It’s been almost 10 months since I’ve entered a recipe contest, how sad is that? I tend to pick posting on my blog over entering contests, but I wish there were more hours in the day to do it all! I recently came across the Skinny Mama Cooking with Mustard Contest, a healthy recipe contest just for bloggers sponsored by Saucy Mama Mustards, and it sounded like the best of both worlds – creating a new recipe for a contest I can immediately share? Sign me up!

Saucy Mama sent me a complimentary package of six mustards to try. I had no idea there were so many different mustard variations out there – Tarragon Lemon, Dijon, Champagne Honey, Chipotle, Smoky Garlic, and Yellow. Of course, Apolinaras got into the chipotle first, and put a hefty dose in some meatballs, which was really tasty. For the contest, I wanted to do something very healthy but also satisfying and was stuck on the idea of using quinoa – it’s just such a super grain packed full of protein and fiber!

I brainstormed until the very last minute (entries are due today, eeek!) and finally came up with a worthy idea to feature two kinds of their mustard. I decided to do a little twist on my Avocado Chicken Cakes and mixed up some shredded chicken with Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Mustard, quinoa, panko, and Greek yogurt. I baked the cakes until they were golden brown and served them atop a salad featuring a creamy honey mustard dressing that tastes decadent but is surprisingly good for you since it’s made with protein-packed Greek yogurt, Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard, and a touch of honey. I did a double take when I calculated the nutritional information – there are just 300 calories per serving and 32.9g protein, wow, this has to be my healthiest low calorie recipe yet! Double the mustard, double the fun!

p.s.  If you have a Facebook account and like my recipe, I’d love your vote!  Thanks!!

p.p.s.  I somehow missed this when I first published the post, but Saucy Mama would also like to give one of my readers a Saucy Mama condiment kit containing a bottle of Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard, Smoky Garlic Mustard and Dijon! To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, March 6 at 11:59pm EST.

The fine print: Sorry, this giveaway is open to U.S. readers only.  Saucy Mama is sponsoring this giveaway and sent me a package of six mustards to try, but I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are mine. The winner will be picked with random.org on Wednesday, March 7 and announced shortly thereafter.

Honey Mustard Spinach Salad with Chicken Quinoa Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken Quinoa Cakes:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I poached two large chicken breasts and shredded them)
1/2 cup panko
1/4 cup chopped red onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Mustard
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard
1 tablespoon honey

For assembly:
5 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (about 6 ounces)
1 red pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, sliced

Directions:
To prepare the chicken quinoa cakes, heat oven to 350°F. Place quinoa and chicken broth in a large stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is soft. Place cooked quinoa, shredded chicken, panko, onions, garlic, yogurt, mustard, egg, and salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Shape mixture into 10 patties and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until set; heat oven broiler and broil for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the dressing, place yogurt, mustard, and honey in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

To assemble the salad, mix spinach, red pepper, and cucumber in a large bowl. Evenly distribute greens onto 5 plates and top each with 2 chicken quinoa cake. Drizzle evenly with dressing. Makes 5 servings.

Nutrition: 284 calories, 4.6g fat, 3.8g fiber, 32.9g protein per serving
Cost: $2.64 per serving

My lab headed over to Sweet Cheeks in Fenway to stuff ourselves with BBQ for lunch one day last week. The restaurant was recently opened by Tiffani Faison, who was a finalist on both Top Chef Season 1 and Top Chef All-Stars. You can probably guess that I was pretty excited to check it out!

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with my pulled pork sandwich. The meat just wasn’t as tender and juicy as the pork at Blue Ribbon, and the sandwich was advertised as being served on Texas Toast, which I always thought was thick slices of garlic bread, but apparently is just normal slices of white bread? I did like that they had a couple different sauce options, and I will definitely be returning to see how Sweet Cheeks’ ribs and brisket stack up at some point. Their sides, however, blew Blue Ribbon’s out of the water. I wanted to dive into the mac & cheese, and my favorite part of the meal actually turned out to be their farm fresh salad. I know, I know, I was surprised too, who would expect a killer salad at a BBQ joint? The greens were tossed with hazelnuts, Brussels sprouts, and grapes, and the combo was perfectly balanced. It was so tasty that I decided I needed to make a salad featuring grapes and Brussels sprouts at home!

