Summer Tomato Salad

My friend Janet has a tomato problem. Luckily
she has friends like me to help her out!

Funny things happen during tomato season in Iowa. Weird, unexplained things. Like UFO sightings, only more delicious. Perhaps you have experienced this bizarre phenomenon. You walk into your office or workplace, just like any other Monday, or Thursday. You drop off your computer bag, maybe a handbag, at your desk and head to the break room to tuck your lunch in the fridge or grab a cup of coffee when you are startled by something on the counter, or tabletop. Red. Round. Lurking. They might even be trying to hide in a bag. They watch you suspiciously as you casually saunter over to these strange objects to see what this is all about. It's tomato season, and lucky for you, your colleague has an over-producing garden! Sharing tomatoes is an annual summer tradition in Iowa, and probably a lot of other places. Today I was pleasantly surprised by the gift of some Iowa homegrown tomatoes from my friend Lia. I had those tomatoes sitting on my desk all day and I daydreamed about eating them. Not in any recipe either. Ohhh no. These first Iowa-grown tomatoes are going to be eaten just as is, sliced. That's it, and it was heaven.

Guess what magically appeared on my desk? Yep!

No summer garden would be complete without an herb patch and an herb patch would never be complete without fresh basil.There are soooo many different kinds of basil, it's crazy! Italian basils, red basil, ruffled basil, giant lettuce leaf basil, Thai basil, lemon, lime and other citrusy flavored basils- it wouldn't be hard to have an entire garden comprised solely of basil! The Chef and I like to grow a couple different types. We like a larger leafy Italian basil, the leaves are substantial but not as big as lettuce leaf basil, and they have a great licorice like flavor, and we always grow a red basil too.

These beautiful ingredients combine with some fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic to create the most delectable summer salad, Caprese Salad. The history of the salad is pretty hard to pin down. some say it originated in the Campania region. while others call "insalata de caprese" the Salad of Capri, and hails from an island off the coast of Naples. The recipe was found on a menu dating back to 1920 after WWI and was thought to represent the colors of the Italian flag, and came back into favor in the 1950s. In the U.S. the salad started gaining popularity in the 1980s and had remained popular ever since. In Italy ingredients vary by region- some use pesto, others use arugula or other greens. tomatoes and fresh mozz are the constants. In the U.S. chefs and home cooks like to use heirloom tomatoes of different kinds to add beauty and a variety of flavors to add interest to the salad. No matter where in the world you are enjoying the salad, a hefty drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil is drizzled over and ties all the flavors together.

Homegrown Iowa heirloom tomatoes

Summer Tomato Salad

variety of heirloom tomatoes

fresh mozzarella

fresh basil

freshly ground black pepper

good quality extra virgin olive oil
good quality balsamic vinegar*

salt

* I have come to love purchased "balsamic drizzle"- I don't have to make my own reduction and the flavor is pretty darn good. Feel free to substitute this if you like, or reduce your own, or just use vinegar as is. It's delicious any way to use it.

Prepare the tomatoes- slice larger tomatoes, quarter or halve small bite sized tomatoes or grape/cherry tomatoes.

Slice the fresh mozzarella.

On a large serving platter or board, lay out a base of sliced tomatoes. Tuck slices of mozzarella in and around the sliced tomatoes, lifting to overlap in places. Scatter the smaller tomatoes around the board.

Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the basil leaves over. You can tear the basil leaves if they are really large. Drizzle the whole platter with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve immediately with lots of fresh crusty bread.

Plan on a couple slices of fresh mozzarella per person and at least one to one and a half tomatoes per person for each serving, and build your salad whatever size you need. Throw on as much or as little basil as you like and be generous with that olive oil! Freshly ground black pepper is key for great flavor so if you have a pepper mill, use it.

As for the 15 lbs of tomatoes from Janet, they were roasted
and frozen for use all winter long. I've offered to help her
dispose of even more, if she can spare a few.

