Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa!!

Did you know Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain? It provides all the amino acids the human diet needs and it's gluten free. Quinoa dates back over 5,000 years with strong ties to the Inca civilization. The culture called it the "mother grain" and they were right it surely is a SUPERFOOD!! Check out 3 tried and true recipes below.. and say HELLOOOO to diet food that's actually good!!

 

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Chickpeas

 

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1 cup green onion, sliced

1 cup flat leaf fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/2 lb cucumber, seeded and sliced

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup cooked quinoa (cook as package directs)

S & P

1/3 cup EVOO

 

Quinoa with Feta & Dill

 

1 cup quinoa (cook as package directs)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup cucumber, seeded and diced

3 TBSP chopped fresh dill

1/3 cup green onions, minced

3-4 TBSP fresh lemon juice

S & P

 

Southwestern Black Bean & Mango Quinoa

 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup corn

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon (juice only)

1 cup fresh mango, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 cup jalapeno, diced

1 cup quinoa (cook as package directs)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1.5 TBSP EVOO

1/2 tsp cumin

 

Mix spices and olive oil separately and drizzle over finished product while mixing well.

Sweet Sweet Sweet Potato Hash!

This summer my family and I vacationed in California and my super cool aunt prepared a wonderful meal with a side of sweet potato hash topped with a delicious vinaigrette. I think she said she saw it on the TV show Restaurant Impossible. I searched the web and couldn't find it but found one similar by Bobby Flay so I used that and just added bacon to it (6 pieces cooked crispy, chopped and added in at the end). My husband is the guy that refuses to eat any leftovers no matter how good they are & he ate this for lunch for two days afterwards. HA!!

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:

1 cup sliced green onions (green part only)
3 TBSP white wine vinegar
1tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup EVOO
2 tsp honey
S & P

FOR THE HASHBROWNS:

1/4 cup canola oil
2 TBSP butter
1 medium Spanish onion (halved and sliced thin)
pinch of sugar
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves, chopped
6 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch dice

If you have a bullet blender or small smoothie blender this works perfect!!  I was amazed how it transformed once emulsified. Combine onions, vinegar, mustard and a few tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Add EVOO and continue to blend until emulsified. Add the honey and some salt & pepper and pulse a few more times until blended. For the hash browns heat half of the recipe's portions of oil and butter and cook onions with a pinch of sugar until they are caramelized. Add thyme salt & pepper and set aside. Parboil potatoes for 10-12 minutes until tender and drain. Add remaining oil and butter to the sauté pan and add drained potatoes until browned (and carefully flipping as to not mash). Add in the onion mixture (and bacon if you want.. I think it added another dimension to the dish). Transfer to a serving platter and top with the green onion vinaigrette. Enjoy!!

Who says Mexican can't be healthy?

I love Mexican food but often feel too guilty to enjoy it but these were delicious and so good for you too!! The only thing prepackaged were the flour tortillas but once I get my tortilla press I will be making those from scratch too ;) I originally got this recipe from Pinterest where it is all over the place labeled spinach and black bean enchiladas but I added chicken (for my carnivorous husband) and red pepper  for color. Here she is!!

FOR THE SAUCE:

3 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp. EVOO
2 tsp cumin
1/4tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
S & P

FOR THE ENCHILADA STUFFING:

15 oz can black beans rinsed & drained
1.5 cups thawed frozen corn
6 oz fresh spinach (cooked and drained prior to adding)
6 green onions, sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
3 cups shredded cheese (reserve 1 cup for the top)
6-8 flour tortillas

To make sauce heat EVOO and spices and flour until bubbly. Slowly add in broth and whisk. Combine all ingredients for stuffing. Spray casserole pan with PAM and ladle sauce on bottom to prevent sticking. Wrap up enchiladas top them with sauce and cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 375. That's it.. super easy & super delish!

Book Reccomendations - The Kitchen House and The Secret Life of Bees

If you enjoyed the book The Help by Kathrynn Stockett...you will absolutely LOVE these novels!!

The Kitchen House: Orphaned Irish 7 year old Lavina arrives at a tobacco plantation where she will live and work alongside it's slaves. Under the care of Belle, the masters illegitimate daughter she becomes very attached to her stand in family yet is separated from them from the color of her skin. As Lavinia matures she is accepted into the world of the big house where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. So much more happens after this but you must read it to find out!!

The Secret Life of Bees: Lily Owens is a motherless child who lacks memory of her mothers presence and the cause of her death. She lives in a lonely abusive house with her father who is rarely home and when he is it is far from pleasant. When Lily's housekeeper whom serves as a stand in mother for her insults racist locals and gets herself beaten and jailed Lily bravely sets out to set them both free. They escape to South Carolina and are taken in by eccentric bee-keeping sisters who hold not only the secrets to the past but hope for the future.

Back to LIVING IN THE NOW & counting all my blessings

I cannot believe it has been so long since posting on this blog. My sole purpose of initially starting this project was to record wonderful recipes of foods I have cooked or books that I have read. I have a tendency to be enthralled in a good story to whereas I stay up through the night to read only to sadly forget it’s storyline or the enjoyment I received from it. On vacation this summer I was discussing books with my aunt and couldn’t remember reading a book that I apparently raved about on facebook. It was then I decided to start writing here again.

The past year I have spent chasing unfulfilled childhood dreams and trying to insert myself into a world I didn’t fit into. It took me sustaining a broken arm, several false friends and blowing A TON (like a year or two’s  worth of college tuition TON) to realize the saying “It’s never too late to follow your dreams” is not only false but often irresponsible too. Just because YOU CAN.. doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Which leads me back to why I am here. I am no longer looking elsewhere for a definition of “who I am”  or “where I belong” but rather knowing I am already proudly doing it. I have a wonderful life denied to many.  I am fortunate to be able to be “just a mom” with a physically able body, a mind that loves to explore, hands that can create, a beautiful home and a husband that still loves me even after all these years.  I seek nothing but ways to improve what I have already been blessed with.  Cheers!! It’s good to be back :)