Roasted Delicata, Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

I woke up the other morning with this salad on my mind. Well, the roasted delicata squash and corn aspect of it, anyhow. As the day went by, the other components- black beans, avocado, grape tomatoes and a cilantro-lime vinaigrette, based off of a fajita marinade I had a while back- fell into place.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who sometimes spends all day dreaming up a recipe. (Right?) Adding and taking away ingredients in my mind. Of course, there are those days I'm tired or uninspired, and I just want to follow someone else's recipe or make an old standby, but I love when I am so excited to began putting together the meal that I've spent my day pondering over. This was one of those recipes- when Sage came home from work, he was a little surprised to find I had dinner already prepared. I just didn't want to wait any longer.

I'm happy to share that it was every bit as wonderful as I'd imagined it to be. Everything worked so perfectly together. The warm roasted squash, the sweet corn, vibrant tasting vinaigrette and the creamy avocado, it was all just right and definitely worthy of a day spent thinking about it.

Roasted Delicata, Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
serves 3-4 as a meal

for the roasted vegetables:
3 ears corn, kernels sliced off
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 (1 lb) delicata squash, unpeeled, seeded and cut into about 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

for the vinaigrette:
1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/3 cup lime juice (from 2 limes)
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce (use a vegetarian version, if that matters to you)
2 tsp agave or honey
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt

for the salad:
4 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach
4 cups (loosely packed) mixed greens
1 cup (cooked) black beans, drained and rinsed, if using canned
1/2 Haas avocado, sliced

Preheat oven to 425. Toss corn kernels, grape tomatoes, and squash with olive oil and season with several pinches of salt and lots of pepper. Spread in single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until squash is tender and tomatoes have collapsed, stirring a few times during roasting. Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Using a food processor or blender, pulse cilantro, jalapeno and garlic together until well minced. Add lime juice, worcestershire, agave, canola and salt and process to blend.

To compose salad, place spinach and mixed greens in serving bowl, top with black beans, roasted vegetables and avocado. Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Serve with remaining vinaigrette at the table.

Roasted Butternut Salad with Spinach, Avocado and Tahini Dressing

As I've reached the end of my pregnancy, I've run out of steam as far as the kitchen is involved. It's not that I haven't been cooking, I just haven't had my typical enthusiasm and motivation. We've had some very simple dinners, quite a few old standbys and a handful of meals that wound up just so-so.

Recently, completely uninspired, I diced up some sweet potatoes and popped them in the oven to roast, figuring it would give me time to decide what else I wanted to make. But once they were finished, the best I could come up with was an extremely simple salad. (Luckily, my family really likes sweet potatoes and salad, so no one complained.) At one point of the meal, I tossed some of my potatoes on top of my salad...and well, it was pretty fantastic. The warm roasted sweet potatoes with the salty feta and creamy avocado and the tangy Lemon-Tahini dressing- somehow that odd combination really worked.

So much that a week later I was wanting it again. I didn't have any more sweet potatoes, but I had a butternut squash. Instead of the bottled dressing I'd use the first time, I made a homemade version (based from this recipe) and scaled the simple salad back even more. It was a little different, as the butternut is a less starchy and the dressings weren't quite the same, but it was just as yummy. Sage liked it in a "perfect for a side dish" kind of way, while I was content for it to be my meal. But I'm more of a salad lover than he is anyhow. I wasn't going to blog it though, since the picture is nothing too special, (I missed the good light) however, after eating the cold leftovers yesterday and loving it all over again, I decided I needed to after all.

Roasted Butternut Salad with Spinach, Avocado and Tahini Dressing
serves 3-4

for the dressing:
1 large clove garlic, minced
juice from 1 small lemon*
2-3 tbsp tahini*
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium butternut squash (about 2.25 lbs), peeled and diced
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
8 cups loose packed baby spinach (any tough stems removed)
1/4 cup crumbled feta (I'll bet goat cheese would be good too!)
1 1/2 Haas avocados, diced or sliced
thinly sliced red onion, soaked in ice water for 10 minutes, to garnish (I used a couple tbsps worth)

Preheat oven to 400. Toss squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and a few pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for about 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender, flipping half way through. Remove from oven.

While squash is roasting, prepare the dressing by combining the garlic and lemon juice. Whisk in the tahini. Next whisk in the water and olive oil. Set aside.

Once squash is done, toss with a little more than half of the dressing and set aside.

Assembled salad by arranging spinach in serving bowl and layering with warm butternut squash, avocado and feta and garnish with (well-drained) red onion. Serve remaining dressing on the side.

