Salad

Mexican Street Fair Corn Salad {Elotes}

One of our favorite things to get at the San Diego Fair is the roasted corn. It’s so simple, the kids love it and apparently it’s a fair standard, you can tell just by the line alone! This year I noticed that they added, Elotes, a Mexican corn salad. The corn salad is served with mayo which I happily declined but has buttery corn, plenty of cotija cheese, cilantro and lime. To the side of the stand you can add as much chili and tapatio as you wish. After The Fourth of July we had several ears of corn leftover so I decided to recreate this new fair fav!

Mexican Street Fair Corn Salad

Ingredients:

3 ears of roasted corn, cut off the cob (here’s a great tutorial)
1/2 stick of butter
1-2 tsp chili powder
salt, to taste
1/4-1/2 cup cotija cheese
2 TB cilantro, chopped
tapatio, to taste
fresh lime

Directions:

In a skillet melt the butter. Once melted, add the corn and heat through until warm. Toss the corn with the chili powder, use more or less depending on your taste. Season with salt.
Toss the warm corn with desired amount of cheese. I added additional on top, because let’s face it, everything is better with more cheese! Add a few dashes of tapatio and garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Enjoy! Now you can enjoy the flavors of the fair all Summer long.

Balsamic Roasted Muscat Grape Salad {recipe} {clean eating} {paleo}

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Market.

When Whole Foods approached me to come up with a recipe for a once-a-year beautifully green and pink grape I jumped at the chance. The Muscat Grape comes from Chilé and is only available at Southern California Whole Foods Markets through April. I have never had a fresh Muscat grape, I’ve only had the chance to have it in vinaigrette or wine form. The fresh seedless pink grape was even better, the rich flavor and succulent crunch were amazing. . . and addicting!

For a quick and easy salad packed with a punch of flavor give my Balsamic Roasted Muscat Grape Salad a try!

Ingredients:

(makes two large salads)

1 full stem Muscat Grapes, rinsed & dried

2 TB balsamic vinegar

3 TB pomegranate seeds

2 strips of applewood smoked bacon, cut into strips

1/4 c. pecans, toasted

6 c. organic baby spinach

dressing (I used this recipe)

Preheat your oven to 375º. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss grapes with vinegar on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or until they are slightly brown. The vinegar and juice that’s released from the grapes while roasting creates a yummy glaze on the grapes. Remove from oven and let cool. In a salad bowl combine spinach, cooled grapes, pom seeds, bacon and pecans. Drizzle with your choice of dressing and enjoy! You could top this salad with a nice grilled chicken breast or grilled white fish.

Remember that the Muscat Grapes are only available through April so hurry up and add them to your holiday table. Whether it’s adding them to a salad, making fruit skewers or enjoying a handful at a time you won’t be disappointed with this pink beauty!

Autumn Inspired Salad with Pear Vinaigrette {paleo, clean eating & yummy!}

If you know me well enough you know that there is one meal a day I love going out for, lunch! It’s a time where the kiddos and I get to spend some time together, eat some yummy food and get out of the house. I would always stick to my guns when we were working on our budget, too stubborn to give up my coffee trips and lunch dates. That was until we began The 30 Clean program. During the first few days I was itching to get out for lunch but by day six the thought of eating out didn’t sound appealing at all. I was craving whole foods made by me, that in itself is a goal achieved from this challenge.

To help recreate some salads I would typically order while dining out I came up with an Autumn inspired salad with a homemade pear vinaigrette. The salad has a colorful plate of: roasted purple sweet potatoes, bright orange yams, crimson pomegranate perils, plump blueberries, crunchy toasted pecans and roasted chicken. Eating this salad in complete silence as the hubby worked and the baby slept made it that much sweeter! Not to mention I felt like I was rewarding my body with yummy whole foods and preservative free!

On Sundays I prep a lot of our food, like sweet potatoes and chicken. Adjust the amount of toppings based on how many salads you’re making.

Ingredients:

baby mixed greens

roasted purple sweet potato, diced

roasted yams, diced

pomegranate perils

roasted chicken, diced

raw whole pecans, toasted

blueberries

Pear Vinaigrette:

1 whole pear, diced

2 TB Bragg’s apple cider vinegar

1 TB olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

In a blender emulsify the pear, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Dress greens prior to topping with ingredients. Enjoy!

Black Bean Burgers

Oh! My God. . . this was seriously the best burger we have had in a long time. I highly reccommend MorningStar Farms Vegan products (http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/) they are full of flavor and you won’t even notice your not eating meat! I know everyone is capable of putting together a burger, but this one was great so I thought I’d share. I served the sandwich with cucumber salad and roasted corn.

Black Bean Burgers

2 MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers
4 slices Ezekiel Bread, toasted.
4 slices Tomato
2 leaves of Red Leaf Lettuce
4 slices Red Onion
1 Half of an Avocado
2 TB Vegan Thousand Island Dressing
2 Slices Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese

Preheat the BBQ.
Barbeque the burgers for 4 minutes, turning halfway through. Add cheese to melt.
On bottom half of bread spread half of the 1000 island and top with lettuce. Place burger on lettuce
On second slice of bread top with remaining veggies.
Enjoy! Seriously the best burger I have had in a long time…

Cucumber Onion Salad

2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 c. Vegan Sour Cream
1 ts. Lawry’s Seasoning
1/4 c. Red Wine Vinegar

Combine all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Chill for twenty minutes before serving.