Category: Salads

Skillet Zucchini Spaghettini

Sometimes you just don’t feel like cooking. But you always feel like eating. And there are odds and ends of things in the refrigerator, not really enough to make an entire meal out of, but definitely enough that you don’t have to actually do anything special. And there’s that Whole Foods hot bar that has so many pre-cut veggies that are incredibly overpriced but so convenient.

That’s where I found myself last night. Wanting to make something special, something blog-worthy, that would serve two of us (or one with leftovers). Preferably using up some of the endless mounds of zucchini noodles I had sitting in a huge tupperware in my fridge, but not just thrown on top of a salad. I didn’t feel like getting my hands all vinegar-y with massaged kale, either. But most of all, it had to be quick.

Mediterranean Zucchini Spaghettini Skillet
Mediterranean Zucchini Spaghettini Skillet

Ta-da! I bring to you a new one-pot skillet-wonder: Mediterranean Zucchini Spaghettini! I’m a sucker for anything Mediterranean, so this recipe makes me a happy camper. All I really did was roast a few veggies and saute a huge mound of zucchini noodles and leafy greens. For spices, I made a dressing by mixing together freshly squeezed lemon, garlic, mustard and some Greek seasonings and tossing the veggies in the dressing before roasting.

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The result was incredible- it made enough for two, so I had some and saved the rest for later this week. I bet it would be good cold as well! Seeing as this week our temps are up in the high-90s, cold salads are definitely necessary.

I also served mine over some quinoa with balsamic vinegar and a few cubes of tofu (leftover from last week).

Hope you enjoy!

Mediterranean Zucchini Spaghettini Skillet
Recipe Type: Dinner, Salad
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Mediterranean
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Who says dinner can’t be deliciously easy?
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp each oregano and parsley
  • 1 tsp greek or Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed and dried
  • chopped red onion (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup raw broccoli and cauliflower florets
  • 1/4 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 3 cups raw zucchini “noodles
  • 3 cups kale and/or spinach
  • 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
  • 1 tbsp each kalamata olives and capers (optional)
  • fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, mustard, and seasonings. Add the chickpeas, onion, broccoli/cauliflower, tomatoes and a few of the zucchini noodles to the bowl and stir until combined. (Adding a few zucchini noodles will give a few of them a nice crisp!)
  3. Drizzle about 2 tbsp lemon juice over top of the veggies.
  4. On a baking sheet lined with a Silpat (love my Silpat!), spread the mixture evenly and try to keep the chickpeas from touching each other. Bake for 30 -40 minutes or until crisped. Remove from oven and set aside.
  5. In a large skillet, heat remaining oil on medium heat. Add the rest of the zucchini, kalamata olives and capers (if using), and balsamic vinegar. Cook until zucchini is tender, only about 2 minutes. Add spinach and kale and toss with zucchini until wilted. Add the quinoa and top with roasted veggies.
  6. Drizzle remaining lemon juice over top of skillet and some feta cheese.

 

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Roasted Beet & White Bean Salad w/ Rosemary-Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted Beet and White Bean Salad w/ Rosemary-Lemon Vinaigrette
Roasted Beet and White Bean Salad w/ Rosemary-Lemon Vinaigrette

Happy Friday, friends!

Last night we went to a cookout (yes, another one!) as our last small group before breaking for the summer. It felt a bit like a real breakup actually, as we were saying goodbye to two of our dear friends who are moving to Atlanta. It was a beautiful night to be outside for dinner, and everyone contributed something absolutely delicious. I wish I’d gotten a pic of the table spread- so many bright colors! I love that summer means that we can enjoy so many fresh types of fruits and veggies.

Ben encouraged me to make something “creative” to bring along tonight. I decided on a roasted beet and white bean salad with kale and spiralized veggies. I’m not sure this is really what he had in mind, but it certainly won’t go bad in our fridge over the next week!

Besides, it has been WAY too long since I have used my spiralizer. (Side note- why in the world is “spiralize” STILL not recognized as a legit verb? “Add to Dictionary?” Umm yes please!)

I loved the fact that this salad used up an entire ginormous bag of kale greens. When you steam them, they basically wilt down by at least half, so this is a great way to make more room in your fridge while getting in about 12x your daily recommended servings of vegetables. Throw some zucchini and carrot noodles on top and make that 15x. I loved the lemon vinaigrette I used as well. It was convenient that I was able to just whip it up in the end of an apple butter jar, and the apple butter added a little spice and sweetness reminscent of fall (it was actually left over from our trip to Carter Mountain last October!).

Use the vinaigrette to double as a dressing and a marinade for the beets and beans, which then get roasted up with some rosemary. Canned beets are fine, but I bet fresh ones would be even tastier! One of you will have to let me know. Then- and this is where the magic happens- while the beets are still warm, toss them on top of the salad and add the goat cheese, which will get all melty and delicious.

I enjoyed this as a main dish with a veggie burger and some Finn Crisps on the side (way better for you than regular crackers!), but you could also keep it as a side salad with chicken or salmon.

Go get your veggie fix!

