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Grilled Peach and Walnut Salad

recipe

it’s summer tiiiiiiiime! well, i think it’s technically spring, but i’m on summer vacation. so i had to buy some gorgeous peaches at the grocery store.

i thought about trying the whole grilled peach-proscioutto thing… but i don’t eat meat…

so i made more rabbit food for myself. and it was so good it was like dessert. the major winning contribution to the dish: honey balsamic reduction. oh man, that’s going to be my new fruit dip. it was sweet and tangy and went muy well with the grilled peaches.

Grilled Peach Walnut Salad

ingredients:

• 1 peach
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• honey
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• mixed salad greens (dark)
• goat cheese

Slice peach in half and place face-down on a grill until it starts to get soft. For about a minute, place walnuts on the grill and take off when you can start to smell them (make sure not to burn them). 

Mix together honey and balsamic vinegar (i did about 1.5 tbsp honey to 1/4 cup balsamic). Heat in saucepan to thicken. Add about 1/2 tbsp olive oil, stir, continue to heat for 45 seconds to a minute, then take off heat. 

In a bowl, toss greens, walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, and honey balsamic. Top with slices of grilled peach.

you can eat this as a taco too, i just decided to cut out some of those yummy starches and replace them with more protein and vegetables

ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp - deveined 
• salsa of your preference
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 limes 
• 1 jalepeño - or less depending on your preference
• plain greek yogurt
• red & green cabbage - buy pre-shredded if you can
• paprika
• chili powder
• cayenne powder
• salt & pepper 
• avocado & cheese - for toppings 
• corn tortillas - or flour 
  

Thaw shrimp according to instructions and make sure all veins and tails are removed

In a bowl, marinade shrimp with olive oil, juice of 1 lime, 1 or 2 spoonfuls of salsa, and refrigerate for 15 minutes

While the shrimp is marinading, mix some greek yogurt, juice of 1/2 a lime, chopped jalepeño, and dashes of cayenne, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper

i have zero tolerance for spicy foods so i cut out the inside of the pepper and made sure all the seeds were out

Mix together shredded cabbage and yogurt sauce to make the cole slaw. Refrigerate slaw until ready to assemble the tacos/taco salad

you can add some salsa to the cole slaw too, if you’re feeling fiesty

Grill the shrimp - they cook/heat up fairly quickly, so a couple minutes on each side should do

In a bowl, combine cole slaw and shrimp and top with some more salsa. If desired, add slices of avocado and shredded mexican cheese blend and some slices of tortilla. Enjoy :)

i had bought two beautiful avocados and completely forgot i had them until after i devoured this. talk about tragedy 

to catch a glimpse of this dish in taco version, click here

and for dinner… 

sometimes nearly always, the simplest meals are the tastiest

ingredients:

1 tomato

nonstick spray

1 clove of garlic, chopped

2 oz spaghetti 

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Slice tomato into 1/4-inch thick slices, spray cooking sheet with pam, lay slices on baking sheet, spray again with pam, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and roughly chop.

Cook pasta in boiling water for 6-7 minutes. Strain and place in a heated pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Add garlic and tomatoes and toss for about 2 minutes until pasta is coated.

easy. simple. very flavorful. 

Mushroom-Artichoke Risotto w. Spinach and Feta

i had bought a tub of arborio rice a little while ago to make risotto-stuffed mushrooms and now that it’s the end of the year i am trying to use it up so i don’t waste the entire thing

with a little produce-shopping at my local cafeteria (so convenient) i made mushroom-artichoke risotto with spinach and some feta i had leftover from the fettucini i made

Risotto is really simple to make, it just takes a while. I’ve only made it that one other time and felt like I already had gotten the hang of it. So I suggest follow a strict recipe at least once and then start switching things up to make it just how you like it :)

ingredients: 

i’m not sure about the exact measurements, i just winged it 

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 2-3 cups vegetable broth (or any other broth)
• 2 tbsp butter
• chopped mushrooms — as few or as many as you prefer
• chopped artichoke hearts — as few or as many as you prefer
• spinach leaves — as few or as many as you prefer
• crumbled feta — as much or as little as you prefer
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Total time to cook rice: about 30-40 minutes

Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and add rice. Add 1/2 cup broth and stir until about 3/4 is absorbed. [perhaps following the instructions on the rice is the best idea, but this is what i did]. Stir frequently on medium heat and keep adding broth by the half-cup. You may end up using more or less than suggested amount — just keep an eye on it. 

Keep stirring — the rice should nearly double in size and become thick and creamy. Add butter and stir until completely melted into risotto.

In another pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute mushrooms and artichoke hearts. 

Once everything is nearly done, add spinach and feta to risotto — allowing the spinach to wilt and the feta to get mixed in. Then add the sauteed mushrooms and artichoke hearts.

Serve in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste (it needs salt, trust me) - (or add it while you’re cooking)

Hope that was about as straightforward as the inter-continental alliances during WWI! Happy Finals Week! 

i also have much better step-by-step pictures from my camera but my camera is alllllll the way at my boyfriend’s apartment (down 5 flights of stairs and about 30 ft away) - i’ll put them up later. maybe. if i survive finals

have I mentioned how much I love sweet potatoes?

I made Andrew eat lunch outside with me. The weather is too nice to be staying inside.

Featured: a salad from the cafeteria - its what I eat basically every day and yea it got old about one week into the semester

sweet potatoes seem so large! isn’t my stomach supposed to be the size of my fist??

hmmmmm

Turkey Sandwich on sourdough w. pesto, mozzarella, spinach, and red onion

i’m at my boyfriend’s family’s house in Kansas for Easter and it’s been beyond wonderful having a cute kitchen to cook in. Thus far I have cooked a grand total of two things: poached eggs on toast & this sandwich. 

but basically this sandwich was delicious and I’m glad i decided to try to work some lean meats back into my diet 

Wednesday Menu!

tip: save the image to a file on your computer to keep daily menus on hand! 

Dear Anon: here’s your daily menu numero uno! a little late but i should be getting this up i’m a more timely manner from now on

kitchen challenge: try cooking with quinoa!! 

Mini Penne w. Pesto & Oven Roasted Tomatoes

i just sliced some tomatoes, put them in a 350 degree oven, and roasted them for about 40 minutes. 

then cooked the pasta and tossed it with pesto and  stirred in the tomatoes that i had chopped up

click here for my recipe for this delicious veggie sandwich and to check out my tips for a simple lunch at Team Seventeen’s health blog!

Taco Salad Burrito

usually i try to stay away from things that have been modified to be “low carb” or “low cal” but when i saw 80-calorie low carb tortillas at the grocery store last night, next to the 200 calorie regular tortillas, i had to pounce

and i am SO glad i did

because today in the cafeteria they had a taco bar - so i filled my to-go box with refried beans, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, bell peppers, and a little cheese. got home, made a taco salad burrito, and i couldn’t be more satisfied right now (in my post-burrito happiness)