I can't tell you how many times each summer I will have this, and sometimes only this, as my entire dinner- twice just this week! The tomatoes are so delicious, and nothing at all like the pasty mealy dry grocery store tomatoes. They are so fresh and juicy and even better if still warm from the sun. If you get a good mix of types of tomatoes, you'll have a great mix of flavors too- some sweeter, some more acidic, some firmer. The fresh mozzarella brings some protein to the plate, the olive oil is so healthy and delicious, and who doesn't love freshly harvested basil leaves, torn and scattered just moments before devouring them? Delicious stuff here, folks.

Recycling Your Leftovers

Ugh, another weekend of wedding planning. I was hoping to keep things simple and elegant. The Chef's list keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger.  I'm thinking of great locations for a simple outdoor ceremony with only family while he is talking with friends about renting out entire restaurants and bands and cash vars and all of that business. Sheesh!! I think we have the first ever Groomzilla going on! If you have ever had to plan a wedding, you know what a nightmare it can be. For example, I have decided that instead of a multi-tiered cake that costs hundreds of dollars and will be hanging out in my kitchen for weeks after, we're going to order gourmet cupcakes. Yes, I know, I'm a baker, I can easily make my own but what bride wants to make her own cake? I've played that game once before, when my oldest daughter was planning her wedding and we decided to do the majority of the food ourselves. No big deal at all, just required some planning and delegating, but then we got the brilliant idea that Mom the Baker, the same person as Mother of the Bride would bake the cake too. Bad bad bad idea. We ended up ordering the cake.

After a day of planning and researching and pricing and calling around, The Chef and I were ready for dinner. I made one of my favorite Sunday dinners, heck any day dinner for that matter- roast chicken. Some lovely fingerling potatoes were also roasted in the chicken drippings and a fresh green salad went alongside and I was left with most of a chicken to pick and use for another dish, and as I sat there picking chicken off the bones, ignoring the pleading stares and chops-licking of two cats and a dog, I got to thinking about leftovers. Leftovers often get a bad rap. Many people don't want to eat a repeat of the same exact meal so all too often those dishes of perfectly good food are ignored, shoved in the back of the fridge, only to be reborn as a penicillin farm in a bowl. 

What are you supposed to do with your leftovers if you don't want to eat the same thing the next day? Recycle them of course! It just takes a little imagination and a well stocked pantry of basics to pull of some serious leftover revision. For me it starts with a good selection of grains and pastas. If I have a good solid grain or two I can stretch the last of a roast pork, chicken or beef into a great second day dinner or, even better, a lovely lunch for a couple days.

So my story leads us back to Trader Joe's. I swear, it's purely coincidence! I just find so many delicious things there and have to share my ideas with you so..... bear with me here. This recipes used the Harvest Grains Blend. This stuff caught my eye every single time I went in the store and I resisted buying it for the longest time. I seriously have enough grains in the pantry to survive a year. I just couldn't help myself on this last shopping trip. The mixture is gorgeous. Big pieces of Israeli couscous combined with veggie orzo in different colors, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa combine to make a colorful, texture-filled dish. It's easy to prepare- just add to boiling water and simmer ten minutes. No draining. No fuss. You can use it in all kinds of dishes and it was so pretty I thought it would make a lovely salad. I just happened to have roasted a chicken for dinner and had the leftover chicken to pick and use so....... it was recycled into a tasty salad for lunch during the week. What else got recycled? The last cup or so of a bag of frozen mixed vegetables that was hanging out in the freezer and a half a red onion that was leftover from a salad. The simple dressing combined oil and vinegar with a spicy sweet honey mustard I was given by a friend and voila! Here is how I made it-

Leftover Chicken Couscous Salad

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 package Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend*

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2/3 cup oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup prepared honey mustard

salt and pepper

*I used this specific brand. If you can't find it, you can sub orzo, farro, rice or your favorite grains. You want 4-6 cups cooked product.

In a large saucepan heat water and butter to boiling per the directions on the package. When water has reached a full boil, add the bag of Harvest Grains Blend and stir. Return to boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff. Allow to cool slightly.

In a jar or large mixing cup combine the oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Shake or whisk to blend.

In a large bowl toss together the grain mix, the chicken, vegetables. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat. Cover and chill.

