CUCUMBER DILL SALAD
BY: COOKIE + kate
"c e l e b r a t i n g w h o l e f o o d s"
This refreshing, light salad is wonderful on its own, but also great with whole wheat pita bread (or tortilla) and plain Greek yogurt. I also enjoyed it on a bed of mixed greens, with a little bit of olive oil and vinegar as dressing.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
- 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a good sized bowl, toss all of the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. If you have time, cover and store in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavors blend.
NOTES:
My dill plant dried up long ago (RIP), so I bought one of those Living Herbs packages of dill at the grocery store and used almost the entire package for this salad.
PREPARATION TIPS: Taste each cucumber before chopping it up! If you find one that has bitter skin, peel it before dicing. One of my three cucumbers, strangely, tasted bitter and I wish I had removed the skin on it before adding it to the rest.
At first, I chopped the tomatoes and cucumbers into pretty big chunks, but I later found that I enjoyed the salad more when they were chopped more finely (see the cucumber salad on top of the mixed greens). I suggest chopping them into small pieces from the beginning.
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE: Skip out on the feta.
PREPARATION TIPS: Taste each cucumber before chopping it up! If you find one that has bitter skin, peel it before dicing. One of my three cucumbers, strangely, tasted bitter and I wish I had removed the skin on it before adding it to the rest.
At first, I chopped the tomatoes and cucumbers into pretty big chunks, but I later found that I enjoyed the salad more when they were chopped more finely (see the cucumber salad on top of the mixed greens). I suggest chopping them into small pieces from the beginning.
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE: Skip out on the feta.
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MARINATED ZUCCHINI SALAD WITH OLIVES, ARTICHOKES, PEPPERS & ONIONS
BY: KAYLYN'S KITCHEN
"d e l i c i o u s l y h e a l t h y l o w - c a r b r e c i p e s"
Ingredients:
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)
1 can large pitted black olives, drained very well
1 jar marinated (or fresh) artichoke hearts, drained very well
1 red pepper chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 red onion chopped into bite-sized pieces
Dressing Ingredients:
1 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
(or your favorite Italian dressing with no sugar)
juice of half lemon (2 T)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese
1 T dried basil (or use 2 T basil pesto or 3 T. chopped fresh basil)
1 tsp. dried oregano
Optional: additional 1/4 cup grated parmesan to sprinkle over salad just before serving
Instructions:
Cut zucchini into quarter slices or bite sized pieces. (If you're using large zucchini, cut away the seeds and most of the white part.) Steam zucchini until barely tender/crisp, about 3 minutes, then drain very well. (You can plunge the steamed zucchini into water with ice cubes to stop the cooking if you're in a hurry, but I don't always do that.)
While zucchini is cooking, open olives and artichoke hearts and dump into a colander to drain well. (Draining the zucchini and olives well is essential or the finished salad will be watery.) Chop the red bell pepper and red onion into bite-sized pieces.
While zucchini is cooking, open olives and artichoke hearts and dump into a colander to drain well. (Draining the zucchini and olives well is essential or the finished salad will be watery.) Chop the red bell pepper and red onion into bite-sized pieces.
Combine zucchini, olives, artichoke hearts, red pepper and red onion in plastic or glass container with a lid (or use a Ziploc bag.) Pour dressing over, just enough to cover veggies, and stir gently. (I usually only use part of the dressing to marinate the veggies and then stir in a little more dressing when I serve it.)
Marinate in refrigerator 4-8 hours. If you can turn it over once in a while to keep the vegetables covered with dressing that would be great, but it's not essential. Just before serving stir in a little of the reserved dressing. Sprinkle the salad with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese when serving if desired.
At the risk of sounding like a cheese snob, let me say that this is best with freshly grated cheese. I like to grate it on the large side of the grater for the final 1/4 cup and serve the salad with the grated cheese not mixed in. However if all you have is pre-grated Parmesan, not to worry. It will still be yummy.
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FRENCH GREEN BEANS (MAXIBEL BEANS) WITH PROSCIUTTO & PINE NUTS
BY: Andrea Meyers
"m a k i n g l i f e d e l i c i o u s"
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound haricot verts (thin French green beans or Maxibel beans), trimmed
- 1 teaspoon light olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoons minced fresh sage
- sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 slices prosciutto, cut into ribbon
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
PREPARATION
- Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the beans, return to a boil, and simmer until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the beans, garlic, sage, a pinch of the salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are browned in places, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts, lemon zest, and prosciutto. Season with lemon juice and zest, and add more salt and pepper to taste.
