Tag Archives: onions

Easy & Healthy Salad Recipes

You have all heard me say that salads are not considered lunch in my book. I don’t think they are filling, while I have had some tasty salads with chicken/meat in it I still don’t like salads to have any sort of animal meat, and in all honesty I feel like salads are deceiving. When I say “deceiving” I mean they can be so fattening! You hear someone say “I’m eating a salad” (as their meal) many will assume that they are one of those people that are conscious about healthy eating. But that’s such a lie! If I eat a salad every day, while at the same time stuff my face with the same foods I’m already consuming, will that make me shed a few pounds? Hmmm — probably not.

But, I am truly not a salad hater. I think salads can be very healthy and be loaded with flavor. While I won’t eat a salad as an entire meal, I will enjoy one in addition to something else I am gobbling down.

My most recent salad fetishes include what I like to call my “Greece, Meet Capri” salad and my “Wally the Goat”. I’m strange, I know. I make up strange names, but who cares — it’s just me creating these fabulous salads. After you read below how to make these salads of mine, you’ll agree that they are both fairly healthy and they were created off of inspiration of other salads I adore.

My father and I chatting with a local in Anacapri, Italy.

My father and I chatting with a local in Anacapri, Italy.

Greece, Meet Capri

I am totally my father’s daughter — I love olives! So naturally, I’m happy to throw them into my salad. Oh, wait, there’s already a salad that does that!? Actually, the salad I have created is a spin off of a Greek Salad; I love the combination of flavors, the color and of course the healthy ingredients are a plus! But, I am not a fan of thick salad dressing. It makes me feel like I have ruined my salad — turning it from a healthy snack or side dish to a fatty one, and who would want that? I have also come to love cooking & baking with lemons. Lemon juice, lemon zest — you name it, I love it. I was actually inspired by the world of lemons when I went to Capri with my family back in 2010. The citrus flavor can be used in recipes in countless ways — there’s also nothing unhealthy about it!

Close to Capri, in Pompeii, you'll see tons of drink stands that rely on their citrus!

Close to Capri, in Pompeii, you’ll see tons of drink stands that rely on their citrus!

What You Will Need:

  •  Romaine Lettuce
  • Red Onions
  • Kalamata Olives
  • Tomatoes (cherry or vine)
  • Feta Cheese
  • Sweet Peppers (or spicy, if you’d like!)

For the Dressing:

  • Olive Oil
  • Lemon Zest

Directions:

  • Everyone has a different preference as to how much of what ingredients they would like to use, so please feel free to throw in lots of tomatoes if they are your favorite (or lots of olives, I love those!)
  • Chop up the lettuce
  • Slice a few (or a lot) slices of red onion
  • Slice a tomato or multiple cherry tomatoes
  • Throw the ingredients into a bowl including the olives!
  • Crumble the feta cheese over top
  • Combine a cup of olive oil and 1 zested lemon into a bowl or salad dressing shaker if you have one, once shaken add over top of the salad and toss the salad!
My lovely "Greece, Meet Capri" salad!

My lovely “Greece, Meet Capri” salad!

Wally The Goat

I will admit, lots of folks out there may not be a fan of some of the overwhelming flavors of many of the ingredients in the first salad. Which is why I depend on my “Wally The Goat” recipe, which I have been making for years! It’s actually probably the first salad I ever fell in love with eating. Years may have gone by, but I still to this very day love every bite of this salad! A few years ago, I was trying to get a family friend’s child to taste-test this salad; the little girl asked me what the name of the salad was but I didn’t have an answer for her. So, I told her if she tried the salad, she could name it! We settled on “Wally The Goat” because two main ingredients are goat cheese and walnuts. What a smart (and cute) cookie she was!

What You Will Need:

  • Fresh “Spring Mix” of greens (or Spinach if you prefer — I like to take turns with these)
  • Chopped Walnuts
  • Plain Goat Cheese
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
  • Dried Cranberries

Directions:

  • Toss the Spring Mix, chopped walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, and dried cranberries
  • Add the dressing and toss well
  • BOOM! YOU’RE DONE! Stuff your face, and love the salad as much as I do!
A view from the Viceroy in Anguilla!

A view from the Viceroy in Anguilla!