This salad makes a great lunch salad for taking to work or for picnics. I used the remaining chicken leftover from a roast chicken but you can purchase cooked chicken or cook up a couple chicken breasts or thighs to cube. Grilled chicken would bring a great flavor twist and so would barbequed chicken, with bits and spots of charred sweet barbeque sauce- oh yum! I think I better get another package of this grain mix and make it again !!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Summer Shrimp Salad, Just Like Mom Used to Make

Well, Memorial Day is now in the rear view mirror and the unofficial kickoff to summer has begun. While I'm not looking forward to the heavy humid August air that hangs over Iowa like a wet blanket, I certainly will take the breezy 70s and 80s of June! It's the perfect time of year for dining al fresco. Living back in the city, I am blessed to be surrounded by hundreds of choices for some lovely patio dining. The suburban restaurants, of course, have patios. They have lots of room for building that in when the restaurant is built. Now even the downtown restaurants are setting up patios. Sidewalk patios, or little nooks carved out of alleys and access ways are popping up like mushrooms allover downtown Des Moines.

When I was a little girl, Mom and Dad bought a house. I remember them looking at several houses that I really thought we should live in. Lots of cute two story homes in neighborhoods on the south side of the city. They decided we should live in Thornton Place and found a lovely ranch house, nothing too fancy, just the right amount of room for our family of four. I think the selling feature for my dad was probably the porch. Around the back of the house, just steps out of the kitchen was a screened in back porch easily the size of the living room. Dad loved this porch, and quickly set about decorating it and finding the right furniture. A couch for relaxing, a telephone and television to bring a little of the inside outside and a dining table and chairs filled the back porch and basically became another room of the house. Most nights we had our dinner out there during the summer months. Even if it was a rainy day, if it wasn't a crazy thunderstorm with wind, we could still enjoy the fresh outdoor air. 

Dinners in the summer at our house also meant some of Mom's traditional dinners. One thing she made that we all loved was a big pot of green beans, baby potatoes and ham. She had a German name for it, but I couldn't even begin to spell it, but just for fun, I'll try. Bohnen Gamese. Whatever that means! Because Dad always had a decent garden going, it wasn't uncommon for use to have an all-veggie dinner of sliced tomatoes from the garden, sprinkled with the tiniest bit of sugar, sliced cucumbers with vinegar and oil and a massive pot of hot sweet corn. How I loved those dinners. By far, though, my favorite summer dinner my mom made was her pasta salad with baby shrimp. I have no idea where she learned to make it, but it hands down is my favorite summer salad. She always, and I mean always, used the medium shell pasta. No farfalle, no penne or campanelle. Shells, always. Pasta, a can of baby shrimp (always the canned shrimp too, Mom preferred this over fresh), some chopped vegetables, usually whatever she had in the fridge, always celery and onions, and you might find diced cucumber in the bowl. Diced radishes sometimes. Black olives, always. The simplest of dressings- mayonnaise, not the salad dressing junk, a squeeze of plain yellow mustard and a splash of pickle juice, a little salt and pepper, and that's it. 

Mom's Salad recipe doesn't change much when I make it. I might add a shredded carrot if I have one, or some diced cucumber if I don't have any celery. If my celery has nice leaves, I go ahead and chop those up and throw them in too. Sometimes I swap a can of tuna for the shrimp, because, yes Mom did that too quite a bit. The only "upgrade" I have made to Mom's family favorite is to skip the salt and pepper and use Sinful Food's Signature Seasoning. Best decision ever. It literally has everything in there you could possibly want to season your dish, and then some. Even The Chef remarked how good the salad is with the seasoning.

You can get your Sinful Food Signature Seasoning by clicking HERE.

Mom's Summer Shrimp Salad 

1 pound medium shell shaped pasta

1 can baby shrimp

1/2 cup sliced black olives

2 ribs celery

2 scallions

1/4 cup diced dill pickle

1 cup mayonnaise, plus more

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

splash of pickle juice

Signature Seasoning 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a full rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, drain and rinse with cold water. Add to a big bowl. 

Drain the baby shrimp and add to pasta in the bowl. Drain and add the olives. Finely dice the celery ribs and add to bowl. Slice scallions, and in the bowl they go along with the diced pickles. Sprinkle the fresh dill over and Signature Seasoning, toss, then add mayonnaise and mustard, mixing well. Taste and add additional Signature Seasoning to taste. 

