Summer Salad

A refreshing and simple salad that is super easy and quick to make!

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
2 small tomatoes
1/2 small cucumber
shredded Parmesan cheese (or soy cheese)
Choice of favorite dressing (mine is Amy's Goddess which has Tahini in it)
Black pepper

Directions:
Slice avocado into small strips. Chop tomatoes into small triangles. Slice cucumber about 1/4 inch thick then stack and chop into 4, making 4 triangles each with a rounded side. Add shredded cheese, black pepper to taste and dressing!

Asparagus, Snap Pea, and Avocado Pasta

Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Ingredients:
Course salt and ground pepper
1 lb. asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
1 lb. sugar snap peas (strings removed)
1 lb. bow tie pasta (farfalle)
4 Tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ripe avocado halved, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 Peccorino cheese plus more for serving, if desired

Directions:
In a large pasta pot of boiling salted water cook asparagus and snap peas until bright green. Be sure to not overcook! I made the mistake of not watching the pot closely. Do not cook more than 2 minutes! With a slotted spoon or spatula, scoop out vegetables and transfer to a bowl.

Return water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente. Meaning not soft, but not uncooked! My trick is to keep tasting it until I think it's cooked enough. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Set pasta aside in colander.

In pasta pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add asparagus, snap peas, and garlic: season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Although if you accidentally over cooked your veggies the first time around, don't bother cooking again. Just toss everything in! Add remaining 2 Tbsp butter, cooked pasta, avocado, herbs, cheese and reserved pasta water. Toss to combine, season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with additional cheese, if desired.

Portobello Zucchini Tacos

This yummy recipe was taken from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food iPhone App which features quick meals. (The app has a filter for meatless recipes.) Martha has some really great quick recipes that are not just yummy but also very fresh and healthy tasting. Click here to see some examples from her website. The iPhone app actually has more recipes than shown on the site for some reason.

Ingredients
5 medium portobello mushrooms stems and gills removed, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 Tbsp dried oregano (can use basil as a substitute)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Course salt and ground pepper
4 medium zucchini cut into 2 by 1/2 inch sticks
1 medium red onion halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
12 (4 1/2 inch) corn tortillas
6 oz (1 1/2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh salsa

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss mushrooms with 1 tsp of oregano, 1 Tbsp of oil, and a few splash of water - the original recipe called for 1/4 cup of water but made the taco too soggy because the water didn't evaporate. Season with salt and pepper. On another rimmed baking sheet, toss zucchini and onion with remaining oregano and oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place both sheets in oven. Roast tossing occasionally, until vegetables are browned and fork-tender. 25-30 minutes - zucchini cooks faster than mushrooms.

3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium-high heat, warm tortillas. They should be slightly browned but still soft. If you have a gas stove, I suggest placing them right over the stove and flip when necessary. (Be careful.) One less skillet to wash! Wrap loosely in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.

4. To serve, fill each tortilla with mushrooms, vegetable mixture, shredded cheese and salsa. The salsa will make the taco soggy, so make sure to add it sparingly after all of the other ingredients.

Once again, quick/easy, and of course yummy too!

Frittata Goodness

I recently learned that a Frittata is an Italian omelette that reminds me of a quiche sans the crust. The wonderful thing about making this dish is that it's really easy and doesn't take much time at all because you can use whatever leftover ingredients you have. It's almost like making a pizza, but even easier! And you don't have to worry about carbs or starch.

Ingredients
Olive Oil
6 Free-Range Eggs
Your favorite type of grated cheese
Your leftover whatever vegetables (broccoli shown here)

Optional
Avocados

Take a look at what you have in your refrigerator. What do you like to eat? What would go great together? A few nights before, I had sauteed some broccoli using soy sauce and some cayenne pepper. I decided to use it in the Frittata.

Preheat oven at 400º. If your vegetables/ingredients are not chopped, please start by chopping. Crack the eggs into a bowl. Take a fork and whisk until mixed well. Pour eggs into a well-oiled pan. Sprinkle ingredients, add cheese, salt and pepper for taste. Turn to high heat until and cook until cheese is melted and eggs are nearly cooked through. Place pan in oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Once you see a browned edge and it looks as though it has cooked through, take it out of the oven.

Using a plastic or rubber spatula, lift the Frittata out of the pan and onto a plate. Slice like a pizza. Optional: top with avocado. Yummy, good for you, and quick!!