Jan D'Atri

Jan D'Atri > red onion

red onion

Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad

by

Whoa! This recipe was the surprise of the century! I admit, I initially had the same reaction that most people have when I tell them about Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad. The comments range from “Hmmm, not sure about this one” to “Nah, this just doesn’t sound right.” But once they taste it, and realize how many foods this delicious, refreshing salad goes with, it quickly becomes one of their favorites. Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad was a recipe that I turned into a video for Red Mountain Weight Loss. It’s the perfect salad if you’re trying to get and stay fit, but more than that, it’s a crunchy and flavorful addition to just about every dish from fried chicken, seafood, pork, beef and kabobs, to a great topper for hot dogs and brats! I love this salad so much that I can’t wait to share it with you and I’m hoping you have the same reaction that everyone else does! The Crunchy Pickle Salad has just a few readily available ingredients, and the real stars of the salad are crispy pickles, fresh dill and sliced fresh fennel. I like that it has fennel for several reasons. While there are hundreds of recipes using cooked fennel, it’s harder to find dishes using fresh, thin slices of this versatile bulb. The sweet flavor of fennel gives the salad such a unique flavor, and the crunchy dill pickles are the perfect pairing. Also, fresh dill weed goes so well in the salad, adding more brightness and depth. You may be tempted to use a soggier pickle and dried dill, but don’t! These two ingredients make the recipe! It’s the perfect picnic side as it doesn’t wilt and can be stored and enjoyed for 3 or 4 days after assembling! I mentioned that this salad goes well with kabobs, so I’ve added a very simple and low calorie recipe for you to enjoy with your Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad!

Watch my How to Video for Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad here!

Garden Churkey Burger

by

The Story

You’re looking for something yummy and a little different for your Memorial Day menu. You’re trying to eat lighter. You’re craving a burger. You’ve come to the right place! How about a Churkey Burger? It’s a delicious combination of ground turkey and chicken (no, it’s not redundant… really!) with moistness and flavor added to the mixture from pesto, onion, and crushed red pepper. Then, once it is grilled to perfection, top it with avocado, sliced tomato, onion, arugula, and your favorite cheese. Your craving is about to be satisfied! So why use both ground turkey and ground chicken? You could certainly use just one or the other – they’re pretty much equal in calories, fat, and protein. But while turkey has a nice flavor, it tends to be a bit dry. Chicken, it seems, has a little more moisture and it acts more like ground beef when mixed together with other ingredients for patties. Add the pesto for even more moisture, and the Churkey Burger becomes a hearty and satisfying alternative to the usual burger fare. Now here’s a tip for a delicious condiment for your Churkey Burger: if you have some leftover pesto, let it drain through a sieve to get most of the olive oil out. Place the pesto in a bowl, add a little mayonnaise, and stir. It makes a wonderful slather on your bread and the perfect complement to the burger. Dive in and enjoy!

Rainbow Veggie Round

by

The Story

You’ve heard it your whole life from mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa: “Eat your vegetables!” But grandma didn’t have the advantage of instant access to thousands of recipes for veggies trending online. There was no such thing as “veggies gone viral” in her day. Eating veggies often meant plowing through a pile of potatoes, noshing on fresh corn on the cob, or sopping up some baked beans. So what do you get when you combine the age-old request to “eat your vegetables” with a veggie dish trending on social media? You get an empty plate! It’s really that good. The Rainbow Veggie Round combines any and all of your favorite, in-season produce, sliced in rounds and placed pinwheel-style in a pie dish with a layer of tomato sauce and ricotta and Parmesan cheese as a base. Just about everything “rainbow” is trending these days, from bagels to waffles to multi-colored pastas. So why not veggies? I’ve offered up some of my ideas for sliced vegetables like Japanese eggplant, summer squash, and purple potatoes. Make up your own rainbow of veggies, and then serve it up as a wonderful, meatless main dish, or as a colorful and tasty side!

Zucchini Crust Pizza with Sautéed Tomatoes and Mushrooms

by

The Story

Zucchini. I’ve never been a huge fan… until now. Zucchini is all of a sudden one of my favorite veggies as the star ingredient in one of the best pizza crusts I’ve ever had. Move over, cauliflower pizza crust. I think this one tops it by a mile! You will love the way this pizza crust cooks up. The big secret is to make sure you squeeze, squeeze, squeeze out the water from the shredded zucchini. Once you make the crust, load it up with any of your favorite pizza toppings. Does dad love pizza and beer? Here’s the perfect Father’s Day gift from your kitchen!