Grilled Tuna Nicoise Salad

Salad:
1 pound Ahi tuna steaks
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayo
sea salt and pepper
8 cup leaf lettuce
8 hard boiled eggs, quartered
2 cups cooked cauliflower
2 cups blanched green beans
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup mayo
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine mustard, mayo, and pepper in a small bowl. Coat the tuna steaks thickly with mixture. Grill over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side, longer if you like your tuna well done. Remove and slice the tuna.

Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Place the lettuce on a platter and arrange the veggies and tuna on the plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

Tarter Sauce

1 egg

¾ cup olive or avocado oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard

¼ tsp salt

6 tbsp chopped pickles or cornichons

1 tbsp capers, chopped

½ tsp dried dill (optional)

¼ tsp black pepper

1. To make the mayo, in a jar of immersion blender add the egg, salt and lemon juice and ¼ cup of oil. Press the immersion blender to the bottom of the jar and turn on. Pulse for 30 seconds without moving the blender.
2. Add the rest of oil and slowly move the blender up and down until the mixture thickens.
3. Add the rest of ingredients in a jar and mix well with a spoon or a silicon spatula. Adjust the taste with more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Serve immediately or transfer in an airtight container and store in the fridge until needed.

Bacon, Tomato, and Zucchini Salad with Feta

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half and drained into a colander
4 small or 3 medium zucchini, diced in 1/2″ pieces
6 slices bacon (cooked until crisp and blotted with paper towels to remove fat)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients:
3 pieces of bacon, crumbled (half the bacon from above)
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sweetener of your choice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Dice tomatoes let them drain in a colander while you prep the other ingredients. Cut stem and blossom end from zucchini, cut lengthwise into strips, cut away the seeds if there are a lot of seeds, and then cut the strips into pieces about 1/2 inch long.

Cook the bacon until it’s very crisp, draining the fat.

In food processor or blender chop three pieces of bacon until the bacon is in small bits. Add mayo, oil, vinegar, sweetener of your choice, garlic powder, onion powder, Dijon, and salt and then pulse until ingredients are well combined.

Combine the drained tomatoes and zucchini in a salad bowl. Pour dressing over and stir to coat the tomatoes and zucchini with dressing. Crumble the Feta and the other 3 pieces of bacon, and gently stir into the salad, saving a little Feta and a little bacon to sprinkle over the top. Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and devour!

Kale Caesar Salad with Almond-Crusted Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup almonds
2 tsp herbs de provence
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 egg
1 bunch of kale, stems removed, cut into ribbons

For the dressing

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp spicy mustard
2 cloves garlic
3 tsp anchovy paste
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Blend the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the herbs, salt, and pepper, and pulse to incorporate. Transfer to a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg. Dip each chicken breast first into the egg mixture and then into the almond mixture to coat both sides of the chicken. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Place all of the dressing ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth. Slowly add in the olive oil to emulsify.

In a large bowl, massage the kale with desired amount of dressing. Let sit for 4-5 minutes. Top with baked chicken to serve.

Taco Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

For the salad

2-3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/4 cup red onion, diced
3 tbsp sliced black olives
3 green onions, chopped
8 oz. ground beef
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the dressing

1/2 avocado, pit removed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp water
Pinch of salt

To make the dressing, blend the ingredients with an immersion blender or in a regular blender and process until smooth. Add more water if necessary to reach desired consistency, and taste for seasoning. Set aside.
Cook ground beef with seasonings over medium heat. Assemble salad by combining all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Top with dressing to serve.

Cocktail Sauce

1 10 oz can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt to your taste
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 tablespoon vinegar to taste
2-3 packets of sweetener of your choice
1 teaspoon horseradish to your taste

Mix together.

Ranch Dressing II

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

You could also add a little Chipotle seasoning to give it some zing. Bacon might be a nice addition, too!

Ranch-ish

Lowfat/ Fat Free Cottage Cheese into the blender (I used my magic bullet) with a little bit of milk, some Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and parsley flakes, dill and a generous pinch of salt. (Play with the spices, til you get it how you like it) Blend until smooth – add some water or chicken broth to get it to your desired consistency.

Tartar Sauce

1/2 c cottage cheese- 2%
1 pkt Splenda
2-3 tsps Rice Vinegar
Chopped midget dill pickles

Water for desired consistency All all to a blender except the pickles & water. Blend until smooth. Add water for desired consistency (probably about 1/8 c). Pour in storage container & add pickles.

Garlic Tangy vinegar OIL – FREE SALAD DRESSING

1/2 c. red wine vinegar or balsamic
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 packet of stevia (more if you want sweet)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 c. water

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate in a container with a tight fitting lid. Will keep for months. 3 tablespoons = 10 calories.
VARIATIONS: Try different types of vinegar, for a creamy dressing, add plain non-fat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, or tofu and blend well.
Makes 2 cups.