Quinoa is an ancient grain that is making a huge comeback! It has a nutty flavor and is full of protein! Just make sure that you rinse it 5-6 times in a bowl of water before you cook it, as it has a naturally occurring coating that repels bugs and makes it a bit bitter.

1 cup quinoa
1 cup water

1 small heirloom or roma tomato
1 small zucchini - sliced
1/3 cup broccoli florets
1/3 cup sliced cucumber
1/8 cup sliced hot Asian radish
1/4 cup diced green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs*
~ mexican oregano, chives, rosemary, basil, sage, savory…

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (white or dark)

1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
3/4 cup leftover roasted chicken - cut up

Rinse the quinoa 5-6 times, or until the water is clear. In a small pot with headroom, boil the quinoa as you would rice and allow to cool.

When the quinoa is cooled, add in the vegetables and herbs. Combine the oil, vinegar and crushed red pepper and pour over the quinoa and stir.

I generally make this the day before, so that the flavors have time to blend. If you are serving it the same day, add in the cheese and chicken, otherwise save them to add in about 30 minutes before serving. For a vegan salad, leave them out.

This is a great salad for hot weather, as the vinegar and veggies have a wonderfully cool flavor! It is great for picnics.

*to chop the herbs, roll them up like a cigar and slice across the roll.

Tags: quinoa, summer salad, vegan, vegetable salad

Ingredients:

3 corn cobs
1 can black beans
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup cubed mango
1/2 cup zucchini wedges

3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
dash garlic powder
dash salt
dash pepper

Combine veggies in a bowl.  I cut the zucchini in quarters lengthwise and then sliced it to make wedges.

In a measuring cup, combine juice, vinegar, oil and spices.  Whisk together and pour over the veggies.  Toss lightly and serve!

Tags: corn & black bean, southwestern slaw

This is an easy kid friendly recipe that the whole family can help with!

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. shortening
1/3 cup warm milk

In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder and shortening.  Slowly add in the warm milk and mix.

Knead the dough until slightly tacky (like bread dough).  Form into 1.5 inch balls and roll out as flat as possible.

Cook in an ungreased skillet or griddle.

Butter, fold and eat!

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We made the double batch pictured above using whole wheat flour.  If you choose whole wheat, add just a touch more milk.

These are great to let the kids help with!  They enjoy getting to knead the dough and roll out the tortillas.  Getting them round is always a challenge!

Tags: kids cooking camp, tortillas

This is one of my favorite cakes… my mom made it quite often while I was growing up, and it has remained with me through the years since then.

3 egg whites (the yolks will turn it yellow, but don’t effect the baking
1/3 cup applesauce
1-1/4 cup soda water, ginger ale or 7-up
1 box pistachio pudding
1 box white cake mix

Combine all ingredients in a mixer.  Pour into a bundt pan, muffin tin or mini loaf pans.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until it starts to turn a golden brown - less for the cupcakes or mini loaves.  I usually follow the times for the cake mix & add around 5 minutes, as they vary.  The toothpick test works well for this cake.

The best topping for this is to combine another box of pudding with 1 cup heave whipping cream.  Whip until stiff peaks form.  When the cake cools, cover it with the whipped pudding - I always fill the center hole with pudding for an extra surprise!

Tags: pistachio cake

1.5 cups rice
2 cups water
3 cardamom pods
1 whole clove
1 star anise pod
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup black currants
1/4 cup slivered almonds

olive oil
3 potatoes
3 carrots
1 radish
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 small zucchini
1/4 cup peas

1 medium onion
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1 clove
1 small bay leaf
fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground coriander seed
dash ground mustard powder

dash red chili powder
1/8 tsp salt

In a rice cooker or pot, put the rice, water, dried fruit, nuts, cardamom, anise, clove and cinnamon.  Allow to soak for 20 minutes before cooking.  Cook until water is evaporated, around 20 minutes.

Heat some oil in a skillet. Peel and dice all vegetables, and individually fry in the oil.  When they begin to caramelize, remove them from heat and set aside in a bowl.

Adding more oil if necessary, toast the spices for 1 minute.  Add the onion, and cook until the onion turns translucent.  Add the chili powder and salt to taste.  If desired, remove the clove and bay leaf at this time.

Add the vegetables back into the pan.  When the rice is finished cooking, gently add it to the pan and stir to mix - it may not take all of the rice.

Serve immediately!  This makes a great side dish, or add in some cooked chicken, pork or shrimp for a filling main dish.

Tags: biryani, rice side dish, vegeterian

extra virgin olive oil
3 thick cut pork chops
fresh ground black pepper
1 early red onion
1 early sweet onion
3 sprigs rosemary
1/3 cup water

1/3 cup balsamic fig vinegar
3 Tbsp. fig jelly

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. oil. Sear both sides of the pork chops - about 2 minutes per side. Grind some pepper onto them while they are browning.

Thinly slice the onions into rings. Early onions are rather small - these need to be 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter. When both sides of the pork chops are seared, add the onion slices and turn the pork chops so that the onions are under them. Place 1 rosemary sprig on top of each chop and add some water to the pan. Cover and allow it to cook for approx 15 minutes.

When the chops are cooked through, remove them to a plate and place them in a warm oven. Using the balsamic vinegar, de-glaze the pan, using all of the browned bits and onion slices. Onve the pan has been de-glazed, add in the fig jelly and stir to dissolve. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly, and pour over the chops.

Serve immediately, garnishing with a couple of extra sprigs of rosemary if desired.

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Wow, these came out good! We had some chops laying around, and I have had a bottle of balsamic fig vinegar sitting around for a while… then the idea came to me! This is a dark, slightly sweet glaze to pour over the pork, and they really complement each other well.

I served it with a “quick” vegetable biryani, and the combination was pretty good.

