Citrus Quinoa Salad & Quinoa Tabouli

This 1st recipe I tried once and afterward there were some changes that I felt would make it much better.  The recipe below is the final product for Citrus Quinoa Salad.  I love the pop that quinoa has making it one of my favorite grains to cook with.  And its a great way to get your whole grains in!!

Citrus Quinoa Salad

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 cups fresh orange juice

2 cups water

kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and finely diced

1 large beefsteak tomato (or tomatoes of choice), seeded and finely diced

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped basil

1/4 cup finely chopped mint

Juice of 1 large (or 2 small) lemons

In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the quinoa and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the orange juice, water and a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and spread on a baking sheet to cool

In a medium skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pine nuts to a plate to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil with the vinegar. Add the quinoa, pine nuts, cucumber, green onions, tomato, basil, mint, fresh lemon juice and toss well, breaking up any lumps of quinoa. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve.

I had never cooked quinoa in orange juice and loved the tangy-ness it gave the dish!  While this had some differences with the citrus flavor, basil, and pine nuts...the mint, cucumber, and green onion reminded me of tabouli so I figured I'd share my quinoa tabouli recipe as well since they're similar. 

Quinoa Tabouli

2 cups quinoa

4 cups hot water

1 cucumber, chopped

2 small tomatoes/1 large tomato, diced

6-8 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped

2 cups fresh parsley, chopped

1 clove garlic minced

Dressing: 

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste.

Cook quinoa, similar to above recipe.  Let cool and squeeze quinoa dry of any water.  Combine the salad ingredients in medium bowl.  Combine the dressing ingredients in separate bowl and stir into salad mixture.  Chill salad for flavors to mix. Serve chilled or at room temp.

**Note, for a traditional tabouli substitute cracked wheat (bulgur) in place of quinoa

See?? Very similar w/ some slight differences.  Whatever your preference!  :)

More favorite products

Kashi Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Kashi Ranchero Beans

Progressive Lettuce Keeper

The Magic Bullet

Beef-Barley Soup

This is a recipe I tried from the Feb 05 issue of Fitness. It's a pretty basic Beef and Barley soup but the broth did come out more flavorful than I expected. There are no carrots in my pic because I don't like cooked carrots much but they are in the recipe if you like them.

Beef-Barley Soup

1/2 pound beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch cubes

salt and pepper

1 tsp olive oil

2 carrots, sliced

1 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup (I used 2 shallots)

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

5 garlic gloves, smashed and chopped

1/2 cup red wine (*or* wine substitutions include non-alcoholic wine, beef broth/stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, or tomato juice)

6 cups beef broth

1 can (14 1/2 oz) chopped tomatoes (recipes called for drained, I put the liquid in the soup for extra flavor)

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup cooked barley

Season beef cubes w/ salt and pepper. In a large pot over medium heat, brown beef on all sides in oil. Do not turn pieces until one side is browned. Pour off any excess fat and set beef to the side. Add carrots, onion, mushrooms, and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring 3 minutes. Pour in wine (or substitute), increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil; cook, scraping the bottom of the pot, 2 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Add the rest of the ingredients except barley, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add beef, and let simmer 1 hour. Stir in uncooked barley and simmer 1 hour, or until barley is cooked through. Remove bay leaf before serving. Be sure to let the stew cook slowly so that only small bubbles come to the surface. Otherwise the meat may not be as tender.

Make 6 servings

Nutrition info per serving: 198 calories, 15g protein, 20g carbs, 6g fat, 4g fiber

Marinated Mushrooms

1 lb white button mushrooms, washed and stems removed

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 c fresh rosemary leaves

1/2 c Italian parsley leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Halve or quarter the mushrooms if needed, depending on size.  Combine the garlic, mustard, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth in consistency (You may need to add a little of the olive oil to get it to blend evenly).  Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk together with the olive oil and vinegar, until you have a thick dressing.  Toss the mushrooms in the dressing until well coated.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled or at room temp.

I obviously scaled the recipe down some because I did not need a lb of marinated mushrooms.  These were pretty good.  The marinade can also be used for dipping bread as well.  I loved the addition of Dijon mustard.

Sicilian Lentil Soup

I apologize for the long dry spell!  December I was busy visiting my family and letting my Dad cook for me!  And I'm not getting as many posts from others which puts a little more pressure to make sure there are enough recipes  :)

Here's a recipe I tried from the Williams-Sonoma website.

Sicilian Lentil Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic glove, minced

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1 eggplant, cut into small cubes

3 cups cooked green lentils

1 oz of small or short pasta of choice

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbsp of olive oil.  Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes,  Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil, garlic, rosemary, and eggplant.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is translucent and starts to soften.

