Sweet & Savory Quinoa

Total Time: ~45 min.
Serves: 4-6

(Note: to get the most out of quinoa, rinse it 2-3 times and let it soak for 30 min to 1 hour before cooking it.  If you don't have the extra time, skip the soaking time.)

1 Cup Quinoa
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Pomegranate Juice
1/2 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Pecans, toasted, chopped
3/4 Cup dried cranberries
4 oz. feta crumbles
5-8 basil leaves, minced
salt & Pepper to taste  

1. Combine OJ, pomegranate juice, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Once liquid is absorbed, cover, turn off heat and let stand for 5 min.

 2. Spoon quinoa into a large bowl. (If you want to eat this meal cold, let the quinoa cool at this point) Mix all other ingredients into the quinoa, serve.

Veggie Stromboli

This is a quick and easy alternative to the pizza. Let your imagination go with this one. Use whatever veggies/cooked meat you have on hand. If it's good on a pizza...it's good in a stromboli. We used pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's to fast track the prep time. Be sure to let the dough sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the dough more pliable and easier to form.

Ingredients: (subject to variation)
5 small portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced into rings
2 cups spinach
1 crown of broccoli, cut into small "trees"
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 deli slices of provolone cheese, torn into pieces
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 egg beaten with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1. Depending on what kitchenware you have, preheat oven to:
-500 degrees with a pizza brick inside the oven
OR
-375 degrees using a greased baking sheet, set aside

2. Prep!





3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is hot (sprinkled water on the pan, if it sizzles, it's ready), add onions and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms and onions have browned. Adjust heat as needed...don't burn the goods!

4. While the onions and mushrooms are browning, start another skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add broccoli and garlic. Cook broccoli until tender, about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Remove both skillets from heat and set aside. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface, making a 10x14 inch rectangle. Place onions and mushrooms in an even layer on top of the dough, leaving a one inch border. Sprinkle the mozzarella and provolone cheese on top. Layer the broccoli and spinach on top of the cheese.

6. In a separate bowl. whisk together the egg and water. Brush the one inch border with the egg-wash. Fold the dough over and pinch the edges to close off. Brush the top of the stromboli with egg-wash. Place in the oven (either on the pizza brick or the baking sheet) for 15-20 minutes. Watch the stromboli...it's done when it's golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Feta & Cucumber Stuffed Tomatoes

This is a quick, easy, refreshing recipe. Jess and I went to our local farmer's market and got all the ingredients.

Quick Note- the longer the cucumber mixture sits (covered in the fridge), the better the flavors will meld. Make it up to 3 hours in advance if you wish.

Ingredients

3 beefsteak tomatoes, tops removed and cored
2 Kirby cucumbers, quartered and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 TBSP olive oil (we bought a basil Parmesan oil. If you use extra-virgin olive oil, add herbs and spices such as garlic powder and basil to the cucumber mixture when tossing)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinegar (to drizzle over plated food)



1. In a medium bowl, toss together the cucumbers, feta, oil and salt & pepper. Make up to 3 hours in advance. Cover and place in the fridge.



2. Spoon the cucumber mixture into the prepared tomatoes. Add a little more freshly ground black pepper to tops if you wish. Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on top of the stuffed tomatoes. Enjoy!

Creamy Polenta

Another one from Cook's! The crunchy broccoli rabe juxtaposed with the creamy polenta, gives this dish a variety of textures that just work. The red pepper flakes, although small in amount, deliver a mighty kick. If you are not a fan of the heat, get out of the kitchen!...or just reduce/omit the flakes.

You'll need:

For Polenta:
7 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
pinch baking soda (this helps shorten the cooking time and gives the polenta a creamier finish.)
1 1/2 cups course-ground cormeal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
2 TBSP unsalted butter
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
black pepper

For Broccoli Rabe, Sun-Dried Tomato and Pine Nut Topping:
3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup oil-jarred sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch (~ 1 pound) broccoli rabe, washed, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 TBSP pine nuts, toasted

I like to start with a drink...



Delicious, but a little strong...



1. Prep your ingredients.



I have:
-trimmed, cut and washed the broccoli
-measured out the cornmeal
-measured out and combined the salt and baking soda
-measured out the pine nuts
-cut the butter
-in a bowl, combined the sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt
(I have not grated the cheese yet. I do this right before I put it in to keep it as fresh as possible.)


2. In a 4-quart saucepan, bring your water to boil. Once boiling, stir in salt and baking soda. Slowly pour in the cornmeal while stirring back and forth (preferable with a wooden spoon).



Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly (about 1 minute) then turn the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover.

