Spinach and Orzo Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

Aggie Goodman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:20:22 +0000

I’m in love with this salad. Actually, I started out being in love with Jamie’s Spinach Salad recipe that I found on allrecipes.com, but after making it 3 or 4 times I wanted to turn into something a little more. The kids and I were heading over to a friend’s house for a playdate with their classmates and their mommies and I wanted to bring over something healthy and yummy for the mommies to munch on for lunch. I love using orzo in pasta salads, especially whole wheat orzo. It has a nice punch of protein (7g) and fiber (9g) already in the pasta and turns the salad into more of a meal in itself.

The recipe for the dressing makes a good amount, so I’ve been actually keeping it in the fridge to dress pretty much anything and everything from leftover black beans and quinoa to a Spicy Slaw Salad that I’ll be posting later this week. Enjoy!

Spinach and Orzo Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat orzo, uncooked
3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
about 3/4 of a 6 oz bag of baby spinach, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried cranberries
4 oz gorgonzola, crumbled
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (I toast in a nonstick skillet over med heat for about 5 minutes)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1-2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 - 1/2 cup oil (I used grapeseed oil, but canola or light olive oil will work)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook orzo according to instructions on package, set aside to cool.
In bowl, whisk together sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, vinegar, oil and pinches of salt and pepper.
In a large salad bowl combine orzo, almonds, spinach and cranberries. Gently toss ingredients with 1/3-1/2 amount of dressing, add more or less to your liking. I don't like my salad overdressed. Add gorgonzola and gently toss again. Serve immediately at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

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Bourbon Chicken Dinner

Aggie Goodman — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:19:00 +0000

Is everyone getting back to the grind?

We are…it’s back to pre-school for my son and back to work for my husband Monday…so that means back to normalcy around the house for me (and Gina!)! Not that I didn’t enjoy having us all home for the last two weeks, I did, but I’m ready to get back to our regular routine. There was lots of togetherness going on here the last couple of weeks…;)

I know I mentioned that I have the same 4 New Year resolutions every year…well tonight I decided to add one more to that list. I would like to plan our meals better. There are so many nights that I just have no idea…or I am floundering around the kitchen trying to throw together a must try recipe and am out of everything I need. (Sounds like this may be related to the “get organized” resolution?)

Anyway…I’ll take any suggestions from you on how you plan your weekly menus…if that’s what you do. I just bought my new 2009 weekly planner today and I’m ready to rock and roll.

I want to share with you this AWESOME dinner I made the other night. This will definitely be making it to our weekly menu more often. My sister in law passed it on to me with rave reviews. I couldn’t wait to try it out…I love Asian food and have little experience cooking it at home. This is definitely a start for me, it was extremely basic and tasted just as good, if not better, than any bourbon chicken you would get at a restaurant. I was a little unsure about using all of that sugar, I think next time I will reduce it down to 1/4 cup…also, I made sure to use the low sodium soy sauce. I served it with a healthy medley of stir fried vegetables with chopped garlic and ginger and some Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf.

Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium Heat until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with stir fried vegetables and brown rice.

Recipe found on Receipezaar

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Hope everyone has a great week!!

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cider vinegar Archives - Aggie's Kitchen

Spinach and Orzo Salad with Cranberries and Almonds