Harvest Salad

I just love the colors of this salad! And yes it is still considered a salad, even though there's no lettuce or green leafy stuff in it.

According to Wikipedia (the world’s source for all information besides Google), a salad is "a various mixture of raw and cooked vegetables seasoned with a vinegar", balsamic vinegar reduction in this case.

So yes, this is a salad by those terms. And what a wonderful salad it is!

I've combined butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, French green beans, Brussels sprouts, persimmons, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts. As if that wasn't enough, I've also added…

It even looks beautiful without the blueberries!

A drizzling of balsamic vinegar reduction (homemade, of course!) over all those wonderfully healthy foods and a handful of fresh blueberries warmed with honey to top it all off with!

The result is a lightly sweet, healthy, and beautifully colored salad that will be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving table.

A perfect dish for all the vegans (and non-vegans) who will be attending your home on Thanksgiving Day! Plus, it’s also gluten-free, soy-free, and paleo friendly.

I've included directions for baking the butternut squash, sweet potato, beet, French green beans, Brussels sprouts, and warmed blueberries below. Plus, I've listed a link for making Balsamic vinegar reduction in the helpful hints section below the cooking directions.

One of the best things about this salad, especially if you're making it for Thanksgiving, is you can prepare the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, and pomegranate a day or two ahead to save you some time. Then before you serve it, just pop those ingredients in the microwave to warm them up again and finish with the remaining ingredients.

You'll definitely want to wait to prepare the green beans, Brussels sprouts, and blueberries until it's time to serve them since they taste best right after preparing.

I hope you don't just make this salad only for Thanksgiving, as you can enjoy it anytime of the year for a healthy and flavorful meal or side dish.

Harvest Salad

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A healthy salad with a variety of Autumn fruit and vegetables. Paleo friendly, gluten-free, soy-free.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours (includes baking time for squash, sweet potato, and beet)
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, roasted
• 1 sweet potato, baked and cut into small chunks
• 1 beet, baked
• 1 bunch French green beans
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts
• 1 Fuyu persimmon, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/4 cup walnuts, shelled
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar reduction
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt & pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Wash, rinse, and dry whole butternut squash, sweet potato, and beet.
3. Pierce sweet potato a few times with a sharp knife. Wrap sweet potato in aluminum foil.
4. Wrap beet in aluminum foil.
5. Place whole butternut squash onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. You can place sweet potato in a small pan or fit it onto cookie sheet with butternut squash.
7. Place butternut squash, sweet potato, and beet into oven and bake for 55-60 minutes.
8. While those are baking, open up pomegranate and remove seeds. Place seeds into an airtight container and store in refrigerator until ready to add into salad.
9. Wash and rinse persimmon. Core and slice. Set aside.
10. After butternut squash, sweet potato, and beet are done baking. It's time to prepare Brussels sprouts and green beans.
11. To prepare Brussels sprouts, add water, sea salt, and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add in Brussels sprouts and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Drain by pouring into a colander.
12. Add Brussels sprouts back into pan, combine 1 to 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Gently mix together, coating all of the Brussels sprouts with oil vinegar mix.
13. Place Brussels sprouts onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400F degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly roasted. Check after 10 minutes.
14. To prepare green beans, preheat oven to 425F degrees. Place a clean, ungreased cookie sheet into preheated oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place green beans into a small bowl. Combine with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and a dash of sea salt.
15. Spread green beans evenly over cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
16. After butternut squash, sweet potato, and beet have cooled off, its now time to prepare them.
17. For butternut squash, cut in half, remove seeds, and cut into small cubes. Place onto serving platter.
18. For sweet potato, remove skin and cut into small cubes. Add to platter with butternut squash.
19. To prepare beet, remove outside skin and slice or cut into small chunks. Add to platter.
20. Add Brussels sprouts and green beans to platter mix.
21. Arrange persimmon slices, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts throughout squash, sweet potato, beet, green beans, and Brussels sprouts arrangement on platter.
22. Now its time to prepare the warm blueberries.
23. Prepare a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Once warm, add 1 Tablespoon honey and fresh blueberries. Cook over medium to low heat for about 5 minutes until warm. Don't cook too long or blueberries will start to burst. After blueberries are warmed up, pour over other ingredients.
24. Drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction over the top (or serve on the side) and serve.

 

*Helpful Hints*

 

- Link for making your own Balsamic vinegar reduction can be found here ~ How to Make Reduced Balsamic Glaze.

- I find it easier to bake the butternut squash as a whole because they are so difficult to cut before baking.

- If your oven cooks HOT, you might need to turn the butternut squash over after 30 minutes to prevent browning on one side.

- You can always double the ingredients to serve more people. Example is for 8 servings, double the ingredients, and so on. This salad has a very flexible amount of ingredients as you cannot go wrong with a little more or a little less of an ingredient.

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Macaroni Salad

It's still summer and y'all know what that means? There’s still time for some outdoor get-togethers and Bar-B-Q's with some good old fashioned foods.

One of my favorite foods for these type of things is macaroni salad. I love the creaminess and sweet tangy taste of this stuff. Even more so than potato salad, and I love me some tater salad!

Funny thing is, I've never made macaroni salad until a couple weeks ago. Sad but true. I always bought my macaroni salad at the store (Gasp!).

Now the first time I made my mom's macaroni salad, I used Miracle Whip, even though the recipe calls for mayonnaise. Yes, I'm one of "those" people who prefer Miracle Whip over mayonnaise because of the tanginess it brings to foods.

However, that batch of macaroni salad I made with my all-time favorite Miracle Whip was watery after a few days in the fridge. Plus, I felt like it needed a creamier mayonnaise. Yes, I hate to admit it, but Miracle Whip failed me on this recipe.

Needless to say, I opted for Dukes mayonnaise on my second batch of macaroni salad. And the results were just what I was looking for! A thick and ultra-creamy mayonnaise that didn't get all watered down on me after a couple days in the fridge. As you can see from the photos, Dukes mayonnaise made my macaroni salad creamy and Oh so good!

By the way, since living out here in Georgia, I've noticed some products are named differently than on the West coast. Like Hellman's mayonnaise out here is known as Best Foods mayonnaise in California. So if you don't have Dukes mayonnaise where you live, see if it's known by another name. Because Dukes is a must ingredient for this macaroni salad!

Food for fun, just how many times did I say macaroni salad? Were you paying attention? Count them and let me know how many “macaroni salads” there are in this post in the comments below.

Macaroni Salad

Recipe by My mom

Macaroni Salad, a classic summer salad.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes + chilling time
Yield: a whole lotta macaroni salad
Ingredients

• 1 box (16 ounces) Elbow macaroni
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 and 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 12 to 20 (add to taste) sweet gherkins (pickles), diced
• 3 teaspoons sweet pickle juice
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (can add more if needed to taste)
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
• 2 and 1/2 cups Dukes mayonnaise

Directions

1. Prepare macaroni noodles as directed on box. Drain and rinse with cool water.
2. As noodles drain, prepare other ingredients by dicing and measuring out.
3. After noodles have drained and cooled, place all ingredients into a large serving bowl and mix together well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnish with diced gherkins.
6. Cover and place in refrigerator to let chill or serve immediately.
7. Best served chilled and after ingredients have "married".

*Helpful Hints*

 

- Prepare eggs ahead of time so they are cooled by the time you add them into the macaroni salad.

 

Disclaimer ~ This is not a paid post by Dukes mayonnaise. I have no affiliation with them. I just found their mayonnaise to be the best. Sorry Miracle Whip!

 

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I made this last week when I was craving a pasta salad and I asked on Instagram if y'all would like to see the recipe and you answered back with a Yes. So here it is, my Mediterranean Pasta Salad.

This pasta salad has all the foods that are reminiscent of the Mediterranean - olives, tomatoes, artichokes, pasta, and peas.

Y'all know when you get that craving and you think of something in your mind while you're at the store and just start throwing items in your cart that you think will taste great together, right? No?

Well that's what happened to me when I thought of this pasta salad at the store. I just started throwing stuff in the cart that went with the idea in my mind. Needless to say, my mind can be quite imaginative.

Of course I needed pasta for a pasta salad but these are not your ordinary spaghetti noodles. These spaghetti noodles are also made with vegetables (dried carrots, tomatoes, and spinach) giving the noodles a rich color.

And when I think of Mediterranean foods, I always think of tomatoes, olives, artichokes, and peas. So I combined different types of tomatoes, fresh and sun-dried, plus Kalamata olives, black olives, and Manzanilla olives for a bouquet of flavor. Tossed in some artichoke hearts and sweet peas, drizzled Greek dressing throughout, and topped it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Voilà.

A simply light pasta salad that makes for a great meal on these warm summer days. Easy to make and healthy too!

I know it might not be officially summer yet (or for some of you, even warm where you're at) but here in Georgia, the mercury's been riding the high 80's to low 90's and that's summer weather to me!

Whatever the weather where you are, this pasta salad will have you dreaming of sunny days in the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A healthy vegan Mediterranean pasta salad.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients

• 1 - 12 ounce package Ronzoni Garden Delight spaghetti
• 1 - 8.5 ounce DR WT jar pitted Kalamato olives, drained
• 1 - 10 ounce DR WT jar Manzanilla olives with pimentos, drained
• 1 - 6 ounce DR WT can pitted medium black olives, drained
• 14 ounces quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 12 ounces frozen sweet peas, unthawed
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienne cut
• 1 - 10.5 ounce package fresh grape tomatoes, rinsed
• 1 - 10.5 ounce package fresh cherry tomatoes, rinsed
• 1 - 10.5 ounce package fresh yellow grape tomatoes, rinsed
• 2 to 4 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
• 8 ounces Greek salad dressing

Cooking Directions

1. Cook spaghetti as directed on package.
2. Drain spaghetti in colander and rinse with cool water. Let drain.
3. In a large salad bowl, add spaghetti, olives, tomatoes (fresh and sun-dried), artichoke hearts, and peas.
4. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over the top and toss together, covering all ingredients with dressing. If desired, you can serve dressing on the side instead of mixed in.
5. Grate fresh parmesan cheese over the top and serve.
6. Best served with a glass of your favorite wine.

Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with Ronzoni. I just love the look and taste of their Garden delight spaghetti noodles in this recipe.

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

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Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad with Greek Yogurt Bleu Cheese Dressing

This week’s #letsgetfoodiechallenge from Amanda is for us to create our best recipe with green, in honor of National Vegetarian week which ran from the 18th to the 24th of May.

All your life, ever since you were a small child, (even though some of you still might be!) you've been told to eat your vegetables. Most people (kids and adults) hate eating their vegetables because ....well, because vegetables just don't taste as good as potato chips, fast food, and candy. And I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but potato chips don't count as a serving of vegetables (I'm so sorry!). However, vegetables can taste good when made correctly with lots of flavor and without all the fat and calories.

I'm about to share with you a recipe for a simple salad that's easy to make and a Greek yogurt bleu cheese dressing that tastes just as good as the fat laden version. What better way to try this healthy bleu cheese dressing than on a simple wedge salad.

Yes, another two recipes on one post! Boy, y'all are just getting it from me these last few weeks! I hope you enjoy this recipe and for all the food challenge recipes, just search #letsgetfoodiechallenge and see what other dishes the other guys and gals are making.

Bon Appetit!

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad

Recipe by Julie Murphy

An easy and healthy way to serve individual salads.

Prep time: 12
Cook time: 3 minutes, for the edamame
Total time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 individual salads
Ingredients

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, rinsed
• 1 package grape tomatoes, rinsed
• 1 English cucumber, washed and sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 package edamame, cooked and hulled
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 small package fresh chives, rinsed and diced
• dash Salt & pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Edamame is best prepared the night before so it can cool down and absorb the lime juices. Prepare edamame as directed on package. Hull edamame so you're left only with the edamame beans.
2. Place edamame in a small bowl. Add lime juice and a pinch of sea salt. Cover and refrigerate to let chill.
3. To prepare your wedge salad, cut head of lettuce into quarters and place on plates.
4. Prepare other ingredients and place around lettuce quarters.
5. Dollop bleu cheese dressing over lettuce and garnish with chives, edamame, avocado, and remaining bleu cheese crumbles.
6. Salt and pepper as desired.
7. Best served with extra dressing on side.

Greek Yogurt Bleu Cheese Dressing

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A delicious healthy version of the classic bleu cheese dressing.