3. After 5 minutes, whisk polenta for about 15 seconds to smooth out any lumps.



Cover and continue to cook, without stirring for 25 minutes longer.

4. While polenta cooks, heat the oil, garlic, sun-dried tomato, red pepper flake, and salt mixture in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently (about 1 1/2 minutes).



Add broccoli rabe and broth; cover and cook until the broccoli turns bright green (about 2 minutes).



Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the chicken broth has evaporated, (about 2 to 3 minutes). Remove from heat.

5. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet over high heat, stirring frequently. Pine nuts are done when they are fragrant.

6. Grate the cheese right before the polenta is done. After the 25 minutes, remove from heat, stir in butter and cheese, and season to taste with black pepper. Let stand covered, 5 minutes.

7. In a bowl, spoon the polenta first and top with the sun-dried tomato, broccoli mixture. Finally, sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and serve.

Always remember...keep a clean up crew close by for any crumbs you happen to drop.

Grilled PB & J

I was making a quick lunch for jess and I- PB & J with grilled pineapple rings. I used a cast iron griddle to grill the pineapple and decided to try grilling my PB & J...delicious! Next time, I'm going to try sprinkling a little cinnamon on top of the PB & J. I'm also going to try this with a peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich.



Ingredients:

PB & J (I like to make mine a triple-decker)
2 pineapple rings
Cinnamon, to taste

1. Heat up the griddle (or grill or a skillet if that's what you have) to high heat. Assemble your PB & J however you like it. Lay the pineapple rings on the griddle and sprinkle cinnamon on the top. Check the bottoms of the pineapple after a few minutes and flip when they have dark brown grill marks on them. Do the same for the other side.

2. Once the pineapple rings are done, grill your PB & J the same way you did the pineapple rings. Enjoy!

Quick Tip: Cooking Prep

It took me a few months and a few botched dishes to figure this out. So, to save you all some time, I have two words for you:

Prep and Read.

Before every meal, I prep my food according to the ingredient list and read through the entire recipe so that I know what to expect. For example, if the ingredients specify chopped basil, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or diced onions, I will chop the basil, measure out the red pepper, and dice the onions BEFORE I start cooking. This saves time...I promise.

Pasta with Roasted Mushrooms, Garlic, and Pine Nuts

This recipe is from one of my favorite magazines...Cook's Illustrated. Let start by saying you can never have too much garlic. You'll see that this recipe calls for two HEADS of garlic. Do not be afraid. Roasted garlic takes on a different flavor in the oven; it is less pungent than the sautéed variety. With that said, here we go.

2 heads garlic
7 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
8 portobello mushrooms
table salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1 lb fusilli pasta
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2-3 TBSP lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. Place oven rack to the middle of the oven and put a rimmed baking sheet on rack. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2. Remove several layers of the thin garlic skin surrounding the garlic head, keeping cloves intact. Cut off top quarter of each garlic head. Put heads on a 12" sheet of foil and drizzle with 1 TBSP olive oil. Tightly wrap up the heads in the foil and place on preheated baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes.



3. While garlic roasts, remove the stems and clean the caps of the mushrooms with a damp towel. Slice the mushrooms into 3/4 inch strips and place in a large bowl. Add 2 TBSP olive oil, 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste and sugar to the mushroom bowl. Toss to combine.



4. Remove baking sheet and garlic from oven (after the 40 minutes of course). Move garlic to the counter and open foil. Let cool. Pour mushroom mixture on preheated baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping half way through.



5. While mushrooms roast, bring 4 quarts (16 cups) of water to boil. Toss in pasta and 1 TBSP salt. Cook until al dente (about 12 minutes). While you wait for the water to boil/pasta to cook, tear off individual garlic cloves and squeeze out the contents into a medium sized bowl. Discard the clove shells. Using a fork, mash the garlic into a paste. Mix in red pepper flakes and 2 TBSP lemon juice. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil.



*Break Time*



BUT DON'T NEGLECT THE SHROOMS!!!



Oops...2 minutes too long.

6. Let mushrooms cool slightly, then chop into 1/2 inch pieces. I begin to toast the pine nuts at this point but keep your eye on them; they burn quickly. To toast: place nuts in a medium skillet over high heat and stir occasionally. Pine nuts are done when they are fragrant.

7. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water and return pasta to pot. Add mushrooms to pasta; stir in garlic mixture, 1/4 cup cooking water, rosemary, and 1/2 cup cheese. Adjust consistency and flavor with remaining cooking water, salt & pepper, and lemon juice. Serve immediately and top with remaining cheese and toasted pine nuts.