Sunday is for Dinner with Family

This Sunday I gave my uncle a break from cooking and prepared our weekly family feast. They live about an hour away from me so it was a bake-and-take adventure that, with a little reheating in their oven, turned out marvelous.

I awoke Sunday morning "dark and early" (I was literally up before the sun came out) and began by making the French bread. I got that recipe from La Fuji Mama's blog: imperfections.blogspot.com. It baked up nicely with a chewy and browned crust.

This was a classic lasagna made with extra lean ground beef, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesean. Totally not the lasagna I would make if it was just for my mom and I -ours would probably be vegetarian and loaded with extra veggies that would be out-of-the-norm for traditional lasagna, but for "traditional" lasagna this was perfect. It was cheesey and herby and just look at that crisped cheese string pulling delicately from the edge there. My mouth is watering...too bad there are no left overs. Actually that's probably a good thing because besides the extra lean ground beef, this is not waist-line friendly. I got this recipe from the blog canelaycomino.blogspot.com.

Ah, and not the main dish but I belive it became the highlight of our meal, behold: Zucchini Ribbon and Olive Salad. I think the dressing is what really made this and I'm sad to say it was store-bought. I got the original recipe from Chef Louise Mellor at her blog louisemellor.com. Since I adapted the recipe so much I included it in this post. This salad is bright and healthy. It smells sweet from the dressing and the fresh squeezed lemon juice helps to really balance out the flavor. I made the salad several hours ahead of time and it helped the flavors really come together.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

(adapted slightly from the original from Chef Louise Mellor)

(serves 8)

2 green zucchini

2 yellow zucchini squash

1 small can natural California black olives (whole)

1 large tomato

red onion, to taste (I used about 1/8 of a medium onion because it was very strong)

fresh squeezed juice of one lemon

half of a bottle of Braswell's Vidalia Onion and Summer Tomato all natural salad dressing (I found mine at Kroger next to the other salad dressings)

sea salt and fresh crack black pepper, to taste

1.) Using a vegetable peeler, or maybe one of those fancy-smanshy mandolins if you have one (I didn't), carefully shave the zucchini into ribbons. This can be tricky and I almost got frustrated when my ribbons didn't look pretty at all like Louise's but I just kept going and when I was finished I felt satisfied with the results, even though my slices weren't consistent or very "ribbony". I was serving this for my family, not Anthony Bourdain. Put the slices into a serving dish.

2.) Slice the red onion and the tomato thin. Cut the tomato slices in half. Arrange over top of zucchini ribbons.

3.) Arrange olives over salad.

4.) Drizzle the completed salad with Braswell's dressing and add the fresh squeezed lemon juice. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper if desired.

5.) Serve along side a hearty Italian meal or even add a protien source and make this salad dinner!

Loaded Spinach Salad For One

I've been strength training and doing cardio at least 5 times a week for a while and my weight has decreased to a less than healthy level so right now I'm working towards gaining about 5 pounds. For this I have to up my calorie intake slightly to adjust according to my new formed muscle mass and metabolism. But I don't just want to gain them in a throw-caution-to-calories-and-health-food kind of way. I want to make sure the weight I gain is healthy and lean. This spinach salad is super filling and packed with all sorts of good nourishment for your body- protien, healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It's just what my body needs for some healthy fuel. I like my salads with lot's of extra add-ins so if you like your salads a little lighter just adjust the amounts to suit your taste.

Loaded Spinach Salad for One

1 cup fresh baby spinach
half a block of extra firm tofu, sliced into strips
1 small red apple, cut into small chunks
a few slices of red onion, to suit your taste
about 1/8 of a carrot, washed, peeled, and made into small curls using a vegetable peeler
4 cherry tomatoes, each sliced in half
2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 tablespoons dried blueberries or cranberries (sometimes I use a mixture and it's always delicous)
1 large strawberry, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons light honey mustard
1 tablespoon nutrtional yeast (optional)
salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1.) In a large bowl combine the spinach, veggies, apple, and berries. Toss lightly. Then if you like place it on your plate or another personal sized bowl (or eat it out of the large bowl, go ahead with your bad self!)
3.) Lightly grease a medium skillet with extra-virgin olive oil or your fave oil ( If I'm in a hurry I use a wok, if you do this you must use a high heat oil like safflower to keep the tofu from burning). Fry the tofu over medium heat until lightly brown and crisp, flipping over half way to brown both sides and being careful not to break it apart too much. Another way I like to do this is to cut the tofu in thin strips and grill it on my counter top George Foreman, they are so handy.
4.) When tofu is done, remove from skillet and arrange slices over your salad, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
5.) In a small prep bowl whisk together the salt, pepper, and nutrtional yeast with the honey mustard. If you didn't add anything to the honey mustard then just drizzle over the top.
6.) There you have it! A belly-filling and delicous loaded salad to fuel your rockin body. Eat up and feel satisfied!

Broccoli Is Bearable Salad

I could never stomach raw broccoli until I tried this salad. It's pretty low fat if you use light mayo and hey, the broccoli cancels that out right? Besides broccoli, this salad has all sorts of goodies to hand out- apples, pumpkin seeds, berries, and whatever else your little heart desires. This salad makes two decent sized portions.

Broccoli is Bearable Salad:
half a head of broccoli, cut into florets
half a head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 small red apple (or whatever you have on hand, I used washington), cut into chunks
2 slices of your fave lunch meat, torn into small pieces (I like black pepper turkey)
1/4 cup dried mixed berries (I had a blend of dried raisins, cranberries,cherries, and blueberries)
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
3 tbsp light mayo (olive oil mayo or even veganese would go nicely with this too)
1 tsp raw honey (if you buy your honey local it can help with allergies!)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt, to taste
1.) Combine the liquids (mayo, vinegar, and honey) in a medium bowl, mix well.
2.)Then add the rest of the ingredients (unless you like your seeds super crunchy, if you do leave them out). Toss and stir to coat every piece in delicous mayo goodness.
3.) Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors really develop.
4.) If you left the pumpkin seeds out then sprinkle them over the top at this point, then serve, and remind people to eat their broccoli more often! :) Maybe they will now?