Back to the quinoa again. I made a huge batch the other night and decided I would test recipe after recipe until I found one I liked. I was shocked when I loved these quinoa cakes and then again when I found out that I also loved this salad. This is not much different from my standard winter salad, except that I also add a hefty handful or two of quinoa for some nutritious protein. It can even turn a side salad into a main dish!

But if you really, really, really want a great tasting salad, fry your quinoa. It probably ruins all the nutritious benefits of this grain, but really, who cares? It’s delicious! And it’s still healthy because you’re still eating salad! I was inspired by this when I was making the quinoa cakes and some of the quinoa fell off the patties and into the oil in the pan. It got super crispy and I thought, “Hmmm… I bet we’d love this as a salad topping!” If you add 1 cup of cooked quinoa to a splash of hot olive oil, the quinoa turns a toasty brown and makes the most amazing crunchy topping. My husband loved this part so much that he literally licked the pan clean. Try it. You’ll like it.

mixed greens with grapes, goat cheese, avocado & candied pecans
inspired by Joylicious, as featured on www.6bittersweets.com

(please note… this is a *salad* folks… add as much or little of any particular ingredient as you want!)

1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup white or brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
several handfuls of mixed spring greens
red grapes (I used a small bunch for our two salads)
goat cheese (I used about 1 tbsp per salad)
1 medium avocado, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4″ slices (I used about 4-5 slices per salad)
1 tbsp good quality olive oil per person
1/2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar per person (we used a cranberry pear infused white balsamic, but I think it would be fine with a regular white balsamic as well)
sea salt and pepper for sprinkling on top

In a sautee pan over medium heat, add the pecans, brown sugar and butter and stir until caramelized. Remove and place on a sheet of wax paper in a single layer. Let cool while you assemble the rest of the salad.

Place a layer of greens on each plate. Add some grapes, crumble some goat cheese, and layer with some slices of avocado. Place several candied pecans on each salad. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Pour over individual salads, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

pear salad with mustard vinaigrette dressing
adapted from www.allrecipes.com

several cups of mixed salad greens
1 pear, thinly sliced
1 orange, peeled and thinly sliced (or use candied oranges)
2 ounces crumbly cheese (gorgonzola, blue cheese, white cheddar, etc.)
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Place the baby greens in a large, flat bowl. Top with pear slices, oranges, and cheese.

In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool and break into pieces. Sprinkle over the salad.

For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and pass additional dressing at the table.

winter fruit salad
adapted from allrecipes.com

dressing:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh is best, but store bought is fine, too)
1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 head of lettuce or several large handfuls of mixed greens
1-2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
1 pear, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
2 tangerines, peeled and white pith removed
1/2 cup pecan halves
2 oz gruyere cheese, chopped into 1/4″ pieces
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Heat a skillet to medium and add the pecans. Stirring frequently, cook until the pecans are fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure that they do not burn.

Place the chopped lettuce in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Top with the fresh fruit, then add the pecans, cheese, and cranberries. Drizzle with dressing. Serve additional dressing on the side.

garlic croutons

www.allrecipes.com

6 (3/4-inch) pieces of French bread, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
salt

Preheat oven to 350. Place bread cubes in a large bowl.

In a large sautee pan, melt the butter and add the garlic. Sautee for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Remove from heat and pour the butter mixture over the bread cubes and stir well.

Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cubes are golden brown. Throughout the cooking time, stir the croutons once or twice, and be careful not to let them burn!

I found this recipe in a cook book a couple years ago and photocopied it for later use. This summer was the first time we tested it and Brant ate it up. Literally – he ate the entire platter, by himself, moaning over and over again that this was so good. Can’t argue with a guy who has dressing oozing out of his mouth, can you?

tomato salad with corn and basil

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 shallot, minced (or to taste)
sea salt and pepper
1 pound mixed tomatoes, preferably heirloom
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 dozen fresh basil leaves, cut or torn into small pieces

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, and shallot. Season highly with salt and pepper. Set aside for 15 minutes for flavors to blend.

Core the larger tomatoes and slice. Halve any cherry tomatoes. Arrange the tomatoes attractively on a platter and sprinkle corn kernels over the top. Drizzle dressing over the tomato and corn mixture and then scatter basil leaves over all.

