Happy Summer Fit Diva
Hope you had a relaxing 4th last week and are back on track with your workouts and fit diva approved foods????
Who is ready for a side dish change-up for summer? Something other than a blah salad or veggie?! Simple, Super tasty and of course Fit Diva approved!
These 2 diva-licious summer side dishes are full of fiber, which we all could use more of wink, wink and can be kept for a week in the fridge as yummy leftovers for lunches throughout the week.
- Cauliflower “potato” salad
WHAT IS Diva-Licious Anyway?
It’s not that you can’t eat the foods you enjoy, its finding a way to eat them. So let’s do just that!
Cauliflower is the New Black
This first salad takes place of the good ol American favorite, potato salad. We are going to replace the potato with the infamous cauliflower. I sometimes wonder, how the cauliflower made mainstream just a few years ago and not a decade ago when that horrible Atkins diet was trending? I mean, we can replace so many heavy carbed & caloric dishes with cauliflower and it tasted pretty damn good. Pizza crust, tator tots, fried rice…I could go on and on.
Nothing wrong with potatoes, but let’s face it, we would rather save those carbs and calories for a cocktail or dessert. RIGHT?!?!
My clients and I joke…we would rather drink our carbs then eat them!
This Side dish was a huge hit at my last Diva-licious recipe cooking class. ENJOY!
Diva-licious Recipe
Cauliflower Summer Salad
Pan-fry cauliflower. Mix up sauces. Add cauliflower. That’s IT. A creamy low carb style potato salad. You will not miss the potatoes! I promise.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dill relish
- 2 teaspoons finely diced onion
- 2 teaspoon fresh dill
- 2 teaspoon chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS:
- Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces, much like you would a potato for potato salad.
- Rinse and drain.
- Add just enough water to cover the bottom of a 12 inch skillet and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Add the cauliflower to the skillet and cover to steam. Alternately, cook in a steamer basket on the stove top. Let steam for 3-5 minutes, checking for doneness with a fork. When a fork slides in easily, add the cauliflower to a large bowl. Do not over cook the cauliflower or your salad will be mushy. I prefer it tender-crisp.
- Chop the hard-boiled eggs into small pieces and add to the bowl with the cauliflower.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, except for the paprika, and whisk together to form the dressing for the salad.
- Gently fold the dressing into the cauliflower and eggs, stirring to coat each piece. Sprinkle with paprika.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until cold.
Diva-licious Recipe
Skinny Slaw
The second skinny summer side can be made so many ways. Base: brocoli Slaw.
Yep, A bag of shaved broccoli.
You can literally add just 2 ingredients, a few spices and have another fiber filled diva-lish side dish.
I like creamy, so I used plain greek yogurt as a base, which also adds protein, and chose a sweet or spicy dressing to flavor it or both. You can use any dressing of choice. Some yummy combos I have used:
Base: Greek Yogurt
Either low fat or non fat. That’s up to you and how much other good fats you are having in you meal. If its really lean protein, like grilled chicken then use the low fat so you get in some good fat in your meal. If your meal is higher in fats like nuts, avocado or oils, use non fat. Make sense?!
Dressings: *Read your nutrition label. Sugar adds fast. Also, try to find ones that have minimal ingredients. There are lots of dressings that can be sneaky calorie bombs and we do not want that!
- Sesame-Thai Dressing Spices: garlic, ginger and red pepper flake, S&P
- Greek by farm boys (Publix) Be sure to get the lite, red label Spice: Oregano, garlic, S&P
- Apple Cider garlic blend (whole foods) Spice: Any combo maybe Curry & Cumin, S&P
- Italian Dressing or Balsamic Spices: Basil, Garlic, S&P
Ingredients
- ¾ bag of broccoli slaw (leftover is great in your morning omelette)
- 1 cup low-fat plain greek yogurt
- ⅛ cup Wasabi coconut cream dressing (whole foods)
- 1/2 cup shaved almonds
- Garlic, pink salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients and set in fridge for at least an hour for best taste
- Makes 4-5 servings
OMG! So Diva-Lish
Had it alongside grilled chicken and butternut squash fries.
Summer Sizzle Fun
Enjoy these to super easy cold summer salads and remember food shouldn’t be complicated. Keep it simple and be sure to keep those hard working bodies hydrated during these hot months.
Until next time….Buon Appetito
Ciao,