Chinese Chicken Salad

Who doesn't love a good Chinese chicken salad!? Unfortunately more often than not, a Chinese chicken salad also means creamy dressing and fried wonton strips, AKA, unnecessary calories from unhealthy foods. Here is the Tovita solution to this salad dilemma! Flavorful and easy to make, this salad is a year round favorite! 

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1/2 head iceburg lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
• 2 large carrots, julienned (can use spiralizer or vegetable peeler)
• 2 cups snow or snap peas, chopped roughly
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, toasted or sautéed until browned
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 zucchini, spiralized and lightly sautéed
• 1/4th cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups pulled rotisserie chicken
• 1 lime, halved

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1.5 teaspoons chili sauce

*If you want to save yourself some time/ingredients, we recommend using Annie's organic Asian sesame dressing or San-J thai peanut dressing (also GF!)

Directions:

1. Chop, shred, spiralize, or dice all ingredients besides the peanuts and add to a large bowl
2. Sauté the peanuts in light oil until browned. Can also put them in the toaster until brown. 
3. Slice lime in half and sauté one half face down to add as a garnish
4. In a separate bowl, mix together dressing ingredients
5. Add dressing lightly before serving and mix.  Squeeze unused half of the lime over the salad to add a citrus flavor. Garnish with mint and lime.

Not Your Average Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce...

If you haven't noticed we love a good bowl of noodles. Just not the refined carb noodles that do nothing for your summer bod. This is one of our favorite go-to week night dinner recipes. If you haven't heard of shirataki noodles (also known as miracle noodles), you're not alone. These are the weird noodles in a bag that you find in the tofu section of the grocery store. Trust us on this one, with only 20 calories PER BAG, these are a great way to satisfy that pasta craving. 

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 bag of shirataki noodles
• About 7 cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 zucchini
• Fresh mozzarella (1 oz)
• Fresh basil (2 leaves shredded, 1 leaf for garnish)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (we used Ragu light, no sugar added)

Directions:

1. Cut open the shirataki noodle bag and drain the water. Rinse the noodles under water for about 2 minutes. Once rinsed, drained, and patted dry, microwave the noodles in a bowl for 2 minutes. That funky smell you got when you opened the bag will be gone after microwaving!
2. Spiralize one zucchini into zoodles and sprinkle with sea salt
3. Place the tomatoes in a pan under medium heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil
4. When the tomatoes start to soften, add the zucchini. Slowly add one tablespoon of tomato sauce at a time to sauté the vegetables together for about 2 minutes
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the zucchini and tomato with the shirataki noodles. Add enough tomato sauce to spread evenly
6. Add 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese and finally add the basil

The Only Summer Salad You Need

This is the ultimate bright, colorful, delicious summer salad that you have been looking for! It is so simple yet offers the perfect mix of sweet and savory. If you need a pop of color with your summer BBQ spread, this is the way to do it. With all hues of red, this salad delivers a ton of lycopene - the antioxidant carotenoid that gives tomatoes and strawberries their bright red color. Studies suggest that lycopene may help prevent against prostate, lung, and stomach cancers. So all the more reason to feel great while enjoying this dish!

Red Hot Summer Salad:

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side):

• 1 container strawberries
• 1 container cherry or grape tomatoes
• Fresh basil
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons balsamic reduction

Directions:

1.  Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise
2. Trim the stems off of the strawberries and cut into quarters
3. Add tomatoes and strawberries into the serving bowl and mix with the balsamic reduction and balsamic vinaigrette until evenly spread
4. Tear the mozzarella and add to the bowl
5. Tear basil into pieces and add to bowl
6. Mix and serve

Curry Chicken Salad

We love a good curry chicken salad, but not when the chicken and warm curry flavor gets lost in a tub of mayo. We've got your solution! We use Greek yogurt in place of mayo to boost the protein and lower the fat content for a lunch you can feel good about. This chicken salad is great on its own, on high fiber crackers, or on top of greens.

Ingredients (~5 cups):

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, boiled 
• 1 cup nonfat plain Green yogurt
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried apricots, diced
• 1 apple, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1.5 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Shred the chicken and place in a bowl
2. Chop the celery, apples, and dried apricots if you choose to use them and add into the bowl with the chicken
3. Add the Greek yogurt and lemon juice 
4. Add the spices and mix well until a light yellow color

Is Italian Food Synonymous with Food Coma? Tovita Tastes: NYC's Bar Pitti

How often do we prepare ourselves for a post-Italian-dinner food coma? We've all worn baggy clothes to our favorite Italian restaurants with the intention of eating 'till our pants don't fit. The truth is that going out for Italian doesn't mean you have to succumb to personal orders of creamy pasta and burrata. There are always healthy salad, chicken, and fish options on the menu to enjoy, guilt-free. However, we are the first to understand that sometimes there is a pasta dish that you simply can't turn your back on - and that's okay! When this is the case, we recommend ordering a pasta dish for the table to share. Enjoying a few bites of delicious pasta is what life's all about, right? Taking down a whole plate of spaghetti carbonara on the other hand never turns out so well. (Have you tried our vegan spaghetti squash carbonara recipe yet??)

Though they're known for their pasta, Bar Pitti actually does a great job of looking out for those of us watching our waistlines. Many of our favorite dishes are listed as specials on their famous chalkboard menu. If by chance one of our Tovita approved dishes isn't listed, just ask. They are always happy to accommodate!

Here are our picks for Bar Pitti done right:

Antipasti:

Pollo organico con endivia

• Insalata Di Fagioli Tonno E Cipolla (italian beans with tuna & onions)
• Carpaccio with rucola & parmigiano
• Tuna tartar
• Mixed green salad
• Mussels 

Entrees:

• Veal meatballs
• Pollo organico con endivia (grilled chicken on endive salad with sun dried tomatoes)
• Salmon arrosto (roasted salmon, we ask for it to be on a bed of arugula salad)
• Branzino

Now that you know Italian cuisine can be 100% Tovita approved, there is no excuse to roll out of the restaurant with your pants unbuttoned! We dare you to try it our way.