Salads Archives | The Good Hearted Woman

Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad {Applebee’s Copycat}

Inspired by an Applebee’s menu favorite, this Thai Shrimp Salad combines grilled shrimp, fresh edamame, crunchy almonds, and crispy wonton strips under a dressing of spicy-sweet Thai peanut sauce and a bright chili-lime vinaigrette for a light summer feast.

When Mr B and I were on the road last month, we stopped in at Applebee’s for lunch, and I ordered their Thai Shrimp Salad – which immediately became my newest favorite thing to eat. It’s absolutely delicious – and a great pick if you happen to be trying to eat light and healthy, too. So of course I had to run home and figure out how to make it!

My Thai Shrimp Salad Applebee’s copycat recipe makes a wonderfully satisfying meal that can be ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!

There are four basic components to this salad: The Salad Base, the Shrimp, the Chili-Lime Dressing, and the Peanut Sauce – and each one is super-easy to throw together.

5 from 2 votes

Thai Shrimp Salad {Applebee's Copycat}

Course Main Dish, Salad

Servings 4

Author Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Pan-fried Shrimp

1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 ounces raw shrimp peeled & deveined
1/2 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder [**See Note]
1/4 teaspoon cayenne [**See Note]

Salad

1/2 head Napa or Savory cabbage chopped
2 cups fresh spinach coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded red cabbage
2 medium carrots peeled and shredded
1/2 cup shelled edamame
3 green onions thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted
Wonton Strips
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (reserve some uncut for garnish)
1 batch Chili Lime Vinaigrette (Recipe Below)
1 batch Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce (Recipe Below)

Instructions

Prepare Pan-fried Shrimp

In a large self-sealing plastic bag, combine shrimp, minced garlic, chili powder, and cayenne. Toss until shrimp are evenly coated with the spice mix.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Melt olive oil and butter and swirl to coat the bottom the the skillet. Add shrimp in a single layer. (Do not crowd in pan.) Pan-fry about 2 minutes, then turn and fry until shrimp become pink all the way through and slightly firm, about 2-3 minutes. Do not over cook! Carefully remove from skillet and set aside.

Assemble Salad

Layer or toss cabbages, spinach, carrots, edamame, green onions, and sliced almonds, wonton strips, and cilantro in bowl. Serve with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette and Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro and wonton strips.

Recipe Notes

** I substitute in 1 teaspoon of my Spicy Skillet Dry Rub for the chili powder and cayenne.

1 serving {with 2 T Chili-Lime Vinaigrette & 2 T Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce} = 8 WW SmartPoints [2018]

5 from 2 votes

Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Juice of 2 limes
Zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Gochujang paste Depending on how spicy you like things)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. (Remember to put the lid on first 😉)

5 from 2 votes

Sweet & Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce (I prefer "Red Boat" fish sauce)
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey or coconut or agave nectar
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 - 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 - 1 teaspoon gochujang paste Totally optional. You can also use your favorite heat: Sriracha, red pepper flakes, etc.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and whisk or blend until smooth.

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27 Quick Pickle Recipes for Your Garden Bounty

September 1 By Renée ♥ 26 Comments

Quick pickles are delicious, small-batch friendly, and super easy to make. Plus, they require no special equipment and are usually ready to eat within a day or two of preparation.

Quick Refrigerator Pickle Recipes | The Good Hearted Woman

In my fridge: Mexican Carrots, Pickled Red Onions, Swedish Cucumbers, and Cucumber Salad

Our garden is bursting at the seams right now, and we are hustling to preserve all that fresh garden bounty, and one of our favorite ways to do that is pickling. (Yeah, I know, Portland. We can pickle that.) Our fridge is crammed with tart, tangy quick pickles that will last us through the next couple of months until our traditionally canned,”real” pickles have had time to percolate in their jars out on the pantry shelves.

Quick pickles, also known as refrigerator pickles, are simply vegetables that are pickled in a vinegar, water, and salt solution and stored in the refrigerator. (Depending on the recipe, the solution may also include sugar and other spices.) Quick pickles are usually ready in just a day or two, as opposed to traditional pickles, which can take many weeks before they are ready to open.

