Inspired Edibles

~ real food, balanced living ~

Lemon Thyme Artichoke Dip ~ a summer fresh delight

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“There is no such thing as a little garlic”  ~ Arthur Baer.
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Every morning, I visit my little herb garden to see what surprises await me.



My sons made these beautiful elevated herb boxes for me
on Mother’s day this year (with a little help from their dad)

The herb boxes are made of cedar. So not only do the herbs smell delicious, the boxes do too! (they remind me of that smoky, intoxicating sauna smell…which reminds me of skiing… which reminds me of jacuzzis… which reminds me of saunas… the perfect circle of life).

More importantly, the herb boxes are elevated and away from a certain girl who would absolutely and unequivocally love to devour them, roots and all.

who, moi?

Doesn’t she perform innocent well? Just look at those chocolate brown eyes… they’ll melt your heart while she quietly goes about destroying your property (gone are my kiwi plants; raspberry bushes, tulips and I’m in the fight of my life for our precious lilac tree).  Good thing I love the little stinker to pieces.

Anyway, today, in my elevated herb boxes, the lemon thyme was calling out to me.  I decided to use it in this summery version of artichoke dip.
With a solid protein content, this dip is the perfect accompaniment to fresh, hydrating vegetables.  Summer delicious.

 Lemon Thyme Artichoke Dip ~ a summer fresh delight

  • 1 400 ml bottle whole artichokes (about 1 + 1/2 cups), drained and coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp pitted green olives, finely diced
  • 1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper, finely diced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon thyme, chopped + more for garnish
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp tarragon vinegar (substitute rice vinegar)
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • sea salt & coarse black pepper to taste

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Notes:

This dip has got some good ol’ fashion zing to it.

If zing is not your thing, you may wish to tone down the raw garlic (the primary source of zing) and/or skip the jalapeno.

Why Garlic?

Those of us who love garlic don’t need any excuses to consume copious amounts of this allium, but just in case some of you are curious…

Research suggests that garlic may help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure as well as assist in helping prevent heart attacks by reducing the potential of blood clotting.

Raw garlic is also known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.

The compound that is principally responsible for garlic’s disease-fighting ability (and characteristic smell) is allicin.  Allicin is formed after garlic is crushed or chopped and is best left exposed to air for at least a few minutes prior to cooking or integrating in food to activate maximum health benefits.

Garlic smell in your fingers?  Try rubbing a few drops of vanilla essence on your finger tips to tone down the stinking rose.

As for your breath?  Easy solution: make sure your partner eats plenty of garlic too!

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Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency is achieved.

Keep dip stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.  It will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

You can enjoy it throughout the week – with vegetables, as a sandwich spread, on poultry, chicken or your burgers.  It’s wonderfully versatile and flavourful.

Have fun with it.

Raspberry Mango Cheesecake Pops with an Almond Crust ~ Gluten Free

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The most challenging part about making this recipe is resisting eating the entire cheesecake batter before putting the pops in the freezer (so, so, … so, good).

As indulgences go, this one is pretty innocent.  In fact, these cheesecake pops are more like a healthy snack than a dessert.
Made with two cups of fresh fruit, protein rich yogurt and delicately sweetened mascarpone cheese, these pops will keep you cool and refreshed while providing you and your family with delicious nutrients.
As summer settles in and temperatures rise, our fluid needs increase.  Beyond water, our best dietary source of fluid comes from fresh fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables also provide an abundant source of vitamins, minerals, fibre, enzymes and antioxidants for our bodies.  They are truly wonder foods and when paired with a protein – yogurt, cheese, nuts, seeds, beans – they provide a balanced, low glycemic snack that helps keep our blood sugar levels stable and our energy and mood balanced.
Raspberry Mango Cheesecake Pops with an Almond Crust ~ (gluten free)
For the Cheesecake Pops
  • 12 x 3 oz. Dixie cups
  • 2 cups 2 % fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese
  • ¼ cup agave nectar, honey or pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp natural vanilla essence
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 generous cup mango, coarsely chopped + a few smaller pieces for garnish
  • 1 generous cup fresh raspberries + a few chopped pieces for garnish
For the Almond Crust
  • 3/4 cup ground natural almonds (I use a dedicated coffee grinder to grind nuts/seeds)
  • 1 Tbsp coconut palm sugar
  • 1-2 Tbsp melted butter or coconut oil

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Why Greek Yogurt?

