Quinoa, Black Beans, Corn and Spice!

Tonight, I sauteed up some collard greens in olive oil, onions and garlic. It turned out yummy as always. This went really well with our main dish (all gluten-free). Here's how I made the Quinoa with black beans and corn:

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked Quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 can black beans

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne (or more or less to heighten or soften the flavor)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In large sauce pan (or deep skillet) heat oil, then add chopped onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add Quinoa, brother, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and mix. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add corn and mix/cook for a few minutes. Finally, add black beans and cilantro and mix through to heat.

Serve hot with the collard greens.

Grilled Polenta with Tomatoes and Curry Vegetables

I got this recipe from The Six O'Clock Scramble and decided to post it here because it's so darn yummy. Definitely make the vegetables with the polenta because they go so well together (and the veggies are super easy to make).

Grilled Polenta Ingredients:

24 oz of plain prepared polenta (sold in a tube) or garlic basil polenta, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds

1/4 cup olive oil (I actually could have gotten away with 1/8 a cup for this)

1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 1-2 cloves)

5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 tomato, diced

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

This can be done on the grill or in the broiler. If doing the grill, preheat it, put the polenta on a vegetable tray and grill until it's lightly browned - about 3-4 minutes per side.

We did this perfectly in the oven on the broil setting (about 410 degrees for approx. 7 min per side - or just until lightly browned - be sure to flip). I put them about 4-5 inches from the top broiler.

It's a good time to get your sauce together and start cutting veggies and preparing the vegetable side.

For the polenta sauce, mix together the olive oil, garlic, basil, and salt. Once the polenta is done, drizzle the sauce over the slices, top with diced tomatoes and then sprinkle the cheese on top.

Curry Vegetables Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1/2 diced onion (I always use a whole one)

1 diced zucchini (I always use two)

2 cups frozen corn kernels (or 4 ears of corn with kernels cut off)

salt and pepper

1 tsp curry powder

Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the corn to the skillet and cook for another 3-5 minutes (if it starts to brown, turn down the heat). Season with salt and pepper and 1 tsp of curry powder (optional but so good!).

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Garbanzo Beans!!

Oh my lordy this is probably the best chocolate cake I've ever had!! And it doesn't have gluten!

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

4 eggs

3/4 cups white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Put the chocolate chips into a microwave safe dish and nuke them for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 20 or 30 seconds to make sure they're mixed together and melted.

Mix the beans with the eggs in a food processor until smooth. Add the sugar and baking powder and give it another whirl to mix it all together.

Fold the beans into the chocolate and mix well. Pour into a greased and flour powdered 9 inch round cake pan and bake for 40 minutes on 350 degrees (or 340 in a convection oven).

Cool for several minutes in the pan and then reverse dump onto a large plate. Top with sprinkled confectioner's sugar, whipped cream, strawberries, or frosting.

So perfect!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

So I finally got around to baking these Whole Foods Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies. For some reason, baking on a day that it's a 102 degrees outside is never very appealing, but the end product was very yummy and worth it!!

I did mine with organic peanut butter and added Reeses Peanut Butter chips. The kids love them and I am happy they're getting a little extra protein!

Thanksgiving Day Sides

I did get these off the minimalist list by Mark Bittman.



These beans were my absolute favorite. I purchased 3 cans large butter beans and 1 large can of regular black olives (my kids won't eat the yummy kalamata ones). I cooked the beans, drained and rinsed them, then added them to chopped black olives, about 8 scallions (I used both the white and the green parts), and a mixture of olive oil and white wine vinegar (just enough to coat- about 1/2 cup). I used some fresh oregano (about a tablespoon) from our garden. This was definitely a favorite and I'll be making this for lunch/sides even on non-Thanksgiving Days. I'm adding this to my easy breezy meals. This also tasted better the second day (I made it the night before).



This sweet potato recipe is very different. I didn't even know you could eat sweet potatoes raw, but they were good and had a carrot texture. I absolutely loved the blender dressing made for this (jalapeno, olive oil, lime juice, and red onion). This was added to the shredded sweet potatoes and diced bell pepper. I ended up making this the night before. I suggest making it the day of because it tastes better to me that way. Or, I might suggest mixing the dressing with the potatoes the day of (even if you make them separately the night before). Also, I love spicy dishes so next time, I'll probably add another jalapeno or two.

I also tried two more of the minimalist recipes that I wasn't as thrilled about, but they were easy, different, and good:

Onion-Rosemary Skillet Bread and the Sauteed garlic/pine nuts with broccoli bake.

Halloumi Cheese with Cucumber Lentil Salad

My new favorite cheese. Oh my...

Seared Tuna with Avocado Tuesday

This is the best seared tuna ever! I think it should be sold in a restaurant near me! I made the sauce up early (because hubby gets home late) and it was all ready to go when he was ready to sear the tuna (which only takes a few minutes).

As for the potatoes, I just cut them up, mixed them with some olive oil, fresh rosemary and some S&P. Then I roasted them in the oven about 380 degrees for about 45 minutes.