Cucumber Quick Pickles

Clockwise from top left: Lower Sugar Bread & Butter Refrigerator Pickles, Easy Sweet & Spicy Bread & Butter Pickles, Homemade Dill Chips, Homemade Cinnamon Spice Pickles

Easy Sweet and Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles {Pinch & Swirl}
Homemade Cinnamon Spice Pickles {The Spice Train}
Swedish Cucumbers {Me! ♥}
Pickled Cucumber Salad {The Fit Blog}
Spicy Quick Pickled Cucumbers {Sidewalk Shoes}
Lower Sugar Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles {The Seasoned Mom}
Homemade Dill Chips {Culinary Ginger}
Easy Homemade Refrigerator Dills {Certified Pastry Aficionado}
Easy Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles {Melanie Cooks}

Onion Quick Pickles

Clockwise from top left: Quick Pickled Vidalia Onions, Pickled Red Onions, The Prettiest Pickled Onions

Pickled Red Onions {Umami Girl}
Quick Pickled Vidalia Onions {The View From Great Island}
The Prettiest Pickled Onions {A Side of Sweet}
Quick Pickled Onions {Sidewalk Shoes}

Garden Medley Quick Pickles

Clockwise from top left: Spicy Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables, Quick Pickled Jalapeños, Small Batch Pickled Beets, Pickled Watermelon Radish

Spicy Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables {Three Olives Branch}
Pickled Vegetables Using Leftovers {Healing Tomato}
Small Batch Pickled Beets {Simple Seasonal}
Caraway Chili Crunchy Balsamic Beet Pickle {The Flavor Bender}
Pickled Watermelon Radish {Omnivore’s Cookbook}
Refrigerator Pickled Radish & Turnips {Girl in the Little Red Kitchen}
Quick Pickled Jalapeños {The View From Great Island}
Pink Peppercorn Pickled Swiss Chard Stems {Abra’s Kitchen}
Mexican Pickled Carrots {Kevin is Cooking}
Russian Grandma’s Pickled Tomatoes {Happy Kitchen. Rocks}
Grilled Zucchini Pickles {The BBQ Bastard}

Fruit Quick Pickles

Clockwise from top left: Pickled Green Strawberries, Pickled Pineapple, Pickled Blueberries

Pickled Green Strawberries {Bacon is Magic}
Pickled Pineapple {Savory Bites Recipes}
Pickled Blueberries {Bacon is Magic}

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California Quinoa Salad {with Piña Colada Dressing}

April 18 By Renée ♥ 33 Comments

A bright, light, amazingly healthy quinoa salad served with a delicious tropical dressing – inspired by Chef Marcel Gutierrez of the Arugula Deli, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Finding a lunch spot that sources locally grown products and serves up fresh, healthy (and affordable) plates in Portland is usually no harder than walking around the next corner. In fact, when it comes to finding a great place to eat in our town, we are downright spoiled. Idaho Falls, Idaho, on the other hand, is a town heavy with steak houses, chain restaurants (Chuck-o-rama, anyone?), and fast food drive-thrus. Finding something locally sourced, unique, and delicious there takes a little more work, and going vegetarian takes a whole ‘nother level of dedication.

So imagine our delight (yes, delight!) when, while on a recent trip to the Potato State to see one of our daughters graduate from college, we Yelped our way into the bright, airy Arugula Deli, tucked modestly into the side of what looks to be an old brick school building on the north side of town.

The food was, in a word, Fresh. Wonderfully, deliciously fresh, in every sense of the word. We sipped on our lemon and cucumber infused waters while we perused the globally-inspired menu, which has options for all eating styles, from vegan to steak lover. My lunch choice – the California Quinoa Salad – turned out to be our table favorite; a clean, light, grain-based salad full of interesting textures and bright flavors that filled me up and kept me going all day. (And it was a very long day, let me tell you.)

DID YOU KNOW? Quinoa is an ancient grain related to spinach, beets, and chard. Not only is quinoa considered a super-food, but it is also a complete protein: it contains all nine of the essential amino acids (the ones the body cannot produce on its own).

Chef Marcel's California Quinoa Salad with Piña Colada Dressing at the Arugula Deli | The Good Hearted Woman

My inspiration: Chef Marcel’s California Quinoa Salad with Piña Colada Dressing at the Arugula Deli

The element that put this salad over the top for me – and inspired me to practically run home to recreate it – was the amazing “secret recipe” piña colada dressing that was served along side. I loved it so much that I asked if I could get the recipe, to which our waitress laughed and told me that the chef was so cagey about its composition that he made it behind closed doors. The staff didn’t even know what was in it.

Aha! A challenge!

