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Quick Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Corn, and Black Beans

3/15/2015

This is my favorite Go-To Salad when I am super busy and don't have a lot of time to cook.

Super quick, fresh, and packed with protein, this quinoa salad makes for the perfect lunch when I am constantly on the go and rushing from meeting to meeting. The quinoa and beans give me a lot of sustenance and energy throughout the day.
Enjoy... in just 20 minutes!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons grated orange/tangerine zest
1/4 cup of fresh orange/tangerine juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
2 cups raw corn kernels, cut from 2-3 ears of corn
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Mix together orange zest, orange juice and lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel or paper towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
Prep the vegetables: Cut the cherry tomatoes into thirds. Remove corn kernels off the cob. Drain the black beans and rinse thoroughly. Toss ingredients all together in the bowl with the dressing.
Add quinoa to bowl and toss until dressing is absorbed, and veggies are incorporated. Stir in chopped cilantro and scallions. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Kale and Barley Soup Recipe with Turnips and Mushrooms

3/5/2015

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This is another great recipe to help fight the LONG winter. Why is it still snowing!!? I'm not quite sure, but all I know is that soup makes everything feel better. Try this new soup recipe that I experimented with last week. The turnips and barely give it great texture and the mushrooms are great for your immune system.

Ingredients:

1 TBS olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
2 large purple-topped turnips
4 cups kale
1 cup barley
1 cup mushrooms
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, or 1 can rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp paprika
3/4 cup fresh dill
5-6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking/prep:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato, and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the turnips, and fresh thyme Cook covered for about 3 more minutes.
Add 6 cups of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, add paprika and barley. Reduce to medium heat and simmer barley for about 10 minutes.
Stir in beans and 1/2 of the dill. If the soup is too thick add a bit more stock or water. Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper as needed.
Just after you turn off the heat, add mushrooms and kale and cover for 5-7 minutes. I like to add my leafy veggies at the end so they are not over cooked. Allow the soup to sit for 15 mins before serving.
Top of with sprinkle of fresh dill before you serve.

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Kale and Mushrooms Over Creamy Polenta

3/5/2015

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This is the quickest comfort food dish that I aboslutely love to make. There is something about the creamy polenta that just makes me feel at so cozy, and you can never go wrong when you add cheese to something! :-)

Ingredients:
Serving Size: 3-4 people
Prep/Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

1 1/4 pounds kale, stemmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces mushrooms (such as crimini, oyster, and stemmed shiitake), sliced
1 zucchini, chopped
3 1/2 cups water
2 cups polenta
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp coconut oil
** If you want to make this dish even quicker, you can use Trader Joe's ready-made polenta and then just cook it down with the coconut oil

Directions:

Bring water, polenta, salt, and pepper to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet saute garlic & onions. Add zucchini, mushrooms, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Saute until veggies are tender, about 6 minutes.
Just as you turn off the stove, stir in kale. I like to add the kale at the end so its not too wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Whisk coconut oil and Parmesan cheese into polenta and divide among plates. Top with kale mixture.
If you want the polenta creamier, option to add milk and butter.

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Quick Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Corn, and Black Beans

Kale and Barley Soup Recipe with Turnips and Mushrooms

Kale and Mushrooms Over Creamy Polenta

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Quick Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Corn, and Black Beans

Kale and Barley Soup Recipe with Turnips and Mushrooms

Kale and Mushrooms Over Creamy Polenta

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About Me

Archives

Thank you for stopping by!
For more details about my schedule and events use the button below.