Quinoa Salad

So I'd been hearing lots about quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa") lately. So I thought I'd check it out. Quinoa is a grain that originates from the Andes Mountains of South America. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes of the Inca civilization. It doesn't look like much, but its actually really good.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 pepper (red, orange, green, whatever you prefer, or a combination), chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt & pepper
5-6 fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Quinoa usually needs to be rinsed first, so put the quinoa into a pot and run some warm water into the pot. Let sit for 3 minutes and then drain the water. Then add the 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Drain.

While the quinoa is cooking, chop up the veggies. You can be creative with the veggies, use what you have (I have also used corn kernals).

In a bowl or jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, dijon mustard and oregano. Season with salt & pepper. Stir well to combine.

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled slightly, mix together with the veggies, basil, feta cheese and dressing.

Orzo Salad

This recipe is very vague, you can kind of use however much you'd like of most of these ingredients.

1 cup orzo (uncooked)
mozzarella (cut in small chunks)
cherry tomatoes (or regular as I didn't have cherry at the time)
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
toasted pine nuts
balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions and cool. Add balsamic vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add toasted pine nuts, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving.

Chicken Quesadillas with Carmelized Onions & Peppers

I made this about a week ago already and just haven't had time to post it until now. Another wonderful version of the quesadilla. Makes for an easy and fairly quick dinner. I'll give you the full recipe, but I have only made one at a time, so feel free to alter as needed.

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, thinkly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
8 - 10" flour tortillas

Heat oil in a 10 inch pan; add onion and peppers until onions are caramelized. You may also wish to add the chicken to warm it up a bit. Remove and set aside.

Sprinkle a small amount of grated cheese in the hot pan. Place one tortilla on top of the cheese and pat it down on the cheese. Layer the chicken, onions and peppers and more cheese. Place another tortilla on top. Use a flat plastic spatula to carefully lift the bottom tortilla from the pan so the cheese is no longer stuck to the pan. When the cheese inside the quesadilla has melted slightly and the tortilla can be easily lifted from the pan, carefully flip the quesadilla and heat thoroughly. Slide the quesadilla from the pan to a cutting board.

Repeat the process to make three more quesadillas.

*From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Shredded Roast Beef Sandwich

Super easy to make! I just tossed the roast in my slow cooker in the morning and it was perfect when I got home from work.

1 boneless beef roast
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
French bread slices or rolls, toasted

Place roast in the slow cooker (you can remove visible fat beforehand). In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, pepper, rosemary, thyme and garlic powder. Pour mixture over the roast and add enough water to almost cover roast. Cover and cook on low heat for 10-12 hours, or until meat is very tender.

Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred with a fork. Don't toss the broth! Place shredded beef on toasted rolls and top with some mustard. Dip sandwich in broth.

Creamy Pesto Penne

Oh, this is delicious! I was inspired after having something similar at The Old Spaghetti Factory. And this reheats in the microwave really nicely. Yum!

1 package (454g) penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Romano cheese (I used a combo of Parmesan & Feta instead)
1 cup prepared basil pesto
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Dissolve flour in milk, then stir in. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer until sauce starts to thicken, stirring constantly. Add cheese and stir until melted. Stir in pesto, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated.

Butter Chickpea Curry

This is a pretty good veggie version of butter chicken, but I've had the real thing many times and I'm not sure this would replace it.

4 medium potatoes, cubed
2 tbsps canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsps curry powder
2 tsps garam masala (I used tandori masala)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup cream or milk
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
Cooked rice

Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside.

Saute onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in curry powder, garam masala, ginger, cumin, and salt. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring. Pour in soup, cream and chickpeas. Stir in potatoes. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Breakfast Cookies?!?

If you put enough "healthy" ingredients in these cookies I think you can jusifiably eat them for breakfast. I will at least! This is a modified version of Kim's "Big Chewy Raisin Cookies".

1 1/2 cups cranberries (divided in two)
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1 1/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut

Pre-heat oven to 275F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Set aside.

In blender, combine 1/2 cup of the cranberries with the water and blend until pureed. Mix together the puree, margarine, egg, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flours, ground flax, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the puree mixture and beat until all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Stir in remaining cranberries and the coconut. You could also add nuts, sunflower seeds, etc. Be creative!

Roll into golf ball sized balls and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom, but still soft in the middle.