Frisée Salad with Cherries & Goat Cheese

This is a light salad full of flavor thanks to delicious cherries!  The original recipe calls for blue cheese, which you are more than welcome to use.  But I’m not a big blue cheese fan (unless it’s with buffalo wings!) so I used goat cheese as a substitute.  Also, because I didn’t have any raspberry vinegar in the house, I used pomegranate champagne vinegar.

Because of how light his salad is, I would make this as a side for dinner.  (In fact, I made this to compliment the Seared Tilapia with Cherry Salsa.  Horray, cherries!)  But if you do want to make this a meal, have it for lunch and compliment it with a whole grain roll or soup.

Servings: 2
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons, divided
2 thin slices prosciutto
¾ cups sweet cherries, pitted and halved, divided
2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped shallot
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt
3 cups torn frisée or curly endive
2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

Seared Salmon with Sugar Snap-Fennel Slaw

Super healthy. Super easy. Super light.  Welcome to a delicious summer meal that will make everyone happy!

Servings: 2
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced shallot
¼ teaspoon light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
½ large fennel bulb, with fronds
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
¾ pounds wild Alaskan salmon, skinned
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives

Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes, Pears & Almonds

This salad is wonderful as a full meal because it is filling and packed with protein and fiber to keep you satisfied. But feel free to also eat it as a side at dinner and cut the calories.  Considering how fulfilling this salad is, it’s actually very easy to make!  Try it and let me know what you think.

Servings: 2
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup red seedless grapes
1 large Bartlett pear, chopped
½ tablespoon honey
1 cup water
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
4 cups fresh spinach
¼ cup chopped almonds

Lemon-Honey Dressing
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ teaspoons honey
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Seared Tilapia with Cherry Salsa

The original recipe called for grilled tilapia, but my husband and I are in-between grills at the moment, so I had to call an audible and simply pan-sear the tilapia instead.  The only difference is I didn’t get the smokey taste from the grill.  Honestly, I’m OK with that!

This dish is perfect for spring and summer when cherries are in season.  It’s also super easy!  So if you’re having a dinner party and want to impress, try this!

Servings: 2
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

½ tablespoon olive oil
¼ pound (1 cup) Bing cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
¼ small red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
½ jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed), minced
½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and ground pepper
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
2 tilapia fillets (4 to 6 ounces each)

Provençal Green Beans with Lemon-Pepper Oil and Herbed Sea Salt

The first time I saw this recipe I said, “Lavender? Sounds amazing!”  I had never made anything with lavender before, but I was pleasantly surprised and happy.  Not only that, but I went out and bought lavender to plant in my herb garden after this dish!

If you’re afraid of the overly-floral taste this dish may have, feel free to substitute the lavender with rosemary.  Or, just don’t put as much lavender in it and go a little heavier on the sea salt instead.  In addition, don’t feel the need to drizzle all the oil on the green beans–too much will take away from both the green beans and the herbed sea salt.  So instead, use the rest for dipping bread in or put it in the fridge for later!

Servings:  2
Active Time:  10 minutes
Total Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients

Quick-Infused Lemon-Pepper Oil (yields 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon packed grated lemon zest
4 coarse grinds black pepper

Provençal Herb Salt (yields ¾ teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon chopped fresh lavender buds or rosemary leaves
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Provençal Green Beans with Lemon-Pepper Oil and Herbed Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ pound green beans, stem ends trimmed
1 tablespoon quick-infused lemon-pepper oil
¼ to ½ teaspoon Provençal herb salt

Miso-Glazed Scallops with Noodles

Like the Toasted Quinoa Salad with Scallops and Snow Peas recipe, this Miso-Glazed Scallops with Noodles has a Japanese flavor to it thanks to the miso, mirin, and rice vinegar.  However, unlike the previous recipe, this dish has a sweet and salty taste to it that you’ll love!

I paired this dish with Caramelized Green Beans and Sweet Onions because the sauce in this dish caramelizes in the pan.  But feel free to keep the side simple and have a mixed greens salad with a citrus dressing.

Servings: 2
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 ounces soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti
1 ½ tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½ pound dry sea scallops, tough muscle removed
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup sliced scallions

Cherry-Almond Farro Salad

This recipe, like many recipes I make, was published by Eating Well and it’s delicious!  It’s a great alternative to your typical leafy salads and it’s high in protein and fiber.

I originally made this for lunch, but feel free to also make this as a side for dinner when you’re grilling.

Servings: 2
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1/3 cup faro, rinsed
2/3 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup sweet cherries, pitted and halved
¼ cup diced ricotta salata or feta cheese
1 ½ tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon finely diced red onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

Fresh Cherry Lemonade

On beautiful spring and summer days, nothing is more relaxing than sitting outside, enjoying the sun and drinking a glass of cold lemonade.  So when I saw this recipe for Fresh Cherry Lemonade in Eating Well’s May/June issue, I had to try it.

The only annoying part of this recipe was straining the mixture through a sieve.  But in the end, it’s well worth it!  The original recipe calls for only four 1 cup servings, so I doubled it here so you can keep it in your fridge and enjoy it more than once. Also, in my version, I used Truvia (20 packets = 1/3 cup) instead of sugar to try and lower the calorie count, but feel free to do as you please!

If you’re having a Memorial Day barbecue, you can make this for your guests!  Note:  Feel free to add a splash of vodka, bourbon or rum to turn  this into an adult beverage!

Servings:  8
Active Time:  15 minutes
Total Time:  15 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups sweet cherries, pitted, plus who cherries for garnish
1 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
5 cups cold water
Lemon slices for garnish, if you want

Caramelized Green Beans and Sweet Onions

If you have the patience to sauté this side dish, it is well worth the wait!  This has been a favorite every time I’ve made it, so definitely make it a point to try this!

Also, don’t be frustrated if the veggies don’t start to brown according to the time in the recipe.  First time I made this side, it took a lot longer than expected because of the stove top and pan I used.  Feel free to increase the heat of the stove if you’re not using a gas stove.  Enjoy!

Servings: 2
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 to 5 oz sweet onion
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
8 to 10 medium fresh sage leaves
½ teaspoon Kosher salt, and more if needed
1 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan

When you think Chicken Parmesan, you don’t necessarily think healthy.  But it’s just so frickin’ good!  So here’s a recipe that is fairly healthy, yet flavorful.  If you want to try to cut down the fat a bit more, feel free to use reduced fat Parmesan cheese and non-fat mozzarella cheese.  Either way, this is a delicious recipe that my husband has loved every time I’ve made it.

In the picture, the chicken parm is accompanied by Sauteed Shiitakes, Spinach, and Scallions.

Servings:  2
Active Time:  30 minutes
Total Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumb)
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1/4 cup jarred low-fat tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese