Beet & Green Bean Salad

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Georgina

Beet & Green Bean Salad

Ok. TIME OUT. Tell me I’m not the only one..but my life is FLYING by! We moved into our house a little over a month ago and it’s basically been a blur since then. ~~We’ve~~ my husband has been weeding like crazy, we moved our fire pit, spent wayyyy too much of our savings and income at Home Depot, quickly learned how annoying painting trim is, wasted a LOT of time picking out counter stools, oh the list goes on and on and the “to do” list keeps growing.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting and I love it but it can be overwhelming. We are practicing mindfulness, trying to take our time, and doing our best to remember there is no rush.

Needless to say, quick and easy has been the name of our food game in the house lately.

A few weeks ago we went to the 2016 Burgers and Brews event in Middleton, WI and we had a blast! So many delicious and unique burger and beer combos, but the next day I was craving veggies in a very big way.

I’m a big fan of salads for their versatility and simplicity. For me they can be great ‘clean your fridge out’ meals, no rhyme or reason, just throw in all the veggies! 🙂

For this particular salad I had some beets that were waiting to be roasted and used up. So they were the starting point of inspiration. The dressing is one of my go to’s. I first shared it when we made this delicious salad and it’s just been a favorite since then. ❤

Beets are one of my favorite foods, I know people either love em or hate em but this house definitely loveeeeeeees the beets. It’s hard to not love something this beautiful -> A20160605_142016 Am I right? So pretty! A20160605_182501 Beet & Green Been Salad Recipe 20160605_182100

Salads are the ultimate in flexibility so pass on the things you don’t like and add in your favorites, I’d love to hear your favorite salad ingredients and your variations on this one!

Hope you are enjoying life one day at a time and making the most of summer so far! Next weekend we leave for vacation and I can.not.wait. Tune in next week to find out where we’re going!

xoxo

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Springtime Potato Salad w/ Lemon Butter Vinaigrette

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Georgina

Springtime Potato Salad
w/ Lemon Butter Vinaigrette

spring-potato-salad-butter-lemon Every year I think I look forward to spring more and more. I swear OVERNIGHT the trees are blooming and plants are popping up! I can hardly believe it’s May already. I appreciate all the seasons but I think that Spring may win my heart.

With Spring, the warmer temperatures, and more daylight comes an abundance of growing crops and more fresh local food. Right now I’m seeing tons of spinach, ramps, asparagus, radishes, a few peas, mushrooms (it’s morel season guys!!) among other leafy greens. This salad brings so many of those ingredients to the spotlight and allows you to eat fresh local food with ease.

Not only is it beautiful and colorful but it’s pretty easy to whip up and has enough protein(with the lentils added) to be a light dinner by itself or it makes the perfect side for a grilled dinner or BBQ (Memorial Day anyone?!).

If you’re like me and love the taste of butter (REAL butter & this is my favorite) then this salad will most likely become your new ~~favorite~~ obsession. The rich butter vinaigrette really takes this thing to the next level & I’m already rationalizing 67 other things I can put it on.

Experiment and make it your own. I’d love to hear your renditions.

Seriously, how beautiful is this though? And tell me I’m not the only one who is a sucker for teeny tiny baby potatoes. ❤ Baby New Potatoes Spring Potato Salad 2 Spring Potato Salad 6 Spring Potato Salad 7 Spring Potato Salad 8 Spring Potato Salad 10 Spring Potato Salad 12 Springtime Poato Salad Recipe My mouth is watering. Hope you enjoy!!

xoxo

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Arugula & Steak Salad w/ Pears, Pecans, and Gorgonzola

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Georgina

ARUGULA SKIRT STEAK SALAD WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS, PECANS, AND GORGONZOLA

Holy. Moly.

This was so good. I love steak. And I love salad. Put the two together and my taste buds explode.

I love salads and a lot of time people have a notion they’re boring or flavorless.

So not the case!!! Salads are a blank canvas for you to be creative and make so many flavor combinations!

One of my favorite things is a thai steak salad. Something about it. I just love the flavor combos. I came across this idea for a completely different steak salad ans since we had just had a thai soup the week last week, it was perfect to feed my steak salad craving!

I feel like this is a well known fact by now, but Arugula is also called Rocket(Roquette) outside of the US. (WHY do we always have to be different than everyone else?)