Our waitress did offer to sell us a bottle of the dressing, which of course I accepted. I also took a few minutes to chat with the enigmatic chef himself. Marcel Gutierrez, who owns the Arugula Deli with his wife Mindy, is responsible for the deli’s amazing menu. I found Chef Marcel to be affable and engaging, and passionate about his work. Were it not that we had places to go and things to do, I would have loved to have had time to visit with him more. As it was, we had commencement exercises to attend, and then the long drive back home.

Once home, the salad itself was easy to make: I just had to take all the ingredients listed on the menu and throw them together in the right proportions. For my recipe, I chose to go with tri-colored quinoa instead of single-grain, mostly because I like the extra color, but also because I personally think it has a little more crunch. The trade-off is that the other ingredients don’t visually stand out quite as much in the finished salad. If you make it at home, the choice is yours – any kind of quinoa will one will work.

California Quinoa Salad

A bright, light, amazingly healthy quinoa salad served with a delicious tropical dressing.

Course Main Dish, Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

4 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup shelled edamame
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup Craisins
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of two limes
1/2 cup sweetened coconut toasted

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except toasted coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Garnish with toasted coconut. Serve cold with Piña Colada Dressing on the side.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by the Arugula Cafe, Idaho Falls, Idaho

The real challenge came in creating the dressing. I took a couple of wrong turns before I finally got it, and I want to send out a big thank you to our son-in-law Mason for his invaluable input. I honestly have no idea if my ingredient list for the dressing below is remotely in line with Chef Marcel’s recipe, but the end result tastes spot on.

TIP: Hollowed out lime halves are the perfect vessel for serving salad dressing!

Piña Coloda Salad Dressing

Course Condiment, Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 3 /4 cup

Author Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons pina colada mix
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoons lime juice
Dash salt to taste

Instructions

Whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by Arugula Cafe, Idaho Falls, ID

As you may have noticed, I totally copied Chef Marcel’s presentation, too: it makes for a far more interesting plate than just throwing the salad on top of a bed of greens. While you can buy all sorts of cool kitchen forms to create this effect, a clean tin can with both ends cut out works just as well. (Just be careful with the sharp can edges though!)

The next time you are in Idaho Falls, I encourage you to stop by the Arugula Deli for a meal – and be sure to say hello to Chef Marcel for me!

Spice Up Date Night with an Exotic Cooking Class!

September 6 By Renée ♥ 10 Comments

In which Mr B and I take an exotic French-Moroccan cooking class and learn (among other things) the difference between a tagine (the vessel) and a tagine (the stew); plus an awesome recipe for Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta & Mint!

Mr B and I recently took a cooking class together at Sur La Table, and not only did we learn a ton while we were there, but it turned out to be an amazing Date Night too!

I partnered with Sur La Table to bring you this post. This post may contain affiliate links.

Cooking classes are one of the best Date Nights! You get to spend time doing something active and interesting with your sweetheart, meet some fun new people, and eat a great meal at the end of the day.

Our class – “Exotic French-Moroccan Cuisine” – was held in the teaching kitchen at Sur La Table in downtown Portland, directly across the street from Powell’s. (Check here to find Sur La Table classes in your area.) Aprons and recipes were ready and waiting when we arrived, and ingredients and tools were strategically placed around the work area.

One thing that immediately impressed us about our Sur La Table cooking class was the caliber of instruction. Our instructor for the day was Chef Priscilla Umeda, a beautifully warm, captivating woman with great passion and skill for cooking. Chef Priscilla, originally from Nigeria, grew up as the oldest female child in a family of eight children, so it fell to her to “insure her siblings were fed.” Thus, the seeds for creating delicious food and educating others in culinary arts were planted early. After earning a degree in Business Administration & Management in Nigeria, Chef Priscilla taught herself the art of cake making that became a thriving business in Nigeria before her migration to America. Now a trained, professional chef, she is actively engaged in the culinary training of both home cooks like us and professional chefs.

Before we got to work, Chef Priscilla gave us a little history about Moroccan cuisine. We learned that Moroccan cuisine is considered one of the most important cuisines in the world, due in great part to the remarkable diversity of colonizers and immigrants who have influenced it over the last millennia. The cuisine of Morocco’s first inhabitants, the Berbers, still exists today in dishes like tagine and couscous. It took on spices, nuts and dried fruits, and the sweet and sour combinations from Arab invasions; olives, olive juice and citrus from the Moors; pickling from Moroccan Jews; and kebabs from the Ottoman Empire. The short-lived French-Moroccan colony left behind a culture of cafes, pastries, and wine.

