Healthy Family Recipes

healthy family recipes

Summer Salad with Roasted Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

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Summer Salad with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

It’s funny how jalapenos – and most peppers – taste completely different when roasted. They are sweeter and milder and have a deeper flavor. I decided to make a summer plate and then jazz it up with a roasted jalapeno dressing.

I gotta say – if you have never thrown a roasted jalapeno into a blender to make dressing, you are in for a taste treat. This is the most delicious ranch dressing I have ever tasted. The jalapeno is tamed by the creamy buttermilk and mayo. The jalapeno turns the ranch dressing from blah to Wow!

And corn. Just let me say that I used to hate corn. I mean, it is sweet but pretty flavorless. I thought. Roasted corn with just a little char just gives it so much flavor.

Best salad of the Summer. So far!

Summer salad with Roasted Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
 
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Best Salad of the Summer!
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 jalapeno pepper
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Cook the jalapeno pepper by grilling it on a grill or broiling it under a broiler until the skin is charred and wrinkled. Remove the stem. Cut pepper in half and scoop out seeds, for less heat. If you want more heat, leave the seeds in.
  2. Please the jalapeno in a  blender with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth.

ROASTED JALAPENO RANCH DRESSING

1 jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the jalapeno pepper by grilling it on a grill or broiling it under a broiler until the skin is charred and wrinkled. Remove the stem. Cut pepper in half and scoop out seeds, for less heat. If you want more heat, leave the seeds in.

Please the jalapeno in a  blender with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth.

 

Hasselback Style BLT Salad

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Hasselback Style BLT SaladIf you are looking for a light summer dinner without turning on your oven, look no further: Hasselback Style BLT Salads.

The only heat you will need is to cook the Pancetta in a skillet – but this takes 2 minutes, tops. No sweaty, steamy kitchen involved.

I grabbed some luscious looking tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market this morning and decided to make a tomato salad. A tomato is perfect for a Hasselback style – they are firm, yet soft enough to eat with a fork.

I added sliced fresh Mozzarella, some cooked Pancetta rounds and pieces of Romaine lettuce leaves. Then, all you do is drizzle on your favorite vinaigrette. I used a Balsamic vinaigrette – but use your favorite. And all of this takes 10 minutes, tops. Start to finish.

These look so pretty on a plate – you will feel like you are at a fancy luncheon. Even in your kitchen.

Don’tcha love tomato season?!

HASSELBACK STYLE BLT SALAD

12 slices Pancetta
4 large ripe tomatoes
Several Romaine lettuce leaves
2 ounces fresh Mozzarella
4 tablespoons vinaigrette

Heat a small skillet to medium high heat. Add Pancetta slices in a single layer, in batches. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until Pancetta is crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Lay tomatoes on serving plates, stem side down. With a serrated knife, Cut 1/4 inch slices in tomatoes, cutting in vertical slices almost to bottom of tomatoes so that tomatoes will hold together and form a fan shape.

Place Mozzarella slices, Pancetta slices and pieces of lettuce between the slices in the tomatoes. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Hasselback Style BLT Salad
 
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10 minutes is all it takes to make these fun BLT salads - in the classic Hasselback shape. SO pretty on a platter!
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 12 slices Pancetta
  • 4 large ripe tomatoes
  • Several Romaine lettuce leaves
  • 2 ounces fresh Mozzarella
  • 4 tablespoons vinaigrette
Instructions
  1. Heat a small skillet to medium high heat. Add Pancetta slices in a single layer, in batches. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until Pancetta is crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.
  2. Lay tomatoes on serving plates, stem side down. With a serrated knife, Cut ¼ inch slices in tomatoes, cutting in vertical slices almost to bottom of tomatoes so that tomatoes will hold together and form a fan shape.
  3. Place Mozzarella slices, Pancetta slices and pieces of lettuce between the slices in the tomatoes. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Other bloggers do fabulous BLT salads:

BLT Salad with Corn, Feta and Avocado, How Sweet Eats
Quick and Easy BLT Salad, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Fried Green Tomato BLT Salad, I Breathe I’m Hungry
BLT Potato Salad, Pressure Cooking Today
Chicken BLT Pasta Salad, Cookin’ Canuck

Grilled Zucchini and Feta Salad

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Grilled Zucchini Feta Salad

Let the grilling season begin!

