Sandra's Easy Cooking

Extraordinary Mixed Greens Kiwifruit and Strawberry Salad is so refreshing, delicious and perfect for the upcoming summer season.  You can truly make it however you prefer.

Also, you can add more cheese or no cheese at all, add croutons, or serve it with crackers, yes, that’s a beauty of a salad that you can customize it however you want.

The funny thing is that I never liked adding fruit to my salad, except for tomatoes. I always thought it will taste weird and it did for a bit.

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At first, I started with apple, cranberries, and pomegranates. However, nowadays I toss any fruit with my greens.  I think we simply need to develop the taste for it.

For example, I used to dislike avocados and asparagus. It was just not my cup of tea, but I really love both now. Honestly, I do not know what happened, but something changed in my taste department.

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Anyhow, just like me, my family feels the same way. Addition of fruit to salads just adds that extra element of sweetness which is very pleasant.

If you make this tasty Mixed Greens, Kiwifruit and Strawberry Salad or any other recipe from my blog, please tag me. Instagram @sandraseasycooking with hashtags #sandraseasycooking.

I would love to see your delicious creations and share with my followers as well. Thank you so much in advance!

Happy Cooking!

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Yield: Serves 4

Mixed Greens Kiwifruit and Strawberry Salad

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Ingredients

• 3 cups Mixed Greens
• 1 cup baby Spinach
• 1/2 lbs Strawberries about 1/2 of the pack
• 3 Kiwifruit peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup Toasted sliced Almonds
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese *optional

Poppy Seeds Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
• 4 tablespoons Orange juice freshly squeezed
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Mayonnaise, I used Olive Oil Mayo
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Poppy Seeds
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Garnish

• Za'atar, optional

Instructions

1. Mix mixed greens and spinach in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing (vinaigrette) over it and toss it gently together, about 2 to 3 tablespoons or as you desire. You can use my simple dressing in the notes or Poppy Seeds Vinaigrette, which goes very well with this salad.
2. Wash and slice fruit and again very gently toss it with greens.
3. Add a handful of toasted sliced almonds and serve cheese on the side.
4. Garnish it with Za’atar, not necessary but it gives you a wonderful taste and compliment to the salad.
   Vinaigrette

Poppy Seeds Vinaigrette

1. Whisk the lemon, and orange juice with the mustard, and mayonnaise.
2. Add in olive oil and continue whisking until the dressing is creamy.
3. Stir in the poppy seeds, and season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Notes

My absolute favorite vinaigrette is simple. I just mix Lemon juice, Olive oil, salt, and black pepper to taste. I used that on most of my salads, however, Poppy Seeds Vinaigrette works very well with these kinds of salads. I do not add any sweetener, but you can add about 1/2 teaspoon of honey if you like that better. If you have somebody who does not eat dairy my simple dressing is a pretty amazing option, also you can totally skip mayo in the poppy seeds vinaigrette and use 1/2 ripe avocado for the creaminess. If you do not have almonds, then use cashews instead.

Did you make this recipe?

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Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is one more pasta and chicken recipe that I wanted to share with you guys. Well, nobody is certainly complaining at my house, so shamelessly I have decided to post it.

The most popular protein in my house that we eat repeatedly is chicken, plus pasta is always a hit. I cannot lie!

Last week my dear husband, Shone, took me out on a date. Yes, we do dates even after so many years of being together. I think it keep us connected when we do things together even if it’s a dinner out.

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Anyways, to cut the story short, I had this Cajun chicken pasta. Well, I hate eating out simply because it is not economical, and I could make a far better dinner for less money. I hope you agree with me on this one.

Well, as I was saying, I knew that I could make it more tasty at home, even though the dish was quite delicious.

I do not want to offend anyone, nonetheless, but pasta and chicken dishes are kind of my thing, so I have nothing further to discuss.

The next few days I had this pasta or idea marinating in my head. I just had to recreate that meal that we had a few nights before.

Nowadays, it is one of those dishes that you will cook often because it’s truly super easy, inexpensive and so delicious.

Similar recipes that you might like:

• Homemade Hamburger Helper
• Zoodles with Shrimps and Tomatoes
• Pasta, Cheese with Chicken and Peas
• Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

If you make my Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta please let me know by tagging me on facebook or Instagram.

