Ray’s Recipe’s

We all know about Mondays – the start of a work week. Getting our heads out the weekend and into the world of work. It’s different for a guy dancing alone (I imagine it’s the same for a gal dancing alone). I want Monday night’s dinner for one to be healthy, fun to make, and leave me feeling satisfied when I finish.

It’s a warm south Texas spring day, so no slow cooker operation – I have the windows open to catch the nice breeze and I’m holding off on the air conditioner – the slow cooker during warm weather doesn’t need air conditioning, but I do. So I opted for Monday Madness. I decided to make a super healthy salad, big enough to quench my appetite.

I begin with the base: HEB’s (HEB is the go to market in south Texas) organic baby kale and baby spinach. It’s triple washed, ready to go. I like that part, a lot. I fill a large dinner bowl with the kale and spinach.

I like cranberries. They’re super healthy for you and add a nice taste to the salad. Here’s a trick I learned to soften them up and bring out their great taste. This time of year the only cranberries I can get are frozen. I take a handful, put them in a small bowl, put a paper towel over them and in the microwave they go for 45 seconds. When I hear the finishing ding, I carefully grab hold of the bowl (watch it, it’s hot) and scoop the cranberries out with a spoon and place them on the salad.

I need a shot of protein in my salad, so I turn to my heart healthy friend, Almonds. I place a dozen of almonds around the bowl. It’s looking pretty good. The next easy step, I place organic cherry tomatoes around the bowl like I’m making a presentation for the Food Channel.

I live in south Texas. What’s a meal without an avocado, right? I love guacamole, but not tonight. I’m happy, my avocado turns out perfect, no bad spots. You never know with the avocado until you cut it open. I sound like a surgeon, make it an avocado surgeon, por favor.  I make slices in the avocado and place it on the salad. Phew, almost done.

I drizzle Modena balsamic vinegarette over the salad and follow that with the vinegarette’s cousin, extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressed). I add a sprinkle of Feta cheese to enhance the taste and give me a bit more protein. Here’s the finished product.