Tag: vegetarian recipes

Blackberry Spinach Salad

Carol 12 Comments

This time of year can feel challenging for home cooks who aren’t ready yet to bust out their slow cookers and casserole dishes. I love berries. Blackberry season in the U.S. generally runs from late spring through the end of summer. The exact timing can vary by region and weather conditions, but you can expect to find fresh blackberries available in many areas of the country in September. Some areas extending into early October for fall-bearing varieties. 

Today I’m sharing an easy salad to throw together, and it’s perfect for fall get-togethers, Blackberry Spinach Salad with tomatoes, feta cheese, toasted walnuts and a great Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette. I used baby spinach, but green leaf lettuce works too. If you can’t eat walnuts, I suggest pecans. I toasted my walnuts in a skillet. For best results with the vinaigrette, buy the best balsamic vinegar. You may decrease or increase the honey according to sweetness of vinegar.

Blackberry Spinach Salad

Use organic when available. Serves 8

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Blackberry Spinach Salad

Blackberry Spinach Salad with tomatoes, feta cheese, toasted walnuts and a great Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette is easy to put together and has a light, fresh taste.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword blackberry, blackberry spinach salad, spinach, spinach salad
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 3 cups baby spinach, rinsed and dried
  • 1 pint fresh blackberries
  • 6 oz crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 or 2 green onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
  • 1/2 cup edible flowers (Optional)

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients
  • Serve immediately with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
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Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

A simple recipe for a flavorful vinaigrette. Buy best quality vinegar for best results.
Course condiment, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword balsamic vinaigrette, balsamic vinegar, vinagrette
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp honey
  • salt and papper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in glass jar
  • Close tightly with lid
  • Shake vigorously to mix well

Enjoy!

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Cucumber, Corn, Black Bean & Avocado Salad

Carol 17 Comments

If you love vegetables, today’s recipe is a tasty, filling salad that has great flavor from the mix of ingredients. It’s perfect for using up summer produce from the garden or farmer’s market. It’s topped with a lemon vinaigrette. You can easily adapt it with what you have on hand with additions or subtractions.

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Creamy Whipped Feta Dip

Carol 15 Comments

Creamy Whipped Feta Dip is a real party pleaser with its tangy flavor. Serve on a platter with crusty bread, crackers, pretzels, or pita and a platter of vegetables & additions such as olives, fresh cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumbers, and bell peppers.

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Pita Garlic Bites, A Perfect Side Dish for Appetizers

Carol 17 Comments

Pita Garlic Bites are a perfect side for most appetizers such as hummus and dips and even for many dinner meals. Make plenty as they disappear fast.

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Pecan Stuffed Medjool Dates

Carol 9 Comments

Dates are a healthy snack or dessert idea and stuffed with peanut butter are delicious on the go snacks for kids and adults. Because of their natural sweetness, dates are known as “nature’s candies.” Medjool dates are ideal for this recipe because of their size and plumpness. You can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter, or another butter like almond butter. They are made of only 3 ingredients: dates, peanut butter (or other nut/seed butter), and pecans. They are impressive to serve at a get-together but are extrememly easy to make.

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Grilled Peaches & Cream Cheese

Carol 11 Comments

Peaches are a fabulous summer treat. Besides being a tasty summer dessert, peaches do great things for our bodies. Loaded with anti-oxidants, Vitamin C and A , peaches are low in calories (39 in 100 grams). They contain flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin and ß-cryptoxanthin, which help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals. This helps protect us from various diseases. Rich in minerals, peaches contain potassium, fluoride and iron. Iron helps form red blood cells. Potassium helps regulate heart and blood pressure. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Research also indicates that they help prevent obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

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Winter Salad With Fruit & Poppy Seed Dressing

Carol 11 Comments

I love adding seasonal fruit to a green salad all year long. In the winter, the trick is to use fruits readily available at your local market. Make this easy winter salad in minutes for a bright, refreshing recipe full of sweet flavors and crunchy textures you’ll adore. It makes a satisfying appetizer or salad not only for the holidays but anytime in the coming months.

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Spinach Mushroom Quiche For A Meatless Meal

Carol 20 Comments

Lent will be observed from February 22 to April 8 this year. It is a period of religious observance in many Christian churches marking the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert, enduring temptation by Satan. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later with the celebration of Easter. Fasting before Easter can be traced back as far as the 2nd century.

Whether you are trying to eat less meat for your health or you are looking for meatless meals for Lent, a vegetable quiche is a great meal to add to the menu. Quiches may be served hot, warm or cold. I shared an asparagus & tomato quiche several years ago with fresh spring asparagus. Then that summer I offered summer squash quiche. Today I’m sharing spinach quiche which can be made year round with frozen spinach. If using fresh baby spinach, sauté it with the onion and garlic. Frozen spinach works well. Defrost it, and then squeeze all the water out with your hands. Then press it between paper towels. If you leave any water in the spinach, your quiche can be soggy. You can also add and delete ingredients in the filling to meet your family’s needs or what’s in the pantry. I am using feta cheese and cheddar. This quiche is easy to make and is perfect for breakfast, brunch or dinner.

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