Add sauteed vegetables, lentils, pasta, cinnamon, and 6 cups water to a pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered until the eggplant is tender and the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.

My trick for amazing sauteed onions is to saute them in garlic infused oil.  In this recipe I used garlic oil and didn't have to put in the mince garlic clove (you can substitute or use both depending on preference and strength of oil).  I also like to use shallots because I love the natural sweetness.

For this recipe I cooked my pasta first, I used mini bow ties.  Then I put all the ingredients in my crock pot on high until the soup was done.  I'll be honest I didn't put the cinnamon in the soup because I didn't think I'd like that flavor.  The broth was a little bland so I put in a couple Tbsp of chicken bouillon.  After that the soup turned out delicious.  For some reason I didn't like the eggplant because of the texture and lack of flavor, even though I normally like eggplant.  I think I would make this again but add some squash instead. 

Easy-Do Ahead Recipes - Posted by Valerie B.

Here are a couple recipes I found in a cook book I have called Supermarket Gourmet. They sound REALLY yummy!

Apple Spinach Salad
16 oz. pkg. baby spinach leaves
2 medium apples, unpeeled, chopped
2 tbsp. minced red onion
4 1/2 tbsp. nonfat sour cream
3 tbsp. lemon juice3 tbsp. honey
1.2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. low-fat bacon crumbles

Combine spinach, apples and onion in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Combine sour cream, lemon juice, honey and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix until blended. When ready to serve, pour dressing over salad; toss to mix until coated. Sprinkle with bacon crumbles and serve. Serves 4.

Nutrition per serving: Calories 146, Fat 1.4 g, Carbs 30 g, Protein 6 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Dietary Fiber 5 g, Sodium 222 mg

Caesar Salad-Stuffed Sandwiches
10 oz. can chunk white chicken in water, drained
10 oz. pkg. romaine lettuce or romaine salad mix
1/2 C fat-free Caesar salad dressing
4 low-fat pita pockets

Combine chicken, lettuce, and salad dressing in a bowl. Toss until completely coated and mixed. Stuff into pita pockets and serve. Serves 4.

Nutrition per serving: Calories 237, Fat .7 g, Carbs 29 g, Protein 24 g, Cholesterol 32 mg, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Sodium 718 mg *Tip: According to research by the American Heart Association, eating fatty fish (i.e. tuna and salmon) just once a week reduces the chances of suffering a fatal heart attack by 44 % compared to eating leaner fish (i.e. cod and snapper).

Chicken and Artichoke Salad
18 oz. cooked chicken breast cuts
6 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
3 oz pkg. julienne-cut, dry-pack sun-dried tomatoes
14 oz can artichokes, drained and chopped
3/4 C. nonfat Catalina, French or Dorothy Lynch salad dressing
1/4 C. fresh chopped basil
1 large red onion, sliced into rings or strips
2 (10 oz) pkgs. romaine lettuce or romaine salad mix

Combine all ingredients except lettuce. Toss until mixed. Divide lettuce among six plates or bowls. Top with chicken/artichoke mixture. Serves 6.

Nutrition per serving: Calories 216, Fat 2.9 g, Carbs 24 g, Protein 26 g, Cholesterol 24 mg, Dietary Fiber 3 g, Sodium 943 mg

Mushroom Whole Grain Casserole

I love mushrooms so when I saw this recipe I was excited to try it. This is also a GREAT and EASY way to get your whole grains in and make them taste good!! I recommend whole grains all the time to people but the truth is many people don't know how to make some of the "less common" whole grains. For this recipe you can use any whole grain and/or brown rice that you would like. I made mine with (& HIGHLY RECOMMEND) the Kashi Original Flavor Rice Pilaf. It's ready in 90 seconds and has SEVEN whole grains in it. Now tell me...are you going to prepare 7 whole grains to use in this recipe? The recipe I saw actually served 8 so I scaled the recipe down and posted the recipe I made. It was called Mushroom Casserole but I'm adding the Whole Grain into the name.

Mushroom Whole Grain Casserole

~4 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1/2 onion or 1 shallot, well chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (or 1 Tbsp)
~2 cups cooked whole grains and/or brown rice
1/4 cup egg beaters (or 1 egg)
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (and I used pepper too)
freshly grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheesea
bit of fresh tarragon, chopped (optional...I didn't have so I didn't use)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the onions and garlic in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and some sea salt until golden. Add mushrooms and stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Continue to stir/cook until mushrooms are softer. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.
In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper.
Combine the rice mixture and cottage cheese mixture in a 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with the Parmesan/Romano cheese, cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 or 30 minutes more or hot throughout and golden along the edges. Sprinkle with the chopped tarragon and enjoy.