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Salad Week – Tuscan Bean Salad

April 29, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 7 Comments

This is a quick and easy salad to throw together.

I love white beans and if you’re avoiding starches

say for bikini reasons…

This is a great side dish to serve with grilled chicken or shrimp!

The boys eat the beans first.

dinner Salad Week Tuscan Bean Salad

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 bag baby arugula (you can use baby spinach or mixed baby lettuce if you want)

1/4 red onion, sliced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can cannellini beans

4-5 basil leaves, torn

handful of italian parsley, chopped

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 T extra virgin olive oil

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

In a large bowl combine, arugula, onion, tomato, basil and parsley.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper then drizzle with vinegar and olive oil.  Toss to coat and serve.

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Healthy Salad Recipes For Kids, Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Vegan Recipes For Kids, Vegetable Recipes For Kids, Vegetarian Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Quick and Light Herb Salad

July 22, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 17 Comments

This is a take off on a salad that I once saw Rachael Ray make and thought, that is the strangest looking salad I’ve ever heard of, but I made hers and loved it!  I ate it every day for a month.  Then I started to give it a bit of a makeover and ended up with this little delight.  My kids eat around the mushrooms but gobble up the rest of it…

healthy eating for kids Quick and Light Herb Salad

1 bunch washed baby arugula

8 oz package of baby bella mushrooms sliced

3 stalks celery sliced thin

10 basil leaves julienned

handful of italian parsley chopped

parmesan cheese

1 lemon

1 T olive oil

S&P

In a large bowl toss in your arugula, mushrooms, celery, basil, and parsley.  Grate long slices of parmesan cheese on top.  Sprinkle with S&P.  Squeeze the juice of one half of your lemon on top of your salad.  Toss gently.  Season again with S&P if necessary.  Sprinkle with olive oil and toss again.  Serve it up with some crusty bread or alongside your dinner.  SOOOOO GOOD!!!

*Disclaimer I put ranch dressing on the boys version of this.  They just love their ranch!  But if they’re eating salad, who cares?  A lot of you out there have said that you can’t get your kids to eat salad.  My youngest two boys have always loved salad, Keegan, the oldest, not so much.  You know how I got him to eat it????  It’s so easy!!!  You’re not going to believe it!!!  CROUTONS!!!  That’s all it took, croutons!!!  Now the kid eats salad?!?  Go figure.

Filed Under: Healthy Recipes For Kids, Healthy Salad Recipes For Kids, Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Summertime Pasta

June 22, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 48 Comments

dinner Summertime Pasta

Welcome to our kitchen! If you’re here from Follow Me Back Tuesday please come in, take a look around, leave us a comment so we know you were here! Ok, now back to our show…

I don’t know why I equate italian sausages with summer but, well, I do.  It makes me think of firing up the grill, or going to a ball game, or hitting the food stands at the town fair.  I love me some sausage, so does the fam, but sometimes I need to find a different way of making it then the good ol’ grilled standby.

Enter the Summertime Pasta.  It’s a one dish meal and it’s so so good.  I just threw a whole bunch of stuff in the fridge into the pan and viola, a delicious dinner is on the table.  Enjoy.

dinner Summertime Pasta

1 lb penne pasta

1 T olive oil

1 lb bulk italian turkey sausage (hot or mild)

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion sliced thin

8 0z mushrooms, sliced

1/2 T red pepper flakes

1 t dried oregano

2-3 T dry vermouth (or you could use white wine)

1 cup chicken stock

S&P

parmesan cheese

1 bunch baby arugula

Set a large pot of water on to boil for your pasta.  When it’s hot season the water with salt, add pasta and cook until al dente.

In a large pot heat your olive oil over medium high heat.  Crumble in your sausage and cook until well browned.  Once browned (about 8 minutes or so) add in your onions, mushrooms, and zucchini.  Allow veggies to soften a bit, about 5 minutes then add in your garlic and cook for an additional minutes.  Season with red pepper flakes, oregano, and S&P.  Deglaze with vermouth and allow to cook out for a minute or so.  Add in your chicken stock and bring down the heat and allow to simmer while your pasta finishes cooking.

dinner Summertime PastaDrain your pasta and add to the sausage sauce.  Mix well and then serve on a small plate.  Top with arugula and shaved parmesan cheese then sprinkle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.  Mmmm good!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Recipes For Kids, Vegetable Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Summer on a plate

May 26, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 16 Comments

Nothing says summertime to me like a really great piece of grilled fish and a fresh salad.  Now fish is tricky, some people love it, other people hate it.  So I start my kids off with the first piece of fish that I learned to love, swordfish.  It’s hearty and almost like chicken and a great way to introduce fish into your diet.  Now, I’m sure boat loads of you are freaking out about swordfish and mercury and what not.  Yes, I agree, don’t eat too much, and be careful where you get your fish, but a bit of swordfish is a great way to begin a fishing adventure and a summer weekend…For the record, if your family is not so fish adventurous you can make this with a piece of chicken.

dinner Summer on a plate

1 swordfish steak

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 T cajun seasoning

2 cups baby arugula

1 pint grape tomatoes

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 cup green olives sliced

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1/2 T chopped fresh oregano

8 torn basil leaves

1 T capers

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 T dijon mustard

S&P

Heat your outdoor grill (or if you want to brighten up your winter blues you can do this indoor on a grill pan) to medium high.  Sprinkle your swordfish with a bit of olive oil and season both sides with cajun seasoning.  When the grill is hot gently place your fish on the grill and cook the first side until it pulls away easily from the grill grate (about 8 minutes).  Grill the second side for an additional 8 minutes.  Remove from grill and tent with tin foil.

While your fish is cooking grab a large bowl.  Add in your arugula, tomatoes, red onion, olives, parsley, oregano, basil and capers and lemon zest.  Toss gently to combine.  In another bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, mustard and S&P.  Stir to combine then stream in your olive oil until in emulsifies and forms a dressing.  Pour over your salad and toss gently.  Mound up the salad on a plate and top with swordfish.  Amazing!

I made the kids salad with romaine lettuce and minus the onions (they don’t like red onions) and served their fish with tartar sauce.  Who doesn’t love tartar sauce????  Trust me, you’re going to feel like its summertime any time of year you make this one.

BIG SIDE NOTE:

dinner Summer on a plate“/>

I’m so flattered today to be the Interesting Person of the week featured over at The Butler Way.  Go take a look at my feature and check out their site.

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids, Vegetable Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Succulent Salmon

November 24, 2009 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 5 Comments

dinner Succulent Salmon

Serves 4   Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

1/2 seedless cucumber, diced

½ container grape tomatoes halved

1 cup baby arugula leaves

1 T capers

½  red onion, finely chopped, divided

2 T Dijon mustard

2 T sugar

1/4 cup white wine tarragon vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a drizzle

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

Old Bay Seafood Seasoning

Combine the cucumber, tomatoes, capers, arugula and half of the red onion in bowl and reserve.

In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, sugar, and vinegar and remaining half of the onion. Stream in extra-virgin olive oil while continuing to whisk. Stir in dill and season dressing with salt and pepper, to taste.

Season the salmon with seafood seasoning and a little black pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Place salmon flesh side down and cook until golden and a little crispy at edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more for a pink center, 4 minutes for opaque fish.

Transfer salmon to dinner or serving plates, top with the cucumber-tomato relish and cover with a liberal amount of dill dressing.

This dish is based on Rachael Ray’s “Well-Dressed Salmon” which is also quite yummy…but you guys know I can NEVER just follow the recipe.

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids, Vegetable Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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