Salads & Vegetables

Fresh Quinoa Salad

Did you see it?

I posted this delicious little diddy on Modern Hen Home’s Facebook page last week.

It’s the perfect salad in my opinion — sweet, savory, crunchy, creamy, healthy.

Anything but boring!

And while my husband had sesame ginger salmon sizzling on the grill, I poked a few holes in an extra large sweet potato with a fork, zapped it in the microwave for 5 minutes, split it down the middle and added a pat of butter on both sides for us to share.

Wallah… dinner served!

Quick and easy gourmet that doesn’t break the bank and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. I found the sesame ginger marinade at Kroger near the salad dressings.

Fresh Quinoa Salad

Servings: 2
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1 cup Quinoa (cooked as directed & cooled)
To serving bowl add:
Quinoa
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 green onion, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
half avocado, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
juice from half lemon
1/4 cup Greek dressing (or to taste)
1/4 cup Cranberry Raisins
1/8 tsp kosher salt
pinch black pepper

Toss and enjoy! ModernHenHome.com

Oh and please stop by to visit me on the Facebook page…

I’d love to meet you there!

Amazing Cranberry Salad

Did I mention how amazing this salad is?

I wish you could come over now and try a spoonful because I just made it for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

My husband gave it a taste test and he said it’s perfect! He’s the one I like to please the most since he raves… and I like when he does that.

Makes me happy… and thankful! Continue reading →

Baked Mediterranean Vegetables

This is my kind of meal — chunky roasted vegetables basted in olive oil and lemon juice then sprinkled with kosher salt — magnificent flavors all by themselves and delicious served with a side of creamy hummus or your favorite cooked grains or pasta. Personally, I can’t resist a huge dollop of Greek Tzatziki Cucumber Sauce on my helping.

Last night I served them next to these amazing >> Turkey Burgers. Of course, you can mix the vegetables anyway you like, and they are also good with fresh chopped mint tossed in.

Baked Mediterranean Vegetables

Servings: 2-4
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1 onion, peeled and quartered
1-2 zucchini, halved or quartered and cut lengthwise
1 eggplant, cut into thick slices, lengthwise
olive oil
Kosher salt
lemon juice (from one large lemon)
2 bell peppers (red, yellow or green), seeded and sliced
12 Kalamata olives, pitted
about 8 fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450*. Place onions, zucchini, eggplant slices onto a baking sheet and brush with olive oil, and lemon juice. Turn each in the pan and repeat with oil and lemon juice, sprinkle with salt. Add peppers (no oil needed) to the mix and bake all the vegetables for 20 minutes, turning them once after 10 minutes. Vegetables are done when they are tender in the middle and browned around edges. Remove from oven and add olives, fresh basil and black pepper. Squeeze any extra lemon juice over the top. Serve alone or with hummus, Tzatziki, or your favorite grain dish or entree.

ModernHenHome.com

So, this is how we have been eating around here this week. Really enjoying the vegetable harvest from our local farmer’s stand and also these last few weeks of summer before the kids head back to school. How about you? How have you been enjoying this season’s fresh vegetables? Do you have a favorite way to cook them, or do you prefer your veggies raw?

Chickpea Salad With Grilled Pita

I like to eat salad often but find lettuce with dressing a bit boring after a while. So whipping together a variety of seasonal vegetables with legumes or small pasta and herbs keeps things much more interesting.

This summer tomatoes and chickpeas salad with rich balsamic dressing and mint leaves tossed in is so good. Feta adds a touch of salty creaminess, and toasted pita or tortilla keeps it hardy and is great for soaking up the delicious juices.

Chickpea Salad With Grilled Pita

Servings: 4
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2 – 15 oz cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
6 Campari or roma tomatoes, sliced
crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup lightly packed small fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
sugar
salt
pepper
2 pita bread or tortilla rounds
1. In large serving bowl combine beans, tomatoes, feta and mint. In small jar or dish combine vinegar, oil, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp black pepper; whisk to combine. Pour over salad and set aside.
2. Grill pita or tortilla bread on an indoor or outdoor grill, over medium heat until warm and toasted. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into wedges. Serve with salad. ModernHenHome.com

Old-Fashioned Coleslaw

This traditional coleslaw is very close to the same one my father makes for Thanksgiving dinner every year. My grandmother Emma taught him to make it with a few simple ingredients — cabbage, onions, mayonnaise, sugar, salt and pepper. He shreds the cabbage very fine with a hand grater. It tastes amazing with turkey and dressing and is a must-have on our holiday menu every year.

