Say this with me..."keen-wah". That is how "quinoa" is pronounced. Now that that's out of the way, may I present to you another healthy dish. It can be served warm or cold. I liked it with grilled chicken for a main dish. It is healthy and packed with protein. My kids looked at it and didn't want to touch it but with a little gentle coaxing *wink* they tasted it and decided just because it is healthy it doesn't have to be gross. If you feel like it's time to eat something a little healthy, try this recipe.

Black Bean and Sweet Corn Quinoa Salad
*Melskitchencafe.com

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you have picky kids)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen sweet white corn
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the quinoa and cover with broth. Stir in cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed).

Stir in the frozen corn and black beans. Cover and let the pot sit off the heat until the corn and beans are heated through, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve warm or cold. Printable recipe.


Calorie Count gave this recipe a grade A! (8 servings)
497 calories
5.2 g fat
1 g saturated fat
18.1 g fiber
33.6 g protien

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A friend invited our family over for dinner. She always serves the best food. She served this yummy salad with a delicious dressing. It was so good I think I licked my plate...or was that in my dream? Anyway, make this soon for your family or for any dinner party. What a fabulous salad to serve for a Valentines dinner. Substitute the fresh pears with fresh strawberries. The pink dressing will make it look valentine-y too.

(another) Spinach Salad

Baby spinach leaves
Crumbled Feta cheese
Craisins
Sliced pears (peeled with potato peeler)
Sugared nuts (I use these)

Mix 3-4 cups spinach (you can mix in Romaine or Iceberg too)
Sprinkle Feta, Craisins, pears and nuts. Drizzle with Honey Paprika dressing and serve immediately.

Honey Paprika Dressing
*Erin R.

2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt/kosher salt
1 tsp celery seed (I've made it without this and it is still delicious!)

Mix above dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor mix:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 tsp grated onion (or dried minced onion)

Pour dry ingredients in blender. Blend to mix. While blender is running slowly add 1 cup canola or vegetable oil. Printable recipe

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I tasted these nuts at a friend's house while we were having book club. They are delicious and easy to make. I love to set them out in a dish or give them a rough chop and add them to a salad. De-lish!

Cinnamon Roasted Nuts

*LouAnne R.

4 cups whole almonds, pecans, walnuts or a combo

1 egg white

1 tsp. cold water

½ cup white sugar

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly grease a 10x15 jellyroll pan. Mix together sugar, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add nuts to egg white and mix to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle sugar and spice mixture over nuts and mix to distribute evenly over nuts. Spread nuts evenly over prepared jellyroll pan. Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Allow to cool then store nuts in an airtight container.

Please note: I double the recipe. They store for a few weeks. Printable recipe

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Have you ever thought, "I don't like spinach. Yuck. It really has no taste and it sticks between your teeth. I know it is good for you but I'll take my iceberg lettuce thank you." Not so fast. Try this salad and spinach will be your new salad favorite. The dressing is de-lish and it really makes all of the salad parts a cohesive whole. mmmmm. Plus it has Iceberg lettuce and bacon and mushrooms and red onion......Phil, you may even enjoy this spinach salad.

Spinach Salad

1 large bag spinach

1 head iceburg lettuce washed and torn into bite sized pieces

½ lb mushrooms sliced

¾ lb swiss cheese grated

1 large container cottage cheese

1 lb bacon cooked and crumbled (I cut it into bite sized pieces before cooking)

1 red onion sliced thinly

Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing right before serving (dressing recipe makes more than you need)

Dressing

1½ T poppy seeds

¾ t. dry mustard

¾ C white vinegar

¾ C sugar

1½ C oil (I use a vegetable and olive oil combo)

1½ t. dry onion

1 t. salt

combine and chill overnight so the flavors can combine. Printable recipe

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This is one of my favorite salads. I love it because I always have the ingredients on hand and the dressing is fantastic. I got the recipe from the Favorites cookbook (which is weird because it is my favorite cookbook). The first time I made this salad I knew it was a keeper. When pears are in season I replace the mandarin oranges with fresh sliced pears. I love the crunch of the celery and the flavor of the green onions and the sweetness of the fruit and candied almonds. The dressing is great too with a little hint of Tabasco.

Mandarin-Almond Salad
Favorites cookbook

1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tbsp. sugar

1 head green leaf lettuce
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 cup finely chopped celery
3 green onions, chopped
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

Caramelize slivered almonds by mixing with sugar in a small skillet and stirring constantly over low heat until lightly browned. Cool on waxed paper and break into small pieces; set aside. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces and combine with celery, green onions and mandarin oranges. Toss with dressing and sprinkle with sugared almonds. Printable recipe

Dressing:

1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. fresh parsley (or I use 1 tsp. dried parsley)
dash pepper
dash Tabasco
Combine ingredients and mix well. Printable recipe

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