Quinoa and Bean Salad (5 ingredients!)

Need a quick, delicious and light in calories weekday meal?  Or maybe something to pack in your lunch?  Or something light and refreshing as a side dish to dinner?  I got ya covered.  

Quinoa and Bean Salad (straight from Rachael Ray)

• 20 oz can of kidney beans
• 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
• 1 red onion, chopped (rinse with cold water to take away some of the bite)
• 2 bunches basil, stems discarded and leaves chopped
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup of EVOO

I have been wanting to try quinoa for a while now.  For those of you who aren't aware of Quinoa's ass kicking health benefits, check out more information from Whole Foods here.  It's nearly gluten free, for all you out there adverse to gluten.  It also has a nutty flavor.  Since this was my first go about with Quinoa, I carefully followed the instructions on the back of the package.  It called for a bit of heat to take away some of the bitter taste and release the nutty aromas.  I don't have anything to compare it to... but I have to admit, I was petrified of ruining this $6 bag of Quinoa, so I watched it very carefully.

First Seitan and now Quinoa.... while I am getting adventurous here kids, don't expect me to go all that much more crazy.  Well maybe.... with my MBA and my freelance job behind me, I have a lot more times on my hands.  

Prepare quinoa as directed and cool.  In a large bowl, mix together beans, quinoa, onion and basil.  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and EVOO.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss evenly to coat.

And just like that, you're all set.  Serve as a meal (has a ton of grain and protein and fiber, so you can get away with this.) or as a side dish to a white fish or chicken.

I packed up about four tupperwares for lunches that week.  I didn't bother freezing any - this salad is made for eating fresh.  I have to admit, I rather enjoyed my first run with Quinoa.  In fact, the thing that ruined this salad for me was the basil.  I must have had a funky batch because I ended up trying to pick most of out it.  As someone who breathes basil, this was rather disappointing.   I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was just off.  Once the basil was out, I gobbled up this salad.

Chef 'em up!

Creamless Corn with Mushrooms and Lemon

Before my latest grocery store run, I found myself reading through my new 2011 Food and Wine cookbook and clearly drooling every time I flipped a page.  While my cookbook collection is growing, this one is like food porn to me, mostly because of all the pictures.  Who needs a man next to you in bed at night when a girl has her cookbook to read?

Please, someone else tell me that they like to read cookbooks?  In bed?

Hello?  Is this thing on?

Judgers.  Either way, I found that a majority of the things I have cheffed up lately are more like side dishes than entrées.  Which in my house, side dishes are fair game as entrées, but, to each their own.  The recipe below is my interpretation of F&W's Creamless Corn recipe.  You'll definitely be seeing a lot more creations from this book coming out of my kitchen.

Creamless Corn with Mushrooms and Lemon:

• 6 dried shittake mushroom caps
• 10 ears of corn or a bag of frozen sweet corn
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 medium shallots
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon
• salt and ground black pepper

The recipe calls for corn on the cob, but I cheated because it's not in season.  I subbed out a bag of frozen sweet corn instead.  This clearly altered the recipe, but I still felt as though it is a solid side dish.

I am a huge shiitake fan lately.  Give these beauties a good chopping.

In a heated pan, with EVOO, on medium heat, add your chopped shallots, mushrooms and your garlic.  Saute for a few minutes until soft.  While this is happening, you should be working on your corn.  If you are following the recipe, it actually asks you to grate five of the ears along a cheese grater.  Make sure you get all the "corn juice" as well, but scraping down the side of the ear after you grate.  This will help the "creaminess" texture.  The other five ears can just have the corn sliced off.  Since I went the frozen corn route, I defrosted as needed and then tried to smash up the corn the best I could, to release some of the juices.  I'm not sure how well it worked, but I got a good workout using the back of that spoon!

Once you're sauted, add in the corn and heat thoroughly.  Then add in the lemon juice, zest and top with cilantro.  Reduce heat and allow the flavors to mix under low heat.  I don't have a zester (note to self), but I used a potato peeler and then, finely, finely chopped with a knife.  Zest can be used very sparingly because it does have so much flavor.   Once you salt and pepper, you can serve as a side dish.

Don't be alarmed - this got sectioned into four tupperwares for future lunches and snacks!

Walnut-Sage Pesto Pasta

Happy Valentine's Day!  To all of you in a relationship, go nuts!  Do something special for each other and share something uniquely the two of you!  To all of you who are rocking independence - don't sweat it!  It's just a Hallmark Holiday, that shouldn't make you feel any less awesome than any other day.

I've ripped this recipe out of a magazine at the gym probably four weeks ago.  I'm not sure why I haven't made it yet, I've had all the ingredients.  I finally got around to making this last night and it was extremely tasty.  And easy - I think 20 minutes top to put it all together.

