Wholefoods California Quinoa Salad

This weekend Chris & I stopped at Wholefoods for lunch. I got a small container of what Wholefoods called California Quinoa Salad.  It was just what I wanted, light but satisfying & most importantly not greasy making it the perfect salad during a heat wave. Upon finishing my tasty choice, I peeled the sticker from the container -like any rational gal that blogs about food- & stowed it safely in my purse so I could recreate it when I got home.

I made a huge batch (my recipe is very generous) that I plan on eating for lunch for several days.  The best part is there's no mayo in the salad so even if you don't have a fridge nearby it's great for summer lunch or a picnic outside.

Spring Salmon with Almonds, Avocado & Strawberries

'Tis the season for sweet strawberries & ripe avocado.  Since we've been eating salmon once a week in our house I try to change up the way we eat it. I use this no-fail-perfect-salmon recipe every time.  Last night I topped our salmon with some fresh sliced avocado, strawberries & almond slivers. To finish I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil on top & seasoned each portion with a pinch of salt & pepper. Et voila dinner a pretty spring salmon dinner.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 (1 pound) salmon fillet, (if it doesn't fit in your skillet, cut it so it does)
• 1 avocado
• 6 strawberries
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Make it!

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, place a large (12-inch) cast-iron pan over high heat for 5 minutes.
3. Brush the salmon all over with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, & place in the the pan skin side up.
4. Cook fish for 3 to 4 minutes without moving them until browned.
5. Turn the salmon skin side down, I used tongs to gently pull & flip each piece or you can use a spatula.
6. Transfer the pan to the oven for 8 minutes.
7. The salmon will not be completely cooked through yet. Remove the salmon from the oven & cover with foil for about 5 minutes, this will complete the cooking without drying out the salmon.
8. Slice the avocado (use this trick!) & the strawberries. 
9. Just before serving, plate each dish with the half the salmon.
10. Position the half the sliced avocado & strawberries neatly on top of each piece.
11. Sprinkle with almonds.
12. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over each piece & season with salt & pepper.   

Baked Root Vegetable Frites

Yesterday, I posted about mussels. Other than great bread to soak up the yummy sauce you should definitely eat them some some sort of "frites."  Instead of your traditional pomme frites (potato french fries), Chris & I munched on a tasty alternative: root vegetable frites.

Lately, I'm trying cook more with coconut oil. It's a bit lighter then olive oil & has some really great benefits too - whether you eat it or rub it on like a body lotion - it can help boost your immune system, help you to lose weight & does wonders for skin care. Check out more about these benefits here.

Click through for this tasty & guilt-free recipe.

Immaculate Chicken Salad

I used to make this salad all the time at my collegiate coffee house job at Immaculate Consumption (man, I miss that place).  My gal Maggie recently reminded me of it. So naturally, I had to make it.  It's a great take on chicken salad full of crunch & flavors & is mayo-free!  You can eat it served between some lettuce, tomato, a slice of provolone (like Immaculate) & bread as a sandwich or over some lightly dressed greens as a salad.  Click through to get this yummy recipe plus a bonus salad dressing recipe that really makes it sing in your salad!