Coconut Milk Ranch Dressing

ingredients

1 can full fat coconut milk (or coconut cream, refrigerated overnight, do not use light coconut milk)

2 tablespoons shallots (minced)

1 garlic cloves (minced)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)

1 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper (to taste)

Another Quick & Easy Salad Dressing

I keep this salad dressing in a small container and make it as needed...

Only three ingredients:

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

EVOO

A GOOD BALSAMIC VINEGAR

HONEY

Here's how to do it....

I use leftover salad dressing cups from restaurants, I keep them and wash them.

1 teaspoon of honey

1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons of EVOO

Then shake it!!  Shake it up!


This is for two servings.  You can double and triple all in the same cup and then simply store the rest. 

Favorite salad...
Arugula and peach with the above honey balsamic!!!  whoa so good, enjoy!!

BLT Pasta Salad, Gluten Free!

This pasta salad is so good. It's good warm, or cold, as a main course for lunch or as a side dish. I like adding greek yogurt with the mayo to make it a little more healthy.
Ingredients
12 ounce gluten free fussili, Muellers has a great gluten free fussili ½ cup milk
12 ounces lean bacon (or turkey bacon)
1 Cup red or yellow grape tomatoes cut in half, red or yellow, the yellow pear tomato is sweeter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup mayo
¼ cup greek yogurt
¼ cup sour cream
1/2 tsp lemon juice
4 tablespoons chopped chives
1/4 cup capers
5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Instructions:
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, about 90 % of the way.
Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside. Crazy to toss it with milk. You won't be sorry.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain. Discard drippings.
Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic, capers, and cayenne to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper.
Crumble the bacon, set aside ¼ cup for garnish. Toss the bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.
Mix the mayonnaise, greek yogurt and sour cream with 3 tablespoons chives and lemon juice, with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the lettuce; toss again to coat.
Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives.
Serve at room temperature. Or chilled the next day. Refrigerate leftovers. If there are any. 

Lemon Thyme Dressing and Spinach Salmon Salad!

So YUM, I've been working on my homemade salad dressings this week and I really like the LEMON THYME DRESSING I've come up with.  It is so good, but simple.  This recipe makes about 4-6 servings.  I use around 1 Tablespoon per salad.  But you could use this for VEGE DIP or just layer over baked fish of any kind!

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup low fat sour cream

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/4 to 1/3 lemon, juiced 

Pinch of salt and pinch of fresh ground pepper

Whisk with a fork or small whisk until well blended

Store in the fridge for up to a week

For the Salad, 2 cups spinach, 2 - 3 ounces baked salmon.  1 Tablespoon crumbled feta cheese.

Enjoy!!

Avacado Garlic Lime Dressing/Sauce

Hello all, this recipe has revolutionized the diet transformation I recently experienced and shared in a recent post.  I love all of the elements of this dressing and it is AMAZINGLY versatile.  I can use it in tuna salad, instead of mayonnaise... as sauce on my morning eggs... and dinner's fish, as a salad dressing...on burgers...instead of mayo on sandwiches (I am gluten free, so just on my burger "salad" that I make for me.)...on top of mexican ANYyything...phew, I just love it.  period.

To adjust the thickness if you prefer a more fluid dressing, add 1 teaspoon of water or olive oil.  Adding olive oil will add fat and calories, but not a tremendous amount.

To adjust for adding to tuna or chicken salad, add 1 Tbsp of Mayonnaise, this improves the texture for me, you can certainly try it without the mayo, but I prefer the tuna salad version with mayo added, it's a texture thing!

What you'll need:
1 Avacado
1.5 cups of cilantro or spinach  *I used spinach one time when I was out of cilantro... it was good!
1 Cup Daisy Light Sour Cream
3 whole cloves of garlic
Juice of 1/2 lime or 1 lime depending on your taste preference
salt and pepper to taste

**A note on a kitchen toy that I use a good bit! my Cuisinart Mini Prep, I have had this little baby for, gosh, 20 years or so, seriously, same machine, all these years!!  That's a good little kitchen tool.

Put all ingredients into either a blender, silver bullet, or as I do, a mini prep processor.  I blend until smooth.  Storing in small two ounce, (jello shot cups with lids).  They have 3 ounce sizes of these babies, I save them when I go to a restaurant and get dressing on the side.  Never can finish my whole salad and have to take it home, which includes my dressing on the side AND, booonusss, the little cup with the lid.  Save 'em, use 'em.

This makes it easy to grab and take one with my protein at lunch.

Here is the dressing used with my hamburger salad...

DIVERTITI!!

Taco Salad ... Revisited!

Today I'm heading out to Fresh Market to pick up organic meats for the week and I thought, wow I really need to try a shelless taco salad for tonight's dinner!  This Taco Salad is one of my favorites to eat and feel good about while I'm muching out.  So filling and so very good for you with many vitamins, high protein and low carb.  ... You can look at my other recipe for this under "ground turkey" tab at the right.  I've modified, but only slightly!

1 pound ground turkey  ( when I go to Fresh Market for fresh I always get two ... one to freeze)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin ground
1 tsp olive oil in pan for browning.
Mix well and brown all these ingredients in a frying pan.
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 squeeze of lime juice to taste
4 cups chopped baby spinach OR 2 cups 1/2 salad and 1/2 baby spinach
1 large tomato

In a bowl put a bed of which ever lettuce/spinach you prefer and cilantro
Top with browned turkey mixture.
Top with tomatoes or salsa
Top with shredded low fat cheddar cheese or the cheese of your choice.
Top with greek yogurt (for low fat high protein) or with sour cream (more fat less protein)

For variations, you can add a yellow pepper chopped, jalapenos sliced, avacado (of course!! lol) black beans.  LOVE it!  enjoy, my mouth is watering already.  Be back later to post picutres!

Tomatoes, breakfast lunch and dinner... Coming up this week!

Hello and thanks for reading!  I have been to Costco and I couldn't pass up the tomatoes.  The Romas were big, firm and an even, deep red color all over, translated... just beautiful.  I also picked up some Greek Yogurt, some fresh mozzarella and some roasted red pepper hummus and some black beans.  There is so much to make from these fresh tomatoes and with the "fresh" season coming upon us really fast this year, here are some ideas for fresh harvests and farmers market hauls.  I will create simple, fresh, low fat meal ideas this week.  I can tell you what I'm having tomorrow for lunch already. 

Ala Fresh Lunch:

1 Roma Tomato
3 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
2 cups of arugula or any fresh lettuce or spinach you have on hand - fresh greens
salt & pepper
Apple

I use no dressing with this quick salad.  The mozzarella is just enough to moisten the salad and the fresh, crisp flavors blend to the salt and pepper like you have a rich dressing on this easy salad.  I  have to have a bit of mozz in every slice of the salad, my mouth is watering already!  Also, think about the portion.  Sometimes I make this and I say to myself this will not be enough, but I have learned that is is so satisfying that I need nothing more, but my apple snack in the afternoon!  I end of satisfied, full and feeling good about a healthy meal.