Quinoa Crunch Salad

24 Apr

I know you are all shocked that I am posting a quinoa recipe, seeing as how every 5th post on this blog seems to be a quinoa dish.  I am nothing if not frugal and practical, and you just can not beat the cost of quinoa and the short cook time.  Plus, it tastes good.

I am also nothing if not way behind on laundry and housekeeping, but that’s for another post.  (while ‘then get off the computer and clean your house woman’ would be good advice, I’m not listening.  {fingers in ear, chanting ‘la la la la’}).

I make this salad a couple of times a month.  It keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge, although it usually only lasts a couple of days in our (messy) house, since the husband and I both like it.

Quinoa Crunch Salad

A salad with lots of natural crunch and a tangy dressing.  It’s strangely addicting – try to eat only one bit.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped almonds
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup diced parsley
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey (or other sweetener)
Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let cool.
2. Combine quinoa – parsley in a large bowl and stir.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients (lime juice – honey) in a small lidded jar and shake well.
4. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.
5.  Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours for flavors to blend.  Keeps well for 3-4 days.

New to quinoa?  Here’s my Quinoa – Ingredient Spotlight post.

Want more Quinoa recipes?  How about….

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River Weekend

23 Apr

On Friday we loaded half our house into the car,

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and drove from San Antonio to the Frio River in Concan, TX.

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We even got to drive over the river,

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which delighted the kids (and me).

At dusk fireflies showed up and very graciously let the kids catch them.

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It was kinda magical.

The kids were sent to procure wood for the fire

and no one got hurt.  Also kinda magical.

We ended the night with some smores and campfire conversation.

(the kids had only smores, the parents had wine + smores)

Saturday we woke to a perfect weather day.

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The girl caught a grasshopper,

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some butterflies,

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a tadpole,

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and a fish (really her dad caught it, and we released him back to the river).

There was nature exploring,

and fishing.

There was (cold, cold) swimming,

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there was climbing.

The little guy bonded with some friend’s sweet pup.

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We had more smores. And more wine.

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We laughed.  A lot.

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Sunday morning came too soon and after some final nature exploring, we headed back to real life.

It was a wonderful weekend and I’m still smiling in my heart about it today. And doing 17 loads of laundry (while picking rocks out of pockets). And putting away the half the house that was packed up.

Totally worth it.

Photo Friday – Boy of Many Faces

20 Apr

What was that movie the Val Kilmer, the one where Elizabeth Shue figured out cold fusion on some post it notes?  Oh yes, The Saint.  Remember how he had many disguises?  Well I’d like submit my nomination for my little guy as his apprentice.  Some scenes from the week:

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What I Ate Wednesday – A Series of Unphotogenic Events

17 Apr

Every Wednesday* I link up with Jenn at Peas and Crayons and her What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) blog party.


*I skipped last Wednesday and kinda missed it. But I’ve posted just about every other Wednesday for the last year.

For this week’s WIAW post, I photographed my eats on Monday. As I perused the photos, I noticed a theme. They didn’t look so good. First off, the are all iPhone pictures, taken on the go, so lighting isn’t the greatest. And, honestly, most of the foods don’t look all that appetizing*. See what you think:

*You can’t judge a food’s taste by it’s photogenicity.  That’s not really a word, but it should be.  How about photogenic-ness?  

Breakfast:

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Green Juice and Green Tea – my green squared beverage duo

Breakfast 2:

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Double Chocolate Protein Bite (pre-yoga)

Breakfast 3:

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Another protein bite, a Cocoa Cookie Dough Ball (from Let Them Eat Vegan) and a coconut flour tropical muffin (recipe coming soon) and some water

Lunch:

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Carrots + a quinoa/chickpea/sprouted bean concoction mixed with Mmm Sauce and Cilantro.  Tasted so much better than it looks (and sounds)

Afternoon Drink 1:

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Green Tea Lemonade (in the school pick up line)

After School Baking:

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PB & B Blender Cookies

After School Drink 2:

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Ginger Kombucha (yes, it looks like pond water)

Dinner:

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Kids: black bean nachos and fruits and veggies

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Grown Ups: Salsa Quinoa with Black Beans atop lettuce, topped with avocados and tortilla chips

(in honor of the ‘add an extra cup of veggies’ challenge, I added an extra cup of romaine)

Dessert:

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Coconut Milk Ice Cream Sandwich

So – clearly these photos aren’t winning any awards.  Between the brown protein bites, the gray brown lunch combo and the pond water kombucha, I’m not making my eats look too appetizing.  Rest assured they were all quite tasty.  I may eat ugly food, but I do not eat bad tasting food.  A lady must have her standards.

What’s the most unphotogenic thing you’ve eaten lately?

Green Tea Lemonade

17 Apr

This is my new afternoon beverage.  As in I have had this drink everyday for the last two weeks.  I anticipate it being a staple in the summer, which in Texas, means ‘drink your body weight in fluids to compensate for the ridiculous amount of sweating that occurs when you live on what feels like the face of the sun for 3 months.’

Green Tea Lemonade

It’s got a really long ingredient list.  Ready?

