Trial and Error

Good morning! So, last night's dinner salad was a qualified success. On the one hand, it was a million times easier than making the actual quiche, since I didn't have to dirty up my food processor, wash more dishes, and bake the quiche. On the other hand, it was missing that certain je ne sais quoi that quiche has...I'm guessing it was probably the fact that I swapped out delicious flaky pastry crust and a buttery bread crumb topping for, well, raw baby spinach :) But it was decent and healthy, my hubby liked it, and my son liked the sauteed asparagus and beans, so all in all, it was a good experiment. I love to try new twists on favorite recipes, and this was a great way to simplify and "healthify" an already delicious one.

First, I broke off the tough, fibrous ends of the asparagus....

Then chopped up some shallots and garlic.

I always, always, ALWAYS take the little green center vein out of the garlic before I chop it up.

I used to have horrible acid reflux, and garlic always bothered me, whether in its raw or cooked form. Then, I read a little note in one of Ani Phyo's cookbooks that removing the center vein will help make the garlic more digestible, and that almost anybody who has trouble with garlic will benefit from this. I was curious and removed the vein the next time I made a dish with garlic, and lo and behold, Ani was right! How awesome is this! Now I eat garlic all the time and it doesn't bother me one bit. Thanks, Ani!

I sauteed the asparagus, shallots and garlic in a little bit of EVOO, salt, and pepper.

Then I turned off the heat and stirred in a can of navy beans and some chopped fresh tarragon.

Next, I whisked together a simple tarragon vinaigrette. This consisted of some fresh lemon juice, EVOO, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, and some chopped fresh tarragon. I didn't follow a recipe - I just free-formed it until it tasted good :)

Finally, I assembled my salad. I put some baby romaine and baby spinach in a bowl, then topped it with the sauteed veggies and beans, some chopped fresh tomato, some chopped walnuts, and the tarragon vinaigrette.

On retrospect, I think this salad would have been killer with some steamed bulgur or millet on top to add some texture and chewiness. Next time!

Later I snacked on some wasabi peas while I watched Glee. I just love wasabi peas...they are perfect in almost every way :) They are crunchy, spicy, and even have some nutrition (protein & fiber)! I'm big into the crunchiness factor of food. Some people love creamy textures, but I'm a big fan of the crunch.

This morning, I woke up and did the P90X shoulders & arms workout. After my workout, I enjoyed another Chocolate Cherry smoothie and shared some oatmeal with my son. Lunch was leftover salad from last night. I almost always make 4 servings of every dinner I make so that way my hubby and I can have it again for lunch the next day. I figure, why not kill two birds with one stone? I love having lunch already prepared each day!

While my son is napping, I'm going to do all the prep work for tonight's dinner, Delhi Express Soup from The Complete Book of Raw Food. Have a great afternoon!