Chef Marie: Baking and Cooking

My new favorite thing: mason jar salads. Since I work at World Market, I am surrounded by food and mason jars. One day I stumbled upon the mason jar recipe book. This book is AMAZING!! It has so many recipe ideas to make the perfect lunch or dinner. And, when you use a mason jar, the salad dressing goes in the bottom, so that your salad won't get soggy! It's genius! You can make a salad the night before and when you eat it the next day, it will still taste fresh.  My favorite is the blueberry and corn salad. You can also mix it up, so you don't have to follow each ingredient. Just wing it!  I usually add 3 Tbs. of vinegar based dressing. Then I add in tomatoes, peppers, green beans, or beets. Then I add in the lettuce or kale, the chicken or meats, and then add any seeds, nuts or cheeses.  Delicious!! This book is by Julia Mirabella. 

This Light Cucumber Dill Salad is a perfect recipe for the summer! I found the idea for this recipe at Food Done Light . This dish is light, refreshing, and a cool treat for the summer months. Visit the link to get the complete recipe. Here is what you'll need: 1 ½ English cucumbers, thinly sliced (I used normal cucumbers) 1 ½ tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. light sour cream 2 Tbsp. 2% fat Greek yogurt 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill (I used dry dill) ¼ tsp. black pepper  Directions: Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle them with 1 tsp. salt. Let the cucumbers sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well and drain. Lay the cucumbers out on paper towels to dry. In another bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Stir in the cucumbers.  There you have it! A delicious, healthy recipe. Make sure to visit the link at the top of the page to get the complete recipe, view pictures, and to see other recipes!

I recently bought a can of asparagus and I didn't know what to make with it. So, I used what I had in my kitchen to make a tasty salad. Here is what you'll need: - 1 can of cut asparagus (or fresh) - a few whole beets - feta cheese  - chopped walnuts  - seasoned rice vinegar  Combine everything together and you have a great side dish.

This week I have been trying out different salads. Today I made a Beet Salad. I got the idea from SkinnyMs . I changed it up a little bit. Instead of roasted beets, I used canned beets because it was more convenient for me to make. Here are the ingredients that I used: - a few whole beets (cut into quarters) - a few handfuls of arugula - a few handfuls of spinach - 1 handful of feta cheese - balsamic vinegar (or the lemon juice and olive oil dressing works also) - chopped walnuts - pieces of cut endive - a dash of salt - black pepper Combine all of the ingredients together, and you have a tasty, healthy salad! Enjoy!

I was browsing the internet for healthy salads, when I came across a Strawberry Mandarin Orange Salad. I varied it up a little bit. Here are the ingredients: - a few handfuls of spinach - a few handfuls of arugula - 6 mandarin oranges - 1 cut up strawberry  - a handful of sliced almonds - feta cheese (about 3 spoonfuls)  - balsamic vinegar (drizzle on top)   Enjoy this salad for lunch or dinner!

Here's an easy recipe to make a delicious salad! Ingredients: - 1 large cucumber  - 4 Roma tomatoes  - 3 tbs. oil - 2 tbs. vinegar - A few dashes of pepper Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate it for 1 hour. There you have it! An easy, flavorful salad!