Recipe of the week: Moroccan Chicken Salad

I'm a big fan of California Pizza Kitchen, I've been eating there since the late 80's when they first opened in Beverly Hills.  I lived by the one in Marina del Rey when I was first married and it and The Cheesecake Factory were our go to places for dates.  One of my favorite items on their menu is the Moroccan chicken salad, it's full of rich flavors and hearty vegetables and very easy and affordable to make at home.  I used left over chicken tonight but if I were to make some for this I'd grill or bake 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with some Moroccan spices.  Or I'd use a little olive oil, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  Just make sure the chicken is cooled off a bit when you add to the salad so it doesn't wilt.  I added the chicken and hard boiled egg after I served a plate to my hubby since he doesn't eat those....this is one of those recipes that's easy enough to modify for a vegetarian or a vegan.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 bag of mixed organic salad greens (most bags are 8oz)
1 large head of romaine, chopped
16 oz or 2 cups butternut squash, diced and roasted
2 -3 large beets, diced and roasted (or 1 can of beets drained and diced)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 to 2 avocados, diced (depending on size)
1 large carrot shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4-6 large dates chopped depending on size
1/3 cup toasted almonds
2 hard boiled eggs diced
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the dressing:
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper



Toss everything (minus the chicken and egg if you're making it vegan) in a very large bowl.  In a small bowl add the vinegar, mustard, and honey, drizzle in the oil add salt and pepper to taste.  Once the salad is toss you can add the dressing and toss or dress on your individual salads, that's what I usually do in case I have leftovers....I don't want it soggy.

Recipe of the week: Blood Orange and Beet Salad

I've seen a couple of beet and orange salad recipes lately so I decided to come up with my own.  I'm not a big fan of raw onions but if you are, red onions might be nice in this.  I blanched my beets but you could also roast them like I did here.  If you can't find blood oranges you can always use regular ones or tangerines.  I made my own dressing but you can easily use any prepared dressing you like.  This salad had a hearty feeling to it but was also light and refreshing if that makes sense.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Blood Orange and Beet Salad

1 medium to large bowl of spinach and mixed greens

1 beets, blanched and sliced

2-3 blood oranges, depending on the size

2-3 sprigs of fresh parsley

1 Tbsp honey mustard

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

freshly ground pepper

In a pan with a steamer basket, steam beets for 4-5 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water (that will stop them from continuing to cook).  While the beets are cooking, remove the stems from the spinach leaves,   peel and section the oranges, set aside.  Slice the beets.  In a small bowl add your honey mustard, olive oil, and vinegar, whisk together, add freshly ground pepper to taste.  Add oranges, beets, and parsley to your greens and toss.  Drizzle with dressing and serve.  If you're not serving it right away, wait on the dressing, no one likes soggy salad.  Enjoy.  

Recipe of the week: Balsamic Roasted Beets

I haven't made a new recipe in a while because I've been busy.  With football season going until December 15th and working a lot during the holidays I just haven't had the time.  I even baked cookies from a mix for Santa on Christmas Eve!  (Hey it was after 8pm, who wants to make cookie dough at that hour?!)  The other day I made these beets and they were a hit, easy and only 5 ingredients.  You could definitely double or triple this easily but I only had the 2 beets, so I used what I had.  Let me know what you think.  A Vorte Sante!

2 large beets halved and sliced
2 Tbsp butter
2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice beets that you've rinsed, removed the tops of and halved (save the tops for juicing).  You'll need an oven proof pan for this.  In your pan, melt your butter on the stove, then add your beets and 2 Tbsp of the vinegar, I used about 1/2 tsp salt and a few turns of my pepper mill.  Stir and place in your preheated oven.  Bake until the beets are tender with a fork or knife.  Mine took about 6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add another splash of balsamic vinegar.  Serve warm.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Super foods smoothie

Most people are trying to find away to eat more vegetables, even Jamba Juice is now adding veggies to smoothies.  The darker the color of fruit and vegetables the better for you and we all know the benefits of dark chocolate.  Chia seeds and maca powder are nutritional power houses, if you want more information you can google them....you can always make it without them if you don't have any.  This ends up tasting like a chocolate covered cherry.  A Votre Sante!

1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen cherries, berries or a combination of both
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (optional)
1 Tbsp maca powder
1 scoop chia seeds
1/2 beet sliced


Blend in the blender until smooth.  Enjoy!