Three Greens, Beets and Portobellos Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

I adapted this recipe from a recipe that was in the December issue of Family Circle. I've been wanting to put my little spin on it since... umm Christmas. Fresh greens with marinated onions, sautéed portabella mushrooms and roasted beets. This pairs nicely with any steak or chicken dish ~ or makes a nice light meal all on it's own.

Serves 4

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon raw honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Salad Ingredients:

• 3-4 beets, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounce portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 10 ounces mixed greens, such as baby kale, spinach and/or arugula
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. Roast beets: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking oil. Place sliced beets on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook 20 minutes or until desired tenderness.
2. Make dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add red onion slices. Set aside.
3. Sauce mushrooms: Add butter and oil to a large skillet over medium low  heat. Add sliced mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until softened, gently stirring every few minutes.
4. Assemble salads: Just before serving, add mixed greens, beets, mushrooms to a large serving bowl; toss with dressing mixture until fully incorporated.  After placing on individual plates, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs with Homemade Sauce

Step it up a notch next time you fix spaghetti for dinner. Make homemade sauce with fresh ripe Roma tomatoes... and let the sauce cook for a good couple of hours. Roma tomatoes produce a nice thick sauce and have less seeds than most other tomatoes. It'll turn your traditional spaghetti dinner into a feast ;o)

Serves 8

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• Meatballs (see recipe below)
• 1 pound spaghetti
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions or Sauce:

1. Remove stems and roughly chop tomatoes. (Peel or blanche to remove skins, if desired; I prefer to keep them to maximize the health benefit.) Place tomatoes in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, green pepper and celery and cook about 5 minutes; move some of the vegetables over to free up a small portion of the pan and add garlic; cook an additional minute.
3. Add pureed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours, or until thick.
4. Add meatballs and cook an additional 30 minutes.
5. Cook spaghetti, per package instructions.
6. Serve sauce and meatballs over spaghetti; top with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. 

Meatballs Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground sirloin (or ground meat of choice)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 dry whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions for Meatballs:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients together until fully combined.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls.
4. Bake on foil-lined baking sheet in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cooked through and nicely browned.