French Lentil Salad

July 16, 2014 by Mackenzie

How can it be the middle of July already? I feel like I’m just settling into life in DC and all of a sudden I only have a few weeks left! I’m not ready to go – I’m having way too much fun!

I spent today running all over DC – attending the #MakeProgress National Summit (and hearing Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kristen Gillibrand and Chris Murphy speak!), running back to the Hill to attend a coffee with our Senator and some of our constituents, and then racing back to the conference to hear Vice President Joe Biden and Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speak.

It is days like these when I truly understand why people dedicate their lives to public service. There is much to change about the political system – yes, it can be frustratingly inefficient and unnecessairly political – but there are serious issues that must be addressed and it takes dedicated, inspired individuals to make that change happen. I’m intrigued to return to this world after graduation – I have no idea where/how but as Senator Warren said today, there is a fight that needs to be fought – she jumped in and I may too!

This week, in honor of Bastille Day on Monday (sorry the post is a few days late!), I made this French Lentil Salad! I needed a recipe with simple ingredients, that was easy to prepare and pack for lunch each day, and that filled me up and was packed with nutrition. This meal definitely fits that criteria. Lentils are an inexpensive source of protein, low in calories, and packed with fiber, iron and folate. Throw in the tomatoes and herb dressing for some flavor and you’ve got yourself a nutritious and delicious meal!

I found the recipe from a blog I’m follow called Eat, Drink and Be Skinny – yes, yes, and yes please! She has tons of healthy recipes, workout ideas (I’m doing this 30 day challenge), and lifestyle advice. Check out her site – I think you’ll enjoy it!

Comment below if you try this salad! I would love to hear what you think!

(P.S. – have you liked my new Never Skip Dessert by Mackenzie facebook page yet??!)

French Lentil Salad
Recipe slightly adapted from Sharon Palmer and EatDrinkandBeSkinny
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 pound dried lentils
4 cups water
1 (extra large) cube vegetable broth base
4 celery stalks, diced
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 medium shallots, finely diced
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (or some mix of dried herbs)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 cup croutons
Pinch of sea salt
1 bag of fresh arugula, to serve with

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, add the lentils, water and broth base. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are tender but firm.

2. When the lentils are done, drain the liquid and transfer to a large bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes then cover and refridgerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the celery, tomatoes, shallots, and parsley and set aside. In a small dish, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, herbes de Provence, black pepper and garlic. When the lentils have chilled for 30 minutes or so, mix in the vegetable mixture. Next, pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Add the croutons and season with sea salt if desired. Chill until ready to serve – it’s best when it is nice and cold and even better the second day when the flavors have melded!

4. Serve over arugula, if desired.

Superfood Fall Salad

December 31, 2013 by Mackenzie

I know it’s not really fall anymore, but this salad just looked too good to wait until next fall to make! The foods in it are some of my favorites: sweet potatoes, butternut squash and dates. They also happen to be “superfoods,” full of nutrition and good for your body. This salad was part of our big meal on New Year’s Eve – we served it with salmon (and the apple tart in the background of this photo) and it was delicious!

Superfood Fall Salad
Recipe from Del Sole
Serves 10

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1 large sweet potato
1 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more
1/2 cup dried cranberries
12 pitted dates, sliced
1/2 cup basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, divided

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Cut into one-inch pieces, or however big/small you want them for the salad. Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, some salt and pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg into the cubed squash. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Start checking it after 25 minutes or so, so that it does not cook too much and get mushy. When finished roasting, set aside, keeping any juices to add to the salad later for additional flavor.

2. While squash is cooking, boil water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook rice for 30 minutes or until cooked. Drain and mix in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then set aside.

3. Peel and chop the sweet potato into small chunks, like the squash. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of olive oil with 1/4 cup of maple syrup and mix well. Pour over the sweet potatoes and add some salt and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, stirring to coat. Roast at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Keep any juices.

4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, roasted squash, roasted sweet potato, flaxseeds, cranberries, dates and any juices from the roasted vegetables. Sprinkle basil over the top. You can serve it slightly warm or cold – we liked it both ways!

Edamame Quinoa Salad

September 12, 2013 by Mackenzie

I love this salad because of the flavors, the textures and the colors! It’s easy to throw together and is a perfect side-dish for just about anything.

Edamame Quinoa Salad

Recipe Type: Salad, Side Dish, Lunch

Author: Mackenzie

Serves: 5 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup cooked, cooled quinoa
16 oz frozen, shelled, edamame
1 1/4 cup frozen corn
2 green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
Several tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of cayene

Instructions

Prepare quinoa if you haven’t already. Let cool.
In a medium saucepan, bring about three cups of water to a boil. Add the edamame and corn and boil for about 3-4 minutes – just until tender. Drain and cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled edamame, corn and quinoa and the green onion, red pepper and cilantro.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, salt and spices until well combined. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.
Best when served chilled.

