Easy Summertime Lunch

It's summer. It's hot. It's sticky. Life is rather mundane. Just ask Marvel.

Of course, things usually perk up when the deer come around. I know Marvel certainly does. Some of the does are finally bringing their fawns out into the open.

I spend most days hunkered down in my office. I mean, if I'm going to escape the heat, I may as well be productive, right? But, occasionally, I have to venture to the other end of the house for sustenance and here's a quick lunch that is super easy, healthy and full of flavor.

There are only four simple ingredients. Lettuce, low-fat cottage cheese (3/4 cup), black beans (1/3 cup, rinsed) and your favorite salsa (1/3 cup). You could also add some shredded chicken or leftover taco meat for a heartier meal. One that's every bit as good as those so-called power bowls. 

Now that's lunch in a hurry. And you didn't even need a microwave.

What's your favorite go-to quick lunch?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Revisiting Summer Salads

I don't know what the weather's like where you live, but it's hot here in Texas. So today we're going to revisit a couple of my favorite cool and refreshing summer salads.

First is Cucumber and Onion Salad. As soon as the weather turns warm, my husband starts asking for this. And I always have to add extra onion just for him.

Start by peeling and thinly slicing a cucumber or two. 

Put them into a bowl, then slice some onion, add that to the cucumbers and toss everything together.

Next, in a 2 - 4 cup measuring cup or medium bowl, mix 2 cups water, 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper and sugar to taste. I usually add about a tablespoon, but you can start with 1 tsp and go up from there until you reach the desired amount of sweetness. For me, I'm simply looking to take the edge off of vinegar, not anything really sweet. Stir until dissolved and pour over onion/cucumber mixture.

Allow to sit for at least an hour before serving.

Avocado and Tomato Balsamic Salad is quickly becoming one of my go-to sides. I can whip it up in a flash and it's so delicious and healthy that I've been known to make a meal of this alone.

Simply cube the avocado and some tomatoes into a bowl. I prefer the flavor of grape tomatoes, so I just halve them. 

Then drizzle a little bit of olive oil over that, add several shakes of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt.

Gently toss everything to coat and that's it. You're ready to go. 

Fresh veggies and fruits are part of the beauty of summer. And while we can get many of these items year-round, they just taste better in the summer when they're fresh and, often, locally grown. 

What are some of your favorite summer salads/veggies?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Revisiting My Favorite Pasta Salad

I shared this recipe a few years ago as we were approaching the Fourth of July, touting it as a perfect side for burgers, brats, ribs, chicken or steak, but chances are your July fourth is going to look a little different this year. Though that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some delicious summertime dishes. Like this super yummy pasta salad.

Naturally, the key ingredient is pasta. You're welcome to use whatever you like/have on hand, but I prefer something with a little color so I often opt for the Wacky Mac or some other tri-colored pasta.

Sometimes you can even find holiday pasta, like red, white and blue stars or red and green Christmas trees. I've seen them at places like Homegoods and Cost Plus World Market. They're fun for both cooking and decorating. Simply keep them on display in a sealed mason jar until you're ready to use them. (BTW, I have no idea why my font size changed)

Cook your pasta according to package directions to al dente. Once the time is up, drain immediately and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Then place your cooked pasta into a bowl. 

Add some chopped red onion, bell pepper and sliced black olives. 

These are my veggies of choice, but you're welcome to add whatever you like. But this next ingredient is what takes this pasta salad to the next level.

Imitation crab, which can usually be found in the meat section of your favorite market, is the key ingredient. Chop it up and stir in as much or little as you like into your pasta mixture.

Top everything with some Italian salad dressing (I don't recommend fat-free versions because without the oil the liquid ends up soaking into the pasta, making for a drier salad) and toss again.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to serve. That means you can make it the day ahead. But when something is this easy, you really don't have to.

Colorful, tasty and simple, making this one of my all-time favorite recipes. Oh, and did I mention it's always a crowd-pleaser?

So what is your Independence Day celebration going to look like this year? I know a lot of the larger cities will be televising their annual fireworks. Somehow, that's just not the same. Ours will be lower than low-key since we'll be celebrating two of our grandsons' graduation on the third. Yes, I have now have two adult grandchildren. And yes, I had my first child when I as ten. 

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Simple Salad and Sunset

This past weekend was the Servant's Heart banquet at our church, an outreach to cancer patients and their caregivers in our area. Our appetizer for the event was caprise salad, a refreshing blend of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. But I overordered on the mozzarella.

So right about now, I'm thinking about a delightful margherita pizza, with a tangy sauce, slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato and a sprinkling of basil on flatbread. That'll make a wonderful dinner.

But my favorite use of fresh mozzarella is caprese salad. Traditionally, it's a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese topped with a tomato slice and a basil leaf, drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with some coarse ground black pepper. But I prefer mine a little different.

First, we need some yummy tomatoes. Like these campari tomatoes. Very tasty. You can also use cherry tomatoes or whatever variety you prefer.

