Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers

I always have the hardest time planning a menu when someone is coming over for dinner.  I know I have mentioned this before, but I go back and forth between a million different things and it is enough to drive a person crazy!  We were having some friends over for dinner and I somehow finally decided to make these stuffed peppers.  They caught my eye because they had a different filling than other stuffed pepper recipes that I have seen and I thought they would be part of a fun meal.  

I'm not sure if I like prepping the actual peppers in the microwave, but I followed the recipe and did it anyway.   I'm not really sure if this filling was the best thing to put in a bell pepper, because these were very hard to eat.  They were good, but it was very messy and took a lot of effort to get a bite that had part of the pepper as well as the filling.  Luckily our dinner guests were good sports and they didn't seem to mind too much. 

 The filling was very good and would make a great dish by itself, maybe with some chopped red bell pepper added to the mix.  

Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers adapted from Family Circle magazine

6 medium-size sweet red bell peppers

1 cup whole wheat Israeli couscous

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 seedless cucumber, chopped

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 large scallions, trimmed and chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Prepare couscous according to package directions.

2. Trim about 1/2-inch off the tops of the bell peppers. Seed and core peppers.

Place the peppers cut side down in a microwave safe glass baking dish. Pour in 1/2 cup water and cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap, venting one corner. Microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Remove peppers from dish and set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine cooked couscous, chickpeas, cucumber, feta, scallions and parsley.

Add lemon juice and olive oil. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Stuff peppers with an equal amount of couscous mixture, about a scant cup in each. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Spinach (Swiss Chard), Pasta, and Pea Soup

Besides eggplant, I've still got swiss chard growing in my garden out back. It just keeps growing back and I am happy about that. I love being able to go out and cut my swiss chard when I need some for a recipe.

I found this soup in a recent issue of Cooking Light and since it was a "superfast" meal, I knew it would be perfect to make on a night when my son has Cub Scouts. I added some green pepper (also from the garden) and used swiss chard instead of spinach. Quick and Easy!


Here is the recipe for Spinach, Pasta, and Pea Soup

Red Lentils, Eggplant and Chickpeas

My eggplant plant is still producing quite a few eggplants. A few weeks ago, I harvested 12 or so in one week and the next week I had about 10. That is a lot of eggplant. Even for someone who really likes it! I had to share some of it with friends, but I used most of it.

This recipe is something similar to what we eat on a regular basis. More often than not, I take a a look at what veggies I have on hand and pick a protein/whole grain to compliment it and then I make up something for dinner. I did kinda use a recipe as a base for this, but, like usual, I didn't really follow it. The result was delicious and very comforting.

Here is the recipe which I use mostly used as an idea to go from, I didn't really follow it
* I didn't use barley- I added bulger when I added the lentils
* I added chopped green peppers with the onion
* I added chopped kale
* I added curry powder
* I added more tomato paste
* I didn't puree it or cook it as long

Turkey Burgers and Hummus

Isn't it funny how photos turn out when you let your kids help you out? This turkey burger looks like a creature with two eyes- please don't let that distract you from trying it out!

I made both of these recipes for our dinner with friends a few weeks ago and wasn't planning on sharing either of them at the time. But then, we tasted them and everyone raved and I figured it wasn't fair not to share the goodness. The turkey burgers were so good. It must have been the fresh herbs and the little bit of olive oil mixed in. They were so flavorful and not dry at all.
The hummus had a great consistency and was just really good. Both of these were perfect to serve at a family friendly gathering. I look forward to making them both again!

Here is the recipe for Turkey Burgers as seen on Annie's Eats
* I used fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano
* I used 94% lean ground turkey

Here is the recipe for Homemade Hummus

and the recipe for Herbed Hummus
* I used chives

Eggland's Best Brinner & Giveaway!

A few weeks ago I received an email from Eggland's Best Eggs, asking me if I was interested in hosting a Brinner. What is Brinner? Well, it's something that we have all done before- it's Breakfast for Dinner or simply some combination of Breakfast and Dinner.

Of course, I said yes. I had some family members coming to town for a visit and I knew that would be the perfect time to have the Brinner. The hardest part was narrowing down the menu, but we finally picked out a really great one.

Since eggs were the star of the show, I decided that eggs should be an ingredient in each part of our menu. We had Avocado Deviled Eggs (pictured above), Garden Turkey Meatballs, Summer Squash Bacon & Mozzarella Quiche, Sweet Potato & Chile Hash w/ a Fried Egg, and a flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert (which has a surprising secret ingredient).


