Steak and Mushroom Salad

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post 

 

 

I kind of went back and forth a lot on dinner plans this week. We're back in the ungodly temperatures again, so turning on my oven hasn't been high on my list. We kept searching for good hot weather eats, and many different salad recipes kept popping up. Normally I wouldn't have given the suggestion a second thought, but we know a few people who are suffering through the cyclospora parasite, so greens and berries had us contemplating if the risk was worth it. But then we figured if we skipped the pre-bagged greens and bought them from our local farmers, we'd probably be alright. If you've been here for a minute, you know that my husband doesn't consider salad a full meal unless there's some kind of protein mixed in, so one of the recipes that we went with for dinner this week was Steak and Mushroom Salad that we found on Golden Blossom Honey. 

 

 

Salads are usually pretty fast to pull together, but any involving a meat added in usually tends to take a bit longer. However, this recipe would be an exception. You can whip all of the salad ingredients together while the meat cooks, and dinner is served in under 10 minutes. It really doesn't get much quicker than that. For vegetarians, there are some great beef alternatives to substitute, or if you love mushrooms like I do, just double up on those and skip the beef portion. This is such a great recipe to help get through the scorching days, and since there doesn't seem to be relief for my area on the horizon, I suspect we'll be having it again soon for dinner. It's been a few days since we've eaten this, and so far we're feeling fine, so hopefully taking the farmer's market approach to produce buying this week will keep us in the clear. 

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless top sirloin steak, trimmed of fat

2 tablespoons butter

8 cups mixed baby greens

4 cups arugula

1 (8-ounce) package sliced white mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

Have you or anyone you know been ill with the cyclospora virus? 

Turkey Salad with Cherries and Walnuts

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

I usually try to hold out as long as possible, but I finally broke down and turned my air conditioning on this week. The temps were getting a little too spicy, even for this warm weather loving girl. We had a few days where a heat advisory was in effect, and when that happens, we minimize our stove top and oven use. Those days we eat light, usually opting for simple meals that consist of sandwiches or salads. So when the high temps hit this week, I decided to serve one of my favorite Golden Blossom Honey salads: Turkey Salad with Cherries and Walnuts for dinner. 

 

In the summer months I love topping my salads with fruits. Most restaurants in my area usually have a strawberry and nut variety on the menu, and while I do adore that combo occasionally, I actually prefer a cherry and nut blend if given the choice. That's why I heavily lean on this recipe during warm spells. The dressing is mild with a hint of tang but pairs quite well with the turkey mixture. While there is mayo in the turkey salad portion, it's not a lot so it won't sit heavy in the belly which is really important to me on those extra hot days. If you aren't a turkey fan, you can easily swap that out for ham or grilled chicken, or leave it out altogether. If you'd like to make this a complete meal without oven use, add a side of crusty bread or dinner rolls for a light, yet fulfilling meal. 

 

Ingredients

1 pound smoked turkey breast, diced (ask the deli to slice a thick piece)

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

3/4 cup celery, chopped

1/3 cup mayonnaise, regular or low-fat

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons SOUTHERN BLOSSOM HONEY

salt and pepper to taste

10 ounces mixed baby greens

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE 

 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

Are you running air conditioning daily now also?

Corn and Black Bean Salad

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

While I don't watch much football myself, living a stone's throw from Notre Dame stadium is a constant reminder that we're in the thick of football season right now. On home game days it gets loud with the military flyovers, the band, and the cheers from the crowd, all of which I can take in from my patio. And while I haven't had time to host any game day parties this year, I thought for those of you who will be having them, I'd share a fun Corn and Black Bean Salad recipe from Golden Blossom Honey with you this week. It's a perfect accompaniment for burgers, brats, and steaks fresh off the grill.

This is a salad that can be tossed together in under 30 minutes, but I like to make it a day ahead of time so the dressing really marinates into the veggies. This is the kind of salad recipe that's been hot on Tik Tok lately, with a bunch of yummy veggies mixed together without lettuce or heavy dressings. It's so perfect for not only a dinner side dish, but we served it as a stand alone lunch, too. Or, you could even serve it as a party appetizer. Just pop it in a festive bowl next to some tortilla chips. We like to get the scooped chips to really load up the veggies, but I'm sure there won't be any complaints with pairing this with whatever tortilla chips you have on hand. It will be a surefire crowd pleaser for any gathering this season.  

Ingredients

Salad:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups frozen or fresh corn

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

2-3 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper (to taste)

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

Have you watched any football games this season? 

Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Nectarines

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

My daughter found out I was using ChatGPT to quickly organize some business files this week and she wasn't pleased. Apparently I'm causing this massive heatwave because the AI software uses up lots of water, contributing to global warming. Who knew? Sorry, y'all. I'll try to kick my AI habit so we can see some cooler temperatures here soon. In a peace offering, allow me to share a refreshing salad recipe to help beat the heat this weekend. I love mixed greens in the summer and even better when fresh fruit is added in. My husband doesn't consider it a complete meal unless a protein is included, so I consider this Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Nectarines from Golden Blossom Honey a winner of a summer salad recipe if there ever was one. 