Roasted Beet & White Bean Salad w/ Rosemary-Lemon Vinaigrette
Recipe Type: Salad
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
A bit behind on your veggie intake today? I promise this salad will ensure that you get about 15 servings worth of vegetables. You may even eat half a bag of kale without even realizing it. There are worse things in life to go crazy on.
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
  • apple butter or other fruit preserves (I had about 1 tbsp ieft in the end of the jar and just used that!)
  • 1 can sliced beets, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • extra lemon juice, if desired
  • 5 large carrots, spiralized
  • 3 small zucchini squash, spiralized
  • 1 large bag kale, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 deg.
  2. Prepare vinaigrette: mix together oil through apple butter in a small container or jar (it worked out well for me as I was just using up the end of an apple butter jar!)
  3. Combine beets, beans, onion, rosemary, parsley, and salt and pepper in a small container. Drizzle on a little of the vinaigrette and extra lemon juice (if desired) and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  4. Meanwhile, spiralize carrots and zucchini squash (why is “spiralize” STILL not recognized as a legit verb!?)
  5. Fill a large stockpot with about 1/2″ water and pour in the entire bag (or as much will fit) of kale. Turn heat to medium high and steam until wilted and bright green. Immediately remove from heat and shock in cold water to stop the cooking process (this keeps the kale bright green).
  6. Combine kale, spiralized veggies, and vinaigrette in a large bowl and toss to combine.
  7. Spread the marinated beets, beans, and onion on a sprayed sheet pan lined with foil and cook at 400 for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through.
  8. Allow to cool slightly before adding it to the salad. Top with goat cheese and toss while still warm!

 

ClaireLeave a comment

When Deviled Eggs Go Wrong…

I had the best of intentions on Monday afternoon. I was going to make pinwheel sandwiches, sliced watermelon, and deviled eggs for the Memorial Day picnic we were going to. So I bought some eggs (even though we already had an entire carton in our fridge- but those were the organic eggs from Whole Foods. So totally not deviled egg-worthy). These were ordinary brown eggs from Kroger. And I hard boiled them, relishing the pot bubbling away on the stove for a good three minutes before I removed them to sit in the hot water for twelve more. (Side note- I have read a million different ways to make the “perfect hard boiled egg,” but to be honest- I’ve had much better luck when I just boil them until I’ve almost forgotten about them and there’s hardly any water left in the pot).

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Curried Egg Salad with Raisins

I took them out and let them sit in cold water for a while, like all good deviled egg-makers do, because this makes the shell much easier to peel away. Not this time! For some reason, when I went to peel the eggs, the shell came off with about a fourth of the egg white, leaving my eggs with large craters and little pieces of broken shell all over their surface. Deviled eggs are supposed to be a delicacy, supposed to gently whisper “eat me!” to guests surveying the buffet table, supposed to be garnished with a dainty parsley leaf or sprinkle of paprika. These were definitely not deviled egg worthy.

I ended up bringing pinwheel sandwiches and sliced watermelon.

But what to do with all these extra hard boiled eggs? Well, my friends, this recent grad and indebted girl knows how to remedy this egg conundrum. Why not just crush all the eggs up and make some egg salad?

The secret to healthier (and tastier, in my opinion) egg salad is to use only half of the yolks from the eggs you’re using. In this case, I made a small batch with 4 eggs and tossed away 2 of the yolks to make these a bit lighter and to allow me space to add more of what really makes this salad good: mustard and curry powder.

Mash the eggs, add about a teaspoon of curry powder and a tablespoon of dijon mustard, some juicy raisins, and anything else you think would go well (I tried some chopped fresh dill and pickle juice too, but I don’t think I’d include this next time around), stir, and spread on your favorite wrap, bread, or crackers!

No one will ever need to know that you completely messed up the eggs. Except if you decide to write a blog post about it.

Have an egg-cellent day! 🙂

Curried Egg Salad with Raisins
Recipe Type: Egg, Salad, Picnic
Cuisine: Side, Main Dish
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
This is a great way to remedy a failed deviled egg experiment! Why not chop up those massacred hard boiled eggs and add some delicious mustard, curry powder, and raisins to make curried egg salad? I love the slightly sweet and spicy taste that the curry and raisins add to this salad. Serve on bread, a wrap, or crackers.
Ingredients
  • hard boiled egg whites (number depends on how many servings you want- approx. 4 yields 2 servings)
  • yolks from 1/2 of eggs
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard (again, for 2 servings)
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • handful of raisins (more or less to taste)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Mash up egg whites and yolks in a medium bowl until well incorporated.
  2. Add mustard, curry powder, and salt/pepper. Stir to combine. (Add more or less mustard depending on how “wet” you want your salad!)
  3. Stir in raisins.
  4. Serve on bread, a wrap, crackers, or (my new favorite) lettuce cups!

 

ClaireLeave a comment

Greek Pasta Salad

GREEK PASTA SALAD
GREEK PASTA SALAD

Spring is finally here, and summer is just around the corner. We finally get rid of the fine dusting of yellow pollen that covers everything in sight, and I can already feel the humidity closing in! Those 90 degree, “I don’t want to even step outside to walk to the mailbox” days are almost here.

