Pineapple & Avocado Salad

When I was coming up with our menu plan last week, I was searching for a side dish for this coconut chicken dish.  I love coconut flavour, but there aren't too many veggies that go with it!  So I started to think about fruits instead, and instantly thought of pineapple.  I started my research for a pineapple salad or salsa on pinterest, but most recipes led me to something containing sugar.  In my opinion, pineapple is sweet enough on its own, so you definitely don't need the added sugar.  I based my recipe on this one, but I made significant changes to it, so... here it goes!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a pineapple (about 1.5-2 cups)
• 1/4-1/2 cup diced red onion (depends on how much of the flavour you like)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 
• squeeze of lime juice
• salt & pepper
• 1 avocado

Method:

1. Core your pineapple,  chop it into small pieces, and add to a mixing bowl. Add your diced red onion.

2. In a measuring cup, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange & lime juice, and spices.  Whisk together.  (I squeezed half of a medium sized orange, and got about a quarter cup - so I decided to dice up the other half of my orange and add it into the salad - anything goes here!)

3. Pour the dressing over the pineapple & onion, and mix to allow the flavours to incorporate (let it sit about 5 minutes) - in the meantime, peel and cube your avocado. 

4. Add the avocado to the salad right before serving.  Try not to mix it too much, because the avocado will mush up a bit, and you want the chunks to be whole when served.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest.com, but made my own modifications to use what I had on hand.

Broccoli Salad 

Ingredients

2 bunches of broccoli, washed, chopped
handful of dried cranberries
handful of toasted chopped almonds
handful of chopped walnuts

four strips of 'bacon', crisped, sliced**
4-5 mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup mayo (light, made with olive oil in my case)
tiny bit of milk (almond in my case)

Directions:

Fry up the bacon and mushrooms until crispy (or sweaty in case of the mushrooms). **I used chicken bacon and did not use oil. In the meantime, combine broccoli, cranberries, and nuts. In a small bowl, mix mayo and mix with a tiny bit of milk to get a smoother, more liquid-y consistency.

Mix everything else together - bacon, mushrooms, and mayo sauce.

Eat, and enjoy! The cranberries and crispy 'bacon' make the broccoli absolutely to die for. You'll love it, I promise!

Broccoli Salad, with some leftover bits of salad from the other night!

Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad

This recipe is an adaption from one I discovered on Pinterest. Please feel free to alter it as you wish!

 Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad


Ingredients: 

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
seasoning to taste*

1 zucchini, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 cups spinach, chopped
1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup chickpeas, drained
seasoning to taste**

Directions: 

In a saucepan, combine rinsed quinoa and water. *I used about a tablespoon of Epicure's chicken broth powder, whereas the original recipe calls for one cup water and one cup carrot juice. Bring to a boil and let simmer with a lid until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the carrots, asparagus, and zucchini in a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Cook just until they begin to soften (or however you like your vegetables cooked!), about 7 minutes.

In a large serving bowl, combine your quinoa, grilled vegetables, chickpeas, spinach, and almonds. **I added a salt-free garlic powder mix, along with lots of fresh black pepper.

This can be served both hot or cold, but keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Sensational Salad!

Since the weather is sunny and warm here in Philly, I decided to throw this salad together for lunch today!

1 container of spring mix
1 handful of spinach leaves
Sliced strawberries - amount to your liking
Sliced grilled chicken breast (previously marinated in Italian seasoning and cooked on the George Foreman)
Gorgonzola cheese - again, amount to your liking - I used 2 ounces
Salas shaker salad topping
Oil/Balsamic Vinegar/Fresh ground black pepper to dress

Put all ingredients in a bowl, top with olive oil/vinegar - shake it up and enjoy!