Marie Dittmer – Food & Nutrition Magazine

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

Marie Dittmer — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:00:18 +0000

I’ve wanted to make something with tahini for a long time. What better way to start than with a simple salad dressing? After all, salad dressings and vinaigrettes are super easy to make. Add an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice to some oil, mix in some mustard and other herbs and spices, and you have a homemade dressing. All I had to do is add in some tahini and blend it all together. And that, my friends, is how this Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing came to be. In all honesty, vinaigrettes and salad dressings are an easy way to experiment with ingredients you’re unfamiliar with — at least they are for me.

What is tahini?

Made from finely ground sesame seeds, tahini is a paste, similar to nut butter, often used in a variety of cuisines, especially in areas of around the Mediterranean. You can easily find it in grocery stores or make your own at home. Just do a quick search on the internet and you have your pick of recipes to choose from.

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

Ingredients

2 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon real maple syrup
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon za’atar spice blend
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and blend using a whisk or hand blender.

Easy Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

Marie Dittmer — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 10:00:57 +0000

It’s time for a change in your normal coleslaw routine. While traditional recipes are delicious, coleslaw can take on a different personality by switching up the dressing. Shredded cabbage, the main ingredient in coleslaw, has a light, peppery taste that pairs well with bolder flavors like cilantro and lime, or even a little cayenne pepper. It’s a flavor combination that tastes good all by itself or as a topping for fish tacos or barbecue sandwiches.

Easy Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

Serves 6

Ingredients

Juice of 2 limes (about ⅓ cup)
⅓ cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Honey
⅛ tsp. salt
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
½ cup chopped, fresh cilantro
1 14-ounce bag fresh coleslaw mix (about 7 cups)

Instructions

For the dressing, in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt and cayenne pepper until smooth and well mixed.

In a large bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix and chopped cilantro. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw-cilantro mix and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Goes very well with fish tacos!

Cooking Notes

Fresh coleslaw mix usually contains fresh shredded cabbage and carrots

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

Marie Dittmer — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 11:00:35 +0000

Smoothies are super easy to make, and this one is no different — all you need is a few ingredients and a good blender. Decadent and delicious, you can taste the raspberries and chocolate in every sip of this Dark Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie. This smoothie is perfect for an afternoon snack or a healthy kick for your sweet tooth.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

Ingredients

¼ cup Greek yogurt
6 tablespoon milk
½ frozen banana
1 ½ cups frozen raspberries
4 teaspoon dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
4 to 5 ice cubes

Instructions

Place all ingredients, except ice cubes, into a blender. Blend until desired consistency. Add ice cubes and process again until ice is completely crushed and blended throughout. Serve immediately.

Dark Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Raspberries

Marie Dittmer — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 11:05:50 +0000

Have you ever tried chia seed pudding? I have to admit that before developing this recipe, I hadn’t tried it. I’ve seen it many times on social media but I never got around to trying it until now. Chia seed pudding is the perfect dessert. It’s easy to make, scores high on the nutrition scale, and is just so good – especially this Dark Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Raspberries.

Who wouldn’t want dark chocolate and raspberries for dessert – or any meal or snack for that matter? They just go together. Add the chia seeds with some almond milk and you have a satisfying snack or a decadent dessert.

Dark Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Raspberries

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
4 tsp honey
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp chia seeds
1 ½ cup fresh raspberries
2 Tbsp whipped topping (if desired)

Instructions

In a small sauce pan, whisk together the almond milk, cocoa powder, salt and honey. Turn the burner to medium heat and warm the mixture just until it’s steaming, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla and pour the chocolate mixture into a pint-sized canning jar or other jar with a lid. Add chia seeds to the jar and cover with lid. Shake covered jar until chia seeds are fully mixed with the other ingredients.
Place in refrigerator overnight or for 3 to 4 hours. Shake or stir chia seed pudding again after about an hour in the refrigerator. Pudding will thicken as the chia seeds absorb the moisture.
To serve, spoon about ¼ of the pudding into two separate bowls or glasses. Add a layer of fresh raspberries (about ¼ of the raspberries) in each bowl/glass. Then spoon the rest of the pudding into the two bowl/glasses, divided evenly. Place the rest of the raspberries onto the last layer of pudding in the bowls/glasses and top with whipped topping (if desired).

Spinach, Arugula & Pomegranate Salad with Cranberry Citrus Vinaigrette

Marie Dittmer — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 11:00:01 +0000

There’s so much going on in this dish — sweet and tart, creamy and crunchy — and it all works together to make a salad that’s a treat for the taste buds. What’s more, it’s filled with an abundance of health promoting nutrients. The bonus? It’s beautiful! And it’s the perfect salad to take to that get-together with friends or family.

I start with a variety of greens, like spinach, arugula, kale, and red leaf lettuce, but feel free to use whatever greens you’d like. Then I add shaved Brussels sprouts, toasted spiced walnuts, fresh orange segments, and Gorgonzola cheese. All that’s needed after that is a drizzle of homemade Cranberry Citrus Vinaigrette. Seriously, this salad has become a favorite.

Nutritionally, it’s got a lot going for it: fiber, Vitamins A and C, a bit of protein from the cheese and walnuts, healthy fats, antioxidants and other nutrients — definitely a nutritional gem. This Spinach, Arugula and Pomegranate Salad makes a wonderful side dish for the holiday or a tasty lunch all by itself.

Time-Saving Salad Tips:

Use plain toasted walnuts or purchase walnuts already spiced and toasted
Buy Brussels sprouts that are already shaved or sliced
Instead of a whole pomegranate, buy arils that have already been removed from the pomegranate
Use pre-chopped kale instead of chopping your own
Feel free to substitute your favorite vinaigrette for the homemade Cranberry Citrus Vinaigrette

Spinach, Arugula & Pomegranate Salad with Cranberry Citrus Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Toasted Walnuts

1 cup walnuts
1 Tbsp olive oil
⅛ tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice

For the Cranberry Citrus Vinaigrette

1 tsp orange zest
Juice from ½ an orange (about 1 ½ Tbsp)
1 ½ Tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp ginger
1 tsp chopped scallion
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

For the Salad

1 cup red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup arugula
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup shaved Brussels sprouts
1 cup pomegranate arils
1 orange, peeled, sectioned, and cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup toasted, spiced walnuts
¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Instructions

For the Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350° F. Whisk together the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and brown sugar in a small bowl. Pour the 1 Tbsp. olive oil over the walnuts in a medium bowl and stir. Add mixed sugar and spices to the walnuts and toss together until the spices and sugar are distributed evenly over the walnuts.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread prepared walnuts evenly in one layer on the parchment paper. Toast in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the Vinaigrette

Make the Cranberry Citrus Vinaigrette by first zesting the orange. Mix together the red wine vinegar, orange juice, chopped cranberries, honey, salt, ginger, chopped scallion and orange zest in a small bowl. Pour in the olive oil. Using a hand blender, blend all the vinaigrette ingredients together until smooth. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Salad

In a large bowl, toss together the red leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, chopped kale and Brussels sprouts. Top with spiced walnuts, oranges, Gorgonzola cheese crumbles and pomegranate arils. Served immediately with Cranberry Citrus Vinaigrette or your favorite dressing.

Notes

If not serving immediately, wait to add the cheese until closer to serving time.