Zesty Quinoa Salad

This is quickly becoming a family favorite!  Stacey found this and brought it to a couple get-togethers, and I took it to another family pot luck where it was a big hit.  We both used different veggies.  I would never use black beans, but did add chopped cucumbers and green peppers.  My red pepper flakes were much more potent than Stacey's.  I'll cut way back next time.  
You can find the recipe by searching for Zesty Quinoa Salad at All Recipes.com
Link:  m.allrecipes.com/recipe/229156/zesty-quinoa-salad/ 

 
Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 2 limes, juiced (or just one)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and ground black pepper to taste  

Directions:
Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

1. Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl.
2. Combine quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, and green onions together in a bowl. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator.

Lemon Couscous (or Quinoa) Salad

I made this for Sunday dinner when Bry was here.  It's very refreshing, perfect for a summer picnic or barbeque.  It's good chilled or at room temperature.

 
Recipe can be found here:  http://wearychef.com/lemon-couscous-salad/ 

Ingredients

• 10 ounces plain couscous
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 fresh mint leaves sliced thin
• 1/2 English cucumber seeded and diced
• 3 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
• 3 ounces reduced-fat feta 
•  
• Instructions
  1. Bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove lid, fluff with a fork, and allow to cool uncovered for about 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil. Stir in mint, cucumber, tomatoes, and cooked couscous, and stir together to combine. Add feta and stir gently to evenly distribute the cheese.
  Recipe Notes
  If you plan to save leftovers, sprinkle the mint over each serving instead of mixing in to prevent it from browning. 

Parmesan Yellow Squash

I made these for a side dish at dinner, but I think they would be best just as a snack.  They were soooo good when they were warm, right out of the oven.  I didn't have panko crumbs, so just used Italian bread crumbs.  They already had oregano in them.  If you were growing squash and had extra, this would be a good way to use it up.  Bry was here for dinner and the three of us practically inhaled three squash.

 

Ingredients

• 4 yellow squash (small to medium), sliced into ¼-inch to ½-inch rounds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• cooking spray (I use Organic Olive Oil by Pam)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine squash, olive oil, salt and pepper; mix until well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and garlic powder.
5. Dip slices of squash in cheese mixture and coat on both sides, pressing on the coating to stick.
6. Place the squash in a single layer on the previously prepared baking sheet.
7. Lightly spray each slice with cooking spray. This will help with achieving a crunchier texture.
8. Bake for 10 minutes; rotate pan and continue to bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until chips are golden brown.

*I didn't do #7.  Ours were still plenty crunchy.

Quinoa and Spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large uncooked onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

1.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender (about 3-5 minutes).
2. Add quinoa to skillet; stirring frequently, until quinoa starts to turn golden brown (about 2 minutes).
3. Add broth, black pepper and red pepper flakes to skillet; bring to a boil.  cover skillet and reduce heat to low and simmer for 13 minutes; stir in spinach.  Cover skillet and cook until spinach and quinoa are tender and liquid is absorbed (about 3-5 minutes).  Season with salt.

Baked Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. Place rice in the prepared pan and pour in the liquid.  Stir to equally distribute the rice.
3. Cover tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let it sit for five minutes before removing the aluminum foil.  Fluff with a fork.  Makes about 3 1/2 cups cooked rice.

*This recipe doubles beautifully for a 9x13 inch pan.

Variations:
Before baking, slice one small yellow onion into dices or half moons and caramelize and brown in 1 teaspoon of olive oil until golden and soft (about 10 minutes).  Stir onion into rice and broth mixture before baking.

After removing rice from the oven and letting it sit for five minutes, remove aluminum foil and stir in the zest and juice from 1 lemon, 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 an apple, finely diced.