Tag Archives: Meal ideas

April 27, 2012 · 5:00 am

The Perfect Springtime Treat: Strawberry Tossed Salad Recipe

There’s nothing I love more than the perfect salad. (Well, okay, maybe chocolate, but I digress…) I love it when I discover a salad that combines textures and flavors that don’t make sense…until you taste them together.

The recipe I’m sharing today does just that. It’ll make your mouth dance with flavor, and it’ll give you good reason to buy an extra pint of strawberries every time you go to the store. :) The original recipe came from Quick Cooking, and I’ve made one or two minor variations as noted below.

Strawberry Tossed Salad

6 cups torn Romaine lettuce (The original recipe calls for mixed salad greens, but my favorite is Romaine.)
1 pint of fresh strawberries, sliced
1 pkg (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sunflower kernels (or slivered almonds are good too!)
Balsamic vinaigrette (I like to either use Brianna’s blush wine vinaigrette or make my own dressing by combining equal parts olive oil with balsamic vinegar.)

Start by combining all the ingredients except the dressing. Just before serving, toss with the dressing until coated. (Makes 4-6 servings)

*photo from Tasteofhome.com

What are your favorite salad toppings or flavor combinations? Any foods that signal the arrival of spring to you?

24 Comments

Filed under Food

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

March 30, 2012 · 5:00 am

Easy Vegetarian Recipe: White Bean and Pasta Soup

I know what you were thinking when you saw this title. “Since when did you become a vegetarian, Sarah?” No, I’m not a vegetarian, but a little break from meat never hurt anybody. :) Especially when you have a simple recipe that’s as good as this one.

Now I have to admit something…The first time I made this soup, my husband came to the stove, gave it a look and a sniff, and wrinkled up his nose. But after one taste, he was converted. (It doesn’t hurt that he has a mild–okay, major–addiction to pasta.) Anyway, here it is…

White Bean & Pasta Soup Recipe

1 can Great Northern beans (15 oz)
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I like to add an extra cup to this, which makes it equal a full carton. Also note that chicken broth would keep it from being truly vegetarian, so vegetable broth can easily be substituted in its place.)
1 cup diced tomatoes (I use a 14 ounce can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes for convenience.)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup miniature pasta shells or bow ties (I usually increase this to 3/4 to 1 cup for the pasta lovers in my house.)
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Rinse and drain beans. In a large saucepan, combine beans, broth, tomatoes and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in pasta. Cook, partially covered, for 7 minutes or until pasta is tender. To serve, ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

(I apologize I don’t have any photos. I took some lovely pictures of the finished product, but technology is not my friend this week. I’ll try to add them later.)

—–

Not only is this soup great for vegetarians, it’s also a healthy option for people needing to watch their cholesterol or fat intake. The original recipe came from my sister, and I made a few tweaks as noted above.

In our house, we like to pair it with salad and breadsticks. Or for the kiddos, I sometimes make grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it. It’s multi-dimensional. :)

How often do you make meat-free meals in your home? Any recipes that first induced nose wrinkles, but then the family was converted after tasting it?

23 Comments

Filed under Food

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

October 21, 2011 · 5:00 am

The Best Roast You’ll Ever Make (Plus 3 Meal Options!)

Lately I’ve been on a kick to make and eat simple foods. One of my family’s Sunday traditions growing up was to have a beef roast for lunch. So I recently decided to try one myself. I was shocked at how tender and yummy it was! (Meat doesn’t always cooperate like that for me.) Here’s how I fixed it.

- First, I started by picking out a rump roast because it’s known to be tender and have great flavor. (Side note…When I was a kid, I refused to eat rump roast once I found out which part of the cow it was. If you have picky eaters, I suggest not telling them where the meat came from. :) )
- Second, I browned all sides of the roast in about a tablespoon of olive oil. (I used my handy-dandy Chefmate stockpot because it can go straight from the stovetop to the oven.)

- Third, I left the roast in the pot and filled the pot with about one to two inches of water.
- Then I put the lid on and let it cook in a 300-degree oven for 3-4 hours.

When we got home from church, the smell in our house was divine! That day we paired it with some basic sides and veggies. (This is the kid-sized version. :) )

Or if you want to spruce it up with an Amish-classic twist, you could cook some egg noodles and make beef and noodles. Put it on top of mashed potatoes and you’ll have extra yum.

Or if you have leftovers like I did, you can cut up the roast beef and make a salad. I left the meat cold, but you could warm it up too. This salad has Romaine lettuce, the leftover beef, shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries.


It would taste awesome with any salad dressing, but I mixed up my favorite combo (thanks to my friend Karin at All Points Whole!)–Olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum!


So there you have it. One meat, three meal options.

Do you have any foods that do triple duty? What’s your traditional Sunday lunch?

Have a great weekend! :)

28 Comments

Filed under Food

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,