@sandraseasycooking with hashtags, #sandraseasycooking. Thank you so much in advance, everyone, and Happy Cooking!

Yield: Serves 4

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

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Easy and tasty pasta dinner for the whole family to enjoy.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Chicken Breast
• Cajun Seasoning to taste for the chicken about 2 teaspoons, more if needed
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil for the peppers
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for the peppers
• 3-4 different color Bell Peppers sliced into strips
• 1/4 Onion sliced
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 1 tablespoon Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning for the sauce
• 1 tablespoon or more Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pack of Spaghetti
• 1 teaspoon dry Parsley

Cajun Seasoning

• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons Onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Cayenne

Instructions

1. Cajun Seasoning: Mix it all together and keep it in the glass jar or container with a lid. It should be used within 6 months.
2. Boil water for the spaghetti and add about 1 tablespoon of salt. When it boils add pasta and cook according to the package. Do not overcook it. Drain and set aside.
3. Cut chicken breast into bite-size pieces and season it with Cajun Seasoning. About 2 teaspoons for everything, but you may add later some more. Heat the pan or a skillet with oil and cook chicken on a medium-high temperature. Turn after 2-3 minutes and keep turning until it cooks through. The internal temp for the chicken breast is 165F. Place it on the kitchen paper towel until ready to serve. Or you can do cook chicken at the same time as pasta/sauce so it all finishes at the same time.
4. On the other side, heat the skillet or a pan with olive oil and butter. Add sliced peppers and onion. Cook it for approximately 10-12 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring often to prevent from burning. You want peppers to be cooked but not over-cooked, so you are looking that they are still holding a form and have a bit of crunch.
5. While the peppers are cooking mix roux by combining whole milk with a tablespoon of flour. Mix until there are no more lumps. Yes, you can technically use whipped cream but milk works fine when you mix it with a bit of flour.
6. Add ROUX to the peppers and stir. It will start to come together as soon as you see that the milk is heating through. If it's too thick, then just add a splash of milk and stir, otherwise, continue with the next step which is adding shaved parm cheese and 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning to give your sauce extra edge. Stir again. It will start to thicken. You may try the sauce to see if you need a bit more salt or other seasonings.
7. Add cooked pasta and mix to coat, then add a bit of dried parsley and more shaved parm cheese if you wish.
8. Serve it with the cajun chicken immediately.

Notes

You may use gluten-free pasta.

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Delicious Green Shake for your St. Paddy’s Day with NutriBullet Select

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

As the description says “The feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.”

I am bringing my green here by sharing this lushes, creamy, delicious, and yes, better for you Shamrock Shake.

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I enjoy my NutriBullet and use it all the time, but when the opportunity came to talk about this new NutriBullet Select on my blog, I jumped at it right away.

As you know I have two teens and one tween, and they love smoothies. It is a great way to intake much-needed nutrition before they head out the door, or after school, so NutriBullet Select is fantastic and easy even for my kids to use on a daily basis. We just love it!

I hope you give this smoothie a try because it does not disappoint!

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HAPPY St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Acorn on behalf of NutriBullet Select. All opinions, pictures, recipe, and content have been done by me, in my own words.

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Shamrock Shake

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine Healthy Choices

Keyword smoothie, healthy, breakfast,

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2

Author Sandra | Sandra’s Easy Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder
• 2 Dates
• 1/2 cup Vanilla Flavored Soy Milk Almond or cashew milk could be used
• 1 teaspoon Chia Seeds
• 1/2 frozen Banana
• 1/2 cup Frozen Spinach
• 4-6 drops Peppermint Extract
• 1/4 Ice Cubes
• 1/2 cup Water Do not go over the MAX line

Instructions

1. Add one scoop of vanilla flavored protein powder, 2 dates and 1/2 cup Vanilla Flavored Soy Milk in the colossal cup. Blend until the protein powder dissolved.
2. Then, add chia seeds, frozen 1/2 of frozen banana (if it’s not frozen it’s fine too), frozen spinach,  Peppermint Extract, ice cubes, and water.
3. Turn the dial to BLEND option and press. The auto blend program begins and runs for 60 seconds.
4. If you wish to have a more liquid smoothie rather than a thick, use a pitcher instead and add more soy milk or water, however, do not go over the MAX line.
5. Pour into a glass and enjoy!