Roasted Beets and Quinoa Salad with Blue Cheese and Roasted Pecans

My sister and I love Panera's Roasted Beets, Quinoa and Citrus Salad ~ it's both hardy and healthy.  This simplified version is good too ~ and a lot less expensive! It makes 4 full size salads and the cost for ingredients is less than one salad at Panera ($9 per salad ;o)

Serves 4 (as main entrees)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dry tri-color quinoa (or any kind)
• 4 beets, cleaned and peeled
• 8 cups Kale, roughly chopped
• 1 cup Radicchio, roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• 1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
• 1 mandarin orange, peeled and split into segments, optional
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Apple Cider Vinegar and Shallot Vinaigrette (see recipe below) ~ or substitute any light vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking oil.
• Roast Beets: Dice beets into 1/2 inch pieces. Place beets in a medium bowl and add olive oil; toss until well coated. Transfer beets to the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place baking sheet in preheated oven, and cook for 30 minutes or until tender.
• Prepare Quinoa: Rinse and drain quinoa. Cook quinoa, per package instructions (or in a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water with a sprinkling of salt to a boil; add quinoa and bring back to a boil; cover pan with lid; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes allow to sit an additional 5 minutes before removing lid). Fluff the quinoa with a fork; set aside.
• In a dry skillet, toast pecans over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, or until browned and fragrant, stirring frequently to ensure they don't burn. Set aside. 
• In a large bowl, toss together kale and radicchio well mixed; add vinaigrette dressing and toss until well coated.
• Assemble Salad: Place the kale blend evenly among 4 salad bowls. Add about 1/4 cup of quinoa and 1/2 cup of roasted beets to each bowl. Evenly distribute onions, blue cheese, roasted pecans (and mandarin oranges, if desired) among bowls. Lightly season with salt and pepper. And enjoy.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Shallot Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Cauliflower Rice

This Cauliflower Rice is a mild tasting and healthy dish that you can serve with nearly any main entree. It's a perfect low carb alternative to rice ~ and tastier!

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, shredded and diced into small pieces
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 green onion, remove stringy root ends and any damaged leaves; and thinly slice white onion and dark green leaves (keep separate)
• 1 handfull cilantro
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Cut cauliflower and remove the center core; grate cauliflower with food processor or on medium holes of box grater. Use paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible.
2. Melt olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook a minute, while stirring continuously. Add cauliflower, carrot pieces, white onion and vegetable broth; cook, while continuing to stir, until a few bubbles form around edges.  Cover with lid, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender, but not mushy. 
3. Transfer to serving dish and mix in green leaves of onion, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Chicken Nuggets

These Chicken Nuggets are not just for kids ;o) I like to serve them with a few healthy side dishes such as Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, remove any visible fat and cut into 2" pieces (or preferred size)
• 1 cup bread crumbs, crushed
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions:

1. Mix bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a small bowl.
2. Dip chicken pieces into beaten egg; roll in bread crumbs until fully coated.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add breaded chicken and cook until nicely browned on both sides and meat is thoroughly cooked (no longer pink in the center), about 10 minutes.

Serve with mustard or BBQ sauce, if desired.

Roasted Beet and Baby Kale Salad with Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

This is a simple salad (although requires some time for roasting) but adds a special touch to any meal. If you're using your oven for roasting vegetables for a side dish such as Roasted Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Leeks, it's a perfect time to include this salad with your meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces of baby kale
• 6 small beets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• Apple Vinaigrette Dressing (see recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place aluminum foil on a large baking sheet; lightly spray with cooking oil. 
2. Clean and peel beets; dice into 1/2 inch pieces. Place beets in a medium bowl; add olive oil and toss until well coated.
3. Place beets on prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes or until tender.
5. While beets are cooking, add pine nuts to a small skillet over medium heat; toast several minutes until nicely browned, stirring frequently to ensure they don't burn. Set aside. 

Assemble Salad:

1. Put kale in a large bowl; toss with apple vinaigrette dressing; distribute kale evenly among 4 salad plates or bowls. Season salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
2. Distribute beets evenly among plates; sprinkle pine nuts on top of salad.

Dressing ingredients:

• 3/4 cup extra virgin oil
• 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. 

Vegetable and Italian Meatball Soup

This vegetable soup is sure to keep you satisfied with plenty of Italian sausage and cannellini beans (white kidney beans).  And it's packed with tomatoes and vegetables ~ and seasoned with aromatic herbs de provence. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound mini Italian meatballs (see recipe below); or substitute a vegetarian replacement
• 2 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 quarts water
• 1 quart low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cups brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
• 2 cups carrots, diced
• 2 cups celery, diced
• 2 teaspoon herbes de provence (or substitute your favorite seasonings)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 cup of dried, cooked per package directions)
• 12 ounce package frozen french style green beans
• 12 ounce package frozen corn

Directions:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. 
2. Add tomatoes, water, broth, meatballs, brussels sprouts, carrots, celery and seasonings and bring back to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. 
3. Add cannellini beans, green beans, and corn; bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients together and mix until fully combined.
3. Roll into small balls (1/2").
4. Bake on foil-lined baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until browned.

White Cake with Strawberry Filling and Buttercream Frosting

It's hard to beat the price or convenience of a cake mix... or the consistency, coming out with a perfect texture each and every time. However, there are two main reasons to make homemade cakes: 1) tastiness and 2) healthfulness (no additives or preservatives). This is a epicurious.com recipe that I've found to be simply delicious each and every time!  I paired it with a strawberry filling and buttercream frosting.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 6 large egg whites (about 3/4 cup), room temperature
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, but not melted
• 1 pound fresh strawberries for filling (see recipe below)
• Butter cream frosting (see recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set oven rack to middle position. Spray the bottom of 2 9" round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, lightly spray again, and then lightly dust with flour.
2. Whisk together milk, egg whites and extracts in a small bowl until blended.
3. Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl; add butter and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until there are no visible powdery streaks, but mixture is still coarse.
4. Slowly add milk mixture to dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until fully blended, scrapping sides of bowl as needed. 
5. Pour batter into prepared pans, using spatula to evenly distribute batter around edges. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, ensuring pans are at least 3 inches apart and 3 inches from oven walls. (If oven is too small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion.)
6. Allow cakes to cool 5 minutes before inverting them to wire racks to cool completely.
7. While cake is cooling, make strawberry filling and icing (see recipes below). 
8. Frost cooled cake: 

• Place bottom cake layer on serving plate; place wax paper around cake edges to collect frosting drippings. Place thin layer of frosting on top of bottom layer; place strawberries on top of the frosted bottom layer. 
• Place remaining top layer on a separate plate; place thin layer of frosting on top layer; place layer, frosting down, on top of bottom layer. Use the balance of frosting to frost top of cake. 

For the filling:

Rinse, hull and slice strawberries; place on paper towel to drain off excess water. 

For the frosting:

• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened

Using an electric mixer, cream together all the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy.