Healthy Bean Salad

Posted on September 16, 2016 by The Food Lover

Healthy Bean Salad. Are you looking for an easy weeknight or weekday lunch entree? My Healthy Bean Salad is made with super grains, two types of beans, an abundance of vegetables and chopped nuts with a zesty slightly spicy salad dressing.

Healthy Bean Salad with Super Grains and Vegetables (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

My Healthy Bean Salad is great on its own or as a side dish. It travels well as a cold lunch or picnic dish. I’ve also used this bean salad as a filling for a sandwich wrap. For additional protein, you might want to add some sliced turkey or chunks of grilled chicken breast before you roll it up.

Whole Foods Market’s Super Grains are the key to healthy in this salad. Cooked on their own, I like to use them as a side dish to grilled or roasted meats. In this salad, they are a healthy alternative to other carbs.

Whole Foods Market’s Super Grains (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Trader Joe’s Chile Lime seasoning is the basis for this slightly spicy dressing. If you don’t live near a Trader Joe’s, you can purchase this seasoning at Amazon.com for a slightly higher price.

Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Seasoning (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Take a look at my Eating Healthier posting as my husband and I have changed the way we eat and have lost weight as a result. This salad has been instrumental in our transformation. I usually eat a cup of it for breakfast or lunch. My healthy bean salad is a tasty side dish to a baked bone-in chicken breast.

Try my Healthy Bean Salad as a side dish to a Baked Bone-In Chicken Breast doused with Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Seasoning (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

If you want to be really fancy for your work or school lunch, you can layer the salad ingredients in a Mason Jar and then pour the salad dressing over top. Shake the jar before opening.

Enjoy!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Healthy Bean Salad

Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 c cooked and cooled Whole Foods Market Super Grains
1/2 c canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c canned white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 c cubed cooked or roasted sweet potato
1/2 c roasted corn (thawed if frozen)
1/4 c diced celery
1/2 c shredded carrot
1/4 c diced red radish
2 T minced sweet onion
1 scallion, thinly sliced, both white onion and the green top
1/4 c chopped toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans, or cashews)
3 T chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro

For the dressing:

1/3 c olive oil
2 T Orange Blossom Honey Balsamic vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
2 T lemon juice
1 t cumin
1 t Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Seasoning or more cumin
1 T honey
pinch of salt

Method:

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Add the dressing to the salad and stir. Serve immediately or chill for several hours or up to two days.

Makes about 6 cups of bean salad.

Variations: Substitute cooked quinoa or couscous for the super grains. Omit the nuts if you have a nut allergy. Add some chopped grilled chicken or cooked turkey chunks. You could add some feta crumbles if you want a bit more protein. Add your favorite vegetables such as tomatoes or cucumber or whatever else is in season that you like.

If you can’t find Whole Foods Market Super Grains or if you don’t live near a Whole Foods Market, you can purchase them on Amazon.com:

Baked Chicken Breast with Healthy Bean Salad (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2016)

White Peach Cosmopolitan Martini

Posted on August 30, 2016 by The Food Lover

White Peach Cosmopolitan Martini. Continuing with my summer peach theme, I hope you enjoy this fruity martini. Recently, I posted an elegant appetizer of Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts. To go with the toasts, I made a martini with white cranberry juice and peach flavored vodka.

White Peach Cosmopolitan Martini accompanies Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

For this takeoff of the traditional Cosmopolitan martini, I combined white cranberry juice, peach vodka, Cointreau and a squeeze of lime juice with ice cubes in a martini shaker and shook it up. Then I poured the White Peach Cosmo in to a chilled martini glass and garnished with a fresh peach slice.

Cointreau orange liqueur (Photo Credit: cointreau.com)

Also, I made some non-alcoholic White Peach Cosmopolitan Refresher beverages for those who don’t imbibe. Just put some ice cubes in a tall glass. Fill the glass half-full with white cranberry peach juice. Then add a splash of orange juice and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Fill the glass almost to the top with seltzer water or club soda. Add a slice of fresh peach to garnish. For an extra festive look, add a sprig of mint.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

White Peach Cosmopolitan Martini

Ingredients:

Chilled martini glass
Cocktail shaker
Ice cubes
2 oz peach flavored vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
2 oz white cranberry juice
Squeeze of fresh lime juice

White peach slice, to garnish

Method:

Combine all ingredients except peach slices in a martini shaker. Pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with peach slice.