One word of caution… don’t let the pork sit too long in the oven, as it will toughen the longer it sits.

Tags: fig & balsamic glazed pork chops, glazed pork chops, pork chops

If you like those brownies that are truly “in-between” - not truffles, not cake - and you like them rich - really rich - and dark, then these just may be the brownies for you! I will caution you though… make sure the milk is standing at the ready!

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups butter - softened
3 eggs
1 - 15 oz. can queen anne cherries (NOT pie filling)

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powders and salt. stir gently to combine. Add the eggs and butter and mix just until the flour mixture is moist. Add the chocolate chips and cherries, and mix on medium high for 1-2 minutes, until the chocolate and cherries are fully mixed in.

If the batter tastes too sweet, add a little more unsweetened cocoa powder - up to 1/4 cup more.

Pour into a 9×12 in baking pan, and spread out evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Allow to cool in the pan before cutting into squares - or just eat them directly from the pan!

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Anyone who knows me knows that I like rich, dark chocolate. They also know that I can tolerate a high level of richness before feeling that it is “getting rich”. These brownies are very rich. They are very dark, with a hint of cherry flavor, and very, very good!

Tags: brownies

I tried a new breakfast side dish today… and it met with mixed reviews. The adults liked it, the kids… didn’t. I think it was more a texture thing in their case. We had it with bacon, eggs and applesauce (and tea, of course!) and it was a very filling meal!

Oats are one of the best grains for us - and they help reduce cholesterol.  The humble oat kept the Scottish people healthy & strong for centuries, as it was the only grain that would grow in northern Scotland, but they are not often thought of these days. Try these for a new way to enjoy this humble grain.  Adding some cinnamon & sugar or dried fruit makes them more like cookies!

2 cups rolled oats
6 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup flour (gluten free or rice flour works well too)
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. hot water (with more set aside for later use)

OPTIONAL
2 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp. evaporated cane juice

Warm up your griddle on the stove to just above medium. I cooked the bacon on it before making the oatcakes, which greased it nicely for the first few.

Grind the oats into a gritty flour in a food processor. Combine the oats, flour and salt into a mixing bowl (and cinnamon & sugar if using), and using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix the butter into the flour mixture. I also added a tsp or so of bacon fat from the bacon I was cooking.

Add the hot water to the mixture to make a sticky dough - you may need to add a bit more than 2 Tbsp.

Using golf ball sized portions of dough, form flat cakes with your hands. Place them onto your warm, greased griddle and cook 3-5 minutes per side. You may have to re-grease your griddle with every batch. I used coconut oil, as it has a higher burn point than butter, but butter works well also.

The oatcakes should stay a little bit blonde, but the browned butter or bacon grease can add a nice flavor.

Serve warm with butter, honey, jam or applesauce. They are also good with cheese.

These could also make good biscuits for a fruit cobbler.

Tags: Healthy Living, oatcakes

This is one of our favorite summertime beverages - it’s cool and refreshing and tastes great! This recipe makes a concentrate - it’s a bit too much straight. Just add it to a half glass of ice water to make a delicious, cool Summer treat. Check out the add-ins at the bottom for some great alternatives. It also makes great frozen popsicles…

Lavender Lemonade

ingredients:
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
20 sprigs fresh lavender - either blooming, or just before the flowers open
4-6 lemons (depending on your tartness preference)
water

In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups of water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and place the lavender sprigs in the pan while the syrup cools down. Set aside to cool.

When the syrup is cool, remove the lavender sprigs and pour it into a 2 qt. pitcher.

Juice the lemons and add to the pitcher. Stir. Fill the pitcher up with water.

When you pour the lemonade into a glass, first fill the glass halfway with water and ice, then pour in the lemonade concentrate.

Garnish with a small sprig of lavender, lemon slices or mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Add ins:

- use the juice of limes instead or a mixture of lemons and limes
- add some strawberries to the simple syrup while it is cooling and strain the syrup when cool - crushing the strawberries to get all of the goodies out
- add some mint leaves with the lavender and use limes to make a non-alcoholic mojito - or mix it with your favorite rum for the real thing (obviously not for kids)
- add some grenadine to give it a cherry flavor and a lovely pink color

Tags: lemonade, summer drinks

This makes a great bread for thick-cut toast with jam in the mornings, or try it open face with cream cheese and sliced cucumbers! Or, knead in some herbs for a delicious herbed or garlic bread - yum…

1-1/2 cups warm water (around 105-115 degrees - NOT above 120 degrees!)
1-3/4 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey (warmed for easy pouring)

+/- 1/2 cup flour
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and add the flax seed. Let this sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. Make sure the water is not too hot, or it will kill the yeast.

While the yeast is activating, prepare your rising bucket or bowl by pouring some olive oil in it & spreading it around the sides & bottom.

When the yeast is beginning to get foamy, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine, and pour the dough out onto a lightly floured counter to knead. Knead until the flour on the counter is incorporated into the dough and the surface of the dough is slightly tacky.

Place the dough in the oiled rising bucket and place in a warm, draft-free area. Let it rise around 1.5 - 2 hours or until double it’s size. Do nit let it over rise.

Punch down the dough* & shape it into a loaf. Place it in a loaf pan that has been lightly buttered & slit the top a few times. Allow it to rise once again for 15-40 minutes - until double in size again. Preheat oven to 350 degrees while the dough is rising.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. It should be browned & sound hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf. Cover it with a towel and let it rest on a cooling rack for at least an hour to finish baking internally.

*If you want an herbed bread, knead the extra ingredients in at this time. Some ideas are minced garlic, oregano, basil, savory, thyme, rosemary, etc. This is also a good time to add in some grains, if desired. Sunflower seeds, millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats are all good add-in’s.

Tags: country bread, garlic bread, sandwich bread