Prep time: 5
Cook time: 0
Total time: 5
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients

• 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt, nonfat
• 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
• 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 4 ounces Bleu cheese crumbles
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Cooking Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until combined. Dressing will be thick. If you prefer your dressing a little thinner, you can add a little more lime juice or olive oil.
2. Place into small jar or bowl and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. Can store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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Mediterranean Salad

The weathers warming up and bikini season draws closer, although we all wish it wouldn't come so fast! I mean there's so much I still have to do like pull the weeds in my garden, lay out some mulch, lose five more pounds, and bake some more yummies before it gets too hot to turn on my oven.

Wow, did you notice that? I just said lose five more pounds and bake some more yummies. Kind of ironic, don't ya think?

With all these warm days, there's so much to do and so little time to do it with not much time left to prepare lunch or dinner. Which is why this Mediterranean Salad has been my go to lunch salad for the last month.

I just love these Garlic stuffed olives!

I love the variety of flavors the olives bring to this dish. I've combined three different kinds of olives here with Kalamata Greek olives, black olives, and garlic stuffed colossal queen olives. Yes, garlic stuffed olives and they are delicious! Plus I added diced English cucumbers, artichoke hearts, and grape tomatoes with white Balsamic vinegar and olive oil drizzled over the top.

A quick and easy salad to make paired with cheese and crackers and a glass of your favorite wine makes for a delicious meal anytime.

Mediterranean Salad

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A deliciously light olive salad

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 can (5.75 ounces DR WT) whole large black olives, pitted
• 1 jar (7.5 ounces DR WT) Garlic stuffed olives
• 1 jar (9.5 ounces DR WT) Greek Kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 - 10 ounce package grape tomatoes, washed (can also use cherry tomatoes)
• 2 cups artichoke hearts
• 2 Tablespoons white Balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• 1 Feta cheese to crumble over the top *(optional)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Drizzle Balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the top.
3. Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Mix all ingredients together and serve with cheese and crackers and a glass of your favorite wine.
5. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

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Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

Since I sabotaged your diet with last week’s recipe of my Double Stuff Oreo pancakes, I thought I would share with you this deliciously light cucumber salad so you can get back on track.

I love cucumbers, especially during the summer since they make me feel cooler and I can snack on them anytime. I also add a slice or two to my water for flavoring and because cucumbers have a diuretic effect.
 

Cucumbers are a crisp delicacy during the summertime. They’re low in calories, fill you up, and delicious just by themselves. In addition, they have a cooling effect making them great for any summer meal or drink.

Not only can you use cucumbers in meals and drinks but you can use cucumber slices for puffy eyes, dark eye circles, and sunburns. Cucumbers have the same pH level as your skin, helping to restore your skins natural acid mantle. They are a great natural beauty booster.

But today, we’re going to use them in this creamy summertime salad. The cucumbers paired with the dill, onion, and garlic is quite addictive as I’ve made this salad for the last 3 weeks. It’s flavorful, low in calories and carbs, and gluten-free!

And instead of sour cream, as the original recipe calls for, I use plain Greek yogurt. Making this the perfect summer salad, so you can enjoy the Double Stuff Oreo pancakes on the weekends {smile}!!

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

Ingredients

1 English cucumber, sliced

¾ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup Greek plain yogurt

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 small sweet Italian red onion (can also use ¼ cup of Maui onion), sliced and quartered

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

Dash of Black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, add yogurt, apple cider, sea salt, and pepper. Mix until blended. Place in refrigerator.

Prepare cucumber slices, size depends on your liking, I prefer mine thick so they are crisp. Set aside.

Slice onion and cut into quarters. Place aside with cucumber.

Mince garlic cloves and place with cucumbers and onion.

Wash and chop dill.

 Bring bowl out of the refrigerator and add in cucumber slices, onion, garlic, and dill. Mix well.

Cover and place in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving so flavors can combine and it can chill.

Mix before serving. Enjoy!!

*Helpful Hints*

- This recipe calls for English cucumbers, which are known for not having seeds. You can use regular cucumbers.

- Can also use dried dill if you don’t have any fresh dill available.

- I use Fage Greek non-fat plain yogurt, as that is my favorite yogurt because its thick and creamy with no sour taste like other plain yogurts.

- Best if it sits overnight so flavors can combine.

- All measurements are US

Recipe adapted from Melanie at nutritious eats

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

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