Chef Priscilla also introduced us to the quintessential hallmark of Moroccan cooking: the Tagine. The word tagine has two meanings. First, it refers to a traditional North African clay-pot cooking vessel. The bottom is a wide, shallow circular dish used for both cooking and serving, while the top of the tagine is distinctively shaped into a rounded dome or cone.

Second, tagine refers to the iconic Moroccan stew: created in layers of warm spices, tender meats, fresh vegetables, and dried fruits, tagine is slow-cooked in the aforementioned traditional cooking vessel.

Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint is an exotic, warmly spiced stew that is easy to prepare, family-friendly, and oh so delicious!

Stay tuned – I’ll be sharing my recipe for Apricot Chicken Tagine in an upcoming post! (Pictured above in my newest kitchen toy – a beautiful Emile Henry tagine.)

Sur La Table offers two kinds of class formats: demonstration and hands-on. Ours was of the latter variety, with everyone taking part in the preparations. Chef Priscilla walked us through four dishes: Chicken Tagine with Dried Fruits, Couscous with Saffron & Ginger, Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta & Mint, and Cardamom Madeleines with Rosewater Glaze.

Sur La Table Exotic French-Moroccan Cooking Class | The Good Hearted Woman

Chef Priscilla was a master of the Microplane!

There were about twenty people in our class, and there was plenty for everyone to do. Mr B jumped right into the action! One of the things I appreciate about Sur La Table’s class philosophy is that they aren’t just about throwing together a short list of menu items, but rather, they aim to teach techniques and send you home with practical advice and information that you can immediately use in your own kitchen.

As far as Mr B and I are concerned, every meal needs to include a little something sweet. These Cardamom Madeleines with Rosewater Glaze were as lovely as they were delicious.

Mr B and I both loved the fresh, sweet and slightly spicy flavors of this Carrot Salad recipe (shared here courtesy of Sur La Table). Note that it uses preserved lemons, an indispensable ingredient in Moroccan cooking. Their unique pickled taste and texture cannot be duplicated with fresh products. You can buy them in specialty stores, or they can be easily made at home.

Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta & Mint

Course Side Dish

Cuisine French-Moroccan

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1 tablespoon harissa
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 preserved lemon rind only, finely minced
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound carrots peeled and julienned or coarsely grated
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
4 ounces feta crumbled

Instructions

Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin, caraway, and harissa. Cook until fragrant; about one minute. Remove from heat and add the cinnamon, paprika, honey, lemon juice, and preserved lemon. Salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, combine carrots, herbs, and feta. Pour prepared dressing over carrot mixture and toss to combine.

Overall, we loved our Cooking Class Date! Not only did we have a great time together, but we learned some new cooking techniques that we can use in our everyday cooking. We are definitely looking forward to taking more classes in the future.

Have you ever taken a cooking class? If so, please share your experience in the comments below!

Disclosure: Sur la Table provided Mr B and me with a complimentary cooking class to facilitate this post. All opinions are 100% our own. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Potluck-Worthy Big {Cuban} Salad with Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

August 12 By Renée ♥ 6 Comments

Loaded with roasted veggies, healthy grains, savory beans, and two delicious dressings, this Big Cuban Salad will be a crowd-pleasing favorite at home or at your next potluck!

Earlier this summer, while I was putting together my How to Build a Buddha Bowl post, I came across an amazing recipe for Cuban Quinoa Bowls on one of my favorite food blogs, HeatherChristo.com. It quickly became my go-to Bowl combo, and I’ve been making variations on it for a couple of months now.

Recently, I decided to go BIG and take a Buddha Bowl to a potluck. I wasn’t sure how it would be received, because I’ve observed that people at parties tend to stick with what they know; often leaving new, unfamiliar foods (particularity those that come with blatant hippy undertones) to wither like wallflowers at a sock hop. (No, I’m not really that old.)

As it turned out, my Big {Cuban} Salad was definitely not a wallflower. In fact, it was a surprisingly huge hit, and I left the party with a empty bowl and a feeling of accomplishment.

To make this big, beautiful salad, the first thing you need is a vessel to put it in. I use a pasta bowl that customarily serves as our everyday fruit bowl. It’s very large and shallow, with a flat bottom and lots of open space to showcase the color and beauty of all the ingredients.

