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?

Eggplant and Red Pepper Salad/ Gruber Farm CSA Week 2

Hi friends!

I have a funny story for you. On Sunday when I went to Rosh Hashanah at Sean’s house, I made a funny oopsies. One of the guests and I were discussing our love of local produce and the CSAs we were signed up with. I was telling her how much I loved Gruber Farm and blurted out, “I love picking up my box each week. It’s like Christmas every Tuesday!”

I made a Christmas reference at a Jewish event. Derrrrrrrrrr.

As soon as I said it I thought “REALLY? Of all the cool things to compare something to you chose that? Tonight?” The woman probably thought nothing of it, but I laughed in my head thinking how typical that was for me.

Thank heavens my teddy bear challah came out well or else I would have just had to excuse myself from the festivities. After telling the story to another Jewish friend later, he remarked “You should have said it was like Hanukah every week.” Oh, really? Thanks for the tip.

CSA Week 2:

• cantaloupe
• zucchini
• eggplant
• beets (!!)
• red potatoes
• Muscadine grapes
• green beans
• red pepper
• cucumbers
• onion

That cantaloupe was the largest I’ve ever seen. Annabel, who is also signed up with Gruber Farm, asked me, “Do you have a size DDDDD cantaloupe in yours too?” Yep. I did.

Back to business. Before ultimately deciding on the pumpkin challah for Rosh Hashanah, I borrowed a Jewish cookbook from the library called The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook.

This book has so many recipes I’d love to make that I might actually buy it. I’m not kidding, there are recipes for pumpkin bread, asparagus avocado salad, white bean hummus, muhammara, greens and orzo soup, grated beets with toasted hazelnuts, and more. Get excited for lots of these being featured on the blog. The first recipe I made was…

Eggplant and Red Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Turn stovetop gas burner to high and place eggplants, one at a time, directly over burner grate, turning occasionally with tongs until all sides are charred and eggplant is soft, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet and let cool completely. Drain juices, remove skin, and place eggplant pulp in the bowl of a food processor. *If you do not have a gas burner at home, you can broil the eggplants (turning them just as you would on the flame) until their skin is blistered and the inside is creamy and soft.
2. Pulse eggplant 10-15 times until well chopped but with a few remaining chunks. Add red pepper, garlic, scallion, oil, tahini, lemon juice, cayenne and salt, pulsing to incorporate all ingredients. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until serving.

Two things to note: 1. I omitted the olive oil because I thought it was unnecessary. 2. I pulsed mine a bit more and it turned out like a spread. Regardless, it was very tasty and made for a great veggie burger topping. It would also be so good in a pita with veggies, black beans, and feta. Heck, it’d be good with chips too!

What’s your favorite dip or spread? Hummus? Olive tapenade? Roasted red pepper dip? Black bean dip? Baba ghanoush?

Do you find yourself sticking your foot in your mouth like I did? Shoot, sometimes it’s my whole leg.

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?

Memorial Day Weekend Continued…

After too much fun on Friday and Saturday, Boding and I agreed that we wanted to start the week off on the right note. A healthy note. I tweeted the head chef at Crave, Landen Ganstrom, asking him if he could whip up something healthy for us. Although he wasn’t working, he dialed up his sous chef and told him we were coming in.

Like always, we started off brunch at Crave with their delicious cornbread muffins. These things are incredible. I rarely, if ever, butter my bread, but this is where I make an exception. They’re melt-in-your-mouth tender, sweet muffins.

Back on the healthy track, the sous chef served us an entrée that did not disappoint. We each had Coriander dusted salmon with a peach reduction served atop pulled zucchini, squash, and red pepper “fettuccini” in a light tomato sauce.

After brunch, we went shopping. Boding bought some of his favorite wine, Jam Jar…

…and I picked up a pair of (cheap!) wedges from Payless. I can’t remember the last time I went in that store, but I’m glad I did. Twenty bucks (yup!) later, I walked out with these.

All the shopping worked up an appetite, so we went to Tutti Frutti for some sorbet. I had pineapple and orange creamsicle topped with mango, blueberries, and cookie dough. I kid you not, this is the best froyo/sorbet in Charleston. Their soy yogurt is  even better than the regular froyo.

