Israeli Couscous Salad

Israeli couscous is my new favorite grain to work with. It's pre-steamed so it takes less time to prepare than regular couscous, it's very affordable compared to other grains (around two dollars a pound), it's good warm or cold and it has a delicious creamy texture and taste. 

Here is raw Israeli couscous. It resembles tiny white pearls. 

For this salad, saute one onion (diced small) in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with some fresh minced garlic. Red, orange or yellow peppers are also nice added in. Once the onions are translucent, add the couscous and toast until lightly browned. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs and spices like parsley, basil, thyme, smoked paprika, lawry's, ground cumin (I just add a little of this and a little of that). Add chicken stock or water in 1:2 ratio (1 cup couscous to 2 cups liquid)

I like to add garbanzo beans to my salad. So for fun, I fried them beforehand with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and graham masala. It didn't really make a difference in the final salad, but it did add a little extra flavor.

Once the liquid is added, bring couscous to a boil and then simmer covered for 15 minutes. Fluff with a spatula and then add whatever ingredients you like. Cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, feta, black beans, fresh basil, corn, etc. are all tasty additions (although not all together).

Finish off the salad with chives, toasted almonds, salt and pepper.

Serve - Smile - Enjoy

Lemon Quinoa Salad

Everywhere I go, everyone always loves this salad. It's very versatile and is delicious served warm or cold. 

Pictured above is a loaded quinoa salad that has corn, black beans, jalapenos, red and yellow peppers, onions and fresh herbs.

Below is a greek style quinoa salad with kalamata olives, cucumbers, chunks of feta and tomatoes

And lastly, this one is a fresh take on quinoa salad with lemon zest and juice, cucumbers, toasted almonds, red peppers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and chives.

So, use whatever ingredients you like or whatever you have on hand!


Below is a basic recipe for a lemon quinoa salad and you can add or subtract whatever you'd like.

Lemon Quinoa Salad

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

3 cups water or chicken stock

1 1/2 tsps. dried Italian seasoning

½ tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika

zest and juice from one lemon

1 can garbanzo beans
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch scallions, white and light green tops only, finely chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 1/2 Tbsps. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsps. fresh parsley, finely chopped
~ Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and bell pepper in a good splash of olive oil, until tender. Add garlic and heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add quinoa to onion mixture and stir around and toast for about 2 minutes. Add water, a large pinch of salt and spices. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Quinoa is done when it doubles in size, becomes slightly translucent and spirals appear on each grain.  

Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, scallions, almonds and fresh herbs (if you have other ingredients you want to add, now is a good time). Season with salt and pepper. 

Taste - Smile - Share

Veggie Flatbread

I made this veggie flatbread appetizer for a super bowl party. It was the hit of the party and the first thing gone. Someone asked me for the recipe and there isn't a recipe per se, but here's what I did.

Three Wheat Pitas
-Glaze
Olive Oil
Garlic, minced
Dried Rosemary
-Toppings
Pinenut Hummus (or any hummus)
Klamata Oilves
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Fresh Basil, chopped
Marinated Artichoke hearts, chopped
Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
-Finishing Toppings
Parmessan cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinegar

In a small microwave safe bowl, combine olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Heat in the microwave for thrity seconds, stir and set aside. Brush pita bread on both sides with oil mixture. Bake in a preheated oven for 6 to 7 minutes (I placed mine directly on the racks). Remove from oven, spread a thin layer of hummus on top side of pita. Spinkle with the remaining ingredients. Top with cheese and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Put back in oven and bake an additional 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. Remove from oven, cut into wedges and serve.

Valentine's Breakfast

My family and I enjoyed a relaxing day in for valentine's. We started the morning off by cooking a healthy breakfast together. We put on classical music and whisked up some whole wheat, honey and oat pancakes and scrambled some eggs.

My husband happened upon this Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix at the grocery store. My favorite part about the healthy mix is the simple ingredient list and the fact that you only have to add water to make them.

We thought some ground cinnamon, applesauce and a splash of vanilla would be a tasty addition to the mix and it was! This Santa Cruz applesauce is really good. 

These turned out amazing! Very fluffy, moist and a really great hearty flavor. The applesauce on top was an experiment, since we weren't using butter or syrup and it was really good, honest. 

These pancakes were healthy, tasty and better than any sugar laden ones fried in butter you would get at a restaurant. The topping of applesauce and fruit was a delicious substitute for butter and syrup. We bought two boxes of pancake mix and a package of applesauce and we will be making these again very soon.

