Gazpacho Quinoa Salad

I have been experimenting with Quinoa this week. My first time I made it with stock and really didn't like it. It tasted kind of dirty or muddy. It was weird. i tried again with just water and liked it much more. After I got plain Quinoa down, I wanted to make some sort of salad. 


Here is an easy one that I have already made twice in two weeks. As Jeff says, "I want to have this constantly in the fridge all summer." He was happy when we ran out because he said, "Well, now you just get to make more." Silly. :) He also came up with the name for it. He said it reminded him of the soup with all of the cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil. You could add any veggies that you want to this dish. I want to 
 add some protein next time with some Chick Peas or Kidney beans. Enjoy!

 

Gazpacho Quinoa Salad  

Ingredients:

• 1 C uncooked Quinoa 
• 1 Cucumber (diced) 
• 1 C quartered cherry tomatoes 
• 2 T fresh basil, chopped
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 T Light Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette
• 3 T Reduced Fat Feta Cheese

 Directions:
 1. Cook the Quinoa according to package directions. Most have you rinse the quinoa first. I did this by pouring the cup of Quinoa in the sauce pan and running cold water over it 3-4 times until the water runs clear.
2. Put the cooked Quinoa in the fridge so it can cool before you mix it with the veggies. You dont want to cook the veggies at all.
3. Chop the cucumber. I had half of a store bought cucumber and a small home grown one :). I like to peel some of the skin off of the store bought one as it is too thick and waxy. Quarter it and chop into bite size pieces.

 4. Put the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, and parsley in a bowl.
5. Add the cooled quinoa to the veggies.
6. Pour the balsamic dressing on the top. I use a combination of a creamy balsamic and a regular light balsamic and love it. Really, just use any salad dressing that you like! Mix to combine well.
7. Add the feta to the salad and toss once more. Chill and enjoy!!!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Apple and Sausage

FYI-This post was from 8/28. The website was down so I couldnt post.
I saw Rachel Ray make a pumpkin and sausage dish today and I decided to make my version. I used butternut squash as it is available and almost interchangeable with fresh pumpkin. It has a short ingredient list and is just a chop, drop, and throw in the oven meal.

Ingredients

 
1 med to large butternut squash
2 firm red apples (Gala, Braeburn, etc.)
1 med sweet onion'
1/2 lemon or 1 tbls lemon juice
1 lb Sausage or Wurst (I used Sweet Turkey Sausage)
1 tbls Agave Nectar (I would have preferred honey or real maple syrup)
1 tbls Olive Oil
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Get out a large baking dish/casserole dish to place the chopped veggies in.
3. Peel the butternut squash and cut in half length wise. Scoop out the seeds. Chop the squash into 1 inch pieces. Place in baking dish.
4. Slice apples into wedges. An easy way to slice apples are to sut them in quarters. Then, slice the core out on an angle. Cut in half to make 8 wedges. Add apples to pan.
5. Squeeze lemon juice over the apples and toss with squash to keep from browning.
6. Slice the onions into wedges and add them to the pan.
7. Add agave nectar, nutmeg, oil, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, to the pan.
8. Toss everything to combine.
9. Add sausages and toss again.
10. Bake uncovered for 40 mins. Toss all ingredients once during cooking.

*I broiled it at the end because I like extra crispy sausages! I also squeezed a little lemon juice at the end. It needed something to brighten the flavors and it really helped!
I liked it but I would change a few things next time: I over coked it. Ooops! I cooked it for about 53 mins and I think 45 would be perfect. (I wrote the recipe to reflect that.) I would also use a larger pan as the ingredients were crowded.

Jeff loved it and said he wouldn’t change a thing. I felt like I wanted it to be sweeter but I LOVE the combo of sweet and savory. I’ll make it again but please let me know if you make it and what changes you made to make it even BETTER! :)

One of our favorite meals!!!!

Jeff was so excited when I told him what was for dinner tonight. It includes two of his favorite dishes. The first one I have been making for years and every person that I make it for wants the recipe. Because of that, it is one of two recipes that I already have pre-typed up. (The other one is my Green Chilie Chicken Enchiladas) 

Chipotle Spinach Mini Meatloaves are super healthy. They are low fat, low cholesterol, and high in lean protein and fiber. I use old fashioned oats instead of bread crumbs and they melt away and make a great binder. That being said, they are my favorite meatloaf, and yes, I do have many meatloaf recipes. We had it with a favorite side dish. Mashed Cauliflower (really its pureed cauliflower.) A great substitute for mashed potatoes that if made of veggies! This meal is super healthy and comforting at the same time. Served with a side salad, it will please all!

Chipotle Spinach Meatloaves

Ingredients:

Chipotle Peppers

1/4 cup egg substitute

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme or basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp Worscherstire Sauce (Plus more for later)

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

2 tsp adobo sauce (Omit if you don't like it too spicy!)

1-12oz box frozen chopped spinach

1-lb lean ground turkey

2 tsp chopped garlic

1/4 small yellow onion

1 tbls Parmesan Cheese (optional)

4 tsp Ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 365.

