Have you ever been to the fast casual restaurant Cubby's in Utah? It's seriously to die for. Fresh, healthy, good for you food with such great flavors. If you live near one, run there now. Seriously, what are you doing still reading this post? Go!
I recently had Cubby's wild rice & kale salad. It's full of chicken, apples, and packed with savory flavors. I don't live within a days drive of a Cubby's, so figuring out how to make this salad on my own was a must. This salad isn't 100% up to the deliciousness they have created, but its darn near close. Make it today and your body and taste buds will thank you.
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 head of kale, finely sliced into 1/8 of an inch strips
1 chicken breast, cooked, then diced
1 apple, diced
1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup wild rice, cooked
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 avocado, diced
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lavender honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
sprinkling of fresh ground pepper
Directions:
Once your kale is chopped, toss it with the lemon juice to allow it to soften. Cook your rice and while the rice is still hot, mix it with the kale to soften it further. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Add in your other salad ingredients, dress to your taste level, and toss. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
I recently had Cubby's wild rice & kale salad. It's full of chicken, apples, and packed with savory flavors. I don't live within a days drive of a Cubby's, so figuring out how to make this salad on my own was a must. This salad isn't 100% up to the deliciousness they have created, but its darn near close. Make it today and your body and taste buds will thank you.
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 head of kale, finely sliced into 1/8 of an inch strips
1 chicken breast, cooked, then diced
1 apple, diced
1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup wild rice, cooked
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 avocado, diced
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lavender honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
sprinkling of fresh ground pepper
Directions:
Once your kale is chopped, toss it with the lemon juice to allow it to soften. Cook your rice and while the rice is still hot, mix it with the kale to soften it further. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Add in your other salad ingredients, dress to your taste level, and toss. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
I always find it interesting when other bloggers share which of all of their posts throughout the year were the most popular. It's funny to see what topics and recipes people are the most interested in. So I thought I would share ours with you! Without further adieu, here were the top 5 recipe posts from The Lavender Apple in 2015:
Cinnamon Rolls
http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/10/lavender-sweet-rolls-cinnamon-rolls.html
Mustard Leek Shrimp Over Cous Cous
http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/11/mustard-leek-shrimp-over-cous-cous.html
Mixed Grill Skillet with Potatoes, Peppers, & Sausage
http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/10/mixed-grill-skillet-with-sausage.html
Crispy Goat Cheese Salad with Shrimp and Mustard Red Potatoes
http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/09/crispy-goat-cheese-salad-with-shrimp.html
Oven Baked Barbecue Chicken
http://thepurpleapple-lavender.blogspot.com/2015/07/oven-baked-barbecue-chicken-breasts.html
If you didn't get a chance to try any of these recipes last year, what are you waiting for? They are all delicious, and usually pretty easy to execute as well! Here's to hoping 2016 is just as tasty.
A few months back we posted a delicious roasted beet salad on this blog. It is delicious with a capital D. As much as I crave that salad, I don't get to have it that often because it involves a lot of planning and prep. Roasting beets is not a quick 5 minute endeavor. But my tummy was telling me that I needed to figure out a way to get beets into my salads more frequently, and of course, my husbands mistress (Costco) came through for us. Costco sells the most delicious pickeled beets. They are roasted and marinated in the most delicious brine. They taste practically as good as home grown roasted beets, but all you have to do for these babies is open a jar. That is my kind of treat. Today we are blessing your bellies with a recipe for a beet salad with pistachios and goat cheese, and all sorts of wonderful and easy toppings.
Ingredients:
16 ounces pickled beets, chopped
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
6 cups spinach, washed
1 cup pistachios, shelled
1/2 cup pickled beet juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lavender salt
1 tsp pepper
Mix the last 5 ingredients together as your dressing, then just toss everything else together on a plate. The beet juice will dye your goat cheese the most beautiful and fun pink color. The beets are beautiful and fun enough to be an anomaly for your kids and they actually might eat them!
This salad has a wonderful earthiness and heartiness due to the beets. Its got a pack of protein and creaminess from the nuts and cheese, and a very mild get in my belly dressing to compliment it. This easy salad will become a quick go-to when you don't feel like spending any longer than 3 seconds making your lunch. Enjoy!
