With the right ingredients, a salad can be a hearty, delicious, and wholesome meal. Good proteins, healthy fats, and different textures help. So does a homemade dressing. The simple mixture of salsa and ranch dressing lends great flavor and a little kick to this dish. While you could substitute your favorite store-bought dressing, I really…
A simple protein will turn this wholesome, flavorful, plant-based salad into a complete meal. Easy to make ahead and perfect for meal prep! Years ago, my vegetarian sister introduced me to quinoa. She first explained that, contrary to what it seems, this grain is pronounced “KEEN-wah.” She further mentioned that quinoa is popular with vegetarians…
A good dinner salad hits the spot any time of year. In the cooler months, however, the lighter dressings I enjoy during the summer months don’t always satisfy. I created this Lemon Tahini Dressing to stand up to hearty root vegetables and winter squashes. In the process, I realized that it is a great option to…
This picture is of the veggies on the baking sheet for a reason. I use a few techniques to achieve roasted vegetables that are golden brown and full of flavor yet still slightly firm. And it starts with the tray! When roasting vegetables, the side touching the tray will brown first. So, as I mention…
Every Tuesday, Project Healthy Ever After hosts a smoothie party and invites people to share their favorite blended combinations. Today, I used one of my kids’ favorite smoothies, a Mango-Peach Smoothie, and added a bit of pureed watermelon to the top, just for fun. The colors were beautiful and reminded us all of a sunny day–on…
A hearty salad with lots of flavor and texture is my idea of a fabulous dinner. What’s more, this type of dinner can be healthy and light yet altogether satisfying. Preparing your own dressing in advance plays a big role in making this meal delicious. The addition of Greek yogurt is a natural way to…
Luckily, I had more than the serving pictured above because, no sooner than I snapped this photo, I knocked the plate over and sent quinoa, veggies, and egg flying. Broke the plate, too! My dog recently hurt his leg so even he didn’t run to my rescue and help with the clean up! But back…
Leftover steak makes quick work of these satisfying dinner salads, which are easy to customize with a variety of refrigerator and pantry staples. One of my go-to “fast food” meals is this grilled steak salad. Typically, I use leftover flank or flatiron steak, purchased from a grass-fed beef stand at our local farmers market. Recently,…
When I was a kid, I didn’t much care for dark, leafy greens. I viewed kale as a bitter garnish on a dinner plate when we went out to a nice restaurant. Swiss chard hadn’t quite entered the culinary scene and spinach…well…it was fine. As I grew older and heard repeatedly about the health benefits…
We grow zucchini in our garden and, inevitably, we end up with more than we can use. One day, there may be two zucchini which are a bit too small to pick. The next thing you know, there are five the size of rolling pins! I often use the extra large zucchini for baking. While…