More Spring Salads!

I've been on both a salad kick and an avocado kick lately, so here are two more "gems to try! Baby spinach, strawberries, avocado, sliced almonds and Feta cheese with a strawberry poppyseed dressing.............whoa...

and a super-simple "BLT" salad with iceberg lettuce, crispy bacon, Roma tomatoes and avocado with Ranch dressing - yum!

                                                                                   

Spring Salads!

Warmer weather means spring salads; well, at least in my book.  With the abundance of fresh asparagus and salad greens this time of year, it's a no-brainer! I even made a "pasta salad", which I NEVER do, and it was heavenly! Try it out:

Spring Pasta Salad with Asparagus, Bacon & Feta 

adapted from a recipe by www.familyfreshcooking.com

8 ounces Ditalini pasta

asparagus, cut into 1/4 inch pieces, totaling about 2 cups

Feta cheese crumbles

several slices bacon, fried and crumbled (I used turkey bacon and cooked in the microwave)

lemon juice

olive oil

Ranch dressing

salt & pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions. At the last minute or so, toss in the asparagus bits.  Drain the pasta and asparagus and toss into a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and toss to combine.  Add the feta and bacon, then drizzle with a little Ranch dressing.  Mix well and season to taste.  This tastes great warm and at room temperature. My girlfriend and I had seconds!  I did not try it chilled, but I'm thinking it would be pretty good, too!

Recently, I also threw together these pretty salads: the one above is arugula, raw asparagus, peas, avocado and hard boiled eggs tossed with a simple olive oil and lemon juice vinaigrette.  The salad below is made with a bag of mixed salad greens. raw asparagus, chickpeas and tomatoes, served with a Tuscan Italian dressing from the supermarket.  So pretty! So good for you! Happy Spring!

Yet more rainy day baking...

It's spring, full-force, in the Midwest, and getting a tad bit too damp for my liking...this weather always makes me want to bake something, so I scoured my ever-growing "Yum" board on Pinterest, and this is what I came up with: Avocado Banana Bread! Brilliant! Moist, banana-y and good for you too! And to those who are squeamish about the avocado; you can't taste it!

Avocado Banana Bread (thanks to www.crazyforcrust.com)

1 1/2 avocados, peeled and pitted (or one huge one)

1 cup sugar

2 very ripe bananas

2 eggs

6 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used a very generous sprinkling of mini chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray (I dusted mine with flour too) and set aside.  Puree avocados in a food processor until smooth and transfer to a large bowl.  Add sugar and mix with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until well blended.  Place the bananas, eggs, milk, vinegar and baking soda in a food processor and pulse until liquefied.  Pour half the banana mixture into the avocado mixer with 1 cup of flour and stir until just combined.  Repeat with the rest of the banana mixture and flour. Do not over mix! Pour into loaf pan, top with chocolate chips and bake for about 35 minutes, until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Yum!