Corn and Avocado Salad

If you want to bulk this recipe up, try adding rinsed black beans or halved cherry tomatoes.

3c fresh corn kernels
2t canola oil
1/4c red bell pepper; diced
1/4c orange bell pepper; diced
1 jalepeno; diced
1/4c scallions; sliced thin
1/2 avocado; diced
3T fresh squeezed lime juice
1t cumin
1t kosher salt
1/2t black pepper

- Sautee the corn and peppers in canola oil until corn is cooked through and slightly toasted.
- Cool the corn mixture and add the remaining ingredients
- Serve cold or at room tempurature

Serves 4

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Grilled Potato Salad

Want to try something a little different? Try making this salad with a mixture of red, white, purple, and/or sweet potatoes.

20 small baby potatoes; red or white; cooked
1c green beans; blanched
4t olive oil
3t rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic; grated
2t whole grain mustard
1t sugar
1/2c sweet red bell pepper; finely diced
1/2c celery; finely diced

- lightly spray the cooked potatoes with olive oil or cooking spray and grill them on high until lightly browned on all sides.
- combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar, celery, and red bell pepper in a bowl
- add the green beans and grilled potatoes
- serve hot or at room temperature

Helpful Hints

What is the best way to grate your garlic? Use a microplane! Microplanes can be used for zesting citrus or grating cheese, chocolate or garlic. The microplane is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend picking one up at your local kitchen store. You may even be able to find them at your nearest hardware store (ask for a rasp).

http://us.microplane.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=158

Serves 4

Apricot Couscous

This makes a great side dish for chicken or pork. It’s even good as a cold salad.

1/3c celery; diced
1/3c red onion; diced
1/4c scallion; diced
1/3c red bell pepper; diced
1/4c dried apricot halves; diced
1/4c dried cranberries
2T rice wine vinegar
1c broth (chicken or vegetable)
1c whole wheat couscous; uncooked
2T slivered almonds; toasted
2t olive oil

- sautee celery, onion, and bell pepper with olive oil in a sauce pan until translucent.
- deglaze the pan with the vinegar and then add the apricots and cranberries
- add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil
- once the broth has boiled, add the couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.
- add the scallions and almonds to the couscous and fluff with a fork

Helpful Hint
You can toast almonds on the stove in a dry pan or on a cookie sheet in a 350* oven. Whichever method you choose, be sure to keep an eye on them. When nuts start to warm, they release their oils and can go from almost ready to burned in a very short amount of time.

Serves 4

Southwest Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite lunch recipes. It's the perfect solution to leftover grilled chicken, and also works well with leftover pork.
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4oz boneless, skinless chicken breast; grilled
1/4c red bell pepper; diced
1/2c fresh corn; grilled
1/4c scallions; sliced
1c red cabbage; shredded
3T light sour cream (or plain yogurt)
2T salsa (or fajita sauce)
1/4t cumin
1/4t smoked paprika
1/4t chipotle powder
1/2t kosher salt

- Combine the sour cream, salsa, cumin, paprika, chipotle powder, and salt to create the dressing.
- Toss the remaining ingredients with the dressing, and serve.

Serves 2

Serving Suggestion
For a low-carb option, serve the salad in lettuce leaves with some sliced of avocado and a wedge of lime.

Helpful Hint
No time to grill corn? Try pan roasting it. Cut the kernels off the cob (or use frozen - I do NOT recommend trying this with canned corn), and cook them in a dry pan until lightly toasted.

Cranberry Grain Salad

1/4 cup uncooked barley; cooked
1/4 cup uncooked bulgur; cooked
1/4 cup uncooked wheat berries; cooked
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sweet red pepper; minced
1/4 cup green pepper; minced
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

- Mix the craisins, peppers, vinegar, oil, and parsley in a large bowl.
- Add the barley, bulgur, and wheat berries.
- Mix and serve.

Serves 6

Serving Suggestion
This salad goes well with grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp. It's also great with a side of avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Creamy Herb-Garlic Dressing

The mustard in this dressing creates and emulsion which gives the dressing a creamier texture than most vinaigrettes.

4t herb seasoned olive oil
3t rice wine vinegar
2t whole grain mustard
1t grated garlic
1t sugar (optional)
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper

- Add garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper to the rice wine vinegar.
- Whisk in olive oil and mustard until dressing is emulsified

Helpful Hints

Don't have an herb seasoned olive oil? Add your favorite fresh (or dry) herbs to the dressing. Any combination of parsley, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or basil would work well.

Serves 2

Grilled Romaine Salad with Canadian Bacon and Creamy Herb-Garlic Dressing

Salad

1 heart of romaine; split in half lengthwise
1/4c Canadian bacon; diced
2T parmesan cheese; shredded

- Grill romaine on both sides until both sides have grill marks and outside of lettuce is slightly wilted
- Spray non-stick pan with cooking spray and cook Canadian bacon until crisp.

Dressing

4t herb seasoned olive oil
3t rice wine vinegar
2t whole grain mustard
1t grated garlic
1t sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper

- Add garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper to the rice wine vinegar.
- Whisk in olive oil and mustard until dressing is emulsified
- Top grilled romaine with dressing and Canadian bacon

Serves 2