Tag Archives: greens

Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Red Onions

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This is a great raw broccoli salad recipe!

broccoli-bacon-red-onion-salad

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 lbs broccoli
  • 10 strips crisp bacon
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1/3 c raisins
  • 2 Tbsp vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 c toasted sunflower seeds

Directions

  • Cut broccoli and stems into bit sized pieces
  • Fry bacon until crisp and set aside. Crumble.
  • In large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, raisins and bacon
  • Add vinegar pepper and sunflower seeds and toss well to combine

The original recipe which I got from my Grandma, included a 1/4 cup sugar (most recipes from the 50’s era seem to have a lot of sugar :)). I omitted all sugar to make this a paleo salad, and it tasted great!

Enjoy! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Avocado and Apple Salad with Sea Vegetables

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This is a great salad and I can’t wait to make it again! I have been experimenting with kelp noodles recently and came across a mix of “sea vegetables” (which was a variety of seaweeds) in the local grocery store. I found a packet of the “Sea Tangle” brand of fresh seaweed in the refrigerator aisle. It’s supposed to be high in calcium and iron, and known to promote thyroid function and skin support. the seaweed was crispy and tasted fresh and good! The only downside, as my husband likes to point out, is that you are paying for “not a lot of calories”. Well, however you want to look at that 🙂 these are a great alternative to starchy pasta noodles and a great way to try some new foods!

avocado and apple seaweed salad blog (2)avocado and apple seaweed salad blog (1)Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsps. lemon juice
  • 1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 3 oz. sea vegetable mix

Directions

  • Whisk olive oil, lemon juice
  • Add avocado, apple, and sea vegetables and gently toss
  • Serve fresh or refrigerate for a while
  • Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

 

Kale Waldorf Salad

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This is a fantastic kale salad! You can make it in a few minutes with the right tools – I use a food processor and run the veggies through the slicer blade. And yes – you eat the kale raw and it is delicious! 🙂

kale waldorf salad blog (2) kale waldorf salad blog (1)

Salad ingredients

  • 1 large bunch curly green kale, rinsed
  • 1-2 apples
  • 2-3 stalks celery
  • 1/2 cup nuts or pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins, dried appricots, figs, dates or cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup red grapes, halved (or whole, to save time!)

Dressing

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • Juice from a small lemon
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Directions

  • Run the kale, apples and celery through the food processor on the slicer blade
  • Toss with nuts or seeds, raisins or grapes
  • Mix the dressing ingredients and toss with salad
  • Keeps very well covered in refrigerator for several days

Excellent with poached or fried eggs – paleo breakfast for champions!

dit-elle-Esther

Roasted Broccoli

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This is a really yummy way to cook broccoli. I usually steam broccoli until it’s bright green and just tender (which is super quick and easy), but we seem to end up with leftovers. This took a few more steps, but there were no leftovers. A delicious crispy roasted broccoli recipe and such a great side dish for this time of year! Even the kids loved it. Never thought I’d say broccoli and yum in the same sentence, but there you go! 🙂

roasted broccoli blog (2) roasted broccoli blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

  • Oven to 400*
  • In a large bowl, toss broccoli with olive oil and salt
  • Spread in single layer on baking sheet
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until broccoli is tender and crisp and starting to brown
  • Cool a bit and serve!

dit-elle-Esther

Mixed Greens with Raspberries, Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese

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It’s the time of year when we start eating every meal outside on our deck – so lovely! Here’s an easy and delicious (and pretty!) salad. 🙂

Blog salad with berries nuts goat cheese

Ingredients

  • Mixed greens (spinach and arugula are great, but really any mixed greens work well)
  • Raspberries
  • Candied pecans
  • Goat Cheese
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic or White Champagne Vinegar

Directions

  • Toss greens with vinegar and olive oil
  • Add in raspberries and pecans and toss lightly
  • Top with goat cheese
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

On the dinner menu: I served this with Herb and Parmesan Baked Salmon and chilled Sauvignon Blanc.

dit-elle-Esther

Kale Salad with Chicken and Avocado

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This is a wonderful paleo salad with Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing – add chicken and avocado – and call it dinner!

