Summer Quinoa Salad

It seems that I have a crush on quinoa.

Breakfast Quinoa.
Crunchy Quinoa.
Mango Chicken Curry Quinoa Salad.

It's just fun to say: keen-wah, keen-wah, keen-wah, keen-wah, keen-wah...........keen-wah.

Actually, I like that it's so versatile.
You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and even dessert.

Unlike a lot of other foods, I find the leftovers really easy to use up. You can throw leftover quinoa in soup, smoothies (yes, blended up!), chocolate cake (you heard me) and of course salad like, conveniently, the one I have right here.

This salad is a mixture of chicken, raw veggies, quinoa and feta in a lemony vinaigrette. The recipe for the dressing is a bit rough so if you make it you'll have to adjust the ingredients to your liking.

Try it out and bring it to your next picnic.
Hope you like it.

Summer Quinoa Salad

Jesse's Kitchen Creation

Makes about 4 cups

For the salad:

2 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

½ head broccoli, diced

1 sweet red bell pepper, diced

¼ cup crumbled feta

For the dressing:

1 shallot, minced

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp maple syrup 

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced parsley.

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine together all the salad ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve chilled. (Doesn't keep well).

Raw Lemon Chews

Wow! It's like a trillion degrees here. No joke.

I just think about going outside and I get a sunburn.

Yesterday, I posted on Facebook that I couldn't wait for winter and I was bombarded with hate mail.

Can you believe that? I even got a buh humbug.

Who cares that we only get 2 months of summer here compared to 8 months of heavy snow; the summer heat is oppressive!

I consider myself too much of a lady to sweat like this.

Since I can't turn my oven on for fear that my house will burst into flames with the temperature rise, I made these cool, somewhat refreshing lemony treats. 

They're not hot, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies but they do fill a certain void for sweetness in my life. 

The date, almond, lemon mixture is so sweet that I'm pretty sure my one year old thinks they're candy. She steals them from the fridge and hides in the corner in fear that I'm going to take them away.

Of course, I think it's great that she likes them and even considers them a treat.

So if you're feeling the need for a sweet baked good without the baking, try out these babies. I know you'll love them.

Raw Lemon Chews
Makes an 8'' x 8'' pan
Bar: Jesse's Kitchen original recipe
Icing: Recipe based on the Rawtarian


For the bar:
1 cup whole, raw almonds
¾ cup dried dates
1 lemon (preferably organic)

For the icing (optional):
½ cup dried dates
¼ + ⅛ cups water
¼ cup coconut butter
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Use your food processor to grind up the almonds into a coarse meal. Set almonds aside and grind dates as fine as you can. Add the zest and juice of one whole lemon and continue to process. Add the almonds and process for a few minutes until the mixture sticks together. Press the mixture into an 8'' x 8'' pan.
2. To make the icing, soak the dates in the water for about 15 minutes. Blend all of the icing ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth (mine didn't really get that smooth). Start on a low speed and gradually work your way up.
3. Spread the icing over the bar and refrigerate until firm. Cut into square or use a biscuit cutter to make pretty little rounds.

Cherry Almond Granola

Chunky nuts and tart cherries make this my favorite granola. 

Ever.

That's saying a lot if you've ever tried the peanut butter and chocolate granola on this site.

I can't really describe to you why this is so great, it just is. 

Something about the toasted nuts and warm cinnamon make this granola both nutritional and decadent.

All I can say is:

Make it.

Eat it.

Love it.

Repeat.

Cherry Almond Granola
Makes: about 6 cups
Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart
4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup coarsely chopped almonds
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup sweetened dried coconut flakes
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
⅓ cup coconut oil
¼ cup honey
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, pecans, cherries, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine oil, honey, and sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle syrup over oat mixture; toss with a wooden spoon. Pour granola onto sheet pan and spread evenly. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden (about 25 minutes). Let granola cool completely on a wire rack. Break it into chunks and store in an airtight container.

Energy Bites

I like things that are easy to make, use simple ingredients and take almost no time.

Who doesn't?

If a recipe is healthy to boot and can fit in the busy hands of a one year old, you can be sure I'll be wasting no time in making it.

Like these little energy bites.

I can't tell you enough how much I love the simplicity of them.

They're customizable, using whatever might be in your cupboard.

They take less than 10 minutes to throw together, they're portable, they don't contain filler or mystery ingredients, and they're just plain tasty....

I want to marry them. 

