Brittany's PantryWinter Salad W/Cranberries & Feta
Brittany wrote this on 8 January 2015
almonds, cranberries, feta, gluten-free, lettuce, spinach, vegetarian
Just popping in quick to share one of my most favorite salads with you. Yes, those are sugared almonds. Yes, that is one of the reasons its my favorite. So sue me.
I like to call this my winter salad because it looks so fresh and crisp and clean and bright! Like a cold, cloudless winter day. Don’t you think? Ok, the connection sounded better in my head….Also, its perfect to serve during the colder months because it doesn’t rely on an abundance of fresh produce. Decent spinach and/or spring mix can be found most anytime of year nowadays, especially if you live in an area where they can still grow it during the colder months. The rest of the ingredients aren’t seasonal, making it a great, fresh addition to winter menus that may be heavy with baked pastas, dairy laden casseroles, and football party food. Add some grilled chicken on top and you have an incredibly speedy meal that won’t leave you feeling droopy. Because feeling droopy is no bueno.
And can I just say that it is kinda pretty? The colors of food get me every time and that is one of the reasons I come back to this salad again and again. Side dish? Yup. Paired with a quick quiche? You bet. Topped with grilled chicken or steamed salmon? Gaaaaaahhhh. Come to momma. It covers all the bases. And don’t worry. If you happen to eat it in April, and start calling it a Spring salad, I won’t tell a soul.
Winter Salad W/Cranberries, Feta, & Sugared Almonds
Like I mentioned above, sliced chicken or flaked salmon, cold or warm, is just about the best thing ever on top of this salad.
fresh spinach
dried cranberries
crumbled feta
sugared almonds
vinaigrette of your choice
Layer all the salad ingredients on a plate or in larger quantities in a serving bowl. Light and simple vinaigrettes work best with this so be sure to avoid anything too heavy. Enjoy!
After a quick break to celebrate the holidays, I am thrilled to say that I am back and full to the brim with incredible recipes to share with all of you! I can’t promise that they will all be healthy (I know we all want to follow those brand spankin’ new resolutions…) but I can promise that they will all be good. Really good. As in, good enough that I serve them to my husband and kids, family, and friends. Ere go, they are good enough to post here.
I am going to start off 2015 with a sandwich that likes to do a disappearing act at my house. My kids inhale this wrap like it is their last meal and since it is full of only light and healthy good things for them, I am totally fine with that. I make it for lunch and BOOM! they make it disappear. Its a deal we have. I practically have to hide my serving just to make sure my family doesn’t swipe it. Sheesh! You would think that no one feeds them around here!!
That was a figure of speech. All I seem to do is feed ’em, the leeches….
This wrap has no dairy in it, and no sauce. It gets the wonderful crunch from the veggies and the refreshing bite and tang from the capers and lemon. Your tastebuds definitely stand up with a happy salute with this one. I like a whole wheat wrap as a delivery vessel for my lunch, but this exact same recipe is stellar in a lettuce wrap as well so do whatever is right for you. Either way, it is an awesome way to start the new year-with or without a healthy resolution!
Light & Tangy Tuna Wraps
This recipe makes four, nice sized wraps. Add whatever veggies suit your fancy. Listed below are the ones that go well with the flavors here but I generally use whatever I have on hand at the time. This tuna mixture is also great just added as a scoop on top of fresh spinach and veggies so feel free to skip the wrap altogether!
1 large can (12 oz) chunk tuna packed in water, drained well
1 T capers
1 T chopped parsley
1 T extra virgin olive oil or grape seed oil
pinch of salt and pepper
zest of 1/2 lemon, optional
1/2 large english cucumber (or regular cucumber, peeled or scored), cut into strips
1 carrot, julienned or grated
1 sweet bell pepper, cleaned and julienned
fresh spinach
1 avocado, sliced
4 whole wheat tortillas, fajita sized
In a medium bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients gently with a fork until combined. Divide the mixture among the four tortillas. Add the fresh vegetables that you prefer and wrap. Enjoy!
Note: This is a good wrap to prepare and take with you for lunch!
Easy Veggie Spread
Brittany wrote this on 29 December 2014 carrots, chives, cream cheese, gluten-free
I feel as though I would be remiss in my duties as a blogger if I didn’t share this recipe with you. Is there some kind of foodie law enforcement that makes sure bloggers share the good stuff instead of keeping it to themselves? Just to be safe, I will disclose all here. I have been living off of it for several weeks now and I still can’t get enough. *phew* Glad I got that off my chest. I figured I could’t hoard the recipe forever… So simple. And sometimes the best things are the simple things, right?
I always see veggie spreads in the store and just kind of skip over them. I guess I like stuff either sweet, or at least dip-able. I like to dunk and scoop my crackers and veggies. But I have been on this kind of color kick with my cooking lately and I decided to experiment and come up with a pretty, veggie flecked spread that I loved equally on a cracker or a bagel. A recipe that I could just throw together when I had company coming and not even give it a second thought. A reliable, go-to version with minimal ingredients. Min-i-mal. This was actually a tall order and a bit of a challenge for myself as generally I like things like jam, honey, jelly, sweet butter, flavored cream cheese, or cinnamon-sugar on my bagels. You may notice the sweet trend there. What can I say? I’m a ‘sweet’ kind of gal. Heh heh.
But seriously. Friends. I haven’t even touched the sugary crap since I started making this. Who knew so few ingredients could taste so glorious? Love love love it. And here it is, just in time for you to put out on New Years Eve. A great snack to munch on while playing Scattergories, working on a puzzle, watching movies, or whatever it is that you do when you party down. Just be sure to make another batch for latter, too. Because who knows what the new year may bring! Veggie spread instead of jam on my bagel is a good start.
Easy Veggie Spread
The good things you can do with this stuff is endless. It is down right awesome on a whole grain cracker, pretzels, or bagel. But it is great spread on toast, layered thin on a tortilla with fresh cucumbers then rolled up, dolloped on top of an omelette just before serving, spread on a roast beef sandwich, filled into celery sticks, and OH so much more! Be sure to share in the comments below how YOU are enjoying this recipe! As for the hot sauce, my test subjects were split 50/50 on wether or not to leave it in. Everyone love the tiny bit of kick though, so you be the judge.
1 (8 oz) block softened cream cheese (I use Neufchatel)
4 T (1/2 stick) room temperature butter
1 T freshly snipped chives
1 medium carrot, scrapped and grated
1 heaping T freshly chopped parsley
big pinch of salt and lots of black pepper, or to taste
1 tsp hot sauce, optional
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, adding hot sauce if desired and tasting for seasoning. Let the flavors sit together to meld for an hour or so if possible. Taste again and add more salt, pepper, or hot sauce if needed.
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