This has got to be the tastiest lasagna that I have ever tasted. It comes together with a few untraditional ingredients, but that's what makes it extra special and extra flavorful.
Ingredients:
1/2 package whole wheat lasagna noodles
4 sprigs fresh rosmary
1/2 small package of lowfat cottage cheese
1 egg
1 ounce goat cheese
3 ounces sliced havarti cheese
3 ounces sliced gouda cheese
salt & pepper
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup seasoned tomato sauce
1 pkg baby portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine
1/2 small onion, diced
Directions:
Heat a large skillet and warm your olive oil. Slice your mushrooms (or if you are lazy like me, just break them over the pan into bite sized peices). Add your mushrooms and onion to the pan and cook on medium heat until they reduce down. Add your red wine and about a tsp of chopped rosemary until all the liquid is absorbed. Once your mushrooms have reduced down properly, remove them from the heat. In the mean time, boil a bot of salted water and boil your lasagna noodles for 8 minutes. While that boils, mix your goat cheese, cottage cheese, egg, salt & pepper, and a tsp of chopped rosemary. In a 9x9 casserole dish layer your noodles, then spoon some of the cottage cheese mixture over it, then spoon some of your tomato sauce over that. Then add another layer of noodles. Spoons some additional cottage cheese mixture, then add your mushroom mixture in a thin layer. Then add another layer of noodles. Spoon the remaining cottage cheese mixture on top, and some additional sauce. One more layer of noodles, some additional sauce, then top with your sliced cheese and italian seasoning. Bake in your oven at 375 for 35 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden and bubbly.
So I made up a salad today with some left over ingredients I had laying around, and it was SO DANG GOOD. The pantry gods were smiling down upon me, and everything in this dish comes together so beautifully. Its got a lovely savory and satisfying flavor due to the mushrooms and bacon, and its got great for you buttery vegetables and a peppery bite from the arugula. I love eating meat free or very little meat meals. It just feels like a healthy choice. This was a great way to eat vegetables for dinner and not feel sad about it.
Directions:
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it begins to crisp up and renders some of its fat. Add your mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the mushrooms and bacon from the pan and set aside. Stir your squash into the remaining bacon grease and cook until the squash is cooked through and crispy on the outside. Pour your arugula into a bowl, top it with the squash, then the bacon/mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Roasted walnuts would be a wonderful add on as well if available.
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled and cubed into 1 inch squares
3 cups bag fresh arugula
3 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 pkg baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper
Directions:
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it begins to crisp up and renders some of its fat. Add your mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the mushrooms and bacon from the pan and set aside. Stir your squash into the remaining bacon grease and cook until the squash is cooked through and crispy on the outside. Pour your arugula into a bowl, top it with the squash, then the bacon/mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Roasted walnuts would be a wonderful add on as well if available.
This salad was supremely delicious and came together quickly. A quick, healthy, tasty, low meat meal. Winner winner (not a chicken dinner) in my book!
Enjoy!
Tonights dinner was an uber satisfying autumn meal. It was a meatless meal, but was full of nutrients and protein that won't leave you missing your heifer. As with most of our recipes on the blog recently, this meal comes together in just 20 minutes, and uses affordable and delicious ingredients. This recipe is sure to be on repeat this fall.
Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash (between 1-2 pounds) cubed into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lavender herbs de provence
1 sixteen ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, cubed
10 corn tortillas
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
In a medium high heat pan, warm your oil. Add your squash, cumin, herbs de provence, and saute with salt and pepper until tender, about 15 minutes. Add your beans and heat until warmed through. Season again with salt and pepper if needed. Serve on warm tortillas with goat cheese and cilantro.
Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash (between 1-2 pounds) cubed into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lavender herbs de provence
1 sixteen ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, cubed
10 corn tortillas
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
In a medium high heat pan, warm your oil. Add your squash, cumin, herbs de provence, and saute with salt and pepper until tender, about 15 minutes. Add your beans and heat until warmed through. Season again with salt and pepper if needed. Serve on warm tortillas with goat cheese and cilantro.
Again, this is a wonderful meatless vegitarian meal that will fill up and keep your family happy on these cold autumn nights. Quick, easy, and delicious. Enjoy!