One of the best smells out there is the smell of food grilling, whether on your own grill or your neighbor’s. That smell announces SUMMER IS HERE! to me, and I am excited to try some new adventures on the grill this year.

I think vegetables are so delicious grilled. You can get a nice char on them but keep their fresh crunch by grilling them quickly at high heat.

Take zucchini, for instance. All you have to do is slice it, toss in oil and grill for just seconds on both sides and you have the perfect zucchini bite. Some of our other grilled zucchini recipes are a huge hit at our home: Charred Salsa Verde, Grilled Zucchini Taco Boats, and Lemony Grilled Zucchini Rollups.

I love the flavors and textures of this grilled zucchini salad. You can use any cheese you like, but my favorite for this recipe is feta. Salty and creamy and tangy. And use toasted nuts – any kind you like – to give the salad a crunch.

Happy summer grilling everyone!

Grilled Zucchini and Feta Salad

2 medium sized zucchini
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium shallots
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 ounce block feta cheese
1/2 cup toasted diced nuts (I like pine nuts for this, but use any favorite)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut zucchini into planks that are a little thicker than 1/4 inches. Brush with oil and grill over high heat until charred and softened, about 3 minutes.

In a small skillet over medium high heat, cook shallots and garlic until they are softened and fragrant. Turn off heat and stir in vinegar and remaining olive oil. Let cool slightly and then taste and add salt and pepper. Toss with grilled zucchini planks and marinate at room temperature for an hour or so.

Spread zucchini on a serving platter and garnish with feta cheese and diced nuts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Grilled Zucchini and Feta Salad
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
  • 2 medium sized zucchini
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 medium shallots
  • 2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 4 ounce block feta cheese
  • ½ cup toasted diced nuts (I like pine nuts for this, but use any favorite)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cut zucchini into planks that are a little thicker than ¼ inches. Brush with oil and grill over high heat until charred and softened, about 3 minutes.
  2. In a small skillet over medium high heat, cook shallots and garlic until they are softened and fragrant. Turn off heat and stir in vinegar and remaining olive oil. Let cool slightly and then taste and add salt and pepper. Toss with grilled zucchini planks and marinate at room temperature for an hour or so.
  3. Spread zucchini on a serving platter and garnish with feta cheese and diced nuts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

 

Boba Fettucine – with Feta – for May the Fourth

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This fettucine recipe is simple, pleasing, and perfectly on-theme for Star Wars Day. Comes together in a snap whether you serve it warm or chilled.

Boba Fettucine Salad #pasta #GFpasta #glutenfree

Boba Fettucine Salad (with, of course, feta)

Any opportunity to geek it up through food, I’m there. It was just a few weeks about that we threw a Star Wars party for my eight year old (who is a huge fan of Rey, and I couldn’t be more stoked about it), and along with some other treats, I decided to have a pasta bar. The featured dishes were Bow Tie Fighter Salad, Padme Thai, Baked RigaTaunTaun (yes, served en corps de stuffed animal), and finally, Boba Fettucine. With feta, of course. Like so:

#starwarsrecipe #starwarsfood

The Force Awakens Pasta Bar. (YES, the signs for the bottom two should be reversed. We were surrounded by 8 year old pandemonium!)

They were all a smash, but the fettucine is so simple and pleasing I thought it’d be perfect to share with you, on this the fourth of May. Being me, it’s gluten-free pasta; obviously you can use whatever you like! Comes together in a snap whether you serve it warm or chilled.

May the Fourth be with you. …

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Raw Corn and Tomato Salad with Roasted Jalapeño Vinaigrette

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Raw Corn and Tomato Salad

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with this raw corn and tomato salad. The southwest twist to this salad I make every summer is a roasted jalapeno vinaigrette.

I hereby officially forgive French chefs for not creating vinaigrettes with roasted peppers – after all, chile peppers are a New World food, and the French didn’t likely have them until recently. Too bad, because minced roasted jalapenos make the vinaigrette flavorful and earthy with a tiny kick of heat.

I like to leave the skins on the peppers to add a bit of charred flavor to the vinaigrette, but you can peel them off after they are charred and cooled if you like. I also like to add them at the end – but you can blend them into the vinaigrette for a smooth dressing if you prefer that.