  1.  Green Tea (green tea bag + water)
  2. Lemon
  3. Sweetener (I use stevia)
  4. Ice

And a really complicated recipe.

1. Make green tea. Let it cool.  (I boil enough water in the morning to make my morning green jasmine tea and my  ’lemonade’ tea.  I make both cups at the same time and just let the plain green tea sit on the counter {remove tea bag after about 5 minutes of brewing to minimize bitterness} until the afternoon when I’m ready to make my green tea lemonade)

2. Add the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, depending on how tart you want your drink.

3. Sweeten to taste.

4. Serve over ice.

It’s refreshing and a perfect afternoon pick me up.  Plus green tea is all kinds of good for you so you get bonus nutritional benefits.

The addition of lemon, while adding a nice tartness, may also make this drink even more nutritious. Shout out to the food scientists at Purdue University that determined that adding citrus juice (or straight ascorbic acid) to green tea allows the beneficial antioxidants in green tea to survive the digestion process.

http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2007b/071113FerruzziTea.html

(I.came.this.close to getting my food science Master’s degree at Purdue, but my research would have been on black-eyed peas, not green tea)  (I chose North Carolina State instead)  (And did research on processed cheese)  (oh yes I did)

What is your ideal afternoon beverage?

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Menu Plan Monday

16 Apr

Guess who got her act together last night and planned out her whole week?  Me!  Which means something is going to hit today – maybe sickness or perhaps the oven will stop working – and derail it all.  Who me, pessimistic?  Nah.  Well, maybe a little.  I prefer to think of it as cynical, which somehow sounds better than pessimistic.

I did some blog planning too and have a couple of good recipes slated to post this week.  Thanks for your patience with my last couple of blog-light weeks.

Here is what I have planned for dinners, barring any week-altering events.

Monday - Quinoa with Salsa and Black Beans over salad

Tuesday – Buddha Bowls with brown rice and whatever veggies we have in the fridge

Wednesday - Chickpea Pumpkin Seed Burgers from Let Them Eat Vegan

Thursday – Grilled Cheese with bread machine bread and salad

Friday – out to eat

Also planning to make the following:

Classic Texas Caviar Dip

White Sangria (for a special event, not just for me, in case you were worried)

Fresh Orange Cake from Let Them Eat Vegan

PB & B Blender Cookie

Pumpkin Muffins

Linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie

Photo Friday – good reads

13 Apr

Books my kids are loving:

Chalk by Bill Thomson – amazing, amazing hand drawn illustrations. There are no words in the book, just a very clever story in pictures.

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The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man (with Moskowitz the Awesome Dog) by Michael Chabon. Love this story! I’ve read it at least 18 times to my boy. And I think if we get a dog, we’ll seriously consider naming it Moskowitz.20120413-081114.jpg

Lisa Loeb’s Silly Sing-Along book and CD – I have to refrain from busting out into Stay, but we’ve listened to this CD all week on repeat. Very cute and catchy and not annoying like many kid’s CDs. There is a song called Fried Ham that we’ve been singing non-stop, although I did cheer when, after singing it a few times, my boy asked “mom, what’s bologna?”

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I read Divergent this week. It didn’t captivate me like Hunger Games and took me way longer to get into, but it was a good read and I stayed up too late to finish it. Looking forward to the next one.

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Some good reads on the worldwide web:

Is An Egg For Breakfast Worth This? (NY Times) – we do eat eggs, but I try to make sure they all come from the Farmer’s Markets or other local sources. Even if you don’t care about the chicken’s welfare, you have got to think that the eggs produced by chickens who are surrounded by ammonia and decaying carcasses can not be healthy. Cheap eggs aren’t good. Good eggs aren’t cheap. I would love to raise our own chickens, but our neighborhood association prohibits it.

In The Wake Of Drought: What Remains (Beth Moore) – Preach it Beth!

Random Hula Hoop Picture:

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And a gem from my Daughter’s take-home folder this morning:

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(my elephant can be weird and my elephant can play dead) – not sure what to make of that

Any books you recommend for me or my kids????

Vegan Carrot Raisin Pineapple Salad

12 Apr IMG_6517

It’s hard to do the mom circuit in the Texas suburbs without ending up at Chick Fil A at least once.  The chain is kid friendly, clean and has top-notch customer service.  And play areas (complete with hand sanitizer).  Actually, the husband I had our first meal together (a year and half before we actually started dating) at Chick-Fil-A about 15 years ago, so I’m a little partial to the chain.  Plus I ate many a chicken-biscuits for breakfast in high school before dance team practice.  Breakfast of champions, don’t you know?  {insert sarcasm font}

It’s not remotely a vegetarian restaurant, so I am usually stuck with sides for a meal these days.  I tend to order a side salad and a small carrot-raisin-salad.  And maybe fries if I’m feeling naughty – they do have delicious waffle fries.  The side salad is standard, but the carrot raisin salad is really good.  The carrot juice/dressing liquid that forms at the bottom of the bowl is a nasty bugger potent stain to get out of your clothes if you happen to spill the container (which I do far too often, sometimes my kid’s fault, usually mine), but the salad is refreshing and tasty.

