I love this salad and have made it for multiple potlucks and parties. The dressing is what makes the salad. It is creamy and garlicy and wonderful!
I make it both with chickpeas and without. I often cut up the veggies the night before and make the dressing right before the event. Since the dressing is avocado base it does turn a little gray after 24 hours. Leftovers still taste good!
Life seems to get busier with every season. Everyone says “enjoy it the kids will be out of the house before you know it.” Part of enjoying the time is not stressing over dinner. Easier said than done with so much going on and so many foods to avoid, I had read that pasta in a pressure cooker was easy. I was skeptical but it turned out really well.
I browned the ground beef on the stove instead of using the sauté mode of the pressure cooker. I just find it easier. You could definitely do this the day before or earlier in the day.
I still feel new to the world of pressure cookers. I haven’t been wow’d by everything I’ve made and there are a few recipes that I am hoping to improve upon.
We are expected to get a snow storm over the weekend and that means SOUP!
I hope to have both pressure cookers going most of the weekend making Chicken Bone Broth and a vegan version with just herbs and veggies.
Besides shoveling I will enjoy some of my January 2019 Wish List there will be lots of hot chocolate, fires in the fireplace, and a walk in the snow.
I am simplifying my holiday decorations and plan to spend some of this long weekend going through some of the Christmas and Valentines decorations. Today I am dropping off a load of things I have already sorted and decided to donate. Then off to a grocery store or two to pick up the ingredients for the multiple batches of soup.
This past year I had the idea of opening a second Goodreads to track all the cookbooks I read since they always put mover on my reading challenge. Instead I just adjusted the number of books I wanted to read. I guess I need to adjust it again for next year. I still have a few books to add. So my ending number of books read for 2018 will be more around 85.
I learned so much from these books. I read lots of cook books and may up my number for next year to include all the ones I have at home that I continually use in meal planning. I continue to blossom into the home cook I want to be and will one day be the gluten-free baker I dream of being. Searing meat and main dishes still tend to be the hardest to reproduce for me when trying a new recipe. My list of 100 things is always full of cooking techniques and dishes I want make, for 2018 I made liver pate but did not perfect a poached egg (thing has lingered on my list for a few years!)
I learn more about organizing, productivity, and coaching. I love helping people with organizing and productivity. I feel that when being diagnosed with food allergies and Celiac (or any other diseases that the only treatment is diet change) the change in productivity is the hardest part. Change is hard. Transitioning to a whole new way of eating/living is very tough. Having someone to help you through the transition, like an AllerCoach (TM) can ease some of the anxiety.
I’ve been trying to add a moment of hygge to my day this holiday season. I’m trying to slow down and enjoy the holidays instead of just spin from one thing to the next.
Tonight I have my favorite Cardamom tea in my favorite winter mug. I have a small loaf of orange honey bread to munch on while listening to a Spotify playlist made by a friend.
I am still trying to find my vision word for 2019. My 2018 word was Blossom and I have been reflecting on some of the things on this years vision board.
I had pictures of breakfast food since I wanted to cook special breakfasts for my kids more often. I did make breakfast more this year and would like to do even more breakfasts in 2019.
Cooking for Thanksgiving is a marathon. It takes preparation, practice and doesn’t end when the guests leave.
After making the following menu gluten-free, dairy-free, soy protein-free, tree nut-free, peanut-free, and nightshade-free (except for the potatoes)…..
2018 Thanksgiving Menu
and running 8 dishwasher loads over the last two days, I am putting some leftovers to good use.
Following my usual broth recipe, I just use yesterdays Turkey carcass and add the veggies I have on hand.
Turkey-bone broth ingredients
I had some leftover fresh sage and some turmeric (In the container – note to self, take off the cover!) from the last time I made chicken broth.
I currently have two pressure cookers going with broth and will run three batches of water through each. That’s plenty of Turkey broth to get us through a few weeks, hopefully.
8 qt pressure cooker
6 qt pressure cooker
I will also be making Turkey Dill Salad. Have I mentioned how much dill it uses? A whole cup! I love dill and pomegranates. Who wouldn’t love this leftover salad.
What will you be doing with your leftovers this Thanksgiving?
I’m a big fan of Pinterest. I love looking trough all the food, plants and sometimes silly cat videos.
I worked this weekend on the rolls I want to serve this year for Thanksgiving (recipe coming soon.) This week I am trying to find a salad I think my kids might try.
This week I will finalize my menu and start my shopping list. If there is anything I can get this week (nonperishable items) I will shop for them this week.
I’m still debating on my main coarse. I like turkey because them I can make the prettiest sandwich salad ever. Turkey Dill Salad Did I mention it uses a WHOLE CUP of dill!
This morning I went to Woodman’s in Buffalo Grove. Their Grand Opening is Saturday, but they are open for business as of yesterday afternoon. There were still some holes on the shelves which I am sure will be filled by Saturday.
I have been hearing good things about the selection of allergy friendly products at Woodman’s for years now, but there has not been a store conveniently located to me. Last weekend while visiting friend in Wisconsin I stopped by a Woodman’s near their house to check out the selection. They had some products, it was crowded, I was tired. In the end I came away overwhelmed and anxious about the selection.
When I arrived this morning I entered the door to the store that enters into the bread and bakery section. They had Sweet Ali’s and a few other brands in this section. I did not find any Udi’s or Canyon and started to panic. This place was known for having all the best gluten-free brands. They had to be here.
What I discovered was this Woodman’s has a dedicated Gluten-Free Section!!! Plus two dedicated refrigerated sections for dairy-free milk and yogurt and another for dairy-free cheese.
Here are some of the selections…
Look at all that Canyon Bakehouse and Schar selections. They even had the long-awaited Hawaiian Bread!
The Gluten-Free frozen bread selection is pretty good too.
Almost any Katz product you wanted!
Our favorite Kinnikinnick cookies in new packaging.
The elusive Diaya cheese sauce only pouches.
Free2b Sunflower cups.
And our favorite Yummy Earth Lolly Pops, which are an essential in our house for the winter months.
They truely had the best gluten-free and dairy-free selection I have seen. The one brand I could not find I believe was operator error and I’m hoping on my next trip to locate.
Cygnet Organizing 