1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

2 tsp. olive oil or coconut oil

2 tsp. chopped ginger

12 oz. spinach or other dark leafy green

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. soy sauce

Place a large pan over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirly bottom to coat.  Add ginger and cook until fragrant - about 10 seconds. Add spinach and broth, stir once then cover.

Reduce heat to medium; cook - stirring again, until greens are wilted - about 2-3 minutes.

Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and seeds.

Toss to distribute flavors, remove from heat, and serve!

Serve this salad as an accompaniment to fresh crab or lobster or to start a meal. The avocado will color if it sits too long, so be sure to prepare the dressing first.

SERVINGS
4

TOTAL TIME
20

INGREDIENTS
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon local honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
4 cups mixed baby lettuce greens
2 papayas
2 avocados

PREPARATIONS
1. Combine the lime juice, honey, salt and pepper; blend until smooth.

2. Peel the papayas and cut them in half. Using a spoon, remove the seeds; discard seeds.

3. Slice the papaya halves into thin wedges. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Slice the flesh into thin strips.

4. Arrange the fruit slices on salad plates, alternating between papaya and avocado.

5. Combine the greens and dressing in a bowl and toss well to coat.

6. Mound a portion of the greens in the center of each plate. Drizzle with a few drops of dressing.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
(Based on individual servings)
Calories: 251
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 166 mg
Carbohydrates: 30 g
Protein: 4 g

Originally published in

Find this article at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/3023

This recipe comes from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. If you don’t have or feel like skewering these vegetables, they will be just as tasty simply oven-roasted. Enjoy!

A belated congratulations to Keith of Thundering Hooves for his prize-winning potluck entry at the VIBRANCE open house in late April. Keith won a $25 gift certificate to Sur La Table to further cultivate his culinary imagination!

Keith’s grass-fed Mongolian Beef recipe was a fantastic addition to the potluck, and narrowly pulled ahead of a southwest quinoa dish contributed by the Purcell family. The mongolian beef was rich with multi-colored veggies and contained very added fat. Grass-fed beef is not only more humane, but it contains less saturated fat and has omega3 fatty acids from the cow’s natural diet of wild plants. VIBRANCE guests raved over the flavor and vegetable variety within this dish.

Thundering Hooves Grass-Fed Mongolian Beef with Veggies

• 1 lg head broccoli, chopped into florets, stalk diced
• 1 lg. onion, thinly sliced
• 1 each - red and green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 sm. serrano chili, diced
• 2 cups snap peas
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into matchsticks
• 1 lb. grass-fed top sirloin steak (skirt or flank steak will also do nicely)

Coat the beef in the following marinade for an hour, then stir-fry until browned:

• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. dry white wine
• 2 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

Whisk together the following sauce for the veggies:

• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp. dry white wine
• 1 tbsp. oyster sauce

As meat is browned, add veggies and stir fry with sauce until crisp tender.

This salad was adapted from a recipe in the June 2007 issue of Gourmet and originally found on Epicurious.com. Michael detests most fruit (at least he likes his veggies!) so we omitted the 1/2 cup dates the recipe originally called for and added more ingredients to make it a heartier, entree type salad. This would also be fantastic with steamed haricot verts and chickpeas or with flaked tuna a la Salade Niçoise.
Recipe alterations are italicized.

Recipe courtesy of Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1-2 cloves of crushed garlic
1 bunch of kale, chopped
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Warm oil in pan on medium heat with minced garlic until aromas of garlic are released, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add chopped shiitake mushrooms, stir-fry for 5 minutes.

3. Add chopped kale, stir-fry for a couple of minutes.

4. Add a splash of water and pinch of salt to pan, cover and let steam for 4 minutes.