{easy summer side: grilled radicchio salad}

You guys. THIS recipe is why I love The Chew so much.  It tastes amazing and it took me a grand total of 20 minutes from start to finish to make.  About 90% of the time my husband, Chris, cooks the dinners around here.  I like to think I am an active participant by helping to chop veggies or simply supervising the playlist of music and setting the table, but let's be honest- he is doing most if not all the work.  Since Chris has been travelling a lot for work recently, I have been left to fend for myself as far as meals go and Trader Joe's salads can only get you through so many nights of cooking for one.  After watching the clip below of this grilled radicchio salad, I felt pretty confident I could prepare this meal for myself and since it tasted great, I would like to think I was successful!

This salad was the perfect amount for my dinner and would also make for an amazing side dish for a grilled summer meal.  It's got great charred flavor from the grilled corn and radicchio plus added sweetness and crunch from the candied walnuts.  And for extra credit this dish is also a low calorie and healthy option according to Daphne on The Chew.   See the full recipe instructions here or watch the clip below (note: I omitted the asparagus since it just isn't my thing but you do you.)

Tune in: Fresh Daily. 1e|12p|c on ABC

The Chew celebrates and explores life through food - from cooking to food trends, restaurants, holidays and more all aimed at making life better, fuller and more fun. Featuring celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, lifestyle expert Clinton Kelly and fresh face of healthy living Daphne Oz, “The Chew” is a leap forward into a delicious new kind of talk show.

Watch The Chew Weekdays at 1e|12p|c on ABC!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by ABC via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of ABC.

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{side dish: red beets with avocado puree}

The same line of thought that led me to want to make the kale aid smoothie last week also steered me in the direction of wanting to a find a healthier/lighter side dish option to go along with some fish Chris cooked up last week.  I spotted this dish over the Kitchy Kitchen (one of the best food blogs out there in my opinion) and I knew it would be perfect!  We decided to cheat by buying pre-steamed red beets to cut the cooking and prep time down.  We also added in some chopped walnuts for a little bit crunch as well as chipotle yogurt sauce for a little bit of spice.  For the chipotle yogurt sauce we simply mixed about 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt with 1 to 2 tablespoons of chipotle peppers and sauce (you can add more of less depending on how spicy you would like it).  

This turned out way better than I could have ever imagined!  The chipotle yogurt sauce sort of stole the show so I highly recommend adding it in since without it I think this dish might lack a bit of flavor.  This recipe worked perfectly as a side dish, but would also come out nicely as an appetizer especially one that travels well since it can be served cold!