It’s so good with grilled burgers and deli sandwiches, which is why I prepare it often in the summer, but without hand grating. I rarely have extra time for that, so a bag of angel hair slaw from the grocery store comes in handy. Sometimes I pulse it in the food processor a few times for even finer texture. Crunchy coleslaw is remarkable as a sandwich topping, too.

Old-Fashioned Coleslaw

Servings: 4-6
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1 bag of Dole Angel Hair Coleslaw, or finely shredded cabbage (about 10 oz)
1/4 cup white or yellow onion, minced fine
1 cup of Hellman’s Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp sugar, or more to taste
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

In large bowl mix coleslaw and onion. In small bowl stir together mayonnaise, sugar, salt and pepper, then combine with slaw and mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving, or longer for the sugar to meld with the cabbage.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I’ve never met a sweet potato I didn’t like.

And baked fries are my favorite way to eat them.

Crispy saltiness on the outside…

…warm sweet creaminess on the inside.

My husband devours them right off the baking sheet before I can get them on a plate.

I have to shoo him away every time.

Olive oil, salt and pepper are all you need for amazing flavor.

They’re packed with Vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium, too.

I just know you will love them!

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Servings: 2
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2 large sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut in half horizontally, and then cut the halves into thick fries. Pour olive oil on a cookie sheet. Toss potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake about 30 minutes, turning once. They are done when they begin to brown up a bit.

Sweet Watermelon & Feta

The mix of sweet watermelon and savory feta make for a mouthwatering combination and craving satisfier. By adding orzo pasta you can turn this recipe into the main entree, if you like. The grocery stores in the small town we were vacationing in did not carry orzo when I made this dish (and took the photos), but I have included the petite pasta below because it’s so good as an option.

Sweet Watermelon & Feta

Servings: 2
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Ingredients:
1 tsp honey or fruit preserves
1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp Greek or Italian dressing
Juice from 1/2 a fresh lemon or lime
1 cup cooked orzo, chilled (optional)
3 cups sweet watermelon, cubed
1 cup fresh baby spinach & arugula
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta

Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl and taste for preference. In medium serving bowl combine chilled orzo, watermelon, spinach and arugula, and basil then lightly toss. Drizzle dressing and add feta over the top and serve.

This girl can eat the whole bowl. Enjoy!

Shrimp & Ceasar Salad

Oh Momma! This salad is a specialty my mother serves at our family gatherings. Her favorite entrees to pair it with are marinated grilled pork or grilled herb chicken breasts. Mom’s secret is in the bottled creamy dressing she blends with a smidgen of milk. She’s tried them all and says this brand is the best! I do agree, because her version of Caesar salad is better than any I’ve ever had.

I served it up with leftover baby shrimp and added fresh basil from the kitchen, but the extra herb is not necessary. You can add any meat or fish you like of course and it’s amazing with marinated grilled kabobs. Mom says it’s divine with Greek olives, too!

Shrimp & Ceasar Salad

Servings: 4-6
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2 whole romaine lettuce stalks, washed, leaves removed and lightly chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber, peel on, sliced thin, cut in half
1/2 onion, sliced thin, ringlets cut in half
1 cup small red grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup cooked salad shrimp, peeled and ready-to-serve
3/4 cup Ceasar dressing (Marketside Classic Caesar Dressing available in produce dept. at Walmart).
1 tbsp milk
Bacon bits (optional)
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
6 fresh herb leaves of choice (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

In large bowl combine lettuce leaves, cucumber, onion, tomatoes and shrimp. In separate bowl mix dressing, milk and bacon bits to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Sprinkle sunflower seeds over the top and add fresh herb leaves (optional). Salt and pepper to taste and serve. Also delicious with grilled chicken breast or marinated pork.

Don’t forget to enter my Better Homes & Gardens Magazine 1-year subscription giveaway. Look in the right sidebar on this page for the contest.

