Spinach, Apple, & Mushroom Salad

The hubs is officially down over 35 pounds since he started working out and eating better! I am so proud of him. He’s been on a spinach kick, which is awesome, since its one if the most nutrient – rich leafy greens out there.

Lately he’s been eating a spinach salad for lunch every day, so I’ve started eating them too. But just plain, raw spinach can get boring after awhile. So I started switching it up.

For the hubs, the winner seems to be spinach with sliced Fuji apples and an Italian/balsamic dressing mix I made. One day I tried adding feta cheese to the mix and loved it.

Today I tried something new and it’s definitely my favorite so far, at least in terms of a quick and healthy lunch salad.

First put your desired amount of spinach in a salad bowl. Slice up your favorite apple and toss some in there.  (For the portions we eat, 5 slices are about right. Sometimes I eat the rest of the apple plain… or dip it in peanut butter!)

Now wash 3-4 mini-bella mushrooms and slice them. Heat a small pan over medium -low heat with about a teaspoon of olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the mushrooms. Let them cook until they start to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle a little salt, and toss or flip them to brown then evenly.

Then place them down the middle of the salad, sprinkling feta cheese over top of them.  Drizzle with a bit of salad dressing, and you’re good to go!

Fresh and healthy. You get crunch and sweet from the apples, warm earthiness from the mushrooms, creamy from the feta, and a bit of acidity from the dressing. The whole combo plays nicely on the strong taste of spinach. So delish!

What are your favorite salad creations or combinations? 🙂

Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup!

One day a few years ago I came to work for a lunch shift and asked what the soup of the day was. Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup, they said. “WHAT?!” I thought… This combination sounded far from delicious to me.

That is, until I tried it.

And realized it was AMAZING!

This was back when I didn’t really even eat soup. I just didn’t really enjoy them at all. In my opinion, they weren’t filling enough for an entire meal. And even when I DID try to like soup, I only usually liked the creamy ones, which weren’t good for you anyway. So I figured I’d rather spend my calories on dessert (cuz that’s just the kinda girl I am).

This soup gives you all the richness of a cream-based soup without the guilt. It’s delicious and warms you to the core, if that’s what you want.

Now that you’re intrigued, how do you make it??

Start by roughly chopping some carrots. They can be big carrots, baby carrots, this time I even added some shredded carrots because I had them on hand. (To be more exact, you can use about 3/4 of a bag of baby carrots. I believe that’s what I used last time I made this.) Add some water to a little more than covering the carrots and salt it. Cover and cook on medium until the carrots are soft, probably about 20-30 minutes.

Carrots cooking!

Next drain all but a very little bit of water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Use  an immersion blender to puree the carrots. *If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can wait for the carrots to cool and then blend them in the blender, then put back in the pot to finish.

Next pour in one can of coconut milk. (Usually you have to shake the can because the contents separate after being still on a shelf for so long.) Grate some fresh ginger into the soup. If I had to guess, I’d say about 1-2 teaspoons to taste.

I’m not sure why the carrots look so much darker in this picture. I didn’t add pumpkin puree or something, even though it looks like I did. 😉

Mix again with the immersion blender until frothy. (I suppose you could use a hand-held blender here too, but it won’t be as smooth.)

Add a couple pinches of all spice, pumpkin pie spice, and a couple drizzles of honey.

Hmmm… what do you think is next? Blend, of course!

This last time I accidentally bought ‘lite’ coconut milk, so I ended up adding a few splashes of heavy whipping cream 😦 It still tasted fine, it just bothered me that I had to use the cream since that’s the whole point of this soup: creamy but still healthy.

Finished product… Enjoy and be warm!!

*If you want to add a little counterpoint, you can sprinkle with parmesan cheese, or a bit of freshly grated Parmesan.

To foodie or not to foodie

Let’s face it:
I’m basically a wannabe foodie.
I was going to say closet foodie, but that implies I sneak around trying trendy food and just don’t want to admit it. I wish that were the case.
Alas, I am a working mommy with young kids and thus, no time for foodie exploits.
Because, I mean, to be a foodie you have to be trying new restaurants and new foods and post reviews on your blog, right?
…
Um, wait… Am I a foodie??

The fact that I am beyond excited right now to go to a new restaurant for my girlfriend’s birthday tomorrow night – does that classify me as a foodie?? I never even used to like Mexican food. Maybe that’s because all I ever tried was nasty mashed refried beans and I thought guacamole was disgusting.  (I know! What the heck was wrong with me??) Mexican food, in my mind back then, dredged up images of wishy washy, mushy, disgustingly soft dishes contrasted by bright colored, out of control decor that seemed to say,  “we know our food is pretty much all in the grey color palate, so we’ve provided you with a bright rainbow of colors for your visual interest.”

It was probably because I never had real, fresh Mexican food.

I don’t know when that changed. When I decided to try guacamole from the restaurant where I work? Maybe when I tried fish tacos expecting to hate them, and realizing they were amazing along with the pico de gallo they were topped with. Maybe when I started realizing Mexican food can be pretty healthy what with all the flavorful vegetables they use, and maybe I should reevaluate my supposed dislike and judgment of the entire umbrella of Mexican food. Or maybe it was when I realized I didn’t have to like enchiladas to like Mexican food. Because Mexican food is more than refried beans, enchiladas, rice, and quesadillas.

Mexican food means some of the best -yet most simple- sauces and dips in existence: guac, pico, tomatillo salsa. It uses peppers and fresh veggies to create outstanding spice and flavor in a healthy way. It is ceviche, carne asada, chilaquiles, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, avocado, tacos with a squeeze of lime, cilantro. So many things I have unexpectedly learned to love, and so many I have yet to try.

But tomorrow we are going to Mago, and all I want is one of everything – please? 😉