*I had a very juicy lemon apparently, which produced a 1/4 of a cup of juice, instead of the typical 2-3 tablespoons I'd normally get from a small lemon. Since the brand tahini I bought this time is a little more mild, I added an extra tablespoon of it. My resulting dressing tasted rather tart straight from the bowl, but once on the salad, it did not. Depending on the amount of juice your lemon provides and the strength of your tahini, you may wish to start with less tahini and add to taste.

Shrimp Tacos with Poblano-Avocado Salsa

Shrimp is one of the few things I lost the taste for during pregnancy and just never returned to. But with a husband who loves it and a kid who is pretty crazy about seafood in general, it seemed unfair to be denying them. Besides, I don't like not liking things. So I sucked it up and bought some shrimp. Sage immediately asked me if we could make the shrimp tacos from Weber's Real Grilling.

Both the cookbook and this particular recipe are dear to us. His dad gave him the book years ago, when we bought our house and finally got a real grill, (also a gift from him.) Sage has cooked his way through much of the book, and we have loved everything we've ever tried. The very first recipe he ever made was these shrimp tacos, over a campfire, while celebrating Father's Day with his dad and sisters maybe five years ago. With his dad's recent passing, this recipe is even more special to us now.

These were every bit as good as I remembered, and a great way to ease back in to eating shrimp for me. The salsa seems pretty spicy on its own, but once tucked into a tortilla with the shrimp, the heat becomes more mild and just has a little kick to it. We've adapted this recipe a bit, reducing the amount of shrimp, but keeping the amount of salsa the same. It will serve 2-3 people (2 tacos per person) depending on how full you fill your tortilla.

Shrimp Tacos with Poblano-Avocado Salsa
adapted from Weber's Real Grilling

for the salsa:
1 ear of corn, husked
6 scallions, white and light green parts only
olive oil (we used our mister)
1 large poblano chile
1 large tomato, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
1 Hass avocado, diced
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
juice from half a lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (we used wild-caught Key West Pink shrimp)
4-6 small flour tortillas
lime wedges, for serving

To make the salsa:
Brush or spray the corn and scallions with olive oil. Over direct medium heat, grill the corn until tender (10-12 minutes,) the scallions until lightly marked (3-4 minutes,) and the chile until black and blistered (10-12 minutes,) turning all occasionally.

Remove vegetable from the grill. Trim root ends from scallions, and finely chop remaining parts. Cut kernels off of the corn. Peel off loosened bits of skin from the poblano (as soon as it is cool enough to handle) and discard skin, stem and seeds. Finely chop remaining parts of chile. Add scallions, corn kernels and chile to a medium bowl and mix with remaining salsa ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper.

To grill the shrimp:
If shrimp are on the small side (as ours were) thread onto skewers. Brush or spray with olive oil on both sides and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill over direct high heat until shrimp are firm to the touch and just turning opaque in the middle, turning once (this will only take a few minutes.)

To assemble:
Heat the tortillas on the grill for 30 to 60 seconds, turning once. Fill tortillas with salsa and shrimp, and serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Black Bean and Veggie Pasta

I seriously LOVE Southwestern/Mexican/Tex-Mex flavors. Especially when they are loaded full of veggies and beans, and minus the meat. A little over a month ago, I had a craving for such a meal, but we didn't have any tortillas. Using pasta instead, I put together a quick and easy dinner that wound up being something pretty great. I took some pictures, but like most throw-together type pasta dishes, they weren't anything special and I decided not to blog about it.

A few days ago, I was deleting a bunch of old pictures off the computer (so Sage wouldn't be able to give me a hard time for having more pictures of food on my laptop than our child,) and I came across the ones from that pasta dish and remembered how delicious it was.

Yesterday, we were coming home from a friend's house, and I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. It had to be 1) Quick- Sage was starving, and 2) Meatless- I had nothing defrosted. I decided to revisit that meal, and share it this time.

The original had green pepper, only yellow squash, a scant amount of cheese and was topped with light sour cream (or maybe greek yogurt, I can't remember.) This time, I used a orange pepper, added zucchini, increased the cheese, and topped it with diced avocado. Both, delicious, filling, and quick and easy- great for a week night.

Black Bean and Veggie Pasta

3 cups uncooked wheat or multi-grain rotini

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 medium bell pepper, any color, diced

2 yellow squash, diced

1 zucchini, diced

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with mild green chilies

3/4 cup frozen corn, rinsed under water to partially defrost

2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, cut into pieces

3/4 cup shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese

sour cream/yogurt, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, etc., for serving

Cook pasta until just al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and saute for a couple of minutes. Add squash and zucchini and season with salt, pepper and coriander, cooking for 3-4 minutes or until squash and zucchini are becoming tender.

Stir in black beans, tomatoes with chilies, and corn. Scatter in pieces of cream cheese, and stir until cream cheese is melted throughout. Combine with cooked rotini.

