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!!

 

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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!

Mexican-Style Sweet Corn

Mexican-Style Sweet Corn

 

I found this recipe in Redbook Magazine and knew the boys would especially like it.

I modified it just a bit, reducing the amount of butter their recipe called for.

 

When we lived in Mexico, we enjoyed visiting local parks.  The boys were so young - just toddlers/preschoolers while we were there - and a trip to the park was a big outing :)

 

At all the parks, and lining the streets in the little towns, were fresh fruit and fruit juice vendors.

And one of the most popular street food was Mexican corn on the cob.

And it was muy, muy rico!

 

I was always a little leery of buying food off the street in Mexico, especially for the boys.

But we did enjoy some Mexican corn - what with it being cooked and all :)

 

The corn I remember the most was when we were visiting the rainforest in the state that we lived in, a beautiful lake park.

 

After walking around enjoying the beautiful scenery, we enjoyed some corn.

 

Media Luna

 

 

Brennan (2) at Media Luna

 

I could just squeeze him.  He is so darn cute.

 

 

 

What made it different was that they roasted it on an open grill, then squeezed lime over it, dusted on some cayenne pepper, cheese, and then had mayo or melted butter for you to add if you wanted to.

 

Really, really good!

 

source

 

 

This recipe is for cut sweet corn.  I didn't have fresh grilled, so I used frozen, and cooked it first according to the package, and drained it well.  Then I added it back to the pot.

 

I added in butter and cayenne pepper and let it cook for 3 minutes.

 

Then I removed it from the heat and stirred in grated Parmesan, Kosher salt, and fresh lime juice.

The boys really liked this version.  I think I could use quite a bit more cayenne pepper, especially a dusting on top before serving.  But 1/4 tsp might be enough for your family. 

 

Brennan mentioned this corn from lunch when we were at a play last night. 

How much he loved it. 

 

Didn't have the heart to tell him I finished it off with my dinner :)

 

Looks like I'll be making it again.

 

 

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Buen Provecho!

 

 

 

Nectarines and Basil

Nectarines and Basil

I saw a short blurb in a recent magazine (maybe Vegetarian Times?) where a chef said one of his favorite things to do with basil is pair it with fruit, like nectarines.

 

So, I followed the photo with the blurb and made a side dish for dinner last week.

 

 

No recipe needed.

I think we all enjoyed the fruit and herb combo!

 

Enjoy!

Mushroom Bisque

Mushroom Bisque

 

I had this soup at a Service League luncheon and it was so good.

I made it for Brennan, David, and me one night and while they didn't love it like I did, I think I could easily modify it and they'd really enjoy it.

 

You start by sauteing cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms and chopped onion in olive oil until the onions are translucent.  I would chop the onions more finely for David next time.

 

Then add vegetable broth and allow to simmer.

In the blender I added more vegetable broth, milk (I used almond but any kind is OK), seasonings, the remaining mushrooms, and walnuts that I had toasted in the oven for 10 minutes first.  I would puree this more finely for Brennan next time.

 

Then I added the blended vegetables and liquids to the cooked vegetables and let it simmer for awhile.  

Then I served it with salad and warm crusty bread.

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Enjoy!



Hummingbird (Cup)Cakes

Hummingbird (Cup)Cakes

 

My friend Sarah shared her Hummingbird Cake recipe with me so I decided to try it for Easter.

Instead of a cake, though, I made cupcakes.

 

They were delicious and really moist.

 

Along with a gorgeous carrot cake and a cheese cake, we had great Easter desserts.

 

Mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Then add in baking soda, cinnamon, flour and salt.

 

Finally, stir in diced bananas, crushed pineapple with its juice, coconut, and chopped pecans.

 

 

Combine well.  This recipe makes either 3 cake layers or 36 cupcakes.

The layers should cook for 25 minutes at 350*.  I cooked the cupcakes for about 18 minutes.

