Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

When I plant my garden in the spring, I tend to be an over planter, which is all fine and dandy, until later in the season...when the plants go wild and you cannot even begin to wade thru the greenery without stepping on something. But, in the early summer, when everything is behaving well, my garden is a lovely calm place to while away the time pulling weeds,  and thinning the rows of beautiful greens. Which leads us to this salad. Instead of thinning and tossing, I like to use the thinning in salads like this, kind of a waste-not-want-not kind of thing. It makes me feel less guilty about pulling out perfectly good plants :)

Baby Kale against a backdrop
of carrots, that need to be thinned
as well!

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

6 cups chopped baby Kale (packaged or picked from your garden!)

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

2 avocados, diced

2 cups strawberries, hulls removed and sliced

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white balsamic

Zest and juice of one organic lemon

1 tsp sea salt or herbamare

1 Tbsp honey

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped garlic chives (optional, you can sub regular chives if desired)

Toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients into a 2c mason jar. Place lid on snuggly and shake well to combine.

Toss together well and serve immediately, or chill in refrigerator for up to a day if desired.

Squeeze lemon into your jar

use rasp to grate the zest BEFORE
squeezing the lemons...much easier!

to cool your quinoa quickly,
spread on a large plate and
set in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Perfect side dish for BBQ Chicken 

Vegetarian Quinoa Lentil Patties

One of my boys used to date a vegetarian. When deciding what to feed them for dinner one night, I realized my vegetarian cooking repertoire has become somewhat limited. I feed meat eaters now, and my vegetarian cooking has kind of gone by the wayside these past few years. (We were vegetarian for probably 12 years, not a new way of cooking for me at all, but I do admit, I am kind of rusty!) So, with frozen lentils and quinoa in my freezer, I set out to make something that she would enjoy while we were having some leftover rotisserie chicken. I think they turned out pretty tasty!

The curry in these patties is mild, but if you are not a curry fan, feel free to substitute any herbs of choice for the curry powder.

Vegetarian Quinoa Lentil Patties 

2 tbsp coconut oil

½ cup finely diced onion

½ cup grated carrot

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp madras curry powder (or curry powder of choice)

1 cup of cooked lentils (mine were French lentils)

1 ½ cup cooked quinoa

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

½ cup grated Parmesan

cheese

Heat the coconut oil over medium high heat in a cast iron or other (NOT non-stick) heavy bottomed frying pan. Sauté the onion, carrot and garlic until the vegetables are just starting to soften and brown, approx 8-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the lentils and the curry powder, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature before proceeding!

Preheat Oven to 375F

Add the contents of the cooled frying pan to a bowl with the quinoa, eggs, salt and cheese. Mix well.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper, and shape the mixture into 8 patties, approx 1/3 cup each. Press them together as best you can, it helps hold them together.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, remove from oven, and carefully flip the patties over to the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the patties start to brown slightly, and hold together well.

Serve as is, or in a burger bun, wrap or lettuce leaf with toppings of choice. 

Garden Vegetable and Quinoa Salad

I love summer. More to the point, I love my garden in the summer. Picking fresh veggies and using them right away for lunch, or dinner, or a salad, is definitely a highlight of the season for me. There is always the makings of a meal or a side dish just outside my back door, as fresh as fresh can be. I highly recommend gardening of some kind to everyone, even if it is just growing some herbs in pots on a sunny windowsill.

 The green and yellow beans, the spinach, the zucchini, and  the herbs in this salad all came from my garden. I created this salad  

for my last GBG gathering, (my grade school girlfriends group), the same one that I took the chocolate cake with this raspberry sauce to. I somehow neglected to take a picture of the salad though, and had to make another batch, just for the pictures, of course! (I missed taking pictures of the cake too…that one will have to be repeated soon too, just for pictures again, really!

Garden Vegetable and Quinoa Salad

3 cups chopped green and or yellow wax beans( 2 inch pieces ish)

1 ¾ cup cooked quinoa

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into thin half moons

¼ cup fresh chopped basil

Zucchini in the garden

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

1/3 cup chives, regular or garlic (garlic are my favourite!)

3 cups packed baby spinach

1 cup thinly sliced red onion (to remove the bite, after slicing, soak the onion in ice cold water for 10-15 minutes, drain well before using)

Dressing:

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp grainy mustard

1 tbsp maple syrup

Salt and pepper to taste

Green Beans :)

Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium, and drop in the chopped beans and cook for 4 minutes. Plunge into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process and chill the beans. Change the water if necessary to get them cold.

