Cucumber Bruschetta Salad

I love bruschetta, well lets be honest, I love all Italian food!  I used to make an amazing bruschetta, but as my health journey has evolved, I have steered away from eating a lot of bread.  This weekend, a co-worker of my husbands was going out of town and allowed us to raid his garden!  What vegetarian wouldn't take complete advantage of that type of offer?!?  Along with a ton of other yummy veggies, we got some cucumbers and yellow/red grape tomatoes.  They sat uneaten all weekend because it was a holiday weekend and an excuse to overindulge (well my excuse anyways).  Today, after feeling the effects of the weekend festivities, I knew I needed to get back on track.  I remembered an amazing post one of my best friends had shared of her cucumber bruschetta (bruschetta on sliced cucumber instead of bread), so I decided I would make a salad with the same ingredients that I use in my bruschetta!  It turned out so well, there is none left!  Enjoy!!

Cucumber Bruschetta Salad

Ingredients

3 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
12 (or more as desired) grape tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
4 leaves of basil, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Hand grated parmesan cheese for topping

Combine all ingredients in a large, air tight container.  Toss well to allow all ingredients to incorporate.  Let stand for at least an hour in the fridge.

Clean Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

I've been on the hunt for a good salad dressing without all the added preservatives and calories that many store bought brands have.  I am not a huge oil and vinegar fan, so I have been reluctantly staying away from salads.  I love salads and I have missed eating them, but I will be honest, my go-to dressing has ALWAYS been ranch.  And I'm talking, full fat, restaurant style ranch dressing!  Since ranch dressing does not fit in to my lifestyle change (trying to stay away from as much dairy as possible) I remembered the honey mustard that my grandpa used to make us for our sandwiches and thought, why couldn't I make that into a vinaigrette.  I played around with a few ingredients, and added it to a nice kale salad and it was on point!  This recipe can be easily double, tripled, etc. Enjoy!

Clean Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Oil of choice (I use avocado oil)
2 Tbsp raw, unfiltered honey
2 Tbsp organic yellow mustard
1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar (I used a mason jar).  Seal lid tightly and shake until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Store in the refrigerator and heat before serving to re-melt the coconut oil.

Bruschetta Quinoa Salad

The nasty germs made their way to our house last week!  Everyone was down at some point during the week so I was a bit MIA.  With a healthy house, I was able to try some new ideas in the kitchen.  Since quinoa and I have a fairly new relationship, I have kept my recipes pretty simple.  I haven't strayed away from hot dishes and was a bit intimidated by cold, salad-like quinoa recipes.  I decided to alter my Bruschetta Quinoa Skillet to a salad version that would be delicious as a side salad, and versatile enough to prep for meal prep.  This was honestly the first time I have ever tried cold quinoa and I must say, it is just as delicious.  Enjoy!

Bruschetta Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup mini mozzarella balls
12 basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp pure honey
Sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix well to incorporate all the flavors.  Store in an air tight container, in the refrigerator, for at least 1 hour to allow the ingredients to marinate.