Cover and chill overnight. Stir before serving, adding additional mayo if needed. 

I'm telling you, when I was a kid this was a big time favorite at our house for summer dinners in the screens in porch. The backyard was so shady and cool, the screens kept the bugs out but it still felt like we were eating outdoors. I loved that old porch, and wish I had one where I live right now. Good memories....... 

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Trying a New Grain- Bulgur Wheat

It's Sunday Funday. Around here, that means The Chef is rocking on guitar and I'm experimenting in the kitchen. The best part is while I am slaving away in the kitchen I get all the free screaming guitar I want. Some people have just one passion in their life, some people have several. The Chef has two. Cooking, and music. His time is literally spent doing one thing or the other. Culinary wise, we are on the same page. Musically, however, we have some differences. He likes classic rock, I am a definite hard core thrash/speed/death metal lover. He plays Stranglehold and I'd like to strangle him. I play Love You to Death and he moans and groans. We do have some musicians and bands that we both love, and that's cool. It works for us. 

It's been a while since we have cooked with a "new" grain around here. Time to get back on the wagon, especially since that was one of my Foodie Resolutions for 2016 and we are about halfway through 2017! So far we have experimented with wheat berries, millet, and a few other grains. The Chef recently took all of my grain hoard out of the pantry and set it on the kitchen island, so we could make some meal plans and use some of these. There are a few more I've been hearing about but I'm strictly forbidden from buying anymore until we use these ones up. It's time for bulgur wheat to make it's appearance. What is it anyway? Bulgur wheat is a grain that has been parcooked and dried. It's a very common grain in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. If you've ever heard of, or tried, tabbouleh, then you know what we're talking about.

Bulgur is another grain that's very high in protein and fiber, with loads of health benefits. What's not to like about that? The recipe we are making today is a salad. I call it jeweled because the bright color of the pomegranate seeds or cranberries look like sparking rubies, and the bright green parsley and scallion tops remind me of emeralds. You can serve this as a side dish or it can easily be turned into an entree with a bit of leftover chicken to bump up the protein, some crumbled cheese or just as it is for a great vegetarian option.

Jeweled Bulgur Salad with Lime

2 cups bulgur wheat
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries
small bunch parsley- chopped (about 1 cup)
2 limes, zest and juice
4 tb olive oil
1 tsp cumin
2 tb honey
2-3 scallions, sliced, including the green parts

To cook the bulgur, place the 2 cups wheat in a bowl. Add 4 cups boiling water. Cover and let sit for at least an hour. Drain off any excess liquid.

In large bowl combine garbanzo beans, pomegranate seeds or cranberries, lime zest, scallions and parsley. Toss with bulgur.

In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice from the two limes, the oil and the honey.

Serve at room temperature for best flavor. The cranberries (I used cranberries as pomegranates weren't available) add a lovely sweet taste and spark of acidic tartness and the parsley adds such an herbal flavor.

Speaking of parsley, have I ever mentioned how much I love parsley in salad? I grow loads of it in the summer. Love love love big handfuls tossed in a leafy green salad. The leaves are bright and peppery and I love their perky flavor. Italian flat leaf parsley is the best but I grow both because I love them both. Another great fresh herb that is wonderful in salads, including this one, is basil. That's another herb that comes in lots of varieties and colors and looks gorgeous and tastes delicious. Mint is another herb that is a bright addition to salads. 

Purple? Yes, purple. Purple sweet potatoes.

Sometimes the internet can be a bad thing. A bad influence. An enabler. Like Instagram for example. Of course I follow a number of food bloggers, restaurants, stores, and food companies. You have to, if you want to stay on trend. Frieda's Specialty Produce is one of the companies that I follow and love seeing all the interesting and unique kinds of produce they offer. Many of these fruits and vegetables are tropical and cannot be grown here in Iowa, and many more are rare or a fun hybrid of traditional vegetables. I was minding my business one evening, posting silly memes about rock stars and food, tossing some recipe ideas around in my head when Frieda's posted something that immediately caught my eye. Sweet potatoes. Ok, sure, I like sweet potatoes. Love them baked like a baked potato and they are a must have with holiday turkey. These ones though......these ones were........PURPLE!

