Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

There's nothing not to love about this delicious side dish.  It's easy and wonderful...go make some.  Now!  (I don't know why I'm feeling so bossy today, sorry)

Recipe (from Epicurious)

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup quinoa

1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium tomatoes, diced

4 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.  *I didn't do all this, I just cooked the quinoa according to package directions*

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

I was wondering if there might be some way to decrease the butter/oil content of the dressing.  Any ideas?

Raspberry Icebox Cake

It's time for me to confess to anyone reading this that I have an addiction.  I'm addicted to downloading free books for my Kindle.  I just can't stop.  I have more books on there than I will ever read in my lifetime...not even sure if any of them are worth reading.  But one of the books I downloaded is called "30 Delicious Refrigerator Cake Recipes".  I like when a title just says what it means :)

Anyway, this book is comprised of desserts that are put together quickly then set in the refrigerator to meld together and do delicious things.  Some of them have a cookie base, or graham crackers.  Some of them require you to bake a cake or buy some type of cake and use it to soak up other good things.  I was drawn to this one because it has raspberries and marshmallows, both things that my son enjoys.

sorry for such cruddy pics, took them at 9pm

Basically it's a graham cracker crust on bottom, topped with raspberries combined with jello, and a whipped cream/marshmallow topping.  I had a little trouble with the proportions.  When they say "24 graham crackers" I think they mean the squares, not the rectangles, as I had way too much cracker crumbs.  And I think in the jello part I would have used a little more water to bulk up the amount of filling it makes up.  But otherwise it was quite delicious, and not as labor intensive as it sounds.  My daughter how usually doesn't care for any berries even liked it.  

Here's the recipe:

24 graham crackers, crushed

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 pkg raspberry gelatin (6 oz)

1 cup boiling water

15 oz frozen raspberries

20 large marshmallows

1/3 cup milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Mix butter, brown sugar, and graham cracker crumbs.  Reserve 1/4 cup for the topping.  Use the remainder to create a crust by pressing it into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

2. Bake at 350 for 10 mins then set aside to cool.

3.  Dissolve raspberry gelatin in boiling water.  Add the frozen raspberries and stir until melted.  Chill until partially set, then spread the mixture over the crust.

4.  Place the milk and marshmallow into a pan.  Slowly heat until marshmallows melt.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  When cool fold into the whipped cream and spread on top of raspberry mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining crumbs.

5.  Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

Speaking of berries, I was recently the winner of a whole pantload of Driscoll berry coupons from Emily at Sugar Plum!  Can't wait to load up on all kinds of berries to make more yummy things :)

  

Food That I Didn't Make

I don't know if you know this about me but I LOVE Mexican food!  And I'm fortunate enough to live in the mecca of fine Mexican cuisine (that'd be Arizona, not Mexico).  One of my favorite places is just around the corner, and their salsa is just the absolute best.  I could eat it with a spoon.  But I'd hate to make the chips feel bad by leaving them out.  We recently realized they do brunch on the weekend and I met this beautiful dish...

I think it's beautiful, anyway.  It's an omelet stuffed with spinach and bacon and covered with some sort of cheesy goodness.  It's heaven on a plate my friends.  

I haven't been cooking too many interesting things lately, hence the lack of blogging.  However, we just bought a juicer last week and we're having tons of fun with that.  I saw a documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and was really inspired to get more fruits and veggies in my diet by juicing.

  The guy in the movie did a complete juice fast (doctor supervised) for maybe 2 or 3 months and lost a ton of weight. I'm thinking upwards of 90, can't remember for sure.  I don't think I could ever completely give up eating but I do think I can replace some of the processed fried meals I eat with juice now and then.  Today I had a combo of apple, orange, spinach, carrot, beet, and green pepper!   Watch the documentary if you get a chance, it's really interesting.  It's on Netflix and Amazon Prime.    

In other news, a couple of weeks ago I was the happy winner a very snazzy apron from Shabby Apple courtesy of Monica from Lick the Bowl Good.  I haven't had a chance to snap a picture but you can go here to see it.  Thanks Monica :)

Prayers Needed

I haven't been blogging much but have still been visiting other's sites, and just read that one of my favorite bloggers (ok, you're all my favorites) has a crisis in her family.  Lara of Recipe Shoebox has a son who has been recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  I know any prayers and words of kindness will be appreciated.  Thanks!