I favour Greek yogurt for its exceptional protein content (and gorgeous texture).

All yogurts, regardless of milk fat content, begin the same way – by adding bacterial cultures to milk.  Greek yogurt begins this way but it soon departs from other yogurt brands in that the milk is strained to remove the liquid whey.  According to manufacturers, this process of straining means that as many as four pounds of milk are required to produce one pound of Greek yogurt.  The resulting product is a far more concentrated source of protein (from casein) and a thick and creamy texture characteristic of Greek yogurt (regardless of fat content – even zero fat Greek yogurt has a gorgeous creamy-like texture reminiscent of sour cream) .

You will pay more for Greek yogurt but I think you will find that you get what you pay for.

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Directions:

Assemble ingredients.

Place yogurt, mascarpone, agave nectar (or other), vanilla and lime juice in blender or food processor and blend until combined.

Add mango and raspberries to mixture and pulse just until fruit is broken down somewhat but still retains visible pieces of fruit.

Try not to eat all the batter.

Line up Dixie cups.  Drop a couple of small pieces of fruit at the bottom of each cup before filling cups 3/4 full with cheesecake batter.

Gently tap cups down on counter a couple times to allow batter to fully settle into cups and prevent air pockets.

Place a couple more pieces of fruit on top of cheesecake batter.

hmm…only 11 Dixie cups…
I wonder what happened to that other portion…

Assemble almond crust ingredients in a bowl.  There should be just enough butter in the mixture to allow the ground almond/sugar to stick together.  Top each cheesecake pop with a couple tsp of almond crust, pressing down on the crust to allow it to adhere to the cheesecake mixture.

Place a popsicle stick in the center of each Dixie cup.

I made a few with crust and left some without –
both versions were delish
Place cheesecake pops in the freezer for about 2 hours.
Important Note: 
Because these cheesecake pops are a natural food that do not contain thickeners, stabilizers or emulsifiers, they will freeze like ice (and become rock hard).
Do not let this deter you from making these delicious and healthy snacks.
Instead, you can simply remove the pops from the freezer and allow them to soften somewhat at room temperature on the counter or move the pops from the freezer to the fridge (which is what I do most often) in the Dixie cups.  Even if you forget them there, you can simply enjoy with a spoon out of the Dixie cup (like a thick smoothie – delish!).

To eat, remove pops by pressing up on the base of the Dixie cup or, failing that, simply tear away the cup.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do (‘did’).  My husband and sons came home from camping this past weekend and wiped out my entire stock!  They loved them…

Light and Refreshing Mojito Smoothie

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Mojitos are one of my all-time favourite summertime drinks.

On the weekends, my husband and I try to escape for a few blessed moments of tranquility by the lake to enjoy a refreshing cocktail.  Side by side on our wobbly dock, we chat about our crazy lives, share our dreams and soak in a few moments of calm and gratitude.

It seems we are both huge fans of freshly squeezed lime juice and typically alternate between margaritas and mojitos as our favoured drink.  We have a simple electric citrus juicer that burns through 12 limes in no time, extracting every ounce of goodness. 

On hot and sticky summer days when we are back in the city, I find myself craving that same fresh lime juice but since it is not generally advisable to consume rum or tequila during the day (something to do with reduced productivity levels), I fashion a delicious protein rich smoothie that has all the taste and refreshing qualities of the mojito without the alcohol.

I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I do – our boys also love this drink!

