On VIP Breakdown: Top 20 VIP Breakdown stories of 2008

Recipe: Avocado Salad Wraps

Posted by Jenny Lewis Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dishes, Quick Meals, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Fruit, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian

avocado salad

It’s summer, and the food lobe of my brain turns to one thing when the weather starts warming up - avocados. Being on the East Coast, avocados are definitely my favorite summertime-only indulgence, and they are well worth the wait in all of their forms. Another recipe from Clean Eating magazine, these Avocado Salad Wraps are fantastic as a light lunch or, when paired with some bread or tortillas, a stove-free dinner on a hot day.

Ingredients:

  • 2 T Dijon mustard
  • 1 medium ripe avocado, diced
  • 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped into pieces the same size as the avocado
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • lime juice (optional)
  • 4 big lettuce leaves (romaine works great)

Preparation:
Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. If the wraps aren’t going to be eaten right away, toss some lime juice into the bowl with the salad.

Divide the salad between the 4 lettuce leaves, wrap and enjoy!  Or, if you’re like me, eschew the lettuce altogether and eat the salad straight out of the bowl.

Read More | Clean Eating Magazine

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Recipe: Summer Pasta Salad

Posted by Jenny Lewis Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dishes, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Cheese, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian

summer-pasta-salad

This pasta salad is one of my favorite potluck contributions. Because of the fact that the pasta has to be completely cool - at most room temperature - before assembling the salad, it’s a great dish to start at night and finish the next day. Here’s a recipe for a great Summer Pasta Salad:

Ingredients:

  • 1 Lb smallish, shaped pasta (rotini, farfalle, macaroni, anything small and easily fork-able)
  • 1/2 bottle of Italian dressing (not creamy)
  • 4 T Salad Supreme
  • 1 12 to 14 inch cucumber or two smaller ones, peeled and seeded
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved
  • 4 ounces Provolone cheese (this is usually 4 slices of prepackaged sliced cheese)
  • 4 ounces salami (again, usually 4 slices of prepackaged sliced meat, but this can also be 4 ounces from a whole salami)

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Recipe: Sauteed Corn, Spinach, and Green Beans

Posted by Monica Edwards Categories: Dinner, Side Dishes, Recipes, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian, America

Sauteed corn, spinach, and green beansI prefer to have vegetables prepared with every dinner that I serve my family, so it is nice to come across a recipe that is easy to prepare while the entree is cooking away. True, the kids may pick and choose which veggie is their favorite, as my 4-year-old would, but I enjoy all three as I hope your family will. This recipe calls for frozen vegetables to save time, but I always love to use fresh when given the choice…up to your preference.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pkg. 10 oz. frozen corn kernels
  • 1 pkg. 10 oz. frozen cut green beans
  • 5 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • coarse salt and ground pepper

Preparation:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high, add corn and green beans, and cook about 4-6 minutes, until green beans are warmed through. Next add the thyme and spinach, seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss until spinach is wilted, about 1-2 minutes, then stir in the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in a bright dish for added pizazz.


Recipe: Tomato, Chickpea, and Arugula Salad

Posted by Monica Edwards Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dishes, Quick Meals, Recipes, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian, America

Tomato Chickpea salad

I absolutely love salads, so when I come across a new recipe, I have to share it with everyone - we all could use more veggies in our diets. This recipe is quite simple and tasty, as well as pleasing to the eye—because I am a huge believer in that we first eat with our eyes, before our mouths.

Ingredients:

  • 3 ounces baby arugula
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted if desired(my preference)
  • 2 TB red wine vinegar
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

Preparation:
In medium bowl, layer the first 5 ingredients and set aside. In separate tightly lidded container, combine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper; shake until blended. Pour directly onto salad and toss.

Enjoy a fresh, quick salad.


Blackberry Salad Dressing Recipe

Posted by Jenni Burns Categories: Side Dishes, Recipes, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian, America

Blackberry Dressing

My friend Crystal is a creative cook, and she came up with this recipe when we were over for dinner the other day. It was amazing! I was so glad when she shared the recipe with me. We enjoyed this dressed over a lush bed of greens tossed with candied pecans and dried cranberries, the was to die for! I plan to share a pasta recipe from Crystal later this week.

BLACKBERRY DRESSING
Ingredients:

  • 2 cups blackberries
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/2 -3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2-34 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Puree,  douse a bed of delicious greens, and enjoy.


Pot Roast with Vegetables Recipe

Posted by Jenni Burns Categories: Dinner, Recipes, Beef, Meat, Vegetables, America, Roasting, Slow Cooking

Pot Roast

There is something wonderful about the smell of a cooking for hours on a cool autumn day. The spices and juices from the meat fill the house with a lovely inspiring smell. This wafting scent will lure even your pickiest child to the table, to taste of the labors of your hard working oven. I was excited to see that this recipe from All Recipes called to use a because I had not used one before. I used mine for the first time a few days ago, and I was extremely impressed with how well it worked. A worthy investment if you don’t have one.