Yes, purple! Bright Minnesota Vikings purple, and unlike many other purple hybrid vegetables, these beauties do not lose their color when cooked. Think about this for a minute, we have such colorful vegetables already, with all shades of greens, yellow, orange, red, tomatoes in a rainbow of colors, now we're adding a deep gorgeous purple to the mix? Yes!!!!

We eat with our eyes, as they say, so I didn't want to hide these guys under an ocean of marshmallow. I wanted to showcase not only the color but the nutrition and healthy fiber sweet potatoes provide. I wanted these potatoes to be front and center in whatever I made. First things first though, I have to actually find them and get my hands on a bag. This is not always an easy task. Des Moines is a big city, and we have big big grocery stores with all kinds of amazing produce but sometimes I miss out on something really wonderful, like the pink sweet corn some friends were able to snag last summer. By the time I got to the store- all sold out. The amazing folks at Frieda's made sure I didn't miss out. They reached out to me via Instagram and helped me track down a couple different locations in Des Moines where I'd be able to find the Stokes Purple Sweet Potato, and after work, I headed over to Trader Joe's and incredibly enough, got the LAST bag in the display. I went home with my 3 pounds of playthings and began to narrow down my recipe options.

Like I said, I did not want to treat these guys like an everyday sweet potato. I can do that, well, every day really, so I wanted to use them in a creative way. I love roasting vegetables, it brings out such a different flavor and texture, especially with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are loaded with good things too, B vitamins, and loads of beta carotene which is so so good for us! I decided to cut up one or two, give them a little roast in the oven, and toss them with other bright fresh vegetables in a salad, lightly dressed with a honey vinaigrette to bring out the sweetness. Here is my unique take on salad.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad Bowl

1 or 2 purple sweet potatoes
2-3 cups baby kale
2-3 cups baby spinach

6 scallions
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted slightly
Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
olive oil
salt and pepper

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes. Toss in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out onto foil lined baking sheet that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Roast the sweet potatoes at 400 15-25 minutes until tender. Allow to cool slightly.

Toss the baby kale and spinach together in a large bowl. Add the scallions and almonds. Toss with some of the vinaigrette. Add potato cubes and toss again.

Easy Honey Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tb Dijon mustard

2 tb balsamic vinegar

2 tb honey

salt and pepper

Shake together in a jar until thoroughly emulsified.

But the REAL fun came when dreaming up ways to use the sweet potatoes in a very delicious way. I knew I just had to figure out a way to use this tasty tuber in a sweet recipe, a dessert of some kind. There were so many good options too- pudding, mousse, ice cream and sweet potato pie. If you have never had sweet potato pie, you simply must try it. It's a lot like pumpkin pie but the potatoes are so rich and smooth and the spices make the pie so warm and inviting. All you need a simple crown of whipped cream and you have pie perfection. Now, let's make it purple!

Crazy Purple Sweet Potato Pie

1 1/2 lb purple sweet potatoes
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup half and half
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
small pinch ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
one pastry shell

Bake the potatoes in a 400 degree oven until tender, 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Slip off the skins.

While potatoes are cooking, line a pie plate with pastry. Trim and crimp a tall edge. Cover and set aside in a cool place. I popped mine in the fridge.

Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl. Use a fork to break up and mash the potatoes, and beat in the softened butter until completely mixed in. Mix in all remaining ingredients.

Pour into pastry lined pie plate. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You may need to cover the edge of the pastry halfway through baking time to prevent burning. Use foil or a pie protector if you have one. Cool completely and serve with whipped cream.

I used a small pie plate for mine, because we are a small household, and I had a little filling leftover so I baked that in a custard cup alongside. Baking in cups is a great gluten free option, too, if you omit the crust and spray well with cooking spray. Just look at the color of that filling! It tastes like autumn but looks like a pop of summer color.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Two for One Recipes- Sauteed Chicken with Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

My friend Mary, who lives in Missouri, has a very unique business venture going. In her home, a gorgeous and charming Victorian in a sweet small town, Mary cooks gourmet three course dinners for every day or special events, and invites guests to come and dine at The House on Vine. Since she lives in a small town, restaurant options are somewhat limited and Mary offers a very unique service that even in larger cities can be hard to find- meals tailored to the guests likes and tastes and special dietary requests.

