Kale & Quinoa Salad With A Lemon, Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Yayyy for Friday!  This has felt like the longest week in history, and I'm looking forward to a couple of nice, relaxing days at home with my husband this weekend.  :)

This salad is one that I found on Pinterest a while back, and tweaked the ingredients to suit our taste preference.  Adam & I love it so much that we make it about once a week, and since it keeps so well in the fridge, we'll snack on it all week long.

This is the perfect salad on it's own for a light lunch, or as a side dish to chicken or fish.  It's also a nice, healthy alternative to bring to a Summer BBQ or get together.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients

3 bunches of Dino Kale; washed, dried well, and trimmed into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cup cooked & cooled quinoa
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. sugar substitute
3 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp rough chopped pecans
3 tbsp dried cranberries
1 avocado, diced
Fresh ground salt & pepper

Directions

Prepare quinoa according to manufacturers directions.  Set aside & allow to cool.

Place chopped kale in a large bowl. Add lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and massage into the kale to really coat every piece.

Add in sugar substitute, and a heavy pinch of salt & pepper.  Toss to combine and allow to sit for a few minutes to absorb the flavors.

Next add in the cooled quinoa, red onion, pecans & cranberries and lightly toss.  

Finish by plating the salad, and topping with desired amount of diced avocado.

*This salad can be easily stored in the refrigerator for a few days*

original recipe can be found here.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you all have a beautiful weekend! xx

Herb Salad w/ Homemade Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

First of all, have you entered my Pottery Barn giveaway yet?  I'm giving away some Fall swag from Pottery Barn to help you get your harvest decor game on par.  You can enter by clicking {here}.

Ok, moving onto the salad.  How have I not shared this recipe with you guys yet?  This is my absolute favorite salad that I make, my version of a cobb salad and it's oh so tasty!  It's like out of this world good!  Soft butter lettuce, 3 different fresh herbs, avocados, feta cheese, pine nuts, grilled chicken, and a tangy vinaigrette.....it doesn't get much better than this!  

This is a little more time consuming to prep all the ingredients, but I promise it will be sooooo worth it! 

I serve mine as a main course {yields about 5 servings}, but you could always just halve the recipe to serve it as a side.

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup + 2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sherry vinegar 
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
1 tsp. sugar substitute
1 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper 

For the salad:
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
2 heads butter lettuce; washed, dried & torn into bite size pieces
3 large avocados
2 cups grape tomatoes; cut in half
1 1/2 cup italian parsley; rough chopped
3/4 cup mint leaves; rough chopped
1/2 cup sliced chives
1 heaping cup feta cheese
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts
salt & fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside.  You can store left over vinaigrette in the fridge for about 4 days.

Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.  In a mixing bowl, combine the mustard, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Grill until well marked and chicken is cook through.  Let cool and cut into strips.

Meanwhile, combine lettuce, parsley & mint in a large bowl.  Toss w/ about 4 to 5 tbsp of vinaigrette {just enough to lightly coat}.  Season with a little bit of salt + pepper and toss again.  

Peel, pit and cut avocados into medium sized chunks and toss them with 2 tbsp of the vinaigrette in a medium bowl.  Add pine nuts, feta, tomatoes & chicken to the bowl.  Season with a little salt + pepper and another 1 tbsp of the dressing and give a good tossing again.

Arrange a small hole in the center of the salad.  Mound the chicken mixture in the center of the salad.  Sprinkle on the chives and serve.

Use remaining dressing as needed to suit taste preferences or refrigerate to use later. 

I picked up the great wooden salad bowl + serving spoons {as seen in the background of my pics} from Pottery Barn last week.  It has a well worn in rustic look, and I knew that I'd get quite a bit of use out of it with the holidays coming up!  You can find it here and here.

Happy Happy Monday and I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!  I would love to hear feedback :) xx

Healthy Cucumber Salad

With my wedding less than 3 months away (79 days to be precise, NOT that I'm counting...) I'm trying to really step up my workouts, and eat much cleaner than I normally do.  We hired an amazing wedding photographer who is considered one of the top 10 best in the world, and as much as I expect him to make me look like Adriana Lima, I've slowly accepted that I'm going to have to take my usual routine up a few notches.  I actually started using Isagenix products recently and I'll do a whole post on that soon.  I'm not the type of person who can survive off of kale and water when I'm dieting, so when I saw a recipe on Pinterest for healthy cucumber salad I had to try it!  Original recipe can be found by clicking here.  I modified it by making a homemade vinegarette dressing, and it turned out AMAZING!!  Here is my recipe, hope you enjoy it as much as Adam & I did!

Ingredients For Salad

2  organic cucumbers
1 pint organic cherry or grape tomatoes (about 30)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh organic basil
1 cup fresh mozzarella (I like to use the little balls)
1 organic avocado

Ingredients For Vinegarette

 

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp italian seasonings

1 tsp dijon mustard

fresh ground salt & pepper to taste

Directions

 

1. Wash the cucumbers and dry them off. Cut into 1/4-inch slices, then cut those in quarters so you're left with triangular-shaped cucumber pieces.
2. Wash and dry the tomatoes; cut them in half.
3. Dice the avocado.
4. Cut the mozzarella balls in half.
5. Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, basil, and mozzarella in a bowl; gently toss and set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together all ingredients for vinegarette.  (You will have extra left over for future salads)
7. Drizzle about a quarter of the vinegarette onto the salad and mix thoroughly.
8. Add more dressing if needed to suit your taste.  Finish with fresh ground salt & pepper.

 

Let me know if you end of making this and what your feedback is!

xo,

Andy