Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Quinoa quinoa quinoa.

I’ll never forget the time my old roommate saw my bag of quinoa and asked, "What’s kweenoah?”

She’s so cute. I miss her! Hey, Jenna!

It’s pronounced keen-wah. And your body loves it. Quinoa is rich with nutrients and is one of the only grains that is considered a complete protein source. It’s gluten-free and a good source of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, and fiber. Don’t you want to eat it now? Oh, good, because I have a recipe ready for you. And it’s easy, to boot!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

1. Cook quinoa as instructed on package.
2. Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/2-inch rounds, then quarter them. Place them in a large bowl, then add tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper.
3. Once quinoa has finished cooking, fluff with a fork. Next, add the quinoa to the vegetable mixture and toss until evenly combined.
4. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss again. Top with feta and serve warm or chilled. Serves 4.

Using the Livestrong nutritional calculator, here are the stats:

Check out the fiber and protein content. You love it. That’s the key to staying full, my friends.

While you eat this, you can daydream just like I did…about this place.

From what part of the world is your favorite cuisine?

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili (Vegan!), New Running Playlist

And just like that, the temperature dropped. I realize it’s snowing in some places, but holy crap this crisp weather came out of nowhere. It is 45* as I type this. 45 degrees!!! That’s just rude.

Meanwhile, my Gruber Farm CSA still thinks it’s Summer. I’m not upset about it; I’ll hang onto Summer as long as I can.

Week 7’s box:

• apples
• corn
• tomatoes
• black eyed peas
• the cutest pumpkin ever
• yellow squash
• broccoli

I was so excited to see that adorable pumpkin as I hadn’t bought one this year. It may be too late to carve it, but I can surely make pumpkin puree for more pumpkin bread. I bet it’ll be a million times better than the canned stuff.

Just checked the weather. It’s still 45*. I’m still cold. I bet you are too, so I made us some chili.

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 ears of corn, kernels removed
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
• 2-3 tbsp. Sriracha, depending on your heat preference
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• Optional toppings: crumbled pita chips, avocado

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, corn, black beans, pumpkin, Sriracha, and spices. Stir until evenly combined. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Serve warm with toppings. Makes 5 servings.

This chili is very different from anything I’ve had. In fact, it’s better. It’s both sweet and spicy and you can adjust the seasonings to your liking. You should also note that when you first mix all the ingredients in the pot, it will seem very thick. I promise that after simmering, the juices will come out and it will be just right. You can trust me…and Sarah:

She made my day with that tweet!

In other news, I’m still running longer distances, with 5 miles being my new minimum. Amanda and I always run together, but right now her doctor says she has a sprained ligament. : ( Will you please pray for her? I hate that she’s hurting and want her healed a.s.a.p.!

Now have a looksee at my current running playlist:

What’s your favorite cold weather food?

How do you like your chili?

What’s your favorite song at the moment?

Sweet Potatoes with Collard Greens and Tomatoes

A good friend makes you laugh. A good friend is someone you can trust. A good friend has a shoulder for you to always lean on.

And a great friend brings you unexpected bowls of frozen yogurt just because there’s a new flavor at your favorite spot.

Hey, Danielle – that’s you! Yesterday evening, I got a text from Danielle telling me that Tutti Frutti had pumpkin frozen yogurt and asking if I wanted some. Obviously my response was prefaced with an “Omg” and finished off with a “Yessssss.” Seriously, how would you have responded?

Her delivery came on the perfect day; I was making an all veggie meal that should only be balanced out with something sweet, right? Just say yes. I was determined to use a bunch of items from my 5th CSA box.

In this week’s box:

• watermelon
• red potatoes
• apples
• collard greens
• squash
• green peppers
• onions
• tomatoes
• green beans

As much as I talk about eating candy, cookies, and dessert, I really do have great self control. I eat it often, but never eat a lot at a time. I took a huge bite of the pumpkin froyo, declared it  amazing, and put the rest in the freezer for after dinner. I swear this motivated me to a)cook a healthy dinner and b)grocery shop at the speed of light for the other items I needed.

