Colorful Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients:

1 c. quinoa, thoroughly washed in a fine sieve

1 3/4 c. water

15-oz. can black beans, thoroughly rinsed

1 c. frozen corn *

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped**

1 Jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 red onion, finely chopped ***

1/4 c. cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1/3 c. olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic  vinegar****

salt and pepper

*used a can instead

** I used what I had on hand and that meant cutting out the red pepper and jalapeno and replacing it with just a green bell pepper.

*** I didn't have a red onion on hand so I just used my normal onion substitute of dried chopped onion.

**** I don't really like the balsamic taste, so I substituted it with lime juice. Much better.

Recipe:

1. Combine the quinoa and water in a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. Alternatively combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer (not removing the lid!), until all of the water has been absorbed. *

2. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro. Mix well.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and balsamic and pour over the quinoa; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

*I don't have a rice cooker. I followed the instructions on the packaging.

Rating: 4 of 5

Did I like it? Yes. Would I make it again? Yes. Did LaDon like the quinoa? Surprisingly, yes! I really don't think I would have liked this with the balsamic, so I'm glad I switched it out for the lime juice. Cilantro and lime go better together anyway. Even Ally liked it and that girl never eats new food.

Source: Girl Cooks World, Colorful Quinoa Black Bean and Corn Salad

Margherita Pizza

A few weeks ago the kids and I went to the library and I stumbled upon a children's book, Pizza for the Queen. It was a cute little story about a pizza man who had been asked to make pizza for the queen. He wanted to make her pizzas that were true to the taste of the town and in the process invented a new pizza: Pizza Margherita. Named after the the queen, Queen Margherita. It was a really cute story and the best part of it all....it's true! So, at the end of the book, the author included a recipe for Pizza Margherita and I just had to try it.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 pkg. yeast or 2 1/4 t.

1 t. sugar

3/4 c. warm water

2 c. + more flour

1/2 t. salt

1/8 c. OR 2 T. olive oil

Pizza:

1 t. extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, halved

4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 c. fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 t. balsamic vinegar

1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped

1/8 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

Recipe:

Dough:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water.

2. Mix the flour, salt, and olive oil together in a mixing bowl.

3. Put the flour mixture on a pastry board. Create a well in the center of the flour mixtures. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and begin forming the dough with your hands. *

4. Knead the dough until it is smooth and can be stretched. Add more warm water if necessary. If the dough seems sticky, add a little more flour.

5. Roll the dough into a ball and cover it with a towel. Let is rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

6. When done rising, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and stretch the dough into a pizza shell and place on a pizza pan or stone.

Pizza:

1. Brush the pizza shell with about 1/2-1 t. of olive oil and run your crust with the cut sides of the garlic.

2. Arrange tomato slices over crust, leaving a 1/2 inch border and sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly throughout.

3. Bake at 500 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

4. Sprinkle hot pizza with chopped basil, salt and pepper and, if desired, drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top.

*I actually did all of the dough mixing in my mixer and it turned out really well.

Rating: 4 of 5

Admittedly, this is not the BEST Margherita pizza I've ever had, but it is delicious. I actually liked it better the second day rather than fresh out of the oven. I'm assuming it has to do with the fact that the basil flavor melded over during the night. I loved the crust. Nice and thin, but still so soft. One thing I love about pizzas is that the tomatoes get hot and soft which completely changes their taste to me. Love it. Really, you can taste every element in this pizza. I am a Margherita pizza lover though.

Sources:

Crust: Pizza for the Queen by Nancy Castaldo

Topping: Eat Yourself Skinny!, Margherita Pizza

Balsamic Marinated Vegetables

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

1 1/2 c. uncooked broccoli, seperated into florets

1 1/2 c. uncooked cauliflower, seperated into florets

1 medium zucchini, sliced

12 baby carrots, sliced

1/2 sweet onion, sliced thin and seperated into rings

Balsamic Dressing:

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar, plus

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. finely snipped fresh parsley

2 T. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t. black pepper

salt

Recipe:

1. Combine the vegetables in a large glass or ceramic bowl.

2. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over vegetables.

3. Stir well, cover and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Cooking time reflects time to marinate vegetables.

Notes:

I used purple onion, broccoli, baby carrots, red peppers, and cucumber instead of the veggies they suggested. I also ended up making more sauce/marinade than they called for. I had more veggies than they asked when I was done chopping, and the marinade seems pretty skimpy when you just do the amount they call for, so i doubled the water and tripled the vinegar and oil and garlic, and just shook in a bunch of pepper. i didn't have any parsley so i left it out. I think it's pretty flexible so do what you want!

Rating: TBD

This one looked really good, however, I didn't try it because I've learned, through the recipes on this blog, that I really don't like the balsamic flavor. I'm sure it was delicious for those who like that flavor though!

Source: Julia Axtell, adapted from food.com