I had lots of help prepping the food, thanks to the family members I had visiting, so we were able to put it together quickly. A couple of friends came over and we enjoyed all of the dishes.

The Avocado Deviled Eggs were a nice twist on a familiar favorite. Just imagine guacamole as the filling for your Deviled Eggs. I used Eggland's Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs to make them. My kids also really love these eggs as a snack.

The Garden Turkey Meatballs were really delicious. I finished them off in a really tasty pizza sauce.

The quiche recipe was one that my sister spotted in Cooking Light and she prepared it. You would never know that is was a light recipe because it was so delicious-definitely a crowd favorite!

The hash was really great too. I threw in a couple of extra veggies that I had on hand just for fun. It was spicy and yummy.

The Flourless Chocolate Cake contains a surprise ingredient that really just can't even be guessed. It was delicious. Dense and fudgy.

I used Eggland's Best eggs in all of these recipes.

Now, as part of the Brinner experience, Eggland’s Best provided me with a fun giveaway for you, my readers.

The giveaway includes:

• 2 free EB dozen coupons (any variety- classic, cage-free, organic)
• 1 free EB Hard-Cooked and Peeled Eggs coupon
• 4 EB ramekins
• 1 EB apron
• 1 EB whisk
• 1 EB spatula
• 1 EB egg timer
• 1 EB Eco bag
• 1 EB plush egg

All you have to do to enter the giveaway, is leave a comment on this post.

If you want to tell me your favorite way to prepare eggs, go for it. Please also feel free to share a link to your favorite egg recipe if you would like.

You have until 12:00 am EST on Monday, July 11th to enter this giveaway.

Hopefully you will try some of these recipes soon too and have your own Breakfast for Dinner party. Brinner can't be beat!


Here is the recipe for Avocado Deviled Eggs

Here is the recipe for Garden Turkey Meatballs

Here is the recipe for Summer Squash, Bacon, and Mozzarella Quiche from Cooking Light

Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato & Chile Hash with a Fried Egg from Fine Cooking
* I used nonfat Greek Yogurt to make the chile mayo
* I used less oil- only 2 or 3 Tablespoons
* I added diced zucchini to the hash
* I cooked the yolk in my eggs all the way through

Here is the recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake



*This giveaway is open to US residents/addresses only, age 18 and older-No PO Boxes.
The winner will be chosen randomly.
All the opinions stated above are my own. I was provided with VIP coupons and a giftcard to help purchase the items necessary to make these dishes. I was also provided with a package similar to the one available in the giveaway.

Lemony Zucchini, Chickpea, and Lima Bean Salad

We made this delicious salad as a side on Father's Day. I recently discovered that I do like lima beans and so I have been anxious to try them in more recipes.

On a side note- I also discovered that I can grill a steak. We went shopping at Publix the day before Father's Day and the woman was grilling steak in the front of the store. She made it look so easy that I bought my husband a steak and grilled it to perfection. This goes to prove that there really is a first for everything!

Anyway, back to the recipe at hand. This salad is delicious. It combines some great ingredients, like raw zucchini and chickpeas and it very easy to mix together. It was a big hit and almost a show stopper.
If you have zucchini that you need to use, try this!

Here is the recipe for Lemony Zucchini, Chickpea, and Lima Bean Salad

* I used more romaine lettuce than the recipe called for because I had an entire head of it that needed to be used

Guacamole Hummus

My daughter has really taken interest in helping me in the kitchen. She has always wanted to help, but now she really wants to get her hands dirty and do it all.
This was the perfect thing for her to help me with. You just dump the ingredients in the food processor and in a few minutes you have a smooth, creamy, delicious dip. It tastes like guacamole, but it acts like hummus. What does that mean? I'm not sure, but it is good.

My hubby doesn't like guacamole, but he really loved this dip. It would be a great spread for a taco, breakfast or sandwiches/wraps too. We enjoyed it with pita chips, bell pepper strips, and carrots.

Guacamole Hummus-Everyday Food

In a food processor

combine 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 cups fresh cilantro leaves, (I used half fresh Italian parsley)

1 garlic clove, chopped,

and 1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped.

Process until finely chopped.

With machine running add 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, then add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. (I added a dash of cumin)

Cauliflower and Spinach Curry over Red Lentils & Brown Rice

More and more frequently it seems that when the end of the week comes, I look at what is left in my fridge and end up throwing something together for dinner. Most of the time it turns out really great. I don't usually share these dishes because I am not really measuring anything, but I cook enough to know that what I am doing will turn out deliciously.

