I am so excited to share that the Spring Month of Meals Calendar is almost complete and everything looks so yummy! I have to admit that I have been doing lots of taste testing over the past month to ensure the menu is healthy, nutritious and, of course, tasty. It is full of spring fare, so get ready to hit your local farmers’ markets and take advantage of what this delightful season has to offer.
I stumbled upon this amazing salad while taste testing my way through a recent Martha Stewart magazine. It has become my go-to meal this past week, I just cannot get enough of it. I don’t think it will make the spring menu cut so enjoy it while you can as an alternative under the winter menu :)- Yummm!!
Roasted Green Beans, Sweet Potato and Walnut Salad
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium red onion, quartered
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 package Ready to Eat green beans (I like the microwavable bags of green beans- they are so easy)
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1 head (10 ounces) red-leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- One bottle of Marzetti “Simply Dressed” Ranch Salad Dressing
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss together sweet potatoes, onion, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.Add green beans and walnuts to sheet; toss. Roast until green beans are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Toss with a couple spoonfuls of ranch dressing and enjoy!
Adapted from Martha Stewart Red-Leaf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Here is another recipe that pairs wonderfully with this salad. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
Roasted Lemon Chicken
We recently had a terrific sale on chicken leg quarters at our local super marker so I decided to stock up. Of course, the dilemma is how to cook them, as I personally prefer chicken breast to dark meat. I know that there are many health benefits to adding dark meat to your diet. Legs and thighs have a tad bit more fat than breast meat, but it is minimal and shouldn’t deter you from eating it. The benefits of dark meat over white is that it is richer in zinc, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamins B6 and B12, amino acids, iron. It is also cheaper, so if you are on a budget or cannot pass up a sale (like me:), this is the perfect recipe for you.
Ingredients
- 3-4lbs of Chicken leg quarters
- 2 tbsp. of butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 2 lemons, sliced
- 2 tbsp. fresh minced chives and mint
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Heat a large skillet and melt butter. Place chicken skin side down and brown 3-5 minutes
- Transfer chicken (skin side up) to roasting pan and place sliced lemons on top each piece.
- Place roasting into pan oven and bake for approx. 45 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, add the lemon juice, evoo, mint, chives, salt and pepper to skillet. Mix well and serve with chicken and additional lemons.
Feel free to combine the two recipes for a wonderfully balanced meal!
Thanks for stopping by~
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