Simply, Super, Summer Salads!
“Salad Season” is definitely here again! 😉
Thought this would be a good time to share this recipe post again from the Veggies…archives, featuring 4 of my all-time fav salads.
What is your favorite salad?
Happy Cooking and Weekend! G
For me when it comes to food, nothing says SUMMER like a beautiful, fresh SALAD! 🙂
Here are some of my fav salads from the Veggie archives.
Hope you enjoy one or all of them soon.
Spinach and Mushroom Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
(this post includes some handy tips for salad do’s and don’ts)
(a winner in one of my recipe contests! so delish)
(if you like fresh dill, try this one for sure)Â
Kasha and Beet Salad with Celery and Feta
(from a recent post, in case you missed it. I ♥ this salad!)
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What is your favorite summer salad/food/recipe?
If you can, do share a link.
Happy Summer, it’s almost here! 🙂
Raw Kale & Radish Pesto with Zucchini Noodles
Are you a fan of KALE?
Can’t say that I have been to date, 😉 in spite of liking almost every other kind of veggie there is!
But this post over at Girl Eats Greens grabbed my attention today, as I browsed the WP Reader.
Looks so yummy and healthy too. 🙂
Happy Eating and Week! G
One of my favorite things about spring turning into summer is all the deliciousness that continues to show up at my local farmer’s market. While I don’t buy all my groceries there, I do spend time every Sunday walking along with my pup and seeing what’s new to the market. What I’ve seen a lot lately? Fiddleheads. I have no idea what to do with them. But I’m dying to try them. I also stumbled upon a bunch of bright red radishes.
Growing up, I was never a fan of radishes, I thought they were too bitter. But as I’m getting older I think a lot of it had to do with the preparation of the radishes. As in, there wasn’t any. I was handed a whole radish to pop into dill dip. Radishes can have a pretty strong flavor – but if you break them down, thinly slice or…
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If You Love Black Olives…
….like I do, you will ♥ this easy tapenade recipe. 🙂
Black Olive Tapenade
1 1/2 C. black olives (I use Kalamata)
1/4-1/2 C. chopped fresh basil (to taste)
1-2 T. fresh rosemary  (to taste)
1-2 cloves garlic  (to taste)
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Blend in a food processor to a chunky consistency. Allow to cool in the fridge at least an hour to blend flavors. Keeps well in a sealed container or jar, in the fridge for about a week.Â
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Although I’ve been making an ongoing effort in the past few years to REALLY cut back on sodium in all kinds of foods, olives are still something I splurge on occasionally, in this regard.
I do wish they used less salt when curing them though. I have yet to taste any olives that weren’t extremely salty. And as I’ve cut down on salt, everything tastes saltier too.Â
But when it comes to this tapenade, a little goes a long way.
I like to spread it on crackers, wraps or in a sandwich. Yummmm! 🙂
Happy Snacking!Â
Recipe: Summer’s Bounty Veg and Herb Soup
A summer recipe classic!
If your garden is overflowing with fresh herbs and veggies right now, give this soup a try.
A unique and delish combination of flavours!
Hope you enjoy the encore. : < )
Yes, I know it’s not quite ‘soup time’ yet!
I must admit, I am a self-proclaimed soup-lover (big time) and unless it’s 100 degrees outside, I still like to make a batch. Enjoying it slowly simmering to perfection, the aroma wafting through the house. Then the best part, savoring all those flavors combined to enjoy in one big bowl of yummmmm….   🙂
I’m working on a soup promotion with one of my favorite health/recipe organizations online, for  their upcoming fall features (will keep you posted!). At the same time, I’ve been creating and ‘tweaking’ some new recipes and this soup was one I put together last week.
The results were: hearty, satisfying, very colorful and delicious. Summertime truly is a great time for making veggie soups and I took full advantage of as many fresh garden (wish it was ours!) vegetables and herbs as I could, to add to the pot. Hope…
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Simply, Super Summer Salads!
For me when it comes to food, nothing says SUMMER like a beautiful, fresh SALAD! 🙂
Here are some of my fav salads from the Veggie archives.
Hope you enjoy one or all of them soon.
Spinach and Mushroom Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
(this post includes some handy tips for salad do’s and don’ts)
(a winner in one of my recipe contests! so delish)
(if you like fresh dill, try this one for sure)Â
Kasha and Beet Salad with Celery and Feta
(from a recent post, in case you missed it. I ♥ this salad!)
—
What is your favorite summer salad/food/recipe?
If you can, do share a link.
Happy Summer, it’s almost here! 🙂
Kasha and Beet Salad with Celery and Feta
How’s this for a yummy looking salad? 🙂
After recently reading the much-talked about Wheat Belly diet book; I’ve been experimenting with cutting down on wheat in my diet.
