Summer Veggie Salad

Salads are a Summer staple in my household. I cannot get enough of the cold crisp veggies in this hot heat of Houston. This Summer Veggie Salad is packed with fresh seasonal ingredients and is perfect on its own as a light lunch or dinner or could be served as a side dish.

I really believe it’s the dressing that makes this salad pop. It’s tangy but not in a pucker your lips kinda way. Just the right amount of sour.

Summer Veggie Salad

Makes 5 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• fresh chopped parsley, to taste
• fresh torn basil, to taste
• dried thyme, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• dried oregano, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat. Enjoy!

Fit Food… Zucchini Radish Salad

Veggies on veggies on veggies. This Zucchini Radish Salad is loaded with veggies. There is something so light and refreshing about raw no cook foods. It’s like each bite you can feel yourself getting healthier and the visual presentation of the dish from it’s bright colors is an instant mood boost.

Leaving the veggies raw preserves vitamins and minerals. This salad is a nutritional powerhouse and one you’ll want to put in your meal prep rotation because it holds up well to the simple olive oil lime dressing and will last up to five days in the fridge.

Zucchini Radish Salad

Makes 6 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 bunch of radishes, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well to incorporate the olive oil and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

 

Home Happenings… Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats

I have a carnivore living with me and he’s on a ketogenic diet. I am not… yet anyway. My diet is more Whole30-ish. I say “ish” because I allow myself to have tacos and burgers on occasion. Haha!!!

I was attempting to do a thing last week by going meatless to cut down on the grocery budget and to eat up what we had in the house first. It is amazing how many meals I was able to make with what we had in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. When it was time to go grocery shopping for dinner one night I couldn’t believe I spent under $10 to make four servings worth of this meatless meal, Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats.

These Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats were my efforts to be Whole30-ish while going meatless. Success!

They are packed full of flavor! A taco in a zucchini vessel is the perfect way to sneak in another serving of veggies into your meal. These Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats are so delicious and filling it’s hard to believe they are meatless.

Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 4 large zucchini, cut in half and centers scooped out
• 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup pico de gallo
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• sea salt, to taste
• 8 oz shredded Mexican cheese blend

And Action:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Grease a 9 x 13” casserole dish then set aside. Lightly brush the tops with one teaspoon of olive oil then place them skin side down in the casserole dish.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and the peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add rice, corn, beans, salsa, chili powder and cumin. Stir everything together and cook for about 5 minutes then remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

Stir in 1/4 cup of the cilantro and salt to the filling. Spoon the filling inside of each zucchini until they are all full. Sprinkle each one with cheese then arrange them in the dish and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes then remove the foil and set the oven to broil. Cook them for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes then top with fresh cilantro and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

 

Fit Food… Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad

I love making salads for lunch or dinner but sometimes I get tired of them so a lettuce-free salad was a nice change-up.

This Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad was light, satisfying, fresh tasting from the tanginess of the apple cider vinegar, and packed with color. It also makes up plenty of leftovers which was perfect for packing in my work lunches this week.

Since the beginning of this pregnancy Baby Zaya has decided she doesn’t like sweet potatoes so that means Momma can’t enjoy them either. After one bite of them in this dish I had to scoop all of them out so we could enjoy the rest of it without. Boo! But baby is boss for now.

This recipe is versatile so use whatever veggies you have on hand and maybe next time Baby Zaya will like the sweet potatoes.

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 zucchini, cubed
• 1 sweet potato, cubed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 can sweet corn kernels, drained
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• garlic salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 4 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• dried parsley, to taste

And Action:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the zucchini, sweet potato, tomatoes, onion, and corn to the baking sheet.

Drizzle with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then season with garlic salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly, keeping the vegetables separate on the pan.

Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until fork tender.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large bowl and add the quinoa. Toss well.

Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Pour over the veggies and quinoa, and toss to coat.

Garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

 

Fit Food… One-Pan Lemon Herb Salmon & Veggies

This One-Pan Lemon Herb Salmon & Veggies meal is the tastiest salmon dish I have ever made. We all know fish and lemon is one of the greatest marriages ever, so how could this not be amazing?! For something that is healthy, light, and easy to make this is a definite dinner win. The best part is that the veggies can be substituted with whatever you have on hand. Just be sure to keep an eye on them while they are baking to make sure they aren’t browning too quickly or needing more time, such as potatoes.

But really, the real best part about this meal is that it is baked on a single pan meaning minimal clean up and less stress for clean up after dinner.

Bad part, there won’t be any leftovers because everyone will want seconds.

One-Pan Lemon Herb Salmon & Veggies

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• garlic powder, to taste
• dried rosemary, to taste
• dried oregano, to taste
• dried basil, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 (4 oz) salmon filets
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 Portobello mushroom cap, cleaned and diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• sea salt, to taste
• ground black pepper, to taste

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the salmon filets down. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle garlic, rosemary, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Drizzle the lemon juice over the salmon.

Spread all of the veggies on the pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!