Cantaloupe, Prosciutto, Avocado Salad

If you follow my blog you know I love meat paired with fruit. I don't know what it is- maybe the combination of sweet and savory? Or the fact that such things aren't "suppose" to be combined (ooooo.....such a rebel!) I also love that it includes cantaloupe since, unlike peaches and pineapple, it's hard to find recipes that call for it.

Enjoy!                                                                                             Ingredients: (Makes 2 large salads)
2 cups baby spinach
2-3 slices of prosciutto, torn into bite sized pieces
1 cantaloupe, cut into cubes
1 avocado
1/4 cup diced red onion
handful of raw, unsalted walnuts

Directions:
1. Place a cup of spinach on each plate.
2. Top with prosciutto, cantaloupe, slices of avocado, a sprinkling of red onion, and a few walnuts.
3. Add some freshly ground pepper, and a drizzle of dijon vinaigrette. 

Kiwi Applesauce

Can you guess what showed up in my produce delivery this week? Kiwis. Lots of them. Ive always found kiwis a little tart, even in smoothies. But this recipe proved to be the perfect mix of sweet and tart.

Ingredients:

1 large Fuji apple, peeled 

1 kiwi, peeled
1/2 Lemon

Directions:

Cut up the apples and kiwi into big pieces and put them in a food processor or blender. Slice a lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one of the halves on top of the fruit. Pulse several times in the food processor or blend for a few seconds on low. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Avocado and Tuna Salad

A few months back a visiting colleague and I discovered an amazingly delicious, super healthy eatery in Venice Beach called Lemonade. We made a point to go as often as possible before he was shipped back to the UK and ordered the avocado every time.

I've been a few times since and still order the avocado even when I tell myself I'm going to try something different. Habit? Nostalgia? Or are they just that good?

I discovered the answer to that question last night. They're Just. That. Good. And since avocados are mono unsaturated fat which is "good fat" you dont' have to feel guilty about it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 avocado
1 lemon, juiced, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped onion, to taste
5 ounces canned tuna (salmon, or crab)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Cut the avocado in half and scoop the middle of both avocado halves into a bowl, leaving a shell of avocado flesh about 1/4-inch thick on each half.
Add lemon juice and onion to the avocado in the bowl and mash together. Add tuna, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust if needed.
Fill avocado shells with tuna salad and serve.

Crab Stuffed Zucchini

As zucchinis are available year round in California I often forget they are considered a "summer squash." But with summer right around the corner it's a perfect time to start adding them to your meals. And at 31 calories and 0 grams of fat per zucchini you don't have to feel guilty doing it!

Ingredients: (serves 6)
3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon powder)

1 (6-ounce) can of crabmeat, drained and flaked
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 1 1/2 ouncec)

1 large egg, fork-beaten
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Scoop out pulp from each zucchini, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Arrange shells in single layer on greased baking sheet. Chop pulp.

Heat olive oil in small frying pan on medium-high. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion starts to soften. Add zucchini pulp. Stir. Transfer to medium bowl.

Add remaining 9 ingredients. Stir well. Spoon into zucchini shells. Bake in 375ºF oven for about 30 minutes until filling is set.

Eggplant with Figs and Mozzarella

I want to be a fan of eggplant, I really do.  So many health benefits and negligible calories makes it the "perfect" food. If only I could figure out how to cook it! After several failed recipes I was ready to give up but I think I may finally have found a winner.

Eggplants are loaded with dietary fiber which is essential for regulating digestion.  Fiber is also helpful for dieters as it's slow digesting and takes a long time to move from the stomach to the digestive track. This helps you feel full much longer which will keep you from craving unhealthy snack food between meals. The figs in this recipe give you an additional dose of fiber keeping you full even longer and giving your digestive system an extra boost. Oh, and it's delicious.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant cut in half

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 large ball of fresh mozzarella or burrata, thinly sliced

1 leek, peeled with a Julienne peeler

5 fresh or rehydrated figs*

5-10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

oil, 4 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

Directions:
Starting in the upper left hand corner of one of the eggplant halves and moving downwards toward the right, make four incisions. Repeat from right to left creating hashmarks. Do this in both halves and, in each incision, arrange the cloves of garlic. Spray or brush the eggplants with olive oil, place on a baking tray and bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Meanwhile preheat 3 tbsp of oil and cook the halved cherry tomatoes for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened. Remove from heat and set aside. In another pot place the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce vinegar to a thick syrup.

