Quinoa with black beans, corn and cilantro ~

I've been a fan of Southwestern flavors forever!  Cumin, cilantro, black beans are some of my favorite ingredients.  But, I haven't done much with quinoa.  Oh I know, everyone jumped on the bandwagon long ago, touting it's a healthier alternative to rice.  But, I cooked it once a long time ago and it really didn't make me swoon, not the way that rice or pasta does.  

Anyway, I was visiting a friend recently and this is what she wanted to make for dinner.  We've both been looking for healthy, meatless dinners and she chose this one from All Recipes.  Well between us we made it, but I found the directions a little confusing and cooked the quinoa on it's own and when I reread the directions, it alluded  to cooking it all in the same pan.  Her dish came out wonderful and so I brought the recipe home to tinker with it a bit.  I adapted it, to give it more of a kick with red pepper, extra cayenne and cumin.  I also adjusted it to add quantities that I had on hand.  So instead of 2 cups of corn, I added a one pound bag.  I mean really, it's only an extra 1/2 of a cup.

My note:  The first batch I made, I cooked the quinoa seperately and drained about half of the liquid off after the 20 minutes it says to cook it.  Then I added it to the sauteed vegetables.  The second batch, I cooked it as the directions say below.   Cooking the quinoa separately yielded a drier, fluffier grain, which I actually preferred.  But it's  up to yourself.  Both tasted great and reheated well.

This is an easy weeknight dinner that is healthy and delicious!

Here is a link to the original recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/

Here's my adapted recipe, which I doubled from the original.



2 chopped onions, roughly
1 chopped red bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1&1/2 cups of uncooked quinoa
3 cups of chicken broth
1 Tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground, black pepper
1 lb. package of frozen corn, thawed
1 medium bunch of cilantro, chopped

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

  

Chocolate Rum Cake ~

Ever since I saw Pioneer Woman's blog post on her mother in law's Christmas rum cake, I was reminded that way back in the 70's it came from a well know rum bottle label.   And there was a chocolate version too.  So when I needed a cake to make for a co-worker's birthday I decided to make this one. I  have been wanting to try the chocolate version, because this particular co-worker loves chocolate.  The recipe is so easy to make and the extra bonus is it's  a one pan dessert.  After you drizzle some the glaze to the cake while it's still inverted, it slides right onto your cake platter when you tip it over too!  Gotta love the ease of this recipe and the flavor is rather boozy, so you gotta love that if you want to love this cake.

If you want to have an over the top cake to impress, just add a little dollop of real whipped cream.  Yum!

Here's the link to the recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-rum-cake/

Blueberry Banana Nut Muffins ~

I had bananas and fresh blueberries to use up and wanted to make some muffins.  I searched for banana muffins and found most are about the same on Pinterest.  Except, most say to add an extra banana.  So instead of using 3 bananas, I used four.  I also added a cup of fresh blueberries, which are a nice addition.  With summer on the way and with fresh blueberry season, I'm betting these are over the top in the flavor department.  And with only 3/4 cup of brown sugar, they are a very healthy dessert!  Easy to put together and the kids will love them!

I always preheat my oven first, then get started on gathering my ingredients.  So preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Start with:

11/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. four

Mix together, set aside.

1 large egg
1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 bananas, mashed
3/4 light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 tablespoons of softened butter

Place butter, egg and brown sugar into mixing bowl.  Cream together for 1 minute on medium speed.  Add mashed bananas, nuts and vanilla.  Stir.

Add blueberries to flour mixture and toss.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the wet mixture, with a spatular stir until just combined and repeat with the remaining flour mixture.

Spray 2 - 6 muffin/cupcake tins with an aerosol butter spray.  Fill each tin 3/4 full.  You should get 12 muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, cool down.  Turn muffin pans onto a tea towel and then on a baking rack to cool.  This prevents them from sticking and also from over cooking.  See how nicely the blueberries have cooked in the muffins?

Yum!  They freeze well too ~

Healthy eating, all day long without much work at all ~

Breakfast:

This is an easy breakfast omelet, but most have 3 whole eggs and lots of cheese. But with a few tweaks it can easily be very low fat.  Use 3 eggs, but only one of the yokes. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of hot sauce or siracha, 1 tablespoon of cold water and whisk well.   Turn your stove on medium heat and give your pan a quick spray with aerosol oil instead of butter.  Pour egg in, let set up about a minute and add 1 cup of fresh, chopped baby spinach and one medium, chopped ripe roma tomato.  Flip half over and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese.  Place under broiler for 1 minute.  Skip the bread, you won't need it, this hearty breakfast will fill you up.

Lunch:

Salad ~



It's cold and dark and miserable out there most of the Winter here in the Northeast, but you can still have a healthy salad for lunch.  Just be a little creative. Add edamame, blueberries, avocado, cucumber, spinach, organic heirloom tomatoes and lots of red leaf lettuce, even diced pear or fresh citrus.  Use 2 tablespoons of light salad dressing and you have a wonderful meal!  If you are worried about protein, add some rinsed black beans.

Dinner:

Stir frys ~

Treat yourself to a home cooked meal in 10 minutes with a stir fry!
I always have leftover rice, cooked lean protein or even black beans in my fridge.  Use a tablespoon of olive oil to a heated wok or sauté pan and add in your veggies, cook on medium heat for 5-8 minutes.  I add 1/2 cup of meat and rice, along with one teaspoon of siracha, catsup and sesame oil at the end!  It's filling, easy and very tasty too!  In my house, "fresh is best".


Enjoy ~