This salad was so delicious and Alexandra was so excited that it was her recipe!

We have the tiniest kitchen, and there are five of us, and every single one of us likes to cook and be in the kitchen. Oftentimes I try to limit it to one daughter at a time helping out in there, just because of space limitations.

This week, Alexandra got her High Five magazine in the mail and immediately looked in the Table of Contents to see this month’s recipe.

“Oooohhh this looks good!!” she said.

Sure enough, the recipe did look good, a recipe for an oriental salad which they called Sunshine Salad. We actually had everything for it, even the Chinese Noodles, which we normally would not have on hand.

So that night, it was Alexandra’s turn in the kitchen. Everyone else, step away.

She wanted to be here today when I typed this, but I said she would be at school so she said to be sure to let everyone know that the salad included a homemade dressing.

That she made.

By herself.

This salad was great, and we’d definitely make it again. Everyone loved the addition of the noodles and the mandarin oranges, which they all love. It was quick and easy to make. I chopped the lettuce up for her, but she put everything else in the bowl and made the dressing.

Our nifty container for the dressing is from The Pampered Chef and we use it for all our homemade dressings. It has a pour spout and a whisk at the bottom, helpful for mixing up those oils and vinegars.

Here is the recipe for Alex’s Sunshine Salad from High Five.

Enjoy!

Ingredients were appropriately placed in Dora, Little People and Strawberry Shortcake bowls for easy management.

SUNSHINE SALAD
INGREDIENTS

4 cups mixed lettuce greens (we use Romaine)

11 ounce an of mandarin oranges (we opened and drained three little cups of them)

1/4 cup crispy rice noodles

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (I skipped this. All we had were the ones in the shells and I was not going to sit and open up a quarter cup of them one seed at a time, but they would be a great addition to the salad.)

DRESSING

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar

1/4 cup vegetable oil (we used olive oil)

A very easy salad to prepare, and very quick too!

DIRECTIONS

Wash and dry lettuce greens.

Tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces.

Put the greens, rice noodles, almonds, oranges and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.

Put the brown sugar, rice vinegar and oil into a jar.

Shake or stir to mix the dressing.

Pour the dressing over the salad. Use tongs to gently toss the salad.

So proud! Enjoy your salad and Happy Chinese New Year!

Featured in: Kloudya.com, The Montclarion, Print Media News

Credit: http://www.savvyvegetarian.com

We all know getting the little ones to munch on the green stuff is a less-than-glorious experience. Check out ten tips to help your kids (or man) ease into the process of eating nature’s best source of vitamins and minerals!

1. Mash it up! Cauliflower is high in Vitamin C and contains Phosphorous and Potassium. Blend into mashed potatoes and you’ve just packed your starch with some extra nutrients!
2. Ditch the cans! Canned veggies may be high in sodium and lack flavor. Fresh vegetables tend to be naturally sweeter and crisper…much more enjoyable to eat.
3. Freeze ‘Em! Stick a bunch of grapes in the freezer and watch the new version of hard-candy slowly disappear.
4. Chef Need an Assistant? Children especially love being involved. Let them familiarize themselves with the greens before plated and they may have an easier time trying it.
5. Juice it! Juicing is a great way to reap all of the nutritional benefits of fresh greens, while drinking something that tastes like sweet apples. Fruit flavors will overpower any bitter vegetable taste. Green monster juice anyone?
6. Color Curiosity Get rid of competition with the more desirable-looking foods by serving vegetables centered on a separate plate. Surround the farm-fresh pile with different dressings or sauces to try. The kiddos will be so consumed with trying different flavors the pile will be gone before you know it!
7. Put it in a Pop! Purchase some ice-pop molds and fill with yogurt and fresh fruits. Serve for a yummy vitamin and mineral packed dessert!
8. Sunshine Salad Add chopped carrots and lemon zest to orange Jello mix. Serve chilled.
9. Roll It Up! Serve bowls of taco-night-fixin’s sans the taco shells. Instead, offer a plate of large romaine lettuce leaves. Roll the standard taco ingredients into a healthier alternative.
10. Chips Anyone? Instead of ripping open a bag of greasy store-bought potato chips, make your own. Try kale chips by lightly salting and drizzling olive oil over fresh kale and bake at a low temperature until crispy. DEB

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1 can of name brand pineapple tidbits, drained

1/2 bag multi coloured mini marshmallows

1 can of mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup of shredded sweetened coconut

1 cup of sour cream

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate a minimum 4 hours. Great for several days when stored with a tight seal.

Still freezing.

Need more comfort food.

It looks pretty gross, right? I’ll admit it. I was afraid to test it. I’ve added greens to things before, but usually to things with red sauce so they don’t look so, well, green! Now that I see this picture, I can’t believe I ate it. I would have never even tasted it out of anyone else’s kitchen, but I saw what went in it… so I had to try it. And it was really good! Like better than the Buffalo Chicken Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Seriously!