Toss into a large bowl with the quinoa and the rest of the chopped veggies, and herbs . Set aside.

Measure the dressing ingredients in a 2 cup mason jar. Put lid on and shake well. Combine with salad ingredients and mix well to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate till needed. Keeps well in refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Grain Free Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Cookies

I was going to save this recipe for a possible grain free cooking class, but it is so darn good I couldn't wait to share! Toasting the quinoa flakes helps to loose the bitter flavour some associate with quinoa. I have used untoasted as well, and you can skip this step if you like, but the toasted version really is better! 

Soaking the raisins in the hot water and vanilla is a trick I learned years ago. It hydrates the raisins and makes them much more pleasant for "raisin haters"! Again, you can skip this step if you like, but it does add to the cookie!

Grain Free Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Cookies

½ cup raisins

½ cup boiling water

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup quinoa flakes

½ cup softened unsalted butter

½ cup coconut sugar

1 cup  almond flour

½ tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp coconut flour

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt (omit if your butter is salted)

½ tsp vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

2 Tbsp of the raisin soaking water

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350F

In a cast iron pan, toast the quinoa flakes over medium heat, stirring constantly until the flakes become fragrant, and are just starting to turn a slight golden colour. This will only take a few minutes, and they will burn quite easily, so you will need to pay attention! Remove to a plate to cool.

In a heat proof measuring cup or bowl, soak the raisins in the boiling water and the first amount of vanilla for 15 minutes. You will need to save some of the soaking liquid, for the cookies, so don’t drain it too soon!

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the coconut sugar until really well combined. Add the rest of your dry  ingredients, and mix well, adding  the 2 Tbsp of the raisin soaking water as well. Drain and discard the rest of the liquid from the raisins, and then stir them into the cookie dough with the walnuts.

Scoop out onto parchment lined pan in about 1 tbsp spoonfuls. Mine made approx 18 2-bite cookies.

Bake for 12 -13 minutes  or until edges are just starting to brown for a chewy cookie, leave in up to an extra 2 minutes for a crispier cookie, but watch closely for the last 2 minutes  as they will burn quickly.

Let cool  on the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a coloring rack. They will be slightly crumbly, but will set up when cool.

Raisin-less batch for Mac, who says
they ruin the cookie :(

Raisin batch for everyone else!

I find these cookies are best the day they are made. Store in the fridge for best results after the first day. I like to freeze the rest in serving sized baggies for an easy snack on the run.

Grain Free Quinoa Salmon Cakes

These are a great meal when you forget to take something out of the freezer to thaw, or you are trying to stretch the food budget a wee bit until pay day. They go together quickly if you have some quinoa set aside, and bake in just enough time to set the table and toss a salad to serve on the side.  Be sure to choose a wild caught salmon with no extra added ingredients.

Grain Free Quinoa Salmon Cakes

2 cans wild caught salmon, drained

1 cup pre-cooked organic quinoa

2 eggs, preferably pastured

½ cup Best Baa Raw Sheep’s Milk Feta Cheese, crumbled (or feta of choice)

2 cups organic baby spinach, (chop after measuring)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh organic basil (or 2 tsp dried)

1/3 cup organic sun dried tomatoes, finely diced (drained if in oil, soaked in hot water and drained if dry)

1/8 tsp organic cayenne

½ tsp Herbamare or sea salt of choice

Preheat oven to 375F

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until very well combined. Using hands shape into patties, and place on a greased baking pan.(Mine made 10 patties, about 1 inch thick and 3 inches across)

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked thru. Serve warm or chilled.

Ready to go in the oven to bake!

Quinoa Veggie Wraps

This is a nice light lunch idea, with two options. Grain Free using a lettuce leaf, or using a rice wrapper. The rice wrapper does hold together a bit easier for eating, but they both look pretty!   I had to tie my lettuce ones, as they kept springing open. Just remove the kitchen twine when eating!

The amount of filling here should fill at least 10 wraps of choice, depending on the size of your wrap.

Quinoa Veggie Wraps

3 cups cooked, cooled quinoa

2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped

½  cup parsley, chopped

Dressing:

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

2 tsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp Herbamare or sea salt

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Toppings of choice: (this is what I used, feel free to change it up, being sure to slice thinly!)

1 carrot, grated or julienned

Thinly sliced cucumber

1 Avocado, halved, peeled and sliced thin

Alfalfa or red clover sprouts

(other suggestions: thinly sliced zucchini, peppers, radishes, tomatoes, beets, basil leaves, onions, green onions, other sprouts, etc)

Wrap options:

lettuce leaves, rice wrappers, (for grain eaters, you could do a traditional wheat wrap or pita as well)

Mix together the quinoa, spinach and parsley in a medium mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small mixing bowl, and add to the quinoa mixture.  Stir well to combine.

