I will admit, I'm having a love affair with quinoa. I just want it all the time. I want it in every salad I eat. It just adds such an easy healthful protein punch to my meals. And its so kid friendly and budget friendly as well. What's not to love? This particular salad packs a delightful crunch. It is super simple to assemble and no one will bad sad about it. 

Ingredients: 
2 cups watercress
4 radishes, diced
8 ounces green beens
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1 large head raw broccoli, chopped
2 cups quinoa, cooked
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Roast your pistachios at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Cook quinoa as directed. Blanch your green beans and put them in the fridge to cool. Emulsify your olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper into a dressing. Mix your watercress, radishes, beans, nuts, and broccoli together. Cover with dressing and serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

For those of you out there without access to an outdoor barbecue, summer in the kitchen can be brutal. There are all these wonderful recipes for grilled meats and vegetables, and you fall further and further into a deep pit of depression as you scroll through your Pinterest fee. Well have no fear, The Lavender Apple is here! This is a wonderful receipe for barbecued chicken breasts, no grill required! The flavors are certainly on point for summer, but you could also make this in winter when your grill is buried under 3 feet of snow. Gulp. This chicken is moist and so full of smokey garlicy barbecue flavor. You will love it. We paired this with some delicious almond smoked (also baked) green beans that you will go crazy over. 

Ingredients for BBQ Chicken: 

2 tablespoons butter

3 chicken breasts

lavender salt and pepper 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons peach preserves

16 ounces BBQ sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, diced

Directions: 

Melt your butter in an oven safe skillet. Add your onion, salt and pepper it, and saute on medium until softened. Add your Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 of your barbecue sauce, and your peach preserves. Stir on medium heat until everything is combined. Add your garlic to the sauce at the end. 

Salt and pepper your chicken, then place it in your skillet. Make sure it gets a nice coating of the sauce all over it. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 60-90 minutes depending on the size of your breasts, until heated to 165 degrees. Serve with the additional 1/2 of your barbecue sauce drizzled over the top of your chicken. 

Ingredients for the beans: 
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup smokey almonds, chopped

Directions: 
Wash and trim your beans. Chop your almonds into small pieces. Coat your beans in lavender salt, peppers, olive oil, and the smokey almonds. Scatter them across a baking sheet and place in your 400 degree oven for the last 15 minutes of so while your chicken cooks. 

These classic barbecue flavors marry so beautifully and come together without the help of a barbecue! Its such a delicious meal. Enjoy!

This is a delicious recipe for a low fat good for you salmon casserole. Its like a traditional tuna casserole, only everything is swapped out for its healthier counterpart. Instead of butter? Olive oil. Instead of cream? Broth. Instead of tuna? Salmon. You get the idea. For all the healthy swaps in this recipe, you would assume it would taste "healthy", but this casserole is rich and satisfying. Its packed full of nutrients too, so you can really feel good about making it for your family. 

Ingredients: 

16 ounces egg noodle pasta

1/2 large onion

1 cup fresh green beans (trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces) 

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons flour 

2 cans (4 cups) chicken broth

1 can (15 ounces) salmon 

1 tablespoon butter

4 springs fresh dill, chopped

1/2 cup panic bread crumbs

Serves 6-8

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Boil your pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. 2 minutes before your pasta is finished, throw your green beans in with the pasta. Drain and set aside. 

While the pasta cooks, dice your onion. In a LARGE sauce pan warm your olive oil. Sauté the onion in the oil. Salt and pepper the onion. Cook until tender and translucent. Add your flour to the onion and stir so that all of the onion is well coated. Slowly add your chicken stock to the onions, while stirring constantly. Bring it to a boil then simmer so it can thicken. This can take up to ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Add your salmon and dill to the sauce. Mix with the cooked pasta and taste. Add salt or pepper as needed. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. 

Melt your butter and mix that with the bread crumbs (the butter allows your casserole to get golden brown in the oven). Sprinkle the bread crumbs over your pasta. 

Place in 425 degree oven for 17-18 minutes until golden brown on top. 

This is a savory good for you weeknight meal made of mostly pantry items. We hope you enjoy it!