{Marinaded 3 Bean Salad}

These two photos of this salad just make me happy!  Not only because of the bright cheery colors coming from the salad, but because I actually got some decent photos!  You see, I had to work really hard to get these 2 images!  Why you ask?  Well, because half way through taking pictures of  this delicious salad, for this very blog post,  my camera lens decided to start acting funky!  My lens was having trouble focusing, and then finally gave out all together! I had no idea what to do, and no idea if the lens would be reparable!  Long story short, I have a no camera lens now that works perfect!  Yay for that!   

Now lets start talking about this eye-catching salad!  The inspiration for this salad came to me at work after trying a 3-bean salad that was featured in our cafe at work!  I know I have talked on and on about how we have the most amazing salad bar at work, and no I am not exaggerating, it truly is amazing!  Anyway, as soon as I tried the salad I instantly knew I needed to try and recreate something similar at home!  So right there, over my lunch break I quickly wrote down any and every ingredient I could taste or seen in the salad!  So did I nail the recreate of the delicious 3-bean salad at work?  I think so, and I think you are going to love it!  This salad has just enough tang from the dressing to give subtle flavor to the simple yet delicious ingredients present in this salad!  I added a chopped avocado for some added healthy fat, feel free to omit if you like!  

Marinaded 3 Bean Salad

Brunch N'Cupcakes 

4-6 

Ingredients: 
1- 15 Oz Can Black Beans - Drained 
1- 15 Oz Can Garbanzo Beans - Drained 
1- 15 Oz Can Kidney Beans - Drained 
1- 12 Oz  Can Corn (No Salt Added) - Drained 
3/4 Cup Cherry Tomatoes Halved 
1 Large Handful Fresh Cilantro - Chopped 
1/4 Cup Finley Chopped Red Onion
Salt and Pepper to Taste 
1 Avocado - Diced 

Dressing - 
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar 
1/2 Tablespoon Honey 
1 Tablespoon Course Ground Mustard 
Directions: 
1- In a large bowl combine corn, beans and tomato.  Lightly toss to combine, set aside. 
2- In a small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients.  Pour over bean mixture and lightly toss again to combine. 
3- Add salt and pepper to taste.  If serving immediately, toss cilantro and avocado into salad, toss to combine and serve immediately.  If not serving till later wait to add cilantro and avocado

**Note - If making to take for lunch add in cilantro and avocado the day of for freshness purposes.  

Check out these other delicious Bean Salad recipes from around the web! 

Summer Bean Salad - Cooking Light 
Triple Bean Salad - Cooking Light 
Mexican Bean Salad - All Recipes 

Enjoy! 

{Undone Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes}

Strawberries, one of my all time favorite berries!  I could probably eat an entire pound of fresh strawberries in one sitting!  And, one of my all time favorite summertime desserts has to be Strawberry Shortcake! I loved (and still do love) topping sweet spongy cake with mounds of sweet strawberries and piles of cloud like whipped cream!  Simple, yet oh so delicious!

So, imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that Driscolls Berries and The Daily Meal had set up a Strawberry Shortcake competition!  I eagerly jumped at the chance to create my very own version of a beloved childhood dessert!  I knew I wanted to keep my recipe simple but wanted to add a few of my own twists!

I remembered as a little kid loving the little store bought individual round shortcakes, that slightly influenced my decision to bake my shortcake in the form of cupcakes!  The shortcake features a hint of cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.  I then took those lovely fresh baked cupcakes and cut them in half and piled them high with fresh whipped cream and strawberries, the best!  This is why I call them an "undone" cupcake!  Finally I finish off the entire dessert with a light drizzle of honey for a little added sweetness.  I had my entire entourage of taste testers try these out this past weekend and gave my shortcake a thumbs up!  I hope you enjoy these little beauties as much as we all did!  Thanks again Driscoll Berries and The Daily Meal for this opportunity!

Undone Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes 

Brunch N'Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients: 

Cupcake: 

Dry: 

1 1/2 Cup Flour 

3/4 Cup Sugar 

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder 

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

1 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon 

Wet: 

1/4 Cup Butter Melted 

2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt (I used 2%) 

1 Egg 

3/4 Cup Almond Milk or Milk of Choice (I used Unsweetened)

2 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla 

Whipped Cream:

1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Lb Strawberries - Quartered 

Honey about 1/4 cup for drizzling

Directions- 

1- In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside. 

