The following are the recipes mentioned at the April 25th MOPS Meeting where the speaker was Kelly Miller from the Health Hut and as appeared in the April 2012 Moptimist.
Salad Dressings for all Tastes
Dressings can be easy. For instance, you can simply add orange juice, lime juice & balsamic vinegar to greens without even mixing them first; just add what tastes right to you.
You can make a marvelous light summer salad simply by adding strawberries, raspberries, and sliced oranges –with their juice- to a bed of baby lettuce, then topping it all with raspberry wine vinegar to taste.
Oil free Salad dressing makes about ½ cup
Juice of 1 lemon, lime or orange 1 tsp. bragg’s amino’s 1 sp. Mustard of choice 1-2 Tbl. (or more) balsamic vinegar or any vinegar of choice Mint sauce (a few drops) or a teaspoon of molasses or honey (optional)
Orange Juice-Lime Salad Dressing makes about ½ cup
1/3 cup orange juice 1 tsp. peeled, chopped fresh ginger Juice and zest of 1 lime 2 Tbls. Raspberry balsamic vinegar
3, 2, 1, Salad Dressing makes about 1/3 cup
3 Tbls. Balsamic vinegar 2 Tbls. mustard of choice 1 Tbls. Maple syrup
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
My favorite Vinaigrette makes about 1 ¼ cups
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt 1/3 cup red wine vinegar pinch of cayenne 2 tsp. Dijon mustard ¼ tsp. toasted sesame oil
Wisk all ingredients till smooth.
Bacon Buttermilk Ranch makes about 2 ½ cups
6 slices bacon, cooked till crisp, drained and crumbled. Store in baggy and add to dressing as needed. 1 cup low fat vegenaise (or mayo, its just not as healthy)
1 cup buttermilk 2 TBLS. Minced scallions (green onions) 1 TBLS. Fresh parsley or ½ TBLS. Dried 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic (2 cloves) ½ tsp. ground black pepper ¼ tsp. sea salt ¼ tsp. paprika Dash of Tabasco sauce, or more if you like it (which I do)
Wisk all ingredients together in a bowl except for bacon. This dressing stores well. just add bacon when you use it a little at a time to keep it crisp. Bacon can also be frozen in a Ziploc to take out and add as needed.
Simple Summer Quinoa Salad
Kelly Miller, Health Hut
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa 1 ½ cups cold water 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped ¼ tsp. salt 3 TBLS. fresh mint, chopped ½ red or yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced ½ cup chopped broccoli, blanched (optional) 2 scallions (green onions), chopped
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts (pine nuts, pecans or sliced almonds can be substituted) ¼ cup feta cheese
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp. Eden toasted sesame oil 3 Tbls. fresh or Santa Cruz organic, not from concentrate lemon juice ½ tsp. organic Herbamare seasoning blend 2 cloves chopped garlic
Directions:
**soak the quinoa in cold water for 5 minutes or more**rinse thoroughly through a fine mesh strainer till water is clear**bring the 1 ½ cups water to a boil, add salt and quinoa, cover, reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or till light and fluffy and water is absorbed. Remove from heat, stir to fluff and put in a bowl to cool**blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar**gently combine cooled quinoa, veggies, herbs, nuts and cheese**stir in dressing, cover and chill or serve immediately
A few tips to know about quinoa**unless the box says prewashed, quinoa must be rinsed or it will be terribly bitter, don’t skip this step**quinoa can be cooked ahead and kept in the frig for lots of good uses**it is delicious for breakfast with maple syrup**it can be served hot as a pilaf or used for a stuffing in poultry**for added taste, use vegetable or chicken broth instead of water**quinoa has more protein than any other grain, it is gluten free and cholesterol free and quicker to cook than any other whole grain. In good health, Enjoy!
