The salad kick is still on.

Trying to represent summer despite the cool temperatures.

Fresh raspberries, soft smooth goat cheese, crunchy toasted almond slivers and a mint vinaigrette.

Do you wish you had a fork? It was pretty yummy.

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Baby Romaine
• 1 1/2 Cups Raspberries
• 1/4 Cup Natural, unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 Cup Sliver almonds, toasted
• Handful of fresh mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp. Goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/3 Cup Raisins

Dressing

• 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp.  Dijon Mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 6 Mint leaves, finely chopped

Method

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl
2. For the dressing, get a jar with a lid and add the ingredients in order as listed above.
3. Place the lid on and give it a good shake.
4. Pour over salad just before serving.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Keep salads interesting by switching out the greens from baby romaine, arugula, spinach, iceberg lettuce, etc.  It will keep your taste buds guess and avoid those pitfalls of the same old salad.

The sun is shining, birds are chirping but it is still cool out.  I am trying to be optimistic but I am really looking forward to working out on the deck.  Not there yet… but did fire up the barbecue last night.  Will share more with you on that for Friday.

Have a great day.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Keep the salad streak alive.

Eat veggies.

Eat for fuel.

This salad was created out of pure starvation a while back.  I thought I had nothing for lunch one day and was debating leaving my office and going to pick something up.  I was so lazy and didn’t want to get dressed that I took one last pass through the fridge and pantry and dreamed this up.

A lonely head of cabbage, a nice can of tuna, some left over pecans from a dessert gone by and some seasonal cucumbers and tomatoes.  Hit that with a little drizzle of olive oil and balsamic and low and behold – a very hearty salad.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups cabbage, chopped
• 1 Can Tuna, drained
• Cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 Cup pecans, roasted
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. Balsamic
• 1/2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 and dry roast the pecans on a baking sheet for about 5-6 minutes
2. Prepare all vegetables and toss them in a large bowl
3. Add tuna, mix well
4. Drizzle with oil and vinegar
5. Top with roasted pecans
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  To change the texture of the salad you can cut/shave the cabbage in different sizes.  It will create a whole new experience in your mouth.

Much better than getting dressed and going for take out.

Have a great Wednesday.  We are having guests over for dessert this evening.  Any ideas on what I could make them.  Send me an email or leave it in the comments.  I would love to hear your options.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Add some life. Add some olives to your life. That’s what we are talking about today. I have been asked to partner with Kitchen Play to promote olives and olive oil in recipes to support a healthy diet.

Over the past number of years, we have heard great facts about olives and olive oil in regard to the their potential health benefits. The fact of the matter is… the facts are true. No myths here folks.

HEALTH INFORMATION:

• Since 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the availability of a qualified health claim for monounsaturated fatty acids from olive oil and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. It states: “Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil.”

• The oleic acid in olive oil has been found to be particularly effective against breast, colon and prostate cancer. Eating a Mediterranean Diet could prevent up to 25 percent of colon; 15 percent of breast; and 10 percent of prostate, pancreas and endometrial cancers.

• The Mediterranean diet in general and olives and olive oil in particular have many anti-inflammatory properties. For example, increased olive oil consumption has been linked to a decreased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and pain, particularly in the joints.

Today I wanted to share with you a simple recipe and creation to share with friends and family. This dish can be used as an appetizer at a cocktail party, maybe a simple treat before a big meal, or even as a side dish with a nice hearty pasta.

The options are endless but I wanted to keep it simple and let the olives and olive oil show through in the truest sense.

Ingredients

• 12-14 Black olives, pitted
• ~ 8 oz. Fresh mozzarella cheese
• 12 – 14 Grape tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
• 1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Start off by cutting the bottom of the tomatoes so they sit flat on a plate or cutting board.
2. Top the tomato with a small piece of mozzarella cheese, followed by the pitted olive.
3. Drizzle olive oil over, sprinkle salt and pepper
4. Top with chopped oregano and thyme.
5. Let chill for 15 minutes in fridge.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Change this dish up so easily by swapping a different type of cheese and herb combination. The options are endless with great ingredients so play around in the kitchen and have fun.

Follow Add Some Life on Facebook and Twitter for more inspiration on ways to “Build a Better Salad” with olives and olive oil.

*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Add Some Life as part of the Kitchen Play Sidecar series. All opinions given are my own. Some information about olive oil and olives was provided by Add Some Life.

Have a super start to your week and I am flying home today!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty