my new fav salad

This is totally cleanse-worthy & delish. Mix a large or small handful [depending on your preferences] of each of the following in a ziploc bag: chopped white onion, tomato, black olives, spinach, chickpeas, grilled chicken & feta. Quick douse in olive oil + balsamic vinegar. Shake on a little salt. Grind in a little pepper. Shake it up & enjoy.

taste this tuesday: chunky avocado salsa

A'top organic tortilla chips or wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla, this would be delish. Here. Just Cook Already.

spicy vegetarian chili

This looks so delicious. I've been wanting to try this for months. Get the recipe here. Simply Recipes.

grill your veggies

Grilling is fast and easy. Get the recipe from Giada here.

image: food network

simple spinach salad

super easy & very tasty. Toss some baby spinach with your choice of the following combinations.

• Cranberries, apples, feta cheese, &  a sweet or balsamic vinaigrette. [My fave from Yummy.com]
• Pears, cashews, asiago cheese, & a honey balsamic vinaigrette.
• Cranberries, sugared or plain walnuts, red onions, gorgonzola cheese & a raspberry vinaigrette. 
• Strawberries, avocado, turkey bacon, blue cheese, pecans & a honey dijon vinaigrette. [Pictured. closet cooking]

stir-fry veggies

If made with olive oil, stir-fry is great and heart healthy. It can be as simple as pouring a bag of pre-cut, frozen veggies + olive oil in a wok or large frying pan. Cook on high heat & stir until veggies become tender. Then pour in a little stir-fry sauce. yum. Pair with brown rice. Or make it from scratch. Go here for the recipe.

image: McCormick

steamed broccoli

Veggie week. Day 2. It doesn't get any simpler than steamed broccoli. Go here for ideas to spice it up. Simply Recipes.


image: simply recipes

broiled asparagus

This week is all about the simplest ways to do vegetables. The simplest and most tasty way I've found to make asparagus [and the only way my hubs will eat it] is to broil it. The best part is it's easy to make slight variations to have a whole new dish. From The Quick Recipe.

2 lbs thin asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

salt & ground black pepper

1] Adjust the oven rack to the uppermost position and heat broiler. Toss the asparagus with oil then salt and pepper to taste on a heavy rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the spears in a single layer on baking sheet.

2] Broil the asparagus 4-5 minutes, shake the pan to turn the spears, and broil another 4-5 minutes until they are tender and lightly browned. Transfer the asparagus to a serving platter to serve hot or warm.

My favorite variations:

Italian herbs [season with 1 T rosemary and thyme each before broiling]

Lime & Mint [squeeze 1 1/2 T lime juice and sprinkle 1 t chopped mint over finished broiled asparagus]

Turkey Bacon, Red Onion, and Balsamic Vinaigrette [wisk together 2T minced onion and balsamic vinaigrette, drizzle over finished broiled asparagus, sprinkle cooked turkey bacon on top to taste]