Speaking of ingredients…

At first glance, the ingredient and instruction list below may appear a little daunting, but don’t let looks throw you. It’s actually very easy to put together, and the results will make you the belle of the ball at your next potluck.

Watch this → I made a cool little video to show you how it all goes together!

Note: I like to make all the ingredients the day before and chill them, then assemble everything the day I plan to serve it, but that’s just me. This salad is great whether you assemble it with warm ingredients or cold – it’s just a matter of personal preference.

Serve up this is crowd-pleasing Big Cuban Salad with Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce at home or at your next potluck!

Potluck-Worthy Big {Cuban} Salad with Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

Author Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Quinoa

1/2 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 green onions minced

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato 10-12 ounces, peeled and cut 1/2 cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Black Beans

1 cup cooked black beans =1 can, rinsed & drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion chopped fine
1/2 large red sweet pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Cilantro-Avocado Dressing

1 large avocado
2-3 tablespoons vegan sour cream or regular if you don't care about it being vegan
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of one lime

Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

1/3 cup cashews
1 cup very hot water
2 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch kosher salt

Additional Ingredients

5-6 cups salad greens
2 cups Cherry Tomatoes halved

Instructions

Place 1/3 cup raw cashews in a small bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside to soak while you make the sweet potatoes, quinoa, and black beans.

Seasoned Quinoa

Combine vegetable broth, cumin, minced garlic, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Stir in quinoa and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat. (Keep lid on.) Allow quinoa to sit for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in chopped green onions.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag (or large bowl) toss the cubed sweet potatoes with the cinnamon, ginger, and olive oil until evenly covered.
Pour sweet potatoes onto an unlined heavy metal sheet pan. Lightly sprinkle evenly with kosher salt.
Put in oven and roast sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, then toss gently and return to oven for another 8-10 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Black Beans:

While Sweet potatoes are roasting and the quinoa is finishing up, sauté finely chopped 1/2 onion in olive oil until translucent. Add minced garlic clove and chopped red pepper and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onion begins to turn brown.
Add black beans, cumin and salt and cook for 5 more minutes, until beans are tender.
Set aside and allow to cook completely.

Cilantro-Avocado Dressing

Combine all ingredients and blend with a small beverage or immersion blender until smooth. It should be about the same thickness and consistency as a good milkshake.
If mixture is too thick, add a little extra water.

Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

Remember those cashews you started soaking at the beginning of all this?!? Drain them, and throw them into a blender with the remaining Cashew Sauce ingredients. (i.e., garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, lemon juice and maple syrup.) Puree on high until smooth. Season to taste.

ASSEMBLY

Evenly distribute greens in the bottom of very large, flat-bottom bowl.
Mound Quinoa in the middle.
Arrange the following in concentric circles radiating from the middle; ½ black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, ½ black beans, tomato halves.
Drizzle liberally with Cilantro-Avocado Dressing, Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve remaining Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce on the side.

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Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Eggplant Stacks

August 5 By Renée ♥ 12 Comments

These Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Eggplant Stacks are fresh, local, seasonal, and delicious to the last bite.

Aaah, Summertime! Gardens are bursting, Farmers’ Markets are in full swing, and – Glory Be! – tomatoes taste like… tomatoes again. Don’t you just love it!?! This time of year, I aim to create dishes that highlight the bright, fleeting flavors of summer, and these Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Eggplant Stacks are just the ticket. Uncomplicated in every way, they are deeply satisfying, and delicious to the last bite.

Heirloom Tomato & Eggplant Stacks

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 stacks

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil divided
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh basil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Prepare Eggplant:

Peel eggplant (unless yours has a very thin skin).
Slice into 1/2-inch rounds. You will need two large or four small rounds per stack.
Brush eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant rounds over medium-high on barbecue or in grill pan on stove until tender (about 10 minutes) turning once. Allow to cool completely.

Prepare stacks:

Slice each tomato into four rounds.
Alternate tomato and eggplant slices, beginning and ending with a tomato slice. If the eggplant slices are too small, just use two for one layer.
Sprinkle each completed stack with a teaspoon of olive oil and two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.
Season each stack with a pinch of kosher salt and a turn of freshly ground pepper.
Garnish with feta and fresh basil.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

Stacks can be prepared as much as a day ahead of time. Do the final prep (olive oil, feta and basil) right before serving.