Cut into bite-size pieces and tossed them together with some cubed fresh mozzarella. 

 

Then add some chopped basil, a bit of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and some fresh ground pepper. Maybe even a splash of balsamic vinegar. Toss it all up and voila!

A light and refreshing lunch that's not only easy, but oh so delicious.

So our weather has been quite squirrely lately. Temps will approach 80 one day and then be stuck in the 40s the next. I saw my first wildflower over the weekend and a tree trying to bud. We've finally had some rain, but not the soakers we need to fill the lakes, ponds and tanks before summer hits. I'm praying for a wet spring. However, the rain has provided us with some beautiful sunsets.

 I do love it when God does some sky-painting.

So what's the weather doing where you are? And what's your favorite thing to do with fresh mozzarella?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.

Salad Season is Anytime of Year

by Jan Drexler

We live in a beautiful place.

I know I say that often - probably too often for our regular readers - but it's true. We have mountains, vast valleys, and gorgeous skies.

One wonderful thing about living in the Black Hills is that we're an island in the prairie. Look on a map:

Satellite view of the Black Hills!

We're surrounded on all sides by National Grasslands - Thunder Basin, Oglala, and Badlands. They have a beauty all their own.

Last week, we drove to Wall, South Dakota, to pick up our side of beef. (When you live in ranch country, you buy yourself a freezer and purchase your grass-fed beef from your favorite rancher!) The drive was absolutely breathtaking.

We drove home on the back roads through Badlands National Park. We hadn't been to this end of the park before, and were amazed. We'll have to take this route again.

One reason we took the opportunity to drive the back roads is because we've been enjoying a mild winter for the past six weeks. After a few promising snow storms in November and early December, we've had weeks of 40° degree weather, sunshine/clouds/sunshine, and very little snow.

With spring-like weather, my appetite turns to salads!

I know I've mentioned that we have trouble getting fresh produce here in the winter, but that's one perk of the mild weather. The romaine in the stores has been in great condition, and I've been enjoying it!

I wrote about these Salads in a Jar nearly five years ago, and I felt it was time to revisit them...and get out my canning jars to prep for the coming week of lunches!

Salad in a Jar

We writers never stop writing. So every shortcut we can find is like gold.

Less time cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. means more time to write. More time to write means more books. More books = happy readers.

Yay for shortcuts!

Writers also spend WAY too much time sitting (or standing) in one place. We all know what happens to sedentary people, and we want to be happy, healthy writers.

One solution? Salad in a jar!

This is an easy-peasy way to make sure you're getting your veggies, even when the rest of your life is crazy busy.

So what do you need?

First, your favorite veggies - -

And did you notice there are some protein sources among the veggies? Protein is what turns your rabbit food into a powerhouse complete meal that sticks to your ribs well into the afternoon.

Second, some one quart canning jars. Five is a good number - the salad will stay fresh in your jar for about five days, so five jars will give you an entire week of salads.

Those plastic reusable lids are perfect for things like this!

Next, sort your ingredients by weight. You want the heaviest and wettest ingredients in the bottom of your jar, and the lightest at the top. Think of the salad we made in the cafe a couple months ago- Ginger's Salad - where we layered the ingredients in the bowl. With the jar, we're going to layer ingredients in the opposite order. So your dressing and toppings go first, and the lettuce or slaw last.

One note before we begin - since I work at home, I opted to leave a few ingredients out of the jars. I'll add them in on the day I eat the salad. The ingredients that will wait until later are salad dressing, slivered almonds, cheese, avocados, and chopped apples. They'll be better fresh.

Let's start assembling our salads!


This one is a Chef-style salad, without the lettuce.

The layers are:
sliced boiled egg
sliced black olives
chopped mushrooms
cooked, diced chicken breast
chopped broccoli/cauliflower mix
shredded cabbage (I use the cole slaw mix)


Here we have a classic salad:

1/4 cup canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)
cooked, diced chicken breast
sliced carrots
sliced radishes
chopped mushrooms
diced red onion
sliced pickled beets
chopped broccoli/cauliflower mix
chopped lettuce



This low-fat salad is going to be filling:

1/4 cup canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1/4 cup cooked, diced chicken breast
1-2 Tablespoons dried cranberries
cabbage slaw to the top of the jar


This one is also low-fat:

1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)
sliced carrots
sliced radishes
chopped broccoli/cauliflower mix
cabbage slaw to the top of the jar


And this last one:

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
sliced carrots
sliced radishes
chopped mushrooms
chopped red onion
chopped broccoli/cauliflower mix
chopped lettuce to the top of the jar


Remember: If you're taking your salads with you to work or school, you'll want to put your favorite salad dressing in the bottom of the jars before layering in the other ingredients.

Stick the jars in the fridge, and you have a week's worth of salads to eat at home or to go!

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There's nothing like a salad to make a writer lean and healthy, is there? What is your favorite salad combo?

Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their goofy corgi puppy, Jack. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.