Pico De Gallo

I LOVE pico! So does my 7 year old daughter. In fact when I made steak fajitas last week, we ate all of the pico before dinner was served and ended up having to make another batch! lol For that reason I doubled my original recipe so that you will have plenty for the family. But you could also half it to serve 2-3 people. Super simple. You can also add a chopped garlic clove if you'd like. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. 

Simple Pico de Gallo
makes about 3 cups 

6 medium Roma tomatoes
1 small white onion (or red)
1 jalapeno pepper
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup or so of chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tomatoes in half and take out the seeds under running water. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces, and add to a mixing bowl. Finely dice the onion and the jalapeno (remove the seeds if desired). Toss the onion and jalapeno in the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the chopped cilantro and mix well finishing up with the lime juice and salt and pepper. It's better if you can refrigerate it for about 15-20 minutes so the flavors will settle. 

Note: When I want a "kicked up" guacamole, I will make a half a batch of this pico and mix it with 3-4 mashed avocados. Heavenly.

Kale Salad

 If you are sick of the same old salad, you have got to give this a try. I had never eaten kale before my sister gave me this recipe to try, and I have to say I just love this recipe and make it almost every week now. When you buy kale in the store it's a light green in color and kind of firm, but after you massage it with salt like in this recipe, it takes on the color and consistency of spinach. It's definitely healthy and super good for you, but don't let that throw you off- it has the perfect combination of flavors and gets even better after it's been refrigerated a few days. Like my sister suggested, I make a batch and then eat it for lunch througout the week. (if I'm prepared I won't try to eat all my daughters mac and cheese :) I make mine with almonds and crasins- so delish!

Kale Salad

Recipe from Bre Hamideh

1-2 bunches kale

1 tsp salt

1/4 medium-small red onion, thinly sliced or diced

1/3 cup chopped almonds or nuts of choice

1/3 cup craisins or dried fruit of choice

1 large avocado, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Soak kale in water to loosen any dirt. Wash individual leaves as you de-stem them (pull leaf away from thickest parts of stem) Shake dry. Chiffonade leaves (stack, roll and slice into thin ribbons) and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle salt all over kale and, using your hands, massage kale for 3-4 minutes. After about a minute you'll notice a big difference in the leaves-they'll start to soften and turn dark gream almost as though you were steaming them. When done, drain off any liquid that collects on bottom of bowl (if any). Add nuts, diced avocado, onions and craisins to bowl. Pour olive oil and apple cider vinegar evenly over bowl of goodies, then toss with tongs until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Broccoli Salad

This is the salad my mom has at every barbecue event and it is fabulous! I'm really not a colslaw fan and neither are my kids, so this is a great alternative. There are so many different flavors in this salad and combined it's just perfect! Don't make it too far in advance or you might end up eating the entire thing yourself, trust me. :) I served mine as a side to pulled pork sandwiches.

Broccoli Salad

Recipe from Melody Blaser

4 cups of uncooked broccoli, cut up in bite size pieces if neccesary

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

1 cup red grapes, sliced in half or thirds

1 cup green grapes, sliced in half or thirds

3/4 cups sliced almonds
4 strips of bacon, crumbled or about 3 Tbsp bacon bits
 
Dressing:
1 cup mayonaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
 
Whisk dressing together until it is smooth
Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix. Pour dressing over and stir.



Aunt Sherry's Spinach Salad

This salad quickly became my favorite Thanksgiving dish this year. I couldn't stop eating it! It will for sure be the salad of choice for our Christmas dinner too. Some of you may have had this kind of dressing before, but for me it was a new and exciting. It seems so simple but it is the perfect balance of flavors.

Spinach Salad
Recipe from Sherry Chapman 

1 package of fresh baby spinach
1 cup fresh ripe strawberries, stems removed and sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup walnuts or pecans

Dressing:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix together and let sit for an hour or until the sugar dissolves. Pour over salad just before serving.

DIY Salsa

This recipe was in my magazine this month, so I figured I would give it a try. I've canned salsa a few times in college, but let's face it-it's much easier to buy the jarred stuff! (especially with 3 little tykes running around). When I thought about how much sodium the store bought salsa has compared to this easy stuff, I might start making it myself just for my kids' health. I'm sure there are a million salsa recipes out there! This one was super easy and really mild for kids. It's more of a pico de gallo type of salsa if you ask me. If you like it with more heat, add more chile. If you don't have a food processor, just get out your sharp knife and get to work. I think the biggest perk to doing it yourself, besides it being low sodium, is that you can choose your chunkiness. I did mine really fine so the kids devoured it!

DIY Salsa
Recipe from Good Housekeeping June 2010
Makes 3 cups

15 sprigs cilantro
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds discarded
1 small clove garlic
1/2 small white onion, cut in quarters
6 rips plum tomatoes (about 1 pound) cored and cut into quarters
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
salt

In food processor, with knife blade attached, pulse cilantro, chile, and garlic until very finely chopped. Transfer mixture to large bowl.
Place onion in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to bowl with the cilantro.
Place tomatoes in food processor; pulse until chopped. Transfer to bowl with onion. Add lime juice and salt, and stir until well mixed. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Black Bean Salsa

I call this "summer salsa" because it uses all the yummy foods you can grow in a garden or buy fresh at the grocery store in the summertime. I am forever grateful to my friend Lyndsie for entertaining us one night with this salsa among other delicious foods, and for sharing the recipe with me! Since then I have made this salsa many times with quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, and just for a fun snack. I am in love with this salsa, and so are my kids. They don't even realize all the veggies they are eating! A few notes: you can also add green, yellow or red peppers or chopped up avocado, but I think it's tasty as is. F.Y.I- "Good Seasons" is made by Kraft Foods and I gave them a phone call just to double check their product. They say there is absolutely no dairy in their Italian Dressing Packet.

Black Bean Salsa
Recipe from Lyndsie Field

5 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears of corn, cooked and cut off the cob
4 green onions
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
squeeze of lime

Dressing:
1 pkg "Good Seasons" Italian Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Mix everything together in a big bowl and then pour dressing over the top. Stir well because the dressing will settle at the bottom.