Recipe adapted from RealHouseMoms

Southwestern Black Bean and Grilled Chicken Salad

September 2, 2013 by Mackenzie

Okay, this salad is so good that I ate it for dinner one night, and then lunch and dinner the next day. Ha! Fine, I’ll admit that I was going out of town the following day so needed to get rid of it and I had nothing else to eat. But… I still really enjoyed it every single time and look forward to making it again!

I love that this salad has a southwestern flare, but isn’t overloaded like a taco salad is. It’s perfect for late summer with the refreshing cherry tomatoes and vibrant colors from the avocado and tomatoes. I adjusted the original recipe to make it “clean-eating” complaint and I don’t think you’d ever notice the changes! It is a bit more time consuming than your average salad – but it’s easily filling enough for a main dish so it’s worth the extra effort!

Southwestern Black Bean, Tomato, and Grilled Chicken Salad
Serves 3
Recipe adapted just slightly from CookFresh Magazine 2011

Ingredients:
2 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
2 teaspoons maple syrup
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can black beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large scallion, thinly sliced
1 package of pre-washed romaine lettuce, chopped
2 medium firm-ripe avocados

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, coriander, cumin, 3/4 teaspoons salt and maple syrup. Then, cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, creating four thin, chicken cutlets. Rub both sides of the chicken with the spice mix. You can cook the chicken either by grilling it or in a skillet (I’ve done it both ways, since I don’t have a grill at school). If you’re grilling it, heat grill to medium-high heat and grill chicken for three minutes on top side and about two minutes on bottom side. If you are cooking it in a skillet, head some olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat and cook, flipping occasionally until done, about ten minutes.

2. While the chicken cooks, prepare the dressing. In a glass jar with a lid (if you don’t have one, a small bowl works fine too), combine the olive oil, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, the honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk or shake well to combine. (I’ve found this makes extra dressing so I do it in a glass jar so I can save the extras for another salad!)

3. In a separate bowl, combine the black beans, tomatoes, scallion and remaining 2 teaspoons of cilantro and a pinch of salt. Add about 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss gently.

4. In a large bowl or on a serving platter, toss the lettuce with a little bit of the dressing to lightly coat. Slice the chicken breast very thinly and pit and slice the avocado. Arrange the chicken, avocado and black bean/tomato mixture over the lettuce. Drizzle more dressing over salad if desired.

Avocado Chicken Salad

August 28, 2013 by Mackenzie

This recipe has been one of my go-tos all summer – I’ve probably made it at least five times in the last month! It’s super easy, super fast, summery, and made with all “real food.” Can’t get any better than that!

This recipe is great because you can scale it up or down very easily depending on how many people you are feeding or how much leftovers you want to have. I go with a 1:1 ratio of avocado to chicken breast and usually do half a chicken breast per serving. It’s also a great recipe because of how versatile it is – you can eat it hot or cold, plain, in a wrap, in a sandwich… I’ve tried it all these ways – and loved it each time!

Avocado Chicken Salad
Serves 2 (easily scaled up or down)
Recipe from Gina’s Favorites

Ingredients:
1 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 avocado
1/4 red onion, chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tablespoons cilantro
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Dice chicken into 2-inch pieces (doesn’t have to be exact, you’ll shred it later). Heat the coconut oil in a medium-sized skilled over medium heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle some salt and pepper of it and begin to cook it. When the chicken is almost done, add the red onion and let them soften. Take a wooden spatula or a fork and shred the chicken into smaller pieces. Cook the chicken and onion together until the chicken is cooked through.

2. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado. Add the chicken and onions, the lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together and enjoy! Keeps well for up to two days in the fridge.

Quinoa Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Dates, and Gouda

August 21, 2013 by Mackenzie

This is another easy to-go meal that I brought along on our drive to St. Louis. I love this salad because it has so many of my favorite things in it – apples, walnuts, celery, gouda, dates, grapes… Yum! This salad keeps well for a couple of days – so put it in some single-serving tupperware and you’ll have lunch for the week!

Quinoa Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Dates and Gouda
Serves 5
Recipe adapted from Cookfresh Magazine 2011

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
Sea salt
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups arugula
4 oz. aged Gouda, diced
1 1/2 medium celery rips, thinly sliced
1/2 large, crisp apple, Fuji or Pink Lady, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dates, pitted and diced
3/4 cup grapes, halved
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa: place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes. When done, fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

2. While the quinoa cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and brown around the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss with the onions until the vinegar cooks away, about one minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.

3. In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, onion, arugula, cheese, celery, apple, walnuts, dates and grapes.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil with the apple cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and a few grinds of pepper. Gently mix the dressing into the salad. Enjoy!

Mackenzie

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