Lemon Chicken Soup & Pea Pesto Crostini

Every once in a while I will watch a cooking show and one of my children with beg me to make the dishes that are being showcased. Or, one of them will say, "I bet you can't make that!"

I don't remember if this meal fell into either of those categories, but I do remember seeing this meal being made and really wanting to try the cake that went along with it. I didn't end up making the cake (mostly because we don't eat dessert every day, so I don't let myself bake everyday), but the rest of the meal came together quickly. I used some chicken that I had poached myself a few days earlier and also used celery and peas, since I was out of carrots. I used whole wheat thin spaghetti for the noodles and my kids really liked this dinner. Nothing too spectacular, but an easy, quick meal that was simple enough to prepare using things that I had on hand.

Here is the recipe for Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti
* I kinda did my own thing with this recipe just because it was so basic I didn't really feel like I needed directions
* I used celery and peas instead of carrots (simply because I ran out of carrots)
* I used poached chicken that I had cooked myself

Here is the recipe for Pea Pesto Crostini
* I used a little less olive oil than called for

Mini Cheeseburger Salad with Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette

I first made this salad a few years ago and it was an absolute hit. I made it for my family, made it for potluck dinners, made it for company, and shared the recipe with friends. It takes everything that is delicious about a cheeseburger and makes it even more delicious.

You make little burgers, along with a delicious mustard vinaigrette and they are layered on a bed of romaine, cherry tomatoes (I still have some growing in my garden!), and sliced dill pickles. My whole family loves this one, even me.

Here is the recipe for Mini Cheeseburger Salad with Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette
* I used mild cheddar to top my mini cheeseburgers
* I used ground sirloin for the burgers

Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter

I don't watch much tv, but for some reason one day, I happened to see The Barefoot Contessa prepare this dish.
Originally, I was just going to use the recipe for the salmon since we love fish and eat it all the time, but then I saw some cool looking purple potatoes at the store and decided I would go ahead and do the whole platter.
When Ina made this dish she was preparing for 12 people, so I only prepared 1/3 of the recipe.

I found fresh wild sockeye salmon at the fish counter and was really excited about it. The salmon was amazing! Best salmon I have tasted. It was soo good.
I reduced the oil in the marinade and the vinaigrette because I always do that when I make a vinaigrette or marinade and I don't feel that it takes away from the overall results.

My kids really liked this meal. I served it on the platter and everyone was able to take what they wanted using a pair of tongs. 1 of my kids didn't appreciate the watercress because it was "spicy".
This was a hit. Very delicious.

Recipe for Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter
*I omitted the green olives
* I reduced the amount of oil in the vinaigrette and marinade
* I used red wine vinegar in the vinaigrette because I had it on hand

Summer Veggie Salsa

First of all the winner of the TERRA Chip giveaway- comment #21- Gabrielle, who says they eat TERRA Chips with hummus. yummy!

Here are the results-

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 29
Result: 21
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Now on to today's recipe. I saw this recipe for Summer Veggie Salsa on Playing House
and all the veggies just looked so delicious. I added some chopped jicama and green bell pepper just because I was cutting them up anyway and I love the crunch that jicama gives to things.
I made a great big bowl of this salsa and it was really great with baked tortilla chips.

I also topped salad greens with this salsa and loved it that way. This was so fresh and delicious.
I am going to make it again while it is still nice and hot outside.


Recipe for Summer Veggie Salsa
* I added some jicama and green bell pepper
* I used cherry tomatoes

Southwest Quinoa Salad

One of my favorite bloggers recently started a new blog. I loved her old blog, Cafe Johnsonia
(which she has kindly left up so people can still use her recipes) but, I really, really love her new blog- Fresh Clean Start.

It's all about getting to a healthier place and I absolutely love every single post.
When I saw her post about this Quinoa Salad, I could not wait to put it together.

I made this salad for our 4th of July get-together and since the recipe written was enough to serve 1-2 people, I at least quadrupled the salad ingredients, so that everyone could have some and hopefully there would be some leftover for me to eat for lunch sometime during the next week.

I cooked up a bunch of quinoa (something I always do, so that there will be enough for whatever I need during the week) and started chopping my veggies.
I used fresh corn on the cob that I got from the Farmer's Market and I also used some heirloom cherry tomatoes.
I added cumin, chili powder, paprika, and lime juice- tasting it along the way- until it was just right.

I really didn't know how well it would be received at our dinner, but many people really, really liked it. This made me happy, but also limited the amount of leftovers. Luckily, there was enough leftover for lunch one day and I served it over a big pile of salad greens as Lindsey suggested.

This really is so, so good and good for you. I can't wait to make a big batch of it again.



Recipe for Southwest Quinoa Salad
* I used heirloom cherry tomatoes
* I used fresh corn on the cob
* I sprinkled sunflower seeds on top

Tomato-Avocado Salad

When my friend was here visiting, we created this simple salad.
We found some beautiful heirloom grape/cherry tomatoes and combined them with chopped avocados, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
It was delicious on its own and we enjoyed it as part of our lunch one day.

The wheels in my head were turning though, and the next morning I had an idea for breakfast.

I like to get up early and exercise before my kids wake up. I don't eat before I work out, so when I finally get to eating breakfast it is late morning and I am hungry. I don't want a wimpy breakfast. I want something full of protein and fiber that is going to fill me up and do something for me nutritionally.
My friend found this Hearty Grain with Flax and Soy loaf at Publix, and basically fell in love with it.

We decided to toast the bread, fry an egg in a little bit of olive oil, top the bread with the egg, then top the egg with the tomato-avocado salad and some pinto beans.
Best breakfast ever. It was really so good.

We also made this tomato-avocado salad when we were in DC and used it to top our green salad. We also ate it with tortilla chips.
Endless possibilities on this one.

Tomato-Avocado Salad by Mary Ann
1-2 avocados, chopped
2-3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbls olive oil
salt
pepper

Put avocado in a bowl. Toss with lemon juice, to prevent discoloring. Add tomatoes and olive oil. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy on its own, on salad, on toast, with eggs, with chips, in a burrito- anyway you want.

Mahi-Mahi with Macadamia Nut Crust & Braised Kale with Cherry Tomatoes

A couple of weeks ago when we were grocery shopping, my daughter wanted to try the "rainbow" fish. She said that because the package that contained the mahi-mahi had a pretty, colorful picture on it. It was on sale, so I decided we could try it.
I love nut-crusted fish andI had already marked this recipe to try in my Mayo Clinic Cookbook. I decided to pair it with the kale because that is what the cookbook suggested.

The fish was delicious and really easy to prepare. My whole family really loved it.
The cooking method for the kale was nothing new to me since I cook dark greens this way all the time. I removed some of the kale from the pan before I added the tomatoes though, since my husband doesn't like tomatoes at all.

Another great healthy dinner. I love the Mayo Clinic cookbook and the great thing is that you can find most of the recipes online at mayoclinic.com.


Recipe for Mahi-mahi with Macadamia Nut Crust


Recipe for Braised Kale with Cherry Tomatoes