two thumbs up from D. on this one!

Roasted Potato Salad With Chicken & Chutney (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Scrub the potatoes and quarter them.  Combine the potatoes and 2 T. of the oil in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Roast, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, rub the chicken with 1 T. of the oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and curry powder to taste.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes each side.  Remove from heat, let rest 5 minutes.  Cut into bite-sized chunks.

Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Measure the chutney, cutting up any large pieces (kitchen shears work well for this).  In a small bowl combine the chutney, 1 T. olive oil, the cayenne pepper, lemon juice and 1 t. curry powder. 

Place the spinach in a large bowl.  Add the hot potatoes and chicken to the spinach and toss gently to wilt the spinach.  Stir in the chutney dressing (you may not want to use all of it – use some and add more to taste).  Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Serves 4.

If you wanted to short-cut the potatoes, I think this would be just as good if you quartered the potatoes and steamed them for 20 minutes or so over hot water.  For richer flavor, you could toss them with a little olive oil after steaming, and definitely don’t skip the salt and pepper.

By the way, are you buying conventional (i.e., non-organic) potatoes?  You might want to spring for organic.  A potato get its nutrients through its skin, so it’s like a little sponge for any toxic chemicals that come down the food and water pipeline – and there are lots.  Taters are treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.  That’s a lot of crud for you and yours to ingest . . . and since organic potatoes are only slightly more expensive than conventional, why take the risk?

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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