Friday, October 5, 2012

Self-Dressing Stacked Spinach Salad

I admit that this is not the most attractive dish, but it is super easy and super delicious and  super healthy!

I discovered the secret to this self dressing salad by accident when I took it to work one day.  The flavors melded perfectly and it was divine! 




Self-Dressing Stacked Spinach Salad

Ingredients

Baby Spinach
Feta Cheese Crumbles
Fresh Tomato, chopped
Bacon crumbles (optional) 

Directions

Place desired amount of spinach in a bowl.
Pour feta over the spinach.
Cover with the chopped tomatoes, include any excess juice from the chopping process.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours, five is even better.
Remove from fridge and sprinkle in bacon.
Toss and serve.

Tips and Hints

  • Letting this salad sit is key.  If you just toss everything together fresh it is not even close to as delicious.  
  • The natural juices from the tomatoes drip over the feta and spinach making the self dressing part work.
  • Just eyeball the amounts of ingredients to your taste, but be sure to have enough tomato to drip over the rest of the salad

Monday, October 1, 2012

Quinoa with a Kick

Several years ago I attended a class at BYU's Education Week on Great Grains.   The presenter talked about a super grain called Quinoa and its amazing health properties.  Including his belief that Helaman's Stripling Warriors were able to march all day and all night powered by this awesome grain indigenous to Central America.    Since then I'd been wanting to try it.  

One day at work our school cafeteria (voted Best in State) served quinoa.  I was stoked and got school lunch for the only time that year.  I was hooked! and asked our cafeteria manager for the recipe.  The downside was that his recipe made 100 servings.  I had to do some dreaded math.  

Of course, as you would expect, I tweaked it, added a few things and kicked up the spice level.  The result was this amazing quinoa dish that I get rave reviews on and friends asking for the recipe.  Now I am sharing it with all.



Quinoa with a Kick


Ingredients 

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1-2 Chili Peppers, diced (variety depends on your preferred heat level)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth (including liquid reserved from the tomatoes) 
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more to taste if you like heat)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch salt
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained with liquid reserved

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the onion and garlic, saute until lightly browned.
Add peppers and saute another few minutes.
Mix quinoa into the pan and heat slightly.
Pour in the vegetable broth, including tomato liquid.
Season with the cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the "tails" of the quinoa pop out.  (You'll know it when you see it, it is a very distinctive feature of this amazing grain)
Stir the frozen corn into the saucepan and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until the corn is heated through.
Mix in the black beans and tomatoes and heat another 5 minutes, until heated through. 

Tips and Hints

  • I use an equal mixture of red and white quinoa
  • Quinoa is getting more popular as a gluten free wonder grain, if you don't see it in your local market check at a health food store.  Red quinoa is a bit more rare and this will be your best source for it.
  • If you like somewhat mild make sure you remove the seeds from the chili peppers, for a more spicy kick leave the seeds in and increase the number of peppers used.
  • This is great as a side dish, or pared with a cool salad a great meal. 
  • Also great as left-overs the next day