Craisen Salad

1 head red leaf lettuce

2 heads boston/bibb/butter lettuce

1 large can mandarin oranges, drained (or fresh if you have them)

1 cup craisens

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup sliced almonds

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. maple syrup(or agave, but I like maple syrup best!)

Saute almonds over medium heat with butter and maple syrup, stirring constantly until light brown (be careful not to burn). Remove from pan and set aside. Toss all remaining ingredients together. Add nuts and dressing right before serving.

**Again I like to taoos a small amount of dressing on each individual salad so you can save the leftover salad and it's not soggy.

**Because this is a homemade dressing without fillers a little goes a long way!

**Also when I made this I only did one head of each red and butter lettuce and it was still tons! One head of lettuce would be plenty for a family of 6.

recipe from green smoothie girl... My HERO!

Craisen Salad Dressing

It doesn't have any craisens in it but it is a beautiful purple/red color, and yummy on the craisen salad!

This batch makes over 2 cups. So freeze half for a salad later!

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. mustard (I used brown)

1 tsp. sea salt

1 small red onion cut into fourths

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Blend all ingredients except poppy seeds in a high powered blender until all onion is pureed. Add poppy seeds and pulse a couple of times.

I made this while my parents were in town with the Craisen Salad and everyone loved it!

The BEST Ranch Dressing

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1 Tbsp. dried chives

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

Blend briefly in a high-powered blender until just mixed. Pour into a jar, and put in the fridge for a few hours to meld flavors. If you want more of a ranch dip just use 2 cups sour cream instead of the buttermilk. This would last longer too!

There you have it! No MSG, preservatives, and YUMMY!!! My kids love it:)

Spinach Orzo Ensalada Salad

Spinach Orzo Ensalata

1 cup uncooked whole-wheat orzo pasta (boil it approx. 6-7 mins and rinse well)

10+ cups spinach (about 2 10-oz. bags), chopped

1 pkg. fresh basil, cut into ribbons

2 tomatoes, diced small

1 can black olives, sliced

2 oz. capers (half a 4-oz. jar), drained

1/2 cup raw pine nuts (optional: toasted)

optional: shaved/grated Parmesan to taste

Toss all ingredients except optional Parmesan. Add ZESTY DILL dressing (below) to taste and toss. Top each plate with shaved Parmesan and serve.

I personally like to top each salad with their own dressing so the salad doesn't go to waste if it's not all eaten that day.

I also usually make 1/2 this because it's large. But it does store well in the fridge for a few days.

recipe from green smoothie girl

Tangy Dill Dressing

This is so yummy on the Spinach Orzo Ensalata salad. I think it would also be yummy on veggie wraps.

*One little tip about fresh juice: juice a bunch of lemons, limes, or oranges and put the juice into ice cube trays. Each cube is equal to 2 Tbsp.(1/8 cup) Pop out a couple of cubes and let defrost and you can whip your dressing up in a snap!

Tangy Dill Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. raw honey

2 garlic gloves

1 Tbsp. dried (or 1/4 cup fresh) dill weed

Blend all ingredients in a high-powdered blender. Makes 1 1/2 cups. Can be frozen.

This recipe comes from Green smoothie girl

Smoked Salmon Spread

We served Smoked Salmon spread on toasted baguettes. I toasted the baguettes in the oven with a little olive oil on top.

Smoked Salmon Spread
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound (4 ounces) smoked salmon, minced
Directions
Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and crackers or toasted baguettes.


If you can find it,try Norwegian salmon; it's drier and less salty than other smoked salmon.

Pann Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

Yesterday we decided to try Strawberries with balsamic vinegar! Ther berries tasted amazing served with the Panna Cotta! We saw this on The Barefoot Contessa and thought it was time we tried it! It is delicious - Who ever thought up balsamic vinegar and strawberries? Plus we made another one of Ina's recipes - Smoked salmon dip. I'll get that posted later today. - Enjoy!


Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

1/2 packet (1 teaspoon) unflavored gelatin powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
2 pints (4 cups) sliced fresh strawberries
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated lemon zest, for serving
Directions
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to dissolve.


Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of the cream, the yogurt, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds. Heat the remaining 3/4 cup of cream and the 1/3 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Off the heat, add the softened gelatin to the hot cream and stir to dissolve. Pour the hot cream-gelatin mixture into the cold cream-yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Pour into 4 (6 to 8-ounce) ramekins or custard cups and refrigerate uncovered until cold. When the panna cottas are thoroughly chilled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


Combine the strawberries, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and pepper 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Set aside at room temperature.


To serve, run a small knife around each dessert in the ramkein and dip the bottom of each ramekin quickly in a bowl of hot tap water. Invert each ramekin onto a dessert plate and surround the panna cotta with strawberries. Dust lightly with freshly grated lemon zest and serve.