Category: Salads

Asian Kale and Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

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Hi! The recipe that I have for you guys today is a delicious Asian Kale and Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing. About a year ago, I tried making a salad with spinach, chicken, and a so called “peanut dressing” that I’m pretty sure was just peanut butter and soy sauce mixed together. Then last month I wanted to improve upon that Salad, and so I created a dressing that is about 1000 times better than my original attempt, and it doesn’t even have any soy sauce in it because we didn’t have any! I call it a dressing, but really it’s a super versatile sauce. This could go in stir-frys, on roasted veggie bowls, and would be killer in wraps. But for me, it really shines in this Salad full of kale, quinoa, cucumbers, carrots, chickpeas and cabbage. Hope you enjoy!

Asian Kale and Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

Serves: 3 as a main, 6 as a side

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

  • 3 cups kale, chopped and with the stems removed
  • 3 cups purple cabbage, chopped
  • 1 grated carrot
  • 1/2 a cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 cup roasted chickpeas (optional)
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa

For the Peanut Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp Chile flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions:

  1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. If it’s still too thick, add more water until you reach the consistency of ranch dressing.
  2. In a larger bowl, toss together the Salad ingredients. Add in the dressing and mix until everything is coated.
  3. Enjoy!

Now that I think about it, adding some peanuts on top of this salad would definitely take it to the next level, as well as add some crunch. I’ll have to try that next time! So you Friday;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))))

Greek Pasta Salad

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Hi there! When I think of summer I think of barbecues and potlucks, and at these gatherings there’s often a pasta salad. But it’s usually covered in a heavier mayo based dressing, and contains little to no veggies. This Greek Pasta Salad is full of different textures and flavours, while being super healthy at the same time. Crispy chickpeas, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, and pasta all get tossed together with a delicious greek dressing. You can even toss in some feta and red onion if you’d like. This is the perfect recipe to bring to a barbecue, or to enjoy as a light lunch;)

Greek Pasta Salad

Serves: 4 as a meal, 6-8 as a side

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Chickpeas:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 tbs cumin
  • 1/2 tbs Chilli powder
  • 1/2 tbs paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 two allspice
  • 1/2 the garlic powder

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tbs red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tbs dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad:

  • 2 1/2 cups cooked rotini ( I used pasta made from chickpea flour)
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 a cucumber, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 a can of black olives, sliced

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and spices. Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.
  2. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients with the roasted chickpeas. Add in the dressing and toss until everything is coated.
  4. Enjoy!

I hope you like this summer recipe! I’ve posted a video of myself making it on Instagram if you need extra directions. See you Wednesday!

Your Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Basil Week: Tomato, Basil and Avocado Salad

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Hello:) I think that basil is my favourite herb out of the ones that I’ve posted about- the smell of it when you pick it off the plant is just amazing! This salad really showcases fresh basil, along with plump Roma tomatoes and perfectly ripe avocados. The simple balsamic dressing ties everything together. For this recipe, you’ll need to Chiffonade your basil, which basically means to cut it into thin strips. I’ll show you how to do this before giving you the recipe to this tasty salad. Enjoy!

How to Chiffonade

You can use this technique on any other flat leafed vegetable that you want to cut into strips. To chiffonade your basil, lay the leaves on top of each other, then roll them lengthwise.

Proceed to cut the rolled basil the opposite way that you rolled it. Does that make sense? When you unravel the leaves they should be cut into long strips that look like this:

There you go! Use this technique to chop the basil for your salad;)

Tomato, Basil, and Avocado Salad

Serves: 1-2

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 Roma tomatoes cut into eighths
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut into small chunks
  • 10-12 leaves of basil, chiffonaded (I just made up that word)

For the dressing:

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Toss all of the ingredients for the salad and dressing together in a bowl, and season to taste.

Super simple, but also very fresh tasting and delicious;))) Hope you like it! I’ll see you later this week for the last post of Basil Week, and of Herb Month!

 

Yours Truly,

 

MyDayIsBooked

Parsley Week: Corn and Bean Salad

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Hi there! As promised, today I’m starting parsley week off with a refreshing corn and bean salad. Parsley is an great herb with lots of flavour, and can be used in a variety of different dishes. Before I get into the salad recipe, here’s some tips on how to grow some awesome parsley!

Like most other herbs, parsley should be exposed to a lot of sun during the summer months. Make sure to water your plants evenly so they don’t dry out though. You can tell when the parsley is ready to be harvested when the stem segments have three leaves on them. Then you can cut off these leaves, leaving the segments with less than three leaves to mature. If you want to store your harvested parsley for later use, cut off whole stem segments and put them in the fridge in a ziplock bag with some paper towel in it to soak up any moisture. Now that you know how to look after your parsley, here’s a delicious salad recipe to use it in!

Corn and Bean Salad

Serves: 4

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1 cup of yellow corn
  • 1/2 a cucumber, cut into half circles
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

For the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix until the vegetables are coated.
  3. Enjoy!

This salad is great for summer because it’s so light and refreshing. To make it more of a meal, I mix some quinoa in with it. There’s another quick and easy lunch idea!

Some more awesome parsley recipes are coming your way this week! Thanks for reading and see you then;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Dill Week: Hungarian Dill and Cucumber Salad

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Hi!! To continue on with Dill Week, I have a great recipe for a Dill and Cucumber Salad, which I adapted from a Hungarian cookbook:) It traditionally uses sour cream, but I created a lighter version with Greek yogurt. Hungarian food is very homey and fresh-tasting, and I feel like this salad embodies that. The dill really comes through, and the dressing just enhances everything.

To slice the cucumbers really thin, you can use a mandalin if you have one, or you can just use a knife. My cheese grater has one side where you can move the cucumber up and down and it slices thinly. I sliced the onion by hand, and split up the layers so that when I was done I got thin strips. Hope you enjoy this dill-ightful recipe! (Sorry for the bad puns this week😂)

Hungarian Dill and Cucumber Salad

Serves: 2

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2-3/4 of a large cucumber, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 of a medium onion, sliced thinly
  • 2 tbs of fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 cup non fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Toss the cucumber, onion, and dill in a medium sized bowl.
  2. Whisk together the yogurt, vinegar, maple syrup, paprika, salt and pepper together in a separate bowl. Pour over the cucumber and onion and mix together until everything is coated.
  3. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone! My final dill post will come out soon;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked❤️❤️