Charred Corn Salad
You seriously need to make this. Why? Because it has the potential of being your GO-TO SUMMER SALAD of 2011. The kind of salad you make so often, you don't have to refer to the recipe anymore. The salad at the party that everyone asks about! The salad that you amaze people with when you top it on grilled pizza! The one that makes you love summer and everything that it stands for....sweltering heat included!
See where I'm going with this?
Why is it delicious? Well, the charred white corn is sweet, smoky & crunchy. The lime and jalapeno dressing make it spicy/zesty! The orange peppers give extra color /crunch and the creamy avocados well...they're the reason why I couldn't stop eating this salad. Get out your grocery list and put this on there.
Cabbage Apple Slaw with Maple Pecans
First bite: WHOA! That's TANGY.
Second bite: Hey! That's a glazed Maple Pecan! It's sweet, crunchy & it really balances out that tangy apple.
Third bite: FOR THE LOVE OF CRUNCH!
Fourth bite: I like you Cabbage Apple Slaw, really I do.
If you're looking for a good kick in the pants, tangy, crunchy slaw. This one's for you!
Salads Galore!
I'm making a grocery list and SALAD is at the top of it. Digging through the vaults now...looking for some good ones because I've made a GOAL to eat a salad EVERY DAY this June.
Let's see...which ones to pick from....
Garbanzo Couscous & Spinach Salad
Asparagus & Orange Salad
Guess who's on a salad kick?? That's right. This girl! I'm making June the month of salads. I will eat more of them...at least one per day. I will love them, and I'll get rid of this double chin I see staring back at me in my cellphone when I'm typing a text message. What is with that?! Salad will become my new best friend. A best friend that gets rid of my double chin. A best friend that I can eat.
If you've been around here for awhile, you already know how much I love citrus and how awesome I think asparagus is. But it wasn't until now that I married the two and fell in love. This salad was unexpectedly delightful! Crunchy vibrant green asparagus, juicy orange segments, smoky sesame seed heaven...the aftertaste is truly awesome. It's Asian and then it's not! This salad is destined for warm afternoon barbecues or fancy Tupperware picnics on the beach. Hello summer. Goodbye double chin!
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Chickpea & Raisin Salad
I have a problem reading recipes. When I look at a recipe, I pay close attention to the ingredients and instructions. If there's a total execution time, well that's cool too, but I never really pay close attention to the serving size, unless I need to make enough for a crowd. For some reason my brain assumes that most recipes serve enough for 4 which means Casey and I might have leftovers. I know, it's stupid.
So when I made this Chickpea & Raisin Salad and went to rinse 3 cans of chickpeas, I got a little nervous. Let me spell this out for you- this recipe serves not just two, but EIGHT people.
Throughout the week, I ate this salad and mixed it up in several different ways and am happy to report that it didn't bore me one bit. It's perfect on its own, but tastes wonderful with feta, spinach, cucumbers, and Italian parsley. Throw it in a wrap! Add some to your salad! It would be great with couscous and grilled chicken and I'd even try throwing some carrot shreds in. Basically, it's extremely versatile, so incredibly simple and can be eaten at any temperature! I think you'll love the subtle hint of cumin mixed with the sweet juicy raisins. Just remember that this recipe makes a lot and if you want to brighten it up, add more vinegar.
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Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Do NOT adjust your computer screen. That really IS strawberry & basil you see on a crostini. This bruschetta is a riff on the oh-so-fab Caprese salad, except we substitute fresh mozzarella with GOAT CHEESE and tomatoes with STRAWBERRIES! And what do we get?? Crazy deliciousness! The strawberries are mixed with a little bit of balsamic vinegar, which brings out their underlying tang & sweetness. Shreds of basil provide some greenery and a hint of sophistication! And the goat cheese...it's just pure decadence.
If you bring these bruschette to a party this will happen:
1. people will scratch their heads.
2. they'll eat a few.
3. guests will fight over the last one!
I like to call them The Unusual Suspects. No one suspects how good they are, and then they're all gone.
Pan Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs
Do you balance your checkbook? I don't, but I do check my bank statement online at least three times a day. I also have a checkbook that I keep track of in my head of what I've eaten. This week I've made a few too many carb deposits. It's a simple/routine transaction. It's like going up to a drive-thru ATM. It's fast... in & out. To balance my carb indulgences this week, I made myself an asparagus based breakfast. There's a small, yet noteworthy appearance of carbs in this dish and we'll get to that soon. But LOOK! I didn't pair this fried egg with two pieces of sourdough toast like I normally would. Instead, you'll find a large section of green on my plate! I find that eating something green for breakfast makes me feel like I'm a rock star. Think Bon Jovi at a yoga retreat.
Anchovy bread crumbs. Let's discuss. It's one of those things that make you go hmmmm. If you're Italian, you might already know that the secret ingredient to most Italian dishes is ANCHOVY. Yes. Anchovy. It's not something that hits you in the face; it's subtle. It adds a salty component to a dish and adds some depth. It's what makes my Grandma's stuffed peppers amazing. But it's a secret. Don't tell her I told you that.
Here's an analogy for you. These anchovy breadcrumbs are like diamond earrings. They have the power to elevate an outfit and in this case, breakfast! When the runny egg oozes all over the asparagus you'll love the flavor packed crunch of the bread crumbs. Promise.
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Potato Rosemary Pizza
Dear Low Carb/College Student Tracy,
I write this letter from the future! I am the Carb Loving Tracy of 2011! That's right. You will not spend the REST OF YOUR LIFE being low carb. Does that upset you? I doubt it. By the time you're this age, you won't care. So... Tracy. You are in college AND you are low carb. How does that even work?? What do you do when your roommate orders pizza? I just can't imagine how you manage! You should get an award for the those 4 years of being low carb. Sadly, you don't. Life is rough. You will learn this.
When you're 31, you'll make a fantastic pizza from scratch. And get this....this pizza will have POTATO on it. That's right. Hot Carb on Carb action! The crust is crispy & all profesh tasting and the potatoes are creamy & utterly delicious. Did I mention there's rosemary involved? Oh there's also some onion in there too! Booya! (a word of the future) They get nice and charred. It's heaven!!!
I know what you're thinking. How did you cave? What stopped you from being low carb? Well...hmmm...it's simple. You will move into a teeny 1 bedroom apartment with Casey when you graduate from college. Your parents will freak out but it's just because moving in with a boyfriend is a BIG deal. You'll understand this a few years later. They weren't stupid; they knew what they were talking about. You'll spend your nights cooking for the two of you and he'll convert you into a pasta loving addict. Don't worry, you'll weigh less in the future than you do now. See? Carbs aren't so bad! However...Casey? He becomes your husband and he puts on a few pounds but it's only because you feed him really well. He's still a handsome guy, even with gray hair!
Tracy, please know this-- Carbs are good. Just remember to eat more salads to balance it out. Now....could you please go and get yourself a sandwich on a fat sourdough roll? Stop torturing yourself.
Carbingly,
Tracy the Carb Lover
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