Top with shredded cheese, cover skillet and turn off heat OR transfer into a casserole dish, top with cheese, and place under preheated broiler for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with desired accompaniments.

Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos with Fresh Tomato-Corn Salsa

What perfect tacos for warm weather! Quick, easy and so fresh tasting. I originally had intentions of marinating the chicken, but when I didn't get around to it, I went with a simple dry rub that I came up with just by browsing my spice drawer. The seasoned chicken paired so nicely with the delicious fresh salsa that can be put together in minutes while the chicken is on the grill.

If I'd had it I would've used fresh corn from the cob in the salsa, but thawed frozen kernels work just fine (if you're like me and had way too much produce in the basket already by the time you reached the corn.) Do your self a favor and double or triple the salsa recipe because the leftovers are delicious with multi-grain tortilla chips!

For the dry rub:
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
fresh ground pepper

For the salsa:
2 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
juice from half of a lime
1/8 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
cooking spray
small flour or corn tortillas (I used low-carb flour ones)
crumbled queso fresco or shredded cheddar
diced avocado
chopped lettuce

Combine all of the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl. Rub a quarter of the mixture on each side of the chicken breasts. Spray the chicken lightly with cooking spray and grill over medium-direct heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Transfer to a cutting board and slice.

Meanwhile, combine all salsa ingredients. This can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.

Assemble tacos by topping tortillas with sliced chicken, tomato-corn salsa, cheese, lettuce and avocado.

Avocado Dressing

Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a giant Haas avocado tree growing in my front yard. I thought nothing of having half an avocado served along with my dinner, or the ability to make myself guacamole by simply walking as far as my driveway. We gave them away by the bagfuls and yet there were always more than enough for us. The tree, unfortunately, quit producing fruit a few years back, so now days, I have to buy mine at the grocery store. They most often are rock hard, and there's no guarantee they will become ripe enough to eat before they began to go bad.

But we love avocados in our house, so we are willing to take that chance. The other day, Sage found a ready-to-eat one at the grocery, and I decided instead of just putting it on my salad, I'd make a dressing using it as the base. Since it was enough to dress a few lunch-sized salads, I tried it two ways- twice I had it on a bed of spring greens with a variety of vegetables and then on a salad similar to the one I've had in the past at a local Mexican restaurant. Their Avocado Salad comes with mixed greens (heavy on the iceberg and romaine) tossed in the dressing, and topped with tomatoes, cheddar, and chunks of avocado. (You can also have it with chicken or shrimp, if you so desire.)

I did enjoy it both ways, but I'd say I preferred it the Mexican way. Probably just because the dressing compliments the sharp cheddar so well, and because it had even more avocado on it. It held up well for several days in the fridge, although it did really thicken up. I just added a little water to thin it, but flavor wise it tasted the same freshly made as it did three days later when I had the last of it.

Avocado Dressing

1 ripe Haas avocado

juice from 1/2 lemon (I got about a tbsp and a half)

1 garlic clove, pressed

3-4 tbsp lite sour cream

1 tbsp water

cayenne pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Mash avocado in a small bowl. Add lemon juice and garlic. Mix well.

Stir in 3 tbsp sour cream, water, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add the additional sour cream if too acidic.

Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Southwestern Quinoa & Kidney Bean Soup

Homemade soup is a go-to for me when I feel the need to eat something healthy. I just love how you can make something good for you and yet delicious by cleaning out your produce drawer and pantry. This vibrantly colored and tasty soup was exactly what I needed after a few days of not-quite so-healthy dinners spent with family.

While this soup contains many ingredients I often put in my soups, there were a few things that set this one apart. I don't believe I have ever used quinoa in a soup before and I was really pleased with the outcome. Kidney beans took the place of the typical black beans I tend to use with Southwestern/Mexican flavors. It just happened to be what I had on hand, but I found I loved them in this. Since the little guy is very sensitive to spicy food, I made this mild in heat- if I was making this for just me, I would've added in a jalapeno- but it was still full of flavor.

This might've just been a feel-better-about-what-I'm-eating type of meal, but it is definitely worth making again. Not only was it quick to make, it also yields a nice amount and the leftovers are just as delicious.

If going without meat isn't your thing, you could easily add cooked chicken along with or in place of the beans, but it's quite substantial as is.

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, well rinsed
1 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (32 oz.) carton vegetable broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, with mild green chiles
1 (15.5 oz.) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
diced avocado and shredded sharp cheddar, for serving

Bring quinoa and water to boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 12 minutes . Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a stock pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and saute until vegetables are becoming soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add broth, tomatoes with their juices, beans, corn, corriander, cumin and bay leaf. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Remove baf leaf. Stir in cooked quinoa and chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings (especially salt) if needed.

Garnish indvidual bowls with avocado and cheese.

