Elana’s Pantry

Spinach Salad with Pistachios

Well, Mother’s Day was gorgeous. A warm and balmy 70 degrees, we went for a lovely hike and after that, I prepared a big dinner for my husband, the boys, our friends Chris and Larry and their little ones. We had Chicken Marbella (delicious) and a big spinach salad. Chris helped me to surreptitiously photograph the salad above as the hub does not like it when I take food pics whilst we have guests visiting for a meal. Actually, my entire family gets somewhat annoyed whenever I photograph food if it is anywhere near the dinner hour. They just want to eat. And who can blame them!

On another note, I’ve had something in the hopper for a while now. I have been passionate about the environment for quite some time. Having children drew my focus in from the macrocosm (environmental consulting for Fortune 500 companies) to the microcosm –family and home.

Each spring I am saddened when people in my neighborhood begin to spray their lawns with chemical poisons. There is such a well documented risk of pesticide toxicity; I worry about all of those dogs and children playing on lawns and rolling around in pesticides.

Therefore, I have launched a new site, called My Dandelion is a Flower. If you like your pesticides, then this website is probably not the place for you, so just skip it. If you are a little bit earthy or organic, then definitely check it out –you’ll have a good time. Unlike Elana’s Pantry which is a blog, updated frequently with my writing and recipes, My Dandelion is a Flower is a static site, full of fun facts and helpful hints. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad with Almonds

Even though the days of August are long and hot, the month seems to speed by every year, and this year has been no different.

Today the boys started school and my older son had his first viola lesson. He locked the viola case to keep his little brother out. When we arrived at the lesson, he realized that he had forgotten the key, leaving it at home in its “secret hiding place.” Needless to say, not much viola was played at that lesson. It was a lesson of a different type in terms of being patient and not blaming an eight year old for responsibility that he need not have been given in the first place.

When we arrived home from this “lesson,” I continued this week’s binge of food photography. I have been told by a little bird in New York that I need more entrées for my cookbook. The problem: while I have plenty of entrées, I love to shoot desserts. It is impossible to take a bad picture of a cookie.

Tonight’s project was a chicken salad with almonds. Given that it had plenty of fruit in it, the boys ate it heartily and without complaint. That’s dinner success in my book!

The whole family found this “one pot meal” light, yet hearty and satisfying. I took a huge bowl of this summery chicken salad with greens, fruit and nuts to my younger son’s back-to-school potluck last weekend and there was not a morsel left.

Cherry Orange Salad

My boys love this salad. Packed with fruit and full of good greens, they just can’t say no to this one.

Cherry Orange Salad
4 cups mesclun greens
3 oranges, sliced into triangle wedges
1 cup cherries, pitted and cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Place greens, orange triangles and cherries in a medium salad bowl
2. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar
3. Toss and serve

Serves 6

This gluten-free salad is a hit at barbecues, picnics and potlucks.

Cucumber Mango Salad

We’ve just come into another burst of warm weather, so I’ve been spending more time on the front porch watching my boys play and of course, making warm weather salads. This is one of my favorites for a sunny day.

Sun Sprout Salad

After an unusually long, snowy winter here in Colorado, we have been blessed with warmer weather. The sun was shining today as I sat on my porch, read the newspaper and watched people strolling through the neighborhood. Delightful!

My husband took the boys skiing, hence the porch sitting, and time for a leisurely grocery trip as well. I called my friend Tara and we met at the market so that we could chat and do our shopping together. We had fun looking over all of the spring produce and were duly inspired.

The sunflower sprouts caught my eye, as did the sugar plum tomatoes. I picked up a pack of each, eager to inaugurate my spring salad festivities. On these sunny days, dinner is a protein (chicken or fish) and two or three side salads. When the weather warms, I eat as much raw food as I can. My husband too –he helped me devour this one.

More Spinach Salad, Mom!

Children eat salad? Yes, it’s true. The boys eat this in heaps. The secret is fruit. My boys love fruit. I can generally get them to eat anything if I spike it with a little bit of fruit and insist they finish an entire portion before they get more. Common sense approach to avoiding kiddie food waste. And this way they can’t just pick out the raisins and leave the greens for me, the human leftovers vacuum.