Smoked Trout, Arugula and Treviso Salad

If you haven't used treviso, raddichio or endive before, say hello to this family of bitter chicory greens. Distinctively complex with a slightly bitter and earthy flavor, they can be served raw or cooked, and have sturdy leaves that hold up to heat. Which reminds me of an incredible lunch we had in a small village on the border of Lazio and Tuscany on our Italy trip this past fall. Seared Steak with a delicately grilled balsamic raddichio and pecorino. Simple, yet so perfect.

This recipe is not that one, but was first inspired by this gorgeous photo and second by a dish we had last week at our favorite weeknight date spot in our neighborhood. Simple, yet perfect. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

SMOKED TROUT, ARUGULA AND TREVISO SALAD

SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 c wild arugula

• 1 small head treviso, thinly sliced

• 1 blood orange, *sectioned and roughly chopped

• 1-2 fillets of smoked trout, roughly torn

• 3 Tbsp toasted pistachios, roughly chopped

• 4 teaspoons unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• pecorino, freshly shaved

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

2. Place arugula, treviso, blood orange, trout and pistachios in a large bowl. Drizzle small amount of dressing (or your own desired amount) around edges of bowl to avoid pouring directly on the greens and gently toss. Season lightly with a pinch of maldon salt, fresh cracked pepper and shaved pecorino.

*HOW TO SECTION AN ORANGE:

1. Cut off the top and bottom so that the orange flesh is visible.

2. Now cut from top to bottom curving the knife to the shape of the orange. Repeat all the way around until all you have left is a bright orange, fleshy ball.

3. Next, cut in between the white sections, placing your knife as close to the white membrane as possible, and slicing delicately to the core. If you follow the membrane, you’ll see that you’re cutting out wedges. Voila!

Photography by www.ful-filled.com  |  Recipe Development by Running With Forks

Greek Yogurt "Ranch" Dressing and a Summer Salad

Everyone loves a creamy dressing. Everyone. A lot of us just dislike the heaviness of them as well as the thought of how many additional, maybe unnecessary, calories we'd be consuming if we went with that dressing option. But, summer...sweet sweet summer. And a good chop. Summer and chopped salads deserve a creamy sidekick. 

So here, I've created a healthier version of the standard Ranch Dressing we all grew up with. And an easy-peasy throw together salad to bring to your next backyard BBQ.

SUMMER SALAD WITH GREEK YOGURT RANCH DRESSING

Serves: 6-8 as a side

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 box spinach

• 1/2 box organic girl butter lettuce or 1 small head of butter lettuce

• handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 4 radishes, thinly sliced

• 1 avocado, cubed

• 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds

• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 1/4 c fresh dill

• 10-15 basil leaves, torn

• 1/4 c chives, minced

• 1/2 c microgreens

• 3/4c plain greek yogurt

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large bowl, gently toss together spinach, butter lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, avocado, seeds and herbs.

3. Add desired amount of dressing and carefully toss with hands to prevent damaging herbs or avocados.

4. Top with microgreens and maldon salt if desired

10-Minute Asian Kale Salad

Let me guess...you raaaarely, if ever, have time to whip up a healthy lunch in the middle of your crazy work day. Me either! Even though I'm in and out of the house, I'm running around and need to be out just as quick as I got in, so lunch needs to be fast, easy, healthy and delicious. 

And while it helps to always keep healthy staples on hand, hours of food prep is out of the question for me. Find habits that work for YOU. If you know you'll never find yourself chopping and prepping your Sunday away, choose easy and ready-to-go staples and easy simple meals for the work week. And if you enjoy prepping ahead of time, you go, you!!

Whipped this salad up in under 10 min and topped it with some leftover turkey larb from our picnic in the park last night for an extra protein boost. (side note: it's been decided that summer picnics need to happen waaaaaayyyyy more often). Toss everything together in the morning (or night before) – dressed or undressed (referring to both yourself, and the kale) – and you're good to go. I'm all for nudity in the kitchen btw.