Light and Refreshing Mojito Smoothie
  • 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup ice cubes
  • Zest of 1 lime, or to taste (see note below)
  • Juice of 3 limes, or to taste (see note below)
  • 10-15 fresh mint leaves
  • Handful of lemon thyme leaves, optional
  • 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup (substitute agave or natural honey) *note: this mojito is quite tart, if you prefer you can adjust by reducing the amount of zest/juice and increasing gently the maple syrup/honey to suit your taste
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Serves 2
Because this smoothie is comprised of fruit juice rather than fruit pulp, you may find that it is not as thick as a traditional smoothie.  It tastes every bit as good but if you find it overly liquid, you can play around with the consistency by adding more yogurt and omitting the milk, as desired. 
This mojito is quite tart.  If you prefer, you can adjust by reducing the amount of zest/juice and increasing gently the maple syrup/honey to suit your taste
I had some beautiful lemon thyme growing in my little herb box so I couldn’t resist tossing a handful into the mix.  Delicious.
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Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into two large glasses, sit back, breathe, relax, enjoy.
Sunset on the water – wobbly dock in the foreground

Minted Strawberry Quinoa Salad in an Amaretto Dressing

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Have you ever noticed how life’s little mysteries get sorted and solved during long car rides?

I just returned from a brief road trip with our eldest son.  A weekend soccer tournament in beautiful Vermont that saw us spending 12 hours in the car together.

The weekend itself could not have gone better.  From the generous hospitality of the people in Rutland Vermont to the glorious sun shining over the mountains and fields, we were treated to one of the smoothest and most enjoyable tournaments we’ve ever attended.

My son’s team happened to win this year’s tournament, but that wasn’t the most memorable part of the trip for me.  No, the most memorable part of the trip for this mom, was the collection of weird and wonderful questions that came up during our car ride that amused and delighted me to the core.

Here is just a sample of the conversation starters:

– Mom, do you think humans have always been able to laugh?  I’m just wondering because no other living species is able to.  What makes people laugh anyway?

– Mom, what’s the difference between a freckle and a birthmark?  Why do some people have lots of birthmarks and other people hardly have any?

– Mom, do you think the smell of skunk seeps into the car through the closed windows or the air vents or a combination of both? (I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this one.  Not because it wasn’t a valid question worthy of exploration but because I can sincerely say that I have never, at any point in my life, contemplated how the smell of skunk gets into a car.  I love boys!!).

Minted Strawberry Quinoa Salad in an Amaretto Dressing
For the Salad
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 5 large mint leaves, finely chopped + a few leaves for garnish
  • 6-8 large strawberries, fiely chopped + a few strawberries for garnish
  • 1/4 cup natural almonds, sliced + a few almonds for garnish
For the Amaretto Dressing
  • 4 heaping Tbsp plain yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp amaretto liqueur (I used Disaronno), substitute 2 tsp pure almond extract for a non-alcoholic version
  • 1 tsp honey
This is a unique and beautiful salad that is simple yet elegant and full of complex flavours.  It would make a perfect starter for guests on a summer’s evening.

The almond notes in the amaretto are a gorgeous complement to the sweetness of the strawberry, each intensifying the other’s flavour. The mint brings the freshness of summer supported by the texture of the sliced almond.

I’ve had this salad in my head for weeks and am so happy to finally deliver it on the page.

I hope you enjoy it.

Directions:
Prepare quinoa according to package directions (generally 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water).

Once quinoa has cooled (you can cool it in the fridge if you like), add in the sliced strawberry, mint and sliced
almond.

Meanwhile, place amaretto dressing ingredients together in a small bowl, whisking to combine.  If you find the dressing too thick (depending on what yogurt you use), simply add a little milk or olive oil.

Drizzle amaretto dressing over the salad and gently combine with the ingredients, taking care not to mash the fruit.

Plate the salad onto four individual dishes and top with mint, strawberry and sliced almond as desired.