But this time of year isn’t all bad. With May comes graduations (yay, Duke DPT Class of 2015!) and getting letters after your name (I just passed my boards exam and am officially “Claire McCormick, PT”!) as well as family vacations, get-togethers with freinds, and COOK-OUTS! Tonight Ben and I are going to our first cookout of the season, hosted by a couple in our small group. When trying to decide what to bring along, I thought it might be a good way to kick off the cook-out season with a summery pasta salad. I used tri-color rotini and a dressing using Greek yogurt in place of mayo, combined with a generous sprinkling of Ranch dressing seasoning mix. Tossed in some chopped red onion, tomatoes, and olives, and served it over spinach greens with some feta cheese on top. Hopefully it will be a hit!

Happy graduation, Dukies, and Happy Mothers’ Day, to all you mothers out there!

Greek Pasta Salad
Recipe Type: Pasta, Salad, Side
Cuisine: Summer, BBQ, Pasta
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-12
Get ready to kick off the cookout and BBQ season with this easy pasta salad!
Ingredients
  • 1 box (12 oz.) tri-color rotini or bowtie pasta
  • 4 cups spinach, chopped roughly
  • 1/2 red onion, minced,
  • 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 package ranch dressing seasoning
  • 1 5.3 oz. container plain greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup balsamic salad dressing
  • 1 package feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and cool.
  2. Toss pasta with chopped veggies in a large bowl.
  3. Whisk together remaining ingredients for the dressing and pour over salad. Toss well until combined.
  4. Top with feta and chill up to a day in advance.

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Spring Veggie and Tofu Skillet

I am LOVING the colors of Spring. Why not eat them, too? I was anxious to use up some leftover tofu and a lentil-barley mixture I had tonight and decided it was a good opportunity to add another one-pot wonder to the rotation: veggie and tofu skillet! For some reason I’ve been really into Asian flavors lately, and I decided to whip up a quick soy-dijon dressing to go with the veggies and tofu. For all of you who are #meatlessmonday followers, or who just love to eat nice big bowls of delicious, colorful roasted veggies, I recommend this easy recipe. You’ll feel good looking at it, and you’ll feel good eating it!

**Disclaimer: Just make sure not to grab the skillet handle at any point with your hand. I made this mistake and ended up with a nice superficial burn on my left thenar! #ptschoolproblems**

Happy Spring!

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Spring Veggie and Tofu Skillet
Spring Veggie and Tofu Skillet
Recipe Type: Salad
Cuisine: Healthy, Vegetarian
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Feel good looking at it, and feel good eating it! Another meatless Monday recipe to add to the mix!
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp olive or peanut oil
  • Variety of spring veggies (green beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, onions, peas, sweet potatoes)
  • chopped tofu, marinated however you like
  • sprinkle of sesame seeds
  • sprinkle of whole coriander
  • sprinkle each of cumin, red pepper flakes, and curry powder
  • 1 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • spinach and grain of your choice for serving (I used a lentil-barley mix)
  • cottage cheese and hearty crackers, for serving
Instructions
  1. In an oven-proof skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add all veggies and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds and spices. Meanwhile, preheat oven to broil on high.
  2. Broil the veggie mixture for 2-3 minutes or until well-charred. Remove from heat.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, and vinegar. After the skillet comes out of the oven, top with the spinach and drizzle with the dressing until just wilted. Add the grain and more spinach, if you like.
  4. Serve with cheese and crackers.
Spring Veggie and Tofu Skillet
Spring Veggie and Tofu Skillet

ClaireLeave a comment

Throwback Sunday: Mediterranean Quinoa & Poached Egg

Happy Sunday! Hope ya’ll had a great weekend and are gearing up for another busy week ahead! Ben and I started our weekend at the Carolina Ale House watching Duke smack down Robert Morris (who?), then enjoyed a lazy Saturday parked in front of the TV/laptop watching more of the NCAA tourney. I also got to sing all services this weekend with the Summit All Campus Choir, which was a real treat. I always forget how much I love to worship through song until I’m back up on those risers, my voice melding with the members around me, feeling like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Have you ever had that experience of just knowing God has you exactly where He wants you? Nothing like it. Oh, and- *Shamelessplugalert* Did I mention that we’re going to be giving an EPIC concert on Maunday Thursday and Good Friday? *Endshamelessplug*

Anyway, tonight I had a craving for something light and springy tonight (and also something that would make a lot of leftovers). Some of you may remember my recipe for my Stuffed Mediterranean Portobellos from last year, and while I didn’t quite have the energy to clean and stuff all of those mushrooms, I was happy to whip up the quick and easy filling! I served it on top of spinach with a drizzling of balsamic vinegar, poached egg, almonds, and avocado. Oh, and a dollop of Greek yogurt for good measure.

Perfect for Meatless Monday tomorrow! Enjoy.

MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA & POACHED EGG
MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA & POACHED EGG

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