Lemon Quinoa Salad with spinach, feta, caramelized onion

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Andrea

quinoa salad

I’ve been cooking quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) quite a lot lately and we really love it. It’s easy to prepare and similar to rice in it’s cooking method. I look at it as a high-protein carbohydrate that is ready to be flavoured however you like. This salad is a good example. It can be made ahead a day, is a great traveller for a picnic/bbq — I always make this to take up to the cottage as it’s good for a few days in the fridge. . So why not try it as a way to start using quinoa? Make sure you rinse the quinoa well before cooking and buy organic if you can.

Lemon Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Feta and Carmelized Onion

adapted from Dish Entertains

serves about 8

1 cup of quinoa (uncooked)

1/4 cup of butter or ghee

2 red onions (white onions are fine if you don’t have red, but red looks better in the salad), sliced thinly

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup diced feta cheese (1/2 inch (1 cm) cubes)

6 cups baby spinach, washed and chopped coarsely (or 3 cups finely chopped kale or swiss chard)

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and cook quinoa according to package directions. When done, remove from heat, fluff with a fork and cool.

Heat a large pan over medium heat, and melt butter or ghee. Add onions, sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Put in more butter if it gets dry. Add minced garlic and continue to cook until onions are golden brown – about 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, feta, lemon zest and spinach or kale. Add 1/2 a cup of Simple Vinaigrette (recipe below) and season with salt and pepper. Serve cool or at room temperature.

*I used preserved lemons in the recipe which work well also

Simple Vinaigrette

makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup vinegar (your choice – I used balsamic)

juice of 2 lemons (that you already zested for salad)

2 tsp maple syrup or honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 tsp dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients.

carmelize the onions and garlic

assemble ingredients

carmelized onion, lemon, feta, spinach

Delish

Healthy Breakfast Yogurt Parfait

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Andrea

yogurt/berry/almond delight

This is so good, I had to share. Such a good breakfast or snack – delicious, nutritious and probiotic. Check it out. I use plain organic yogurt, organic kefir (which is a high probiotic yogurt-type substance), local organic maple syrup, pure vanilla, oat bran and organic raspberries. Oh, and toasted sliced almonds for some crunch-factor.

So, wash and smoosh your raspberries, then place in bottom of glass or bowl. In separate bowl, mix up 1 cup of yogurt, 2 tbsp kefir, 1 to 2 tsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp oat bran. Mix. Scoop on top of raspberries. Top with almonds (dry roasted in pan until brown and aromatic). It’s so good, plus, I practically fainted from hunger photographing my breakfast for you, so give it a try — it does hold you over until lunchtime. YUM!

smoosh raspberries

yogurt, kefir, maple syrup, vanilla, oat bran

it’s so good.

Middle Eastern Spiced Kebabs with Raita

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Andrea

Indian Spiced Kebabs

If you enjoy the exotic flavours of Middle Eastern foods, you will love these kebabs. They are as easy as mixing up a batch of burgers, but the flavour is so awesome — you might forget about standard burgers altogether.

You can adjust the heat in these depending on how spicy you enjoy your food– add more cayenne as necessary. The cucumber raita cools things down and compliments the flavour of these kebabs perfectly. I make them in a log shape–kebabs without the sticks– about 5 inches long by 2 inches wide. They are also great in a burger shape, served on a bun with raita, lettuce and tomato. Once you make them, you will be asked to make them again. Use a good quality ground beef. I buy pasture-raised, grass-fed beef and it does taste alot better. { Investigate your local farmer’s market to find organic beef and many other wholesome products.}

*once you have mixed up your mixture and shaped them into logs- they freeze perfectly too.

Middle Eastern Spiced Kebabs

makes 8 (4 oz) kebabs, or 4 (8 oz) burgers

2 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, grated

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp garam masala (spice mixture available at asian / indian markets)

2 egg yolks

1 tsp salt

a handful of fresh coriander, chopped finely (if you have it)

Mix up ingredients. Shape into logs or patties. Cover and refrigerate, let the flavours meld for at least 1/2 an hour. Heat bbq up to medium (about 325-350F). Cook directly on the grill, turning frequently, until cooked through and kebabs have reached an inner temp of 170F. Serve with raita. (see recipe below)

meat mixture with all ingredients

kebabs shaped into 5 inch logs

grill kebabs

Cucumber Raita

1 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup grated (and squeezed out on a paper towel) cucumber