Asian Summer Rolls With Savory Dipping Sauce

Asian summer rolls are the perfect salad wrapped in soft rice sheets and dipped in a spicy, sweet, savory sauce. I added red bell pepper slices for color, crunch and natural sweetness.

After searching all over my grocery store for the rice sheets, I finally found them in the healthy and organic refrigerated section. This recipe, like so many, calls for fresh herbs and lettuce and I was able to pick them straight from my container garden, which I wrote about starting several weeks ago. I can’t tell you how often I have snipped a few leaves for sandwiches, burgers and quick salads with one step outside the back door. Two green-thumbs up for container gardens!

Asian Summer Rolls With Savory Dipping Sauce

Servings: 6
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Dipping Sauce
1-1/4 tblsp sugar
2 tsp warm water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp chili sauce, such as Sriracha
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp finely shredded carrot
1 green onion, finely chopped
Dissolve sugar in warm water, combine with other ingredients, and chill until ready to use.

Summer Rolls
1 cup (approx 40) small salad shrimp, peeled and cooked (from 12 oz bag)
2 oz Vietnamese or Thai rice noodles (about 1 cup dry)
6 rice-paper rounds (about 8-1/2 inches in diameter)
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
12 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup shredded carrot
12 large fresh mint leaves
3 red-leaf lettuce, spines removed, making 6 halves

Line up ingredients in small bowls before beginning to make rolls. Fill a large bowl or saucepan with very warm water. Place a rice paper round in the hot water. Soak for between 30 seconds and 1 minute, or until rice round is pliable and pattern on the round is barely visible. Remove and place on a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. (Rice sheets tend to stick to solid surfaces and plates.)

Place 2 basil leaves on the inner edge of the rice round, top with approximately 1/4 cup cooked rice noodles and several red pepper slices. Place 6-8 shrimp halves on top. Top with about 2 tablespoons carrots, then 2 leaves of mint. Fold 1 piece of lettuce leaf and place on top of pile. Bring the edge over filling and tuck underneath. As you continue to roll, fold in the sides. Finish rolling, repeat with the other rolls, and reserve under a damp cloth or paper towel. When ready to serve, slice in half and serve, cut ends up, with dipping sauce.

Ellie Krieger from the Food Network inspired me to make these delicious, healthy Asian rolls.

They are quite easy to make by the way. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Fresh Greens & Herbs For Easy Container Gardening

Do you garden? I grew up with grandparents who worked hard in their gardens and my mother has a small garden she tends to every growing season. Back then bowls of freshly picked vegetables sat on our kitchen counter for anyone to help themselves to. My sisters and I snacked on raw vegetables just like we ate our apples — whole and with the peel on.

We have a good size backyard with plenty of room for a garden, but it faces south towards the hot sun and has proven difficult to keep the grass watered and green, as you can see from this photo. We also get four legged visitors, like hungry rabbits and other small critters, I don’t care to know about ~~slithering~~ running around doing their business back there.

All the hard work necessary for a thriving garden overwhelms me, so I’m going to try container gardening. Just simple herbs and a mix of lettuce leafs. I’ll visit my local farmer’s market for tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Right outside the backdoor I have planted mixed, red and lettuce leaf varieties. The peppermint plants will go in with them and the pretty lavender will go into a large antique bowl of Hens and Chicks on the front porch. I’m not sure how I will use the lavender just yet, but I do hope to catch their sweet scent when I’m nearby.

I tucked cilantro, basil, rosemary and dill herbs into a large flower pot. There’s a lot going on in that container but I do like how it looks and it saves space and watering time. I also have a small terra cotta pot of sweet basil near the kitchen window that is doing well. I pinch leaves from it almost daily for cooking, topping sandwiches and flavoring iced tea. I especially like fresh basil with sliced strawberries.

I’ve already made my first salad with clippings from the lower leaves of the plants, and tossed in a few of the herbs, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, and green onions. It was so fresh and delicious!

I’m looking forward to more mature greens and lots of summer salads this season. It’s not too late to start your own easy container garden. Check with your local farmer’s market, grocery store or greenhouse for starter plants.

How about you, do you container garden and what do you grow in yours? How do you use fresh lavender? I would love to hear from you.

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Salads & Vegetables