Side note: The girls at work and I decided not to give up sweets until Monday. It just didn’t seem right to start over MDW. :)

We then spent an hour or so at Barnes & Noble, doing “research.”

On Monday, the weather wasn’t so lovely in my area. I woke up, visited Brandy at Starbucks for a skinny caramel latte, and then hit the gym. Continuing on with my typical Monday, I ended up at Chick-fil-A for lunch.  Shocker.

I had a kid’s meal with grilled chicken nuggets and one of those cute applesauce packets.

I’m a sucker for cute packaging, especially when it contains fruit!

Monday afternoon, Amanda and I met some friends at Vickery’s to enjoy the sun, after it decided to come out from the clouds. When the boys told our server they wanted one more beer, Amanda and I couldn’t decide if we wanted another. Our server suggested we “share one more beer.” Initially we thought “how bizarre” but went with it. Two girls one straw.

What was the highlight of your Memorial Day Weekend?

CSA Week 7 / Recipe Help From My Readers

Despite being a bit sad that I am more than halfway through my Spring CSA with Gruber Farm, I was delighted with this week’s box.

The variety and quality of Week 7 was impressive.

• carrots
• green beans
• zucchini
• pattypan squash
• cucumbers
• onions
• peaches
• pole beans
• red potatoes

At first, I wasn’t exactly sure what the beans in the bottom middle were. I couldn’t decide if they were snow peas or pole beans. After asking friends on twitter, I finally decided they must be pole beans. I hope I’m right. I’m open to being corrected…

As usual, I went straight for the fruit. Biting into the first peach reminded me that Summer is just around the corner. That evening, I cut the potatoes in bite-sized pieces and sauteed them with diced onion. All they  needed was a bit of oil and a dash of salt & pepper. Sometimes it’s the simple recipes that turn out the best.

The other vegetables left me wondering…

Should I eat the carrots as I always do, with my favorite hummus?

What on earth do I make with the patty pan squash? I won’t forgive myself if I chop them up. They’re too beautiful not to keep in their whole form. Perhaps stuffed is the way to go.

Pole beans? Who cooks with those?

Everyone thinks of peach cobbler, why not make something else?

Here are some recipes I bookmarked today:

• Patty pan Squash Stuffed with Corn
• Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes – basically what Courtney made this weekend!
• Carrot and Raisin Salad – a healthy version of Chick-fil-A’s!
• Sautéed Peaches

What would you make with this week’s vegetables? I want to know your favorites. Your tried and true recipes. Your family’s secrets.  Your own creations.

As bloggers and foodies, we know how tiring searching for the perfect recipe can be, so why not share with one another? Send me what you’ve got – I’d love to make it at home and highlight it on my blog!

Winner gets a special prize.

The Friday Five–5/17/12

1. What I’m Eating: Okay. So we all know that I love Chick-fil-A. But here’s something I’ve never shared. My absolute favorite part of the IceDream is the last bite of the cone. Here’s the thing: you HAVE to make sure that enough ice cream has melted into the bottom of the cone before you eat it. Who knows what I’m talking about?

This last bite is more exciting than the cone itself. I cannot even express how much joy I get out of it.

2. What I’ m Laughing at: My cousin! At lunch the other day, his quesadilla arrived with a garnish on the plate. He scowled at it and asked me if I wanted his “salad.”

3. What I’m Sipping: This wine!

I picked up a bottle at Trader Joe’s because it was a staff favorite. While in line, the cashier mentioned that it was his favorite, so I quickly grabbed another bottle. We finished off both bottles at book club tonight. It is GOOD!

4. What I’m Bookmarking: This shrimp & zucchini curry recipe looks absolutely delicious.

5. What I’m Listening to: After listening to the entire cd multiple times, I’ve decided that my favorite song on Born to Die is Diet Mt. Dew.

Are you a Lana del Rey fan? Yes, she’s awkward. But she’s pretty and she has a beautiful voice! Which song is your favorite?

Have a great weekend!

Chickpea Zucchini Patties with Minted Yogurt Sauce / CSA Week 3

Check out the goods from Week 3 with Gruber Farm CSA. So much color!