Sweet Potatoes with Collard Greens and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch collard greens (about 6-8) leaves
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Wash the collard greens and pat try.  Cut down the center of each leaf to remove the rib.  Chop leaves into 1/4" strips and set aside.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and season well with salt and pepper.  Cook until they are browned and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Place the cooked potatoes in a bowl and set aside. 
3. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the onion and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes until tender. 
4. Add the chard and sauté until it starts to wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes and tomatoes into the skillet with the greens. Add the garam masala and stir. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.  Continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring often, to let the flavors meld. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Hello, colors! You’re going to love this dish, I promise. And boys, if you need meat in your meal, serve this as a side next to your steak or something. It’ll make anyone happy. And when you’ve finished gobbling it all up, you can comfortably reach for that cup of frozen yogurt.

Did someone just shout “Balance!”?

Amen.

Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic / Gruber Farm CSA Week 4

Do you want to know one of the best feelings in the world?

Okay, maybe not in the world, but at least in the kitchen.

Looking at a recipe and realizing you have all of the ingredients. Every single one. Thanks to being subscribed to a CSA, I have this feeling more often than I used to. While I’d skip over recipes if they called for an ingredient I didn’t typically buy, my CSA has encouraged me to try new fruit and vegetables that aren’t part of my regular diet. Green tomatoes are just one of the examples.

I’m 1/3 of the way through the Fall CSA with Gruber Farm and still getting Summery produce. Can anyone explain this to me? I guess I’m just disappointed because it’s October. But hey, the weather was pretty warm until yesterday, right?

In the box:

• watermelon
• eggplant
• spaghetti squash
• green peppers
• yellow squash
• green beans
• sweet potatoes
• heirloom tomatoes

Goodness grief, those tomatoes were not attractive. But let me tell you, with a dash of salt and pepper, they were divine. Moments after being disappointed in getting a box half full of Summer veggies, I was slapping myself. I ate a whole tomato in about 2 minutes and started daydreaming about warmer weather. Can we rewind to May please? And not just because I was still 27.

Back to the green tomatoes. My immediate reaction was to make fried green tomatoes, or, considering this is Hungry Meets Healthy, baked green tomatoes. I just wasn’t excited about the idea. And then came the Serious Eats recipe for Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic.

I had everything it called for. I was working at home that day. It was a no brainer.

Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic, adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 lbs. green tomatoes, cores removed, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 tsp. garam masala
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric

1. Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is reddish brown, about a minute or so. Stir often, making sure it doesn’t burn.
2. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, garam masala, salt, and turmeric. Turn heat down to medium. Stir occasionally, and cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Pour in a cup of water. Scrap the pan with a wooden spoon, dislodging any browned bits. When the mixture comes to a boil, cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and tomatoes are tender. Stir every few minutes or so.

4. You want the final sauce to be kind of thick, so mash up a few of the potatoes and tomatoes with the wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and serve.

The only change I made to this recipe was omitting the cilantro. I like cilantro, but it just didn’t seem right for this dish to me. That’s the beauty of cooking– you can cater recipes to your palate’s desires.

The final result of this dish? Awesomeness. Seriously. Boding and I ate it for lunch and were so pleased with it. It was really hard to put enough away for Tuesday’s lunch. Every time I opened the fridge, it was like “Hey Christina, you know you want me…”

Kind of like that bag of pretzel M&Ms in my pantry. So rude!

Now if you’re unlike me and don’t have the above ingredients in your house, I suggest your get your cute behind to the store and buy them. It’s worth it. I never thought I’d use the garam masala I bought for my Spicy Chickpea & Lentil Stew, but now I want to put it on everything.

Which spice/herb did you shy away from before and now love?

Caramelized Onion Rice with Tomatoes and Cucumber

At the end of the weekend, I find myself scrambling to use up the last of my CSA box. I pick my box up each Tuesday, so I try to eat the majority of the veggies from the previous week by Monday. Sometimes I end up eating the veggies raw, sometimes I end up throwing them all in a soup, and sometimes I end up roasting them and drizzling them with, you guessed it, Sriracha.

I was skimming through The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook, my newest favorite find at the library, when I noticed a recipe for Caramelized Onion Rice. I thought it sounded like a great side but could easily be amped up with a couple more vegetables.