2- Grab a smaller bowl and lightly beat your egg.  Add Melted butter, greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla and whisk until combined. 

3- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated, don't over mix. 

4- Grease a muffing tin and divide batter among 12 muffin cups.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. 

5-While muffins bake whip up your whipped cream.  Combine heavy whipping cream, powder sugar and vanilla.  Beat with a standing mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Place in fridge until cupcakes are baked.    Combine quartered strawberries with 1 tablespoon honey and set aside.

To assemble -
1- Allow cupcakes to cook and remove from muffin tin.
2- Slice cupcakes in half so you have a top and a bottom.
3- Place strawberries on cupcake bottom and top with a generous amount of strawberries and whipped cream.  Place top of cupcake on top (or on the side) and drizzle with honey.  Continue assembling the rest of the "cupcakes" making only as many as you need to serve!  Serve immediately!

Note - You do not want the cupcakes to get soggy, so it is better to keep the shortcakes unassembled until serving.  You can keep the cupcakes for up to a week and the whip cream will last a few days in the fridge.  Just assemble as needed!

Enjoy! 

{Brown Rice Salad with Arugula, Tomatoes, Feta and Avocado}

Sometimes the simpler the meal the better.  Especially a meal that is packed with tons of fresh ingredients where the flavors all play off each other.  This simple, yet satisfying and delicious “salad” has been my go to lunch for the past few days.  

This salad is so easy to prepare, and I generally have all the ingredients in my fridge or pantry.   Plus if you cook up a big batch of brown rice early in the week, say Sunday or a Monday, you can cut down on the "cook" time and make salad prep even easier!  How great is that?  

The best part about this salad, in my opinion is the fact that you virtually need no dressing!  The peppery arugula adds great flavor, and you get a flavor punch from the tangy feta.  I love buying a block of feta (Trader Joe’s is my favorite) and cutting it into thick chunks, delicious!  Top the salad off with a little fresh ground lemon pepper (I buy mine at Trader Joe’s) and a squirt of fresh lemon juice and you are all set!   This salad really couldn't be easier!  Plus I think all the colors together look pretty, make this your new go to brown bag lunch! 

Brown Rice Salad with Arugula, Tomatoes, Feta and Avocado

Brunch N’Cupcakes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dry Brown Rice (Cooked according to package directions and cooled)

2 Cups Baby Arugula, Washed and Dried

1 Avocado – Sliced

1 ½ Cups Grape Tomatoes Halved

2/3 Cup Good Quality Feta (I like Trader Joes)

Lemon Pepper for Serving

1 Lemon Cut into Wedges for Serving

Directions: 
1- Divide rice among four plates (or divide among 4 different sealable containers if taking for lunch). 
2- Top each plate of rice (or sealable container) with equal parts of arugula, tomatoes, feta and avocado.  Sprinkle with fresh ground lemon pepper and a squirt of lemon!  

**Note - Don't squirt salad with lemon if packing and taking for lunch, you don't want the arugula to get wilty.  Instead pack lemons separately!   

Enjoy and Happy Friday! 

{Summer Pasta Salad with Chicken, Veggies and Feta}

There are just some foods that scream summer.  Watermelon, Strawberry Shortcake (recipe coming soon), turkey burgers on the grill and my favorite, pasta salad!  I find that even though I love a good pasta salad, it is one of those dishes that I rarely make!  

In fact I generally only make pasta salad when I need a delicious dish to pass at a pot luck or family get together!  Crazy right, considering its one of my favorite summer foods!  Anyways, I have found that pasta salad not only makes a delicious week night meal (and its super easy and quick), it makes a great easy and portable lunch!  I have mentioned before that I am a brown bag lunch person, so I am always looking for new and exciting ways to jazz up my lunch box!  Whip up a big batch of this delicious pasta salad for dinner Monday night and eat the leftovers the rest of the week for lunch!  Hello easy, hello healthy and hello convenient!! 

I love this pasta salad because it features fresh veggies, whole wheat pasta and a delicious tangy dressing!  I also love the big hunks of feta cheese scattered throughout!  This pasta salad makes a great light main meal with the grilled chicken, feel free to leave out to make this pasta salad vegetarian friendly!  