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How to Make a Buddha Bowl {+ 37 Delicious Bowls}

June 27 By Renée ♥ 17 Comments

The perfect Buddha Bowl {aka Bliss Bowl} made easy, plus 37 great ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Buddha Bowl = Bliss Bowl = Glow Bowl = Hippie Bowl = Power Bowl = Glory Bowl = Nourish Bowl = Big Bowl of Awesome

By any name, a Buddha Bowl is basically a colorful, delicious meal served up in a big bowl of Awesome. Comprised of healthy, (usually) plant-based ingredients like grains, roasted vegetables, nuts, sometimes fruits, a handful of leafy greens, and a flourish of sweet, savory, or tangy sauce, Buddha Bowls offer infinite combinations of flavor and texture.

I have recently fallen in love with Buddha Bowls and plan to make them the cornerstone of our menu this summer. However, I have one little problem: when I’m thinking up a Bowl, I feel a lot like I did the first time I got a 64-color box of crayons – there are so MANY choices!!

To aid in this dilemma, I created the following infographic to magnet to our fridge, and will be using it as a road-map to make the task of creating new combinations a bit easier. [If you want to print one out for your fridge, click here for a printable PDF.]

^{This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

How to Make a Buddha Bowl

Beginning with a Base, layer at least one item from each list in the infographic below into your favorite bowl to create your own Buddha Bowl bliss.

Note: This infographic is provided as a jumping-off point, and is by no means an exhaustive list. 🙂

Need more inspiration? Check out this list, then grab your favorite bowl and have some fun!

Vegan & Vegetarian Bowls

Brown Rice Veggie Bowl [Eat.Thrive.Glow.]

Brown Rice Veggie Bowl [Eat.Thrive.Glow.]
Red Quinoa and Edamame Budha Bowl [Vegetarian Gourmet]
Miso Beet and Quinoa Budha Bowl [Vegetarian Gourmet]
Teriyaki Tofu Bowls with Cauliflower Rice [Jessica Gavin]

How to Make a Buddha Bowl {+37 Great Bowls} | The Good Hearted Woman

Teriyaki Tofu Bowl with Cauliflower Rice [Jessica Gavin]

Chili Roasted Sweet Potato + Black Bean Quinoa Salad [Simply Quinoa]
Hippie Macro Glow Bowl [The Glowing Fridge]
Cuban Quinoa Bowl with Spicy Lemon Cashew Dressing [Heather Christo]
Vegan Buddha Bowl with Spiced Chickpeas [Well & Full]
Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl [Delish Knowledge]
Healthy Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowl [Get Healthy U]
Black Rice Bowl with Roasted Pumpkin, Harissa & Goat Cheese [Food Faith Fitness]
South of the Border Buddha Bowl with Velvety Southwestern Dressing [Yummy Beet]
Vegan Korean Bibimbap [Crazy Vegan Kitchen]
Roasted Garlic Buddha Bowl [A Virtual Vegan]

Roasted Garlic Buddha Bowl [A Virtual Vegan].

Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce [Pinch of Yum]
Asian Pineapple Salad with Coconut Peanut Dressing [Carlsbad Cravings]
Thai Style Buddha Bowls [Leelaliscious]
Avocado Quinoa Harvest Bowl [In It 4 the Long Run]
Dragon Bowl [The Blenderist]
Spring Harvest Bowls with a Dill Shallot Vinaigrette [With Food & Love]
Moroccan Quinoa Salad [Green Kitchen Stories]
Grab-N-Go Sweet Potato, Cranberry & Quinoa Power Bowl [Blissful Basil]
The Ultimate Winter Bliss Bowl [Pinch of Yum]
Shaved Purple Asparagus & Asian Vegetable Soba Noodles [Strength & Sunshine]

Shaved Purple Asparagus & Asian Vegetable Soba Noodles [Strength & Sunshine]

Farmers Market Sesame Miso Noodle Bowls with Garlic Chips [Half-Baked Harvest]
Goddess Bowl [Sew French]
Soba Noodles with Vegetarbles & Peanut Sauce (Vegan) [Cookin Canuck]
Sriracha-Lime Shrimp and Soba Noodle Bowl [Fitness Magazine]
Bangkok Coconut Curry Noodles Bowl [Pinch of Yum]
Forbidden Rice Buddha Bowl with Crispy Tofu [Natural Girl, Modern World]
Berry-Almond Quinoa Salad [Two Peas & Their Pod]

The following bowls are not vegan or vegetarian, and therefore not technically”Buddha” bowls. Nevertheless, they bowls provide some delicious inspiration, not to mention some amazing sauce options!