Blog kale chicken avocado salad-2 Blog kale chicken avocado salad-1

Ingredients

  • large bunch of kale deveined and chopped finely
  • 1/2c dried black current, raisins or cranberries
  • 1/2c. toasted sunflower seeds
  • 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
  • 2-3 cups of chopped cooked chicken or turkey
  • One batch Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing

Thanks for the inspiration: http://cavemanstrong.com/2014/08/paleo-kale-salad/

dit-elle-Esther

Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing

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This is a wonderful paleo dressing – great for salads, on roast chicken or as a dip! On Thursday I’ll post a recipe for Kale Chicken Avocado salad with this dressing! 🙂

Blog garlic lemon paleo dressing

Creamy Lemon Garlic Paleo Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • juice from one entire lemon
  • 1 garlic clove (large)
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/4 c walnut pieces
  • pinch of sea salt
  • pinch of pepper

Directions

  • Add all items to a food processor (or use an inversion blender) and blend until smooth
  • Refrigerate till ready to use

Thanks for the inspiration: http://cavemanstrong.com/2014/08/paleo-creamy-lemon-garlic-dressing/

dit-elle-Esther

Polenta Torte

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Like gorgonzola? Then you will love this dish! Don’t like it? Then simply omit and stick with the parmesan cheese. This is a wonderful polenta & greens dish, spiced with some hot chili flakes and pepper and topped with cheese. Not really a kid dish, given the spice, but you could make a dish of plain polenta and top with cheese – a favorite in our house!

Blog polenta torte with greens

Ingredients

  • 4 c lukewarm water
  • 1 c stone-ground coarse cornmeal
  • salt to taste
  • 1-2 lbs mixed tender greens (spinach, kale, arugula)
  • 3 Tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 c grated pecorino cheese (like parmesan)
  • Crumbled gorgonzola

Directions

  • Heat olive oil and add pepper flakes, ground pepper and garlic – sauté until fragrant but don’t let the garlic brown or it will turn bitter
  • Pour half of the oil in a large glass baking dish
  • Add water & cornmeal & salt and bake, uncovered, for ~50 minutes
  • Add greens to skillet with leftover oil and cook for 10 minutes (covered) stirring frequently, removing lid at end and raising heat a bit to just evaporate any liquid left
  • Remove baked polenta from oven and with a spatula, scrape off the top 1/2 layer of polenta, set aside
  • Add cooked greens to the baking dish with polenta, sprinkle gorgonzola and half of the parmesan, and then cover with the rest of the polenta
  • Top with parmesan and return to oven for 10-15 minutes
  • Serve warm!

dit-elle-Esther

Strawberry, Mint and Goat Cheese Salad

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Strawberry season is in full swing – ripe, sweet, juicy strawberries. Love strawberry salads? We do too! Add some roasted chicken to make it a meal!

Blog strawberry_mint_goatcheese_salad (2) Blog strawberry_mint_goatcheese_salad (1)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups quartered strawberries (about 1 lb)
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (tip: chill goat cheese in freezer for five minutes to make crumbling easier!) (omit cheese for dairy free and paleo)
  • 4 cups mixed greens or spinach
  • 1 cup cooked chicken (optional)

Directions

  • Combine quartered strawberries, mint, vinegar, salt & pepper and toss gently to combine
  • Cover and chill for an hour
  • Divide mixed greens on to four plates with strawberry mixture and sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese
  • Serve immediately
  • Enjoy! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Greek Salad

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Tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and feta drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice and a dusting of oregano sound good? Yes please! Here are two easy ways to make Greek Salad!

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Ingredients

  • Tomatoes, diced
  • Cucumbers (English hothouse cucumbers work well), peeled and cubed
  • Kalamata olives
  • Feta cheese, crumbled (omit for paleo version)
  • Mixed greens

Dressing

  • Olive oil
  • Lemon, freshly squeezed
  • Oregano, 1tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  • Mix the veggies and toss with dressing
  • Crumble feta cheese on top
  • Serve

dit-elle-Esther