Summer Pasta Salad with Chicken, Veggies and Feta

Brunch N'Cupcakes 

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients 

12 oz Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (cooked according to package directions) 

2 Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes Chopped 

3/4 Cup Cucumber Chopped 

1/2 Green Pepper Chopped 

1/4 Cup Fresh Dill Chopped

1/3 Cup Feta Cheese

Dressing:

3 Garlic Cloves Minced

2 Teaspoons Course Black Pepper 

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

1 1/2 Tablespoon Course Mustard 

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar 

1/2 Tablespoon Honey 

Directions: 

1- Lightly salt and pepper chicken breast.  Heat grill (I used a George Forman) and grill chicken until cooked through.  Cut chicken into 1 inch chunks and set aside. 

2- In a large bowl combine chopped veggies, dill, chicken and noodles.  Toss lightly to combine, set aside. 

3- In a smaller bowl whisk together dressing ingredients.  Pour dressing over salad and toss lightly until dressing is evenly distributed.  Top pasta salad with feta and serve immediately. 

Enjoy! 

Some times you just need a good...

...Cookie! 

I whipped up these little gems last night, I decided to bake on a whim!  The recipe is still in the works, but I think they are going to be delicious!  In the mean time check out these other delicious cookie recipes featured on the blog!

{Stir Fried BBQ Chicken}

Warm weather and sunshine are seriously two of the best things.  And since the Minnesota weather has been getting nicer and nicer (yes, even the rain is a welcome change to all the snow we were still getting in March/April)  I cannot help but be in an insanely good mood!  In the Summer months I fid myself craving anything that is grilled, or contains BBQ sauce, and I can never get enough fresh fruit! 

So what does all this talk about BBQ and grilling have to do with today's recipe?  A whole lot, because I put on a new twist on stir fry!  I gave this chicken stir fry a Summer kick by subbing in a tangy homemade  BBQ sauce in place of the traditional stir fry sauce!  The outcome?  Down right delicious, I am surprised that there were even leftovers after this meal!  The homemade BBQ sauce is tangy and sweet with just the right amount of heat, and is super easy to whip up!   The stir fry comes together in a snap, and is delicious served along side steamed veggies, or a simple green salad!  Serve on a whole wheat bun for a healthy take on a traditional sloppy joe, or with corn bread muffins to soak up the extra BBQ sauce (don't want to let the sauce go to waste)!

{Fresh Corn Salad with Herbs}

This week was busy!  And I was a little sluggish this week after a wonderful long relaxing weekend! With my busy schedule this week I feel like I haven't even thought about cooking!  Queue leftovers, they are such a wonderful thing, and perfect for busy weekday nights!  I love when I have healthy leftovers in the fridge, it makes eating healthy so much easier!

I made this delicious Fresh Corn and Herb salad on Monday night to go along with our grilled salmon, recipe here.   And this very salad has been eaten for dinner and lunch the past few days as I run around!  But this salad is so darn delicious that  I am not even mad about the fact that I have eaten it all week!  One thing I love about summer is fresh sweet corn, and this salad features it!  I have cut the corn right off the cob,   combined it with some fresh lightly sautéed veggies, a bit of butter and herbs and voila you have a great summer side salad!   Throw some grilled chicken on top of this salad and call it a meal, or eat it as a side with your favorite meat or vegetarian options!  I have even topped this salad with avocado in my lunch for work!  Enjoy!

Fresh Corn Salad with Herbs

Ingredients:

5 Ears of Corn (Shucked and Cut off the Cob)

1 Jalapeno Seeded and Chopped

½ Cup Chopped White Onion

¾ Cup Chopped Grape Tomatoes

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1 Teaspoon Dried Dill

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Butter (Or Olive Oil)  

Directions:
1- In a large skillet heat ½ teaspoon butter.  Once melted add onion to skillet and sauté until translucent, add in jalapeno and sauté until tender about 2 minutes. 
2- Add corn and grape tomatoes to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon butter, herbs, salt, pepper and garlic.  Stir until herbs and butter are evenly distributed and sauté for 2 additional minutes or until butter is melted.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!