Quinoa with Charred Vegetables and Queso Fresco

Some days the sun just seems to shine brighter-you know, the days where everything seems to go your way, you fit into your skinny jeans and your heart seems to swell with happiness. Last Saturday was one of those days for me. I was in the midst of a 3 exam, 2 paper and 1 presentation week at nursing school, but I got up early, cleaned my room, went for a massage and saw Shutter Island with Carlos (highly recommend this film!!) and cooked dinner.

I decided to make quinoa with charred zucchini, bell peppers, queso fresco and a smoky-spicy tomato sauce. I couldn't have been more pleased with the results-healthy, refreshing and simple to prepare.


To Make:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (use vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian dish!)
1 quart whole milk
2 limes
3 bell peppers (I used 1 red, 1 orange and 1 yellow)
2 small zucchini
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with diced chiles
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 small diced tomatillo
4 cloves minced garlic
1 small diced onion
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Heat up milk in heavy sauce pan over medium heat until steaming, but not quite simmering. Add juice of 1 lime and stir as milk curdles. Turn heat to low and let cook additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add salt and let sit 20 minutes.

As milk is cooking, heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, tomatillos and garlic and turn to medium. Stir constantly until you are sure that the garlic is not browning (if it is, remove from heat and let cool for a minute). Cook about 5 minutes until onions become translucent.

Add spices and cook 1 minute until fragrant.

Stir into tomatoes/chiles into mixture and cook 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour milk over a cheesecloth-lined colander. If you do not cheesecloth, a very fine strainer will do. Once liquid has mostly drained, form curds into a ball and twist cheesecloth over the ball so that the pressure from twisting causes excess liquid to drain. Hang over sink or a bowl for 2 hours so that cheese may dry out.

Slice bell peppers and zucchini lengthwise into small strips.

Heat up remaining olive oil in a cast-iron grilling pan over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and zucchini (you will probably need to do this in 2-3 batches) and cook until lightly charred, adding extra olive oil if necessary. Remove from heat.

Heat up quinoa and broth over high heat. When it begins to simmer, turn heat down to medium-low and cover. Cook 20 minutes, stirring a few times to fluff quinoa.

Serve quinoa with vegetables, cheese and spicy tomato sauce to taste.

Marinated Olives

So the holidays are coming...very soon! These olives are simple to make and you can customize them according to your tastes. They make a very nice "thank you" gift for the teacher/employer/person you appreciate, and are the perfect snack to put out for guests. Here, I have a recipe for both citrusy green and herbed black olives.

Lemon-Garlic Green Olives:
1 1/2 cups green Greek olives in brine, liquid drained
Juice of 1 lemon
Lemon rind strips, white bitter pith removed
1/3 cup garlic infused olive oil

Citrus Herbed Olives:
1 1/2 cup good quality black olives, liquid drained
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 strips of orange rind, white pith removed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Combine ingredients for each olive mixture in a mason jar. Seal tightly and wrap a decorative ribbon around lid. Make a fun holiday label for your jar. Refrigerate overnight before enjoying the olives!

A Happy Thanksgiving without Looking Like a Turkey

The Holidays. A time filled with the joy and pain of seeing relatives, spending too much money and buying wonderful, thoughtful presents and eating and drinking way too much. Is there any wonder that a top New Year's Eve resolution is to lose weight? Not really. But it is possible to eat a delicious meal and maintain a healthy eating pattern (I know, it sounds boring and like no fun, but I have faith that you can do it!). Why am I so focused on healthy eating? Maybe it is because during nursing school a block of cheese seems like a reasonable breakfast choice. Or maybe it is going to my school gym and seeing all the perky, pretty young college students (just to be clear, I am not the "all cute and chipper working out student"); either way, I feel compelled to at least try to live a bit healthier.