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Our weekend setting

 

 

 

 

soccer pitch below…

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bon appétit ~

Lemony Kale Bites with Ricotta and Almond

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Many years ago, when I first discovered that I was pregnant, I found myself in a Sunday afternoon yoga class.  It was one of those overly warm and muggy Toronto days with the sun filtering orange through the windows of a peaceful second floor studio.  It happened to be mother’s day.  The instructor had us come to a seated position with our eyes closed and our bodies quiet.  Once everything was still, she spoke one sentence: 

We are all born of mothers. 
She didn’t instruct us absorb the grandeur of her words nor counsel us to spend five blessed moments in non-judgement of our mothers and every other mother on earth – past, present and future.  She didn’t need to.  Instead, she simply offered silence. We got it. And it was pretty wonderful.

So, with mother’s day upon us, I thought it might be nice to feature a celebratory brunch bite or dinner appetizer.

These nutritious lemony bites are also a delicious and elegant way of working in some of those underutilized power greens into the diet.

They are rolled in a mixture of ricotta and sunflower seeds and finished with a dusting of ground almond.  You can serve them simply on a singular tray with toothpicks or, for a slightly fancier look, on individual serving spoons with a dollop of plain yogurt and lemon zest as shown in the picture. 

(By the way, I bought the serving spoons at a dollar store – an inexpensive and fun way to dress things up a bit for guests and special occasions).
Lemony Kale Bites with Ricotta and Almond
    • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 6 cups kale, chopped (you could also use spinach, swissh chard or bok choy)
    • Joice of one lemon
    • Zest of one lemon
    • 1 cup ricotta cheese
    • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
    • 1 egg
    • sea salt & coarse black pepper to taste
    • 3/4 cup ground almond
    • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt and some extra lemon zest for serving
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Notes:
Make Ahead: You can make the kale bites in advance and simply store them in the fridge prior to baking.  You can also freeze the bites once baked.  Transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to two months.  Reheat at 375 F for 15 minutes or until hot.

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Heat oven to 400 F.

Sauté onion and garlic over low heat in a large skillet with olive oil until translucent (about 5 minutes).   Add kale and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes or until wilted and soft.  Remove skillet from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Place kale mixture into a blender or food processor along with lemon juice, lemon zest, ricotta, sunflower seeds, egg and a touch of seal salt and black pepper.  Blend until the kale has broken down into small bits and the mixture appears relatively well combined.
Remove kale mixture from blender and place in a plastic container to be stored in the fridge.
While the kale mixture is chilling in the fridge, grind the almonds (I use a coffee grinder for nuts/seeds).
Place ground almonds on a flat plate or bowl.  Scoop 1 tablespoon or so of the chilled kale mixture and place it on top of the ground almond.  Cover kale mixture with almond and gently form into a ball with your fingers – the mixture will be soft and somewhat mushy but you should be able to form a ball with it that is mostly coated with almond.
Gently transfer the coated balls to a foil lined and gently greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-20 until the bites are achieving a golden colour and beginning to crisp.
Remove from oven and allow them to cool fully before serving with some yogurt and lemon zest.
Makes approximately 20 lemon kale bites.

 

 

We are all born of mothers ~

Sprouted Spring Salad in a Jar

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sprouted spring salad in a jar

Last year for Mother’s Day our youngest son, then 10-years-old, surprised me with a salad made from sprouted greens that he grew in his bedroom window.

He followed the directions on a package of seeds that his Grand-Maman gave him and patiently grew the greens in a mason jar on his sunny bedroom ledge.  On Mother’s day, he chopped the greens and tossed them into a bowl with a few other odds and sods he found in the fridge and then proceeded to look up a vinaigrette recipe in one of my cooking magazines (could you die?)…. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything quite as fresh or delicious in my life (except for everything else my boys make…).

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Brown Rice & Cannellini Bean Sliders with Fresh Parsley, Peach and Honey

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For those of you who may have missed our big news, (it was covered by most of the major Canadian broadcasters but sometimes these things get overlooked), we bought a rice cooker.

Yes, it’s true.

And we have been making rice daily. That’s: every. single. day. Nothing new to our Asian friends we understand but entirely new, in frequency, to us.

And I don’t remember the last time we had this much fun for $9!!

