Summer Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is a light and fresh salad that is perfect on a hot summer day.  The berries give it a nice sweetness while the red onion and balsamic vinegar give it a little zing.  I like to make this salad with blackberries and strawberries, but a variety of fruit could be used, such as sliced pears or grapes.  I love making my own salad dressings because I believe they taste better, and it also involves less waste.  I will seldom use a whole bottle of dressing before it expires, but when I make my own I can just make what I need.  This dressing is very simple, but it tastes great.  And this salad is a good one to take to work for lunch, just keep the dressing separate until you are ready to eat it:)

Summer Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette (Recipe is for 1 personal salad)

1 cup lettuce or spring mix, in bite sized pieces

3 large strawberries, cut into small wedges

1/4 cup blackberries

2 slices of red onion, cut into small pieces

2-3 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled

10 pecan or walnut halves

Dressing:

1 tbsp raspberry jam

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

Toss all of the salad ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over top.  Enjoy!

Taco Salad

There have been occasions where I have made tacos for dinner just so that I can make taco salad the next day.  I love it so much.  Of course, I could just make the salad without making tacos, but I like tacos too, so it's win-win.  My girlfriends and I actually have an annual taco party where everyone brings different ingredients for the tacos. And each year we always get into a huge discussion about what order the toppings should go on on a taco.  Personally I like meat first, then the cheese so it can melt, then taco sauce, sour cream, lettuce (it needs to be next to the sour cream so that it has something to stick to!), guacamole, and then the tomatoes.  The guacamole keeps the tomatoes on nicely.  And it has to be a hard taco shell, and not the stand-and-stuff because the bottoms break after the first bite.  So...ya, that's my opinion about tacos, how do you like yours made?

So anyhow, back to the salad.  As I said, I usually make mine with leftover taco ingredients, but I will write the recipe for just the salad on it's own.  It's easy and delicious, and a salad that my hubby loves because it's full of beef.  Enjoy!

I forgot to buy avocado, so it's missing:(

Taco Salad
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pkg taco seasoning mix*
1 head iceburg lettuce
2 tomatoes
1 avocado
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed corn chips or tortilla chips or taco shells
1/4 cup taco sauce
1/4 cup French or Catalina  salad dressing
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Cook beef and taco seasoning according to package directions.  Shred the lettuce and dice the tomatoes and avocado.  Put into a large bowl with the shredded cheese and crushed chips. Top with the ground beef.  Mix the salad dressing and taco sauce together and pour over salad.  (Only salad dressing can be used if taco sauce is not available.)  Serve with cilantro, if desired.

*The package is for a pound a beef, so just use half:)

Greek Style Potatoes

One of my favourite places to eat in the mall is at Jimmy the Greek.  (Sometimes I go to the mall just for the food court:)  I love their potatoes, salad, and rice, especially since they cover everything in feta cheese and tzaziki sauce ( I always ask for extra).  The potatoes are so moist and flavourful, so I decided to try to replicate them at home.  I looked at a few recipes for Greek potatoes and used ingredients from a couple of them.  They turned out really well, but I think the next time I make them I will drain the liquid and cook them for another 10-15 minutes so that they get a little crispy on the outside.  They were quick to prepare though, and my hubby loved them which is always nice.  I served them with my homemade tzaziki sauce, yum yum.

Greek Style Potatoes

4 large potatoes
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp chicken stock powder
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.  Peel and cut potatoes into 4 wedges each.  Place in a baking pan.  Mix remaining ingredients together.  Cover pan with tinfoil and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until cooked through.  For a crispier exterior drain liquid and broil for 5 minutes, turn potatoes, and continue broiling for another 5 minutes.