Rainbow Salad

I made up this recipe for a Whole Health picnic at our church and when I posted the picture on Instagram and Facebook, 

I got a lot of messages for the recipe. But as many of you know, I don't measure, I just "eyeball it" as some cooks say, so I will do my best to walk you through the recipe for this dish. 

Rainbow Salad

1-15 ounce can of black beans

2 ears of corn

1 tbsp of butter

2-3 mini peppers (orange)

1 large mango

1 avocado

1/4 of a red onion

2 c. grape tomatoes

Dressing

Large handful of cilantro

1 large lemon

1 lime

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

The first two things that need to be done are the beans and the corn. 

Take out a saucepan, drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the saucepan (you can add salt if you like) 

and cover with water, cook on a low setting for 10-15 minutes. 

While the beans are cooking, you will get your ears of corn ready as well. 

Line a pan with aluminum foil, place the corn in the pan. Melt the butter and brush it on the corn. 

Place your corn in the oven on broil for about 5-10 minutes or until it is browned. 

Check it often or you will end up with burnt corn. 

You can chop the following ingredients while you are waiting for the others to cook: 

peppers, mango, avocado, and red onion. 

Set aside in a large bowl. 

The grape tomatoes need to be halved not chopped, then add to the mix. 

After your beans and corn are done and have sufficiently cooled, cut the corn off the cob,
drain the beans and add to the mix in the bowl.

Then, the dressing was basically done like this:

Chop a huge handful of cilantro and add it to the bowl. 

(Save a little to sprinkle over the top when you are done)

Zest the lime and lemon over the bowl, then slice them in half and add the juices to the mix.

Drizzle olive oil over the top, do 5-6 turns of a pepper mill and add a teaspoon of salt to the mix.

Fold the mixture to coat everything and you are ready to serve. 

Enjoy!!

Roasted Broccoli and Apples

This is my new favorite side dish! Easy to make, not too many calories and so delicious...what's not to love?

:: Ingredients ::

10 oz. Broccoli florets

1 large red delicious apple

2 tbsp French Fried onions

Pam butter spray

:: Directions ::

Cut your broccoli and apples into bite size pieces and spread them evenly onto baking sheet lined with tinfoil. Sprinkle French Fried onions on top, then spray evenly with Pam butter spray. Bake at 375 degrees in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings, 244 calories total --122 per person

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup - Skinny Style!

:: Ingredients ::

4 cups water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup fresh basil {garnish}

1 tsp fresh diced garlic
½ bay leaf

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
½ cup flour
½ cup butter

 2 cups skim milk

1 cup Parmesan or Asiago shredded cheese

 Makes about 2 quarts (about 8 servings)

Approx. 234 calories per serving

:: Directions :: 

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan or the microwave. 

Add to the slow cooker with the two bouillon cubes. 

Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, italian spice and bay leaf.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. 

Approximately 6 hours in blend the ingredients together with a hand mixer until smooth.
About 30 minutes before serving, prepare a roux. 

Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. 

Stir constantly with a whisk for 2-3 minutes. 

Slowly add the milk, stirring as you do so. 

When thoroughly blended and smooth add to the slow cooker slowly, stirring as you do so.  
Stir in the Parmesan cheese. 
Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Recipe origin: http://utah.todaysmama.com/

I just added a few things and skinny-fied it to fit into my diet plan. 

Quinoa Side Salad

Ingredients: 

 Salad: 

1 cup of prepared Quinoa 

2 cups chopped raw broccoli 

2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced 

1/2 cup of toasted cashews

 Dressing: 

2 tbsp chopped cilantro 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 tbsp sesame oil 

1 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tsp prepared wasabi 

1 tsp lemon zest 

2 tbsp olive oil mayonaise (optional)

Prepare 1 cup of Quinoa as directed on your package.

Above are the ingredients for the marinade to dress the veggies below. (see Ingredients: Dressing for specific measurements)

 Raw broccoli chopped and cherry tomatoes sliced into halves.

Cashews toasted, then chopped.

This is how the Quinoa looks after it's cooked, add a drizzle of sesame oil, mix gently and set it aside to cool.

When the Quinoa has cooled fold all the above ingredients together and sprinkle your toasted cashews on top. Serve with your favorite main dish and enjoy! ♥

Barley & Broccoli Salad

Who knew barley could be so delicious? Not me. I'm trying to eat healthier, so I've been looking into some different options. Here's one of the recipes I came up with and even the hubby liked it! WOW.

Ingredients:

1 cup prepared barley, cooled

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped dried cherries

1 cup light ranch dressing

2 tbsp of chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped cashews, toasted

Directions:

Start your barley cooking, regular medium barley has a cook time of 45-50 minutes.  

 

  

Chop your broccoli, dried cherries and onions and mix with ranch dressing to start to the dried cherries softening. 

Toast your cashews and chop.

When the barley is done cooking, drizzle it with olive oil. Let it cool and then fold it in with the toasted cashews and other ingredients. Serve as a side dish or as your main meal, either way it will be delicious!

Enjoy! ♥