After enjoying variations on stir-fries and burritos, we’ve expanded into blender territory this week to play around with some delightful vegetarian sliders (which can also easily be made vegan).  I’ve come to realize that my blender is a little bit like how some people view their crockpots – a life saver and food transformer.

The combination of rice and beans makes these easily assembled sliders a complete vegetable protein and ideal meal choice for vegetarians and those of us looking to vary our dietary intake.

If you prepare the rice and beans ahead of time (super simple and both store well in the fridge), you can have this meal on the table in 15 minutes.

Brown Rice & Cannellini Bean Sliders with Fresh Parsley, Peach & Honey

  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cups cooked cannellini beans (any beans will do), well rinsed if using canned
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 2 eggs (substitute 1/3 cup olive oil for vegan version)
  • 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (simply omit for vegan version)
  • 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder or to taste (substitute regular chili powder or other seasoning as desired)
  • Sea salt & coarse black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 ripe peach or nectarine, skin-on and sliced into wedges
  • Honey or pure maple syrup for topping
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Notes:
I usually makea double batch of beans on the weekend and store them in the fridge for the week.  Canned beans are always an option but I like the meatier texture of homemade beans when they are cooked al dente.

BPA:
More concerning from my perspective is that Bisphenol A (BPA) – a known toxin – continues to be used in the lining of many food and beverage cans – including canned beans.  Studies have shown that this industrial plastic is absorbed by canned foods and, when ingested by consumers, can give rise to significant spikes in urinary levels of BPA.

Canada was the first country in the world to declare BPA a toxic substance after reviewing a substantial body of evidence that linked BPA, and its estrogen mimicking effects, to a variety of troubling diseases and disorders including prostate disease, breast cancer, fertility problems and neurological issues, including fetal and infant brain development.

Health Canada has banned the industrial chemical from plastic baby bottles (as has the European union), but has not extended this ban to include food and beverage cans, which critics continue to argue is necessary to ensure public safety. Until more studies are conducted, I continue to take a cautionary approach by reducing our exposure to BPAs as much as possible.

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Sauté onion with some olive oil in a skillet on stove over low-medium heat until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Set aside.

Add onion, beans, brown rice, eggs (or olive oil), parsley, cheese (if desired) and seasonings to blender and blend until ingredients are combined and desired texture is achieved (I still kept the odd chunky bean piece in mine).

Using your hands, assemble mixture into patties in desired sizing.  I made sliders (slightly smaller than traditional ‘burger’ size) but you could also make minis and serve them as an appetizer.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, adding olive oil.  Place sliders in heated skillet and sauté for about two minutes on each side or until desired doneness is achieved.

Add a dollop of yogurt to each slider and top with a peach wedge and a drizzle of honey.

Flourless Salmon Dill Brunch Bites

By 50 Comments

If you’re anything like me, the Easter long weekend has snuck up on you from out of nowhere and you’re completely disorganized and utterly unprepared (oops, didn’t mean to be quite that confessional…).

But things have been a little busy.  Contrary to popular belief, Spring – and not January – is the busiest time of year in the nutrition world so I’ve been spending lots of time with some great clients and we’ve also been preparing for year-end piano exams, a big school play, winding down the hockey season and ramping up for soccer season.  Excitement abounds.

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Seared Pepper Shrimp with a Spicy Mango-Lime Dipping Sauce

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I recently bought a set of spice jars that came with a package of desiccated ginger chips.  I’ve never come across dried ginger chips before… what a revelation!  They’re so pretty – in a natural, woodsy kind of way – and enormously fragrant – like a ginger potpourri.  I’ve got some sitting in a bowl on my desk.  Anyway, I was so enchanted, I had to work a few pieces into the picture just for fun.  So if you’re wondering what the stray driftwood is on the plate, there you have it.

I’ve never needed an excuse to eat pan seared shrimp but if there was one it would be this dipping sauce. Made with fresh mango, ginger, cilantro and lime (a few of my favourite things), I can’t seem to stop eating it with virtually everything (except for maybe my morning coffee but even there, I feel myself weakening).

