I love Greek salad… I mean LOVE!!! So tonight I decided to make a simple Greek salad.  Unfortunately, the meal plan I’m currently on, doesn’t allow me to eat cheese and my husband and kids recently announced to me that they hate olives. So those two key ingredients had to be omitted and all of a sudden I wasn’t making a Greek salad anymore.

I thought, oh well, I’ll just throw my other ingredients together and we’ll see how it goes.  Well, it went superbly!!!  In fact, it is one of my favorite salads.  Simple, vegan, and delicious!  Typically, I love adding extra ingredients to a salad… something fun and out of the box.  Well, my friends, this salad doesn’t need anything extra… perfect the way it is! The mixture of lemon, dill, and garlic made my husband ask for more salad… and he is not a salad guy!  All he kept saying was … it tastes so “fresh”… amazing!!

What do I love most about this salad?  It’s a great “base” for any other salad invention you want to come up with.  Add salami and other cold cuts and you have a chef salad.  Add feta and olives, and you have a Greek salad.  You can really have fun with this!!

But if you are busy and you need a quick salad which your guests will be in love,  this is it!!  Pair it with a crusty bread, and you will be in heaven!!

2 Bibb Lettuce Heads
4 Tomatoes cut into fourths
1 cucumber
4 Tbsp fresh Dill (you can also use any herb… oregano, parsley, mint, etc!

Dressing
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 crushed garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper to taste

Make dressing by mixing oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a measuring cup or a small bowl.  Set aside.

Put the lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes in a salad bowl and add some salt.  You can leave the salad sitting for a bit so the salt brings out the fluids of the cucumbers and tomatoes.  Toss the salad.  Right before serving mix the dressing again and pour it over the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle with dill and serve.

I don’t know if you heard the news, but the Kansas City Royals won the World Series!!  It’s a pretty big deal in KC.  In fact, they closed all the schools yesterday so that everyone can enjoy the Rally and Parade.  Over half a million people attended and it was a celebration like no other!  And while most of Kansas City was enjoying the parade, I decided to skip the crowds and instead, had a watch party at my house.   My friend brought over delicious Dean and Deluca salads, while I created this vegetable platter.  Unfortunately, no blue vegetables (Royals color)… but this  Kaleidoscope of colors did the trick!  The Beet and White Bean hummus was delicious.  I found the recipe on Marthastewart.com and played around a little with the ingredients, which I will post at a later date.  But for now,  Martha’s Beet and White Bean Hummus recipe is very good!!

If you are looking for a power salad… this is it!  Edamame, quinoa, eggs, feta cheese, I can go on and on!  But instead of me telling you how wonderful it is, why don’t you try it for yourself!  It will not disappoint!!

3 lb Frozen Edamame

1lb Cooked Quinoa

1 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

1 Bunch Chopped scallions

2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

2 Hard-boiled Eggs

1 Cup of Plain Yogurt

Baguette

Dressing:

6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1-2 Garlic Clove (crushed)

salt and pepper to taste

First, mix the ingredients for the dressing. In the olive oil, add lemon juice, crushed garlic clove, and salt and pepper to taste. I also would recommend garlic salt. Set aside.

Cook the frozen edamame beans according to package direction. Once the edamame beans are cooked, salt and pepper them slightly and place in a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the beans while they are still warm . Sprinkle with feta cheese, add the scallions, and toss until well coated. Sprinkle dill on top and arrange the eggs.

Serve warm with bread and have a bowl of plain yogurt for people to dip the bread in.  This salad is a meal within itself!  You will love it!

Who wouldn’t love a Veggie Wheel Plate at your next gathering?!  You don’t need those fancy schmancy veggie bowls with the separate compartments for your vegetables, just make your own.  I used different colored carrots to separate the vegetables.  It was easy and beautiful.

Love tomatoes?  I’ve got a delicious salad for you!  This salad combines some of my favorites… tomatoes, avocados, onions, and basil!  Perfect summer or fall salad.  But seriously, can you picture this salad on your table during the holidays… red and green… perfection!! Here’s the recipe!