It all started with this:

I haven’t been able to find my beloved kale mix in our neighborhood King Sooper’s lately. Boo!! So I decided to try this giant bag of greens. It was the cheesy POWER bubble that won me over.

Here’s how I did it:

• 3/4 box whole wheat pasta, cooked & drained
• 4 cups of POWER GREENS blended with 1 cup of skim milk
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp Melt
• 2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

I cooked ingredients 2-6 on the stovetop for a bit to get the cheese melted and then combined it with the noodles in the pot. I topped it with some a few TBSP of Panko mixed with a swig of EVOO.

I swear it was so good, but you don’t have to believe me. I can’t believe Kevin didn’t complain more. I guess he trusts me because I’m a pretty harsh critic of my own cooking.

Kevin has been absolutely swooning over this big container of crushed red pepper he found today. That should last at least till the end of the month. The man’s obsessed!

Okay. Done with the pictures of ugly green things… and I don’t mean Kevin although he is wearing green. Total coincidence!

Last night…

We went out last night! On a SATURDAY! In the RAIN!! You know it had to be somewhere special for me to risk getting my hair wet…

We first went to Sazza Pizza in September when we were brand spankin’ new to Denver, and I’ve been wanting to go back ever since. We just have a hard time repeating restaurants. Perhaps because I grew up in Wabasha, MN, where the options were Chinese or DQ? Not bad options. But we’re loving the variety.

And guess what? The owner (? pretty sure he’s the owner) remembered me! My name even!! I was so shocked. How sweet of him! We were really impressed. He’d seen my blog back in September and still rememered.

Well, I had to order practically everything on the menu. I was thinking of you guys!

Sunshine salad.

Just as I suspected, I would totally go there just for the salad. The lemon dressing was delicious. It totally tasted like sunshine!

FIELD GREENS, TOMATOES, BELL PEPPERS, CUCUMBERS GARBANZO BEANS, AVOCADO, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, CHEDDAR tossed with our creamy lemon vinaigrette

Now I’m on a quest to recreate that salad at home!

I wanted to go for the chicken enchilada pizza, but changed my mind at the last minute for bbq chicken. I wanted the pineapple! I love pineapple on pizza so much, and Kevin turns up his nose when I do it at home. So I feel it’s silly to buy pineapple topping just for me.

I noticed in the reviews that some people complained that it wasn’t enough food. I think they are crazy. I ran 4 miles, lifted weights, and cleaned for 2 hours before coming, and it worked for me! I actually love that it’s a little lighter fare and you don’t feel gross inside afterwards! I think we ordered small pizzas both times, but if you aren’t ordering anything else you could also order one that’s a bit larger.

I think Kevin was hesitant to come back because they don’t have Diet Coke. They’re mostly organic! Diet Coke is basically the anti-organic so it’s perfectly understandable. But we loved our little Virgil’s sodas. Kevin went with root beer and I had the cream soda. It was totally a treat.

I talked Kevin into ordering the dessert pizza because I knew he would love it. It was a berry cobbler pizza. Totally up his alley. You guys know I’d eat cheeto and avocado pizzas all day before choosing a sweet one, but I felt I should taste a slice. But I let Kevin eat the rest, and he was in heaven. I think that thin crust is perfect for dessert pizzas.

Happy girl. We stuck around quite a while, just chatting and enjoying our evening. Kevin told me a story about how he once went on a date in high school and saw Big Daddy in the theaters. How OLD is he? Haha. You learn something new every day!!

P.S. Girls, Sazza would be a great place for a blogger meet-up someday in the distant future when I’m feeling brave. I might need a few months to work up the courage. You’d think be less chicken. After all, I met Kevin online…

Do anything cool for your mom on mother’s day? If you call a blog post cool… Nobody? I did manage to send some healthy snackables that arrivedearly.

Will you eat food that looks gross like my mac ‘n’cheese? Only if I made it… Although I did have to eat sancocho a few times due to social situations… Love you, Dominicanos!

Favorite green? Spinach is my safest bet still, but kale is closing in on my heart.

Usually when I sit down to write our monthly update, it’s about 11PM on a Thursday night having just finished an exhaustive day of graphic/web design and Love Songs hosting. Right now, however, I’m lying on a beach towel nestled within a sandy cove that’s perched upon the northern coast of Kaua’i. Jen and I are awaiting a natural disaster, seeing as our first two choices for a much-needed getaway have already experienced one during our travel dates (New Zealand just had it’s worst earthquake since 1968 and Oaxaca was hit with a hurricane that made landfall yards from where we were meant to stay), but other than that the Mai-Tai’s are good and the snorkling’s better. The best thing about this island though is just how beautiful it is. We’ve both seen other Hawaiian islands but this is something else entirely… And it’s proven to be quite inspirational too. I texted Cody yesterday to alert him to the volcanic eruption of songwriting that’s going on here right now. Don’t worry, we won’t be playing any slack-key inspired island music anytime soon, but you should expect some darker material… I’m blaming it on the exhaustion fueled angst I was feeling before I left. The release feels great.