Walnut-Sage Pesto Pasta

• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 6 ounces dried pasta of your choosing
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 packed Tbsp fresh whole sage leaves
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp EVOO
• 4 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat up your oven to 350.  Pour out your walnuts onto a baking sheet and bake for roughly 8 minutes.  Toast until light golden brown and fragrant.  Set aside to cool.

Before toasting

After toasting

While the walnuts are toasting, get a salted pot of hot water going on the stove.  Cook your pasta according to the instructions.  Be sure to reserve the pasta water, you're going to need some of it later.

Sage... so fresh, so fragrant!

Combine your parsley, sage leaves, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender.

Give it a solid whiiiirrrrlllll until it's finely pulsed into a pesto like consistency.  Add in the EVOO, blend.  Add in 3 tablespoons Parmesan and give it a final pulse or two.

In a bowl, add pesto and a 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water.

Add in your pasta and mix well.

Now, you might realize that yours looks more green than mine does.  That is because I completely forgot to add in the parsley!  Ugh!  Such a crucial, crucial ingredient!  Don't get me wrong, my dish, sans parsley, was really good, but I think the lighter, fresher taste of the parsley would have changed the dish considerably.  Mine was very rich, and very heavy.  I ate it as my entrée, but it was probably better suited as a side dish. I must really remember to slow down and read a recipe in it's entirety!

Continue to add in pasta water in small batches, to create a creamier sauce.  You won't need much, but it's helpful to loosen up the noodles and builds a bit of light sauce to coat the noodles.

Serve in bowls and top with remaining Parmesan cheese.  Crack some fresh pepper over the top... and Bon Appetit!!!

My new Nikon took these pictures!  I love it!

Toasted Coconut Basmati Rice

I like to browse through things.... touching textures/fabrics on clothes, the flip of magazine pages, etc. I love tearing things out that catch my eye or intrigue me or inspire me.  (Maybe this is why Amy and I used to make each other collages in college - oh the many, many hours we spent putting together a solid collage to give to the other.)  Obviously, cooking magazines are a favorite of mine.  I ripped out the following recipe from an insert MONTHS ago.  I'm not sure why it caught my eye or when I thought I would make it.  However, I came across it in my recipe envelope (yeah, yeah, I know, I need something a little more organized) over the weekend and thought it would be an easy dish to try out.

Toasted Coconut Basmati Rice
1/2 cup of coconut
1 cup of Basmati Rice
2 Cups how water
sliced scallions

Start with a dash of EVOO in a sauce pan.  Heat it up and add the coconut, making sure to keep an eye on it.  I promise, it will toast up fast. Keep it moving.

Ready, Ready

Once toasted, add water and basmati rice to the coconut.  Heat to boiling and then allow to cook for 20 minutes or thereabouts, stirring periodically.  Take off heat, allow to sit covered for a few minutes and give a good final stir.  Water should be absorbed.

Daily Education Tip:  Basmati rice was a new to me purchase at the grocery store.  The varieties available seemed a little overpriced, so I went with a small, moderately priced box (I believe it is $2 something).  Basmati Rice is longer than other grains of rice, less sticky and comes from India or Pakistan.  I like it much, much better than my go to before:  generic 10 minute instant rice.  BOOORRRING.... that is so 2008.

Slice up some scallions and either top the rice or go ahead and mix 'em right on in.  I clearly love scallions, so I threw a ton in.  I had also saved a bit of the toasted coconut for the end to top as well.  At first, I thought the rice was sort of bland, but the scallions gave it good flavor and I could taste the sweetness that the coconut had infused into the rice.  I portioned into three tupperwares and ate one for lunch the next day.  Even better after a day of marinating!

Simple and easy side dish that has an impressive amount of flavor.  Bon Appetit!

Saturday night In:  Perfect Dinner for 1.

A Picnic in the Park

A few weeks ago, I invited a coworker of mine to see a movie at the Boston Hatch Shell on the Charles River.  They show family movies on a big screen outside on the Esplanade on Friday nights after dusk.  I have no idea why I haven't spent every single Friday night down by the river enjoying this free perk.  Sure, there are some rather unbehaving children there, but it's outweighed by the fact that you are watching a movie outdoors. 

In a park. 

Over looking a beautiful river. 

For free. 

Wicked Boston Fun.

Come on! My coworker showed up at my house with the most ginormous picnic basket ever.  I had expected her to bring sandwiches or something simple, while I provided the wine, so imagine my surprise when she pulled out an entire pan of freshly baked caramel brownies and a cheese stuffed beef roast.  Why stop there?  How about an heirloom tomato salad?  Maybe some Asian Peanut Noodles?  And pizza for her kiddo.  It was insane.  This girl just totally rewrote the book on picnics.

