Healthy Broccoli Salad

I loooove broccoli salad, but once you add the bacon, cheese and mayonnaise based dressing it becomes one of the worst cook-out side dishes! This version is lightened up and healthy. The best part, you won't even miss all of the other ingredients. 

Ingredients:1/3 cup mayonnaise (lowfat)1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream or coconut yogurt)1 tablespoon honey4-5 cups chopped very fresh broccoli (cut into bit size pieces)1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, or dried fruit)1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds (or sliced almonds or other chopped nuts)

Instructions:

1. Combine mayonnaise, yogurt and honey in a medium mixing bowl. Add chopped broccoli, cranberries, and sunflower seeds and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator. Best when eaten within three days.

From: myglutenfree.com

Mango Shrimp Salad Wrap

My husband came up with this recipe.   It was unbelievable.  I never wanted it to end.  So light and refreshing. Perfect summer dinner.   We served it with a side salad.  It does take a little more time to prepare than we normally do for dinners so I can't call this "quick & easy" but it's worth it. Trust me!  (This recipe makes 4 tortillas). 

Ingredients:
1/3 cup low fat sour cream
1/3 cup low calorie mayo
1/4 cup fresh basil - chopped
2 TBS fresh chives - chopped
1 TBS fresh mint - chopped
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 TBS lemon juice
1 cup baby spinach
1 1/2 pound large gulf shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined
2 large ripe mangos, peeled and cut into 1/2" slices
4 Tortillas (we used the whole wheat ones)


1.  Put sour cream, mayo, basil, chives, s&p in a blender until the mixture is smooth.  It should be a pale green color when done.

2.  Heat a nonstick pan on medium - high heat.  Once the pan is warm, add the shrimp.   Let them cook for several minutes on each side until done.  Make sure the shrimp are fully cooked or else they will be mushy after the next step.   


3.  Immediately transfer the shrimp to a bowl of ice water for 2-3 minutes.  Then drain well and pat dry.  Cut the shrimp into large chunks. 

4. Add the shrimp to the dressing you made in the blender.  Stir to combine. 

5.  Turn a stove burner on med - high heat.  Add one tortilla at a time directly to the burner, turning over & over with tongs until it's pliable and has a few "grill" marks.  Usually 30 seconds on each side.

6.  Divide the baby spinach to each tortilla, arranging it across the middle.  Then divide up the mango on top of the spinach.   Top with the shrimp salad.   Roll up the wraps & cut in half.    Enjoy!

Mozzarella Tomato Caprese Salad

Super easy & yummy! Plus this looks pretty! Perfect side dish or appetizer for any Italian meal. The only thing is that you can't make it too far ahead of time. Prep the mozzarella and cut the tomatoes but wait until you are within an hour of serving before adding anything else.

Ingredients:
Grape Tomatoes cut in half
Fresh Mozzarella Pearls (drained & laid on a plate lined with paper towels with another paper towel on top, at least 3-4 hours before serving to dry out)
Dried basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Balsamic Vinegar

Dry the mozzarella as directed above and wash the tomatoes. When ready to serve, cut the tomatoes in half, add them and the mozzarella to a serving dish. Add about 2 TBS of dry basil (more or less depending on your liking). Add 1 TBS EVOO, then 1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar. Toss well. Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I had this salad at a friend's house and just HAD to get the recipe. It's so light, refreshing and super tasty. It's a great salad to take along to a cook-out or serve for either brunch or lunch. Really, I'd eat it all day long.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Sesame Cucumber Salad

This blew my mind, I can't stress how good it was. Light and refreshing but the kind of dish that everyone would talk about at a cook out. It was the perfect summer side to go with our steaks.  You can add less red pepper flakes to make it more kid friendly too. 

1 1/2 TBS sesame seeds, toasted (toasting instructions below)
2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
1 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS honey
1 TBS hot water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less depending on how much spice you like. I usually go a little less to keep it kid friendly.)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 cups thinly sliced cucumber

1. Spread sesame seeds out on baking sheet. Preheat oven to 325. Bake until they are slightly browned and you start to smell them. (it's a great smell, you can't miss it!)

2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the cucumber. Stir well with a whisk. Add the cucumber, toss to coat.  You can let it chill for a little while before serving but the cucumbers will start to get mushy if you wait too long.  

*recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Shrimp Cobb Salad

This recipe comes from a Cooking Light mag. It rocked!!! The avocado definitely made it stand out. It was also one of the most filling salads I've ever had (I find avocado to be one of the most filling foods ever). I grilled my shrimp instead of making them on the stove so I included the directions for grilling but the original link from the magazine recipe tells you how to cook them on the stove.

The only thing that I can say is that I wasn't a huge fan of the dressing but my husband had it and wants me to make a huge batch and bottle it up for him because he swears it was incredible. I preferred a balsamic vinaigrette but to each his own.... I recommend keeping the dressing on the side.

Ingredients:
4 slices turkey bacon (the original recipe calls for regular bacon, but I prefer the low calories of the turkey bacon instead)
1 lb raw large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 TBS EVOO
1/2 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard (regular dijon works also)
Romaine lettuce
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)
1 cup frozen whole kernal corn, thawed
1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

1. Cook bacon according to instructions. Let bacon rest on paper towels to cool and drain. Once cooled, crumble up.

2. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Spray aluminion foil with cooking spray, then add shrimp, spreading out evenly. Grill over medium high heat, until shrimp are cooked, turning occasionally.

3. While shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stir with a whisk.

4. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each plate. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup carrot, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado wedges and a handful of the crumbled bacon.

Makes 4 servings. The original recipe (with their dressing & regular bacon) is 332 calories per serving. However, the turkey bacon cuts that down.

Taco Salad

I am a sucker for taco salad and this one has DORITOS in it. It was absolutely mouth watering and really hard not to eat 10 servings. Don't say I didn't warn you...


Ingredients:
1lb ground beef or turkey
1 taco seasoning packet
1 bag of shredded lettuce
1-2 tomato cut into small pieces
1 green pepper cut into small pieces
1/4-1/2 onion cut into pieces
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb DORITOS - original flavor (oh my goshhhh yum!)
French dressing

Directions:
Brown the meat with the taco seasoning.
Toss the lettuce, tomato, green pepper, onion and cheese with the ground meat. Add French dressing to desired taste and consistency. Add doritos right before serving so they don't get soggy.