Makes one festive martini.

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White Peach Cosmopolitan Refresher (Non-alcoholic)

Ingredients:

Ice cubes
Ocean Spray White Cranberry Peach Juice
Orange juice
Squeeze of lime juice
Plain Seltzer Water or Club Soda
White peach slice and a sprig of mint, to to garnish

Method:

Fill a tall glass with ice. Fill the glass half-full with white cranberry peach juice. Add a splash of orange juice and a squeeze of lime juice. Top with seltzer water or club soda. Garnish with peach slice and a sprig of mint.

Makes one festive non-alcoholic beverage.

Get some White Cranberry Juice (case) or White Cranberry Peach juice (one bottle) at Amazon.com:

www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2016)

Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts

Posted on August 19, 2016 by The Food Lover

Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts. Summer is peach season. There’s nothing tastier than a fresh ripe peach at its best. I wanted to serve a nice elegant appetizer one evening when we had dinner guests. And I’m on a peach theme nowadays. So Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts received top billing on my menu.

Ripe peach slices over ricotta-slathered toasted baguette crowned with chopped toasted pistachios, cinnamon basil chiffonade and a touch of honey. (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Usually I find two or three ripe peaches that are stellar out of a dozen purchased peaches. It’s hard to find a good peach around here. I use the mealy and somewhat sour peaches in my Cucumber Peach Mint Smoothie recipe.

Organic yellow peaches (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Recently, I made my own ricotta cheese. As expected, it was pretty simple and tasted so good. You can order a cheese making kit if you want to make your own. I used the fresh ricotta cheese that I made as a base spread for these toasts. You can make your own ricotta or purchase ricotta at the grocery store.

Toasted baguettes spread with sweet ricotta and topped with peach slices, toasted pistachios, basil chiffonade, and a drizzle of honey (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

So…what to do with this wonderful ricotta that I made? Why not spread it on a toasted baguette and top with ripe peach slices, chopped toasted pistachios, cinnamon basil chiffonade, and a drizzle of honey?

Sliced Peaches, Pistachios, and Ricotta decorate Toasted Baguettes as an elegant appetizer (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Also, you can serve sparkling water or champagne in a glass with a sliced peach as garnish. I made a White Peach Cosmopolitan martini for the ladies to go along with this appetizer.

Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts along with a White Cosmo Peach Martini (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Enjoy!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts

Ingredients:

12 pieces thinly sliced French baguette
1 c fresh ricotta cheese
2 ripe peaches, pits removed, and sliced into 24 slices
2 T chopped toasted pistachios (Trader Joes carries toasted pistachios)
2 T cinnamon basil leaves, finely sliced into chiffonade
Honey for drizzling

Method:

1. Turn on oven broiler.
2. When broiler is ready, toast the baguettes on each side until light brown.
3. Let the toasted baguette slices cool for a minute.
4. Spread ricotta on each toasted baguette slice and arrange the slices on a serving platter.
5. Divide the peach slices amongst the baguette slices on top of the ricotta spread.
6. Sprinkle the chopped toasted pistachios over the peach slices.
7. Sprinkle the cinnamon basil chiffonade over the peach slices.
8. Drizzle the peach pistachio ricotta toasts with honey.
9. And serve!

Makes 12 appetizers. Serve alongside your favorite beverages such as a chilled rose wine or a nice gin martini.

Variations: Use nectarine slices instead of peaches. Substitute softened cream cheese for the ricotta. Use regular basil if you can’t find cinnamon basil. Use toasted pecans if you can’t find toasted pistachios. For a zesty taste, add some cracked black pepper on top. Add some crispy prosciutto ham on top for a savory flavor.

Order this beautiful serving tray from Amazon.com to serve your appetizers:

Peach Pistachio Ricotta Toasts make a great appetizer (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

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