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.

 

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Enjoy!

Mediterranean Grain Salad

Mediterranean Grain Salad

I really love the versatility of a grain salad.  This version comes from Sandy who taught me the yumminess of this kind of dish.  It's great as a side dish, a main dish, to take to a pot luck, and keeps for a couple of days easily in the fridge.  This version was especially yummy!

 

You start with 6 cups of cooked grains - whatever you might have on hand.

I had made couscous (not actually a grain) and brown Basmati rice before and froze them to use later.  So I pulled out some of each and defrosted them.

 

But you could use any grain, or combination of grains including rice, quinoa, barley, couscous, etc.

 

Once I was ready to make this dish, I heated the rice and couscous in the microwave for a couple of minutes to take the chill off and combined them in my large mixing bowl. 

 

To my mixed grains I added a can of chickpeas (rinsed & drained), a jar of Kalamata olives (drained), chopped scallions, a chopped cucumber and fresh basil.  I mixed it all up together and seasoned with garlic powder, Kosher salt, and black pepper.

 

Because I wanted the boys to eat this dish as well, I didn't add tomatoes to the dish, but halved some cherry tomatoes for David and me to top ours with.  If you have tomato lovers at your house, you can incorporate the fresh or sun-dried tomatoes in your grains with the other ingredients.

 

Then I added bottled Balsamic vinaigrette, tossed the salad together, and served it alongside my other dishes for dinner.

 

The grain/vegetable/herbs/vinaigrette combinations are endless, but I liked this Mediterranean flair.

 

If you wanted to, you could also add any additional protein like other beans, meat, cheese, tofu, fish, or shrimp.

 

 

 

 

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Enjoy!

Bulgur Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette

Bulgur Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette

A dish that I make often because it's so versatile and easy is a Grain Salad. 
I have lots and lots of recipes for these great dishes and they go by many names.

Grain Salads
Rice Bowls
Veggie Grain Mixes

It depends on the cookbook author or chef as to what they're called.
I learned more about these dishes when I took cooking lessons with Sandy this past spring.

I've come to trust my instincts on what would work well together, so I thought I'd share the latest salad I assembled.

These salads have 3 components:

A Grain
Chopped Vegetables and Herbs
A Vinaigrette

The possibilities really are endless!

I wanted to try a white wine vinaigrette that I jotted down when watching Food Network many months ago.  I don't remember who the chef was who prepared this - sorry!.  It's a simple vinaigrette that worked well with the bulgur (a.k.a. bulgar and bulghur) and vegetables that I chose.

You can use any grain in a Grain Salad.  I happened to have bulgur that I cooked up so I planned to use it.  You could also use cooked brown rice, barley, couscous, millet, quinoa...  I've made many varieties.

You can also use any vegetables.  I chopped up cucumber and carrot, and added chopped fresh parsley.

I tossed the bulgur, vegetables and herbs together, then made the vinaigrette in a container with a tight lid. 

 

The White Wine Vinaigrette was very easy - I included olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt & pepper, fresh parsley & basil, Dijon mustard, and garlic. 

 

Tip:  I would use garlic powder in place of chopped garlic next time.  It was a little bitter.

 

Toss and serve.

This is great at room temperature alongside a couple other dishes (I made tilapia and bread this night).  It's also great as leftovers.

 

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Enjoy!

 

Cucumber Salad with Peanut-Lime Viniaigrette

Cucumber Salad with Peanut-Lime Vinaigrette

 

This recipe comes from the September 2012 Vegetarian Times. 

It was a great compliment to the Thai-Thai Birdie Wraps for dinner one night.

 

This recipe is very simple.  I started by whisking up the vinaigrette.

 

I used grapeseed and toasted sesame oil that I get at Kroger, and use quite often.

You could use peanut oil instead of grapeseed.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I peeled and sliced two good sized cucumbers and placed them on a platter.

I drizzled with all of the vinaigrette.

Then topped with chopped peanuts and cilantro.



 

Some family members added a little Sriracha to the top. 

 

 

This side dish was a hit!

 

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\

ขอให้เจริญอาหาร!

(kŏr hâi jà-rern aa-hăan!)

Bon Appetit in Thai

 

Classic Israeli Salad

Classic Israeli Salad

 

This is a delicious summer salad that comes from the June 2012 Vegetarian Times. 

I would like to tell you that it tastes great served the next day, but we ate it all in one meal, so I just don't know. 

 

I loved the freshness and flavors of this salad. 

You could serve it as a side dish, or even as a salad topping on a sandwich.

 

And it couldn't be easier. 

I used small Persian cucumbers.  If you're going to use a large one, you may only need 1/2.  The recipe calls for 4 small Roma tomatoes, but I only had 3.

 

Toss chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow pepper, and lots of parsley together.  Season with chopped green onion, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt & pepper if needed.

 

Fresh and delicious!