Pear, Avocado and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Basalmic Vinaigrette

This salad came out of the need to use up some things. I knew I needed to make a salad because I had lettuce than needed to be eaten. Then I found a pear in the bottom of the crisper and I had an avocado getting close to being past its prime. So I come up with a dressing, and I thought it was really nice on this simple salad.

I liked the combination of pear and avocado with the goat cheese- definitely not components I would typically put together, but they worked wonderfully! I realize romaine is not the ideal choice for this, but it was what I had and was just fine. There are all kinds of greens which would be great in this. I was going to top this with toasted walnuts, but I was multi-tasking in the kitchen and forgot about them and burned them. And by that, I mean completely blackened them! Oh well, the salad was still delicious without!

3-4 cups of your choice of salad greens

1 pear, sliced

1 avocado, diced

1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

dressing:

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp basalmic vinegar

1 tbsp plus 2 tsps honey

2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsely

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Wisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Place in a container with a tight fitting lid, and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake before using.

2. In a serving bowl, arrange salad ingredients. Drizzle with desire amount of dressing when ready to serve.

Tequila-Lime Marinated Chicken Burritos & Sage's Guacamole

We had stuff to make burritos, and it just so happened I thought ahead a few hours and was able to marinate the chicken. Usually I'm waiting on something to finish defrosting so I can start cooking.

I threw together a marinade that included tequila and lime juice- and wow, did it make the chicken delicious! Of course, we had ours in burritos, but it would also be just as great by itself. Sage also made a batch of his guacamole, which everyone always loves. This was an easy and yummy dinner.

Tequila-Lime Marinated Chicken Burritos
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tequila
1/4 cup onion, choppped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh ground pepper & sea salt

2 large chicken breasts

1. In a large ziplock baggie, combine all marinade ingredients. Add chicken breats, turn to coat. Marinate for 4 hours, turning once.
2. Grill over medium-high direct heat until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 6 minutes on each side.
3. Slice breast into strips and serve in a tortilla with your favorite fixings.

We had ours with pepper jack cheese, organic chipotle salsa, diced tomato, Sage's guacamole (recipe below,) sour cream and cilantro. It would've been great with refried beans or black beans, but I didn't have any.

Sage's Guacamole
2 Haas avocado, diced
juice from 1/2 lime
1 lg. roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
fresh ground pepper
2 pinches of kosher salt

1. Mix all ingredients well. Avocado will break down some as its stirred, but do not mash.

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce & Creamy Corn and Avocado Salad

We had a few avocados that needed to be eaten, so I decided we should have something Mexican for dinner. On the wonderful food blog, A Year in the Kitchen, I found a recipe for a corn and avocado salad that sounded tasty.

I was trying to decide about what to pair the salad with and began thinking of the Mexican restaurant I used to hostess at. They had the best fish tacos, and no matter where I go, no one else's ever compare. They had grilled- not fried- fish, a creamy white sauce, and a fish taco must- shredded cabbage.

I came up with this recipe, and while its not the same, it was great, as was the salad. This light, delicious meal went great with an icy Corona Light. As a shortcut, I bought pre-shredded cabbage, and the entire meal came together quickly. We were out of propane, so we broiled the fish, but it would've been great on the grill, too.

Fish Taco with Cilantro Lime Sauce (makes 4 tacos)

2 Large Tilapia Filet

olive oil

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

sauce:

3 tbsp lite sour cream

2 tbsp lite mayo (I use the kind with olive oil)

1/4 fresh jalapeno, minced

1 tsp minced cilantro

Juice of half a lime

4 small flour tortillas

1/2 of an avocado, sliced

1/2 of a small tomato, diced

1 cup shredded cabbage

1. Place fish in glass baking dish. Brush both sides with oil.

2. Mix dry spices together and brush on top of fish.

3. Broil for about 7 minutes, flipping halfway though. Fish is done when no longer opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Transfer to a plate and cut into bite size pieces.

4. Meanwhile, in small bowl, blend sauce ingredients.

5. Fill each tortilla with fish, cabbage, avocado and tomato. Top with sauce.

Creamy Corn and Avocado Salad (from the blog A Year in the Kitchen)

1 c. frozen corn kernels, defrosted but cold*
1 avocado, diced (mine were small, so I used 1 and a half)
1/4 red onion, minced (I omitted, due to preference)
1 tbsp. minced cilantro
1/4 jalapeno, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper

1. Add corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, salt and pepper to a bowl. Mix well.
2. Gently fold in avocado, being careful not break it up too much. Keep chilled until serving.

*This recipe says to defrost corn and leave cold. The bag of corn I had said all over it MUST COOK FULLY. Since I am a scaredy cat when it comes to food, I cooked mine first, and let it fully chill before proceeding. This was probably a completely unneccesary step.