Artichoke, Fennel, and Tomato Salad

This is a recipe I got from a Jillian Michael's cookbook and at first I must say, it wasn't my favorite, but it has become one of my favorite salads!!

I make a lot of this and eat on it all week!!

Ingredients (Serves 10)

Artichoke, Fennel and Tomato Salad

• 2 jars (6 1/2 oz each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained (reserve marinade)
• 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar 
• 1 TBSP Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 heads fennel (about 3 inches wide)
• 6 cups cherry tomatoes (yellow, red, orange), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 cup lightly packed, rinsed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup slivered red onion
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Whisk 1/4 cup artichoke marinade (discard remainder), vinegar, mustard and garlic.
2. Rinse and drain fennel.  Cut off and save a few feathery green leaves for garnish.  Trim off and discard remaining stalks, root end and any bruised areas.  Cut bulb in half lengthwise across widest dimension, then cut each half crosswise into paper thin slivers.
3. Add fennel, tomatoes, olives, basil, onion and artichoke hearts to dressing in bowl.  Mix gently to coat. Add pepper to taste!

Add a grilled chicken breast to make a complete meal.  Or serve as a side dish!

Cauliflower Rice - 21 Day Fix Approved Recipe

Cauliflower rice??  Yes, you heard it correctly!  Not BROWN rice…but CAULIFLOWER rice!

I love brown rice, but now as I'm going through the 21 Day Fix, I am really noticing that my "yellow" carb containers are very precious.  I love my oatmeal in the mornings or my quinoa sometime during the day.  Sometimes there's just not enough of the yellow containers to go through my day.  So I was looking for a good alternative to rice…so, I found cauliflower rice!  It is 21 Day Fix APPROVED for the green containers…and it is DELICIOUS!!!

It's super easy to make…I made extra for lunches throughout the week.

Directions:

1. Grab cauliflower and make sure there are no brown or black spots on it. If so, remove with a paring knife.
2. Rip the leaves off the bottom.
3. Cut the florets off the core and throw away the core.
4. Break up the florets into even sizes.
5. Place florets into food processor in small amounts, process until evenly chopped but not into "mush"
6. Remove and put into large bowl and continue until all florets are finished…it will look like "rice" consistency when completed.
7. Then you're ready to cook!

Cooking Methods:  I like both ways it just depends on how much time I have!

Oven Cooking:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Spread cauliflower rice out on one or more baking sheets (depending on how much you have) into a single layer. Don’t worry too much about the single layer thing, you just don’t want to crowd the pan or it will steam and remain moist. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping the “rice” at least 1x. Remove, serve and Enjoy!

Frying Pan Method:

1. Heat a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat and add cauliflower rice.
2. Then “dry fry” it to remove as much of the moisture as possible. Make sure to season with salt, pepper and any other spice you'd like. Enjoy!

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