Dani Spies

I have no groceries in the house, I haven't cooked in about five days and I ate enough chocolate and drank enough "Skinny Girl Margaritas" over the weekend for each and every one of you!!

After a three day getaway to Palm Springs (first one since pre-Katie), this clean-eatin' Mama needs to get her rear in gear.

During the summer months, I often make salad the main course for dinner at least once, if not twice, a week.  Not only is a light and refreshing option during the hotter weather but it also doesn't require me to turn on my stove (or do any actual cooking for that matter) which is a nice option when your husband REFUSES to turn on the air conditioning unless the temperature is ABOVE a hundred degrees and there is NO breeze (which never happens here in SO.Cal - so you can understand why I like no-cook options during the summer months!)

Who would ever think to use raw mushrooms as the main ingredient in a cold salad?

Not me BUT I'll tell you who...

This is the salad that I have been ADDICTED to the past two weeks and am considering putting on the "Weekly Menu" for the third week in a row!

It's a simple spin off of a Chinese Chicken Salad and let me tell you...

Sometimes I forget how little it takes to make a great salad.  Basically all you need is one in-season veggie along with some salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a knock-your-socks-off salad and this recipe is the perfect example.

Okay... WE DID IT! (I say we because it was 100% team work between me and my husband)!!  We pre-prepped a ton of veggies, some fruit, hard boiled eggs, sweet potatoes and steel cut oats yesterday and successfully pulled off our first pre-planned meal of the week!

Now that we all know how to make our fresh herbs last, I figured you would all be running out to stock the fridge with some of your favorites (just let me believe what I want people) and might be in need of a new clean, simple, and d'lishes recipe idea to put them to use.

D'lishes and beautiful, I will definitely be making this Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad again!  I just love the idea of using the flesh of the squash in a salad, it just goes to show you just how darn versatile Butternut Squash really is.

Potatoes get a bad rap.  It's the whole "high glycemic index thing" that sends people into a "potatoes-are-the-anti-christ" frenzy.  Sure potatoes have a lot of carbs and a high glycemic index but for the love of God they grow out of the ground... how bad can they be??  Let's discuss...

Don't ask me why, but it seems every time I went to the grocery store this week I bought broccoli. 

Broccoli, broccoli, broccoli. 

So when I peeked in the veggie drawer last night to decide what was gonna be for dinner, guess what came pouring out?  Yep.  Broccoli!  Broccoli and a head of Napa Cabbage.

Spring time is naturally a very cleansing time of year.  After a long, cold winter of heartier, heavier foods, Spring rolls in with its fresh, light flavors that are designed by nature to help clean us out and lighten us up a bit!

Leafy greens are the number one ingredient missing in the American diet which is why I've decided to focus on Spring Leafy Greens this month!
 

My initial plan was to make this salad using farro, but I couldn't get my hands on any so I turned to the cupboard for a convenient alternative.

I wanted to use a heartier grain or rice and thought Israeli couscous would do the job.  Couscous is really just another form of pasta (it's like really little pasta balls).  The only difference between Israeli couscous and regular couscous is the size. Israeli couscous is bigger and the size makes for a great texture (just be sure to cook your couscous like you would your pasta... al dente!).

So here we go...another asparagus recipe!  And you probably won't be suprised to hear me say that this is another super easy dish!

As far as the asparagus goes, all I did was steam it up.  Which reminds me...

Here's another quick recipe starring, "Cabbage".  The cabbage with it's cool, crunchy self was perfecty paired with the tender, spicy watercress. I served this with some Curry Coated Tilapia (which I'll be posting soon) and I've gotta say, it was d'lishes!

When I was growing up we always had red cabbage in the fridge.  We didn't get too experimental with it, it was pretty much used as a staple in our "green salad".  That green salad made it to the table almost every night of the week and it was one of the only things that my sister and I were allowed to make (since there was no cooking involved).

Certainly I can't do a cabbage month and not post any slaw recipes!!

Now if you think you don't like coleslaw, stay tuned... because there are so many different ways of making it you just might bump into an idea that turns you on!

Can you believe February is just about over?!  Wow. Wow. Wow.  What can I say, time really does fly by when you're having fun!

So this will probably be my last Quinoa recipe of the month and I am hoping that you guys have at least given it a try by now.  I mean jeez, I've been eating this stuff all month and I haven't gotten sick of it yet... that's how good it is!  Not to mention, I haven't even made a dent in the quinoa recipes I would like to try!