Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

Chipotle Mexican Grill is one of our favorite places to eat out!  I typically get the salads and love the dressing so I found and tweaked a recipe for that dressing and we made homemade salads of our own!  They were awesome!  I made the adobe dry rub first, used part for the dressing and used the rest as a dry rub on my chicken (steak would have been great too) before grilling it.

Adobe Seasoning:
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1/2 Tbsp. Chipotle Powder
1 tsp ground pepper
3/4 tsp Onion Powder
3/4 tsp Dried Oregano
3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Chili Powder

Dressing:
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
less than 1/4 cup raw honey (I used just under and mine was almost too sweet so use sparingly)
1 Tbsp. Adobe Mix (from above)
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh Oregano (or a sprinkle of dried)
3/4 Cup Olive Oil (more or less to taste)

Mix together in a blender, food processor, or shaker bottle.  This made a full bottle of dressing and tasted great that night and even better left over the next day! 

Cilantro Lime Dressing

I love salads but tend to fall into ruts and just use the same old dressing every time (Bragg's vinaigrette is a current fave).  So, this is a simple dressing that is full of healthy fats and you can make a mexi-salad!

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T lime juice
Fresh cilantro, diced
Sprinkle of cuming
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle of sea salt

Blend together and add more/less olive oil depending on desired thickness.  I tossed this on a salad with romaine, shredded carrots, cucumbers, pea pods, and a few tortilla chips for crunch!

Avacado Herb Dressing

I am in the early phases of the Whole 30, which is 30 days of no grains, no dairy, no legumes, and no sugar (not sweetener whatsoever) so salads are a popular dish.  Here is a "creamy" dressing for you!

1 ripe avacado
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1/3 cup fresh basil
4 Tbsp. olive oil (or more/less depending on thickness you like)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. mustard, dijon would be good
Sea Salt
Pepper
(any other herbs you like)

Blend in a food processor until creamy, if you added less olive oil it could be more of a veggie dip and more makes it a salad dressing!  Enjoy

Farmer's Market Special

We stopped by a new farmer's market (or new to us) a few weeks ago and they were making and sampling this yummy salad/bruschetta!  They called it beet bruschetta!

2-3 beets (shredded)
2 tomatoes, diced
Large bunch basil, diced
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper

They had combined everything and placed it atop a fresh baked slice of bread but I think you could have it plain or atop a grilled chicken breast also.  It was colorful and fun, and I cannot wait to make it!  I also think you could shred carrots for more color!

Massage Kale Salad

1 large bunch kale
1/4 cup red onion (I would omit next time or else chop large so it can be removed-the flavor was great but I don't care for raw onions)
Raw sunflower seeds
1 granny smith apple
Handful craisins
Sea Salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Massage the kale with sea salt until it wilts/shrivels-2-3 minutes (perfect job for my 4 year old)
2. Cut onions and apples and toss with sunflower seeds and craisins into the kale.
3. Add the vinegar and olive oil and mix together.

Really, you could add/omit any vegetables, nuts, or seeds to make this salad different. It was light and refreshing as an appetizer, but would be super tasty as a meal with a grilled chicken breast or grilled fish. Next time, I might also add some cucumbers and cherry tomatoes! My 4 year old gobbled up all but the onions of this yummy and super healthy salad!

Cucumber Salad!

I used to always LOVE cucumber salads, so when a friend of mine posted a recipe for it, I decided to make it healthy and enjoy it. I was really pleased-I loved it and my daughter liked it. My hubby hates cucumbers which is fine, more for me!

2 Tbsp. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (the recipe called for regular vinegar but this is what I had and it tasted great)
2 Tbsp. Grapeseed Vegenaise (instead of mayo or sour cream)
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
Oregano (fresh from the csa)-I used this instead of dill since I didn't have any fresh dill
Dried Lemon Peel (fresh from the csa)

2 cucumbers sliced very thinly
1-2 red onions sliced thinly (I don't enjoy raw onions but I like the flavor they bring)

Whisk or shake together the sauce, add the veggies and refrigerate overnight! I enjoyed this for my lunch today, with a handful of raw nuts! Next time, I might add some green beans to it also!

Spring Salad

I have Spring Fever big time!!!! Here is a quick, fresh salad I came up with that was perfect with some chicken on the grill, or it would be by itself for lunch!

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-1 cup brown rice noodles (any shape)-prepare as directed
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 avacado diced
Italian dressing (I bought a seasoning packet and mixed my own with organic apple cider vinegar and organic olive oil-read ingredients if you are buying packaged dressing, they are often full of bad oils and preservatives)
*You could also just do a simple mix of olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper
*You could add/omit any other veggies

Toss all the ingredients together in the dressing and refrigerate while you are making the rest of dinner. It tasted fresh, and it made me feel like Summer really is right around the corner!

Un-Coleslaw

This is a healthier way to make "coleslaw" which I typically do not like. I added a lot of things to make this more of a salad than a coleslaw but you could mix it up any way you like it!

¼ cup olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Sea Salt
1 tbls Vegannaise

*Whisk together well and pour over salad mixture.

Shredded Cabbage
Shredded Spinach
Shredded Carrots
Cherry Tomatoes
Diced Cucumbers
Diced Almonds
Diced Walnuts

Like I said, you can add or omit anything in this salad. Adding the almonds and walnuts made it perfect and filling for a light lunch! Enjoy.

Salad Time

Even though the weather is cold, I have been craving salads lately. So, whenever I can find some decent produce, I buy it (that can be tough)! I have also been craving RubyTuesdays salad bar! You can get really creative with salads and add whatever you like. Here is one of my recent faves!

Several handfuls organic spinach
1 carrot shredded
1 cucumber diced and peeled
1 medium tomato diced (or cherry tomatoes)
4-5 mushrooms sliced
Small handful of walnuts, broken up a bit
Small handful of almonds, sliced a bit
Small handful of craisins
Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar to taste

Another good idea is to grill/cook chicken in advance and keep sliced chicken in the fridge to add as protein on salads! You could also add any other vegetable or fruit that you enjoy! Salads don't have to be bland or boring, mix it up!

Fruit Salad

In our house, we love fresh fruit so this is a perfect salad to go along with any meal...or just as a snack.

2 sliced bananas
2 diced apples
1 can organic mandarin oranges (in water, not syrup)
Several handfuls of grapes
2-3 diced and peeled kiwi fruit
1 cup diced strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small)
1 tsp peppermint extract (gives it a kick)
1/4 cup orange juice (juice of 1 large orange)

Stir together and chill. This keeps for several days in the refrigerator (but in our house it only lasts a day). This is also a nice, light fruit salad to accompany a large holiday meal! I usually make it with Thanksgiving dinner so we have a healthy addition to the meal!

Yummy Summer Side Salad

Okay, this salad was made by default. We had just bought fresh cucumbers, green beans, and tomatoes at the farmer's market so I thought that a fresh salad would be perfect with our grilled chicken. Well, it turned out we actually did not have lettuce, so instead I made the simple salad without it, and I really enjoyed it!

3 medium tomatoes diced
2 cucumbers diced
Large handful for green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Toss in a large bowl and serve. Mmmm, it was cool and refreshing and full of good, raw nutrients!