Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Veggies with Whole Wheat Rotini (Serves 3)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/4 Red Onion, diced
• 1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup Yellow Squash, diced
• 1/4 cup Zucchini, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup Asparagus, diced (ends removed)
• 1/4 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup Fresh Basil, roughly chopped
• Spices (garlic powder, dill weed, oregano, parsley)
• Salt and Pepper

Whole Wheat Rotini (curly) Pasta (1/2 lb)

Italian Sausage (one package)–optional

Preparation

Cut sausage into 2-3 inch pieces and cook in a frying pan over medium heat, turning occasionally and cooking until no longer pink inside (10-20 minutes). While sausage is cooking, bring water to a boil (with a little olive oil) for the pasta. Add pasta and cook as directed–best if it’s al dente. In a large sauce pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Turn heat to medium and cook 3-5 minutes–or until mushrooms are tender. Add garlic and veggies and cook until tender, but not too soft (5-7 minutes). Add the seasonings, can of roasted diced tomatoes and fresh basil. Cook 2-3 more minutes–or until tomatoes are hot.

Once pasta is done, drain. To serve, place pasta on a plate topped with roasted tomato-veggie sauce, and sausage links. Sprinkle a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

This is quick, easy, delicious and healthy! Whole wheat pasta is a great hearty meal, but adding so many veggies makes it less heavy and equally as filling. Plus, all the veggies are packed full of nutritional benefits and are a great way to celebrate summer! The fresh basil is a key addition to top it off. Mmm mmm good!

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

Ingredients

• 2 Baby Bok Choy, rinsed (I estimate 1 Baby Bok Choy per person, but you could easily do 2 per person)
• Olive Oil Spray
• Tamari
• Garlic Powder
• Sesame Seeds

Dressing

• 1 tablespoon Honey
• 1-2 tablespoons Tamari
• 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil

Preparation

Heat grill to medium-high. Rinse baby bok choy (especially near root). Pat dry with a paper towel. Cut length-wise in half. Sprinkle centers with garlic powder and drizzle lightly with tamari. Spray with Olive Oil. Place on grill (center side up first) for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes (or until lightly charred and tender).  While cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce (in order) with a fork. Serve Baby Bok Choy warm with a drizzle of dressing and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

This is the perfect side to an Asian dish. I enjoyed it with our salmon burgers and it was SO delicious. When the Baby Bok Choy are small and in season, their flavor is wonderful. Grilling them is easy and quick and a beautiful way to serve Baby Bok Choy.

Belle Pepper – Fennel Carpaccio

Ingredients

• 2 Belle Peppers (We used 1 Red and 1 Orange)
• 1 Bulb of Fennel
• Fresh Basil (torn) or Cilantro (or both)

Dressing: Maddy’s Homemade Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons Whole-Grain Mustard (WE LOVE Sauce For A Cause Gourmet Mustard)
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt and Ground Pepper

Preparation

Thinly slice the peppers into long, thin strips. Do the same with the fennel. Toss together in a bowl with the dressing. Top with fresh basil or cilantro. You can even sprinkle some of the fennel sprigs on as well. Enjoy!

I love how simple, fresh, and delicious this salad is! It is wonderful to serve with fish. It is the epitome of SUMMER! It is so colorful and delicious, plus packed-full of rich antioxidants! You can make in the day before and really let the flavors marinate, or make it right before serving.

Toasted Cashew Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• Fresh Spinach
• Carrots (pealed and sliced)
• Fresh Basil (torn into smaller pieces)
• Raw Cashews, unsalted (lightly toasted)

Dressing: Maddy’s Homemade Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons Whole-Grain Mustard (WE LOVE Sauce For A Cause Gourmet Mustard)
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt and Ground Pepper

Preparation

In a bowl, place spinach, carrots, basil, and toasted cashews. In a small bowl whisk together the Dressing ingredients in order. Drizzle dressing over salad. Enjoy!