Although I am not gluten-intolerant, there appears to be a lot of health benefits for cutting back on wheat and also all refined forms of carbohydrates. I’ve effortlessly lost 5 pounds since I started my wheat-reduction experiment, about a month ago.
But it is a transition, especially when some of my fav foods include bread, pasta, muffins… So when I found out about The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook by one of my favorite cookbook authors: Judith Finlayson I was very happy!
Judith has done a great job (again) with her latest cookbook.
Not only does this beautiful cookbook provide 125 gluten-free whole grain recipes with everything from soups to desserts (and with full color photos throughout) it is also an excellent resource for anyone who is following or considering a gluten-free diet . Or like me, just attempting to cut down on foods containing wheat and gluten.
There is a detailed and very helpful section at the beginning of the book, that features listings for many popular gluten-free grains such as: quinoa, wild rice, amaranth, kasha….and many more. Including tips for cooking and storing the various grains and nutritional information.
Judith Finlayson focuses on healthier choices to wheat in our diet, not just substituting other (less than desirable) starches as is the case with too many other gluten-free cookbooks that I’ve looked at. These are healthy and delicious recipes that make transitioning from wheat and other foods containing gluten, easy and fun.
I’ve made a few recipes from this cookbook already and this salad is my fav to date.
Just yummy and so colorful too.
I’m a big fan of beets. They are a veggie that IMO don’t get enough credit/use when it comes to adding them to a variety of recipes, especially salads. You will love this salad, especially if you love beets!
Would make a great addition to a picnic, potluck or BBQ menu! 🙂
See the complete recipe on page 2.
It’s Almost Ice Cream Time Again!
Tasted a delish commercial coconut milk ice cream this past week (I’ll be reviewing that product soon) but it also got me thinking about making my own coconut milk ice cream, at home.
Here’s the review of the Hamilton Beach ice cream maker that I use, works great!
Found this excellent list of coconut milk based ice cream recipes over at the Mother Nature Network. These all sound so yummy! 😉
Have you tried coconut milk ice cream?
If you haven’t yet, you’re in for a treat. Every bit as rich and delicious as dairy types.
Bring on summer and ice cream, all kinds! 🙂
What’s a Burger Without a Great Bun??
With BBQ season just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about burgers, hot dogs, buns…and healthier alternatives for all of them.
Today at my product review blog, I’m posting a review of Sol Cuisine Mushroom Rice Burgers.
This was a product I liked  until I received an email from their company yesterday, with some “details” about their production process that I am NOT impressed or happy with.
Stop by My Real Life Reviews to read the full review. Suffice to say, sometimes even reading labels and checking information online is NOT enough. 😦 This company has lost a long-time customer, that’s for sure.
On a more positive note, it’s definitely doable to make a lot of the “basics” like veggie and (yes…) meat burgers and buns to go with them, from scratch.
These are my all-time fav burger buns:
Bread-Machine Rosemary Flax Buns
and not just because they are my own recipe. 😉
If you’ve never made your own burger and hot dog buns, this is definitely an easy way to get started. And if you aren’t a fan of rosemary, you can definitely leave it out.
A burger is JUST a burger, without a great bun to go with it!
I’m amazed at how many people who seem to be so particular about the burgers they buy or make , spend lots of $$$ on all sorts of toppings, but don’t pay any attention to the quality of buns they use; usually ending up with the cheapo, white-bread, soggy kind that are absolutely tasteless!
It’s not right and it’s not necessary. 😉
Here’s the link to the complete recipe for these delicious and oh so easy to make buns
If you give these buns a try, do let me know how you like them!
And on the topic of all things burger, what is your fav, absolutely MUST have topping ?
Mine is: dill pickles, sliced very thin and lots of them. Yummm….
Happy Baking and BBQ! 🙂
PS: On a completely unrelated topic, I am testing the waters with another blog idea (just what I need, another blog) 😉
This would be a weekly creative prompt blog.
Stop by: Woven Dreams Prompts if you’d like to know more. 🙂
It’s Potato Salad Time Again!
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Potato salad.
Don’t ya just love it? 😉
It’s such a summer/picnic/BBQ favorite.
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I love all kinds of potato salad. Particularly recipes with lots of fresh dill included.
I recently tried this amazing Dilly Potato Salad (pictured above) from the cookbook:
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sensational Salads by Leslie Bilberback.
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Chef Bilberback has kindly allowed me to share the recipe for this yummy salad with you.
And just in time for July 1st and July 4th holidays, coming up in the next few days.
See the complete recipe on page two.
And if you are looking for lots of great salad recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, this is definitely a cookbook you might want to add to your collection. I’m looking foward to trying a lot more in the near future. I ♥ (all kinds) of  salads.
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Happy July 1st and July 4th. 🙂
VEGGIES, YARNS & TAILS 