Balsamic Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Quinoa

Even though we had a rare snow day (for this winter anyways), I was craving something light and fruity! Putting myself in a July state of mind I whipped up a really simple Balsamic chicken and strawberry salad topped with a little bit of quinoa which could only taste better if it were about oh, 40 degrees warmer... only 21 days until Spring!!

Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless)
• 4 Strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 balsamic vinaigrette
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

This is actually ridiculously easy and smells amazing when the chicken is cooking.

• -Marinate chicken in plastic bag with balsamic and a sprinkle of salt & pepper (I marinated for about 30 mints- you can do more if you like/have time)
• -Cook quinoa as directed, set aside
• -On a skillet, heat olive oil and toss in garlic.
• -Place chicken in skillet and drizzle with extra balsamic & 1 tsp of olive oil.
• -Sprinkle salt & pepper over chicken, if you desire
• -Let cook on each side for about 4 minutes each, until center is no longer pink
• -Slice chicken & place on top of salad with quinoa and strawberries.
• -Drizzle salad with a bit more olive oil & balsamic vinegar and enjoy!

*I served mine with haricot verts with a sprinkle of salt & pepper

Flourless Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

I'm home for the weekend and I always like to make good use of my mom's Williams Sonoma appliance-filled kitchen, and a dishwasher! Its a rough life being a college student...

For this recipe, the title explains it all. Cookies are my specialty and when I found out that I had to restrict my diet for my allergies I instantly panicked at the thought of how I could no longer enjoy cookies... wrong!

I created a really yummy flourless cookie that tastes just as good. What is a better combination than peanut butter & banana?? Get cookin' these are seriously delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Banana, Mashed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup quick/old fashioned oats
• (Optional)- 1 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
  
• Use Non-stick baking sheet, or line with parchment paper
• Mix Mashed banana, egg, salt, baking soda, peanut butter, sugar & vanilla together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, making sure that the egg is fully mixed in.
• Add in oats and (optional) chocolate chips and mix until combined.
• On your baking sheet place round 1-inch heaps of dough, about 1-2 inches apart (I use a little mini fruit scoop for perfect dough!)
• Let bake for 10-12 minutes (until edges are golden-brown)
• Let cool on baking rack and enjoy!!

Gluten-Free Banana Bread w/ Walnuts

Dessert time!!

This was my first attempt at anything Gluten-Free, and it came out so well! I only slightly altered this recipe for Gluten-Free Banana Bread from Taste of Home. I also cut the recipe in half to make only one loaf of bread as opposed to 2. Yum!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt (I used sea salt)
• 2 eggs
• 2 Large mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup raw Turbinado sugar (you can use regular sugar if you want)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/6 cup canola oil (I basically just poured my 1/3 cup halfway full since this is an awkward measurement)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

If I weren't on a no-chocolate diet, I would also say mix in about 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for some added sweetness- but that's just me ;)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt (this is where you would add in the chocolate chips as well).
• In another bowl mix eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla.
• Combine banana mix into dry mix until just moistened.
• Pour mix into 8 x 4 in. pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with walnuts.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick near the center comes out clean.
• Let cool for 10 minutes and transfer to drying rack.

Enjoy!

Lime Chicken Fajita Salad

I am a huge fan of fajitas and today I was really craving lime chicken! I decided to create a variation of this Chicken Fajita recipe from EatingWell's website. Instead of putting the chicken in a tortilla, I went for the healthier route and put my fajita over chopped romaine. The result was delicious!

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 thin, boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 red pepper
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• Chopped Romaine lettuce (enough to serve 2)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 sweet white onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp Cilantro
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp plain, fat-free sour cream

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to broil
• In the meantime take the two chicken breasts and marinate at room temperature in a bowl containing the juice of one 1 lime, salt and pepper (to taste) for 10 minutes.
• For the salad "dressing", whisk together the Greek yogurt, sour cream, cumin, 1 tbsp cilantro, and 1 tsp mined jalapeño. Season with salt, and set aside.
• Place chicken on a lightly oiled baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes.
• While chicken is broiling, sauté sliced red pepper, and onion on a skillet.
• Flip chicken and broil until inside of chicken is no longer pink (about 4-5 minutes)
• Add black beans, cumin, and extra jalapeño, remaining tbsp cilantro (optional) to the pepper/onion mix. Continue to sauté until beans are heated through.
• Toss veggies over romain and top with sliced chicken.
• Use yogurt/sour cream mix as a dip or dressing and toss with salad.

If you need an extra crunch you can always crumble up a few tortilla chips!

Enjoy :)

Springtime in Boston

Here is my annual pic of the view of Boston across the Charles river. Today was my first run of the new year and it was so beautiful!

Red Quinoa Black Bean Salad

So, because of my allergies I am on a strict no-dairy, no-chocolate or cinnamon, gluten-free diet for 2 weeks (boo!) While this sucks, I have made it a challenge to find or create delicious recipes that I can enjoy during these weeks.

Today is a beautiful day in Boston.. almost 50 degrees which is unusual for February. I plan on taking full advantage of the weather and am going on a nice run around the Charles River. Before I do that however, I made a really yummy Quinoa and Black bean salad for my lunch when I come back. Here is the recipe:

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup uncooked Red Quinoa (follow directions on your quinoa package for cooking)
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 2 Tbsp Chopped onion (I am using white today)
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (I tend to use more because I LOVE cilantro)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup sweet corn (optional)
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• Dash of salt, pepper, garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp Cumin

Directions:

• Cook Quinoa as directed, let cool completely.
• Cook sweet corn as directed, let cool completely. ( I did not use corn when making it today)
• Combine cooled quinoa, corn & rinsed black beans in a bowl.
• Whisk together lime juice, olive oil and a dash (1/4 tsp or so of salt).
• Chop/snip cilantro and add to Quinoa mix
• Add minced garlic & chopped onion to Quinoa mix
• Pour Lime/Oil mixture over Quinoa mix
• Add cumin, garlic salt, pepper, dash of salt to taste and mix entire salad with spatula.

There you have it! A protein-packed "salad" that is super delicious and healthy. This is great over spinach/lettuce as a real salad- or, if you're feeling wild then maybe use the quinoa dip as a healthy salsa with some chips :)

First Post!

Hi! My name is Lindsey and am a college student in Boston with a passion for cooking, baking, music and exercise! My mom and her four sisters as well as my grandma are fantastic cooks with so many AMAZING recipes. I have learned to cook and bake from them and believe in the saying that food brings people together. I am inspired by them and am hoping to share great healthy (and sometimes not-so healthy) recipes that I have either created or found from my everyday search for something good :)