I mixed a large bunch of spinach and mixed spring greens in my salad bowl, along with roasted Brussels sprouts, halved grapes, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and a healthy dose of shaved pecorino romano cheese. Then I took portions out throughout the week and dressed it with balsamic vinaigrette as I went along. I even caught Apolinaras dipping into the salad bowl a couple times – if that doesn’t indicate how delicious this is, I don’t know what does. Thanks to Sweet Cheeks for the inspiration!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Grapes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
8 ounces mixed greens (I used half spring mix and half baby spinach)
2 cups roasted Brussels sprouts
2 cups halved grapes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shaved pecorino romano cheese
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:
To assemble the salad, mixed greens, roasted Brussels sprouts, grapes, dried cranberries, pecans, and shaved pecorino romano cheese in a large bowl and toss until well mixed. Evenly distribute on 8 plates and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 210 calories, 15.1g fat, 3.9g fiber, 4.5g protein per serving
Cost: $1.45 per serving

I recently checked out Upstairs on the Square with these lovely ladies and enjoyed a grilled halumi and fig salad nestled in a cornmeal crepe. I loved this combination of flavors and when I scored some fresh figs the other day at Costco, I immediately put them to use in this plate of greens.

My salad was a mix of arugula, sweet honey roasted figs, and salty pecorino romano cheese with a light balsamic vinaigrette. To add some crunch, I made a batch of cornbread croutons with pecorino romano mixed in the batter. Only half the batch made it in the salad (oops..), but I think any more would have been overkill anyway. I can’t remember where I first saw cornbread croutons, but it’s such a great idea and now I want to experiment with other quick bread croutons – maybe pumpkin now that there’s a chill in the air!

Roasted Fig Arugula Salad with Cornbread Croutons
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Cornbread Croutons
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Roasted Figs
2 pounds figs, stemmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Salad Assembly
10 ounces baby arugula
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette
4 ounces shaved pecorino romano cheese

Directions:
To make the cornbread croutons, heat oven to 350˚F. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together butter, eggs, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until most of the lumps are dissolved and then stir in cheese. Pour the batter into a greased 8×8-inch square pan. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about an hour, and cut into crouton-sized cubes. Heat oven to 400˚F and place cubes on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 400˚F, then flip over the cubes and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

To make the roasted figs, heat oven to 400˚F. Place figs on a large cookie sheet cut side up. Drizzle figs evenly with honey and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Roast at 400˚F for 15 to 20 minutes.

To assemble the salad, place arugula, balsamic vinaigrette, shaved pecorino romano, roasted figs, and half the cornbread croutons in a large bowl and toss until well mixed. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 510 calories, 20.5g fat, 5.5g fiber, 15.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.45 per serving

We were famished after all our hard work shopping, so drove over to the Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier, where we chowed down on New England classics – lobster rolls, clam chowder, corn, and exceptionally fresh mussels steamed in white wine. Mmm, just thinking about this meal makes my mouth water! The staff was really friendly and we definitely plan to go back when we’re in the area again.

Of course, by the time we got to Portland and checked in our hotel (we stayed at the Portland Harbor Hotel, which had a fantastic central downtown location and very lovely rooms – I recommend it!), we were hungry again. Luckily, I had already asked for some restaurant recommendations on twitter and was armed with Adrienne’s reply – “555 is great, Frog and Turtle (in nearby westbrook) is my fave, and I’ve heard good things about Nosh.” Since we were craving a few beers, we headed to Nosh Kitchen Bar for a few local microbrews and sandwiches. Nosh is in the Arts District and I thoroughly enjoyed my Nosh Burger (pork and beef patty/blue cheese/bacon/fried egg/roast garlic jam/brioche bun) and Apolinaras liked his duck gyro. Our waitress also had some fantastic beer recommendations (from Allagash and the Maine Beer Company), so we left feeling very satisfied.

The next day we rolled out of bed, snuck in a little time at the gym, and had breakfast at Becky’s Diner, which is a sentimental favorite of ours because we had breakfast there a few years ago during our anniversary trip up to Bar Harbor. The blueberry pancakes hit the spot!

We spent the afternoon wandering around the (windy!) harbor and city and also did a tasting at the Shipyard Brewing Company. I was really looking forward to this because I love their blueberry beer, but I would probably skip it next time and just go straight to Allagash (which we visited the next day!).

Our next stop didn’t disappoint though – we checked out Duckfat. I could have seriously eaten a boatload of their fries, which as the restaurant name implies, are fried in duck fat and phenomenal – yum! They have a variety of dipping sauces and both Apolinaras and I were happy with our respective choices of Thai Chili Mayo and Truffled Ketchup. Although the sandwiches were pretty tasty as well, next time we’d just go back for beer and fries!

After stuffing ourselves with fries, we wandered back to the hotel to freshen up and I did a little leisurely blogging while enjoying some wine.

For dinner we visited Five fifty-five, where Apolinaras feasted on creamy five onion soup, wild boar ragu, and carrot cake ice cream, and I had an asparagus salad, their signature truffled lobster mac and cheese (incredible – I savored every bite!), and a smores dessert. I definitely want to attempt to recreate the mac and cheese at some point, but the first thing I did when we got home was actually make a twist on the salad. It was described on the menu as featuring “baby arugula, charred asparagus, house ricotta, salt roasted almonds, pickled vidalias, and truffle vinaigrette.” What I especially loved about it was that there was a smear of ricotta cheese underneath the salad, so you could get some in every bite. I’ve never seen this before and thought it was just genius. So, last weekend I made my own version of their salad with a ricotta and goat cheese spread underneath a pile of arugula and asparagus. I did lightly dress the greens with a lemon vinaigrette, but the cheese is the star of this salad. I’ll recap the rest of our trip in my next post!

Asparagus Arugula Salad with Ricotta and Goat Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch long pieces (I had 4 cups cooked)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches arugula (7 ounces after chopping off the stems)
1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds
4 ounces goat cheese
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 400˚F. Place asparagus on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast at 400˚F for 8 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.

Mix remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until well blended. Place arugula, roasted asparagus, cooked red onions, almonds, and dressing in a large bowl and toss until well mixed.

To serve, mix goat cheese, ricotta cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth. Spread ricotta cheese mixture evenly onto six plates. Top evenly with salad, making sure part of the ricotta mixture is still showing. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 287 calories, 22.8g fat, 3.5g fiber, 12.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.18 per serving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I’m so excited! I’ve never cooked for the holiday before and I can’t wait to finally take a stab at roasting a turkey. We bought all our groceries this weekend (except the turkey, which we’ll picking up Wednesday from this local turkey farm), and I started prepping tonight by making vegetable stock for the turkey brine. I also cleared as much out of the fridge as possible, so our large 5 gallon pot for the brining would fit comfortably. This meant getting a little creative with some ingredients that needed to be used up!

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t make a lot of main dish salads at home, but there were 6 ounces of leftover fresh baby spinach in a large plastic container from Costco that were begging to be dressed up today. I settled on tossing them with a shallot apple cider vinaigrette and also mixed in some turkey bacon and apple slices. I also whipped up some maple walnuts to add – yum! My Turkey Day timeline is all set and I can’t wait to get into the kitchen this week. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Apple Spinach Salad with Maple Walnuts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Maple Walnuts:
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Crispy Turkey Bacon:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices turkey bacon, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

For assembly:
4 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (6 ounces)
1 apple, cored and sliced into wedges

Directions:
Prepare the maple walnuts by placing the walnuts and maple syrup in a small nonstick pan. Heat over medium low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly, or until maple syrup has evaporated; stir in salt. Spread walnuts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to cool to room temperature.

To prepare the bacon, heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté bacon for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

To make the dressing, add shallots to the same pan the bacon was cooked in and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Place shallots in a small bowl and whisk in apple cider vinegar, apple cider, olive oil, maple syrup, and salt.

To assemble the salad, toss spinach leaves with desired amount of dressing, bacon, maple walnuts, and apple slices. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 496 calories, 35.7g fat, 4.7g fiber, 9.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.97 per serving

I recently noticed that while I’ve posted over 25 desserts, there’s only one lonely salad hanging out in my recipe index. Aww, poor salad. It’s funny because although I actually always enjoy digging into a lovely pile of greens at a restaurant, I’ve never quite gotten into the groove of making salads at home.  This is mostly because I’m usually too lazy to chop up all the different kinds of veggies needed to turn lettuce into a main course! But I couldn’t help but be inspired to get out my knife this week, after seeing all the fresh summer produce at the market.

We had the best sweet corn on the cob and it was just begging to be used in a salad, so I mixed the corn up with spinach, grape tomatoes, and shrimp, and made a lovely red pepper dressing that really complemented all the ingredients. I wanted to add some chopped avocado too, but they weren’t quite ripe enough. I’ve got to start making salads more often!

Summer Spinach Salad with Red Pepper Dressing
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped (1/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ounces baby spinach
2 cups cooked fresh sweet corn (from 2 ears of corn)
2 cups grape tomatoes
2 cups cooked shrimp

Directions:
To make the dressing, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and sauté red pepper and shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Place cooked veggies in a food processor with remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, and salt, and pulse for several minutes or until smooth.

Toss spinach leaves with red pepper dressing, sweet corn, grape tomatoes, and cooked shrimp in a large bowl until well combined. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 338 calories, 19.2g fat, 5.4g fiber, 20.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.19 per serving

My problem on weekends is that I tend to sleep in until after noon and then half the day is already gone! Plus, then I end up not being able to fall asleep until very late on Sunday night, which makes it hard to get up on Monday morning. But, I struggle to change this habit for two reasons, 1.) maybe my body just needs the sleep? and 2.) I better enjoy it now because I’m sure I won’t be able to sleep in after we have kiddos! I’ve decided middle ground may be the way to go and got up by 10:30 both mornings this weekend. I was super productive and ran a bunch of errands and assembled my DIY light box!

I can’t believe I didn’t get around to putting this light box together earlier! My hubby bought the lights months ago when he volunteered to make my light box, but when I learned of his grand plans to use PVC pipe and curtains to make a huge lighting studio, I realized things had gotten a bit out of control. I found this site and made a cheap version myself. I’m still playing around with it, but it’s nice to finally feel like a real food blogger!

I also made this lovely salad this weekend. The flavors were inspired by the Salad of Hiramasa Sashimi course we had at our anniversary dinner at Craigie on Main. I made a shallot vinaigrette that I mixed with spinach, roasted beets, mango, avocado, and toasted pine nuts. I don’t make “fancy” salads very often at home, but I think this one is worth taking a few extra minutes to assemble! It was also my first time roasting beets and I can’t believe I haven’t done it before.

Roasted Beet, Mango, and Avocado Spinach Salad
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 large beet, scrubbed
1 cup chopped mango
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups packed fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Wrap beet in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Let cool for 10 minutes, then peel and slice into chunks.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and sauté shallots for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature and whisk in remaining tablespoon olive oil, red wine vinegar, apricot jam, and salt.

Toss spinach leaves with vinaigrette, roasted beets, mango, and avocado, and top with toasted pine nuts. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 435 calories, 32.3g fat, 7.6g fiber, 6.5g protein per serving
Cost: $2.01 per serving