 

On sweltering days like most of us have been experiencing this summer, the stove and oven are off limits in our house. It's just too hot to even think about turning them on, so salads are a perfect go-to meal for those kinds of days. While there is chicken in this recipe, the great thing about that is it uses a prepared rotisserie chicken from the grocers, which not only saves time, it saves you from having to add any extra heat to your kitchen. The homemade poppy seed dressing is the perfect pairing for this fruit-filled salad. I usually add a raspberry vinaigrette to my fruity salads, but I think the poppy seed dressing is my new favorite. It's creamy and not too heavy, so you can eat it on the worst heat days without feeling weighed down. I plan on having this salad many more times this season while the fruit is at its peak, and I encourage you to try it as well! 

 

Ingredients

Dressing:

1/3 cup mayonnaise, regular or lite

1/3 cup sour cream, regular or lite

2 tablespoons RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

3 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Salad:

1 cooked rotisserie chicken, from grocery store

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

2 ripe nectarines, sliced

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

6 cups mixed baby greens

4 strawberries for garnish

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

Do you use ChatGPT or any other AI programs for business or personal use? 

Grilled Shrimp on Wilted Greens

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

I never realized how difficult it could be cooking for two until this past year. I can usually make my normal recipes when my husband isn't traveling because he usually goes back for seconds or will save leftovers for lunch the following day so there isn't much food waste. But my daughter and I aren't as good about eating up the leftovers, even when we have the best intentions to do so. So I've been on the hunt for recipes that will easily feed 2 without a lot of, or any, leftovers. I always think that what comes in a bag of shrimp is never enough for more than 2 people, so I save those recipes for when there are only going to be 2 people eating at home on any given day. Before Jason gets back home from his travels this week, I thought we should try this Grilled Shrimp on Wilted Greens recipe that I grabbed from Golden Blossom Honey this month. It seemed like just the right amount of food for 2, whether we were wanting it for lunch or even dinner.

This is a light meal option that works for both lunch and dinner. It's fairly quick to prepare, short of the marinade time. While this recipe does have a serving size of 4, I found that since greens wilt down really small as they cook, it was actually more suited for 2 when served as a whole meal, with just a few shrimp leftover. As a side dish, 4 is quite accurate there. This recipe offers a bit of spice mixed with a little bit of sweet. A unique and flavorful combination that I quite enjoyed. While I realize we're still in the throws of winter and I'm sharing a grilling recipe, I admit that I didn't clear the snow off of my grill. Instead, I skewered up the shrimp and broiled them in the oven for several minutes on each side until they started to show a little char. The shrimp still came out as delicious as if they were pulled from a summertime barbecue setup, so it's safe to say that no matter the season, this salad can be served year round.

Ingredients

3/4 cup oriental sesame oil

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

Juice of one lime

1/4 teaspoon dried ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced

16 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 head radicchio, leaves separated

1 pound baby spinach leaves, washed and stemmed

 CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

What's your go-to meal when cooking for 2? 

Orange, Cranberry and Spiced Pecan Salad

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

It's been a month of cookies and cakes and heavy holiday foods, so I thought I'd pivot this week and toss out a recipe to sort of tip the scales back to the healthier side of things. I've actually been really good watching the carbs, calories, and sugar intake for the last several months, but even I'm burnt out on all of the holiday goodies and Christmas isn't even here yet! We'll have 2 dinners to attend next week, one at my mom's house, then one the following day at Jason's parents. My mom always has a salad on the menu so I don't have to worry about balancing lighter eats with the heavier ones at her place, but Jason's family loves the savory, rich, and sweet foods so it's a bit more challenging to eat right there. Don't get me wrong. They always have some kind of fruit and veggie tray, but sometimes I just want a salad. So I thought that in addition to the main dish we'll be providing (ham, which I don't eat anyway) I'll be bringing a really lovely Orange, Cranberry and Spiced Pecan Salad to add to the table. This Golden Blossom Honey recipe still has all of the wonderful flavors of the season, so you can indulge without the guilt!

I normally only eat fruit in my salad in the warmer months, but this recipe taught me that fruit can go in with the leafy greens and be scrumptious year round. The sweet citrus fruit combined with the tart dried cranberries gives this salad a real punch of flavor, but the spiced pecans adds a nice warmth and texture that pulls everything together perfectly. It all comes together fairly quickly, so even if you don't have a salad planned for your holiday dinner but are thinking of adding one last minute, you can get this tossed together in a snap without too much prep ahead of time. It's colorful. It's delicious, And if there ever was a salad that could be deemed as the perfect holiday salad, this would surely be the winner.

Ingredients

Spiced Pecans:

3 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

2 teaspoons water

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pecan halves

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1/2 cup orange juice

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 small head red leaf lettuce

2 large naval oranges, peeled, white pith removed, and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

I'll be catching up on publishing and responding to comments next week. For those who celebrate, I wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas! 

