so last night i decided to make one for dinner. it turned out mighty nice. blake finished his & half of mine. this boy liking a salad = a good sign.
as all wedge salads do, this one started with a big chunk of iceberg lettuce. i added some sliced roma tomatoes {yay for tomatoes being back in season!}. quite a bit of finely chopped red onion. i am a lucky girl, so bacon pieces were invited to the party. of course, bleu cheese galore.
& then we had to get creative. i found a recipe for a wedge salad dressing online & gathered the ingredients from the store. after realizing some of my ingredients already at home were actually expired & using some substitutes, the dressing turned out really not good. & because the grocery store is 15 minutes away, creativity stepped in.
thousand island dressing? sure - it's the only one in my fridge. cut it down with some cream. ok. throw in some minced garlic, lemon juice, & pepper to cut down on the sweet. let's try it. but still too sweet... worcestershire sauce. really? it actually worked. & added a nice flavor. success!
{when julie, haley, & i lived together, one of our favorite meals was "poor girl pasta salad". the only rules were to gather whatever happened to be in our pantry & fridge and might go together & throw them all in a bowl. sometimes it was more awkward than good. but sometimes it was fabulous. this evening really reminded me of that.}
the only thing missing was crunch. & i love pecans. let's try some candied pecans! of course, i was almost out of pecans. {you're catching my theme here...} so candied pecans & almond slivers!
to be honest, this was definitely the best part of the whole salad. & the recipe i will share with you:
candied pecans & almond slivers!
2 c chopped nuts
1 egg white
1/2 c brown sugar
1 splash vanilla
some cinnamon
1. whip the egg white to a stiff peak. don't be macho man - just use your mixer. stiff. seriously.
2. add the brown sugar & vanilla to the egg white. stir until well mixed.
3. add the nuts & stir until well coated.
4. spread the nuts on sprayed parchment paper on a baking sheet. bake at 300 for 15 minutes. stir. top with some cinnamon. stir some more. continue baking until most of the liquid is gone. that was about 25 minutes for me. keep in mind the nuts will get crunchier when they cool. i promise.
5. eat & eat & eat. you wont be able to stop :)
so not much "healthy" about this salad. but very tasty. i would still love any fabulous healthy recipes you have! please?!
love love,
kjp.
Yum!!
ReplyDeleteHealthy go-to recipe #1:
Cook quinoa per these directions: http://www.ehow.com/how_7352492_cook-perfect-quinoa.html
(I like red better, but white is way cheaper)
Cook lentils per these directions (use broth instead of water):
http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--975/all-about-lentils.asp
Last 5 minutes of lentil cooking, stir in chopped hearty greens (collard, kale, beet, anything really, even spinach, but it gets a little slimy sometimes).
Serve the lentils over the quinoa with hot sauce. When I am really wanting a lot of flavor, I sautee onions, galic +/- jalapeno and serve that on top.
Re-heats very well. Also, surprisingly good with red sauce (like the kind you put on spaghetti).
You expected weirder, be honest.
Healthy meal idea #2:
ReplyDeleteMake these burgers, but make small patties (they are SO so filling):
http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/bulgur-cashew-veggie-burgers-with-spicy-aioli
Obviously, skip the aioli if you are going for healthy. Serve on 1/2 a toasted "thin bun" with a handful of greens and a light amount of salad dressing with just the tiniest amount of blue cheese crunbles.
Eat with a fork and a knife with a side of steamed or grilled asparagus.