Last week I decided to re-create the carrot raisin salad and, after googling a few versions of the Chick-Fil-A recipe and learning it contained mayo, veganizing it.  It worked!

Vegan Carrot Raisin Pineapple Salad

This salad is sweet, crunchy and refreshing.  It comes together quickly and keeps really well for 3-4 days in the fridge.

 Ingredients:
  • 2 c shredded carrots (the finer the better – I used my food processor)
  • 1/3 c raisins
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp vegan mayo – I like the soy-free veganaise.  Could also use regular non-vegan mayo
  • 3/4 c diced pineapple
  • 2 Tbsp pineapple juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients and mix until well combined.  Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours for flavors to meld.

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Dusting Off The Ol’ Keyboard

9 Apr

Hi there.

I took an inadvertent little break from the blog. My entire family came down for Easter weekend and my plan to straighten up the house for their visit turned into Level 3 Spring Cleaning. My mom would never move my couches to see if I had vacuumed and dusted behind them, but, if she had, she would see that I indeed went Medieval on all dust, fingerprints and random toy parts in my house.

Of course, if you stopped by right now, you’d have to tip toe over the lego ‘dinosaur cage’ in my entry way and then dodge the easter eggs strewn about the living room that seem to multiply each night.

Here are some photos from the mini-blog break.

I bought a new swim suit.

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There seems to be an unspoken dress code among most of the mid thirty-early forty moms at my pool that requires a tankini or one piece. A few moms sport a small two piece, but most of those seem to be the ladies that have BOTH rock hard abs and very well endowed bosoms (which are most likely medically enhance, due to their impossible perkiness).

My bosom is most certainly not surgically enhanced – if it was, I’d demand a refund. It is not remotely well endowed. It’s not even endowed. The only think rock hard about my abs would be if there was indeed a hard rock stuck to my swimsuit. My trunk is too short for a one piece, so I go with the tankini.

We made bunny face pancakes (idea from Pinterest).

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My boy turned 4 and I made him a ninja cake.

He loved it. Happy sigh.

My dad turned, well, older than 4.

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I made him a triple chocolate mousse cake from Cooks Illustrated (which took approx 17 hours but was rather fantastic) and he loved it. Happy sigh.

We had a preschool Easter party.

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Notice the ratio of girl hats to boy hats. It’s good to be a boy in that class.

We celebrated 10 years of marriage.

He said I couldn’t do a schmoopy blog post about it, but know that marrying him is just about the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I got the way better end of the deal. Happy sigh.

What I Ate With Carrots In It Wednesday

4 Apr

Most Wednesdays I link up with the What I Ate Wednesday Blog Party hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons. For the month of April, we are encouraged to add an extra cup of vegetables to our daily eats.  Challenge accepted.  It’s already been brought-en.  (somebody recognize that quote, please!)

Yesterday I also ended up eating carrots in just about each meal.  If I look slightly orangy today, you’ll know why.  You know when you first start feeding your baby carrots and sweet potatoes and they get little orange noses due to all the beta-carotene?  Well I’m hoping less for the orange nose and more for an overall glow that might be perceived as a tan.    I also ate rather bad over the weekend and on into Monday (why hello sugar, I don’t mind if I do), so I decided to use they day where I photograph all my foods to clean up my diet a bit.  Thanks for the accountability guys.Breakfast:Green & Orange Juice – celery, parsley, carrots, ginger, lemon, apple, kale stalksFollowed by some Green Jasmine Tea

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I got hungry again around 10 and had a brunch (?) of carrot raisin pineapple salad (recipe coming soon).

Lunch was a carrot-less bowl of brown rice and some cooked sprouted beans from a 3 lbs bag that I picked up at Costco.  I topped it with the Cheesy Sprinkles from the Let Them Eat Vegan cookbook – they are a blend of nutritional yeast and nuts.

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I finished lunch off with a little bite of some leftover Carrot Cake from our weekend 4th birthday celebrations.

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Mid Afternoon I had some Mary’s Gone Crackers dipped into Carrot Miso Dip (also from Let Them Eat Vegan) and some green tea lemonade.  That dip is fantastic!

I went to an early evening Athletic Interval class and ate a couple of Cocoa Cookie Dough Balls (again, from Let Them Eat Vegan and, no, I don’t get a referral fee) on the way.

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When we got back from the gym  (where they had an Easter Party for the kids and both my kids ran up to me afterwards saying “we ate so many fruit loops” and then ran off in their sugar induced frenzy – lovely) I made a dinner of fried rice for the husband and I and some raw veggies for the kids.  They don’t like the seasoning in my fried rice, so they eat plain brown rice and veggies on our fried rice nights.

In honor of the ‘extra cup’ challenge, I threw in even more vegetables than normal into the fried rice.  Tonight’s version had carrots, red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, celery green onions, snap peas and snow peas.

I’m planning on eating really clean for the next few days in preparation for the less-than-healthy Easter foods coming up this weekend.  Although, my daughter informed me yesterday that we can’t eat all the carrots in the fridge, as we need to save a couple for the Easter Bunny.  Duly noted.

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