We made cream cheese frosting by beating cream cheese and butter together, then adding powdered sugar and vanilla.

 

Brennan frosted the cupcakes for me which was a big help.

 

So yummy!

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Enjoy!

 

Guilt-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Guilt-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 

Another couple of good recipes to share with you from my latest cookbook read.

 

 

I didn't set out to fool my family into eating vegetables, so I was surprised when my 3 boys thought this dish was just potatoes. 

They almost seemed disappointed when they found out parsnips and cauliflower were also involved.

  They never did taste the parsnips.

 

This is a good side dish that heats up well the next day too.

 

Start by roasting a bulb of garlic in the oven.

Remove any loose garlic paper, then snip off the pointed end of the bulb, exposing the cloves.

Wrap the bulb in foil and roast for 30 minutes.

 

While the garlic is roasting, peel and chop 2 russet potatoes, 2 parsnips, and chop up a head of cauliflower.  Boil the vegetables in generously salted water, then reduce to medium and continue cooking until tender.

Drain the vegetables and return them to the pot.

Squeeze the garlic juice and cloves over the vegetables, and add a little butter (or margarine or olive oil), milk or vegetable stock, and sea salt to season.

 

Mash well.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and serve warm.

 

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Enjoy!

 

Cranberry Roasted Winter Vegetables

Cranberry Roasted Winter Vegetables

 

My 250th Y'all Come Eat recipe!

 

This recipe comes from the December 2012 Southern Living and sounded wonderful.

We eat quite a few vegetables around here, and the boys eat roasted vegetables really well.

 

I thought the addition of the cranberries would be a nice touch.

 

The article recommends pairing it with their Pork Roast with Sweet Onion-Pumpkin Seed Relish, which sounds yummy.

 

You trim, peel, and slice carrots and turnips and place them on one baking sheet.

 

I am the world's worst and trying to cut vegetables all the same size. 

The recipe says 1 inch pieces of carrots and turnips. 

Mine are all over the place, but it worked just fine.

 

Toss them with half of the minced fresh rosemary and olive oil in the recipe. 

Season with salt & pepper.

 

Cook at 400* for 30 minutes.

 

blurry photo - yuck

 

You do the same for your halved Brussels sprouts in another baking sheet.  Since the Brussels sprouts roast more quickly, you cook them in separate dishes.

 

Cook the Brussels sprouts for 20 minutes at the same temperature.

 

When the carrots and turnips have been roasting for 30 minutes, take the pan out of the oven, give them a little stir, and add fresh (or thawed frozen) cranberries to the baking sheet.

 

And roast the vegetables for another 5-10 minutes.  The cranberries will pop open.

 

Toss all of your vegetables together on a large platter and drizzle with molasses.

I didn't have molasses so used brown rice syrup.  I think you could also use maple syrup.

 

We liked the vegetables and the cranberries were a nice touch, but tart!

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Cinnamon Apples

Cinnamon Apples

 

My friend Kami, who makes the best whole-foods dishes for her kids, sent me this recipe from Taste of Home for a sweet treat.  It's a quick dish that can be made ahead of time and pulled out after dinner.

 

There are only 4 ingredients, all of which I have on hand, except for the red hot candies.

I couldn't find them anywhere!  Do they only sell red hots at Valentine's Day? 

Well, honestly, I only looked in 3 stores, but still.

 

So I went with hot cinnamon Jolly Ranchers, and I think they worked just as well.

 

 

I boiled water, sugar, and Jolly Ranchers in a saucepan until the candies fully dissolved.

 

Then I carefully added in my peeled & quartered apples, and let them cook until they were tender - about 15 minutes.  You could go longer, as long as the apples stay intact.

 

Here they are after 10 minutes. 

 

When they're tender, you place the apples in a serving dish and pour the syrup over the top.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then cover them and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

 

I wish I had a plated photo of this dish, but they disappeared so quickly! 

They were good and cinnamony, and a nice after dinner treat.

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!