Want to go a little crazy? Try this wicked fabulous salad I had once at The Hearst Tower cafeteria as an intern at Food Network Magazine. I later had it when I traveled to Anguilla for a vacation with my boyfriend. Who knows what it’s called, but I guarantee that several people reading this will think it sounds nasty — I promise you, it is not! So, for the sake of naming all of the salads in my life strange names… I’d love to hear from you — WHAT SHOULD I CALL THIS SALAD!? Tell me below in a comment!

 

What You Will Need:

  • Cubed Watermelon
  • Kosher Salt
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
  • Crumbled Goat Cheese
  • Chopped Basil (optional)

Directions:

  • Pour the cubed watermelon on a plate
  • Sprinkle lightly with some Kosher salt
  • Sprinkle with goat cheese
  • Drizzle with Balsamic Vinaigrette (or, for a more intense taste, just drizzle *lightly* some balsamic vinegar. I love this!)
  • Add some chopped basil for some extra flavor — not necessary though!

I hope everyone enjoys some of my favorite salad recipes! I promise, next time I make these, I will take more photos to share them with you!

Chicago’s Pancake House

My boyfriend is from Chicago and I always look forward to our trips back to the Midwest to visit his family. Not only do I love his family, but I have come to love Chicago as well (don’t tell any of my New York friends). Chicago is full of friendly & energetic people, the crowd is both young and old (if you want to call people “old”), and the city is spectacularly clean (unlike NYC).

We have also had many exciting culinary experiences in the city of Chicago (remember my post on Joe’s?). Of course I am now dying to go to Giuliana & Bill Rancic’s new restaurant, but this trip to Chicago didn’t give us any time to squeeze in a dinner out on the town (we were in town for a wedding). So, we settled for a tasty breakfast instead of dinner.

In the downtown section of Chicago we walked from the new Waldorf Astoria to the Pancake House, which was only a few blocks away from each other. Architecture in Chicago is very different than typical New York City buildings — I love how you can see everything in Chicago all on one block no less… You’ll see the newly designed buildings that have a more “green” and exotic style, you’ll see the old-school (yet gorgeous) town houses, and then you’ll see a random little building like the Pancake House that looks like someone’s personal country-style home. So adorable!

Luckily we arrived before a huge rush — although the restaurant was already packed and we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes. The orange juice that was sipped down before our food arrived was freshly squeezed and exceptionally refreshing! We ordered the Apple Pancake and the Dutch Baby to share with the entire table — these two dishes are signature plates that you must order to get the full experience. I love apples, so of course I knew I would enjoy the Apple Pancake. I guess I wasn’t expecting how much I would love it though. Think of two things: apple pie, and cinnamon pancakes. Now, put the two together. That’s exactly what the Apple Pancake is… fluffy pancakes with rich cinnamon-glazed granny apple slices. It’s also a great dish to share with everyone, it’s easy to cut and isn’t as messy as you might expect!

I wasn’t as big of a fan of the Dutch Baby, probably because my boyfriend ordered it as “The Dutch Pancake.” Having spent time in The Netherlands, I expected to have more of a classic Dutch-style pancake… and that’s not what the Dutch Baby is.

I recently watched an episode of “The Barefoot Contessa” where Ina baked her pancakes in the oven (brilliant, I have to say). When she took the pancakes out of the oven they were extremely fluffed up and the outside of the pancake was much higher than the middle. That’s exactly what this Dutch Baby looked like. Covered with whipped butter, lemon, and powdered sugar, the Dutch Baby is crispier on the edges and softer in the middle. The flavor wasn’t anything spectacular and was fairly bland.

I ordered a skillet that had the following in the dish: hash browns on the bottom, green pepper, red pepper, onion, and pepper jack cheese, topped with 2 eggs that were cooked over-easy. Once I punctured the egg and let the egg yolk run out all over the hash browns, veggies and cheese I knew the flavors would infuse perfectly together. And I was right! The pepper jack cheese add a beautiful spice to the plate — it was nothing overwhelming, but a little heat makes eggs taste great (wouldn’t you agree?). Quickly my boyfriend’s fork made its way over to my skillet and he enjoyed the dish just as much as I did!

I hope we are able to go back the next time we are in Chicago! The prices were very reasonable and the service was extremely attentive. Bravo Pancake House, bravo!