“Okay, enough bragging”, I hear you say, “What’s going on with the band?” Well, the upcoming record is really coming together. Before I left, we had our good friend Mr. Skyler Lusteg back in the studio to reprise his Trouble On The Vine role as chief Banjoist on five other tracks, for which he provided some equally stellar performances. We also tightened up the vocals, mandolin and begun the electric guitar overdubs. Next week, we’ll be heading back to lay down keys and horns with our equally good friends John Ciccolella and Shantih respectively. We’re still shooting for a late-October release and plan on having a more informative update for you next month.

UPCOMING SHOWS
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As far as performances go, we’re honored to be the musical guests for the Center For Sustainable Energy’s Solar Family Day on Sunday September 12th; that’s right – this Sunday. Click HERE for all the info and directions. We’ll be performing between 1:30 and 2:15PM on the worlds first completely solar-powered stage. Come early, bring the family and enjoy the fun and activities with us before we launch into our only show on the books for the month. That said, I’m awaiting confirmation on some other exciting shows for the Fall and I’ll probably send our an intermediate live-update as soon as I have that info for you.

UNSIGNED SUNDAYS
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We’ve been getting a lot of love from Jane Asher of Sophie@103.7 on her Unsigned Sundays show. Follow her on Twitter here and tune into the show every Sunday at 9PM; 103.7FM in San Diego County or online at RadioSophie.com

FOLLOW US!
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If you love to Tweet; follow FSAW on Twitter @forstrangers; it’s where you’ll get the latest breaking band news. We also know you love Facebook; check out our fan page here.

OTHER STUFF
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Food & Drink
For all of you ‘foodies,’ this months contribution comes from our uncompromisingly talented vocalist Ms. Jessica Hull who has posted a great recipe for ‘Sunshine’s Kale Salad & Citrus Vinaigrette.’ Click here, print it out and enjoy!

Books
Rob Sheffield is a Contributing Editor to Rolling Stone magazine. His first book, Love Is A Mixtape: Life & Loss One Song At A Time, captured my heart in 2007 and his second book, Talking To Girls About Duran Duran, is also fantastic. If you loved the music of the eighties and you’re up for a hilarious tale of a Catholic boy working his way through the awkwardness of adolescence, during that decade, while trying to relate to the three sisters who helped him, you’ll love this book.

Music
The band Sun Kil Moon is not everyone’s cup of tea. For me, they’re one of my bigger influences behind For Strangers & Wardens. As with their first three releases, the songs on their fourth record, Admiral Fell Promises, are gently-brewed odes to principal songwriter Mark Kozelek’s adopted home town of San Francisco, but weirdly I found this record to be the most awesome soundtrack to laying out on a tropical beach. If you’re curious, take a listen and become as confused by this weather-infused paradox as I am. If you’re looking for something more upbeat and like a little synth-pop in your musical diet, on a whim I discovered a gem of a record called In Evening Air by a group called Future Islands. Very cool – highly recommended.

Paranoia
I’ve barely heard a peep from the other members of our FSAW family since I’ve been away. Not only has it been weird to go so long without getting together, but I’m a little suspicious as to what they may be up to… Especially the Bass Player.

Anyway, come out and see us on Sunday and enjoy the first month of Autumn.

Cheers!

Tim

Where did all of these people come from?  Oh, well, we took care of them and did so quickly and with a smile (although rather labored after two rough weeks).  After the rush I took some leftovers from Saturday’s reception and made lunch for the crew.  Focaccia was bifurcated and the bottoms brushed with canola oil before being tossed on the flat grill.  I was looking to create an almost deep fried texture before schmearing the top with sausage ragu, sliced mushrooms and mozzarella.  20 minutes in a 350 oven and lunch was ready.  Mushroom and sausage pizza, mmm.

After lunch I spoke with Chef Michael Roberts of the Bay Area Food Bank (a non-profit that feeds those who are hungry as a result of personal crisis or disaster).  I have been invited in to compete in the 2009 Chef Challenge in September.  As you would expect this is a tremendous honor as this year’s Challenge pits five of the area’s top chefs to create 5 courses of delicious authentic Italian cuisine.

My sous chef Jay allegesthat I do the best Italian he has ever eaten but have to remind him that what I do is Americanized Italian.  Authentic Italian is something entirely different.  I look forward to the challenge.  I am thinking that since we are located on Mobile Bay I will look for recipes from the Amalfi Coast or Sicily.

Oh, because of a surplus of salad mix and fruit from the wedding I have conjured the Sunshine Salad for my weekly special – spinach and lettuce tossed in a citrus vinaigrette made with orange, lemon and key lime juices, honey, ginger, canola oil and salt & pepper.  To finish I add smoked turkey, cantaloupe, honeydew, red onions, tomatoes, almonds and cheddar/Jack cheese.  Stop by and try it.  Or don’t, it’s been a grueling few weeks.  LOL!