OFF to Frrrrrance! Pear Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad

Well, we are at the airport getting ready to board! Our new life is about to begin! Tama is so excited he could hardly sleep last night and waking up this morning it was the first thing on his mind! He has been such a sport and he the best traveler I could possible wish for! I guess we have talked up going to France, and going to school, and how there is soccer there and trains and really good ice cream and what not for the past 5 months that he is beyond excited! Hopefully it meets his expectations because I can hardly imagine what he has pictured in his little head . He does know that his birthday is there and Halloween will happen too so I guess that along with some ice cream is enough to please a kid!

Anyway, we can hardly believe that everything has finally worked out! Nothing…. and I mean pretty much nothing has worked out how we imagined but it has all worked out and probably in the end better than we could have planned. What lays ahead is a mystery but we have traded in our shorts, and t’s for boots and jackets so we are at least that prepared, ha! Click here to Read More

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Andrea in Gluten-Free Meals, Main Dishes, Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetables We truly love to hear from you, Please Leave Us a Comment.

Tomato Basil Feta Salad

Well, we are now in Utah, spending a week here with my family for my little brothers wedding! We are way up in the mountains and there is hardly anyone up here and it feels amazing! Such a contrast from being in San Francisco for the past couple of days- which was constantly crazy.

Long story short, I went to San Francisco, by myself, for mine and Tamas French Visa three days ago and ended up getting stuck there for two days! I was suppose to fly in and out on the same day (back to Canada where Tama and Shem are) but when I went to the airport they would not let me board without my passport (the French Consulate takes your passport and then mails it back with the visa stamped in). So I get to the airport and they said there is no way I can fly home, even though I had all sort of other ID. Being a little pregnant emotional girl, I started crying and everything…and they still wouldn’t let me! Uhgg, so gut wrenching and stressful! Click here to Read More

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Andrea in Gluten-Free Meals, Main Dishes, Salads, Sides, Snacks and Healthy Treats, Uncategorized, Vegetables 8 Comments

Sweet’n Tangy Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad is pretty amazing. The first time I tried it, I started downing it like I would apple crisp- plate after plate. But hey it’s healthy, so the more the better right! Not even close. It was a bacon, cheese, mayo masterpiece. I knew it was just a tad too good to be healthy. Trying to up my health game lately, seeing how I spent a good solid month with a staple diet of Salt’n Vinegar Potato Chips, I knew I needed to make some changes.

Pregnancy got woozy and crazy and I seriously went a full month where all I could handle was Salt’n Vinegar chips. Thank goodness things are normal now and I can make some wiser choices! OH, and oh my gosh, I just found out… we are having a BOY!! We are beyond excited and we saw the ultra sound and he wasn’t a potato chip… which I was kind of worried about! It looks like all my intuition about having a little girl was completely off! What do I know… but hey we are beyond excited and feel so very blessed. Click here to Read More

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Andrea in Gluten-Free Meals, Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetables 3 Comments

Roasted Citrus Beet Salad with Blue Cheese and Craisins

I am sharing a few more roasted beet treats with you because I just loved how the first one turned out. This one, to keep things simple, uses the same citrus vinaigrette. You can transform the Roasted Citrus Beet Salad left overs (if you have-or just double the recipe to make sure you do) into a slightly different variation and get a whole new mouth full of flavors with this winning combination! I would love to hear your favorites?! Maybe it’s this bun in my oven that is crying for roasted beets because right now, it is calling to me!

Summer time is right around the corner, and like our clothing starts to get a little brighter along with our moods, so does the food! Click here to Read More

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Andrea in Salads, Sides 2 Comments

Roasted Sweet Spiced Beets

This is the last roasted beet posting for a while. I promise! Unless you want more?…. don’t tempt me! Some of you out there might not like beets… and if this is you, was it because you ate them from a can? Canned beets are nasty, and its a shame that they exist and give this vibrant vegetable a bad name…if this is what has been holding you back, erase that canned beet memory and start fresh. Then tell me you don’t like them!

This roasted beet recipe has an added kick to it! I usually pair beets with more sweet vinaigrette’s or rubs but decided to go out on a limb and put the beet with the savory and guess what, it made a sweet and savory concoction that I want to eat all day long! Click here to Read More

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Andrea in Gluten-Free Meals, Main Dishes, Salads 6 Comments

Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Citrus Vinaigrette and Goat Cheese

This salad does not need a lot of talking up, because it speaks for itself!

