Pecan and Craisin Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dijon Dressing (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Can you believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving?! I saw that tomorrow is also the first day of  Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish, but I think it's pretty awesome that those two holidays are falling on the same day and won't again for more than 70, 000 years. Crazy!

I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with Sam's extended family this year and I was asked to bring a salad. I knew I wanted to make something simple because let's be honest, no one counts down the days til Thanksgiving for the salad. I had a rough idea of what exactly I wanted to put in it, but it seemed too simple, incomplete almost. That is until I found this recipe on the Huffington Post's website. It was exactly what I was looking to make, but with the addition of the perfect dressing to tie it all together. Earlier today I prepped the dressing and the pecans so that I could try out the salad to make sure I wasn't bringing something tomorrow that would taste less than delicious. And man, oh man is this good. As soon as I finished eating the salad that I used in these photos I immediately wanted more. You can be sure that I am counting down the hours to when I can eat more of it!

This salad comes together in less than fifteen minutes and features the holiday flavors that we all love while still leaving you with room for the mashed potatoes and stuffing. For the recipe click this link to the Huffington Post's website:

Pecan and Craisin Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dijon Dressing

***Note the recipe on the website is for a lot of salad, so if you're expecting a smaller crowd you may want to minimize the amount. I decided to only go with a pound of spinach and adjust the amounts of the other ingredients from there.

I hope those of you celebrating the holidays this weekend have a wonderful time with family and friends!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah!

Do you usually eat salads at holiday meals?

What types of salads do you like to have?

Vanilla Cranberry Chia Jam (Vegan, Gluten Free)

My original plan for today was to make a bunch of recipes, photograph them and get them ready to blog throughout the week. This is how my plans always start; thought-out, organized, efficient... but then something always comes along and derails me. Ask anyone who knows me. I am the master of procrastination and side-trackery (yes, I just made up a word to describe how I get side-tracked so easily). Today what threw off my groove was how delicious this jam is. I mean, I expected it to be good, it's cranberries and vanilla and chia seeds for goodness sake! What I wasn't expecting is for it to be downright addictive. What else could be done besides drop everything and share the recipe right away?

Not only is this jam super delicious, it's also crazy easy to make. All you need is a food processor and five minutes of your time (besides the ingredients of course). You literally just throw all the ingredients into the food processor, press puree and let it do it's thing unless it's a smooth consistency. That's it!

Plus, it's healthy!

Cranberries are great sources of antioxidants, vitamin c, vitamin a, carotene, folate, potassium and manganese. Studies have shown that consuming berries have the potential to help protect against cancer, aging and neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes and bacterial infections. [source]

Chia seeds are full of antioxidants, fiber, protein, healthy fats like omega-3, iron, calcium, magnesium and because of their gelatinous quality, they help clean out your intestinal track of unwanted junk. If this jam doesn't sound like the best topping for toast I don't know what does. 

Vanilla Cranberry Chia Jam 

• 1 1/2 Cups Fresh, Organic Cranberries
• 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
• Seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean or 1 1/2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup (or to taste)
• Dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Makes 1 Cup of Jam.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until a smooth consistency is reached. Serve on toast, mix into oatmeal, spread on a muffin... get creative! It's especially good paired with almond butter on toast! Store extra jam in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

I think I might make up a big batch, put it in some cute jars and give it out as holiday or hostess gifts! I mean people are probably going to get enough cookies, right?