Tag Archives: Photos

Roasted Mushroom, Potato and Carrot Salad + Homemade Garlic Croutons

I think you are going to love this!

A healthy salad! That is delicious!

I’m telling you, I am in love with this salad.

I mentioned the other day that I am ready for light summer food and this is just that.

Roasted mushrooms are unbelievable. If you have never roasted mushrooms, you need to. And if you have, I hope this is a friendly reminder of how to-die-for they are.

I feel like I am kind of at a weird in-between stage with fruits and veggies. I’m sort of done with winter produce and ready for summer foods but it’s just not time yet. But, I feel like it is always a good time for potatoes. And carrots. And I’ve discovered that cubed fingerling potatoes roast up so nicely. And carrots too! Why is everything better roasted?

And, these croutons. I definitely have a love-hate relationship with croutons. They are yummy and a nice crunchy addition to salad, but have you ever looked at the ingredient list on store-bought croutons? If you haven’t and you have any desire to eat minimally processed foods, don’t look and don’t buy. Make these instead.

I’ve had problems with homemade croutons in the past. They seemed confusing and have turned out either too soft or hard as rocks. These turned out perfectly. The garlic flavor is subtle but delicious. These were slightly soft but had a nice crunch. And so super simple. They take no time at all. I feel like I will start to make a big batch of these to keep on hand.

The whole thing together is amazing. Everything works together so perfectly. The veggies, greens and croutons. There is nothing I love better than a plate full of veggies that tastes delicious and is satisfying!

And, come back tomorrow to see what I dressed my salad with. It. is. amazing!

This is what I used to make probably four servings
Ingredients
8 oz. mushrooms (I used baby portobello)
3 large carrots
10 oz. fingerling potatoes
Fresh ground black pepper
Greens, I used spring mix lettuce, probably about 6 cups
4 pieces of grainy/seedy bread
Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced

Method

Preheat oven to 375*.

Cube the carrots and the potatoes and cut the mushrooms in half. I left the stems on. All veggies should be about the same size. Add veggies to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, about 1-2 tablespoons, just enough to coat the veggies. Toss to coat well and season with pepper. Transfer veggies to a baking sheet and roast until soft and nicely browned. I roasted for 25 minutes.

While veggies are roasting, cube the bread slices. Add them to a bowl. Add about 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is soft. Pour the oil and garlic over the bread cubes and toss to combine well. You can add the bread cubes to the same pan as the veggies or get a new one, but they will need about 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until just crispy.

Assemble the salad by placing the greens in individual bowls or one big bowl. Top with the roasted veggies and garlic croutons. Drizzle on dressing and toss to combine everything well.

Tomorrow I’ll share my dressing recipe!

Enjoy!

DC Day Two: Sights

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To view my first two posts about my trip to DC, click here and here.

I hope you guys don’t get tired of me posting photos from DC. I can’t believe that it has been almost a month since I was there. As I was sorting through my photos, I see that I have at least two posts worth of photos yet to share.

Today I’m sharing photos from day number two. We woke up early as a group and ventured out into the city after a breakfast at our hotel. We stayed in beautiful part of Alexandria, VA.

In the city, we knew we wanted to visit the Holocaust Museum. We went there early to get tickets and while we waited for our time, Greg and I visited the Freer Gallery of Art . I didn’t take any photos inside, but if you’re ever in DC, it is definitely worth checking out.

The Holocaust Museum is an interesting experience. I would encourage everyone to see it once, but in my opinion, one time is enough. This was at least my third time there and I would be okay with not going again. The museum is extremely powerful and extremely disturbing. It’s a lot to take in. It’s well done.

We ate lunch at the cutest little place that we just sort of stumbled into, but I’m going to share our eats from day two in another post. Get ready!

The rest of our day was spent walking all over the city. We really covered some ground. We visited the White House, and then walked to the Washington Monument, war memorials, and Lincoln Memorial, taking photos all along the way. DC really is a beautiful place and I could not get enough of the views. It’s best to go when the weather is comfortable to be outside so that you can walk everywhere and just take everything in.

From there we walked to Georgetown, but that’s getting its own post as well!

So, without further ado, here is DC Day Two: Sights:

{Where we stayed.}

{Just into the city.}

{Around the Holocaust Museum.}

{Beautiful buildings.}

{Recognizable places.}

{Cherry blossoms.}

{People and faces.}

Smoky Black Bean + Cilantro Veggie Burgers

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I made veggie burgers for your Monday!

Have you guys heard of Meatless Monday?

It is a national campaign encouraging people to limit their meat consumption by not eating it on Monday.

By going meatless on Mondays!

I think that it’s a great idea.

What better way to start a week than with something fresh and healthy? That makes you feel satisfied and nourished. And with these veggie burgers, also delicious.

They are smoky from paprika, cumin and chili powder.

They have a bit of spice from crushed red pepper.

They are bright and fresh from lime and cilantro.

The thick and creamy texture from the black beans is perfect.

Try serving on a bun and topped with avocado, salsa and an extra squeeze of lime. Or, over a bed of greens. I’ve been loving both ways.

Whether you are trying to cut out meat or not, you should try these burgers! They will please meat lovers and veggie lovers alike!

Ingredients
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1/2 of a red pepper
1/2 of a green pepper
1/2 of a yellow onion
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2- 15 oz. cans of black beans
1 c. bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dice the carrots, celery, peppers and onions very fine. I used a mini food chopper to get the veggies diced very small. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, to flavor the oil. Add diced veggies to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Drain and rinse black beans. Add to a large bowl and mash using a potato masher or the back of a fork.

To the bowl with the black beans add the breadcrumbs, egg, onion powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cilantro and lime juice. Stir well. Then add the cooked veggies. Stir well to incorporate everything. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Make this mixture into rounded patties. This should make about 6 to 8 burgers, depending on the size.

In a pan over medium heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the patties and cook 5-6 minutes on each side, or until slightly crisp and cooked through.

Enjoy!