I’ve heard about persimmons for years and finally bought some. Holy-amazingness-Batman! What was I so concerned about before?? I have found a new fall time favorite. You should check them out too… Don’t wait years like I did.
The first dish using persimmon is a simple green salad. I’m heading back to the store to buy more and see what else I can do with this beautiful orange fruit!
Persimmon and Beet Salad:
Ingredients:
1 roasted beet, cubed
1 persimmon, peeled and cubed
Green leaf lettuce
Spicy nut mixture
Balsamic dressing
Directions:
Layer the ingredients lettuce, beets, persimmon, nuts. Add a drizzle of dressing. Serve as side dish to any main course that you’d normally pair with a green salad. Don’t be surprised if there’s not a lot of talking at dinner.
I’ll see you at the table.
Even the persimmon harvesters can’t help but smile when they check the crop!
I remember planning for a vegan pregnancy. 2 months into the pregnancy and I craved a hamburger. I still ate a lot of #veggies and fruit, but meat was back on the menu. Salads weren’t satisfying anymore, which totally bummed me out. Any of you who’ve dealt with pregnancy cravings KNOWS what I’m talking about when I say, “What baby wants, baby gets!” Now I’m past breastfeeding and starting to feel more in control of my eating. Enter stage left, the grand and ggloriousLOADED SALAD!! This salad tastes great and fills my belly.
Ingredients per salad:
5 oz lettuce
1 roma tomato, diced
3 sweet mini bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup hummus
3 tablespoons spicy nut mixture
1/4 cup salsa for salad dressing
5-6 kalamata olives, pitted
Directions:
🍅Using large bowl, layer in this order
🍅Lettuce
🍅Salsa sprinkled on lettuce
🍅Hummus in corner with kalamatas on top
🍅 Tomatoes in 2nd corner
🍅Bell peppers in 3rd corner
🍅Peanut mixture in 4th corner
For years, this green salad has been a hit at family dinners and parties. I’ll never forget when after a big Thanksgiving dinner with many scrumptious dishes, one guest leaned back from the table and proclaimed my green salad to be the best dish of the meal.
Lettuce washed and ready for salad
This salad goes great with chicken, beef, pork, pasta, and fish dishes. Keep in mind that the crumbled cheese is strong, so don’t pair with another cheesy dish like Alfredo.
The recipe below is 3 parts:
1. Salad dressing
2. Candied nuts
3. Green Salad
Salad dressing – Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small clove garlic, minced (can be omitted)
Salad dressing – Directions:
Wisk all ingredients together and store in air tight bottle in refrigerator. I recommend making this one day ahead so flavors blend.
Candied Nuts – Ingredients:
2 cups walnut or pecans, ideally the half pieces not little bits
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon OR 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (can be omitted if you don’t want spicy nuts)
Candied Nuts – Directions:
1. Medium sized pan, medium high heat.
2. Add butter and nuts at same time and stir continuously moving nuts around pan so don’t burn.
3. Add brown sugar and spices at same time and keep stirring so doesn’t burn.
4. As soon as sugar is melted and coating all the nuts, turn off burner and remove from heat immediately. This should happen within a minute of adding sugar and spices.
5. Spread out nuts evenly along bottom of pan. Allow to cook in the pan – at least 30 minutes before out on salad. Break apart because will probably stick together.
I usually make these in advance so I have on hand for quick salad prep. Store in air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks – if they last that long.
Note: I’ve used these nuts in other dishes too. Try with pork, chicken salad sandwiches, garnish steamed green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts, but always a great addition to green salads!
Green Salad – Ingredients:
1 head romaine, green leaf, or red leaf lettuce, leafy edges torn from rib, rinsed and dried. I like a combination of two different lettuces.
1/2 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese crumbles
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 green onion stalks, sliced thin on the bias (diagonally cut)
1 cup candied nuts
Dressing
Optional – your favorite seasoned croutons
Green Salad – Directions:
Part of the enjoyment of this salad is presentation. I recommend not tossing all the ingredients together until you’re ready to eat.
To assemble, use large salad bowl. Start with lettuce on the bottom and add ingredients in this order:
Tomatoes
Cheese crumbles
Green onion
Candied nuts
When ready to eat, drizzle 1/2 cup of salad dressing on top, toss to coat. If you’re using croutons, add 1 cup and toss to combine after already tossing once before with dressing. I do this because I don’t want the croutons to soak up all the dressing.
Sit back and watch the flavor explosion in their mouths and smiles of delight!
Power Kale Salad and Lentil Soup for lunch!
I’m pretty sure my body has a calcium deficiency right now because I keep waking up in the middle of the night with charlie horses in my calves. So I am adding the plant based calcium today with a big kale salad.
Salad Ingredients:
1 big leaf of Kale, ripped into little pieces
4 leaves of Romaine, ripped into bite-size pieces
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 cup #blueberries
2 tablespoons raw unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons walnut pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Wash kale and lettuce thoroughly, towel dry lightly. Using large salad bowl, toss with OO and balsamic vinegar. Then add all the other ingredients. Mix and enjoy the textures and tastes of a nutrient rich salad!
How many colors are in your lunch today? Mine has 9 brought to you by the fabulous line up of:
hummus
seeds
salad greens
tomatoes
avocado
carrots
purple cabbage
bell pepper
balsamic
After walking around Granada, we stopped for lunch to rest out tired feet! Kathy enjoyed her meat lasagna. I had a tiny bite – very moist meat with loads of cheese melted on top. I thought the dish was quite salty. I really liked the eggplant fries with honey sauce drizzled on top. Makes me want to play around in the kitchen to see how I can create a healthier version! The green salad was pretty good, but iceburg lettuce has virtually no nutritional value. But it was fresh and refreshing! Interestingly though, I was hard pressed to find very many veggie options on their menu. Just about everything had cheese or meat.
A funny thing we’ve noticed about Spanish waiters, is that they rarely smile. And when they do, it seems forced. So much for an enjoyable experience with the wait staff… maybe they need a customer service training on the merits of playing nice so that guests want to tip you – just sayin’! But the venue was nice and simple.
Jason’s Deli is a great option for nutritarian meal. The salad bar has wide variety of ingredients. My salad today is loaded with beet succotash salad artichoke hearts carrot tomato jalapeno peas bell pepper pepperoncini mixed greens, drizzle of balsamic vinegar with hummus on the side
My life is crazy busy, so having good #healthy food ready to go is key to eating right. Here’s a simple yummy recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups grape tomatoes
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup cilantro, rough chop
1 can black beans, drained rinsed
1 avocado, cubed
1 teaspoon no-salt seasoning
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, store in air-tight container in fridge for up to 1 week (if it lasts that long!). For extra spice, add cayenne or tiny diced jalapeno.
Usage options: Great on green salad, add to quinoa or couscous. Or great as a side! Bon appetite!
I’ve heard about persimmons for years and finally bought some. Holy-amazingness-Batman! What was I so concerned about before?? I have found a new fall time favorite. You should check them out too… Don’t wait years like I did.