If you follow me on twitter or faceboook then you know that I have spent the last 3 days helping my friend move. This has involved all the usual moving chaos – painting the new place, packing the old place, figuring out how to stay sane and not bite each others’ heads off in the meantime. I’ve moved before and the only thing that makes people more grouchy than packing is packing when you’re hungry. This is where I come in. I came to LA with an arsenal of easy to prepare, great tasting recipes to whip up. Among them were these sandwiches, this pasta, and today’s recipe: garbanzo bean salad. Clearly summer is here: the overarching theme in all these meals is tomatoes, basil, raw garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I’m not complaining, although I’m sure anyone else that smells us is probably graciously keeping their mouths shut.

garbanzo bean salad
www.allrecipes.com

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion (optional – it’s good with and good without)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup fresh dried basil, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt

In a medium sized bowl, toss together all the ingredients and let marinate in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. Serve chilled.

potato salad

2.5 pounds of russet potatoes (you can use a mixture of russets and yukon gold if you prefer)
1 tbsp salt

vinaigrette

3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup salad oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles + 1 tbsp of the pickle juice
1-2 stalks celery, chopped into small pieces
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

mustard dressing

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp celery seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp salt

Peel and cut potatoes into 3/4 inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan and add water to cover by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of salt, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring once or twice, until potatoes are tender, about 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife.

Combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and oil for the vinaigrette while the potatoes are cooking. I like to use a food processor, but you can use a whisk if you don’t have one.

Drain the potatoes and while they are warm, add the vinaigrette. Stir gently to coat all the potatoes. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Prep your pickles, celery, eggs and mustard dressing and gently stir them into the chilled potatoes ensuring that all the potatoes are well coated.

Allow to sit in refrigerator for 1-3 hours and serve chilled.

Last Thursday the hubby, my friend Amanda and I met at Dave’s for dinner and games. Dave was out to impress! The main course was Filet mignon, lobster, purple mashed potatoes, and fresh asparagus. I was skeptical about the lobster as I don’t typically like shell fish, but this was done quite well. Dave says that the secret is in cooking the lobster in butter. Hmmm… butter makes everything better!

After an hour or so of letting our dinner settle, Dave unveiled the dessert – chocolate creme brule with fresh berries. On top of that (as if there needed to be more!) for the extra berries he offered a chocolate dipping sauce made by combining melted chocolate with a red wine reduction.

I’m pretty sure I gained five pounds in one night, but it was worth it. Dave should be coming to my house again sometime in the next week or two. I still have not figured out what I’ll be making for dinner, but there’s no way I can compete with this!

It’s come to my attention that my blog has a lot of desserts. You say this like it’s a bad thing. You mean I shouldn’t just eat dessert instead of dinner three or four nights a week? Which brings me to New Years and the fact that my local warehouse store has a sale right now on diet products and scales. Oh, yeah. That’s right. Tis the season to be a bit healthier.Okay, okay. No more desserts for a while. I’ll see if we can come up with some healthy meals to eat in the next couple of months.I spent a couple hours the other night surfing other blogs for meal ideas. At two or three posts a week for almost 6 months now, I’m running out of meal ideas fast. Fortunately for me, there are about a zillion blogs out there with amazing looking recipes. Unfortunately for my husband, business, and even my cats, I feel the need to make them all now so I can share them with you immediately, meaning there is no time to do anything else except grocery shop and cook, cook, cook. Oh, and post, of course.

So, here’s this one from www.anticiplate.com. Now before you go clicking on that link, you need to know that this lady is pro, so her website is, well, better than mine. She’s got a lot of very gourmet meals that look amazing, but realistically neither you nor I have the time or energy for foods involving octopus and the like. Here’s one recipe she made that is both simple and tasty. I tried it last night served alongside my chicken crescent rolls and found the pairing to be perfect. I think these caramelized onions may also taste amazing on a new pizza recipe that I just found, but you’ll have to wait a bit before I post that.

salad with caramelized red onions & pine nuts

1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
pinch of salt
drizzle of olive oil
4 big handfuls baby spring salad mix
Slice parmigiano reggianno, if desired
balsalmic vinaigrette dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss red onions in balsamic, sugar, pinch of salt, and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast for 15-20 minutes or until softened and sweet. Taste to make sure they are cooked as much as you like them. Some people like a little of the crunch and raw onion taste. Others prefer them to be completely cooked. It’s up to you! Once cooked to your standards, set aside to cool.

Toast pine nuts in a non-stick skillet on medium until lightly browned. Careful here – they burn quickly! Tossing them in the air without losing any is worth extra points! Set aside to cool.

Top greens with red onions and pine nuts.

Add salad dressing and top with sliced parmigiano reggiano if desired.