1. In a large bowl, mix the first 9 ingredients (eggs through adobo sauce) in a bowl and set aside.

2. Defrost the spinach on defrost mode until it is warm or nuke it for 2-3 minutes on high. Drain by placing in a clean kitchen towel and squeezing out all of the excess water.

3. Combine the turkey with the oats mixture and drained spinach. Add the garlic.

4. Over the bowl, use a microplane or cheese grater, and grate 1/4 of a small onion directly in to the mixture. This keeps it moist. Add the cheese if using. did not use cheese this time and I didnt miss it! I think I will leave it out in the future.

5. Mix the mixture until everything is well combined. Do not over mix it.

6. Place meat mixture in 4 individual meatloaf pans (This is what I always do but you could do it just as easily in a large pan, muffin tins,or with no pan at all! Adjust times accordingly.)
7. Top each meatloaf with 1 tsp of Worscherstire sauce followed by 1 tsp of ketchup on each. Evenly distribute over meatloaf.

8. Bake mini meatloaves for 25 minutes at 365 degrees.

Here is a play by play:

1. In a large bowl, mix the first 9 ingredients (eggs through adobo sauce) and set aside. I added the peppers at the next step this time. Oops! :)

2. Defrost the spinach on defrost mode until it is warm or nuke it for 2-3 minutes on high. Drain by placing in a clean kitchen towel and squeezing out all of the excess water.

Place defrosted spinach in towel and squeeze!

 3. Combine the turkey with the oats mixture and drained spinach. Add the garlic. 

4. Over the bowl, use a microplane or cheese grater, and grate 1/4 of a small onion directly in to the mixture. This keeps it moist.

5. Mix the mixture until everything is well combined. Do not over mix it.

6. Place meat mixture in pans of choice. My mother in law got me these awesome JUMBO muffin tins so I used them today! Love them!

 

7. Top each meatloaf with 1 tsp of Worscherstire sauce followed by 1 tsp of ketchup on each. Evenly distribute over meatloaf.

8. Bake mini meatloaves for 25 minutes at 365 degrees.

Caramelized and Crunchy on the top.

"Mashed Cauliflower"

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

1 cup chicken stock/water

Salt and pepper

1 tbls. Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tbls. Butter

 1. Place the Cauliflower and stock or water in a sauce pan and cover. Bring to a boil over med high heat. 
2. Simmer until very tender. Watch this! You may need to add more liquid as it cooks.

 3. Once tender, place cooked cauliflower and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in a blender. Add butter, cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano.
4. Blend until mixture is completely pureed. Try to not add too much liquid as you don't want it to be runny. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and make sure everything is combined. 


I will often change this recipe up. I like it best with Parmesean. You can use to milk or cream to make it more creamy. I made everything as low fat as possible tonight. It was still delicious and guilt free!

 

So for desert-I had some over ripe bananas and whipped up a batch of my favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies! I used all Agave nectar (no sugar) this time and we both really loved them. 

Now to finish Jericho! Been hooked!

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum

I have gone to a few cool places over the past few weeks. They are all completely different in nature but each were very fun! For my birthday, Jeff and I went to The Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, AZ. It took only 45 minutes to get there from Chandler and the drive was beautiful. The dogs really enjoyed it!

Misty and Stanley Paul feeling the breeze.

When walking in to the arboretum you can go into the many greenhouses and purchase plants that you will see on the walk. There were some really unique cacti and succulents that I might be purchasing next time. There are tons of trails to choose from. We chose the main trail and went off on a few side excursions. It was probably about 2 miles total. The wild flowers were amazing! You might think that a cactus garden is dull and colorless but it was really vibrant and different.

There was a beautiful statue and fountain near the entry. A nice place to listen to the water flow and have a seat.

Jeff and Mist

The Arboretum was soooo dog friendly. They have dog water bowls next to every drinking fountain. It was nice as it is a very open place and it was a warm day. During summer, I would go here early as it will be very hot.

A 20 ft Agave flower.

Take a look at these different types of cactus. There must have been a garden of 30 barrel cacti. The one with the arms was so cool. It looked fake!

There were benches all over the park with dedications inscribed on them. This was the one that we loved! So sweet! There were a few older couples walking around. The entire place is very romantic in a naturalistic way.

 There is a small lake here. It is called Ayers Lake. It is a nice water feature that brakes up the dry climate. It has 2 ramadas and is surrounded by grasses and other bright green foliage. You walk around it and then hike up behind the lake to follow the main trail.

 On the top of the hill is the Picket Post Mansion. It is available for tours at certain times. It was built into the side of the cliff and had amazing detail. These large rocks were to cool to not shoot a pic.

 A view of the Pickett Post Mansions after descending into the canyon below beautiful Magma Ridge.

Tired after the hike.

Overall, it was a beautiful day. The dogs loved it and Jeff and I want to bring people there. I know my mom would love all of the unique gardens. My favorite garden (that I didn't get a picture of...) was the legume garden. A garden made up entirely of beans, lentils, peas, and other pod shaped vegetation. It was beautiful and now I want a legume garden in my back yard. It costs 7.50 per person to go there. We're actually thinking about getting a yearly pass for 45.00 for 2 people and that comes with 2 guest passes and you get 10% off of plants. Could be worth it!

Go to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and take your dogs! Call me if you need company!!!