Garlic Basil Dressing

Something simple to whip up! We were having a veggie salad with avocado as our "meat" and I wanted some flavor to shake it up. The salad is simple: my normal organic spring/spinach mix from the store, tri-peppers, red onion, cucumber and avocado. Add the dressing and Viola! Success!

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Garlic Basil Vinaigrette

1/4 cup EVOO
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves pressed or minced
2 tbsp. Sweet basil (use fresh if you have it!)
Black Pepper

(Optional and not Challenge friendly: 1/8 cup feta cheese)

Mix or process well and pour. More than enough for 2+ salads.

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I love garlic. I love basil. I love feta. I love flavor!

Note: I like to adapt dressing to go with dinner sometimes. When I do that, I always either: A. don't use vinegar at all or B. just cut the vinegar measurement in half.

Super Simple Tuna Salad

It's amazing how after you have retrained your palate, some foods just don't taste right anymore. Take Miracle Whip, for example. I grew up with that awesomeness on my bologna sandwiches, in my egg salad, tuna salad, potato salad ... and now I try to use it and it's waaaaaay to sweet and creamy! *sadness* BUT I have found ways around it by using Greek yogurt to add the creaminess to my dishes so I'm totally comfortable with the substitution. The only thing with yogurt is that you have to flavor it up a touch.

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Super Simple Tuna Salad

1 small can albacore tuna
1 tbsp. Greek yogurt
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dill (I <3 dill!!)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard (or just a squirt)
1 tbsp. sweet relish

Mix together. Place in tomato for lunch or throw into a wrap.

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I'm a pickle whore. I lovvvve pickle or relish in my cold salad mix and it not only adds flavor, but those 4 grams of sugar are enough to satiate my sweet tooth now.

You may catch a glimpse of cheese at the bottom of my wrap. It's not necessary! But I wanted it today (some habits die hard even if I'm not using Miracle Whip!). And there is a smear of hummus on the very bottom for some extra flavor.

No matter what: don't forget your veggies! It may be tempting to leave them off ... But your body needs them :)

Don't Stick a Fork in Me ... I'm Not Done Yet!

I am not a skinny girl. That's not what I do. (For some reason, I have Ani DiFranco's "32 Flavors" rolling in my head so that statement works.)

I am determined to not just be "skinny" (and right now, I feel that I "am" after many months of hard work and good choices), BUT to be a healthier, happier me. I want to be strong! I want to make food that I love and my family eats and enjoys. I love food. I love to eat. After almost 4 months of making healthy food choices, my body recognizes when I eat crap and responds accordingly to let me know I screwed it up! I am conscious of the effect that eating healthy has on my children and their eating habits. And I am super aware that by sharing what I make, my progress and my goals that I do influence people and THAT amazes me! How cool is it to know that my friends and family drool over what I create? Yeah, I like attention, too. LOL

In an effort to consolidate some of my favorite endeavors, I am proud to launch Forktacular as my own personal recipe box and public display of action (PDA!) where I can share what I am doing, creating, succeeding at, and totally what I fail at! Don't be afraid to interact, ask questions or offer suggestions because food, health and exercise is constantly evolving in my life and I always need good ideas!

Sweet Potato Hash

Mmmmm I LOVE roasted sweet potatoes. As "sweet" as a sweet potato is, there's something to be said for the savory flavor that erupts from combining them with garlic and spices versus butter and brown sugar.

I made this hash up to go with some grilled Spinach & Asiago Chicken Sausages (Artisan Fresh brand from Sam's Club - 140 calories per sausage).
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Sweet Potato Hash

2 sweet medium sweet potatoes
1/2 an onion
1/2 cup tri-pepper mix
2+ cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning salt
1 tsp. Red Pepper
3 tbsp. EVOO

Warm a frying pan on high heat with the EVOO. Cube the potatoes into about 1/4 in. cubes (cooks faster in the pan). Throw the potatoes, garlic, and spices in the pan and stir/toss around to get them coated in oil. Turn the heat down to medium and cover, stirring every few minutes. After about 5 minutes, add the onions and peppers. Cover and cook (stirring occasionally) another 5ish more minutes until the largest potato cubes are cooked and soft.

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Don't be afraid of the garlic! It makes it more savory! Also, I threw a dash of Worcestershire at the end to flavor it up more and added Dijon mustard to the whole shebang. Mmm mmm mmm!

Talapia and Mango Salad

I have a special love for raw, cold salads that include fruit and citrus based dressings. There's something about it that make me feel like I might be able sit outside and survive the dry summer if I shovel it into my mouth. But then again, probably not! I'll sit inside and enjoy it in the comfort of my AC, please.

This is a great combo that not only fills you up but helps you feel like you ate light and cool after a hot day in the sun.

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Simple Fish Marinade

2 full Talapia filets
1/4 cup EVOO
1 lime (cut and squeeze juice)
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp. coriander
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. basil
1 tbsp. rosemary
1 tbsp. agave (optional)

Combine everything in a baggie or pan and let marinade for 1-24+ hours.

Warm frying pan on medium/high heat with a touch of EVOO and place filets in pan to cook. About 5-6 minutes each side. You want the filets to flake when they are done.

Cold Mango Salad

1 cucumber (skin on or off is your choice)
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 orange pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 mango or 1 cup mango (frozen)
1/2 cup red onion
1 cup red cabbage (thinly sliced and diced - OPTIONAL)

1 lime (cut and squeeze juice)
1/8 cup EVOO
1/8 cup white vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp. dill
1 tbsp. rosemary
1 tbsp. basil

Dice all the veggies and mango up and place in a sealable bowl with the marinade mixture above. Toss with lid on and let set in the fridge for at least 4 hours to let the juice and vinegar do its work flavoring the salad. Serve cold with fish.

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Some things to remember: when I cook I use approximate measurements. I'm really bad about pulling out my cups an spoons and generally eyeball based on how I know what I'm adding is going flavor a dish. So feel free to add or subtract to your taste. Generally, I'm actually not using as much EVOO as I think which is a good thing!

The red cabbage in the salad is a great way to bulk it up and keep it light with some crunch. I LOVE red cabbage after it's been soaking in a vinegar mix mmmmmmmm