Strawberry Feta Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Spring time is just around the corner... what a better way to add a little color and zing your Easter spread than this healthy and delicious salad?

Turn it into a main course by topping with grilled chicken breast or shrimp, serve as a side dish to jazz up your week night dinner, or keep it just the way it is for a light lunch.



Ingredients

1/2 head of green leaf lettuce
1 bag of mixed baby greens
1 carton of strawberries
1 c. Feta cheese

for the citrus vinaigrette

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
zest of 1/2 of an orange
juice of 1 orange
salt and pepper to taste



Method

for the vinaigrette...

in a small bowl add the vinegar, orange zest, juice and salt/pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Set aside


rinse the green leaf lettuce and mixed greens, add to a large bowl and hand toss with paper towels (or use a salad spinner) to remove any excess water, set aside

rinse the strawberries, cut the tops off then cut in half width wise and then slice into small chunks

add 1/2 of the cut up strawberries and 1/2 of the feta cheese to the mixed greens
drizzle about 2 T of the citrus vinaigrette over the salad and toss, you can always add more dressing If desired
top the salad with the remaining strawberries and feta cheese, serve immediately



Yield
as a side dish 6-8 servings
as a main dish topped with a protein about 4 servings

Not your ordinary Jalapeño Poppers

The Super Bowl is just around the corner! If you are having a party or attending one you'd better plan on adding these to your list of munchies, trust me, you won't regret it. Here's some proof that they are pretty damn good...if you will notice there's no picture of the end result.  I was hoping to get a great shot of the crispy delicious bacon wrapped around the cream cheese/pineapple filled jalapeno, but that didn't happen.  Because after plating them up about 5-10 minutes went by as I was prepping other goodies in the kitchen for my guests, finally I got a chance to grab my camera, I turn around and the next thing I know they're gone!

I've been making these for years for these 3 reasons
1.  They are easy
2.  They are so delicious
3.  No matter what the event, function, celebration they are always requested!
So you all should feel honored that I'm sharing this recipe with you, and if you end up making them make sure you give me and my blog the credit!
Kidding.  Well, kidding about the feeling honored part, but not about the props to my blog part :)


Ingredients

20 medium jalapenos
2 pkgs. cream cheese (I've used both the reduced fat and regular cream cheese and they both taste the same to me, so if your cuttin calories go for the reduced fat!)
2 pkgs. of bacon
1 small can (about 6 oz.) of crushed pineapple
40 toothpicks


Method

Pre-heat your oven to 375
Set out the cream cheese to soften a bit
Rinse the jalapenos, cut the tops off and cut in half length wise
With a small spoon scoop out the white membrane and all of the seeds, those two things are the spiciest part of the jalapeno (if you have sensitive skin you might want to wear plastic food gloves to do this because you will probably feel a burning sensation, but really it's not that bad, just thought I'd throw the warning out there)
Drain all of the juices from the can of crushed pineapple
In a medium bowl mix the cream cheese and pineapple until combined
Fill each jalapeno half with about a teaspoon or more of the cream cheese mixture
Cut all of the bacon in half
Take one piece of the bacon and wrap around each of the filled jalapenos, securing each one with a toothpick
Place all of the wrapped jalapenos on 2 foil lined baking sheets, cook in the pre-heated oven for about 20-25 minutes depending on how crispy you want the bacon
*Note, some of the cream cheese will leak out during the cooking time, that's normal

Yield
40 appetizer bites