This salad has got it all. Wonderful smokey protein, crunchy greens, crispy salty cheese rounds, and soft mustardy potatoes. They all come together for a delicious and beautiful dish. If this salad doesn't say "get in my belly" to you, then I don't know how to help you.
Directions:
Turn on your broiler.
Boil some water in a sauce pan.
Chop your potatoes into half length wise and then width wise so they form bite sized chunks.
Add your potatoes to the boiling water and simmer until fork tender (about 15 minutes).
In a bowl mix together an egg an 1/4 tsp pepper.
In a separate bowl mix together your bread crumbs and 1/2 tsp lavender herbs de provence.
Slice your goat cheese into 6 disks.
Dip your disks into the egg then breadcrumbs, then place on a greased baking sheet.
Spray the tops of your disks with olive oil cooking spray to help them crisp up, broil for 5 minutes.
In a mason jar shake together olive oil, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 tsp lavender salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
When your potatoes are done and still hot, cover them in 1/2 of the dressing mixture.
Let the potatoes cool in the fridge while you grill your shrimp.
Pat your shrimp dry and then coat with lavender salt, herbs de provence, and pepper. Spray with oil.
Grill on each side until pink and cooked through, with a nice char on them.
Add the rest of the dressing to your lettuce and mix the lettuce and potatoes together.
Serve the goat cheese rounds and shrimp on top of the bed of lettuce.
This is a great end of summer salad. The shrimp and lettuce are nice and crunchy and the addition of the potatoes makes it very hearty. The dressing is so easy and just a tangy perfection. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
20 large shrimp
1 head romain lettuce, chopped
6 large red potatoes
1 egg
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 tsp lavender herbs de provence
6 ounces goat cheese (in log form)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
lavender salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Spray Olive Oil
Directions:
Turn on your broiler.
Boil some water in a sauce pan.
Chop your potatoes into half length wise and then width wise so they form bite sized chunks.
Add your potatoes to the boiling water and simmer until fork tender (about 15 minutes).
In a bowl mix together an egg an 1/4 tsp pepper.
In a separate bowl mix together your bread crumbs and 1/2 tsp lavender herbs de provence.
Slice your goat cheese into 6 disks.
Dip your disks into the egg then breadcrumbs, then place on a greased baking sheet.
Spray the tops of your disks with olive oil cooking spray to help them crisp up, broil for 5 minutes.
In a mason jar shake together olive oil, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 tsp lavender salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
When your potatoes are done and still hot, cover them in 1/2 of the dressing mixture.
Let the potatoes cool in the fridge while you grill your shrimp.
Pat your shrimp dry and then coat with lavender salt, herbs de provence, and pepper. Spray with oil.
Grill on each side until pink and cooked through, with a nice char on them.
Add the rest of the dressing to your lettuce and mix the lettuce and potatoes together.
Serve the goat cheese rounds and shrimp on top of the bed of lettuce.
This is a great end of summer salad. The shrimp and lettuce are nice and crunchy and the addition of the potatoes makes it very hearty. The dressing is so easy and just a tangy perfection. Enjoy!
Its time for pizza to make another appearance on this good old blog today. This time in a flavorful bacon and brussel sprout pizza. This pizza has a lovely crunchy and creaminess from the cheese. Enjoy!
Pizza Dough
Ingredients: (makes dough for 2 pizzas)
1 envelope yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Add your yeast, sugar, salt, water, and olive oil in your mixing bowl and stir. Using your dough hook, add your flour slowly and beat on medium until a ball of dough forms. Cover your dough ball with olive oil and leave in bowl covered with plastic wrap in a warm spot until it has doubled in size. Divide it into pieces and knead it lightly and let it sit for about 10 minutes before forming into pizza circles.