FoodBuzz recently provided me with a tub of Texmati White Rice as part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program with RiceSelect. I cracked it open and started cooking!

Caramelized Onion Rice with Tomatoes and Cucumber

Serves 4-6, as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Texmati white rice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
• 2 small cucumbers, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta, optional, for topping

1. Cook rice according to package directions; remove from heat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant; remove from heat.
3. Add onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Gently toss until combined. Top with feta, if desired.

This side dish is incredibly easy to make. The caramelized onions give it a sweet touch that balances out the saltiness of the feta. While the rice is fluffy and tender, the cucumbers give it a nice crunch. Serve with your favorite veggie burger and top with grilled shrimp for a light, Summery dish.

Yes, I’m still pretending it’s Summer. It’s 84* today, wouldn’t you?

This post is brought to you by Rice Select.

This post is brought to you by Rice Select.

Black Bean Company–Mt. Pleasant location

Late July, Black Bean Company opened a third location in Mt. Pleasant. Though the restaurant is right up my alley, I’d only been to the James Island location once because it’s a bit far. When I heard the news about their location in the new MUSC East Cooper building, I was excited to give it a second try. Black Bean specializes in fresh wraps and salads and has many vegetarian and vegan options.

Last Friday, Amanda texted me saying she had just picked up a wrap. I knew there was no way I couldn’t go after hearing her tell me how great her Black & Blue wrap was. So an hour later, there I was inside MUSC, thankfully only for a wrap and not hospitalization.

I debated between several options, but ultimately chose the Southwest Chicken wrap – Roasted chicken, black beans and Jasmine rice, fresh local sweet corn, roasted tomatoes, southwest chipotle sauce, shredded carrots, parmesan cheese, mixed greens.

This was one of their pricier wraps, at $9.95; that’s a bit steep for my taste. The wrap itself was fresh and flavorful. The Greek yogurt and granola that I chose as a side (other options include potato or macaroni salad) was incredibly thick and creamy. Addictive. My only qualm was that they skimped on the corn and tomatoes. There were only a few kernels of corn and TWO tomato chunks. Odd. The spicy dressing had a nice kick to it.

Over the weekend, I was wishing Black Bean was open, but this particular location is only open Monday-Friday, 8 to 5 pm. Luckily I work from home on Mondays, so, you guessed it…I went back on Monday.

This time around I ordered The International – turkey, hummus, guacamole, artichoke hearts, pico de gallo, goat cheese, Spicy Goddess sauce, mixed greens.

I really liked this wrap as well, but it had the same issue with lack of ingredients. There was ONE artichoke and ONE chunk of guac in the entire wrap. Sad! They were pretty liberal with the cheese though, and I didn’t mind that.

Last year when I attended the Best of Charleston party, I was given a coupon for a free order of Vegan spring rolls, so I redeemed that.

The spring rolls are simply purple cabbage, carrots, and greens in a soy wrap served with a spicy sauce. They’re good, but kind of boring. Had it not been for the sauce, I wouldn’t have really cared for them.

Overall, I’m happy with Black Bean and will continue to try new wraps. I just wish they wouldn’t be so conservative with the fillings! If a menu says something is in a wrap, it should be in there, and not just a small amount. I read reviews on Urbanspoon, and a lot of people commented saying they had issues with missing ingredients too. Hopefully they’ll work on that!

Have you ever been to any of the Black Bean locations? Which is your favorite wrap or salad?

Do you typically choose wraps or salads when dining out1?

The Friday Five 8.10.12

1. What I’m Reading: My grandmother gave my brother a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, but I accidentally brought it home in my suitcase. I figured I might as well read it before he starts it in school. It was one of my favorite books from high school.

2. What I’m Eating:  Greek yogurt has always been a staple in my diet, but I’ve been retrying some Chobani flavors I haven’t had in a while. Specifically, I’ve been really enjoying the 2% Strawberry Banana.  The 2% Chobani flavors are a bit thicker and therefore creamier. This flavor is sweet!

