Category: Picnic

Salmon and Bacon Salad

I haven’t experimented much with fish but I am wanting to start.  Here is my first post about fish!  My husband and I loved this salad!

 

Ingredients:

4 oz. salmon, rubbed with salt and pepper

2 strips of bacon (omit if you don’t eat pork)

2 handfuls of greens (mine was spinach, kale, and swiss chard from Costco)

1 tomato, chopped

dill for sprinkling

1 lime wedge

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

 

Directions:

Rub salmon with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until white starts to creep up the sides.  Maybe 7-10 minutes.  Flip over and continue to cook until fish flakes apart easily with a fork.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook strips of bacon until browned but not burnt.

To assemble salad, put the spinach mixture on the plate first.  Top with tomatoes and crumbled bacon.  Place salmon on top of salad and sprinkle with dill.  Squeeze lime wedge over everything and drizzle olive oil over all.

Chicken and Apple Salad

I way overbought on produce this week.  I also found an excess of crackers in my pantry that were expiring soon, so I made chicken salad.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of chicken, cooked, cubed, and cooled

1 apple, diced

1/2 to 1 c. red grapes, sliced in half

1/4 to 3/4 c. Mayonnaise, depending on volume of food and desired wetness (I used Vegenaise)

Crackers of your choice.  We like HEB brand Multi-grain Gluten Free Rice Crackers.

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and stir.  Serve with crackers.

Quinoa with Green Beans and Tomatoes

I had oatmeal go bad in my pantry.  It was very sad.  So, I decided to sift through my pantry and use up things whose expiration dates were impending.  What I found was quinoa.  I bought it on sale but I just don’t get very excited about it.  Well, doomsday for this bag of quinoa was quickly approaching, so this is the result.  It was much better than doomsday even if you don’t like quinoa.  I know that’s setting a pretty low bar, but work with me :-).

Ingredients:

3-4 tomatoes, diced

1/2 to 1 lb. fresh green beans- washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp salt (I added more later)

1/4 tsp black pepper

2-3 T. olive oil

1 3/4 c. quinoa

4 c. chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)

2 T. balsalmic vinegar

8-12 fresh basil leaves or more

 

Directions:

Place tomatoes and green beans in a skillet, drizzle with olive oil, and cook over medium heat until the green beans are tender crisp.  Add garlic cloves, salt, and pepper after about 5 minutes.  In a saucepan, combine chicken broth and quinoa to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until soft and liquid is absorbed.  Stir in cooked vegetables.  Add balsalmic vinegar and top with basil leaves.  May be served hot or cold, but I think it’s better hot.

 

Adapted from:

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Balsalmic-Quinoa-Salad-with-Roasted-Tomatoes-_-Green-Beans-1797341

Chocolate Chip Coconut Flour Cookies

This is the same recipe I used for my Coconut Flour Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, but for some reason it turned out WAY better this time.  Maybe it was the coconut oil and cashew milk switch?  Last time I thought the recipe was ho-hum, but this time I got a lot of compliments on it and enjoyed it better myself.  I think rolling them into balls helped too as it kept the center soft.  If you’re debating which one to make, I say make this one first :-).

Ingredients:

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c.coconut oil

1/3 c. cashew milk

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 c. white rice flour

1/3 c. coconut flour

2 T. potato starch

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c. Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

1/4 c. chopped pecans

 

Directions:

Cream coconut oil and sugars.  Add milk and vanilla and stir well.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients to wet and stir in chocolate chips and pecans.  Set the dough aside for 20 minutes so it can rest (maybe this is because of the coconut flour?) Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake cookies on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 9 minutes.  Edges should have just a tinge of brown.  They will harden when they cool so do not overbake.  Allow to cool.  May be frozen for longer storage.

 

Adapted from:

http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com/2014/05/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

I did a couple of things to make this sandwich special.  First of all, I put the ham in the skillet by itself to warm it up.  Then we buttered the bread and toasted it in a skillet with the cheese melting on top of one slice.  It made the bread really soft and pliable.

 

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread made from Pamela’s Bread Mix (the eggless version using flaxseed as egg replacer: 3 T. ground golden flaxseed plus 9 T. water)

4-5 slices of Oscar Meyer’s Smoked Ham

1 slice Muenster cheese (NOT dairy free) or non-dairy cheese

butter for sides of bread (I used SmartBalance)

 

Directions:

In a skillet, warm up the ham until it’s sizzling.  Turn once.  Meanwhile, butter one side of each slice of bread and put one slice in the pan, butter side down over medium high heat.  Put slice of cheese on one slice of bread so it begins to melt.  When ham is warm, put it on top of the cheese on the bread.  Top with the other slice of bread, butter side out, and flip the sandwich so the untoasted piece of bread can toast.  Serve with a side of vegetables.  Keep a napkin handy and enjoy!

