Green Bean Citrus Salad

Green Beans are in season, and I thought a green bean salad would be a different way to prepare this vegetable. The Green Bean Citrus Salad is inspired from the Greek Green Bean Salad, Fasolkiaa Me Yemistes. It is easy to prepare, as well as low in fat and calories.

Recipe:
1 lb green beans, trimmed to bite size pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
1 Tbsp of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
Salt and Ground black paper for taste

Put cut green beans into salted boiling water. Cook until tender. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl of ice water. Keep in ice bath for 5 minutes.

Place olive oil, lemon juice and zest, parsley, mint, and oregano in a small bowl. Whisk together. Add salt and pepper for taste. Drain green beans and toss in dressing.

Bon Appéti

Fresh Macaroni Salad

One of my favorite places to go for a relaxing vacation is Hawaii. And one of my favorite things to eat while I am there is macaroni salad. Aloha Mixed Plate on the island of Maui makes the best macaroni salad I have ever tasted. But this calorie and fat packed item isn’t something that I can eat all the time. So I came up with a healthy and fresh macaroni salad. That lets me eat my macaroni and get some vegetables in me as well.

8 oz bag of whole wheat macaroni noodles
1 pound of broccoli crowns cut into small pieces
16 oz of cherry tomatoes
½ of red onion, diced
1 cucumber, chopped and peeled
Salt and Pepper for taste
Low Fat Organic Italian dressing for flavor

Cook Macaroni noodles and cool. Steam broccoli and cool. Once the noodles and broccoli are cold, mix in tomatoes, onions, and cucumber. Season with Salt and Pepper. Add Italian dressing before serving. Use sparingly.

Tip: You can also use carrots and celery (which is often found in Hawaiian style Macaroni salad); I was using what was in my refrigerator.

Bon Appétit