You can serve up this refreshing spring dip to guests on an appetizer plate surrounded by toothpick skewered shrimp or prepare the shrimp as a starter on a salad plate, as desired.  Either way, I’m quite sure you’ll enjoy.

Seared Pepper Shrimp with a Spicy Mango-Lime Dipping Sauce

  • 1 large bag of frozen unpeeled, uncooked shrimp (about 40 pieces)
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup orange juice, dilute
  • 1 large nub of fresh ginger, grated to about 2 Tbsp
  • Zest of one lime
  • Juice of one lime
  • 1 or 2 tsp hot sauce, such as sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

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Thaw whatever portion of shrimp you plan on using, leaving the remaining shrimps in the freezer.  The way I thaw shrimp is to place it in a bowl submerged in cold water in the sink.  This accelerates the process and generally leads to good results.  Peel and set aside thawed shrimp. 

Meanwhile gather all ingredients for mango-lime dipping sauce: mango, orange juice, ginger, lime juice, lime zest, chili sauce and cilantro and place in a blender. 

 
Blend ingredients until desired consistency is achieved. Transfer mango-lime dipping sauce into a container and place in fridge while preparing shrimp.

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat on stove with some grape seed or coconut oil (a stable heat resistant oil).  Once the skillet is good and hot, toss in shrimp.  Sprinkle shrimp with black pepper and sea salt and then flip and do the same on the other side until shrimp is cooked through (it will not take long).

Transfer mango-lime dipping sauce into a decorative bowl and surround with warm shrimp.

Pan Seared Prosciutto with Molten Bocconcini and Asparagus in a Balsamic Vinaigrette

By 49 Comments

Another defining sign that spring has arrived: asparagus is on sale!

Yay spring.  So, moving forward with more yummy spring recipes, I wanted to share this little delight.

This is a simple and enormously tasty dish that you can fashion into a salad, stand alone starter or meal.  I have served it on many occasions to guests and have arrived at the happy conclusion that it’s one of those foolproof winners (love those).

If you are not familiar with bocconcini, it is a semi-soft unripened cheese, similar to halloumi, that is versatile and easy to work with.  You can only see little bits of it poking out of the prosciutto in the picture (along with those tantalizing crispy-chewy cheese sheets from the frying pan – my kids fight over those) – the bulk of the cheese is tucked under the prosciutto.

Pan Seared Prosciutto with Molten Bocconcini and Asparagus in a Balsamic Vinaigrette

For the Prosciutto Bundles

  • 250 grams (1 package) prosciutto, sliced thin
  • 200 grams (1 container) bocconcini
  • 16 asparagus spears, steamed or roasted
  • Mixed lettuce and assorted vegetables, as you wish

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp lemon rind
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

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Note: Bocconcini is shaped roughly like an egg and comes in different sizes ranging from tiny pearls to golf-ball sized mounds.  For this recipe, I used a medium sized ball about 40 mm in diameter or the size of a ping-pong ball, but you could go with whatever size suits you.

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Wash asparagus and cut off woodsy ends (usually the bottom inch or two).

You can either roast the asparagus at 375 F with a little bit of olive oil for about eight minutes or steam it for two minutes.  (In a recipe like this where there are already so many flavours competing for attention, I would say the roasting is less essential).

While your asparagus is cooking, cut four bocconcini balls in half for a total of eight units.

Spread one or two pieces of prosciutto out on a cutting board and top with two asparagus spears and a half bocconcini ball.

Simply wrap the prosciutto around the asparagus and cheese until you have eight compact prosciutto bundles.

Warm a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat.  Place prosciutto bundles in skillet allowing them to brown before flipping them over to the other side.   It will only take a minute or two on each side to sear the meat.  Now turn heat down to lowest setting and cover your skillet to allow the cheese to fully melt.

Meanwhile, assemble vinaigrette ingredients in a small container with fitted lid.   Close lid and shake vigorously to combine.

Prepare four plates with lettuce and mixed vegetables as desired.

Place two warm prosciutto bundles on each plate and drizzle with freshly mixed balsamic vinaigrette.

Enjoy…