She has hosted some pretty awesome dinners. Centered around the holidays she made a steak dinner common in Des Moines but unheard of in other cities- Steak DeBurgo. Her guests were so impressed! On another occasion she had a group of ladies who are following the Whole 30 diet, and Mary's menu for their dinner fit their requirements. From incredibly creative appetizer to decadent soups Mary's dinners have quite a loyal group of regulars with word spreading fast! It won't be long and the House on Vine will have to move into larger restaurant quarters!

Anyway, since Mary and I have been friends for years you can bet we have talked food and recipes and cooking many times over. When she used to live here we would often meet for dinner or cook at her place or mine. Sometimes we'd have a dinner of all appetizers, and sometimes we'd make a regular meal, like one night when we made homemade fried chicken and Mary made the BEST chicken gravy ever. I wish I could nail the gravy like she can. We have shared recipes by the dozen and often talk about what we're making. Mary was telling me about a dinner she was making for some guests over the weekend and it sounded like something I knew I needed to try out. The original recipe called for sea scallops but both of us thought it would be just as delicious and a lot more budget friendly if we swapped pricey seafood for more affordable chicken. I am a big fan of pounding out chicken breasts into schnitzel-like pieces, giving them a dusting of flour or coating of panko and a quick pan fry with a little butter and olive oil. You can't beat that for quick cooking and delicious tender chicken. I thought about that, but in the end went for a quick saute of lightly seasoned and floured chicken tenders with a creamy leek and Dijon mustard sauce. The rest of the recipe is composed of a warm salad of shredded Brussels sprouts. I added shredded carrot for color (I still had some rainbow carrots to use up), garlic for bite, and a sauteed leek for a milder onion flavor. No added dressing is needed as I sauteed the sprouts in a little of the Sinful Food garlic olive oil and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon for the acid you need to cut the richness. A few sprinkles of crispy bacon go on top for a fabulous and flavorful cold weather salad you will love.

This recipe also uses products from Sinful Food. I used their Signature Seasoning to boost the flavor of the chicken and to season the vegetables in the salad. Their garlic olive oil is perfect for sauteing the vegetables and tossed with a few squeezes of fresh lemon, make a lovely dressing right in the salad bowl. You can get your own Sinful Food products by clicking HERE.

Sauteed Chicken Tenders with Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders

Sinful Food Signature Seasoning

1 cup flour
Sinful Food garlic olive oil

butter
1 leek, sliced
3/4 cup Pinot Grigio
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 lb Brussels sprouts

1 or 2 carrots

1 leek

3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 pound bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled

Sinful Food garlic olive oil

Slice the Brussels sprouts and separate into shreds. 

Use a sharp knife to slice the sprouts, then separate the
shreds with your fingers.

Shred the carrot and add to sprouts. I used a vegetable peeler to create long ribbons of carrot. Set aside.

Leave one end of the leeks uncut, so you can fan out the petals
and rinse out any sand, then you can hold together and slice.

Trim off the green tops of the leek, Slice lengthwise and clean thoroughly. Slice thinly and set aside. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Set aside.

Set all the vegetables aside for now. I sliced all the leeks together and just used half for each dish.

For the chicken, place the flour in a shallow dish and add a good 1 teaspoon Signature Seasoning. Heat a little butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Dredge the chicken tenders with flour and add to the hot skillet. Brown on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to plate and keep warm. Repeat to cook all the tenders.

When the chicken is done add the leek to the skillet, adding additional oil if needed. Cook for several minutes until the leeks are softened. Add the wine and chicken stock. Bring to boil and reduce by half. Add the cream and Dijon mustard. Cook until desired thickness. Keep warm.

In another large skillet heat 2 tablespoons garlic olive oil. Add the leek to the skillet, cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the Brussels sprouts and carrots and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. You want the vegetables to be barely cooked and still crunchy. Season with the Signature Seasoning. Sprinkle the lemon juice over all and toss again.

Now you can serve the salad piled onto a large platter with the chicken on top and sauce on the side. I made a small pot of couscous and served the chicken and sauce over the couscous with a mound of salad on the side. This is a great salad for lunches too. It's just as delicious chilled as warm. Next time I think I'll try it with great big shrimp, or maybe those sea scallops. I'm sure it will be fantastic.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

We didn't intend to eat healthy. Sometimes it just happens.