I wonder if John would mind.

Make these, and you'll see what I mean.

Energy Bites

Makes 12 - 16 bites

Adapted from The Cilantropist  (originally from A Hungry Spoon)

¾ cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, etc)

¾ cup rolled oats

¼ cup toasted seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, etc)

½ cup dried fruit, roughly chopped (apricots, cranberries, cherries, etc)

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure to evenly distribute everything. Take some of the 'dough' and press it between your hands if it sticks together it's ready- if not, add a bit more nut butter. Likewise, if it feels too wet add some more oats or flax.
2. To form the dough into a small bite, use a spoon or a cookie scoop to portion out the dough, squeeze it between your hands, and then gently roll it into a ball.  This amount of dough makes 12 bites that are about 2 inches in diameter.  Store the bites in an airtight container, and keep them refrigerated until eating.  Bites will keep for 1-2 weeks refrigerated.

Strawberry Salsa

The grocery stores are teeming with ripe, juicy strawberries.

They've been practically jumping into my cart every time I run in for a jug of milk. 

(Which, believe me, is a lot more than the average person.)

Consequently, we've been eating strawberries in any and all forms. 

On brownies, on pavlova, dipped in whip cream, chocolate sauce and caramel sauce, added to spinach salad and of course eaten straight up.

Hmm... white pants and strawberries might not be a good choice.

My favorite strawberry recipe (so far) has been this salsa. I love the combination of sweet, salty, and tart. It's like a little fiesta going on inside of your mouth. 

We ate this on top of baked salmon for an extraordinary dinner. As long as strawberries are in season I'm going to keep this on hand for an easy, healthy snack alongside pita chips.

Yum!

Strawberry Salsa

Makes: about 3 cups

Adapted from: Annie's Eats

2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 green onions thinly sliced

1 tsp fresh parsley, minced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp olive oil 

1 tsp honey

salt and pepper, to taste

Note: A nice variation would be swapping the parsley for cilantro, and the lemon for lime juice and adding a bit of jalapeno for spice.

Directions:

1. Combine the all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve on salmon or with pita chips.

Linked to: April in the Raw

Spiced Hummus

Hummus is a great snack. It's easy to make and packs a huge protein punch.

I like mine with cilantro, cumin and a touch of ginger to give it heaps of flavor. 

(I say that, but it was initially a way to disguise some wilty cilantro.)

Make a batch and keep it in your fridge for a healthy snack with fresh vegetables or whole wheat pita.

Spiced Hummus

Makes: about 2 cups

Adapted from Martha

1 can (15oz) chickpeas, drained with ¼ cup liquid reserved

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

¼ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cumin

¼ cup cliantro leaves

freshly ground pepper

coarse salt

Directions:

1. In a food processor combine chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic, cumin, cilantro and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

2. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of pepper.

Frosted B-raw-nies

I couldn't turn on my shower for 3 days. 

It was not a good situation.

I had to use dry shampoo (not dried out shampoo) and I didn't work very well.
I don't recommend it.
Just get your shower fixed if it's broken.
And use wet shampoo.
Always use wet shampoo.

In other news, I made these b-raw-nies. 

Do you get it?

Aren't I clever?

They're a raw brownie. Oh, and they're gluten free.

Don't worry though, they don't have raw eggs in them. 

They're really just ground up dates and stuff.

And they'll rock your world.

Believe me and trust me about the wet shampoo.

Frosted B-raw-nies

Makes: about 12 small pieces

Source: The Rawtarian

For the brownies:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup dates

5 tbsp raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa powder)

4 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tbsp honey or agave nectar

¼ tsp sea salt

For the frosting:

1 cup dates

¼ cup coconut butter (or cold expelled coconut oil)

¼ cup raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa powder)

¾ cup water

Directions:

1. Process walnuts in the food processor until small and crumbly. Add dates and continue processing until finely ground and mixture sticks together. Add the remaining brownie ingredients and process again until chocolatey brown and only small bits remain. (Don't over process or it'll turn buttery.)

2. Dump mixture into a small cake pan or loaf pan. Smooth out with a spatula and place in the refrigerator. Meanwhile prepare the frosting. 

3. Place all the frosting ingredients in a blender a let sit for about 15 minutes to allow the dates to soften. Turn on the blender on low and gradually increase the speed until the frosting is smooth.

4. Spread over the brownies and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

Linked to: April in the Raw

Crunchy Quinoa Parfait

I was actually pretty impressed with this easy breakfast parfait. 