Either way, this is a simple easy salad packed with flavor that will look stunning on your Cinco de Mayo table!

ROASTED JALAPENO VINAIGRETTE

1 – 2 jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons lime juice
Pinch of lime zest
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and then remove seeds and pulp with a spoon. Toss in a little oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Broil for 2 -3 minutes, until lightly charred. Remove from oven and let cool. Mince.

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.

Drizzle over salad – tomato wedges, raw corn, thinly sliced green onions and micro greens.

Raw Corn and Tomato Salad with Roasted Jalapeño Vinaigrette
 
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So beautiful on your Cinco de Mayo table!
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Southwest
Serves: serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 1 - 2 jalapeno peppers
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • Pinch of lime zest
  • 1 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Dash of cayenne pepper sauce
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
  1. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and then remove seeds and pulp with a spoon. Toss in a little oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Broil for 2 -3 minutes, until lightly charred. Remove from oven and let cool. Mince.
  2. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Drizzle over salad - tomato wedges, raw corn, thinly sliced green onions and micro greens.

 

Other bloggers jalapeno vinaigrettes:

Jalapeno Vinaigrette, Everyday Southwest
Charred Jalapeno Vinaigrette, Sippity Sup
Orange Jalapeno Vinaigrette, Tasting Spoons
Honey Lime Jalapeno Vinaigrette, The Lemon Bowl

Raw Asparagus Salad

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Celebrate Spring with raw – not roasted – asparagus with peas, feta and lemon.

Raw Asparagus Salad

Roasted is usually the way we enjoy asparagus at our house. So I was skeptical when I heard of eating asparagus raw. No more.

This raw asparagus salad is a playful mixture of flavors and textures. The asparagus is crisp, the peas soft and the feta creamy. Stir in a tart lemon vinaigrette and this is a Spring Celebration on your plate.

If you’ve never eaten asparagus raw – neither had I, before this salad – you are in for a real treat. It is crunchy, delicious and so unique served this way. Bonus: it takes only about 10 minutes to put together, and that includes all the chopping! I predict that this will become a spring staple in your house.

Raw Asparagus Salad

Raw Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

2 lemons
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sugar (optional)

1 bunch of thin asparagus
1 block (4 ounces) feta
1 cup frozen peas

Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a blender. Add just a pinch of lemon zest. Add garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil and blend until very smooth. Taste and add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar if desired, to taste.

Slice the tough ends off the asparagus. Slice asparagus into slices a little thicker than 1/4 inch. Cut the feta into 1/4 inch cubes.

Toss the vinaigrette with the asparagus, peas and feta. Serve immediately.

Raw Asparagus Salad
 
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Celebrate all the flavors and textures of spring - and you'll love this new way to eat asparagus: Raw!
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Ingredients
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of sugar (optional)
  • 1 bunch of thin asparagus
  • 1 block (4 ounces) feta
  • 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
  1. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a blender. Add just a pinch of lemon zest. Add garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil and blend until very smooth. Taste and add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar if desired, to taste.
  2. Slice the tough ends off the asparagus. Slice asparagus into slices a little thicker than ¼ inch. Cut the feta into ¼ inch cubes.
  3. Toss the vinaigrette with the asparagus, peas and feta. Serve immediately.

Other food bloggers do raw asparagus:

Shaved Asparagus Salad, Cookin Canuck
Blood Orange Asparagus Salad, Cafe Johnsonia
Shaved Asparagus with Parmesan Salad, A Couple Cooks

Heart Healthy Roasted Beet Salad (Whole30)

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Heart Healthy Beet Salad

So why is it that on a day we celebrate things of the heart, we eat food that is so, so bad for your heart?

I say we start a revolution, a culture change! Let’s start a new tradition of eating heart-healthy foods on Valentine’s Day! Who’s with me?

First dish to make: Heart Beet Salad. (See how I did that – Heart. Beet.)

Beets are amazingly good for you. They have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification benefits in abundance. They are full of betanins, which have been known to reduce heart disease and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. Some believe that regular consumption of beets is what causes Russia to have such a large centenarian population. Why WOULDN’T you feed your sweetheart beets on Valentine’s Day? We want our sweethearts to live long, healthy lives, don’t we?

