Salads & Sides
Warm Baby Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Almonds & Watercress by Chef Curtis Cooke
November 14, 2011
by Optimum Wellness
0 Comments
We are thrilled to share this delicious recipe provided by Chef Curtis Cooke of the Golden Door Spa in Southern California.
12 each Baby Beets (red, golden, candy stripe, etc.), roasted
1 wheel Goat Cheese
¼ cup Almonds, toasted, ground
¼ cup Red Beet Vinaigrette
1 bunch Watercress, leaves only
Roasted Beets
1 bunch Baby Red Beets
1 bunch Baby Golden Beets
1 bunch [...]
Fancy Fries
October 21, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 0 Comments
These “Fries” are actually baked, not fried. As a result you’ll get tons of flavor without the fat or trans fat that usually comes along with traditional fries. Sweet potatoes are about the most nutritious vegetables around.
Stuffed Winter Squash
September 15, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 0 Comments
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 small acorn or delicata squash, halved and seeded
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
1 chicken and apple sausages (large) crumbled
1/2 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
1 dash salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds from [...]
Sunset Soup
September 15, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 1 Comment
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup roasted red or yellow bell peppers, chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
dollop of plain yogurt or crème fraiche (optional)
1/2 cup [...]
Black Bean and Corn Salad
August 22, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 0 Comments
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 each ears of corn, shucked
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup minced red onion
2 cups red cabbage, shredded (or use broccoli slaw for a nice change)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 dash sea salt
1 dash black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
If you prefer cooked corn kernels then [...]
Ratatouille
August 22, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 1 Comment
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 each garlic cloves, minced
1 medium eggplant, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped into bite-size pieces
2 small zucchini, diced
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly [...]
Grilled Zucchini, Pepper and Onion
July 20, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 0 Comments
It’s hot outside and the vegetables are wonderfully abundant. We love the simplicity of grilled veggies – they make an awesome side-dish to any meal or can become the star of a breakfast omelet or frittata. We also like to grill the veggies and chop them up into a salad, adding fresh herbs plus a little drizzle of olive oil and a bit of feta or chevre cheese.
Power Tower
July 19, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 0 Comments
Here’s an incredibly refreshing dish that makes a perfect summer snack, appetizer or side dish. With tomatoes and watermelon in great abundance this time of year you can have fun stacking these two antioxidant and flavor-packed fruits however you’d like. We used organic seedless watermelon along with a golden heirloom tomato. We alternated each slice [...]
Blueberry Soup
July 15, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 2 Comments
Here is a sample recipe from our cookbook. Enjoy! For an uncooked version of this soup, simply use fresh berries and ground cinnamon instead of the cinnamon stick – add all of the ingredients to a blender (including yogurt), puree and dig in!
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup water
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 [...]
Pasta Salad
May 3, 2011 by Optimum Wellness 0 Comments
For this quick and easy pasta salad, we used gluten free spiral pasta made from brown rice. They take a bit longer to cook (about 15-17 minutes) but their taste and texture are perfect for a pasta salad. After rinsing and draining the pasta, we added about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and tossed to [...]