Pizza Toppings:
8 brussel sprouts
16 ounce package of bacon
1 garlic clove
3 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup feta cheese
Olive oil for brushing
Black pepper
Balsamic glaze
Cook your bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the excess oil. Trim your brussel sprouts into small shavings. Add them to the remaining bacon grease in the pan and cook until wilted. Add 1 minced garlic clove and cook for 1 additional minute. Cut your bacon into small pieces. Brush your pizza crust with olive oil. Cover with brussel sprouts, bacon, goat cheese, and feta cheese. Crack some black pepper over your pizza. Drizzle your pizza with your balsamic glaze. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and crust is golden.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients: (makes dough for 2 pizzas)
1 envelope yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Add your yeast, sugar, salt, water, and olive oil in your mixing bowl and stir. Using your dough hook, add your flour slowly and beat on medium until a ball of dough forms. Cover your dough ball with olive oil and leave in bowl covered with plastic wrap in a warm spot until it has doubled in size. Divide it into pieces and knead it lightly and let it sit for about 10 minutes before forming into pizza circles.
Pizza Toppings:
8 brussel sprouts
16 ounce package of bacon
1 garlic clove
3 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup feta cheese
Olive oil for brushing
Black pepper
Balsamic glaze
Cook your bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the excess oil. Trim your brussel sprouts into small shavings. Add them to the remaining bacon grease in the pan and cook until wilted. Add 1 minced garlic clove and cook for 1 additional minute. Cut your bacon into small pieces. Brush your pizza crust with olive oil. Cover with brussel sprouts, bacon, goat cheese, and feta cheese. Crack some black pepper over your pizza. Drizzle your pizza with your balsamic glaze. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and crust is golden.
The other day I was in the mood for some cookies and I made the mistake of asking my toddler what type of cookies we should bake. His answer? Pumpkin cookies. Ok, pumpkin cookies are a random request for the first day of spring, but I'm fostering his new found skill of decision making. So we rolled with it and made some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. My favorite pumpkin chocolate chip recipe however only uses 6 tablespoons of pumpkin puree. So I am inevitably left with 2/3rds of a can of pumpkin every time I bake them. What to do, what to do. So I invented a new recipe that uses up all the leftover pumpkin! I know I'm not the only one who has left over portions of pumpkin laying around, so without further ado, I introduce to you: Pumpkin Pasta with Brown Butter and Sage.
1/2 stick of butter
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried french tarragon
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 box penne pasta (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup goat cheese
Salt & Pepper
Melt your butter in a frying pan on low heat. Just leave it there and don't mess with it. Let it bubble and get golden. As soon as you see the butter changing from yellow to golden, add your garlic, sage, and tarragon.
While your butter browns, go ahead and boil your pasta in salted water for 8-10 minutes as the package directs. Strain the water from your pasta, reserving about 1/4 of a cup of the starchy water for later. While that pasta sits in your colander, use your warm pot to heat up your pumpkin puree and mix it with your goat cheese. Once those two are incorporated, add your pasta back to pot and mix. Then add your butter to the pot and mix. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little of your reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Salt and pepper to taste.
Due to the brown butter, pumpkin, herbs, and goat cheese, this is a very flavorful dish. It tastes as indulgent as a macaroni, but due to a lot of the sauce being made up from pumpkin, its much less sinful, and a little bit more sophisticated as well. This will serve 2-3 people.
Enjoy!
Tonight I made a delicious salad that features two of our favorite Lavender Apple farm products! Lavender Honey and our farm pressed apple juice. It was sweet, savory, and a easy to put together.
For the salad:
4 ounces fresh spinach
1 red apple, sliced
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup dried cranberries
For the dressing:
1/2 cup apple juice
1/8 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lavender honey (plain honey will also work, but why use that when lavender honey exists!)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Mix the dressing together, combine salad ingredients, pour dressing over salad and serve immediately. Makes enough salad for 4.
Its always wonderful to have a hearty goat cheese salad when we are all working so hard on our new years resolutions. The winter cranberries and autumn apples make this a wonderful treat for lunch or a great side at dinner.
For the salad:
4 ounces fresh spinach
1 red apple, sliced
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup dried cranberries
For the dressing:
1/2 cup apple juice
1/8 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lavender honey (plain honey will also work, but why use that when lavender honey exists!)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Mix the dressing together, combine salad ingredients, pour dressing over salad and serve immediately. Makes enough salad for 4.
Its always wonderful to have a hearty goat cheese salad when we are all working so hard on our new years resolutions. The winter cranberries and autumn apples make this a wonderful treat for lunch or a great side at dinner.