Roasted Beet Salad

Here’s how easy this one is:

Roast whole beets on a sheet pan at 350 degrees for about an hour, until they are fork tender. Let them cool.

Slice the beets into slices that are a little thicker than 1/4 inch thick. Using heart shaped cookie cutters, cut out some hearts out of the beet slices. Place on a serving plate.

Take fresh Mozzarella (if you’re doing Whole30 eating, use slices of jicama.) and cut it into slices that are little thicker than 1/4 inch thick. Cut out smaller heart shapes. Press the Mozzarella hearts into the beet juices that are left on your cutting board, turning the slices slightly pink. Place these hearts on the beet hearts.

Cut out tiny hearts out of cucumber and scatter on top. Scatter nuts on top – I used roasted hazelnuts.

Drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Heart Healthy Roasted Beet Salad
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 large whole beets
  • 1 ball of fresh Mozzarella cheese
  • A few slices of cucumber
  • Toasted hazelnuts for garnish
  • A few tablespoons of vinaigrette
Instructions
  1. Roast whole beets on a sheet pan at 350 degrees for about an hour, until they are fork tender. Let them cool.
  2. Slice the beets into slices that are a little thicker than ¼ inch thick. Using heart shaped cookie cutters, cut out some hearts out of the beet slices. Place on a serving plate.
  3. Take fresh Mozzarella (if you're doing Whole30 eating, use slices of jicama.) and cut it into slices that are little thicker than ¼ inch thick. Cut out smaller heart shapes. Press the Mozzarella hearts into the beet juices that are left on your cutting board, turning the slices slightly pink. Place these hearts on the beet hearts.
  4. Cut out tiny hearts out of cucumber and scatter on top. Scatter nuts on top - I used roasted hazelnuts.
  5. Drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Other bloggers do beet salads:

Warm Braised Beet Salad, Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts, Girl Gone Gourmet
Grapefruit Beet Salad, Sunday Suppers

Salmon Tarragon Salad

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A Simple Salmon Salad with Tarragon, Shallots, and Carrots

Salmon Salad with Tarragon

Salmon Salad with Tarragon

There’s no doubt this is perfect for a light summer lunch, but using Bear & Wolf canned wild salmon from Costco makes it more than doable any time of year. (I know, this sounds like a sponsored post, but it’s totally not. Just an enthused fan here.) The tarragon, shallots and lemon work so well together, and the carrots lighten the already light salad up even more. Serve over greens, on toast, inside a hollowed-out tomato, whatever your fancy. …

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Tomato Wedge and Raw Corn Salad with Garlic Lemon Vinaigrette

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Tomato Wedge Salad

Summer is the perfect time to celebrate fresh produce – especially tomatoes. There are few things better in life than a ripe heirloom tomato fresh out of your garden. This time of year, our garden is packed with red globes peeking between the green leaves of our tomato plants. I love to go to the garden and pick one of the ripest and reddest tomatoes and eat it right then and there – dirt and all. The juice drips down to my elbows and I don’t even care.

Summer gardens are the best.

This simple fresh tomato salad just screams SUMMER! on a plate. I love the crunch of the raw corn paired with the softness of the ripe flavorful tomato. And the bright lemon vinaigrette with a little bite of raw garlic enhances the ripe tomato flavor so perfectly. This is a simple yet stunning summer salad.

The presentation is as stunning as the flavors. All you do is cut out the core of the tomato, place it on a plate and then with a large serrated knife, slice down through the tomato without cutting all the way through. This creates the beautiful fanned-out effect.

Summer perfection on a plate!

Tomato Wedge Salad

Tomato Wedges Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 large ripe tomatoes
  • 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen and thawed)
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and green
  • Micro Arugula for garnish
  • Lemon vinaigrette:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • ½ tsp. sugar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
  1. Core the tomatoes and place each one on a salad plate. Cut down through the tomato, forming wedges, without cutting all the way to the bottom. Fan tomato wedges out to form a pretty arrangement.
  2. Sprinkle on the corn kernels and green onions slices.
  3. Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle some of vinaigrette over salad. Toss micro arugula in a little vinaigrette. Arrange coated arugula on top of tomato.

Other tomato salads:

Vegan Tomato Salad, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad, How Sweet Eats
Quinoa Kale Corn Salad, Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Avocado Corn and Tomato Salad, A Family Feast