Quinoa Salad

I was looking for a healthy side dish to go with my veggie burger tonight. I decided to use up the leftovers in my fridge and came up with this salad. The ingredients were already prepped so it took only a minute to throw together. It was so satisfying! Next time I plan to have this as my main course along with some grilled chicken.

Here's what I used:

1/2 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

1/2 cup cooked frozen peas, cooled

Assorted chopped veggies (mushrooms, celery, red onions, sweet peppers and tomatoes)

1 tbsp Renee's Gourmet Spring Herb Italian Dressing

Simply combine and enjoy!

Renee's Italian Dressing is one of my favourites. One tablespoon has just 20 calories and 2 grams of fat... and it tastes great! It is gluten free, dairy free, egg free and has no added sugar, artificial flavours or colours. It must be refrigerated so you won't find it in the salad dressing aisle. It is stored in the refrigerated section typically near the produce.

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Potato-Dill Salad

This potato salad is so simple but it's one of my favourites! The fresh dill is key. I've served this a few times when having friends over for dinner and they all wanted the recipe. It is a perfect side dish for a summer barbecue and can conveniently be made a day ahead (the longer it chills, the better it gets!)

I always double the amount of potatoes that was called for in the original recipe. There was too much dressing otherwise.

Ingredients:

2 lb baby potatoes, cut into quarters

1/2 cup low fat mayo

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Fresh ground sea salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 2)

Directions:

Boil the potatoes about 15 minutes, or until cooked (be careful not to overcook them). Drain and allow them to cool.

Once the potatoes are cool, prepare the dressing by combining the mayo, dill, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Then in a larger mixing bowl, gently toss the dressing, potatoes and green onions until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or until chilled.

Recipe adapted from Kraft Canada

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Warm Apple Slaw

I found this recipe in a parenting magazine. I had seen Bob's team on Biggest Loser make something similar in a cooking challenge (and it happened to be the winning dish) so I had to try it. The cabbage and apples worked well together, and complimented the grilled pork chops perfectly.

The best part of this recipe, aside from being low-calorie, is that it didn’t take much time to make - and if you buy a bag of shredded cabbage there is very little prep work. Great for a week night!

Ingredients:

1 tsp margarine

1 or 2 tbsp olive oil

1 apple, cored and cut into 12 slices (they said to peel it but I didn’t)

1 medium onion

1 lb shredded cabbage

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste (they also said to add caraway seeds but I didn’t have any so I left them out)

Directions:

Melt a small amount of butter or margarine in a frying pan. Add the apple and brown a couple minutes on each side (don’t overcook – should still be firm). When those are done, transfer them to a plate.

Add small amount of oil to pan and sauté onion.  Add cabbage and cook for another minute or so. Add apple cider vinegar and chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the cabbage is tender. Add the apples and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Canadian Family magazine.

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