Making your own flavor-infused olive oils is simple – so easy that I think I’m probably the last one to the party.  The whole process takes about 5 minutes, and the final product has tons of uses. Use it in salad dressings or over the top of your favorite pasta dish. Last night I used it to brush chicken breasts before throwing them on the grill, and the oil added subtle, tasty flavor.

You could add chiles, peppercorns, garlic, or herbs to the oil too. Get creative! This would make a thoughtful homemade hostess gift as well.

Lemon-Infused Olive Oil

Serves: Makes 1 cup of flavored oil

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of your favorite olive oil – I used an inexpensive bottle from Trader Joe’s
• 1-2 tablespoons of Meyer lemon zest (about 2 medium lemons)

Directions:

Using a microplane or the finest grate of a box grater, zest two lemons being careful to only grate off the yellow part of the zest – the white pith is really bitter. Toss the zest and oil in a mason jar, shake and  let it sit for 24-48 hours. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain out the bits of zest and you’ll be left with delicious lemony oil. Enjoy!

- Hill

Cowboy Ciao’s Stetson Salad

I first visited Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale, Arizona a few years ago with a group of girlfriends. We started our meal with the Stetson Chopped Salad and loved it so much that we tracked down the recipe when we got home. Last week, my Mom and I had dinner again at Cowboy Ciao and were thrilled to see that the salad was still on their menu. It was just as good as I had remembered, and tasted very similar to the replica we’ve been making at home for the past few years. ENJOY!

Serves: 6

Meaty Monitor: Meaty enough to be your main.

Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1/3 cup dried currants
- 1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup avocado
- 1 10-ounce package Israeli couscous, cooked according to package instructions (about 5 cups)
- 3 cups coarsely chopped arugula
- 1 pound plum tomatoes, seeded, diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 grilled chicken breast halves, diced
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears). I actually prefer using dried corn (it adds crunch), but it’s not easy to find. I usually stock up when I find it at specialty food stores and markets, such as Ikedas.

- You can use any type of creamy, sweet dressing on this salad. I like Annie’s Cowgirl Ranch, Buttermilk, or Goddess Dressings!

Directions:

- Mix Asiago cheese, currants, and pumpkin seeds in medium bowl.

- The arrangement of ingredients makes this salad especially pretty on the plate. Using 1/6 of couscous, 1/6 of arugula, 1/6 of tomatoes, 1/6 of chicken, 1/6 of corn, 1/6 of the avocado, and 1/6 of Asiago cheese mixture, form ingredients into side-by-side rows on each of 6 plates (see the photo above).

- Serve, passing dressing separately so that each person can dress and toss ingredients together on their plate.

- Lizzy

Okay, confession: I am not a Big Mac (or red meat) person at all so the “better than” part might be a bit of a stretch, but this salad has everything fabulous that you’ll find in a burger that you won’t see on your you-know-what the next day. In fact, if you are a Weight Watcher, this is a low point (approx 4 points with a low-cal dressing), go-to hearty recipe that you’ll love. The best part about this salad: the Gardenburger adds a fabulous nutty flavor without the added fat and calories that come with real nuts, and some fantastic crunch (be sure to griddle the heck out of that patty). It is one of my all time favorites, especially when I’m dieting.

Gardenburger Salad

Serves: 1

Meaty Monitor: Perfect for lunch.

Ingredients (everything you’d find on a Big Mac minus the stuff that’s bad for you):
- A few handfuls of mixed greens.
- 1 Gardenburger patty (toast, toast, toasted!).
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes.
- ¼ cup diced red onion.
- ¼ cup goat cheese (my preference), fat-free feta or reduced fat cheddar cheese cubes.
- Mustard vinaigrette or your favorite low-calorie dressing.

Directions:

Toast or griddle your Gardenburger patty until crispy and browned. Toss greens, tomatoes, red onions, goat cheese, and dressing together. Slice warm Gardenburger patty into cubes, toss into salad, and enjoy!

- Lizzy

So…I did some Googling, made a quick trip to the store, and got out my blender. After a few tweaks, the result was low-fat blue cheese dressing that was damn delish (if I do say so myself).  I served it over a big entree-sized salad of greens, vegis and grilled chicken. Yum. This would make a great low-fat dip too — wish I would have thought of that before SuperBowl Sunday!

Low-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing

Serves: This recipe makes 2+ cups of dressing.

Meaty Monitor: High – this is pretty darn close to the real thing.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup 2% light cottage cheese
• 3/4 cup fat free greek yogurt (0% Fage brand is my go-to. Available at Trader Joe’s or Safeway)
• 1/3 cup 1% reduced fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup of chopped yellow onion (no need to dice it fine, the blender will do the work for you)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 tablespoons of blue cheese crumbles, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons minced chives

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, onion and garlic. Pulse until well combined, but not totally smooth. Add in pepper, salt and 3 tablespoons of the blue cheese. Pulse again until well combined. If its a little too thick, add in a bit more buttermilk and whirl again. Transfer the dressing to a bowl. With a fork, stir in remaining blue cheese crumbles and chives. Put the dressing in the fridge for 1 hour or so to chill and to let the flavors to combine. Serve over salad or as a dipping sauce.

Delish!

- Hill

First, next Thursday I will receive my first fruit & vegi delivery from Farm Fresh to You. That’s right, the lazy man’s farmer’s market. New salad fixins to try out, plus the ability to Google exotic looking fruits and vegis in the privacy of my own kitchen. And I get to sleep in on Saturday. I have high hopes!

Second – and not to get all Kate Gosselin on you – we bought a 10 lb. share of an organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) hog, courtesy of Live Culture Co’s Groundhog Day Event. That’s a lot of pork, but its conveniently packed for freezing. I pick up our shares of bacon, pork chops and sausage this Saturday in Oakland. Stay tuned for some bacon-laced salad recipes!

Coincidentally on Saturday night, we’re going to Oliveto’s Whole Hog Dinner in Oakland with the friends who turned us onto the pork shares. Its gonna be a piggy weekend.

I’ll report back on both services, and would love to hear from you all about other convenient ways to shop sustainably.

- Hill