Peach Cobbler

I created this recipe the weekend I got engaged.  My now-husband was with me in the store waiting patiently (or so it seemed) to propose (unbeknownst to me) while I spent time comparing recipes and deciding if fresh or canned peaches would work better.   Finally, I made all my purchases, checked out, and put the fresh peaches in the cooler.  We made it to the park and he proposed and then we went and played pre-scheduled laser tag with my family.  All in all it was an eventful day!  A recipe can never compare to being proposed to by the guy you love, so obviously the proposal takes the cake as to the most exciting part of the weekend :-).  Nevertheless, here is the cobbler that ensued.

 

Part one ingredients::

8 peaches, sliced and pitted with peels still on

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cornstarch

Part one directions:

Stir all ingredients together and then bake in an oven-safe dish for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.

Part two ingredients:

8 T. butter (can use less)

1 1/2 c. flour (1 1/4 c. brown rice flour, 1/4 c. tapioca starch, 1/4 tsp xanthan gum)

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. milk (I used coconut)

Part two directions:

Melt 8 T. butter and put into 8×8 pan or 9×9.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir well.  Pour over the butter in the 9×9 dish.  Don’t stir.  Spoon in peaches and then gently pour in syrup.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until dough on top is cooked through. Serve in bowls.  May be served with vanilla ice cream.

 

Southwest Chicken Salad

We couldn’t get enough of this salad.  You can increase or decrease ratios of what you want in your salad.

 

Ingredients:

Lettuce- I used spring mix

Frozen corn- steamed or microwaved

Chopped fresh tomatoes

Cooked brown rice- I did mine in a rice cooker

Black beans- from a can or cooked in a crockpot

Southwest Chicken*

Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing*

 

 

*Southwest Chicken ingredients:

1/3 c. oil

3 T. white vinegar

1 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound of chicken breasts

Directions:

Combine spices.  Add oil, vinegar, and cilantro.  Place all into a plastic ziploc bag and add chicken.  Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Grill chicken until cooked through- about 6-7 minutes per side. Baste chicken with leftover marinade when you turn it.  Make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked.

 

*Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing ingredients:

2 small avocados

2 T. mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise so it would be egg free)

1 c. cilantro, washed

2 green onions, sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

juice of 1 lime (about 1 T.)

3 T. milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk)

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp white vinegar

Directions:

Scoop out the avocados and save the pits for storing in the dressing. Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container with the avocado pits in the dressing to help keep it fresh.  Could also be used as a dip.

Easiest Enchiladas

These enchiladas were ridiculously easy.  I just skipped the whole rolling up part and put enchiladas on the top and bottom of everything.  There is real cheese pictured here.  You could either use real cheese, skip the cheese altogether, or use a dairy free “cheese”.

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of black beans, pre-cooked in crockpot (about 8 oz)

1 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked

1 onion, chopped

1 small can of Rotel (10 oz)

1 large can of Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (28 oz)

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)

12 corn tortillas

1 c. white cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, or non-dairy cheese (optional)

 

Directions:

Pre-cook the beans and beef separately.  Reserve 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce for later. Combine all ingredients except the tortillas and cheese in a skillet and cook until warm.  Grease a 9×13 pan.  Put 1/2 of reserved enchilada sauce on bottom of pan to help keep tortillas moist.  Lay down a layer of 6 tortillas.  Pour in all of the ground beef and bean mixture and 1/2 c. of cheese.  Put down a second layer of 6 tortillas.  Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and make sure to cover every piece of exposed tortilla with a little sauce.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

Even my husband, who doesn’t really care for avocados, was helping me lick the bowl after this one.  We served it over a southwest salad.

 

Ingredients:

2 small avocados

2 T. mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise so it would be egg free)

1 c. cilantro, washed

2 green onions, sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

juice of 1 lime (about 1 T.)

3 T. milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk)

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp white vinegar

 

Directions:

Scoop out the avocados and save the pits for storing in the dressing. Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container with the avocado pits in the dressing to help keep it fresh.  Could also be used as a dip.

 

Inspired by:

http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-cilantro-avocado-dressing-449407

Italian Salad Dressing

I had dinner guests over the other night and wanted to use lots of herbs.  This is what happened.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp dried thyme or 1 T. fresh thyme

1 T. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried

1 T. fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

1 T. fresh basil or 1 tsp dried

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

2 T. rice vinegar

2 tsp sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp sea salt

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until minced.  All of my herbs were fresh from the garden except for thyme.  This goes well on a spinach salad with vegetables mixed in.

See my garden?  Please ignore the grass that is growing in :-).

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