Fennel and Orange Salad

So simple. So delicious. Serves four as a side, two if you are using as a main part of your meal (under a nice piece of grilled fish, for instance).

Fennel and Orange Salad

1 bulb fennel
1 orange, sectioned and roughly chopped
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

• Cut off tops of fennel bulb, reserving about 2 Tbsp of the fronds (little leaves). Depending on the freshness of your fennel bulb, you may want to use a vegetable peeler to trim off just the very outermost upper layer. Cut the bulb in half, then slice the fennel very, VERY thinly.
• Combine sliced fennel, fronds, and orange. (Also, when you section the orange, be sure to squeeze the juice from the membrane over the bowl.)
• Season generously with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Two Second BBQ Sauce and Carrot Slaw

This is a quick and easy way to use leftover roast pork shoulder. I made this as a lunch for one, but it's very easily multiplied to make more sandwiches. (If you are counting WW points, I calculated this as 7, including a 2 point bun.)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Two Second BBQ Sauce and Carrot Slaw

3 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar, packed
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp hot sauce (I like Tiger Sauce.)
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash soy sauce
about 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 oz shredded roast pork shoulder

1/3 cup pre-shredded carrots (Steam them in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften a bit.)
1/2 tsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

1 whole grain hamburger bun

• Combine first 7 ingredients. Add pork, and heat slowly in a saucepan over low heat. (Or microwave, checking ever 30 seconds.)
• While that heats, combine mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over carrots, tossing to coat.
• Toast the bun lightly, then pile on the pork, then the carrot slaw.
  
• Enjoy!

Red Snapper with Orange Gremolata and German Potato Salad

This is a quick little meal I threw together which turned out quite tasty. I made it for two, but I have increased all the proportions in the recipes you see to serve four. I served this with some simply sauteed zucchini.

Red Snapper with Orange Gremolata

1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
2 oranges, zested then sectioned and roughly chopped
a couple of handfuls parsley, chopped, separated
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, separated
salt and pepper

• Prepare Gremolata: Combine orange sections, half the orange zest, half the parsley, 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• For the Snapper: Preheat broiler, and prepare a baking sheet with a greased rack. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper, and place fillets, skin side down, on rack.
• Combine remaining orange zest, remaining parsley, garlic and remaining olive oil. Rub over the top of the fillets.
• Broil for about ten minutes, or until fish is firm, opaque and flaky. Spoon Gremolata over the Snapper.
  
• Enjoy!

Quick German Potato Salad

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and boiled
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 small handfuls grape tomatoes, quartered
4 Tbsp. chopped cooked bacon (about 4 slices)
4 Tbsp. bottled Sweet Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette*

• Chop the potatoes while they are still warm and combine with the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
• Enjoy!

*Note about the vinaigrette: Any sweet tangy vinaigrette will work in this recipe. This is a very quick, tossed together salad, hence the bottled dressing.

Quinoa Salad

Orange, red onion, and olive oil is one of my favorite flavor combos, because it just screams of summer to me. So that's the direction I chose to go in for this quinoa salad, probably because I am sick of winter. (Hey, if I can't have summer weather, I'll settle for summery foods.)

If you aren't familiar with quinoa, it's a delightful little grain (one of the few "complete foods" on our planet) and very versatile. You can use it hot, much the way you would rice, or cold in a salad, as I have here. Whatever you do use it in, be sure to rinse it very well before cooking. The grain has a bitter coating that you don't want in your dish, but a good rinse in cold water takes care of that.

One more quick note: When you section the orange, do it over the bowl you're using so it will catch all the juice that's going to drip out, then squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl as well. This adds a significant amount of flavor and liquid to the dressing. Here's the recipe:

Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups water
1 cup fresh string beans (cut into bite sized pieces and steamed but still very crisp)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 shallot, sliced very thinly (or half a red onion)
1 orange, segmented (don't forget to zest it before you cut it!)
1/4 cup golden raisins
zest and juice of half a lemon
zest of half an orange
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

• In a dry hot pan toast the quinoa until dry, golden and slightly puffed. Remove from pan.
• Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil, add quinoa, cover, reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes (until water is all absorbed). Fluff with a fork and and remove from pan. Allow to cool. (This could all be done the night before if you like.)
• When cool, combine quinoa and all remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and coarsely ground pepper.
  
• Enjoy!