Tag Archives: olives

Chilled Zoodle Salad with Herby Buttermilk Ranch

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in Healthy, Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Salad, Vegetarian

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When I wasn’t making loaf after loaf of my new go-to zucchini bread, we were eating this salad. On a hot summer day, the last thing I wanted to do was make zucchini lasagna or stir frys…and this zoodle salad is so adaptable it solved all of our problems. Here we have the basic version with a homemade, herby buttermilk ranch, but we ate this salad many times with store bought dressing (don’t tell anyone) and it was still amazing. Add different toppings, throw on some grilled chicken, just about anything works!

I found the secret to this salad was chilling the zoodles for at least an hour. It made them extra crunchy and took out some of the moisture so you didn’t have a soggy zoodle salad. Move over, lettuce…zoodles make summer salads more fun.

Recipe
Chilled Zoodle Salad with Herby Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
By Baked Northwest
Serves 2

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1 medium zucchini, spiralized into “zoodles”
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper

For the Herby Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup of buttermilk, shaken
  • 3/4 cup mayo
  • 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsbp siracha (if you want to add some spice)!

Directions

Make your zoodles:
Using a spiralizer (I have the Paderno Spiralizer), make your zucchini noodles: I use the small spaghetti-sized blade for this salad, but the thicker noodle blade works great too! Lightly blot dry your zoodles with paper towels and place them in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at least an hour. I find refrigerating the zoodles takes some of the moisture out and ends up giving your salad a nice crisp crunch. You do not want a soggy salad! You can make your zoodles the night before and store in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

Make the herby buttermilk ranch:
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the dressing to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors develop.

Assemble your zoodle bowl:
   Place the red onion in a small bowl and add the tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Add a little bit of salt and pepper and let stand while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Divide the zoodles in half and place on 2 bowls or plates. Add half of your toppings to each bowl; the carrots, olives, tomatoes, feta, and onions. Serve with the herby buttermilk ranch and enjoy!

 

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Spanish Tapas Peppers

20 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Events

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Spanish Tapas Peppers

 

Recipe
Spanish Tapas Peppers
adapted from Make It Ahead
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cream sherry
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 5 large bell peppers (red or yellow) OR use mini peppers (about 20, sliced in half)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
  • 3/4 cup chopped green pitted olives
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and diced (or 1 can rotel diced tomatoes)
  • 1 scant tsp saffron threads, crumbled
  • 2/3 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup olives oil
  • minced fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the sherry and raisins in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cut each pepper in half through the core and remove the ribs and seeds. Cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges and arrange them cut side up in a single layer in two large shallow oven to table baking dishes. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp salt and pepper. If using mini peppers, just cut them in half and remove the seeds and ribs.

In a medium bowl, combine the steeped raisins, garlic, olives, tomato, saffron, braed crumbs, olive oil, and about another tsp salt and pepper. Spread about a tbsp of the mixture on each pepper wedge. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the filling is a little crisp on top. Smaller peppers will likely take only 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Make It Ahead: Prepare the peppers with the filing, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake before serving.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Bloggerific, Healthy, Main Dish

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Delicious toppings on Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

If I were to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would probably be pizza. Not because pizza is so damn delicious, but because you can do so much with it. There are so many possibilities – thai pizza, mexican pizza, greek pizza, buffalo chicken pizza, veggie pizza, meaty pizza…I could go on and on and on. I even had gyro pizza once, and it was phenomenal.

Then there’s the crust. Thin crust, thick crust, flatbread, chicago style, deep dish, STUFFED CRUST! SO.MANY.CHOICES.

Cauliflower Crust – lots of flavor and added kick in there!

But wait…Cauliflower crust?!? Seems immoral. Not okay. But at the same time, you realize you are instantly intrigued. Pizza that is…somewhat healthy? Practically guilt-free? A vegetable crust? No way. You just have to try it for yourself.

Cauliflower Crust – Super flavorful and surprisingly delicious.

You wouldn’t even know this pizza had a healthy crust!

Recipe

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Recipe from Eat.Drink.Smile.

Serves 2-4 (depends on if you want leftovers!)

ingredient

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)

pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings

directions:

To “Rice” the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes (some microwaves are more powerful than others, so you may need to reduce this cooking time). There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9″ round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Enjoy!

*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

Chili and Baked Potatoes

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Easy, LuLu's Classics, Main Dish, Soups

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Chili with ground turkey and pork sausage, beans, beer, and my favorite addition: black olives.

A few weeks ago, this super awesome guy I know mentioned he really wanted Chili and Baked Potatoes. He said he found some “healthy” recipe online, and I stopped him right there. No. We are making my Mom’s Chili. End of discussion.

It’s actually quite healthy. Except for maybe the bottle of beer. But that all cooks out, right? Whatever. Beer makes just about everything better.

Keep in mind that I am well aware my food photography is not going to win any awards anytime soon. Maybe one day I will get a fancy camera and take a food styling class and buy matching dishes – but for now we’re not even close to that. You just gotta trust this stuff is delicious.

Recipe

  • 2 – 4 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 onion, copped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 package ground turkey
  • 1 package ground sweet sausage
  • 1 bottle of beer
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can pinto, black, or white beans, drained and rinsed
  • sugar to taste
  • 1 can petite cut tomatoes
  • 1 small can of tomato paste
  • spicy salsa (optional)
  • fresh diced jalapeno (optional)
  • 1 can sliced black olives (optional)

Pour about 2 tbsp olive oil in a large soup pan and add turkey and sausage. Cook until done and then remove to a large bowl.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan and cook the onions until soft. Add chopped garlic and cook another minute or two.

Add the cooked meat and herbs along with the tomato.

Stir together and add the beer. At this point, the sauce might be a bit thin, so add some tomato paste to thicken it up. Sometimes you can use a whole can, sometimes less. Since tomatoes tend to be acidic, add a little sugar to tone them down. Start with about a tbsp. and then taste.

If  you want more kick, add some jalapenos and/or some spicy salsa.

Let simmer for about 30 minutes and taste again.

Add the beans and olives (totally optional, since I am olive obsessed). Stir, let simmer for a bit longer to let the flavors blend together and serve.

serve with baked potatoes or jalapeno cheddar cornbread. Chili was made for them.

Basic Baked Potato

I don’t drown my baked potatoes in chili (like someone I know) I keep it simple: sour cream, chives, cheese, salt & pepper.

use 1-4 potatoes, however many you want to make!

Preheat oven to 375. Scrub and clean the potatoes with hot water. Poke some holes in the potatoes with a fork to let air escape. Lay potatoes and a sheet pan, directly on the rack, or wrap in foil. Let cook in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Test potatoes for desired softness, cut open and serve with sour cream, chives, and cheese. Enjoy!

Wingin’ It: Easy Appetizers

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Appetizers, Easy, Entertaining

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First of all, I am no expert at entertaining. I have had a few parties here and there, but nothing extreme or serious, so they don’t even really count. I find that it always works to put something out like this for when guests arrive:

Pickled veggies, crackers, olives, hummus, flowers for good measure. Totally easy and you can last minute wing it if you keep this stuff in your house.

I always try to throw in the best olives, ever.

Castelvetrano's. The Best Olives. Ever.

Castelvetranos. I first had these years and YEARS ago (like back in 2007) when I was living in LA. They were SUPER expensive and could only be found at this little market. Imagine my delight when I recently found them at Costco. Jackpot.