Included in the box:

• Swiss chard
• collard greens
• sweet onions
• strawberries
• zucchini
• squash
• red potatoes

Onto the cooking. I know what you’re thinking. Another recipe with mint?

Yes. My one and only “child” is my new mint plant and I’m taking full advantage of it before I kill it. Minted everything. Somebody come over with some rum so we can make mojitos!

Chickpea Zucchini Patties with Minted Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 (15.5-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 small zucchini, grated
• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 tsp.  salt
• 1 cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice 
• 3 tbsp. fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Directions

1. For the patties: In a food processor, pulse chickpeas until very finely chopped. Place in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in panko crumbs, zucchini, onion, egg whites, and salt. Form into eight separate patties.

2. Warm a pan that has been coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sauté patties until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. For the sauce: In a small bowl, stir Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and mint until well mixed.

4. Serve patties warm. Top with yogurt sauce.

Calling all vegetarians! This recipe is for youuuuuuu. And when those crazies ask you if you’re getting protein, show them the stats on chickpeas and Greek yogurt. Bam.

I hope my CSA gives me more zucchini because I could eat this over and over. Joe came over for dinner and he called them my “love tarts.” That made me chuckle.

MAKE THESE!

What’s your favorite Spring vegetable? How do you cook with it?

Impromptu 4 Course Dinner at Crave

Usually when I’m at the gym, I’m daydreaming about what I’ll be having for dinner that night. Sometimes this makes me work harder and sometimes it’s the only thing getting through my workout. Let’s be real.

During my sprint intervals, I received a tweet from Alysa that the chef at the restaurant where she works was now on twitter. Alysa works at Crave Kitchen & Cocktails and their chef, Landen Ganstrom, is a member of my gym. I had met Landen before when we worked out at Eco. As a fellow fitness junkie, he has implemented many healthy menu options onto Crave’s menu: gluten free, vegetarian, paleo, and even vegan.

When I received this tweet, my plans of nuking another spicy black bean burger with some veggies flew out the window. To Crave I would go.

I immediately texted Sarah, who had just finished a Pure Barre class. Sarah is a vegetarian of 8 years, so she was also quick to jump on a healthy meal.

Once at the restaurant, Alysa and our server, Carmela, informed us that Landen would be surprising us with different dishes. Carmela asked if we had any allergies and what our nutritional needs were and then reported back to Landen. For the record, both Sarah and I have no allergies and eat no meat or poultry. To say we were excited to see what we’d receive was an understatement.

Course 1: As soon as this came out, I knew we were in good hands. When I’m presented with beets, my trust is immediately handed over. Friends, this is a beet and carrot salad in a peanut sauce with candied peanuts. Have you ever seen beets in shoestring form? I haven’t, and I loved it.

Course 2: Wild Alaskan salmon with fennel pollen, black caraway seed,and poppy seed over sliced apples and jumbo lump crab sprinkled in some heirloom tomatoes. It was finished with imported Italian mustard. The lump crab meat was hidden underneath the sliced apple and was quite a happy ending.

Course 3: What we initially thought was pasta was actually local zucchini, summer squash and red bell peppers sautéed in oven roasted garlic paste topped with tomato basil chow chow. The peppers were unbelievably sweet, as if they had been plucked from the garden that day. The flower on top was also edible, but it was too cute to consume. I contemplated putting it in my hair and doing a hula dance but I resisted.

Course 4: Dessert. This was our most emotional course. Yup, even more emotional than beets. What you see here are pears and blueberries in a caramel sauce with walnuts and Humboldt Fog cheese. Sarah said this is her favorite cheese and it may just be mine too. The combination of flavors in this dessert was incredible. Get to your store and buy this cheese as fast as you can.

After dinner, Landen came out to chat and see if we enjoyed our dishes. We couldn’t thank him enough for such a delicious, yet healthy meal. If there’s one thing I can get you guys to understand, it’s that healthy food IS tasty. Especially when you have someone like Chef Ganstrom serving you. Carmela, our server, was a delight. She was friendly, attentive, and did an excellent job at explaining our dishes. I highly encourage you to check out Crave – it’s located in the shopping center with Target (The Shoppes at Seaside Farms.) Tell them I sent you!

