My kids are finally beginning to realize that they are really spoiled when it comes to their meals. Not only do the oldest two who have their own apartments constantly call me for cooking tips, but I am always shocked when the younger ones tell me that their friends are envious of our food. But their moms, who also gig full time, don’t have as much time as I do. Plus cooking is my business. My downside is that moms that gig also have much more cash flow and can afford to eat out often.

I completely understand the stress of not wanting to cook every night, having once been a single mother with work hours that were brutal. These days, I have much more time for cooking and usually go all out for every meal. We also believe that eating out or ordering in should be the exception and not the rule.  Restaurant cooking typically isn’t as healthy for us as home cooking because we know exactly who handles the food and what happens to it during its journey.

A typical dinner at my house, where I accommodate a few picky eaters:

• Chicken seasoned with lemon pepper, string beans and roasted baby potatoes
• Arugula salad with beets, toasted walnuts, goat cheese and cherry tomatoes
• Rice tossed with fresh parsley and cilantro
• Tofu and ginger-spiced carrots

Make your own salad dressing

One of my most dreaded household chores is cleaning out the refrigerator because I know that it’s a grave sin to throw out food. Not to mention the  fact that my icebox is way too small for the size of my family. Be that as it may, the other day I threw out five nearly empty bottles of salad dressings, and I was really peeved about it. Then I realized that I really don’t have any business buying bottled salad dressing in the first place.

Whenever I do eat out, I always order either the chef’s dressing or simply use oil and vinegar. Plus, bottled dressings have more additives, sugar and preservatives than we could ever need.

So for this year, I am swearing off store-bought dressings and making my own. They taste much better and are healthier.

Arugula Salad

Fresh arugula

Julienned beets

Goat cheese

Toasted walnuts

Warm cranberry vinaigrette dressing

Directions

• Steam beets until soft and refrigerate until serving.
• Coat  pan with olive-flavored vegetable spray, then toast walnuts evenly until slightly brown. Toss with light brown sugar during the last minute of cooking.  (Be careful not to burn.)
• Thoroughly wash head of arugula, taking care to remove all of the dirt. Pat dry. Discard root and continue slicing so that the lettuce shreds.
• Toss with walnuts, cranberries and goat cheese.
• Toss with warm dressing  just before serving.
• Top with beets

Warm Cranberry Dressing

Ingredients

½ cup really good virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

2 tbsp unfiltered honey

¼ cup dry red wine

1 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp fresh cut cilantro

1 tbsp fresh cut parsley

½  cup dried cranberries

Directions

Mix herbs together and set aside. Saute finely chopped garlic until light brown, then add cranberries. Whisk in cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, red wine and the herbs. Simmer on low heat until the cranberries are soft.

Just before serving, toss the warm dressing lightly into the salad.

Related posts:

1. Salad – morning, noon and night
2. The Beet goes on
3. Cooking for Cedric “The Entertainer”
4. Sandwich bites in a glass
5. Vegetarian collards