Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Kalamata Olives

Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Kalamata Olives

 

This recipe comes from the New York Times online.

I thought it sounded like a good way to eat quinoa (keen-wah), which is high in protein and a nice alternative to rice.

 

Before you cook quinoa, you need to rinse and drain it a few times to get the soapy residue off.  It cooks quickly.

When the little white string in the seed is present, you know it's done.  It's as easy as making rice according to the packaged directions.

After making the quinoa you toss it in a bowl with a seeded & diced cucumber, Kalamata olives (I halved mine), and chopped fresh mint and parsley.  I seasoned it with sea salt and black pepper.

 

Then I whisked the dressing ingredients together - lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, and either buttermilk or plain yogurt.  I used plain Greek yogurt with a Tbsp of water to give it a dressing consistency.

 

 

You toss half of the dressing with salad greens of your choice (I used romaine), and the other half of the dressing with the quinoa salad.  I served the greens and quinoa separately, but you could combine them.

Top with diced avocado and Feta crumbles (optional).

 

I really loved this salad - I would do it again even without the dressing.  The boys were neutral, but David liked it too.  The quinoa salad portion was great the next day with new greens.

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Strawberry-Thyme Lemonade

Strawberry-Thyme Lemonade

 

This super-yummy lemonade comes from Real Simple magazine and is intended for both family and adult drinks.

 

This lemonade base is perfect for sipping in the sun, and you can add a splash of vodka to turn it into an adult version.

 

Brennan and I can vouch for the family-friendly variety.  It is really, really tasty over crushed ice!

 

Start by heating sugar, water, and thyme sprigs until the sugar dissolves.

 

Hull and slice a quart of strawberries.

Remove the thyme sprigs and add the thyme syrup, fresh lemon juice, water, and the strawberries to a large pitcher. 

 

Stir and chill 30 minutes.

 

Pour over crushed ice, garnished with a sprig of thyme.

 

Really, really delicious!!

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Pumpkin Seed and Spinach Pesto

Pumpkin Seed and Spinach Pesto

I have made lots of pestos.  Here are links to Light Basil Pesto, Kale and Walnut Pesto, and Avocado Pesto.  While all similar, they're unique enough to make at different times. 

This recipe is great for a dip - as I did with carrots this afternoon while watching Harry Potter 2 with Brennan.  Also good with pasta, as a spread for a sandwich or baguette, on top of sauteed vegetables, and as a dip with crackers.

I wish I could give credit where it's due, but someone gave me a copy of this recipe.  I'm pretty sure it's been in my to-make folder for a long, long time.

Heat the oven to 350* and toast raw pumpkin seeds for 15 minutes until golden.

While the seeds are toasting, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the spinach, garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs for 1 minute.  Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and let the spinach cool.  Then squeeze out any excess moisture, and pull the leaves from the thyme sprigs.

 

Combine the spinach, thyme, garlic, slightly cooled pumpkin seeds, grated Parmesan and olive in a blender or food processor and season with lemon juice and sea salt.  Blend until smooth.

 

This recipe makes a "dry" pesto, so if you want a more "wet" one, add more olive oil.

 

 



Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

 

Enjoy!

Tomato Salad

Tomato Salad

The farmer's market had some great looking tomatoes on Saturday, so I picked up some to take to the lake.  They disappeared!  David said they may have been his favorite food that he ate at the dinner!

I made a vinaigrette by whisking together olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, and fresh basil. I added a little sea salt and pepper.

 

I cut red, orange, and yellow tomatoes into 8 wedges in and tossed with the vinaigrette.

I let it chill until we were ready to eat.



 

Once we were ready to eat, I tossed the tomatoes again, drained off the excess vinaigrette, and added some more fresh basil and parsley.

 

Then I topped it off with feta cheese crumbles, and we served it with dinner.

 

(no need to drain the excess vinaigrette if not adding feta)

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Simple Sauteed Vegetables

Simple Sauteed Vegetables


This recipe is long overdue for my sweet friend Emily who is learning to cook and is wanting to introduce more vegetables into her family meals.  She had sauteed squash at a meeting luncheon we attended in April and thought it was amazing.  I assured her it was simple, simple, and I would provide more specific instructions.  Here's what I do (this time with Brennan's help).

These are the beautiful vegetables that Mary brought to Brennan and me last week (along with fun family movies!).  We sliced everything up kind of thick - organic squash, zucchini, kohlrabi (my first time!), and peppers. 


You can either spray the hot saute pan with olive oil spray or pour a little olive oil into the pan with the vegetables.  Spread them out and cook them on each side about 5 minutes.

We sprinkle them with garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper for a little flavor.

The red potatoes I did separately because the other vegetables had already started and I knew these would take a few minutes longer, being thicker.  We sauteed them with fresh rosemary from Mary's garden.  

 

Then we tossed all the vegetables together, added a little fresh parsley and a touch more sea salt and served.  We also microwave the leftovers the next day.

 

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

 

Enjoy!