is it just me, or does anyone else feel like they need a three day weekend to recover from their three day weekend? 

we celebrated my friend morgan on saturday in west los angeles and some of our best girls flew in for the festivities. we visited all our old stoping grounds, dressed head to tow in 80's gear. and
while i was terrible at taking photos, let me assure you that my group was committed. 

i was supposed to head home sunday for a productive day of recovering on my couch with football and my husband, but the girls convinced me to stay up in la for one more night of dinner and dancing. they know i'm a sucker for a night of dancing.
so instead of attacking my monday, i zombied through it. and i'm ready for rest and a bit of a detox. bring on the greens! 

salads are wonderful and can be so beautifully seasonal. i'm soaking up every last second of pomegranate season with this easy, bright salad.

pomegranate & blue cheese salad
serves: 2 dinner salads
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 12 minutes
ingredients: 1 romaine heart, chopped. 1 cup arugula. 2 cups mixed greens. .25 cup pomegranate seeds. .25 cup blue cheese. .25 cup spiced pistachios (you can use any pistachios you have on hand). .25 cup apple cider vinaigrette. 

in a large bowl, combine all the greens and toss well so they are well mixed. 

add in the pomegranate, blue cheese and pistachios. 

drizzle with dressing. 

toss well and serve. 

xo, a

pomegranate & blue cheese salad
serves: 2 dinner salads
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 12 minutes
ingredients: 1 romaine heart, chopped. 1 cup arugula. 2 cups mixed greens. .25 cup pomegranate seeds. .25 cup blue cheese. .25 cup spiced pistachios (you can use any pistachios you have on hand). .25 cup apple cider vinaigrette.
in a large bowl, combine all the greens and toss well so they are well mixed.
add in the pomegranate, blue cheese and pistachios.
drizzle with dressing.
toss well and serve. 

often when i'm busy, i find myself relying more on salads as a quick go to meal. most dishes require time for prep, cooking, resting and serving. that is way too many steps when i have twenty minutes at home in between class and my next job. so i keep a few different lettuces, cheeses, nuts and fruit (fresh and dried) on hand to toss together in a bunch of different combinations depending on my mood. if i'm lucky and have extra time, i'll grill up some chicken or shrimp to pop in. you could even throw in some tuna if you had some and wanted an extra protein boost or beans would do the trick for that too. 

but the key to a good salad is the dressing. and vinaigrette's are super easy to make (5 minutes or less) and can be stored on hand for up to a week. i love this one because it uses things i usually have on hand and is delicious with pretty much anything you could put in a salad. 

apple cider vinaigrette
serves: 1 cup
prep: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: less than 5 minutes
ingredients: .5 cup good olive oil. .25 c apple cider vinegar. 3 tbs orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 tbs finely minced shallots. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 

in a bowl or small food processor, combine all of your ingredients. 

whisk or blend till well combined. 

if you want a very smooth vinaigrette i recommend blending. if you like it a little lighter with small bits of shallots, i recommend whisking. 

serve or keep in an airtight container for up to a week. 

xo, a

apple cider vinaigrette
serves: 1 cup
prep: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: less than 5 minutes
ingredients: .5 cup good olive oil. .25 c apple cider vinegar. 3 tbs orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 tbs finely minced shallots. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper.
in a bowl or small food processor, combine all of your ingredients.
whisk or blend till well combined. if you want a very smooth vinaigrette i recommend blending. if you like it a little lighter with small bits of shallots, i recommend whisking.
serve or keep in an airtight container for up to a week.