3. What I’m Wearing:  For the longest time I thought manicures and pedicures were a waste of money. I can do my own nails and I hate people touching my feet. Then Amanda told me about “polish changes.” For about 7 bucks, I get my nails trimmed and filed, then painted with a base, 2 coats of color, and top coat. Win. Today I got my nails painted with “Red-y Set Ex” by Essie.

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Mint and Green Pea Risotto with Roasted Tomatoes. 

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

WHEN PEOPLE POST THEIR POLITICAL OPINIONS ON FACEBOOK

DESCRIBING MY BFF – THIS ONE’S FOR YOU KAYE!! ;)

Don’t forget to enter the awesome Fringe Boutique Giveaway!

I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed weekend!

Balsamic Fig Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans, and Prosciutto

Before I left for North Carolina, my grandfather asked if I’d bring some fresh figs. There was a recipe he wanted us to make but he couldn’t find fresh figs in his area. Whole Foods to the rescue! I picked up a pint and hopped onto I-26.

Saturday evening, we decided to make salmon and vegetables to have with the salad. Although the salad was just an accompaniment to the main entrée, it ended up being my favorite part of the meal.

Balsamic Grilled Fig Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans, and Prosciutto

(adapted from The Fresh Market)

Ingredients:

• 12 large fresh figs, halved
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing, divided
• 6 oz. baby spinach leaves
• 2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
• 2 oz. torn prosciutto

Preparation:

Toss figs with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in medium bowl; set aside. Broil figs on rack, turning once, until figs are caramelized, about 4 minutes; keep warm. Arrange spinach on serving platter. Top with figs, goat cheese, pecans, and prosciutto. Just before serving, drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup dressing.

Not just pretty. Delicious and pretty.

For the salmon we had also picked up at The Fresh Market, we used Ina Garten recipe for  Asian Grilled Salmon.
I love Ina because her recipes aren’t difficult. A simple marinade of Dijon mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic was all the salmon needed.

All weekend, we introduced my teenage brother to new vegetables. He claimed he only likes raw spinach. Weird, I know. For this dinner, we sautéed zucchini and cherry tomatoes in olive oil and oregano.

And what would dinner be without a bottle of wine? A dry dinner. Of course the teenager wasn’t allowed any.

All together, it was a great Summer meal. Though the heat tells me otherwise, Summer is winding down and the opportunities to enjoy grilled food are coming to a halt. Sad!

 What are your favorite salad toppings?

What’s your favorite grilled fish? Vegetable?

Cúrate in Asheville, NC

Friday afternoon, in need of  a getaway, my littlest brother and I traveled to North Carolina to visit my grandparents. On Saturday, the four of us drove up to Asheville to walk around the city and have lunch.

Cúrate is a Spanish tapas bar in downtown Asheville. As my degree from College of Charleston is in Hispanic Studies, I was excited to experience some traditional Spanish cuisine. Cúrate, meaning “cure yourself” had just what we needed: delicious food and wine.

To drink, my grandmother and I both had a glass of the 2010 Peitán, Albariño, which is similar to a Pinot Grigio. Grandpa had a Highland Gaelic Ale and Jake had not one, but three Coca Colas. Oh, teenagers.

I was so sad when I realized I forgot the battery for my DSLR at home, so I apologize that these pictures are from my cell phone. :( Here we go!

Out of all the tapas, I was most impressed by the garlic shrimp. The sauce was so good, I kept dipping extra bread in it. I also really loved the Summer salad and would like to recreate that at home while watermelon is still in season. The Spanish tortilla tasted just like ones I’d had with friends from Spain. The eggplant was the most unusual dish, and I mean that in a positive way. I’ve never thought to drizzle eggplant with honey or rosemary.

Before our meal, my grandfather was sweet enough to mention that I had a Charleston-based food blog. Thanks to that, two of the dishes (the Summer salad and eggplant) were sent out on the house. The head chef, Katie Button, came out to introduce herself as well. She was sweet and seemed very glad we were there. I was impressed by her generosity and taking the time to come say hello. It’s the little things that make a restaurant special. We’ll definitely be back!

Do you like tapas-style restaurants?

Which of the above dishes would you enjoy most?