10-MINUTE ASIAN KALE SALAD

Serves 1 | prep time 10 min

*No need to measure any of these ingredients - use your eyes, but here's a simple guideline.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 c lacinato kale, chopped

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 tsp or splash of rice vinegar

• 1 tsp or splash of tamari

• 2 inch piece of cucumber, thinly sliced

• 1 radish, julienned

• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

• 1 Tbsp toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 Tbsp black sesame seeds

• 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Massage kale with olive oil, toasted sesame oil and sea salt.

2. Add rice vinegar and tamari.

3. Toss in a cucumber, radish, green onion, pepitas, sesame seeds.

4. (Optional protein boost: ground turkey, soft boiled egg, chopped nuts, etc. Feel free to add in any other greens you have on hand. Thinly sliced green cabbage is a great addition!)

Your New Healthy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is only ONE WEEK AWAY .. crazy to think how fast this year has been flying by! I've been oogling over all the beautiful recipes out there in the world while working on this year's menu collab with Barre3, the Portland based studio and wellness magazine.

The flavors and traditions of this holiday are limitless, heart warming, nostalgic and .. usually, along with your gratitude, you leave you feeling utterly stuffed. Keeping in line with the Barre3 rules of balancing FAT, FIBER and PROTEIN I've created a menu that can help you avoid that feeling, while keep it healthy AND delicious.

If you recall, last year I created the Barre3 DIY Thanksgiving Pies and the Autumn Greens Panzanella Salad and due to them being such a hit on the table last year, we decided to keep them on the spread as a classic along with a few new staples. Mix a few of these new healthy recipes in with your family recipes passed down from generation to generation for a beautiful, timeless and healthy holiday.

Here is how we set our table this year .. perhaps it will ignite and inspire a bit of your holiday menu planning! 

Autumn Greens Panzanella Salad – The first thing you’ll notice about this nutrient-rich salad is that it’s absolutely stunning, thanks to the colorful pop of pomegranate seeds and sweet potatoes against the dark leafy greens. The next thing you’ll notice? That it’s absolutely delicious.

Savory Roasted Root Mash – One taste of this savory, creamy blend of parsnips and celery root, and you may never make mashed potatoes again.

Sausage, Kale + Pecan Stuffing – The sausage, kale, leeks, and onions make this stuffing gloriously hearty, while the pecans and dried cherries round it out with just the right amount of sweetness.  

B3 Skillet Cornbread – Made with stone ground cornmeal, almond flour and coconut milk, this cornbread is both gluten and dairy free. The slight sweetness of the cornmeal is the perfect complement to Thanksgiving’s savory flavors.

Honey-Orange Cranberry Sauce – Cranberries, one orange, and honey. That’s all that goes into this simple cranberry sauce, and yet the perfectly tangy flavor makes it one of the highlights of the meal. It needs to chill for at least six hours, so it’s the ideal make-ahead recipe.

DIY Pumpkin Pie – In the barre3 spirit of Make It Your Own, this recipe is designed so you can choose your own filling. It’s delicious as a traditional pumpkin pie, but the almond-oat crust works just as well with apples, chocolate—you name it! 

Summer Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad

You know that delicious groundbreaking salad that you start to see everywhere when the summer solstice hits? Yep, it deserves to shine.  So damn delicious, I am making it over and over again already, and maybe only forgetting the star of the show, basil, a handful of times.  (Gahhhh, without fail, I forget one ingredient - every. single. time.)

This salad is an incredibly simple and easy dish to throw together.  The perfect summer salad. Bring it to your next barbecue and eyes will light up, serve next to a simple grilled steak for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or serve straight up for lunch or a snack.  So worth it. 

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SUMMER HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND NECTARINE SALAD

Prep Time: 5 min  |  Total Time: 10 min  |  Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 mixed heirloom tomatoes

• 1/2 c baby heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 ripe nectarines, thinly sliced

• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

• 1/2 c pickled red onions

• 1/2 c fresh torn basil leaves or micro greens

• olive oil

• fresh cracked peppercorns

• maldon sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Thinly slice 2 of the large heirloom tomatoes and quarter 1 heirloom tomato.

2. On a platter, arrange tomatoes, mozzarella and nectarines.

3. Drizzle entire salad with olive oil, a generous sprinkle of maldon sea salt and fresh cracked peppercorns. Let sit 5 minutes

4. Arrange pickled red onions and basil on top and finish with additional salt and pepper. Voila, gorgeous!