1/2 tsp cumin

Mix ingredients. Serve with kebabs.

raita mixture

kebab with raita and salad – a healthy lunch or dinner

Watermelon Salad with “Mojito” Dressing

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Andrea

This is a fun and delicious summer salad. The presentation is great and the flavour even better. I made this to accompany our bbq tonight, and it was delicious. It would be perfect to bring to a summer bbq — your friends will think you are so creative, and one 6 or 7 pound watermelon makes enough for about 6 people. The ‘mojito’ dressing is reminiscent of your last Caribbean adventure and the watermelon reminds you of when you were a kid on a hot day and watermelon was the absolute best thing you could be offered. The ingredients are simple and work together so well. Pick up your ingredients and make it on the weekend — I’ll bet this becomes a summer family favourite.

Watermelon Salad

adapted from Pastry Queen Parties

1 seedless watermelon (about 6-8 pounds)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

2/3 cup diced feta cheese

Mojito Dressing

2 ounces fresh lime juice

2 tbsp rum (I used amber)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp rice vinegar

Salad:

Set the watermelon on its side and slice off a piece, just cutting into the rind, to make a flat surface so the watermelon is flat and sits securely on that flat surface. So, flip it to sit on the cut side and with a sharp knife (I used serrated), cut off the top quarter of the melon. Using a large metal spoon, carefully scoop out the flesh in large chunks. Cut all the flesh into 1 to 2 inch chunks. Place in a large bowl. Carve and scrape out your watermelon ‘bowl’ (eating or saving any watermelon that you scrape out). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mix the watermelon chunks gently with the chopped mint and red onion slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Dressing:

Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve your salad, add the dressing and the feta to the watermelon mixture. Mix gently then spoon into watermelon ‘bowl’. Place on a platter and enjoy. So good!

slice piece off bottom of watermelon

slice off top and scoop out flesh

prep your ingredients, hello, could this be easier?

see how good you can look with this salad in hand? 😉

be careful when carrying it, it's so heavy!

Delicious!

Chocolate Cappuccino Ice Cream Sandwiches – gluten free

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Andrea

ice cream sandwiches, various sizes

the little ice cream sandwiches are great for little people like Audrey

I’ve been eager to make some ice cream sandwiches to have on hand in the freezer. (not for me, for others! I hate cookies and ice cream- wink wink). I wanted to have a chocolate/brownie-type cookie for the outside, and I had cappuccino frozen yogurt in the freezer, so I thought it would be a perfect marriage. These cookies are gluten-free, for my gluten-intolerant friends. They taste fabulous, like brownies but in cookie form. I haven’t tried this recipe with regular flour…I would probably decrease to one egg if I was going to try it with regular all-purpose white flour (and take out the xantham gum). Obviously, the combination of cookies and ice cream is endless, but I have to say – these cookies, which are double chocolate with pecans, filled with a a thick layer of President’s Choice Frozen Cappuccino yogurt were or-friggin-gasmic, to say the least. So, give them a try, or at least get inspired to make your own combination. I baked my cookies on a cool day so I didn’t heat up the kitchen. Assemble, wrap and freeze sandwiches individually, and give them at least an hour or two to set up so they aren’t too squishy. What an awesome summer dessert for a bbq or just an amazing snack to pull out of the freezer for the kids or company! It will elevate you up to ‘rock star’ status for sure. 😉

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies (gluten free)

adapted from A Baking Life

makes about 4 dozen 2 1/2 inch cookies (24 sandwiches)

2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour

1 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp xantham gum

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened

I cup brown sugar

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with silpats, silicone or parchment paper.

In separate bowl, whisk together first 6 ingredients – (flour through to salt). Set aside.

In large bowl of stand mixer, cream together butter and both sugars, until well blended and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping sides of bowl until well incorporated. Add vanilla and mix. Add the flour mixture in a few additions until well combined. Using a spatula, fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Place balls of dough on cookie sheet, flattening slightly. I used a 1 inch cookie scoop, which produced a 2 1/2 inch cookie. You decide if you want dainty small ice cream sandwiches or large ones, or somewhere in between. I found the 2 1/2 inch cookie produced a nice sized sandwich, quite satisfying without being too heavy. This size required 8 minutes of baking, after which I flattened the cookies down with a pie lifter (see picture) and then baked for an additional 4 minutes and they were perfect. So about 12 minutes baking time total. Crispy with a chewy center. Adjust your time depending on the size of your cookies.