Bursting with flavors and colors, this is as fun of a salad to look at, as it is to serve and eat!

Roasted beets naturally caramelize and are full of deep flavor and can be tossed in a salad or eaten alone! Click here to Read More

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Andrea in Gluten-Free Meals, Salads 5 Comments

Your Daily Quinoa Salad

Who’s with me on this one: Lunch can be a royal pain in the side. Like most women, I wear at least a dozen different hats in a day (mother, wife, maid, therapist, chef, party planner, church callings, accountant, nurse…etc) so taking a pause to indulge in a fabulous leisurely lunch isn’t always an option. I wish I lived in a country where two hour lunches were the norm, or maybe I just wish I had enough self-discipline to impliment that in my own home. But I strike out on both wishes, and even though I give my kids a balanced lunch where they’re sitting down and eating at least two or three courses, I’m not included in that picture. You’ll find me standing up serving and cleaning and multitasking.

Sound familiar to anyone?

So I have learned to rely on keeping a big bowl of a nutrition packed, filling, and satisfying salad that I make once and it lasts a few days. A pile of leaves wouldn’t do the trick either, not for the amount of running around that happens in a day (and the energy it takes to grow a baby-in-belly). Thank the Heavens that Quinoa has entered the American market and is a readily available product these days!

Click here to Read More

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Tawny in Dairy Free, Gluten-Free Meals, Salads 2 Comments

Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette

Don’t be scared- come back here! You may be thinking, ‘watermelon in my salad- I’ll pass.’ Trust me I was thinking the same thing, but guess what? That is why we are here- to test and trial recipes, find the best, and present the golden tickets to you! We are all about making your cooking experience a little less intimidating, and a lot more rewarding and this particular number takes no longer than 10 minutes to prepare!

We want you to to enjoy your kitchen, get to know your ingredients, and look forward to your chance to create masterpieces. We want you to enjoy one of the most important tasks we do each day-EATING! Isn’t it amazing that life, culture, relationships, love , the mere need of pure survival is embedded in food? FOOD for crying out loud! For some, cooking, baking, even the task of entering a kitchen is scarey, and the thought makes one cringe, but I say, dismiss the idea that cooking is a chore! Let it be experienced, lived, and enjoyed as it is intended. Click here to Read More

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Andrea in Salads 2 Comments

Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

(These photos were taken by the lovely Megumi who has her own food/fashion/photographer blog! Check her out!)

There is something so refreshing about cold sweet cucumbers. With spring here, and summer just around the corner, hot summer days are on their way! This salad is so light and refreshing you could eat it all day long! It looks fancy dancy but it is so simple and quick to prepare. If you have good ingredients it does not take much to create fresh bold flavors which this salad is a living testament of. I am telling you, once you try this salad it will become a staple quick fix healthy option. Click here to Read More

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Andrea in Gluten-Free Meals, Salads 3 Comments

Cucumber Avocado Salad with Feta and Mint

Leave the stove top off because there is cooking necessary for this recipe! This is an all fresh, no fuss, completely healthy and still- packed with bold-flavor item. The only thing you need to know how to do is dice, chop, and toss!

You can add or take out whatever you like. Tomato is a great addition and feel free to use any type of onion if you do not have scallions laying around! Remove the feta if cheese isn’t your thing and you still have a great mix!

This is good with chips, in tortillas, on bread, in a sandwich, on top of a bed of lettuce, as a soup topping, or tossed with quinoa or couscous.

Another suggestion is adding shrimp (diced) or white fish (such as cod- cubed) to create a Ceviche! (go to recipe here)

Cucumber Avocado Salad with Feta and Mint

Author: Andrea

Recipe type: Appetizer, Salad, Dip, Gluten Free

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 Cucumbers (seeded and diced)
2 Avocados (diced) (easy method for
handling an avocado)
2 Tablespoons Green Chilies (Optional)
¼ cup Chopped Scallions
¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
¼ cup Chopped Mint
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
¼ cup Lemon Juice
¼ cup Feta Cheese (Crumbled)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Splash of Hot sauce (Optional)

Instructions

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for an hour (if you can stand to wait). Let sit in the refrigerator so the flavors can marry.
Serve with chips, in tortillas, on bread, in sandwich, in a pita, on top a bed of lettuce, topped on a soup, tossed with quinoa or couscous.

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Andrea in Gluten-Free Meals, Salads 2 Comments

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