Summer Wedge Salad with Creamy BBQ Dressing

A summery twist on the average wedge salad. The BBQ dressing is creamy but light, using a low sugar BBQ sauce for big flavor and low fat yogurt for a creamy texture.

summer wedge salad with creamy bbq dressing

Feeds 4-6. 30-45 minutes

Recipe

  • 1 head of iceberg lettuce
  • 2 ears corn, kernels removed
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup chopped banana peppers
  • Big pinch kosher salt
  • 1 5.3 oz container of plain, low fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup low sugar BBQ sauce
  • 1 tsp cider or rice vinegar
  • 1 T water
  • Heaping 1/4 tsp salt

Start by hard boiling eggs. Bring salted water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Slide eggs into pan of boiling water, turn off heat, cover pan and let sit for 9-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Combine corn through kosher salt in a small bowl and toss to combine. Set aside. To make dressing, combine yogurt through salt and whisk until combined. Peel cooled eggs and cut each in half. Cut iceberg lettuce into wedges. Place each wedge on a plate, drizzle with dressing. Toss corn, then spoon over each wedge. Place egg halves on each plate, drizzle with more dressing, if desired, and serve.

This wedge salad makes the brings all the fresh flavors of summer to one filling, high fiber salad.

Tahini Noodle Salad

Noodle salad with creamy tahini dressing.  Loaded with fresh vegetables, whole wheat or rice pasta, this is filling but light.

Is it salad with noodles or noodles with vegetables? There’s lots of flexibility here with your ratios of vegetables, noodles and dressing. Also with the vegetables and noodles that you use. This is a “choose your own adventure” recipe. You could make this gluten free by using rice noodles. Adding chopped or shredded chicken is also a good addition for meat eaters. For that matter, you could also add shrimp or steak. With the exception of the main ingredients in the dressing/sauce, play around.

Don’t forget to save your pasta water!

Recipe

Takes 30-45 min. Feeds 4.

Vegan, dairy-free, nut-free

  • 1/2 package of Whole Wheat Linguine
  • 2 cups of shredded red cabbage
  • 3 cups finely chopped kale
  • 1 1/2 cups grated or matchstick carrots
  • 1/2 of an English cucumber sliced
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup chopped mint
  • 3/4 cup tahini
  • 1/3 cup + 1 T soy sauce or tamari
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 3 1/2 T agave
  • 1 1/2 T chili garlic sauce (spicy optional ingredient)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2-3” of fresh, peeled ginger root. If using tube ginger or pre-grated, maybe use extra
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp salt or to taste

Start by prepping the vegetables and herbs and set those aside. You may not want to add vegetables, like cucumbers, until right before serving. Keep that in mind and keep vegetables separated as you prep.

For the tahini sauce, I put everything in a Ninja Blender, so I throw in whole cloves of garlic and big chunks of ginger. If you are whisking by hand or using an emersion blender, finely mince or grate garlic and ginger. Either way, combine tahini-salt and blend or whisk until smooth. You can adjust this to make it saltier, spicier or sweeter.

Cook your pasta according to package directions, save pasta water as you drain after cooking. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add a splash of pasta water and toss to combine. While pasta is still warm, add SOME of the tahini sauce and toss. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of sauce-don’t feel pressured to use it all at once. When the pasta has cooled to room temp, add vegetables and herbs, and more sauce if desired. Toss, let it sit for 15-20 min. to let the flavors settle (taste for saltiness. If you’ve gone overboard you can add lime juice to counteract too much salt) and serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and more herbs if you’d like.

Save leftover sauce in a jar or plastic container, adding more to leftovers or using for a dipping sauce, dressing for other salads, or thin out with more soy and use for marinade.

Crab Frittata

A light main course for breakfast or lunch. High in protein, low fat, low carbrohydrate, and gluten-free. Pair with a green salad, fruit, or roasted potatoes.

Slice of crab fritatta on a pretty plate

Feeds 6. Takes 20 minutes to make. Bakes for 45 minutes. You will need a 9” round cake pan or oven proof skillet.

Recipe

  • 8 eggs
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/3 cup crème fraiche
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2tsp minced jalapeño
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions. Whites and some green.
  • 1 cup freshly grated Swiss cheese
  • 1 cup crab meat. Shredded or chopped and all shell removed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • Cooking spray for pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by prepping green onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Set aside in a small bowl. Grate Swiss cheese, and set aside. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk well, without over mixing. Mix in crème fraiche, salt and pepper. Next, fold in remaining ingredients.

Spray a deep, 9” round cake pan with cooking spray and pour mixture into pan. Place pan in oven and bake for 45 minutes. Frittata should begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the center should be set, when it is ready to be taken out of the oven. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

Fritatta in the pan

Coconut Banana Bread

This recipe uses coconut oil instead of butter or vegetable oil. More popular in the last decade, coconut oil is easy to find amongst other oils in grocery stores. Because it is a saturated fat, it will usually be found in it’s solid form when stored in cool temperatures, but easily melts. Concerned about saturated fats? Give this article a quick read. Why this recipe benefits from using coconut oil; it adds to the flavor and aroma, by using coconut oil you can use a little less and still get a moist bread, it is minimally processed and plant based.

Gluten-free and easy to make. Takes only about 20 min to make and 1 hour to bake.

Recipe

  • 4 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar (Florida Crystals)
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 4 small, ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 3/4 cup Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix
  • 1 cup + 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease or spray an 8×4 loaf pan

Combine first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until combined. Add the baking mix and 1 cup of shredded coconut, mix just until combined. Place batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 45 minutes. Top bread with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, a sprinkle of salt, and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If coconut starts to brown too much before bread is done, lightly cover with foil. Cool on a wire rack, remove from pan.

Basil and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

This is a light, frosty ice cream base that pairs nicely with the fresh basil of summer. I used what I had on hand, 1/2 and 1/2, and 2% milk, and liked the outcome. By infusing the milk base with basil you achieve a subtle, even surprising basil flavor, without chunks of the herb ending up on your palate or in your teeth.

Fairly easy. Active time: 1 1/2 hours. Wait time: 4-6 hours Requires an ice cream maker.

  • 2 cups loosely packed whole, fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
  • 3/4 cup + 1 tsp cane sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

Combine basil through salt in a small sauce pan. Slowly bring to a light simmer. Reduce heat to low and allow to steep for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will infuse the milk with the flavor of basil. While the milk steeps, crack eggs, separating yolks from whites. Save the whites for another use (breakfast). Put the yolks into a medium bowl, add vanilla, and whisk to combine. After 30 minutes has passed, strain the milk mixture, discard the basil leaves and return milk to the saucepan and place pan over low/medium heat. Now you will need to *temper the egg yolks.

Tempering the egg yolks slowly, and carefully brings up their temperature so they do not curdle or scramble when combined with the warm milk mixture.

You have the pan of milk, slightly warm, and a bowl of yolks. Place a kitchen towel under the bowl of yolks to secure it in place on the counter. Carefully pour about 1/3 cup of the milk into the bowl of yolks, while whisking the yolks. That is tempering. Now slowly pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the milk mixture, whisking the pan of milk. Use a rubber spatula to get all the egg mixture into the pan. Heat the pan on low, whisking for a few minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add 1/4 of the chopped chocolate and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Make sure you also freeze the container of your ice cream maker overnight. After the ice cream base is cold, pour into ice cream maker along with the remaining chopped chocolate and follow machines instructions. After it’s thickened into ice cream place in a freezer safe container and freeze.