I've been trying to work on getting myself back into shape again, and that means altering my eating habits. I actually find in the summer it's a little easier to do because I have lots of fresh vegetables right in my back yard. I love vegetables so this works out great for me. Plus there are so many ways you can prepare them they never get old either. One way I've learned is by adding a Splash! of NAKANO Rice Vinegar to some fresh cut veggies and enjoying them like a cold veggie salad (minus the lettuce). It gives them a little bit of flavor, but doesn't take away from their nutritional value like many dressings can.
With NAKANO Natural and Seasoned Rice Vinegar you can have it all. Splash! For sensational salads. Splash! For magnificent marinades. Splash! For amazing appetizers
Dawn Jackson Blatner, has partnered with NAKANO Rice Vinegars to create healthy go-to summer recipes. Dawn’s custom recipes use clean ingredients perfect for the summer season.
Here's one that I'm looking forward to trying with all the heat we've had lately. I would much rather be grilling then turning on my oven for sure!
Grilled
Veggie & Ranch Bowl
Recipe
created exclusively for Nakano by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, CSSD
For a light
summery lunch or dinner, this bowl has grilled veggies, grilled corn, and
grilled chicken. It’s topped with an easy DIY ranch dressing made with Nakano
organic rice vinegar.
8 ounces skinless
chicken breast
2 ears of corn,
shucked
6 asparagus
spears, trimmed
1 bell pepper*,
seeded and cut into 4 large pieces
1 zucchini, cut
in half length-wise
1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and
pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons
Cashew Ranch Dressing (recipe below)
*organic produce
recommended
Directions:
1.Preheat
grill to medium heat.
2.Season
chicken breast, corn, asparagus, bell pepper, and zucchini with olive oil, sea
salt, and pepper.
3.Get
grilling:
Chicken:
6-7 minutes per side, until internal temperature of 165°F.
Corn:
10-15 minutes total, rotate anytime you hear a pop, until corn is tender and golden.
Veggies:
3-5 minutes per side, until tender, but not mushy.
4. Separate
all the ingredients evenly into 2 bowls. Drizzle each bowl with Cashew Ranch Dressing. Keep bowl leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Makes: 2 bowls
Per bowl: 450
calories, 21g total fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 870mg sodium, 31g carbs, 6g
fiber, 10g sugar, 38g protein
Cashew Ranch
Dressing (makes 1
cup)
1 cup raw,
unsalted cashews
3/4 cup
almost-boiling water
3 tablespoons
Nakano organic rice vinegar
1 clove garlic,
minced
1/4 teaspoon each
dried dill and dried oregano
1 teaspoon each
sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh chives
Directions: In food processor or blender, puree
all ingredients (except chives) for 3-4 minutes, until creamy. For best
results, drizzle water in gradually as food processor/blender is running. Stir in
chives. Keep leftover dressing in an air-tight container in the fridge for up
to 7 days.
Per
tablespoon: 50 calories, 4g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 110mg sodium, 3g
carbs, 0g fiber, 1g sugar, 2g protein
Disclosure: I received the products featured in this post for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts. All thoughts and opinions state are my own and are in no way influenced by my partnership with mentioned brands.