Salad Sundays: Bethenny Frankel Tofu Salad

I love the videos that Bethenny Frankel, Real Housewife turned Forbes cover girl, made before she was the multi-millionaire Skinny Girl mogul that we've come to know and love.  Back then she was just a girl with a kitchen, a dream and some really great, easy to make recipes.  This recipe for tofu salad (which begins at 1:40) is delicious on sprouted grain bread but, since this is Salad Sunday, I would eat it over mixed greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette (like THIS ONE) and garnished with chopped tomato.  Yum!!!

-♥ J :)

P.S. THIS is my other favorite Bethenny Frankel video.

Salad Sundays: The Baja Fiesta Salad from Veggie Grill

I was in Nashville this past weekend for my cousin-in-law Michelle's wedding.  She married a wonderful man named Sean in an adorable rustic barn.  There was fresh brewed ice tea in mason jars, mini cups of gazpacho and made to order tacos from a local taco place.  There was singing and fiddle playing and homemade cake.  (In addition to the gazpacho, my very talented sister-in-law Cara made the pristine vanilla wedding cake and the banjo shaped(!!!) chocolate groom's cake.)  In a fantastic turn of events, Michelle even got talked into singing a number with her new husband.  This was great because I really feel like every party is better when Michelle sings.  The whole weekend was just delightful!  Hmmm…why was I telling you all this???  Oh, yeah.  I'm telling you all this to explain why Salad Sundays is late this week.  Salad lost out to tacos and cake.  

This week's salad is from the super fun vegan restaurant Veggie Grill.  If you live LA or Oregon, I highly recommend that you run, don't walk, to your nearest location.  Veggie Grill is cheap, fast, nutritious and delicious!!  You can check out their varied menu right HERE.  (A tip for you beginners, you are definitely going to want to get the nachos.  Definitely.)  For the rest of you Veggies, here is how you can make you very own Baja Fiesta at home:

The Baja Fiesta Salad from Veggie Grill

Ingredients:

• romaine lettuce
• papaya
• avocado
• roasted corn salsa
• quinoa
• cucumber
• cilantro
• tortilla strips
• portobello mushroom (added extra)

Directions:

1. Toss ingredients with ginger papaya vinaigrette (like THIS ONE).
2. Eat and enjoy!!

-♥J :)

P.S. If you want to hear why I think every party could use some Michelle singing click HERE.
P.P.S.  For a Veggie Grill location near you click HERE.
P.P.P.S  Check back in for some tips on how to eat healthy while traveling.  I'll try to have them up by the end of the week.

Salad Sundays: And the award for "Best Use of Chard" goes to…

The Power of Green Salad from Hugo's Restaurant!!  Yaaay!!!  The epitome of "bitter sweet",  this blend of tart greens, sweet avocado and tangy cherries is sure to have you clamoring for more.  Chopping the greens is this salad's secret weapon.  Not only does that make the dense greens more manageable, but chopping also ensures that every bite you take is a perfectly balanced medley of flavor.  Congrats, Power of Green!!  Your award is well deserved!!

The Power of Green Salad
Ingredients:

• chopped spinach
• chopped green chard
• broccoli
• green beans
• asparagus
• organic dried cherries
• avocado
• sunflower seeds
• **chick peas (Not included in Hugo's salad.  I added these when I got home)

Directions:

1. Toss ingredients with sherry vinaigrette (like this one).
2. Eat and enjoy!

-♥ J :)

P.S.  Had so much fun watching The Oscars at Steve and Charli's annual Oscar Party last night!!  Instead of salad, I really should be showing you pictures of the Moroccan Cous Cous and homemade(!!) truffles that Charli made for the event.  Both were amazing!!  In other news, I came in second in our ferociously competitive Oscar pool for the third year in a row.  This year I felt I handled the loss with a bit more grace than I have in years past.  Ummm…a very, very small bit.  Congrats to my husband John who took home the win!!  Did you guys watch the Oscars last night??  Wasn't the performance by Cirque Du Soleil breathtaking??

Salad Sundays: Green and Clean

This salad is for Cara.  As you might remember, Cara had great success on the Clean program a few months back.  When she was in town last week, the two of us made a hasty plan to do a quickie two week Clean style re-boot.  This salad with a side of quinoa and lentils has been one of my staples.  It is perfect when you are doing a detox, or just when you are feeling the need…the need for green.  Enjoy!

-♥ J :)

Green and Clean Salad

Ingredients:

• frozen organic chopped broccoli
• organic romaine lettuce
• sesame seeds
• 1 chopped avocado
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 packet NuNaturals stevia

Directions:

1. Cook broccoli according to package instructions and set aside to cool.
2. Chop and wash romaine.  Set aside in a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and stevia.
4. Toss broccoli, lettuce and avocado with the lemon juice mixture.
5. Garnish with sesame seeds.
6. Eat and enjoy!!!

Salad Sundays: Super Salad Bowl

Ok, one more time for the cheap seats…kale salad!!!  I served this at my Super Bowl party this past Sunday and it was a big hit.  Almost as big a hit as the cocktails…but more on that later.  First the salad:

Massaged Kale Salad
Original recipe (found HERE) courtesy of Aarti Sequeira.
Serves: 4

Ingredients
 • 1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good) stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
 • 1 lemon, juiced
 • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
 • Kosher salt
 • 2 teaspoons agave
 • 1 cup dried cranberries
 • Small handful sunflower seeds

Directions
1. In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt.  Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

2. In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the agave.  Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.

3. Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the cranberries and sunflower seeds.  Toss and serve.

I've converted several kale haters to kale enthusiasts with this salad.  When I made it for my friend Gary, he heckled it the whole time he was eating it…and then again when he went back for seconds.  "I hate you kale!!" he bellowed.  "Well, I mean usually…I hate you.  Now I kinda hate that I'm liking you."

As for the rest of the party, Baked Potato Bowl 2012 went off without a hitch.  Here are pictures of some of the appetizers.  
For the vegans…

And the non-vegans…

I wish I had a better picture for you of the Baked Potato Bar, but I got so excited that I started gobbling…ahem….I mean serving...before I could snap one.  So here is the ravaged aftermath that I tried to make look presentable:

Almost everything at the party was vegan, but you wouldn't have known it if I didn't mention it (over and over again).  Amelia even said, "This is fun.  It feels like you're eating food that is bad for you, but really you're not."  As for the cocktails…don't have a picture of those either (I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to why).  This was the drink of the day:

Blueberry Lemon Champagne

• Fill the bottom of a champagne glass with frozen blueberries.
• Then add 1/2 a glass of champagne and 1/2 a glass of lemon italian soda.

When we ran out of champagne we switched to:

Cran-rasp-straw-berry Wine

• Fill bottom of wine glass with frozen raspberries and strawberries.
• Then add1/2 glass white wine and 1/2 a glass of cranberry italian soda.

-♥ J :)

P.S. Baked potatoes take an hour to cook, so the timing for a party can be tricky.  I put the appetizers and salad out first and put the potatoes in the oven 15 minutes before the guests were set to arrive.  By the time everyone had settled in with a cocktail (or two..), the potatoes were ready to be served.

Salad Sundays: The Monday Edition

My "I only have 10 minutes to cook" Salad
Ingredients:

• frozen artichoke hearts
• tomatoes
• garbanzo beans
• Rawmesan vegan cheese
• mixed greens

Directions:

1. Heat artichokes and 1/4 cup of water in a large skillet (like this one).  Cover with lid. While artichokes are cooking chop tomatoes.
2. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans. Set aside.
3. When artichokes are almost cooked (about 5 minutes), drain excess water from the pan.  Then toss tomatoes and garbanzo beans into skillet along with spices of your choice.  I like lemon pepper and garlic with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
4. Lower heat to medium and allow to simmer.
5. Toss mixed greens with dijon vinaigrette dressing (like this one).
6. Spoon artichoke mixture** on top of dressed greens and sprinkle with Rawmesan vegan cheese.
7. Eat and enjoy!!

-♥ J :)

**Artichoke mixture is also delicious served over brown rice.

Salad Sundays: Mas Malo's Mexican Chopped Salad

Last night a bunch of us went to Malo for dinner. In addition to the requisite chips, guacamole and margaritas, I was dreaming of the salad that I had the last time we went there for Sophie's birthday.  Turns out the Malo we went to last night (the Silverlake location) doesn't have the salad.  My beloved salad is only available at their downtown location: Mas Malo.  So in honor of the salad I didn't get to have last night, I am making it this week's featured salad.  Guess I will be making it at home, too.

Mas Malo's Mexican Chopped Salad** 
Ingredients:

• celery
• garbanzo beans
• red radish
• iceberg lettuce
• cucumber
• bell pepper 
• tomatoes
• avocado

Directions:

1. Chop all ingredients and toss with a lime vinaigrette (recipe HERE).  
2. Eat and enjoy!!!

-♥ J :)

**The Mas Malo chopped salad actually comes with queso fresco, but I order it "no cheese sub avocado".

Salad Sundays

A couple of weeks ago, while enjoying a three hour layover in the Cleveland airport, I ate one of the saddest salads...ever.  It was so sad that it practically looked up at me and said, "Yeah.  I'm your salad.  I'm sorry."  As I picked at the wilted, depressed lettuce, I had the thought, "If this is what people think salad is, no wonder no one wants to eat it!!"  So in the hopes of rebranding salad and giving it a fresh, sexy allure, I am starting a new feature on the blog called Salad Sundays.  Every Sunday I will highlight a snazzy, happy salad in the hopes that it will inspire you to bring a little salad love and joy into your week.

This week's salad is brought to you courtesy of one of my favorite LA restaurants: Tender Greens.  It is the Tuna Nicoise salad with NO TUNA, NO EGG, sub GRILLED VEGGIES.  (They don't even get mad at you when you order it that way.  Love them Tender Greeners!!)  If you want to recreate this yumminess in your own kitchen, you will need:

• mixed greens
• tomatoes
• capers
• olives
• assorted grilled veggies of your choice (Tender Greens salad pictured above has green beans, brussels sprouts, yams, parsnips and cauliflower.  They change the veggies according to what is in season. )
• roasted fingerling potatoes (recipe HERE)
• sherry vinaigrette (recipe HERE)

Toss all the ingredients together and enjoy!!!  Happy Salad-ing!!!

-♥ J :)

P.S.  Haven't forgotten about our Crazy Sexy Diet.  Today is Day 1 of "Wean Week."  I'll explain more tomorrow.