Seafood, Chicken & Other Meaty-type Bowls

Mahi Mahi Taco Bowls with Mango Salsa [More than Pancakes]
Grilled BBQ Chicken Quinoa Bowls [The Complete Savorist]

Grilled BBQ Chicken Quinoa Bowls [The Complete Savorist]

Southwestern Buddha Bowl [Simply Sissom]
Grilled Japanese Farm Style Teriyaki Bowl [Feasting at Home]
Fiesta Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice Fajita Bowl with Avocado Chipotle Crema [Half-Baked Harvest]
California Chicken, Veggie & Avocado Rice Bowls [Half-Baked Harvest]

We’d love it if you’d share your favorite Bowl ideas in the comments below!

^{Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!}

Crispy {Vegetarian} Buffalo Chicken Salad

November 9 By Renée ♥ 27 Comments

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser (but that’s just a happy bonus, because I will never promote a product I don’t believe in). All opinions are mine alone. #FallWithATwist #CollectiveBias

Serve this Crispy Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Salad on a bed of romaine for an quick family meal, or scoop it into endive cups to create an easy party appetizer that will have even your meatiest eaters coming back for more.

Between teaching full-time and prepping for our daughter’s wedding reception (which finally happened this last weekend), life has been a bit of a madhouse lately. Now, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, things are just going to get busier. Which is why I’m all about quick, easy meals right now. (Plus, who doesn’t love a Big Salad?)

With a household made up of both meat-lovers and vegetarians, I make a lot of vegetarian-friendly meals, so MorningStar Farms products have long been a staple in our kitchen. The products are dependably good, convenient, and particularly helpful during the hectic holiday season with its drop-in out-of-towners and last-minute meals. With MorningStar Farms, I don’t have to worry about planning “vegetarian” meals – I just make meals that everyone can enjoy. Their new Buffalo Chik’n products work great in this salad: they have a nice level of spiciness without being overpowering.

5 from 1 vote

Crispy {Vegetarian} Buffalo Chicken Salad

Course Main Dish or Appetizer

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 package MorningStar Farms Buffalo Wings or two MorningStar Buffalo Chik'n Patties
1 cup chopped celery
3 ounces crumbled bleu cheese
1/2 cup crispy fried onions
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ c. buffalo wing sauce
1 cup bleu cheese dressing store bought or homemade
For Salad: 8-10 cups chopped romaine
For Appetizers: 3 heads of Belgium Endive

Instructions

Bake the MorningStar Farms Buffalo Wings in a 375° F oven for 16-18 minutes, turning after 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

For SALAD:

In a family-size salad bowl, layer in order: 8-10 cups of chopped romaine, tomatoes, celery, prepared Buffalo Chik'n, crispy fried onions, and bleu cheese crumbles.
Serve with bleu cheese dressing and your favorite Buffalo wing sauce.

For Appetizers:

Separate endive. Spoon ingredients into endive cups in order:tomatoes, celery, prepared Buffalo Chik'n, crispy fried onions, and bleu cheese crumbles. Drizzle bleu cheese dressing and wing sauce over the top and serve.

You can find MorningStar Products in the freezer case under the “Meat Alternatives” at Target.

Food for thought: I don’t know what your first reaction was when Target started carrying Groceries, but honestly, mine was, “Why?” We already have most of the major grocery chains within a ten minute drive, and who is going to go to Target for groceries anyway, right? But after a couple of years, I’ve noticed something: I do buy groceries there – often. Because while it may not be my destination for my bi-weekly Big Grocery Shopping Trip, it saves me tons of time when I’m making a run to Target for one of the thousand non-grocery items I get there regularly and I just need a few things to make a meal.

Be sure to check out more delicious vegetarian-friendly recipes at morningstarfarms.com. I’d love to hear about your favorite chik’n recipe!

Citrus Pasta Salad with Grapes & Red Walnuts

June 25 By Renée ♥ 8 Comments

An orange-honey dressing makes this sweet and savory Citrus Pasta Salad pop with summer flavor.

In my former life as a small acreage farm-wife, our house stood in the middle of an old walnut orchard. There were a couple hundred trees: mostly standard English walnuts grafted onto Black Walnut stock. But at the top of the orchard there were five trees that had a unique strain that had been developed by the original owner, who called them Sunshine Walnuts.

