Roasted Beet Salad with Pistachios & Goat Cheese

When I was a kid, I had such a thing for pickled beets. Sweet. Sour. Totally my jam. I still love some pickled beets, but I also really, really love roasted beets! They’re so good – a little meaty, a little earthy, just a hint of sweet and 100% satisfying.

As the weather has started to break, I’ve been very into salads. This one is just so simple, and you can roast beets to enjoy for the whole week. AND it’s elegant enough for entertaining – win win in my book.

I also think it’s very possible that I love beets because they make such a wonderful vehicle for salt. And y’all should know how much I love salt by now – I mean, I bring it back from every vacation we take! I love beets with a sel gris. It gives a little extra briney flavor that I just can’t get enough of. Plus, like the pistachios, it gives you a crunch to the buttery soft beets.

Dinner Salads with Marinated Chickpeas & Cilantro Vinaigrette

For some reason, when I think about dinner I rarely consider salads. I think I have this idea in my head that when I’m making dinner for my husband it has to be a “thing” and a salad isn’t a “thing.” I usually think of it as needing to make a protein and a vegetable – but hello! Dinner salads are a protein and a vegetable!

I made this salad to be served along side the Turkey & Candied Bacon Paninis from yesterday, so I opted to use marinated chickpeas instead of a steak, chicken or shrimp. You can totally add an animal or fish protein to this salad to up the ante for an actual dinner salad! You do you boo, right?!

It’s hard to keep things fresh and new, especially when you’re talking about weekday cooking. Usually, I go to my go-to vinaigrette recipe, but it really can get a little old. There’s only so many times I can eat salad without getting bored, let alone salad with the same mustard-vinegar-lemon-olive-oil combo. So, for this salad I whipped up a cilantro vinaigrette (which I served with roasted potatoes, too!) – and I’m a better woman for it.

An Easy Kale Salad for Christmas Eve

Getting the menu right for a holiday is all about balance. I try not to, for example, have too many carb-heavy dishes because you don’t want your guests to feel bloated. Plus, I’m really all about the sides. Plus, the sides can be so colorful! I love the sweetness and the crunchieness of this salad paired with the creamy bolognese pasta I’m serving up on Christmas Eve.

Can I let you guys in on a little secret? I don’t like kale. Well, I didn’t. And I was like, “you have to massage your kale? Too much work.” This coming from the girl who goes to 4 grocery stores every weekend just to shop for the week. I mean, really? So anyway, I made this salad, and I massaged the kale, because nobody has time for bitter kale, and I actually apparently really like it!

6 Things I Buy Every Week at the Grocery Store

Okay, this should probably be called “6 Things I Buy Every Week at the Grocery Store but Mostly Trader Joe’s.” Loving to cook, I rarely make the same exact thing every week, but I do have a few staples I can’t live without. And there’s something about those Trader Joe’s goodies that are just superior to basically all major chain things I buy!

I love these peppers, and they’re better priced than the peppers at our major chains. A roasted pepper is so versatile, too! Throw it into pasta salad, into an omelet, on a sandwich, in a salad, and even with meats and cheese for impromptu guests. We go through at least a jar a week.

Another TJ’s must have: low fat feta. I’m obsessed. Again, crumbled over eggs, in a salad, sprinkled into rice (with spinach, kalamata olives & lemon? mmhmm, yes please). It lasts forever, but in our house, it lasts about a week.

Artichoke hearts are another perfect pantry item – keep them around to throw on a meat and cheese plate with your roasted red peppers! Trader Joe’s has delicious artichokes (and awesome grilled ones that have so, so much flavor!). I’m partial to throwing these on a cold pasta salad, especially now in the summer months, my regular salad, baked with spinach and cheese over chicken….they do all the things!

Okay. Do y’all know the joy of this Herdez Guacamole Salsa? I am literally obsessed. On salad, on chicken, on steak, on sauteed veggies, on grilled veggies, on raw veggies, on tacos. Give me all the guacamole salsa! This is the one thing I absolutely have to go to the big chain grocer for each week. I will make a special trip just for this salsa when it runs out. You can find it in the Mexican section at the store.

I’m sure everyone buys some sort of greens every week. I actually get this spring mix at Costco. It lasts longer than the regular grocery store, is so super delicious, and is like $3.99 for the ginormous size. I have a salad most days for lunch, so we can easily go through 1-2 of these a week. But they last about 10 days! Especially if you do the paper-towel-on-top-of-the-greens trick. You know, to sop up all the condensation from the lid?

I l-0-v-e mustard. This mustard is the best, we go through a jar every 5 days, easily. I’ve even sauteed zucchini in this mustard! But really it’s the secret to my creamy vinaigrette dressing, and what I use to make a traditional vinaigrette, too (which I put on everything).

 

What are your go-tos each week that you have to have?