Spring Fling: Carrot and Apple Matchstick Salad

Colorful, crisp and super-fresh says it all with this light Spring salad!

Let me introduce to you a new recipe series called Spring Fling!  They represent everything we love about spring.  They are are light and fresh and use the abundance of spring produce available now.  These will be your go to recipes for the season.

First up is a wonderfully light salad or side dish that's colorful, crisp and super-fresh.  What more could you want in a spring salad?  The stars of the salad are the apples and carrots that are cut into strips called matchsticks, or julienne strips.  This may require a little extra cutting time, but the result is eye catching and makes for some crunchy bites in the salad.  

Fresh Spring ingredients make up this salad.  Crisp sweet carrots, slightly tart apple, bitey radishes and celery are laced with a sweet lemony vinaigrette.  Simple and easy but oh so tasty!

Enjoy the fresh flavors of Spring and be sure to make this salad.  As it happens it is Vegetarian, Gluten free, and Paleo not to mention it has real personality and will become a favorite dish.

Be on the lookout for my next Spring Fling installment.

Enjoy!










Carrot and Apple Matchstick Salad


serves 4-6

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced 
• 1 apple, cored and julienned
• 2 radishes, very thinly sliced  

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss together the carrots, celery, apple and radishes.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the salad to a serving platter.

adapted from:  Williams-Sonoma

Essential Lasagna - Healthier No Boil Version

Nothing spells comfort more than layers of steaming tender pasta filled with gooey meat and cheese, topped with a robust sauce that is bursting with flavor.  

I can taste it now!

Need some quick comfort food?  Let's turn time-consuming Lasagna into something you can make quickly, even on a weeknight, and give it a healthier spin at the same time!

It's plain and simple...I LOVE lasagna.  To me it's pure comfort food.  But like a lot of people I don't really want to take the time to make it all from scratch.  Let's face it...it's time-consuming.  But with a few shortcuts and help along the way you can make lasagna ready to go in the oven in no time.  

To speed this along we are going to use a jarred pasta sauce.  Use a favorite of yours, but I have to say that I was quarantine shopping at Target the other day and all the sauces (I mean ALL) except just a few of their Market Pantry Brand sauces, were gone.  So I picked up their Market Pantry Tomato, Basil & Garlic pasta sauce (26oz) and was completely thrilled when I tasted it.  It's really good! So that's what I used today.  Another shortcut is to buy some Oven Ready Lasagna noodles. No boiling necessary - simply add it directly to your pan, layer with sauce and fillings, and bake.  I have to admit I was skeptical, but take my word for it, they are amazingly good, and don't turn out crunchy.  

How do we make this a healthier version?

• ground turkey
• part skim ricotta cheese
• part skim mozzarella cheese

These items are all lower in fat and calories and will not only  make this dish healthier, but still just as crave-worthy. 

This recipe utilizes an 8x8 pan which is the perfect size for a family.  I got 6 generous portions out of mine and rounded the meal out with some toasted garlic bread and an Italian side salad.  Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for several days and taste maybe even better.  Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan and freeze any leftovers for another day.  This Essential Lasagna is a favorite of ours and I'm sure you will be adding this to your favorite recipe category!

Enjoy!






Essential Lasagna

serves 6

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 of 26 oz jar pasta sauce - tomato, basil & garlic
1 egg
8 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
8 oz part skim shredded mozzarella
1/2 pkg no boil oven ready lasagna

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray and 9x9 or 8x8 pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add in ground turkey. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until turkey is no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add 1/2 of the jar of pasta sauce.  If the mixture is too thick, add a little more sauce.  Season with pepper and let simmer 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

In the bottom of  your baking dish, spoon a thin layer of sauce. Add a of noodles, do not overlap. 3 should fit across.  Spread about a third of ricotta mixture over noodles, top with 1/3 sauce, then top with a layer of 1/3 mozzarella. Repeat to make 3 layers. 

Bake until lasagna is bubbling and cheese is nicely melted about 35 minutes.

Simple French Bread for the Bread Machine

Crusty on the outside with a soft and tender airy crumb on the inside. Hot from the bread machine this bread is hard to beat! 

With everyone at home baking has boomed.  The grocery stores are low on stock for everything you need to bake with.  I got lucky and found some flour, yeast, baking powder, chocolate chips (gotta have them!) and a few odds and ends to bake, and I was a happy camper.

Several weeks ago I posted a recipe for Basic White Bread Machine Bread and it was a major hit, so I thought I'd bring you another version of bread using a bread machine.   Let's make french bread!  So while your typical French bread comes in a baguette this one is in loaf form since it is made in a bread machine.  You can certainly use the dough only setting and then form the dough into a baguette if you prefer but I'm going to take the easy route and make it in my bread machine.  It really is a dump and go method which I just love.

So what is the outcome?  Crusty on the outside with a soft and tender airy crumb on the inside. Hot from the bread machine this bread is hard to beat!  This recipe make a 1 lb. loaf and is best eaten within a few days.  It's great for making toast, sandwiches, garlic bread, slathered with butter along side soup, and makes a mean french toast.

Any way you choose to eat it, you'll love this bread!

Enjoy!

Simple French Bread for the Bread Machine

1 - 1 lb. loaf

2/3 cup warm water
1 tsp margarine or butter softened
2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp quick acting yeast or regular yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan in order listed.  Close lid and set your bread type.  Mine has a French setting.  Otherwise use the White setting.  Choose crust color, and then hit the start button.

Remove bread pan when completed.  After about 5 minutes, gently shake the pan to dislodge the loaf, and turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Store, well-wrapped, on the counter for 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months