The quality that distinguished our Sunshine Walnuts from others was that they lacked the bitterness that is found in most commercial walnuts, which made them perfect for baking, salads, and so on. (Apparently, I have a very high sensitivity to bitter, and avoid it whenever possible.)

Alas, having moved away from the farm, I had just about given up trying to find a sweet, non-bitter walnut until stumbled across some red walnuts.

Red walnuts are a fairly recent creation. They are not genetically modified [i.e., non-GMO]; rather, they were created using natural methods, by grafting Persian red-skinned walnuts onto larger and creamier English walnuts. A handful of walnut growers grow red walnuts, and distribute them across the country. You can probably find them at your local Whole Foods. However, if you can’t find them, don’t sweat it – before I found them, I’d been making this salad for years with old-fashioned brown walnuts.

This Citrus Pasta Salad makes a great potluck dish, and can easily be adapted for vegetarians. Plus, Mr. B gives it a glowing endorsement: the first time I made it for him, he said (between bites), “Oh, Baby, you can make this any time!”

Citrus Pasta Salad can be made with regular walnuts, or sliced almonds, or really whatever suits your fancy, but the color and flavor of the red walnuts is really wonderful if you can find them.

5 from 1 vote

Citrus Pasta Salad

Course Salad

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Salad

8 oz rotini cooked and drained
1 lbs roasted turkey julienned (optional)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese cubed 1/4"
1 lb red grapes
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or sliced almonds
2 stalks celery chopped

Citrus Dressing

2 whole oranges
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Dash of salt

Instructions

To make Salad:

Combined cooled pasta with turkey (optional), cheese, grapes and almonds.
Pour Citrus Dressing over pasta mixture and refrigerate. (I like to reserve a little of the dressing to drizzle on just before serving.) Toss before serving.

To make Citrus Dressing:

Zest one orange. Juice both oranges (about 2/3 cups orange juice), and combine zest, juice, honey and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. While blender is running, slowly add oil.

Kale & Carrot Salad {New Seasons Copycat}

January 22 By Renée ♥ 11 Comments

I think I have mentioned that back in my college days, I used to wait tables at Farrell’s, an old-timey restaurant and ice cream parlor. Every Saturday morning, it fell to me to prep and set up the salad bar before we opened. The last task on the list, after all the veggies were cut and the dressings were poured, was to put everything out in the ice-filled salad bar and cover all the crushed ice between the bins with dark green curly kale. Kale, back then, was strictly ornamental: no one (in our world) even considered eating it.

All that has changed. One could even make an argument for Kale being the current It Vegetable, if there is such a thing. You can now find it everywhere, in everything. The other day, one of our daughters brought home a bag of kale and made kale chips, because they are so popular and so good for you.

She really wanted to like them. We all did. But no. NO. I know that this may bring the wrath of the Vegan/Paleo/>insert personal eating style here< community, but I just cannot endorse kale as a Chip. Not today, not ever. It’s a personal choice, I know, and my personal choice is – No.

That said, we now had a big bag of kale and needed to figure out something to do with it – and I knew exactly what that something was: Kale & Carrot Salad a la New Seasons.

Our local New Seasons stocks this salad in the Grab-n-Go case. It’s one of my favorites, and with that stockpile of kale staring me down, I decided that it was high time I figured out how to make it at home. It wasn’t too hard to figure out either – New Seasons generously lists the ingredients right there on the label. This comes pretty darn close and it got rave reviews from both Mr. B and Gramma Edith, which is good enough for me. Enjoy!

5 from 2 votes

Kale & Carrot Salad

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

3/4 lb fresh kale
2 large carrots peeled and grated
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
Scant 1/2 teaspoon cumin
2-3 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

Using a sharp knife, remove tough center veins and stems from kale. (This is easier to do if you fold the leaves in half first.) Discard stems & veins.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and put the cleaned kale into the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes.
Drain in colander and wash with very cold water. Squeeze to remove excess water.
While the kale is still in a kind of wet wad, take a large kitchen knife and slice it into small, thin pieces.
Put cut kale into a bowl and separate the pieces using your fingers. Add grated carrots and sunflower seeds.
In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir vigorously to combine. Immediately pour dressing mixture over kale mixture and toss thoroughly to combine.

Recipe Notes

Salad will keep for a number of days in the fridge.