#BloggerCLUE – Healthy Beginnings

Back in the 90’s there was a popular song titled “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette. I’m certain if Alanis Morisette was a food blogger, and assigned to Liz from “That Skinny Chick Can Bake”with a theme of healthy food, she would have found that quite “ironic”. Seriously, who gets assigned to one of the best baking bloggers in the blogosphere with a theme of “healthy”. Have you read Liz’s blog? Does she even qualify for this theme? Countless chocolate laden desserts that make your mouth water. Cakes, brownies, cookies. Calories. Desserts galore. Who started this whole trend of healthy eating and why do we continue to torture ourselves with it every January? (We all know my idea of a dry and healthy January comes in the form of Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc, or Gin and that a cocktail is healthy if there is fruit in it.)

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Being the trouper I am, I searched Liz’s fabulous blog high and low for a healthy recipe and much to my demise she had healthy recipes. So much for my excuse of needing to make a cocktail because it had fruit and therefore qualified as “healthy”, or a fruit dessert because also anything with fruit is healthy. Damn it! Liz went and ruined all my plans when she did a recipe round-up of her healthy meals.  I couldn’t even fain ignorance, it was right there on the front page of “That Skinny Chick Can Bake”. (Really Liz, couldn’t you have held off until June to post healthy recipe round-ups?)

Despite my best efforts to be real with everyone in 2016 about my lack of diet plans or initiatives, here is a tasty and healthy Mediterranean Chopped Salad from Liz. This is salad is fresh, full of flavor and can be made with pantry ingredients. (Liz said you can adapt to what you like and what you have on hand.) The vinaigrette is tasty and the addition of sugar helps offset some of the acidity. What I loved most about this recipe is the ability to adapt to ingredients you have at home. Even the diet adverse (myself included) can enjoy this salad.

Oh, and to whomever will be doing the assignments for dessert month – I think you owe assigning me to Liz. It is cruel and unusual punishment to assign me to her with a theme of “Healthy Foods”.

Need some inspiration to keep your New Year’s Resolutions to eat healthy? Never fear Blogger C.L.U.E. is here, check out the great recipes the group has come up with:

• Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Kate from Kate’s Kitchen
• Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Kim from Liv Life
• Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Anna from annaDishes
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Debra from Eliot’s Eats
• Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Sue from A Palatable Pastime

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

 

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Author: Liz Berg - That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Ingredients

• For salad:
• •1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded (if desired) and chopped into ½ inch pieces
• •1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
• •1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
• •2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• •8 ounce fresh mozzarella ball, cut into ½ inch cubes
• •6 ounces marinated artichoke quarters, drained
• •¼ cup kalamata olives, cut in half or chopped
• •1 tablespoon capers, optional
• •1 romaine lettuce heart, chopped
• For vinaigrette:
• •2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• •4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• •1 teaspoon sugar
• •Kosher salt, to taste (start with ¼ teaspoon)
• •Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (start with ⅛ teaspoon)
• •⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Toss together all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Before serving, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, sugar salt and pepper. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking constantly. Pour about half over salad and toss. Add more vinaigrette if desired.

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