Curried Quinoa Salad with Asparagus & Cauliflower

1 cup quinoa
3 Tbs lemon juice
5 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs curry powder
2 tsp whole coriander seeds, coarsely cracked in mortar with pestle
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1) Preheat oven to 425F. On a greased baking sheet. evenly spread out the asparagus and cauliflower. Bake for 20 minutes.
2) Place quinoa in small saucepan, with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat, simmering for 15 minutes, or until water is fully absorbed.
3) Whisk together lemon juice, oil, vinegar, curry powder and coriander in a small bowl.
4) In a large bowl, mix together roasted vegetables, quinoa, dressing and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Review: The original recipe called for this to be a cold dish. I wasn't in the mood for cold curry, however. I roasted the vegetables and tossed this all together while still warm. I definitely think roasting was the way to go. However, I wasn't wowed by the flavor of the dish. I haven't been a big fan of regular curry (love Thai curry, though!), so maybe it's just me.

Adapted from:
June 2016 issue of Vegetarian Times

Golden Frittata with Red Bell Pepper, Chickpeas & Baby Spinach

5 large eggs
1 Tbs turmeric
1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbs avocado oil
1 large red bell pepper, diced
15oz can chickpeas
2 cups baby spinach

1) Preheat oven to 400F.
2) Whisk together eggs, turmeric and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3) Heat oil in large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and cook 4 minutes, or until pepper is slightly softened. Stir in spinach, stirring for about 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.
4) Add chickpeas, distributing evenly throughout the pan. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables, ensuring the eggs are evenly distributed.
5) Transfer to oven, baking for 12 minutes, or until top and center of eggs are just set. Cool 2 minutes before serving.

Review: It's been a long time since I've been able to cook a meal for both my husband and I (which ultimately leads to me trying fewer new recipes). He's on a low-carb diet, which often means lots of meat and cheese. But, I proposed that this frittata wasn't too far from his diet and he acquiesced. I absolutely adored this dish. It was hearty, savory and had a strong turmeric flavor. Mike, however, felt like he could only taste chickpeas. He still ate it all, though! The original recipe called for 9 eggs, but I got away with 5. I think 9 would be just too much, but might mean more for a family.

Adapted from:
June 2016 issue of Vegetarian Times

Pasta with Swiss Chard & Tomatoes

12 oz pasta
2 pt cherry tomatoes, halved
4 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs onion powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped
15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse and set aside.
2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant.
3) Add Swiss chard and tomatoes. Stir occasionally until Swiss chard is wilted and tender, and the tomatoes have all 'popped.'
4) Add tomato paste, onion powder and chickpeas. Stir until thoroughly warm.
5) Combine mixture with pasta and serve warm.

Review: The original directions called for making this all in one pot. However, since I'm using gluten-free pasta, I wasn't sure the recipe would work the same. I think doing it the way I did ultimately would be better. I made a great sauce with the tomatoes and chard that was incredibly savory and tasty. I adored this and it really didn't take that long to make!

Adapted from:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/one-pot-orecchiette-with-swiss-chard-and-tomatoes

Potato, Egg & Avocado Hash

1/2 lb baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved and sliced
3 Tbs avocado oil
2 eggs
1 avocado, chopped
2 Tbs lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
pickled jalapeños, to taste

1) Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are golden.
2) Make 2 wells in the mixture with the back of a mixing spoon. Carefully slide 1 egg into each. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and cook until the whites are just set, 6 minutes.
3) Top with the avocados, lime juice, cilantro and jalapeños.

Review: When I began making this, I lamented that I was making huevos rancheros with a hashbrown, but doing it the hard way. But this was so, so much better. The butteriness of the potatoes and avocado, mixed with the poached egg was so savory. But, then adding the tang of lime juice and the flavor of the jalapeños made this dish absolutely divine. I was SO full by the time I was done eating (all of it!!), but I still wanted more. Notably, I pickled these jalapeños myself through the lacto-fermentation process, so they're full of probiotics. This was also a pretty fast dish to make and will make it into my regular rotation of meals.

Adapted from:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/potato-egg-avocado-hash

Zucchini, Radish & White Bean Salad

2 zucchini, diced
1 bunch radishes, diced
1 bunch watercress, trimmed and chopped
15oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

1) In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
2) In a large bowl, place all remaining ingredients. Toss with dressing from step one.
3) Serve room temperature or chilled.

Review: This was so easy to make and was really tasty. The punch of the radishes was tamed by the tanginess of the lemon juice, and the white beans added a bit of savoriness. It all balanced well together and was refreshing on such a hot night!

Adapted from:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/zucchini-radish-white-bean-salad

Bebbo Shmebbo

50ml Svedka grapefruit jalapeno vodka
1/2oz orange juice
1/2oz honey syrup
3/4oz lemon juice

1) Add all the ingredients to a drink shaker, plus a few ice cubes.
2) Shake and strain into a drink glass.

Review:  I'm ever so guilty of buying random 'nips' at the liquor store. I see flavors that seem interesting and then they begin accumulating. I'm going to try to clean out my liquor cabinet by finding recipes for all of those random bottles! This was the first attempt, which was a fairly easy attempt. The only difficult part was making a simple syrup with honey instead of sugar, and in such a small amount! Oh, and I also didn't have any ice made, so that delayed the recipe by a few hours. Suddenly it became an evening drink instead of an afternoon drink on my sunny deck!! As for flavor, this was AMAZING! It had a light grapefruit flavor, with mostly a general citrus flavor, with a hint of jalapeno tang (but not the heat). So, so good!!!

Adapted from:
http://svedka.com/#!/cocktails/flavor/svedka-grapefruit-jalapeno

Smoky Pasta Salad (original recipe)

12oz black bean rotini
8oz chipotle marinated tofu, diced
1 cup roasted corn, thawed
3/4 cup ranch dressing
1 Tbs smoked paprika

1) Cook rotini according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2) In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together.
3) Refrigerate and serve cold.

Review:  Trader Joe's starting carrying black bean rotini and the only ingredient is black bean flour. I snagged a bag without considering what I might do with it. More than a week later, I randomly found chipotle tofu at a grocery store I rarely frequent. I knew the two needed to go together in a dish and this is the best I came up with. It's a really fascinating recipe. It's such a simple pasta salad idea, but it's high in protein! It also doesn't taste like pasta. The rotini is just shaped black beans, which feels weird in my mouth (I taste black beans, but I put rotini in my mouth). However, this was incredibly tasty and looks far more appealing than a bean salad! I may make this for the next potluck at work!!