For more information, check out these links:

• Crave’s website
• Crave on Twitter
• Crave on Facebook
• Chef Ganstrom on Twitter

Are you drooling yet? I am all over again. :)

Book Club Meeting #2: Sarah’s Key

Right after work on Tuesday, Mariah and I met up for a run through I’on. It was in the low 80s – perfect running weather. We ran a little over 3 miles throughout the neighborhood and admired all the beautiful houses. It was really nice to be outdoors instead of stuck in the gym. Lately, I’ve been trying to exercise outside as much as possible because the cold weather is just around the corner…

After our run, I met up with Amanda, Kira, Mary, Jess, and Price for our second book club meeting. At the end of our first book club meeting, Amanda suggested that we read Sarah’s Key. Six weeks later, we all got together for wine (duh) and discussion time. As usual, we all brought something to eat. My contribution was zucchini muffins:

Amanda’s dad grilled us some delicious shrimp. Seriously, so good. Thanks Papa Holloway.

The rest of the food is shown here: hummus/carrots/pita chips from Mary, cream cheese and almond stuffed strawberries from Jess, cheese and crackers from Price, and pumpkin dip (!!) from Kira:

Aren’t these strawberries so pretty? They were a hit.

While Amanda, Mary, Kira, and Price really enjoyed Sarah’s Key, Jess and I were not fans. Both Jess and I felt that we couldn’t really get into the book at any point. Usually I can pick up a book and plow through it in a few nights, but for some reason, I was never really excited to start a new chapter. The one thing I did like about the book is that during the first half, the chapters are from two different character’s perspectives. The second half of the book seemed to drag on.

Jess offered to host the next meeting at her house, and she’ll be emailing us what she chooses for our next book tomorrow. I was hoping to get started on our 3rd book tonight, but instead I’ll be starting Exes and Ohs!

Have you read Sarah’s Key?

Ever checked out Time Magazine’s list of the 100 best English-Language novels?

Favorite book of all time?

Thank Yous, A Winner, and Rainbow Eating

First, I’d like to thank you all for the sweet compliments on my nerdy glasses. I love how much better I can see and really have only taken them off to shower, work out, and sleep. When I take them off, I’m like ewww. Also, thank you for your help on the t-shirt contest!  :)

Second, I’d like to announce the winner of the Fiber One Brownie giveaway. Instead of using a random number generator, I used the Mariah generator. Without telling her why, I asked her to pick a number between 1 and 92…and she chose #8:

Congrats, Britton! Please e-mail me your contact information and your prize pack will be on the way.

…

In preparation for looking svelte for my birthday party on Saturday, I have increased my fruit and vegetable intake. Ok, ok, really I just have so many veggies from my CSA. I was chatting with Mariah, who also subscribes to a CSA and we were joking amount how many fruits and vegetables we ate all day. We kind of feel like rabbits.

For breakfast, I had my usual Kashi original cereal with light vanilla soy milk and blueberries. FYI, the “abbrev” for blueberries is “bluebs.”

Mid-morning, I snacked on some almonds and dried cranberries.

For lunch, I had more of the Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Quinoa.

My afternoon snack was a zucchini muffin and some baby carrots.

After I picked up my 10th CSA box, I cut up fresh yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, corn, and tossed them with italian dressing, balsamic, and goat cheese.

I ate that along with black beans and my most recent discovery: Bilinski’s Apple Chardonnay chicken sausage.

The moral of this story is: There is a rainbow in my stomach. It might even be a double rainbow.

On a completely different note, while I was gorging myself with rabbit food, Mariah asked me a very serious question. Our gchat conversation, complete with faces:

Mariah: if there was a breakfast that is just 100% bad for you (but wasn't) and you could eat it all the time... what would it be?

 

 

me:oooh probably pancakes.or cinnamony french toast

 

 

Mariah: with an assload of butter and syrup

 

 

me:and powdered sugar and brown sugar. also honey and whipped cream.

 

 

Mariah: all of the above

 

 

me: i wouldn't mind if there were chocolate chips in there either

 

 

Mariah: nope me neither

 

 

I can’t stop laughing at our heads. But the point of that was my question for you all:

If you could eat any breakfast, regardless of how bad it was for you, what would you have?!