 

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בתיאבון

(Hebrew for Bon Appetit!)

 

Cucumber, Basil, and Lime Juice

Cucumber, Basil, and Lime Juice

Do you follow goop.com?  Goop was founded by Gwyneth Paltrow. 

It has everything from food, to travel, to clothing. 

This juice recipe is from goop.com, and is shown doubled below.

Most of us in this house like a good homemade juice. 

Brennan is the exception.  He hasn't found one that he has loved just yet.  We're going to keep looking though.  And in the meantime, Thomas will finish his. 

This is a super easy one that calls for 2 cucumbers, 2 apples, 1 cup of fresh basil, and a peeled lime.

I juiced everything together in the juicer.

If you want it super cold, you can then transfer the juice to the blender with a handful of ice.

I don't think the fresh basil added much to this juice.  It barely dribbled out of the juicer - it felt like such a waste of good, fresh basil! 

I would hold onto your precious fresh basil for a better recipe where you can truly enjoy it.

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Enjoy!

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh

David requested Tabbouleh this week, so I went to my folder full of recipes and found two that looked like great, basic Tabbouleh recipes.

I made Mexican Tabbouleh and shared it previously.  It was really good. 

This is the traditional Middle Eastern version that is customizable. 

My recipe below is combination of  epicurious.com's recipe and The Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook recipe, along with my own likes and pantry items on hand.

Tabbouleh comes from the Arabic word for "seasoning" because in the Middle Ages Middle Eastern cultures began eating edible herbs with most of their dishes.  I like this salad because it has a nice fresh taste due to the lemon, fresh vegetables, and fresh herbs.

I cooked a cup of bulgur wheat, which just takes minutes.

While it was doing its thing, I chopped my cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, scallions, parsley, and mint.

Some recommend peeling the cucumbers, others say not to.  I left the peel on this time and seeded them.  Not sure it makes a huge difference.

I love the colors in this dish!

When the bulgur had soaked up all the water, I added the lemon juice, olive oil, and more sea salt.

Then I tossed the bulgur with the herbs and vegetables.

Some Tabboulehs have a lot more parsley and mint than I ended up with, so you could easily add more. 

I really like this salad the next day too. 

I eat it after it's been out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so, but not heated.

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بالهنا والشفا

(Arabic for Bon Appetit!)

A great side dish that is easy to make and versatile!

Thai Cucumber Salad

Mississippi Magazine

Thai Cucumber Salad

The November/December 2011 Mississippi Magazine had a number of great party recipes.

This salad was served at a buffet with Chicken Satay and Peanut Sauce.

I served it last night with tilapia, couscous, and broccoli.

It's a simple recipe that can be done ahead of time.

You peel and slice two halved cucumbers, shallots, and a small jalapeño.

In a small saucepan you heat vinegar and sugar (I used Splenda) over high heat then simmer until the sugar dissolves, and let cool.

Once the vinegar mixture is cool, you toss it with the cucumber mixture, season with a little salt, and let sit.

I refrigerated mine for a couple of hours and drained it before serving.

It can also be served at room temperature.

David and I really liked it.

This is a dish that is so easy, I'll make it again and again.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

ขอให้เจริญอาหาร!

kŏr hâi jà-rern aa-hăan!

Bon Appetit in Thai!



Spinach Smoothie

Spinach Smoothie

I don't remember where I picked up this recipe, I think from a book club friend who is already very healthy, but is eating a lot more vegetables these days.

There are so many great smoothie recipes out there but I don't like the high-calorie ones because I'm always hungry again after drinking a smoothie.

If I'm going to have a smoothie in the morning, it's got to be nutrient packed and low-cal so I can happily eat again in a couple of hours.

This recipe is very simple and only has 3 ingredients, although you could add anything to it that you wanted.  That's the beauty of a smoothie.  If you want it to be thicker, then add ice cubes.

You simply blend 2 very large handfuls of fresh spinach, 1/2 a large cucumber (or a whole small cucumber), and 3/4 c no-sugar-added juice.

It's really delicious (even though I'm sure you don't believe me) and it's 3 huge servings of green vegetables!

If you want to make it even sweeter, add peeled apple slices to the blender.

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"Enjoy!"



Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Pride & Prejudice Party

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

I hosted my Book Club to discuss Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen this month.

You can read about the party here.

I decided to serve typical food of the times, and ones that Austen mentions in her novels.

Research was not easy, but I came up with 3 new recipes that I want to share.

First up - Cucumber Tea Sandwiches.

These were delicious and easy to make, once I figured out how to use my mandoline.

If you don't have a mandoline, you can just slice the cucumbers the old-fashioned way very thin.

This inexpensive one made this recipe really easy though.

I used packaged small thinly-sliced party bread for tea sandwiches.

Layered with a cream cheese blend, cucumbers, and dill.

Delicate and delicious!

Double click the recipe to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Cheers!