This is SO simple, and SO delicious! Any nuts can be used. We love toasted pine nuts, toasted almonds, and toasted walnuts! Nuts are packed full of good fats and protein and make a GREAT healthy addition to salad!

The BEST Homemade Honey Mustard

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Whole-Grain Mustard (WE LOVE Sauce For A Cause Gourmet Mustard)
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt and Ground Pepper

You can double this recipe and use is as a marinade for chicken, fish, or even steak. It is SO delicious. It is ALSO the perfect salad dressing. I will make a jar of it to use throughout the week. Plus, the mustard is AMAZING! Be sure to read up on Sauce for a Cause and how their company is not just making DELICIOUS sauce, but making a difference while doing it!

Yogurt and Love Grown

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I LOVE STONYFEILD Smooth and Creamy–especially because their plain isn’t tart, just simply DELICIOUS)
• Handful of fresh, seasonal berries (i.e. raspberries, black berries, sliced strawberries)
• Small Handful of your favorite flavor LOVE GROWN FOODS (I like a combination of the Raisin Almond Crunch and Sweet Cranberry Pecan)

Preparation

Place yogurt in a bowl, top with fruit and the LOVE and enjoy this blissful breakfast or snack!

I prefer plain yogurt to sweetened yogurt. Often vanilla yogurts have TONS of sugar. To limit sugar consumption, control it yourself. If plain is “too plain” add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. You can even add a drop of vanilla extract for an added taste of Heaven. This simple combination is nectar and ambrosia. It is packed full of protein from the yogurt, delicious antioxidants and fiber from the fresh fruit, and award-winning flavor of LOVE GROWN FOODS granola. It’s so good 1 bowl might turn into 2!

Fajitas Borrachos (Drunken Fajitas) — Serves 5-6 people

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs Flank Steak
• 2 Whole Chicken Breasts, filleted (6 pieces total)
• 6 Belle Peppers (red, yellow and orange), sliced into thick strips*
• 2-3 Onions ( red and/or yellow), sliced into medallions (rings still in place)
• 2 Portobello Mushrooms, sliced into long, thick strips*

*Strips must be thick enough so they don’t fall through the grill.

Marinade

• Lemon Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt
• 2-3 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Can Beer

Fajita Fillings

• Chopped Romain Lettuce
• Maddy and Alex’s Guacamole
• Salsa
• Grated Cheese
• Vegetarian Re-fried Black Beans (heated)
• Cilantro Leaves
• Black Olives (sliced)
• Whole Wheat or Sprouted Tortillas

Preparation

2 hours before (or the day before): Rinse meat/chicken and lightly dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the meat and chicken (both sides) with lemon pepper, garlic powder and sea salt–gently rubbing seasoning into meat. Place meat and chicken in a large, marinating container (12.5X10X3inches) and pour 2/3 of the marinade over meat. Seal and place in the fridge (flipping once over the course of marinading). In another container, place all of the veggies with the remaining marinade and let sit for the same amount of time as the meat.

Heat Grill to high heat. While grill is pre-heating, prepare fajita fillings. Depending on the size of your grill, I like to preheat the oven to 200* and put the veggies on first. Cook each side for about 6 minutes, or until tender and slightly charred. Place on a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm while meat cooks. The fillets of chicken should cook quicker (about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fillet), while the flank steak will take about 6-7 minutes per side (depending on thickness and desired result).

Once meat is cooked, thinly slice into long strips. Serve hot. I even will dampen a cloth and wrap the stack of tortillas in it and place it in the microwave for 1-minute or so so they are warm and soft. Fill with the goods and ENJOY THIS FEAST!

This is our go-to dinner for company. When we are having a lot of people over, this recipe is easy to prepare and to make and serves A LOT OF PEOPLE! I prefer to marinate the veggies and meat the day before. It keeps the stress out of It is great to serve year-round…but especially in the summer when veggies are in their prime and when grillin’ and eating outside is the thing to do!