In a nice firm large lettuce leaf or in a rice paper wrapper (soak 30 seconds in water till softened and then use, see pictures below for technique) place about 1/3 cup of the quinoa , and any toppings of choice. Roll up as best as possible. Secure lettuce with a piece of kitchen twine if necessary. Cut rice wraps in half on an angle if desired before eating. We served ours with a drizzle of organic hot sauce. 

rice wrapper, dry

rice wrapper, after being soaked for 30 seconds

add fillings, fold ends in

roll tightly

Roasted Orange Walnut Salmon with Rosemary

This is a bonus two-recipes- in-one post. We very often cook with pre-planned leftovers, to be used either as is, or changed up somehow to be used in our lunches for the next day.  After dinner, while we are tiding up (Jim calls me “Hurricane Janine” in the kitchen) we get our lunches ready for the next day to keep our mornings less hectic. Freezing 1 cup portions of quinoa gives a great salad filler for the extra veggies or proteins from dinner. If you freeze it spread out and flat in baggies, it thaws in no time.

I threw together this tasty salmon topping, and the pan juices become the dressing for the salad. Easy and tasty!

We served our salmon with some organic baby spinach sauted in butter, and these potatoes from my old blog. (Gluten warning: the malt vinegar mentioned in the linked recipe does contain Gluten, substitute a raw apple cider vinegar or a nice organic balsamic)

Roasted Orange Walnut Salmon with Rosemary

5 Wild caught salmon pieces or one very large piece, thawed if frozen

1/3 cup organic walnuts, finely chopped

Zest of ½ an organic orange

Juice of whole organic orange (mine was not very large)

1 T coconut nectar

2 T melted coconut oil or olive oil

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 tsp Herbamare (or sea salt of your choice)

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, woody stems removed, finely chopped (or sub 1 tsp dried)

Preheat oven to 450F. Place Salmon, skin side down,  in an oven safe dish. Set aside.

Mix all ingredients together and spread evenly on top of salmon pieces. Bake on middle rack in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with fork and is opaque thru.

Serve hot!

Salmon Quinoa Salad:

1 piece of the above salmon, plus the extra pan juices,

1 cup of pre-cooked quinoa

 2-3 cups mixed organic baby greens

Flake the salmon in a medium mixing bowl. Add quinoa, salad greens and the pan juices from the salmon. Toss well, makes two servings.

Quinoa, Chicken and Veggie Salad with Applewood Smoked Cheddar

Adding the quinoa to this salad while it is hot melts the smoked cheddar so it becomes part of the dressing to this salad. This cheese has a strong smoky flavour, so a little goes a long way.

Quinoa Chicken and Veggie Salad with Applewood Smoked Cheddar

1 cup cooked chicken, cubed

1 carrot, shredded or grated

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ cup broccoli, chopped

¼ cup grated Applewood smoked cheddar

1 apple

½ lemon, juiced (or 2 tbsp)

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp grainy mustard

½ tsp Herbamare (or other salt)

1 cup HOT quinoa

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the chicken, carrots, celery and broccoli. Set aside.

Core and chop one apple and place in a small bowl. Squeeze the juice of ½ of a lemon over the apple and toss. Remove the apple pieces, leaving the lemon juice in the bowl. 

Toss the apple with the chicken and veggies, and again set aside.

To the lemon juice, add the olive oil, mustard and salt. Whisk well to combine.

Add cheese and the dressing to the veggie chicken mixture and toss to coat.

Add the Hot quinoa and stir well to combine.

Chill before serving.

Quinoa Cakes

I love quinoa.  (pronounced : KEEN-wah) This wonderful little super-food packs a big nutritional punch, giving you protein, iron, fiber  magnesium and potassium, just to name some of its benefits. It is naturally gluten free, and it is technically a seed, not a grain. But it behaves in a very grain-like manner, making it a very versatile ingredient to add to your cooking repertoire. It is a great addition to salads, soups, and casserole type dishes alike. A friend of mine recently made a lasagna with it that I am itching to make!

This recipe is just one of my favourite ways to prepare it. Feel free to change up the veggies, and the cheese to suit your taste-buds or what is in your fridge. The possibilities are endless! They are great eaten warm or cold, and freeze well. Tuck them into your lunch bag with a side salad for an energizing mid-day meal. However you eat them, I am sure you will love them!