We eat a lot of quinoa around here and this seemed like an interesting way to incorporate it into breakfast.

The quinoa is toasted in the oven with a bit of sweetener and olive oil and transformed into a nice, crunchy treat. Add that to some creamy, thick Greek style yogurt and fresh fruit and you have yourself a plethora of texture and flavor.

I toasted the quinoa the night before making it super fast to throw together in the morning.

Try it out for a variation to the usual yogurt and granola parfait.

Crunchy Quinoa Parfait

Adapted from: Whole Living

Serves at least 4

For each cup of quinoa (red or white), mix with 1 tbsp of honey or agave nectar and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Spread in a single layer on parchment paper. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. Let cool and serve with thick Greek yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit.

Roasted Beets w/ feta and dill

My lack of photography skill is really showing here.

These don't look very pretty, do they?

In fact, they don't even look all that edible.

Do me a favor and look past appearance today, please?

I promise you, these are much better than they look.

They're darn delicious.

My sister, a genius by all counts, invented (I think) these lovely roasted beets, or at least a version of these. As I recall, hers looked a lot better than mine.

But again, putting looks aside, this simple side dish is great hot or cold.

We ate this as a side to roast beef (can you say iron overload) and then I ate it again the next day cold, mixed into a green salad.

Healthy and delicious, what more could you want?

Roasted Beets w/ feta and dill

Serves: 6 as a side dish

2 ½ pounds beets, well scrubbed or peeled

2 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dried dill

¼ cup crumbled feta

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Chop beets into 1-inch cubes and toss with olive oil.

2. Spread the beets out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, flipping once for 45-55 minutes or until beets are tender and easily pricked with a fork.

3. Toss hot beets with balsamic vinegar, dill, and feta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.

Coconut Banana Date Batido

Batidos are a South American frozen milk drink similar to a smoothie. They're great as a quick grab and go breakfast or snack when you can't quite stomach the thickness of a smoothie.

Some leftover coconut milk (from carrot coconut soup) inspired this delicious combo. The banana and coconut make the drink taste tropical and the dates provide some natural sweetness. The flax is a completely optional fiber boost.

Play around with some different flavours for a unique taste. Some ideas I've seen are fig rose, banana ginger, and mango basil.

I've been feeding this to my munchkin for snack time; she seems to really love it.

I know she doesn't look enthused but she's smiling on the inside, I'm sure of it.

Coconut Banana Date Batido

Serves 1

Inspired by Urban Pantry by Amy Pennington

1/2 cup milk (use any type)

1 banana

4 tbsps coconut milk (can substitute shredded coconut)

4 -6 dates, quartered

3 cubes of ice

1 spoonful of flax seed (optional)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend at low speed until everything is chopped up. Increase speed and continue to blend until smooth and creamy.

Chewy Walnut Trail Mix Bars

How are you doing with that new year's resolution to lose 10 pounds?

If you're winning, good for you.

If you're not, don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure you look great.

I think the best way to stick to a weight goal is to be prepared. If you have an apple tucked away in your bag or desk drawer you'll be less likely to make a quick trip to the vending machine when that late afternoon wall starts to hit.
Of course, an apple is good in theory but it's doesn't amount to much when all you want is a big ol' chocolate bar.

These bars of grainy goodness studded with dark chocolate chips come a lot closer.

Full of nuts, seeds and dried fruits, they're a yummy sweet snack that fills your tummy without sending you on a sugar high (and then crashing to a sugar low).

Change up the nut/seed/fruit combo to whatever suits you best. They're incredibly portable and one of the few recipes I've seen that stick together without peanut butter. (If you want a bar with peanut butter try out vegan power bars.)

Tuck one of these bars in your bag or car to combat the afternoon growlies, they're darn good.

Chewy Walnut Trail Mix Bars

Makes: about 15 bars

Source: http://www.walnutinfo.com/

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup coarsley chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cups sesame seeds

1/2 cup dried apricots or date

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir in walnuts, cranberries, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, coconut and sesame seeds. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, process apricots until broken up, about 1 minute. Add butter and continue to process until a paste forms, about another minute. With motor running pour in honey until blended and smooth.

3. Fold honey mixture into oat mixture. Press evenly into a greased 9'' x 13'' pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool completely before cutting.

Della's Health Muffin

You might be asking, "Who's Della''?