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Recipe: Diced Rainbow Fruit & Veggie Salad

Posted by Monica Edwards Categories: Side Dishes, Health, Recipes, Fruit, Salad, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, America

Salad

My husband Andru has come to the realization that a lot of the food we eat on a daily basis contains a lot of sodium. Not because I have chosen to dash everything we consume with a bit of salt here and there, but because some foods come into our home with so much added salt through processing. He was fuming about how he had chosen to purchase some soup simply because the label said “Organic” because in our mind set “organic” is supposed to mean good for you, but that is not necessarily true so he went off in a tirade after reading the label and seeing that in a one cup serving of this “good” soup there was 980 mg. of sodium, 41% of the sodium we need for the day in one cup of delicious death. He was very concerned that this percentage was in relation to an adult’s body mass, not a 3 year-olds tiny frame. How much sodium can a toddler take before a salt-induced coma? Anyway, to alleviate his worries, he is on a mission to eat more foods that are “living”, meaning less meat and processed foods and more fruits and vegetables.

In order to support his new found revelation, I decided one night to come up with a raw fruit and vegetable salad that is delicious despite not being smothered in dressing—and I aptly named it Rainbow Fruit & Veggie salad because after all was said and done, I threw in so many different colors of fruits and veggies, it became a taste sensation for the eyes. I was very tempted to add a touch of sugar to the natural dressing mixed in, but then thought, well that defeats the whole purpose, so instead added some strawberries for that touch of sweetness. Voila…a new recipe was born, and Andru loved it and the kids seemed to like it also, thank you strawberries. It is a great side dish and the recipe can be varied in so many ways, I added raw zucchini when I made it a second time and it was a hit at our Fellowship meal after church. I hope it pleases your taste buds also!

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Lentil Curry Vegetable Soup Recipe

Posted by Jenni Burns Categories: Dinner, Recipes, Grains, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, America

Lentil Curry Soup

Last year my husband and I were on a raw food kick. We bought a great book called, “The Raw Food Detox Diet” by Natalia Rose - that is where I got this recipe. My husband and I have begun a slow journey of becoming healthier people. We are trying to regain ground for ourselves at the same time as we teach our children the many benefits of eating healthy. One of the main points in this book, “The Raw Food Detox Diet,” is that we need to eat in such a way that our meals will exit our bodies in a timely manner. But equally important, we want our food to give our bodies the maximum amount of nutrients possible. One of the ways we can do this is by not eating starchy foods and meats together as they take much longer to digest when eaten together. This recipe is a great, “quick exit meal,” not raw, but definitely a great source of nutrition and it tastes great. I will be sharing more thoughts about this book in later entries, so look forward to hearing more from me on the subject of the .

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Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap Recipe

Posted by Jenni Burns Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Quick Meals, Recipes, Poultry, Salad, Vegetables, America, Grilling

Caesar Salad Wrap

This is a great one for when it’s hot and all you can think about it staying away from the hot oven, and yet you still have to feed your family. The best way to prepare this recipe is to cook the ahead of time before it gets hot!

CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD WRAP
Makes 4 Wraps
Ingredients:

  • 2 Chicken breasts, cubed and grilled or fried
  • 2 Heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
  • Johnny’s Caesar Dressing
  • 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • Dash of pepper
  • 4 flour tortillas, whole wheat, spinach, plain, mulitgrain, you choose!

Directions:

  1. Cook the chicken however you desire and set aside to cool.
  2. Toss together chopped lettuce, dressing, pepper, and cheese. Add chicken to the lettuce mixture and stir lightly.
  3. Warm tortillas and serve up the wraps at the table as the warmth from the tortilla will cause the lettuce to wilt if left to sit. Enjoy!

For some variety you can mix things up a bit. The other night we made the wraps with spinach and blue cheese dressing. Be creative, you can put any kind of in a wrap to add a little excitement to your salad! Try BBQ sauce on your chicken without dressing on the salad just use extra BBQ sauce. Hey McDonald’s is doing it, but I’m sure it’s much better homemade!


Seasoned Fried Potatoes Recipe

Posted by Jenni Burns Categories: Breakfast, Dinner, Comfort Food, Quick Meals, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, America, Frying

Seasoned Fried Potatoes

In many homes the is a staple food. In our home, while they would not necessarily be considered a staple, they are definitely enjoyed every now and again, as a side dish or even as a main dish. I like to serve them fried, as a main dish, along with a salad and/or corn on the cob or another steamed vegetable. They are very simple and easy to prepare. You can easily adjust this recipe based on how many people you are serving and whether you will be using it as a side dish or as a main dish. My recipe will serve 4 adults as a main dish. You can use any kind of potato, sweet potato or yams (you will need to cook sweet potatoes/yams longer as they are a much harder vegetable).

Seasoned Fried Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 5-6 medium sized potatoes
  • 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • Johnny’s Seasoning to taste
  • Fresh herbs to taste (you could use many different kinds of herbs, oregano, rosemary, I’ve tried thyme and that was very yummy. Be creative!)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Wash and peel potatoes, or leave the peel on if you wish. Poke with a knife or fork several times (this can be a great stress reliever but just be careful!)
  2. Partially cook in the microwave. I usually put them in for 3-5 minutes, turn and flip a couple times checking for doneness. You want the potatoes to be partially cooked, not too hard and yet still firm so they don’t fall apart.
  3. Oil your pan, cut potatoes into small cubes and add to pan. Toss in your herbs and spices and cook until they are nicely browned. Serve potatoes by themselves or drizzle a healthy serving of ketchup all over them. Enjoy!

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