I feel like I was blessed by my grandmother with the ability to cook (not bake!) without a recipe. I don't measure. I throw in all the things I come up with in my head and it works. Somehow it even works for meat, which I never ever taste. I don't know why or how it works but it does. Genetics I guess. A good sense of smell perhaps? I don't know. But I realize it's a gift and I am blessed to be able to cook this way because lots of people I know really want a recipe and when they ask me for mine and I tell them I don't have one, I am met with looks of frustration.
I thought that this week I would try to give you recipes the best I can for what I made today. Excuse the inexact measurements. I didn't measure either. It will be okay.
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Cheddar:
3 bell peppers washed and halved
Quinoa (1 cup cooked)
Red onion- finely chopped
Jalapeño- seeded and finely chopped
1 can of black beans- drained and rinsed
Cilantro- 3T minced
1 jar of salsa (as mild or spicy as you like- I used Trader Joes medium)
Cheddar- shred
Cook the quinoa according to the directions. Separately, sautee red onion, jalapeños, cilantro and beans in pan. When the onions are soft, add cooked quinoa and salsa to pan. Cook until well mixed. Salt to taste. Spray baking dish with coconut oil spray. Put peppers in dish, fill with quinoa and top with shredded cheddar. When you are ready, bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Top with avocado, more cilantro or sour cream.
Next time I make these I may use quinoa and grass fed ground beef. I could use shredded chicken. If it's a hit with the kids, I play with it. I may make them Moroccan style with quinoa and raisins and cinnamon with yogurt sauce. (Note to self: make those soon.) Depends on my mood.
Greek Chicken, Tzatziki and Quinoa with Spinach:
*tip- I doubled the quinoa above and so I had cooked quinoa for both. Nick also chopped all the red onion at the same time so I had for both recipes.
Chicken- I used organic boneless skinless thighs
Marinate with-1/2 red onion chopped, a handful of chopped dill, 2 garlic cloves minced, 2T of red wine vinegar, juice of a 1/2 lemon, salt to taste and olive oil- a drizzle.
I cook them on the stove in a little olive oil until browned on the night we eat them.
Tzatziki: Greek yogurt- 1 1/2c, 1 cucumber seeded and shredded on the cheese grater, 4 cloves of minced garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and 1/2 of lemon juice.
Quinoa:
1 c of quinoa (cooked)
1 can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed
1/4 cup of chopped dill
20 kalamata olives chopped
1/2 red onion minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 bag of baby spinach
Feta cheese- 1/2 block crumbled
Lemon juice and/or red wine vinegar
I prep the quinoa ahead with everything but the last 3 ingredients. On the night I use it I will heat olive oil, sautee the spinach and then add the quinoa and cook for about 15 min. I will add lemon and vinegar last and top with feta.
Crispy Chickpeas:
I used the recipe last week from this website:
This week I decided to make them Indian spiced. I used garam masala, curry powder, cinnamon and salt.
The recipe for the Cinnamon Raisin Bread was found here:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/25/recipe-whole-wheat-cinnamon-raisin-bread-for-bread-machine/
The granola bars here:
This week I did whole almonds, almond butter, peanut butter and raisins.
I make trail mix all the time- I mix all kinds of things together but some of my favorites are: almonds, cashews, dark chocolate chips and dried cherries or cranberries. This week was unsalted peanuts, almonds, dried unsweetened pineapple and dark chocolate chips. Trader joes is amazing for nuts and dried fruit. You can actually find unsweetened dried fruit there.
And like any good Italian- if I told you what was in my tomato sauce, I'd have to kill you. So I won't. But here is a pic anyway:
Those are my recipes this week. I will try to share them more often or give links to where I find things if they aren't my own!
Happy eating!
