Tag: salad
Brunch Please!
Zucchini Frittata, Greens, and Baked Bacon
Weekend brunch is definitely one of our favorite things. Especially when it’s packed full of fresh ingredients to help fuel our day! You Gotta Frittata so that’s what we did! Throw it together and you can easily enjoy this one on the patio on a nice summer day.
I was also on a bit of a zucchini kick this weekend thanks to some great Farm Market Finds so this one fit perfectly. (My other zucchini masterpiece was Moroccan Lamb Patties over Zucchini Bake with Carrot Fries.)
Now here’s the big tip for this one… BAKE YOUR BACON! My husband actually introduced this trick in our house and now we do it all the time. It’s easy because you can get it started while you’re whipping up whatever else you want, plus its easier to clean up after. We are a home divided when it comes to our bacon though, he likes soft and floppy while I prefer very crispy. Baking still works well because I’m able to take his out at about 20 min baking time and in another 10 or so minutes (depending on the bacon) mine is ready too! And by using the baking rack, some of the extra grease will drip off which I think makes it taste way better too.
Last but not least, extra veggies with a little salad. We’ve enjoyed spinach, tomatoes, avocado with eggs for breakfast so why not throw them together with dressing of your choice. I kept it simple with oil and lemon juice but you can take your favorite vinegar or vinaigrette on there as well.
Ingredients:
- Frittata
- Zucchini (1/2 medium)
- Leek (1)
- Eggs (8 medium)
- Butter or Ghee (1 TBSP)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Greens
- Spinach/Arugula Mix (1-2 cups)
- Cherry Tomatoes (10, halved)
- Avocado (1 medium, chopped)
- Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice (from 1/2 lemon)
- Bacon (1 lb)
Kitchen items you’ll need:
- Baking pan with rack
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Cast iron skillet
- Bowl
Cooking Instructions:
- Start with the bacon. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay parchment paper or aluminum foil on baking sheet and place cooking rack on top. Lay your bacon on rack. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on bacon thickness and desired doneness. (Usually about 30-35 minutes with thick bacon is a perfect for me.)
- While bacon is baking, prepare your frittata. Melt butter, ghee or coconut oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced leeks and cook to soften, just a couple of minutes, while you thinly slice half a zucchini. Lay zucchini slices in skillet to allot to soften.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk 8 eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also use a hand mixer here. The more you beat and aerate the eggs, the fluffier your frittata will be.
- Add eggs to cast iron and let cook on stovetop until edges of eggs begin to cook. Then place in oven for 10 minutes. Poke with toothpick or knife to ensure eggs are cooked.
- While bacon and frittata are cooking, prepare your salad. Combine spinach/arugula mix, halved cherry tomatoes, and chopped avocado in a bowl. Add oil, lemon juice and pepper.
- When everything is ready, slice frittata in quarters and serve with salad and bacon. Enjoy!
Egg Avocado Salad Bowl
Every meal is important. Food gives us energy to do all the things we want to do in a day. So it is important to have a healthy lunch. This recipe is even a delicious breakfast option. Most importantly, preparing ahead of time, helps make the decision making process easier.
Healthy meals don’t just give us physical energy but can help with a mental boost and our ability to focus. Think about it or even better pay attention to what you’re eating this week and how you feel. Sometimes we grab things out of convenience, stress, or just habit, but while that burger and fries may taste great, you probably leave feeling a little sluggish and less focused.
I continue search to find new and exciting lunch salad recipes. It all started at the beginning of February during my yoga teacher training. For my packed lunch, I made a Quinoa, Kale, and Beet/Goat Cheese Spread salad. I really enjoyed it… the taste, the energy I had, and the general feeling of well-being through the evening so I could get even more done. By no means and I thinking about giving up meet, but I have been more experimental with meatless lunch salads.
Quinoa has shown up in some of my recent posts, but egg and avocado is a long standing favorite. Eggs, avocado and beets have been my breakfast staples for breakfast for awhile. For some reason, I haven’t been enjoying eggs for breakfast so this was the perfect solution. This meal would be great for breakfast or lunch, but it’s one I think will be in my lunch box a little more often.
Ingredients:
– Hard Bowl Eggs (2-3 per salad bowl)
– Avocado (1/2-1 per salad bowl)
– Green Onions
– Salt
– Roasted Beets
– Cucumber
– Leaf Lettuce
Kitchen Items You’ll Need:
– Large Pot
– Bowl
– Fork
– Baking Sheet
– Aluminum Foil
– Cutting Board
– Knife
Cooking Instructions:
1. Hard Boiled Eggs: Place eggs in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Place in ice bath and peel when ready.
2. Egg Avocado Salad: Scoop avocado out of skin and smash in a bowl. Slice eggs. Chop green onion. Mix all together and add salt to taste.
2. Roasted Beets: Scrub beet skin. Wrap each beet in foil and place on baking sheet. Roast 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes based on size of beets.
3. Cut lettuce and cucumbers. Add beets and egg avocado salad. Serve or cover and store in refrigerator.
4. Optional: Add favorite oil and vinegar if you want more dressing on your salad.
Fajita Chicken Salad
Salads are one of the easiest, most versatile, and satisfying lunch options we have found. The biggest trick is to make it something that tastes good so that you’re not disappointed by ‘another salad’ or ‘the same old thing’. Changing up flavors and ingredients so you look forward to and feel satisfied after your healthy lunch!
Another thing that we definitely love is Mexican food and flavors. I’ll take avocados every day please! So rather than waiting for an excuse to go out for tacos or get a bowl from Chipotle or enchiladas at MadMex (we still do that on occasion too of course) I have come up with this recipe as a delicious alternative offering spice, sweetness and a bit of crunch – fueling us for whatever our afternoons have in store.
As you will probably notice, chicken is a main ingredient in many of our lunchtime salads. Chicken offers lean protein and can be combined or flavoried with pretty much anything, so it’s a great way to fill up mid-day. We generally prefer to buy Kirkland’s Organic Chicken from Costco to get both the quantity and quality we want. The price is right too and I always look for sales and stock up, the packages store great in the freezer.
Ingredients:
Fajita Chicken
– Chicken Breasts (6 or about 3lbs. Chicken Tenders also work well)
– Chili Powder (1 TBSP)
– Chipotle Chili Powder (1 TBSP)
– Cumin (1 tsp)
– Garlic Powder (1/2 tsp)
– Onion Powder (1 tsp)
– Olive Oil (1 TBSP)
– Bell Peppers (6 peppers – 2 green, 2 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow, or color combo of choice)
– White Onion (1 large onion)
– Salt
– Pepper
– Lime Juice (juice of 1/2 lime, 1-2 TBSP)
Dressing
– Avocado oil (1 1/2 cups)
– White Wine Vinegar (1/2 cup)
– Lime (juice of 1.5 limes, about 1/4 cup)
– Salt (1 tsp)
– Pepper (1 tsp)
– Garlic (2 cloves grated)
– Honey (1 TBSP)
Kitchen Items You’ll Need:
– Knife
– Cutting Board
– Citrus Juicer (they help)
– Skillet
– Mason Jar (to store dressing)
– Pyrex (or preferred container for prepared lunches)
Cooking Instructions:
1. Mix chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Slice onion and peppers.
2. Remove chicken from package and pat dry. Rub spices into chicken.
3. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until done (internal temperature of 165), about 10 minutes per side. When done, remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
4. Saute onion and peppers in the same skillet you cooked the chicken. Add salt, pepper, and lime juice. Cook until tender but firm.
5. For dressing, combine all ingredients in mason jar and shake.