Seriously Succulent Sides Part III: Farmers Market Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

A salad is obviously one of the easiest thing to throw together. Anything you want, tossed with any dressing you want- Voile. Well, it's not quite like that... the key to a great salad is different textures, and a series of complementary flavors. The recipe below owes its awesomeness to the zesty dressing, the crunch of pecans, the peppery lettuce and the cool cucumbers. Flavor + Texture

Salad

1/2 Head Red Leaf Lettuce, chopped
1 Tomato, sliced
2 Ears of Corn, boiled and corn cut from the cobb
1/4 C. Toasted Pecans (leftover from last nights Brussel Sprouts Recipe)
1 C. Baby Spinach
1/2 Cucumber, thinly sliced

Dressing

1 Avocado
1/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime, juiced
2 Tbsp. Water
1 Clove Garlic, minced
A Pinch of Salt
Crushed Pepper

Mix the salad together. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth.

Feta Stuffed Meatballs and Spinach Orzo Salad

Hmmm....meatballs. Who doesn't love a meatball?? Nearly bite-sized delicious goodness and now stuffed with feta? Hello, awesome. Here is a yummy meal that is healthy, fairly low carb and WAY easy.

Feta-Stuffed Meatballs
1 1b. Ground Beef (or any other meat....lamb would be AWESOME)
1/4 C. Breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 Tbsp. Greek Seasoning (aka: Oregano, Dried Mint, Basil, Marjoram, Thyme and Garlic Powder)
1/2 C. Onion Chopped
1/4 C.  Feta Cheese, Crumbled
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, seasoning, onion, salt and pepper by hand.
Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and place a large spoonful of meat mixture into each cup. With your finger, make a hole and fill with feta.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook!

Perfect to eat right away or freeze for later!

Spinach Orzo Salad

Salad
1 C. Orzo (You can double if you want it more "pasta heavy")
3 C. Spinach, chopped
1/4 C. Feta (add more if you so desire)
1/2 C. Cherry Tomatoes, halved
Salt
Pepper
1 Tbsp. Toasted Pine Nuts (Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in pan, add pine nuts and stir until browned), if desired

Dressing
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Sea Salt
Sprinkle of Dried Mint
Sprinkle of Crushed Red Pepper


Put chopped spinach in a large bowl.
Cook orzo per box (boil for about 9 minutes in salted water), drain and rinse.
Add to the spinach and stir until the spinach wilts. Add the Feta, tomatoes and a little salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Make the dressing by combining all ingredients. Pour over spinach and toss. Serve immediately.
Add toasted pine nuts, if desired for a little crunch. (I love them, but are high in calories- so I skip).

A great salad to bring to parties- easy, fresh and goes great with burgers, grilled chicken or just by itself!

Happy Cooking!
~e