Blood Orange and Beet Salad

I whipped this salad up over the weekend.  I used what I had in the fridge and it was a total hit!  I think it would also be a great Valentine's Day salad, if you're trying to go for an all red meal.  It has beets, blood oranges, and tomatoes, all which are red!  Blood oranges are now in season, they are one of my favorite types of oranges!

Blood Orange and Beet Salad
(serves 4)

1 package baby arugula
3 ears of corn, shucked
1 container of grape tomatoes, halved
3 red beets, cooked and sliced
4 persian cucumbers or kirby, sliced
2 blood oranges, peeled and edge trimmed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Place first 5 ingredients in a large salad bowl.  Right before you are ready to serve the salad, hold one blood orange over the bowl, and using a paring knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Free the segments and let them fall into the bowl.  Allow the juices to drizzle over the salad, squeeze the membranes to extract the rest of the juice. Repeat with the second blood orange.  Add olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, salt, and pepper.  Mix salad, serve, and enjoy!

Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps

Every now and then I spend several hours and days just browsing through food blogs, some that are more known and some that are not.  While browsing around one day, I found this recipe on Dinner with Julie.  I was so happy when I found it because I actually love Lesley Stowe's Raincoast Crisps!!  My friend introduced me to them one day at her house and directly after leaving I went to purchase my own box at Whole Foods.  They are in the cheese section.  They are really yummy and have a a few flavors to choose from.  I have only had the Rosemary Raisin Pecan version.  There's a nice balance between the sweetness from the raisins, crunch from the pumpkin seeds and pecans, and even a little umami from the sesame seeds.  On top of all that there's flax seed meal and buttermilk in them as well!  They go great with any and all cheeses, but my fave is spreading them with a creamy brie!  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!  This recipe is taken directly from Dinner with Julie.

Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps
(makes 2-3 small loaves, depending on the size of pan)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seed, ground
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. Add the raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed and rosemary and stir just until blended.
Pour the batter into two 8”x4” loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice really thin. You can leave it until the next day or pop it in the freezer. Slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I like to slice and bake one loaf and pop the other in the freezer for another day.) Reduce the oven heat to 300° F and bake them for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. 

Almond Date Breakfast Smoothie

So, I've literally had this breakfast smoothie almost every morning since the new year began.  It's amazingly delicious and healthy!  You get protein, calcium, vitamins, and a little sweetness too!

Almond Date Breakfast Smoothie
(makes 1 large glass)

1 cup skim milk or vanilla soy milk
1 tablespoon smooth almond butter
1 banana
5-6 pitted dates
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (optional)
6-8 ice cubes
*For added protein I sometimes add a scoop of protein powder, usually vanilla flavored.

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth!  Pour into your glass and enjoy for breakfast or anytime of the day!!