So, when UP was scheduled to play a few weeks ago, I was inspired to go above and beyond standard picnic fare.  There would be no turkey sandwiches or pasta salad on my watch.  No sirree.

My inspired picnic consisted of:  proscuitto wrapped asparagus with herbed goat cheese, tomato basil mozzerella skewers, veggies/hummus and an array of cheese, crackers and sausage.  And a bottle of fabulous white, of course.  

Fine.  

It was two bottles of fabulous white.

I'm hungry just reminiscing about it.

It was rather simple to pull together actually.  A leisurely walk over to Trader Joe's in the Back Bay provided me with all I needed AND then some (impulse purchases are the kiss of death to the wallet).

Prosciutto/Goat Cheese/Asparagus

The name lists all the ingredients - so this is a no brainer.  I got a package of already sliced prosciutto and herbed goat cheese.  Simply steam the asparagus slightly al dente and cool. (Don't over cook, it's important they are firm - limp asparagus is unimpressive in this case.) 

Lay out a thin slice of proscuitto and slab some goat cheese on one end.  Take three stalks of asparagus and roll up in the prosciutto (like pigs in a blanket).  The goat cheese on the one end will act like glue to keep it all together.  

Be generous, but not overly generous with your goat cheese or when you roll it up it will gob out because it has no place to go.  Which, is clearly only an issue in the aesthetics department, not in the taste factor.  These can be chilled prior to your picnic or eaten straight away. 

Look at these beauties!  Don't you just want to eat 'em up?





Tomato Basil Mozzerella Skewers

Again, don't over think this one kids - it's exactly as it sounds.  I halfed grape tomatoes, cut up a ball of mozzerella and ripped up shreds of basil and then skewered them on mini toothpicks.  These are easy to prepare ahead of time and store well.  Come picnic time, feel free to drizzle a balsamic over the top.  Mmmmm.... delish.  Well, I guess it would have been delish, except, in my haste, I bought balsamic vinegar, which is QUITE different than balsamic vinagrette (which has oil).




Oops.  You can't be perfect all the time.  Nonetheless, the skewers tasted fabulous naked.

In addition to the stellar dishes above - I also got a few different hunks of cheese (gouda, blue and a smelly French one), some sopreseta (sausage) and a Trader Joe's variety boxes of crackers.  Add in an aioli garlic mustard and PRESTO:

You've just won of the hearts of your picnic companions.  The wine might have something to do with it too....

This was all very easy to pull together.  The bigger battle was figuring out what to make and overcoming the misconception that picnics have to be so standard!

Sweet Chili Broccoli

Frozen vegetables make fabulous side dishes. Almost every meal I have is complimented by a side of heaping side of greens - mostly because it's a healthy way to fill out a dinner. 99.9% of the time, I end up using my steamer and a sprinkle of ground sea salt - it's that simple. Bam - side dish done.





(Actually, let's be real - sometimes it's even simpler. Sometimes the steamed vegetables are the actual entree. I can't help myself. I favor simplicity. I watch my calories. I love fiber. Some people eat cereal and Bud Light for dinner. I, on occasion, eat steamed frozen vegetables and a glass of wine. Call me low maintenance.)



But I'm hungry. Mama wants to keep it simple. I don't feel like defrosting meat. I don't feel like making anything starchy. I have a bag of frozen broccoli in my freezer calling my name. Knowing I could challenge myself a bit beyond the steamer, I search the fridge in hopes of some inspiration.

Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce? Don't mind if I do. Let's chef up a side that has an Asian influence to it.

1 teaspoon Peanut Oil

1/2 teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce

Broccoli (Frozen or fresh).

I had these ingredients on hand for a pad thai receipe I cheffed up quite a while ago. I did my shopping at the Kam Man in Quincy, MA. (an experience worth it's own post....)

Simply, an inch of water in your pot. Steam frozen broccoli (or you could use fresh broccoli too). Boil water, cover pan.  Cook until soft.  Firm, but not too firm.  Not too soggy either.

Add 1 teaspoon peanut oil and 1/2 teaspoon sweet chili garlic sauce.  Mix sauce into oil - turn on burner to medium high. Allow it to heat and start to sizzle.

Once the sauce is heated, add broccoli and mix around. Stir fry around enough to coat all the broccoli in sauce. (Tip - sauce coats about 1 cup of broccoli.)

Done! Eat up. Despite the lack of beef, this dish ended up reminding me of a beef and broccoli dish at a chinese restaurant. Fresh broccoli, little bit of kick.











Satisfying, light dinner for Moi.

Calories:

175: entire serving