Remove the eggplant halves from the oven and top with slices of mozzarella, tomatoes and halved figs. Place in the oven for 4-5 minutes, until mozzarella is slightly melted and the rest of the toppings are warm.

Drizzle eggplants with the reduction sauce and sprinkle with leeks.

Enjoy!

*Fresh figs have a very short season. If you can't find them purchase plump dried figs and cover them with boiling water (stove turned off.) Cover the pan and let them sit for 2-4 hours. You can also add a liqueur like brandy to give them a little extra flavor;)

Lentil and Feta Salad

Day four of the "salad cleanse" and Dave tells me he's reached his goal weight. Whoa. I guess this plan of ours has really worked! Of course now he has a new goal which is getting a six pack and he's dragging me down (up ?) with him. He has deemed it the "six pact." I don't know that it will require a special diet since we already eat clean but I will update you on our progress if there is any.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups puy lentils (you can also buy precooked lentils at Trader Joes)
2 carrots, finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely diced
4 oz feta cheese
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Dressing:
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
5 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 20-25 minuts until just cooked but not mushy. Drain and refresh in cold water, then drain again and transfer to a large salad bowl.
Add the carrots and celery to the bowl with the lentils. Crumble in the feta and add the chopped parsley.
Make the dressing by beating the vinegar  mustard and oil. Add the dressing to the salad and stir to combien well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Roasted Mushroom Salad

Day 3 of the "salad cleanse." This one is the least photogenic but might be my favorite so far. Portobello mushrooms are awesome because they can be substituted for both meat and bread making gluten/grain free'ers and vegetarians rejoice! And for everyone else they're just a great source of protein and fiber (5 grams/ 3 grams respectively in one cup of chopped mushrooms.)

Ingredients:

2 portobello mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup large bread crumbs
3 sprigs of thyme, chopped
Mixed arugula, watercress and spinach
salt and pepper

Dressing:
4 oz soft goat cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp milk


Directions:
Put the mushrooms in a roasting pan and drizzle over 1 tbsp of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Cook in a preheated oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Meanwhile spread the bread crumbs on a baking sheet with the thyme leaves. Pour over the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 6-8 minutes until golden and crispy.
Make the dressing. Put the cheese, oil and milk in a small saucepan and beat over a gentle heat until the mixture reaches a pouring consistency, adding a little more milk if its too thick. (I got impatient and used my immersion blender.)
Arrange a couple handfuls of mixed greens on each of two plates and place a mushroom on top of each. Drizzle with the warm dressing, serve immediately.

Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad

I always look forward to lunch (who doesn't??) But I especially look forward to lunch when I have fresh ingredients in my refrigerator just begging to be tossed into a salad.

This is one of the more colorful salads I've made and notice something else about it? No lettuce! Funny that I stocked up for our "salad cleanse" and so far neither this salad or the smoked chicken and artichoke salad have called for it. Though it's kind of refreshing using celery as it adds a fresh crispness and there's no need to worry about the leftovers getting soggy.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas/ garbanzo beans
13 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
4 celery sticks, sliced
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives
black pepper
mint leave, to garnish
mint and yogurt dressing (see below)

Directions:
Put the tomatoes, celery, scallions, olives and chickpeas into a large serving bowl and mix well. Stir in the dressing, season with black pepper, garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Mint and Yogurt dressing:
1 small cucumber, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp chopped mint
salt and pepper

Directions:
Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a teaspoon. Finely chop the flesh. Mix the cucumber with the yogurt and chopped mint and season to taste with salt and pepper.