Easy and AMAZING Salmon Burgers with Caramelized Onion-Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 Red Onion, sliced (long, thin pieces)
• 15 Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Tamari
• 2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
• 1/2 Pineapple, roughly chopped (core and rind removed)
• 1/2 cup Cilantro Leaves

Burgers

• 4 Salmon Burgers (frozen)*
• Drizzle of Tamari
• Drizzle of Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
• Sprinkle of Garlic Powder

*We use Trident Seafood Alaskan Salmon Burgers

Avocado Spread

• 1 Avocado
• Garlic Powder
• Fresh Ground Pepper and Sea Salt

Whole Wheat Buns (optional)

Preparation

Pre-heat grill on high heat.

In a medium-large fry pan add olive oil over medium-high heat. Add slices of onions and mushrooms. Turn heat to medium and cover with a lid. Stirring occasionally, cook for 15 minutes. While onions and mushrooms cook, prepare avocado spread and salmon burgers.

For the avocado spread, mash 1 avocado in a small bow (skin and bit removed). Sprinkle with a little garlic powder, ground pepper and sea salt to taste.

Remove salmon burgers from the freezer, place on a plate. Sprinkle each burger (both sides) with a light layer of garlic powder and drizzle with a little sesame oil and tamari.

After onions and mushrooms have cooked for 15 minutes, remove lid and stir in Apple Cider Vinegar, Rice Vinegar, Tamari, Sesame Seed Oil and Pineapple. Cook for 5 minutes. While cooking mushrooms/onions, place burgers on grill and cook for 5 minutes each side. Add the cilantro leaves to the mushrooms/onions after 5 minutes and cook for 5 more minutes–until salmon burgers are done.

Serve on a toasted bun (optional) with a smear of avocado spread and topped with caramelized onion-pineapple salsa. Enjoy!

This is Alex’s latest FAVORITE dinner! It is SO easy…especially because the burgers cook right out of the freezer…so you don’t need to plan too far ahead or let them thaw. We love the Alaskan Wild Salmon Burgers found in the freezer section of COSTCO. This Omega-3 packed meal is a delicious dinner that can be enjoyed with salad.

Gilled Romain Salad

Ingredients

• Head of Romain Lettuce, rinsed and dried with a paper towel; (cut length-wise in half)–one half per person
• Olive Oil Spray
• Garlic Powder

Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons Whole-Grain Mustard (I love Inglehoffer Original Stone Ground)
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt and Ground Pepper

Preparation

Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl combine first 4 ingredients for salad dressing. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder, sea salt and pepper to taste. Depending on how strong you want the dressing, add more oil. Spray each half of romain lettuce (the flat surface/inside) with olive oil spray and lightly sprinkle with garlic powder. Place on the grill, face-down (flat side down) for 1-1.5 minutes or until lightly charred. Remove and drizzle with dressing. Serve warm.

This can be used with other dressings as well. Caesar dressing topped with freshly grated Parmesan is delicious! This salad is so easy, and has a great taste. It is fancy and perfect for a small dinner party. Plus the warm lettuce is something new and different!

Caramelized Onion-Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 Red Onion, sliced (long, thin pieces)
• 15 Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Tamari
• 2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
• 1/2 Pineapple, roughly chopped (core and rind removed)
• 1/2 cup Cilantro Leaves

Preparation

In a medium-large fry pan add olive oil over medium-high heat. Add slices of onions and mushrooms. Turn heat to medium and cover with a lid. Stirring occasionally, cook for 15 minutes. After onions and mushrooms have cooked for 15 minutes, remove lid and stir in Apple Cider Vinegar, Rice Vinegar, Tamari, Sesame Seed Oil and Pineapple. Cook for 5 minutes then add the cilantro leaves and cook for 5 more minutes. Enjoy on top of sea food (especially Salmon Burgers), chicken, or even on a salad.