QUINOA CAKES

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed

2 cups water

1 cup finely chopped or shredded carrots

2 tbsp finely chopped shallot (onion would do as well!)

Fresh /dried herbs of choice (used dried parsley and thyme in first batch) use slightly more fresh than dried

3 eggs

1 cup grated cheese of choice (used Romano and goats milk mozzarella )

1 tsp salt

½ - 1 tsp Hot red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tbsp arrowroot starch

Bring water and quinoa to a boil, reduce heat , cover with lid, and cook for 15 min. Turn off heat, let sit for additional 5 min. Set aside to cool.

When quinoa is cool enough to work with, mix with rest of ingredients, and pack into greased muffin tins. (I used the bottom of a drinking glass to make the tops flat and compress the cakes nicely)

Bake at 350F for 30 min. Run knife around edges, let sit in pan for 5 min, then gently lift out. Serve warm or cold.

Cherry Tomato, Quinoa And Mozzarella Salad With Spinach (AKA: Another idea for Leftover Quinoa)

When I make quinoa, I always make too much, but the leftovers never go to waste. If I am not making quinoa cakes with the extras, I throw it in the freezer in 1 cup containers. This is a perfect amount to use in a cold salad for lunch. I have had this recipe open on my laptop for a while now, (original recipe from here:  http://www.miasdomain.com/2012/06/quinoa-mozzarella-tomato-salad.html?spref=tw ) it looked so yummy I had to make it. We needed a side to go with our leftover lamb chops for lunch tomorrow, so I threw together a loose version. This is a perfect amount for 2 side salads or one larger meal salad. My amounts were kind of a toss here and a toss there. If you want a more precise version, refer to the original recipe. Her recipe uses basil, but being as something is eating my basil every time I plant it, I substituted my garlic chives.

Cherry Tomato, Quinoa And Mozzarella Salad With Spinach 

I picked a big handful of baby spinach from the garden, approx 1 cup, rinsed and roughly chopped it. Toss in a mixing bowl, and add around 10 cherry tomatoes, halved, ¼ cup chopped garlic chives, juice of ½ a lemon, mini fresh mozzarella balls, 10-15 ish (if yours are big, use 4- 5 and quarter them), 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Let flavours mingle for a bit, and enjoy!

Cheesy Turkey, Kale and Quinoa Casserole

I love it when inventions end up being awesome. As with many of my days off, I spent a large part of today in my kitchen, and was trying to come up with a plan for dinner. With another turkey day looming in the not so distant future, I figured it was about time to use up some of the leftovers in my freezer from the last turkey day. Add some fresh kale from the garden, yummy quinoa, and a grain free cheese sauce, and it turned into a tasty meal that even my Quinoa-hating-Kale-hating teenagers ate without a single complaint. The smoked Gruyere cheese added a wonderful smoky flavour that melded all of the flavours together into a tasty tasty meal. Definitely a keeper! (We followed it with this butterscotch pudding http://zoebakes.com/2012/03/21/butterscotch-pot-de-creme-a-10-name-for-a-kickin-pudding/print/  , hands down the best I have ever made!)

Cheesy Turkey, Kale and Quinoa Casserole

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken

Quinoa:

2 cups of dry quinoa

3 cups of chicken broth

Vegetables:

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

4 packed cups of chopped kale

Cheese sauce:

¼ cup butter

½ cup almond flour

2 cups milk

1 ½ cups grated smoked Gruyere cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Topping:

1 tbsp almond flour

Directions:

Cut up your chicken or turkey and set aside.

Make your Quinoa: Bring 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add your quinoa, and let it return to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 18 minutes, or until all the broth is absorbed. Remove lid and set aside to cool slightly. (You won’t use all of what you cooked, save the last cup for another dish)

Prepare your vegetables: Melt butter (2 Tbps) in a large cast iron skillet. Sauté the onion until it begins to soften and just slightly brown (5-7 minutes). Add chopped kale and continue to sauté and stir until it is nice and wilty, about 7 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare your cheese sauce: Melt butter (¼ cup) in a large pot (you are going to mix everything together in the pot, so be sure to use a big one!). Add the almond flour and salt and pepper and stir till combined and starting to bubble.  Add milk slowly, stirring constantly until it is well combined. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly. Add grated cheese and stir till melted.

Assemble: To your cheese sauce, add the cut up turkey, 4 cups of the cooked quinoa, and your sautéed kale and onions. Mix well and spoon into a large casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1 tbsp almond flour and bake in a 350F oven for ½ hour or until it starts to bubble around the edges.

Serve hot!