Ever get excited when you find a recipe that uses a vegetable you actually grew and really bought the plant just because and even though you know you will use them, you don't really have anything planned? Ya, me neither. Are you kidding! Of course I do!  If you remember a couple of summers ago I grew kale for the first time and well....... I was just a little over the top silly about it. Guess what? This recipe also has kale in it- and poblano peppers!! 

Our weeknight dinner was accidentally healthy- swai fillets
baked with lemon and herbs and this healthy quinoa kale toss.

I found the original recipe on a food blog called Eat Drink Garden With Valerie and immediately thought it fit perfectly in my quest to use up some of my quinoa stockpile and get lots of fresh veggies into my lunch. This salad has a Latin flair with the poblanos, black beans, cilantro tossed in a cumin lime dressing. Valerie used feta cheese in her recipe but I decided to pass on the cheese.

Have you ever used poblano peppers in a salad? I think most people use them in Mexican recipes, but I am always looking for something different. Of course I was minding my own business looking for cherry tomato plants at the garden center one day when the poblano plant fell into my cart *wink wink* I might as well get it since it ended up there, right?  Poblano peppers really are a great choice for experimenting with chilies. They aren't hot, I like to call them "warm" and they have such a nice pepper flavor. Roasting them makes it incredibly easy to get the skin off and adds a smoky hint. You can roast peppers on a grill or under your broiler. Need help? Click HERE to read about roasting Hatch chilies- use the same method. Hmm, speaking of Hatch chilies, those would be awesome in this dish too.

Black beans are a pantry staple at our house. They show up in all kinds of dishes here and salads are perfect for beans. So are nachos, but I'm trying to be healthy for a day.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Kale

adapted from Eat Drink Garden With Valerie

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and diced**

1 3/4 cups cooked black beans, rinsed

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

2 cups baby kale, lightly packed*

1/4 cup Lemon Herb Dressing, plus more for serving (recipe follows)

* You can use any salad green you like if you don't have baby kale. Radish greens, arugula, tatsoi are all great choices. If you have regular kale, tear it into bite sized pieces. I used a package of Kalettes, chopped coarsely.

** I didn't have any poblanos, sadly, so I used a green bell pepper. It was good, and I think next time I'll use a mix of colors of bell peppers. I didn't roast the pepper and really liked the fresh crunch.

In a dry saucepan, toast the quinoa for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until golden brown. Add the water and turn up the heat. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and then spread it out onto a lightly oiled sheet pan to cool.

Roast the peppers, then remove the charred skins, stems, seeds and membranes and dice. I just used a fresh unroasted bell pepper so if you go with that too just dice it up. Chop the kale into nice bite sized pieces. Roughly chop the cilantro.

Toss the quinoa, peppers, beans, cilantro and kale in a large bowl with the dressing. Add the cheese and toss again. Serve!

Lemon Herb Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon lemon garlic seasoning (I used Trinidad from Penzey's)
2 teaspoons herb seasoning of your choice (I used Feiny's Everything)

Combine everything in a bowl or jar. Whisk or shake to combine. 

I'm a big zest lover, since it has so much flavor, so I added some lemon zest and tossed that in the dressing too. 

I really love kale in this salad because it's a sturdy green and doesn't get wilty and gross. I love the flavor of kale too. I often grow baby Russian kale or mixed baby kales and they are perfect in salads like this. I love this dressing with lime too. So bright and flavorful. Salads like this make perfect lunches too- just pack a couple bowls ahead of time and tuck in the fridge. No last minute fuss in the morning. We had our salad served alongside some delicious and very healthy baked swai fillets, drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with herbs. Lots of healthy protein, lots of fiber and virtually no fat except for the olive oil in the dressing.

The best thing about having a garden is being able to grow vegetables I can't always get at the store, and I get to try a lot of different veggies as well. Here in Des Moines we are lucky to have some of the best farmers markets anywhere and the selection of fresh produce is fantastic. Since this will be my first farmers market season back in the city you can bet I'll be going crazy with all the fresh produce!