Warm Broccoli and Mushroom Salad

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

Just because it's now autumn doesn't mean that it's time to put the salads away. We just need to find creative ways to eat a bowl of warm veggies. I usually like a warm pasta salad, or even a warm potato salad for lunch or dinner, but what about a Warm Broccoli and Mushroom Salad? I usually throw those veggies into my stir fry wok, so why not make a quick salad instead? This Golden Blossom Honey recipe has been sitting in my "to make" folder since the beginning of summer just waiting for the temperatures to drop before giving it a try.

 

 

This salad can be served as either a side dish or as a full meal. Aside from the bacon, which can be left out to make this a vegetarian meal, this salad is nutritious, packed with fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins to help support a healthy immune system, which is important as we start inching towards cold and flu season. And, as the holidays are hot on our heels, it's always so easy to reach for all of the tempting treats, but by eating this salad first, it will be so much easier to consume sweets minimally. And in my opinion, it's much better than the carb or sugar heavy foods anyway, so it's a no-brainer to keep this recipe on hand throughout the cooler months ahead.

 

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli

5 slices of bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

 CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

What warm weather salads are your favorite?

Marinated Grilled Chicken with Mango and Tossed Greens

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

I had a discussion not too long ago with someone who insisted that fruit does not belong in salad. But like pineapple on pizza, I beg to differ. For me, it all belongs together. I love a salad with refreshing fruit bits mixed in. Apples, strawberries, grapes, cranberries, and pears are some of my top picks to mix into greens. Throw on some feta or goat cheese and toss in a few almonds or walnuts and that's a perfect salad to me. But one fruit that I have never tried in my salad are mangoes. I like mango fruit well enough, but I mostly use it pureed into a smoothie instead of eating it whole, as is. But with the weather really starting to heat up this past week, I'm craving a LOT more fruit these days. While I was at the grocers, I bought a few extra mangoes while they were on sale and decided to put a few to use in this Marinated Grilled Chicken with Mango and Tossed Greens recipe from Golden Blossom Honey. 

 

 

I admit, I wasn't expecting to like the mango in my salad as much as I like my normal fruit picks, but it turned out to be a spectacular surprise for me. I don't know if it was the contrast of the sweetness of the fruit paired to the acidic flavor of the vinegar dressing, but I devoured it! My husband isn't much for salad, because according to him any lettuce is a waste of caloric space, but because this recipe calls for the addition of marinated chicken, I was able to pass this off as an entire meal. For a vegetarian version with protein, omit the chicken and toss in a handful of nuts. I like almond because I think it pairs well with the dressing best, but peanuts and cashews would be amazing here too. As the temperatures rise, this is an excellent recipe to have on hand for a light and refreshing lunch or dinner. And if you are on the fence about mango in salad like I was, I ask that you try it at least once before nixing the idea altogether. You may end up just as pleasantly surprised as I was and end up eating it in your greens all summer long. 

 

Ingredients

1 mango, peeled and diced

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 chicken breasts, boned, skinned and halved

Marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/8 teaspoon dried ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 Tablespoon grated orange zest

Salad:

1/2 pound green beans

1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces

1 small head radicchio, torn into small pieces

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

 

  

Fruit in salad, yes or no?

 

 

 

 

Spinach Salad with Apples, Cranberries & Sliced Almonds

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

The family is in Wisconsin this week, so it's been just me here at home to fend for myself when it comes to meals. And I'll be honest. Cooking for one is kind of a relief. No rushing to get meals on the table at a certain hour, no complaints about what is being served, and best of all, a lot less dishes to clean. It's not that I don't miss my family, but sometimes it's nice to have a little solitude. I've been making a lot of things that they normally wouldn't eat, like Spinach Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Sliced Almonds. They aren't big into having fruits mixed with their greens, but I sure am! This is a Golden Blossom Honey recipe that I have had saved for quite some time, and decided this was the perfect week to test it out.

 

 

Now that it is officially fall (yippee!), I don't need to look for an excuse to incorporate the tastes of the season into every meal, and this salad has some of my favorite autumn flavors all rolled into one scrumptious dish. I absolutely love the contrast of the sweet fruits and honey paired with the bitter onion and rounded out with a tangy dressing. The salad doesn't have a lot of ingredients, but what it does have packs a huge flavor punch! The only thing that I changed about this recipe is the addition of cheese. I need cheese in my salads, so I crumbled up some goat cheese and loved it all the more. That's just a personal preference of mine though. Feta or fresh Parmesan would work well here too. If you're looking for a protein, you could add some grilled chicken for a heartier salad. I've seen similar recipes offered on the Wendy's menu, but they are awful expensive. You could make this at home for a fraction of the cost of a chain restaurant salad. It would be much fresher and tastier too, I'm sure. Sticking with the flavors of the season, I poured myself some cranberry wine to accompany this salad, then settled in front of the television and enjoyed my meal while watching a cheesy Sandra Bullock Rom-Com. Solitude doesn't get any better than this :)

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY MUSTARD
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Salad
8 cups (about 1/2 pound) baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

 

  

Do you like fruit in your salad?