The other night I had a huge bag of spinach, a cup of chickpeas, a head of Fiesta Flower (orange cauliflower), and most of a can of lite coconut milk. First, I was thinking that I would make a quick stir-fry, but then I decided to make a curry instead. I had some leftover cooked brown rice, so the red lentil/brown rice accompaniment was perfect.

I just used the 2 recipes below as sort of a guide, I didn't really follow them, but this dish turned out so yummy. No complaints from the kids. I love it when that happens. They all gobbled it down. And when my husband came home from work and took a bite, he was inspired to find a new station on Pandora called "Bollywood Beatdown". I guess it was all those spices. Anyway, the kids and I started dancing around the table while he was trying to eat.

I can't promise the same results, but this was a really fun dinner for us.


I served the curry over the red lentil mixture
Here is the recipe for Cauliflower and Spinach Curry
* I loosely followed this recipe-
* I added chickpeas
* I omitted the tomato paste
*I didn't make the thick paste at the beginning- I just cooked my onion and added garlic, ginger, and spices

Here is a recipe for Red Lentil Soup from 101 Cookbooks
* I added less liquid so this would be less like soup and thick
*I added cooked brown rice when the red lentils were done cooking
* I added cumin and curry powder
*I omitted the red pepper flakes

Garlic Shrimp and Chickpeas

This is a super easy, delicious dinner that I made when my parents were here visiting us. I almost always roast shrimp in the oven when we have it for dinner and I have roasted chickpeas in the oven before too, so the method wasn't new to me at all. However, I had never thought to combine these two ingredients- shrimp and chickpeas.

I am happy to say that this combination really works! If you have ever roasted chickpeas, then you know that they get nice and crunchy. That texture was wonderful with the shrimp.
We had a beautiful green salad on the side, with lots of spring greens and romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes and a few people at the table ended up putting the shrimp/chickpea mixture on top of their salad. I had to try it out and it made for a delicious salad.


Here is the recipe for Garlic Shrimp and Chickpeas from the Food Network Magazine
* I only used 3 Tablespoons of olive oil- 1 for the chickpeas, 1 for the shrimp marinade and 1 at the end
* I added the juice of 1 lemon to the shrimp marinade, it seemed silly not to

Lindsey's ABC Salad

Now that we've got all of those baked goods out of the way, that leaves room to talk about this delicious salad that I found over at one of my favorite blogs- Cafe Johnsonia.

It is called ABC Salad. It contains Baby salad greens-(to which I added some arugula), avocado, almonds, dried apricots, buckwheat, chickpeas and I figured while I was at it, I might as well top it off with some blueberry vinegar.

I've been trying to get more salads and veggies in my diet and eating a nice big salad for lunch is one easy way to do that. My only problem is that sometimes I get bored with salad. Especially if it always seems to contain the exact same ingredients.
That is what I loved about this salad the most- it had lots of fun flavors and textures, combining ingredients that I never would have thought to mix. And it's vegan.

So give it a try because it is delicious.

Here is the recipe for ABC Salad
*She has much prettier pictures and more details about this delicious salad

Garbanzo Beans and Greens & Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloins

Wow- what a crazy busy couple of days I have had. And tomorrow is my son's b-day, so it is going to continue.

I wanted to share these 2 recipes, even though both of the pictures are horrid. That's what happens sometimes when there is no natural light and you put things in the fridge until the next morning and then try to get a picture! Oh, well. Just trust me when I say that these were both fabulous.

I served the garbanzo bean dish on a weeknight it was delicious. Really easy too.

I served the pork tenderloin a few days after Christmas, when we had company over. Pork loin is an easy one to serve to a crowd and this Barefoot Contessa recipe was wonderfully easy and tasty.

Sorry this is a just a quick post, but I have b-day stuff to organize!



Garbanzo Beans and Greens from Cooking Light Magazine

2 center-cut bacon slices
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 (15-ounce) cans organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped fresh kale
1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
4 lemon wedges (optional)

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan using a slotted spoon, and crumble. Add 1 cup carrot and chopped onion to drippings in pan, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cumin, and red pepper; cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken broth, 1 cup water, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add 4 cups kale to bean mixture. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until kale is tender, stirring occasionally. Ladle about 1 1/4 cups bean mixture into each of 4 bowls, and top each serving with 2 tablespoons yogurt. Sprinkle with bacon, and serve with lemon wedges, if desired

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloins from Ina Garten- The Barefoot Contessa

• 1 lemon, zest grated
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
• Good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  
• Kosher salt
  
• 3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown.

Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

Marrakesh Stew

I know I am a complete wierdo, but I totally crave things that are chock full of vegetables. This stew practically jumped out at me from the pages of EveryDay Food a few weeks ago. It was a cold day, so the thought of a hearty vegetable stew really made me happy. Carrots, eggplant, butternut squash, potatoes, tomatoes and chickpeas- what a healthy, delicious combination.

I am always a little bit skeptical when cinnamon is called for in a savory recipe, but with the cumin, coriander and cayenne, the cinnamon really played a nice part in the flavor here. It worked well with everything else that was going on in this dish.


Now, this stew is not beautiful to look at, but it is wonderfully spiced and delicious. I warned my family not to make any comments about how this looked, but to give it a chance and try it first, and they were all pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was.

This makes a lot of stew, so I have a large ziploc bag of it in the freezer, along with the leftover Israeli couscous mix, just waiting for a busy night a couple weeks from now, when I can just put the frozen stew on the stove and have an instant dinner. I love it when there is enough of something leftover that it can be dinner again in a couple of weeks!

Marrakesh Stew from Everyday Food Magazine

Serves 8 * Active time: 10 min. * Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, diced large
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
3 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 small eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained


In an 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add spices, and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes, and squash and season with salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and broth- vegetables should be completely covered by liquid; add water to cover if necessary.
Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Add eggplant, stir to combine, and simmer until eggplant is tender, 20 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until chickpeas are warmed through.


*I served this over the Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe's- a combination of Israeli couscous, orzo, and red quinoa.

Chickpea, Spinach, and Squash Gnocchi

I was looking at a recipe on Eating Well and I saw a picture of this recipe- Chickpea, Spinach and Squash Gnocchi. It looked really good, so I decided to give it a shot.

I've only made gnocchi once before and that was with sweet potatoes. I didn't feel like making the gnocchi from scratch this time, even though last time I felt it was fairly simple. Slightly time consuming, but not too difficult.

I kinda just did my own thing as far as making it goes. I feel so comfortable in the kitchen that sometimes I see the ingredients and read the recipe and don't feel like doing what the recipe says exactly.

I prefer to roast my butternut squash in the oven and so I decided to get that part of the recipe ready first. I cubed my squash into small pieces, drizzled it with olive oil and a little salt and pepper and put it in the 425 F degree oven. It was ready in 25 minutes.

While the squash was in the oven, I prepared the others parts of this dish. I used an onion instead of shallots because I didn't have shallots. I sauteed my onion, added garlic, then the gnocchi and vegetable broth. I also added asparagus spears. I wilted my spinach and then stirred in the balsamic vinegar. Right before serving, I added the butternut squash.
It turned out fantastic.
My kids enjoyed it and all those veggies in there added great color.
I sprinkled some chopped Italian parsley on top, just for fun.
Yum!

Recipe for Chickpea, Spinach and Squash Gnocchi
* I omitted the currants
* I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but used the same ingredients and basic idea

Greek Night- 2 dips, soup, salad, appetizer, main dish, drink and dessert

A couple of weeks ago my son studied Ancient Greece at school. He had multiple options for his final project and we decided to have a "Greek Cafe" as part of the experience.

When I was a kid, I used to love to do restaurants to surprise my dad when he would come home from work, so I knew this would be really fun for all of us.
The kids dressed up and placed all the appropriate signs annoucing our cafe. The cutest part was how they thought that someone driving down our street might just be hungry and stop in to join us.
My son made the signs and came up with the name for our cafe. I asked for his input on the menu and spent the afternoon getting all the dishes ready for our Greek Night.

We started with a drink called "The Greek Lantern". I have absolutely no idea if it is really a Greek drink, but it sounded really interesting, combining a large amount of fresh parsley leaves, lime juice, lime zest, club soda, water and ice. It actually was quite refreshing and surprisingly yummy.
Next we had a Roasted Red Pepper with Feta dip and Lemony-Garlic Hummus with homemade pita chips. Both of these were really good, although the red pepper one was deemed "spicy" by my youngest child.

Then we had mini spanakopita, which were really delicious and not as time consuming as I thought they would be.
The soup was everybody's favorite. I have had it at Greek restaurants before and it was very simple to recreate at home. It is called Avgolemono Soup- which just means Egg, Lemon and Rice soup. You have to temper eggs to make it, but boy was it delicious. My kids loved it.
I made a light version of Baklava that I found from Cooking Light. It was also much easier than I thought it was going to be to make. It turned out good, but was quite sweet, so could only be enjoyed in small portions. I actually had some leftover baklava mixed into this lemon ice cream a few days later and that was an amazing dessert.