Also if you couldn’t tell by pictures, I like my steak on the rare side. Buttttt you can make your steak however you heart desires. The pears caramelizing The final product:
Thanks for stopping by and checking out the blog! Also check out our new weekly feature on our Instagram page called ‘Follow Friday’ where we’ll highlight a fellow blogger or creative friend who inspires us! This week is Simply Maggie Made who makes seriously the cutest purses, bags, clutches (and other things too!) that you’ll want to buy stat. Go check her out!

Have a wonderful weekend!! And it’s that wonderful time of year where I end my posts with, GO PACK GO!

xoxo

Lentil & Black Bean Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Georgina

Lentil & Black Bean Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing

Ah- Who still feels full after Thanksgiving?! Oh just me? There’s just always such delicious food and I over indulge every.single.time. No shame.

But I always run into the issue the week afterwards of obviously needing to eat, but not hungry, or nothing sounds good, or only the stuffing and mashed potatoes sound good but I ate them all… ugh, the struggles. I need something lighter.

Enter delicious veggies:

Yum. These plus protein rich beans and lentils= me eating without feeling guilty!

Plus it helps keep me full longer- ultra bonus.

Plus look how pretty it is! ultra ULTRA bonus

Lentil & Black Bean Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing

Ingredients
1 cup dry lentils (green or brown or both!)
2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15oz can, rinsed and drained
1 bell pepper of your choice, chopped
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
½ cup cilantro, stems removed and chopped

-Dressing-
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. chipotle powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions
Put lentils into a small sauce pan with plenty of water to cover, bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are tender; which is about 30-40 minutes, but check your package for specific instructions! Drain lentils and let cool slightly

While lentils are cooking, make the dressing: place all ingredients in a small bowl or cup* and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, beans, and lentils in a large glass* bowl. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Add cilantro, and lightly toss once more.
You can serve it immediately or chill covered in the fridge to let the flavors combine and enjoy later!

This was really really really tasty and would be something awesome to make to bring for lunches at work throughout the week! It was just what I needed, light and refreshing.

*I suggest using a glass bowl because the dressing contains lime juice. The acidity in lime juice often reacts with metal in metals bowls and can give your food a metallic taste- yuk!

Pourrrrr over

Action shot 🙂

ta da!

now EAT!

This was perfect. Light and delicious. I preferred it chilled a little bit but it was great room temp too!

I hope everyone had a great holiday week/weekend and that you enjoy this dish too!

Ps- less than 3 weeks until Christmas!!! wooohooo! I’m so excited to share some of my crafts and homemade gifts I’m doing this year with you guys! But of course I have to wait until after the gifts are given so I don’t spoil the surprise 🙂

xoxo

POMEGRANATE, KALE, AND WILD RICE SALAD

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Georgina

POMEGRANATE, KALE, AND WILD RICE SALAD

Ummmm, seriously you guys, this is one of the best things on planet earth. It caught my eye at first just becuase of how pretty it was but then once I made it, ohhhh maaaaannnn oohhh mannn. Probably could’ve eaten the whole thing myself. The dressing to this is amaze-balls and I’m gonna make it for my regular salads all the time!

INGREDIENTS
For the salad
1 cup pomegranate seeds
2 cups chopped(not tiny)baby kale
2 cups cooked wild rice (you can use leftover rice or buy precooked)
¼ cup toasted walnuts
¼ cup feta or crumbled goat cheese

For the dressing
½ cup minced onion or shallot
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons honey
½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
1 squeeze lemon or orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS
Prep the salad ingredients (chop, rinse, toast, etc). Chill the ingredients in the fridge while you’re making the dressing if you want a cold salad.

This is more walnuts than I used for the salad, but I toasted about a cup to use for various things, while I was at it anyway 🙂

Mince the shallot or onion and saute in ½ tablespoons olive oil to reduce the ‘bite’ of them. When soft and fragrant, remove from heat and transfer to a food processor. (If you want a stronger flavor for your dressing, skip the sauteing altogether. The shallot in particular works well for not sautéing method as they are milder)
Pulse the onions or shallot with the remaining olive oil, water, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and orange juice until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust. Add additional olive oil or water to keep the mixture moving through the food processor.
Toss the salad ingredients together with the dressing just before serving. I prefer to serve this at room temperature or chilled slightly.

Then: Eat. It. All

Please tell me you guys like this one as much as I did!!!!

xoxo