easy side dish Archives - Living La Vida Holoka

Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

February 15, 2019 by Jessica Leave a Comment

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This Kale Caesar Pasta Salad is a perfect dish to meal prep and enjoy all week. It’s a creamy, comforting twist on classic Caesar salad!

I decided to give my Instagram profile a makeover this past weekend. I gave my highlight icons a new color scheme, updated my profile info, and went through my saved stories. While I was doing that, I came across a kale Caesar pasta salad recipe that I had made. I never shared the step-by-step on Instagram or shared it on my blog. That little weekend Instagram makeover was so worth it, even just for the reminder that this pasta salad existed! I knew I had to work it into my Monday meal prep.

Monday meal prep has become an ongoing routine for me. It gives me a chance to clean out the fridge and use some of the ingredients that I have on hand to create new meals for the week. When I planned my meals for this week, I worked this recipe onto our menu. We’re big fans of pasta salads! They’re one of those dishes that seems to get better the longer it sits. I knew that eating this salad all week definitely wouldn’t be a problem!

Pasta salads might seem like a summertime barbecue type thing, but trust me – you can work them into your menu all year long.

I mean, it’s pasta!

Take this pasta salad, for instance. It’s delicious on its own, but so good when you add grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp to it. It can go from a side to a main meal just like that!

Massage the kale (yes, you read that right) for an even better salad!

If you’re not a big fan of kale, you can swap in some baby spinach instead. If you don’t mind the taste and texture of kale, I definitely recommend it in this salad. Kale holds up pretty well with all of that dressing. Even after being massaged! I know. Weird. It’s hard enough to get a massage for myself around here, but the kale manages to get one!

Massaging the kale leaves gives it a softer texture and also makes it taste less bitter. You don’t have to put on soft music, light candles, or massage the kale for a 90 minute session. Just add a little lemon juice and olive oil. Then, work it into the kale leaves just until they soften.

Yum

Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1/2 box bow tie pasta
10 oz. jar roasted red peppers, chopped
3/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 lemon
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small bunch fresh kale, cleaned with stems removed
1 - 15 oz. bottle light Caesar salad dressing
1/2 cup or more shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta as directed. Once al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to cool completely and then pour pasta into a large bowl.
Mix in the roasted red peppers, red onion, and grape tomatoes.
Massage the kale with lemon juice and olive oil, then add to the salad.
Pour the Caesar salad dressing onto the salad and stir well.
Last, mix in the shredded Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

I started with 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, but found that I wanted more so I ended up using about 3/4 cup. The amount of cheese is up to you, but start with 1/2 cup and work from there!

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So easy to make and you’ll have pasta salad for days! I love Caesar salad and the addition of pasta just takes it to a satisfying and comforting new level!

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If you liked this pasta salad recipe, you might enjoy these as well:

So Fresh and So Green Quinoa Salad

February 5, 2019 by Jessica Leave a Comment

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Ditch the line at the deli counter and make this simple, colorful, and super flavorful So Fresh and So Green Quinoa Salad at home instead!

Do you ever just really want a salad?

A couple weeks ago, I hit up the deli counter at the supermarket for some salads. I took home a small container of a baby spinach and feta quinoa salad that totally rocked my taste buds! It was fresh, healthy, and packed with flavor! So I snapped a shot of the label and worked off of the ingredient list to try and make my own version.

My version came pretty close.

This superfood makes a super salad!

Over the past year, quinoa has become a pretty big staple in our home. It’s become the base for many side dishes and salads and taken the place of grains like rice. Not only is quinoa super healthy for you, but it’s a great foundation for building an awesome salad! This salad starts with rainbow quinoa. Rainbow quinoa isn’t much different than regular quinoa. I just like the extra color and nuttiness to it. If you like regular quinoa, go with it!

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled, I mixed in baby spinach, feta cheese, corn, cilantro, green onion, and red bell peppers. I roasted the bell peppers over the flame on my stove. If you’re not doing this already, I highly recommend starting. Char the skin, let it cool, then peel it off. Roasting peppers gives them an amazing flavor! Finally, this dish gets finished off with a homemade lime and garlic dressing with a slight kick of chili paste!

Yum

So Fresh and So Green Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup rainbow quinoa, cooked according to package
2 red bell peppers, roasted and diced
1 - 8.5 oz can sweet corn, drained
Approx. 2 cups baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

1/3 cup white vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1 garlic clove, mashed
1 tbsp. mild chili paste

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, bell peppers, corn, spinach leaves, feta, green onions, and cilantro together.
Add the vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and chili paste to a mason jar. Screw on the lid and give the jar a good shake until all of the ingredients are combined.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to coat evenly.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

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I was having trouble finding a name for this recipe. The store simply calls it “Baby Spinach and Feta Quinoa Salad,” but it’s so much more than that! Thankfully, Outkast’s “So Fresh and So Clean” got stuck in my head and inspired the new name for this recipe. This salad is seriously “so fresh and so green!” So there you go!

I can’t describe how good this salad is to you. You just have to trust me on this and make a batch for yourself. It’s packed with flavor and all sorts of ingredients. It’s not too spicy, but if you’re not a fan of spicy foods just cut out the chili paste or drop it (like it’s hot) down to a teaspoon, or even half a teaspoon, and work from there.

This version is so much cheaper than the supermarket’s and probably a tad fresher than the deli case (I mean, let’s not go there, but I’ll just leave you with that). It’s a colorful feast for your eyes and a super healthy side dish!

What’s your favorite quinoa salad recipe?

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If you like this quinoa salad recipe, you might enjoy these as well:

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad {SoFabFood Post}

November 28, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad is an easy portable side dish to bring to your holiday gatherings and potluck parties. This salad is served with bacon, blue cheese, and pecans, making it a seasonally delicious side everyone will enjoy!

Aside from a good pie at the end of a holiday feast, I love side dishes! We ended up hosting a small Thanksgiving gathering at our house this year, but I was still cooking up a storm the day before! Even though we were spending our holiday at home, I was still dishing out trays of sides for my family to take to their holiday destination. One of the easy sides I made this year was a Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad.

Brussels sprouts are everywhere this time of year! When I first starting making them, I cooked them in a little olive oil with bacon and seasoned them with lemon pepper. Then, I discovered that there is so much more that you can do with these little cabbages! Now, one of my favorite things to make with them is salad.

For this salad, Brussels sprouts are halved and served with bacon (because the two are a match made in flavor heaven), blue cheese, onion, and chopped pecans. This salad is full of flavor that’s perfect for this time of year! Grab the recipe for this simple holiday side dish on SoFabFood.com today! It’s so good! Especially when served with a maple balsamic vinegar!