Spinach Salad

Salad:

Baby Spinach leaves
1-1/2 c. sliced strawberries
1 pear (or apple), cored and sliced
1-2 T. dried *blueberries
1-2 T. chopped *almonds

Dressing:

1/4 - 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
4-5 fresh strawberries
juice from one squeezed lime or lemon

Add salad ingredients to your blender and mix for about 30 seconds.

Drizzle dressing over salad and serve up.

Makes one nice serving :-)  or two, if you feel you have to share.

Ohsoyummers!

*If you don't have the blueberries or almonds, use any small amount of dried fruit as an exchange, such as, raisins, currants, cranberries, chopped dried plums or apricots.
*I frequently switch out walnuts or pecans for the almonds.

Purple Cabbage Salad

Some of my best creations have come about when I was running out of food in the pantry and fridge.  Using what I had on hand, I threw together these few simple ingredients.  Now they are on my 'keep stocked' list.  It taste great freshly made and served up at once or keeps well in the fridge for a day or two if you don't mind a well-marinated flavor.

Here's all you need:

purple cabbage, cleaned and thinly sliced or chopped

cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half

1/2 ripe avocado, chopped

juice from one lime

balsamic vinegar

lemon pepper seasoning

1-2 T. sliced almonds (add to the individual salad servings instead of mixing in with the salad)

Toss together cabbage, cherry tomatoes and avocado.  Squeeze your fresh lime over the salad and toss well so that all your cabbage is coated with the lime juice.  Sprinkle entire salad with balsamic vinegar to taste.  I use approx. 1/4 to 1/2 cup for a head of cabbage.  Season with lemon pepper or other favorite salad spices and serve.  Sprinkle small amount of chopped or sliced nuts to your individual serving of salad.

Store your leftovers and eat with the next couple of days.  

Ohsoyummersandgoodforyou!

Do you like easy to follow Snapguide tutorials?  Find this same recipe HERE

Not your mother's baked apples

I recently created this scrumptious new breakfast while trying to find other tasty ways to enjoy oatmeal and fruit.   Turns out this could also stand in as a dessert, it's that delicious.  Here's what I came up with and it's fast becoming a staple in my kitchen.

Here's what you'll need:

1 apple, with skin, cored and chopped (my current favorite is honey crisp)

1 zucchini, peeled and chopped (you can keep the peel on if you like the taste and if you buy organic)
1-2 T. raisins

1/2-1 t. cinnamon
1 T. dry sweetener (I use 1/2 Stevia and 1/2 coconut sugar)
2 T. water
a couple- three squeezes of fresh lime or lemon

Topping:  1/4 rolled oats, 1 T. chopped walnuts, 1 T. ground flax seed (**Lightly toast in a fry pan on the stove top while your apple/zucchini is cooking in the microwave.)

Toss first 7 ingredients together in a microwavable dish and cover loosely.

Set your microwave on power level 7 or 8 and cook for 5 minutes, depending on your microwave's output. You may want to give it another minute, but check it before you do.  Just make sure you have enough moisture so the contents doesn't dry out or burn.  Five minutes on power level 8 works perfect for me.

**While apple and zucchini are cooking, in a fry pan over medium heat, gently toast the oats, nuts and flax seeds for a few minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn.  The flax seed will go from "perfect to burned in 5 seconds."  Remove from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle your oats over baked apple & zucchini and eat!  I like to stir my oats into the fruit and mix with the syrup at the bottom of the baked yummy stuff....and let the oats swell a bit.  Eat and Enjoy!

Ohsoyummersgoodforus!  Breakfast or Dessert!  You choose.  Hmmm, maybe I'll have for breakfast and dessert!

I've also made this on the stove top...just takes a bit more time, more attention, more stirring.  Do whatever floats your zucchini!