2-3 Large hot house tomatoes
1   Avocado
1/4 Cup diced onions
7-9 Leaves of fresh basil
1/4 Cup of Olive oil or Extra Virgin Olive oil.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice tomatoes and arrange on a plate.  Sprinkle diced onions on top and salt both tomatoes and onions well.  Set aside for 30 minutes.  Slice avocados and place on top of salad.  Pour olive oil over the salad.  Finish off with pepper and chopped basil leaves.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Delicious, healthy, and simple veggie plate

What do you do with the leftover veggies from yesterday’s Monster Veggie Platter?  You make a new veggie plate and serve it up as a delicious snack while watching the World Series game!  Super easy and delicious!!

If you love swiss cheese, this is your recipe!  It’s so easy and it is such an interesting way to enjoy your cheese.  Plus, it’s wonderful for parties and scores big with the low carb party guests.  It’s a win-win, so try it today.  The recipe is so easy, you can literally enjoy it in about 5 minutes!  Oh, and before I forget to make everyone’s day… this works pretty much with any sliced cheese, including CHEDDAR… my other favorite cheese :-).

INGREDIENTS

5 slices of swiss cheese (Yep, that’s it!)

PREPARATION

Rip your cheese slice in half, and place it on a plate.  Cook in microwave for 3 minutes.  Once done, peel the cheese off the plate and place on a paper towel.  Wait for it to cool and dry and enjoy your cheese chips.  The longer they dry, the crispier they’ll get.  You can also serve them with your favorite dip, although I prefer to eat the chips all by themselves!

For Easter brunch, my family went to Lidia’s in Kansas City.  It was a wonderful brunch and I tried a number of delicious dishes.  One of the items I ordered was the Asparagus E prosciutto appetizer.

Isn’t it beautiful?  It really caught my eye when they placed it in front of me.  When I tried it, I liked it, but wondered if I could make a similar dish, which is bigger and healthier.  The ingredients listed on the menu at Lidia’s for the Asparagus E prosciutto is  Asparagus, Scallion and Egg Salad with Prosciutto di Parma.  I’m on a carb free eating plan and wasn’t sure what was in the dressing or the egg salad.  So, I thought I would try to re-create the salad at home, with ingredients that were more accommodating to my eating plan.  Here is the salad I created.

Here is my recipe… all these ingredients are fabulous and good for you! I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.

RECIPE:
8-9 fresh asparagus which are blanched for 1-2 minutes
2-3 hard boiled eggs
2-3 fresh radishes
1/2 avocado
4 slices of prosciutto ham (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1-2  tbsp of balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixture
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up your eggs and place them in the middle of your plate to create the bed for the salad.  Top with radish slices.  Drizzle with a little bit of the dressing and salt and pepper.  Place the blanched asparagus on top of the egg and radishes.  Place the prosciutto pieces around the outside of the plate.  Top off with diced avocado and cilantro.  Last but not least, drizzle the remaining dressing all over the salad and serve!

If you love sub sandwiches but hate having to consume the extra calories from the massive buns, you will LOVE this sub sandwich on a stick! Much lower calorie than the real thing, less carbs and perfect for parties! Super easy! CLICK HERE TO READ THE RECIPE

I am absolutely in love with this recipe!  It is perfect in every way!  I love that people who are watching their carbs can enjoy this.  As a low carb eater, I find it hard, at some parties, to find items I can enjoy.  However, now you can create a beautiful appetizer without having to worry about your carb count.  If you don’t like endives, this recipe is great as a side dish as well!!!

CAULIFLOWER AND BACON BOATS

1 Head of Cauliflower
5 Strips of Bacon
1/4 -1/2 cup of chopped onion
3 Garlic Cloves – chopped
1 Tbsp of your favorite fresh herbs
1 Tbsp nutmeg
1/2 stick of butter of 1/4 cup of olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1 Tsp of lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
1 endive
2 Tbsp of your favorite salad dressing (I love ranch)

Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Arrange on a baking pan and roast in your oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower becomes tender.  Once the cauliflower is done, heat butter or olive oil in a pan and saute the onions and garlic.  Throw in the bacon and continue until its ready.  For the last step, add the cauliflower to the mixture in the pan and add lemon juice, lemon zest, nutmeg, herbs, and salt and pepper.  Arrange the endive leaves on a plate and add a drop or two of your favorite dressing.  Fill with the cauliflower mixture.  Sprinkle dried chives, or any herb you adore and serve immediately.

The cauliflower mixture can also be prepared a day ahead! Or served as a side dish without the endive boats.