What Greek menu would be complete without some sort of Greek salad? I actually made 2 versions of this salad since we have two people in our house who don't like tomatoes. The second version I made with chopped red pepper to replace the tomato. These leftovers were delicious on a green salad and also in a pita sandwich.
We had Chicken Souvlaki skewers, which my son loved. The Tzatziki sauce that went along with this was my youngest child's favorite thing. She was eating it plain and dipping all sorts of veggies in it.

Here's a closer look at the Baklava. We had lots of fun on Greek Night!

The Greek Lantern

Ingredients

• 1 cup (packed) Parsley Sprigs
• ½ tsp Lime Zest, grated
• 1 cup Cold Water
• ½ cup Fresh Lime Juice
• ½ cup Sugar
• 1 (10 ounce) bottle Club Soda

Instructions

• Blend all the ingredients, except club soda, in a blender, for about one minute.
• Take a large glass measure and strain the preparation through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Put ice into tall glasses and pour the prepared drink.
• Top with club soda and serve

Lemony-Garlic Hummus

Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

2 16 oz cans of chickpeas (Bush’s is my canned bean of choice!)
1/2 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
juice and zest from 3 lemons
3 TB tahini
4 cloves garlic, crushed
big pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
5 TB olive oil

Combine first 6 ingredients into bowl of food processor. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Slowly stream in olive oil until combined and smooth. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Serve with fresh cut veggies, crackers, chips, pita chips or crostini for a nice appetizer platter.

Note: this recipe makes a large batch. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe for Roasted Red Pepper with Feta Dip


Recipe for Greek Salad
* I drastically reduced the amount of olive oil and feta cheese that this recipe called for. I just drizzled the mixture with a little olive oil and then used more lemon juice. I only added a couple of oz of feta cheese.


Recipe for Mini-Spanakopitas
* the egg white/olive oil mixture they said to brush the phyllo dough with, didn't work for me.
I used cooking spray instead.

Recipe for Avgolemono Soupo (Egg, Lemon, and Rice Soup)

Recipe for Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce
* I used greek yogurt

Recipe for Baklava with Wildflower Honey
* I used orange blossom honey

Southwest Quinoa Salad

One of my favorite bloggers recently started a new blog. I loved her old blog, Cafe Johnsonia
(which she has kindly left up so people can still use her recipes) but, I really, really love her new blog- Fresh Clean Start.

It's all about getting to a healthier place and I absolutely love every single post.
When I saw her post about this Quinoa Salad, I could not wait to put it together.

I made this salad for our 4th of July get-together and since the recipe written was enough to serve 1-2 people, I at least quadrupled the salad ingredients, so that everyone could have some and hopefully there would be some leftover for me to eat for lunch sometime during the next week.

I cooked up a bunch of quinoa (something I always do, so that there will be enough for whatever I need during the week) and started chopping my veggies.
I used fresh corn on the cob that I got from the Farmer's Market and I also used some heirloom cherry tomatoes.
I added cumin, chili powder, paprika, and lime juice- tasting it along the way- until it was just right.

I really didn't know how well it would be received at our dinner, but many people really, really liked it. This made me happy, but also limited the amount of leftovers. Luckily, there was enough leftover for lunch one day and I served it over a big pile of salad greens as Lindsey suggested.

This really is so, so good and good for you. I can't wait to make a big batch of it again.



Recipe for Southwest Quinoa Salad
* I used heirloom cherry tomatoes
* I used fresh corn on the cob
* I sprinkled sunflower seeds on top

Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon-Cumin Tuna

I bought some wheat berries a couple of weeks ago because I wanted to try this recipe that was in Ellie Krieger's So Easy.

I took this salad to a family dinner and was really hoping that there would be leftovers for me to eat the rest of the week for lunch.
Everyone tried it and most people liked it.
Wheat berries are really chewy, so you definitely get a chewing workout. They also require quite a bit of cooking time, but I read the recipe thoroughly in advance so I knew how much time they would need.

Once again, I wasn't sure how the dried cherries would work with everything else, but they added just the right amount of sweetness and tartness with each bite.
I used canned tuna instead of chicken to top the salad and modified the lemon-cumin dressing to work with the tuna.

I really love having this type of salad for lunch during the week. Filling, nutritious and so good.


Recipe for Wheat Berry Salad
Ellie changed this up in her new book and served it on a bed of spinach leaves
* I added a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas
* I used pecans instead of walnuts
* I mixed 2 cans of tuna with lemon juice, a little olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps cumin, salt & pepper and then mixed that into the wheat berry mixture