As far as I can tell, she's an elderly lady who lives (or has died) in Creston, B.C. and has (or had?) a restaurant there.

My extremely amiable mother-in-law met her one day and brought me her cookbook.

It's a charming cookbook with simple, homey recipes.

I know that doesn't really explain who Della is.... but if you must know, you'll have to make up your own colorful story. Maybe something about an old granny who laboured day and night trying to sort out the perfect recipe for a healthy muffin.

Ok, that wasn't a very good story. I'm sure you can make up something much better than that.

Anyhow, I'm not really sure that I would regard any type of muffin as healthy but this is definitely a healthier muffin option. An ample amount of molasses makes it dark, dense and rich in iron, the wholewheat fiber gives it a great fiber boost and the lack of sugar makes it a not too sweet treat. It's also a great way to use up that box of All Bran cereal in your cupboard that you had good intentions of using but now can no longer stomach it's sawdust like qualities.... I may or may not be speaking from experience.

Enjoy!

Della's Health Muffins

Yields: 12

Source: Della's Favorite's

1 cup blackstrap molasses (or substitute 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and 1/4 cup regular molasses)

4 eggs

1 cup oil

1 tsp salt

2 cups millk or yogurt

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup wheat germ

2 cups All Bran cereal

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

1 cup your choice of seasonal fruit (berries, bananas, rubarb, stone fruit etc..)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups. In a small bowl whisk together molasses, eggs, oil and milk.  In a large bowl mix together all other ingredients. Add the wet mixture to the dry and gently stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 25 - 30 muffins or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Serve with a bit of honey. 

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

Have you ever tried a dip with soggy pita in it?

I mean like, when the soggy pita is supposed to be there and hasn't been accidently dropped in by a double dipper?

If you were at our recycle christmas you have.

And if you weren't, well, sucks to be you because Christmas in any and all forms is awesome - but I digress.

This dip I'm telling you about with the soggy pita.

It's weird.

But it's good.

It's like hummus.

Without the chick peas but with a ton of walnuts

Walnuts are a good thing.

They're high in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals and healthy fats .

FYI: the fat in walnuts is 72.4% polyunsaturated fat which is known to reduce the levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

See, I told you they were good.

Try something weird and new and delicious.

Try this dip.

Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Dip

Source: Martha Stewart

Serves: 10 - 12

3 red bell peppers (about 1 pound)
1 6-inch pita bread (2 ounces)
1 cup water
1 small garlic clove
3/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, plus more for garnish (optional)
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Roast peppers over a gas burner until blackened all over, turning with tongs as each side is blistered. (Alternatively, place under a broiler.) Transfer to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap; let stand about 15 minutes. Peel, and discard skins, stems, and seeds. Set peppers aside.
2. Toast pita bread until crisp and golden. Break into 2-inch pieces; place in a bowl, and cover with the water. Soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a sieve, and drain well, pressing out excess water. Set aside.
3. Combine garlic and walnut pieces in the bowl of a food processor; process until fine crumbs form, about 10 seconds. Add paprika, cumin, and reserved peppers and pita bread; process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add vinegar, lemon juice, oil, and salt, and season with black pepper. Pulse until combined.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Before serving, bring to room temperature. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with walnuts or paprika, as desired. Serve with pita chips.

Blackberry Bran Muffins

I like to keep bran muffins on hand for.... um...emergencies?

Have a baby, feed it too much cheese and then you'll know what kinda emergencies I'm talkin' about.

Or have a husband who....

nevermind.... 

I shouldn't talk about other people and their colon cleanses.

Emergencies aside, did you know you should have a least 30g of fiber a day?!?

 That, my friend, is the only way to keep your intestines clean and your bodies 'exit route'.....open.

I can't tell you exactly how much fiber is in these muffins but I'm sure it's a lot. It'll get you well on your way to your recommended daily intake.

Start your new year off right with these tasty bran muffins but maybe make sure the bathroom's free first....

Blackberry Bran Muffin

Makes: 20 muffins

1 cup rice bran (can substitute wheat bran)

1 cup wheat bran

2 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat)

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup low fat milk

1 cup cold coffee

2 eggs

¼ cup oil

¼ cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup berries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease about 20 standard muffin tins.

2. In a medium bowl mix together the rice bran, wheat bran, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Make a well in the center and add milk, coffee, eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Stir until just combined - do not over mix. Gently fold in berries.

4. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for about 15 minutes or until muffins are browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.