Quinoa Party Salad

From Clean Eating Magazine Nov/Dec 2011

This is a delicious and nutritious salad that will fill you up!  I'm always looking for quinoa recipes since quinoa is high in protein.  This is another salad that the family loved!

Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1/4 cup olive oil
juice 1 lime
1 tbsp ground cumin
pinch red pepper flakes
3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 med red bell pepper, chopped
1 med orange bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Make the quinoa according to directions on package.  Let cool.

Meanwhile, prepare dressing:  in a small bowl, whisk oil, lime juice, cumin and pepper flakes until combined.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine corn, beans, bell peppers, jalapeno and cilantro.  Add quinoa and stir to combine.  Top with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.  Serve cold or at room temp.

**The longer this sits the better the flavor.  You can make ahead!

Curried Chick Pea Salad

I will admit...I'm normally not a fan of curry.  I was hesitant to make this dish because it had curry spice in it.  However, I'm a huge chick pea fan so I thought I'd try it!  I'm glad I did!  This is a great dish.  It is very versatile.  Sometimes I eat it as is...other times I put it in a whole wheat pita stuffed with uncooked spinach and the salad.  It is also great to eat with whole grain pita chips.  This one is worth making!

Ingredients:
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil (I used half this amount)
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted (I dry toasted them in a saute pan)
2 cans cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped (I used cilantro)

mixed greens, spinach, pita chips (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, curry powder, maple syrup and salt.  Add raisins, cumin, chickpeas, bell pepper, onion and cilantro and toss to combine.  Spoon chickpea mixture over salad, serve with pita chips, or put in whole grain pita.

Rip's Big Bowl....Fast & yummy breakfast!

From The Engine 2 Diet book by Rip Esselstyn

I'm always looking for breakfast ideas...having the same boring cereal every day does not excite me.  Plus, with all my working out, a simple bowl of cereal does not fill me up.  Giving up eggs was tough for me...I really like eggs!  So far my favorite breakfast is the quinoa pancakes.  If you haven't tried them you should!  However, for a quick easy breakfast, I like this Rip's big bowl.  Once you make it a couple of times, it is easy.  I made modifications to mine which I will note in the recipe.  Enjoy! :)

1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup grape nuts or Ezekiel brand equivalent
1/4 cup bite size shredded wheat
1/4 cup Uncle Sam Cereal
1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
2 tbsp raisins (I use golden raisins from Trader Joes)
1/2 handful of walnuts (not a walnut fan so I use hemp seed from Costco..3 tbsp is 11 grams protein)
1 banana, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced (I omitted this)
1 grapefruit (I omitted this)
3/4 cup milk substitute of choice (I use Almond Breeze Coconut/Almond milk unsweetened...YUM!)

Toss all ingredients except the grapefruit and milk substitute into a bowl.  Remove the grapefruit segments and put on top of cereal.  Squeeze in the juice.  Top the bowl with milk substitute.

Pesto Pasta with White Beans

From: Forks over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe

This is a quick and easy dish...love easy dishes! :)  I liked it although I had to add a touch of salt to it.  My kids liked it "ok"...not overwhelming thumbs up.  My husband liked it as a side dish.  I ate it as an entree.  It heats up great the next day.  One tip...make the basil pesto ahead of time to speed up making dinner.  For whatever reason the pasta looks red/brown in the picture.  It is actually green...much tastier than it looks! :)

Serves 4

12 ounces whole grain spaghetti, cooked according to pkg directions, drained, and kept warm, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid

1 cup basil pesto (see below)

One 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Place the cooked spaghetti in a large bowl and add the pesto.  Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to achieve a creamy sauce.  Add the beans and toss well.

**Basil Pesto
2 cups packed basil or arugula
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (cook approx 10 min at 350)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
1/2 package extra firm silken tofu (6 ounces) drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional (I added.  You can buy at Sprouts in bulk food section)

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.

Cowboy Caviar

I have a thing for bean salads....love them!  If you like the other bean salad I have on my blog, then you'll love this one! I eat it as a salad or serve with organic blue corn tortilla chips for an appetizer.  This is another great salad that my teenagers take to school with them for lunch.  It lasts several days in the frig.

Prep time: 15 min

Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tsp hot sauce, optional (I did one tsp...wasn't too hot at all)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

"caviar"
1 can, 15 oz, black eyed peas (I had a hard time finding these!  Finally found at Sprouts in the Eden Organics line)
2 cups tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cups fresh corn kernels (or thawed from frozen) (I used 1 cup frozen corn and 1 cup canned white shoepeg corn since I didn't have enough frozen)
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl.  Add "caviar" ingredients and mix gently.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes to let the flavors blend.  Serves as a salad, or as a dip with tortilla chips.  Makes 12 1/2 cup servings.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

From: Forks over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe

Serves 4

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp brown rice syrup (I couldn't find at store so I used molasses..same amount)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
Fresh ground pepper to taste
4 large Portobello mushrooms, stemmed

Combine the soy sauce, brown rice syrup, garlic, ginger, and pepper in a small bowl and mix well

Place the mushrooms stem side up on a baking dish.  Pour the marinade over the mushrooms and let marinate for 1 hour

Prepare the grill

Pour the excess marinade off of the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and place the mushrooms on the grill.  Grill each side for 4 minutes, brushing with marinade every few minutes

**You can serve on a whole grain bun.  I served mine without a bun alongside the quinoa arugula salad.

**The picture I'm posting is the mushrooms marinating.  FYI...they cook down quite a bit so I ate 2 since it was my entree and I'm a big eater! :)

Quinoa Arugula Salad

From: Forks over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe

I'm always looking for quinoa recipes...a good way for me to get protein!  Plus, I make a big batch every Sunday and then use it in my recipes all week to make it easy on me.  This was a good fresh salad.  Although, my son thought the dressing was too citrusy for him.  If that is the case, just drizzle a little olive oil over it to cut the citrus.  I ate it just as the recipe says.  The only exception is that I used regular rice vinegar because I can't find brown rice vinegar for some reason!  I paired this salad with the grilled portobello mushroom recipe I posted.  They were a perfect combination!  Enjoy!

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups quinoa
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
4 cups arugula
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 in cubes
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted (bake 350 until golden brown..around 5-10 min)
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Rinse the quinoa and drain.  Bring 3 cups water to a boil.  Add the quinoa and bring back to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 12-18 min, until the quinoa is tender.  Refrigerate until cool.

While the quinoa cools, combine the orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice, brown rice vinegar, arugula, onion, red pepper, pine nuts, and salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add the cooled quinoa and chill for 1 hour before serving.

**I made the quinoa ahead of time to save time.  Also, chill as long as possible before eating for more flavor.