Whole Wheat, Oat and Honey Pancakes

1 1/2 cups Kodiak Cakes flapjack and waffle mix

1 cup water

1 container applesauce

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Whisk ingredients until just incorporated. Follow directions for cooking on back of flapjack mix package. Top with a dollop of warm applesauce and fresh fruit. Enjoy

Baked Eggplant Appetizers

We had a dinner party last night and decided to make one of our favorite dishes, pasta marguerita. Fettuccine noodles are topped with a light, garlic tomato sauce then tossed with fresh parmesan, mozzarella and basil. It's simple and delicious. To go with the pasta, we made a tossed salad with chevre and cracked open some loaves crusty of bread.

For an appetizer, I wanted to keep with the theme, so I choose an eggplant appetizer. I searched on allrecipes.com, found a highly rated recipe and then gussied it up a bit. They turned out great!

Thin slices of peeled eggplant are dipped in egg and then a parmesan, pecan breadcrumb mixture (good flavor and texture btw).

Then it's into the oven for some crisping...

And after they are golden, they get flipped over, topped with a tomato/artichoke mixture and some mozzarella cheese, then it's back into the oven to get bubbly and browned. Yum!

I let them sit for a minute and then transferred them to a serving platter and set them out. They were gone in ten minutes. That's the sign of a good appetizer and a recipe for the files.

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Baked Eggplant Appetizers

1 Large eggplant

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup ground pecans (opt.)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

2 tomato, chopped (or one small can petite tomatoes, drained well)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Fresh mozzarella or grated for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Peel eggplant and cut into thin round slices, about 1/4 inch thick. In a small bowl, whip together egg, water, and a pinch of black pepper and garlic powder. Place the breadcrumbs, ground pecans and parmesan cheese in a separate shallow bowl, stir to combine.

In another both, mix drained tomatoes (or fresh) and artichoke hearts. Stir in 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning. Set aside.

Dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the egg and water mixture, then into the breadcrumbs. One by one, place the coated slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip over and top with a layer of the tomato/artichoke mixture and a sprinkling of parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Bake an additional 6-7 minutes until the cheese is melted. If needed, broil 2 to 3 minutes to get browned and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Christmas Morning Quiche

This is the ultimate, foolproof spinach quiche recipe and it's so simple and delicious. The recipe comes from my lovely Aunt Susan. I remember every time time I would visit her when she lived in Baker's Field, CA. and Avondale, AZ. she would make this quiche at least once for breakfast. I always looked forward to this quiche on my trips.

The smell of this baking in the oven brings back many memories. My grandma, my mom and my uncle also make their own versions of this. My uncle likes to add chopped up ham to his. I'm sure any breakfast meat would be good, or cheese for that matter, as this recipe is very versatile.

A frozen pie crust makes this a breeze to throw together. But, I prefer to make a buttery pie crust from scratch.
A buttery, pastry shell is filled with a savory custard made of eggs, cream, spinach and cheese. A surprise ingredient provides the seasonings and flavor for this yummy quiche.

Susan's Spinach Quiche

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk (whole)

1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or mixed)

1 (10oz) pkg. frozen spinach (thawed, water squeezed out)

1 pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 9in. Unbaked Pie Shell

Preheat 375

Beat eggs together in a large bowl for one minute; then add milk and beat an additional minute. Stir in thawed spinach, cheese and soup packet. Mix until ingredients are incorporated. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Bake on middle rack for 50-60 minutes. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

* The filling mixture may over flow crust, so if making crust from scratch, form high edges. If using a store bought crust, fill not quite to the top.

Veggie Flatbread with Pine nut Hummus

This is the appetizer I created for the super bowl party we attended. I wanted to make something healthy, but also tasty enough to hold it's own amongst the wings and party dips. I think this finger-friendly and figure-friendly appetizer did just that.

I made a concoction of olive oil, rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I briefly heated this in a small bowl in the microwave (I know that sounds strange, but a friend of ours from SD and her family never use butter when they eat bread. They always heat olive oil, garlic and salt in the microwave and then spread that on the bread. Sounded good to me). So, I brushed both sides of the pita with the garlic oil and baked it at 400 degrees directly on the racks for about 5 or 6 minutes. 

Out of the oven, I spread a thin layer of pine nut hummus on one side and topped it with caramelized red onions. I started the onions first, so they would be ready when the pita came out of the oven.

Next, I layered on all the yummy ingredients that sounded good to me. Marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, feta and parmesan cheese. Then I drizzled it with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled a pinch of flaked sea salt on top. 

This went back into the oven for a few more minutes until the cheeses started to melt and all the veggies and herbs warmed up and were nice and fragrant.

My 10 month old was just finishing a nap, so I sent the appetizer with my husband while I got her up and ready. I made three veggie flatbreads and when I got to the party, they were gone. Everyone loved them and asked for the recipe. Play around with the toppings and add anything you want. On one of the flatbreads I left off the cheese, but with all the flavors it wasn't missed!