Last year I actually had a Dominican feast for Thanksgiving. You can read about that (mis)adventure here and here. I realized as I was falling asleep, that for the first time in my life, I hadn't eaten myself to the point of nausea. Carb coma? Nope. Meat sweats? None. Vague chest pain that should concern me more but I helped myself to the wine to help myself deal my family (just kidding, I love you guys)? Not a single palpitation! It occurred to me that maybe I didn't need to eat and eat and eat to enjoy myself on Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addition to physical exertion (shoveling snow off the walk), emotional strain (arguing with relatives) and exposure to cold (November weather in much of the country), eating a big meal temporarily strains your heart. People have heart attacks on Thanksgiving. The weekend before Thanksgiving, at one hospital there were so many critically ill patients that doctors ran out of a key heart-pumping machine and had to rent two extras

Tomorrow I will post a healthy turkey main course, as well as a homemade cranberry dish that puts the cylindrical cranberry sauce to shame.

From WHfoods:

"Turkey is a very good source of protein, providing 65.1% of the DV in a four ounce portion. Along with protein, turkey is a very good source of selenium. In addition, it is a good source of niacin, vitamin B6 and phosphorus.

Cranberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, a very good source of dietary fiber, and a good source of manganese and vitamin K."

Sunday I will post healthy and delicious recipes for mashed potatoes and a fun alternative to traditional stuffing.

"Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C. They are also a good source of vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber.

Check back Tuesday to find out so-delicious-they-must-be-bad-for-you ideas for your perfect dessert.

What do you think guys, is it possible to enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving? What do you do to make the holidays a bit healthier?

Autumn Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I woke up today with that feeling-you know, when you are tired and kind of achy, and just know that a not fun few days are coming? As swine flu is all the rage these days (so to speak) and all universities are deathly afraid of students spreading the illness I really cannot afford to get sick. In Massachusetts they are not even testing for it anymore, you get a fever, you get a week quarantine, no ifs, ands or buts. So I am fighting back with a vitamin and mineral-rich soup, lots of water and a Law and Order marathon (I cannot really be expected to study under duress, can I ?).

My butternut squash and apple soup recipe could be filed under Soup For Dummies (although one could argue that it's actually smarter to pick a time saving recipe such as this one!). After many instances of dicing onion, peeling apples and slicing my squash into even pieces like a good girl, one day I said &^*$ it and just threw in pre-cut squash, baby carrots, apple chunks and onion cut into quarters into a soup pot. Honestly, it really did not make a noticiable difference in the resulting flavor. So for those who don't have much time or patience, voila! here is the perfect recipe for you!

Ingredients:
3 cups butternut squash, cut into chunks (I bought mine at Trader Joe's)
2 apples, cored
1 cup carrots
1 onion, peel removed and onion cut into quarters
2 cups chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter

Melt butter in a medium to large stew pot over medium high heat. Add butternut squash, carrots and onion to pot and let saute 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking/burning.

Add apples, white pepper, cinnamon and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 45 minutes.

Remove from heat, puree soup in batches.

Serve with toasted bread (good for dipping in soup!)

Note: you can freeze soup and it reheats perfectly for another meal.

Easy Strawberry, Goat Cheese & Spinach Salad

This is a classic early summer salad. Pair with a frittata and some crusty bread, and you have an easy, flavorful Mother's Day brunch!

Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
8oz baby spinach
Balsamic vinaigrette

Wash strawberries well and remove stems. Slice in half vertically.

Wash spinach and let dry.

Divide spinach among 4 plates. Top each with 1 oz goat cheese and 1/2 cup sliced berries. Drizzle vinaigrette over salads.

Raspberry Mango Salsa

2 cups fresh raspberries, washed and drained
1 mango
1/4 cup Vidalia onion (about 1/2 of medium onion)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes

Wash and peel mango, cutting it into very small pieces. Mince onion and add to mango. Wash cilantro and let dry. Mince and add to mango mixture. Toss with fresh raspberries. Juice limes and pour over mixture.

Serve with freshly baked tortilla chips

Cuban Black Bean, Mango and Avocado Salsa

I started to cook while studying abroad in Havana, Cuba. Agromercados sold herbs, beans, fruits and vegetables on the road sides. The salsa is best served with homemade baked tortilla chips and a mojito. : )

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro
1 Vidalia onion
2 limes, juiced
3 medium tomatoes
2 mangos, chopped
1 avocado
Cumin
Paprika
Splash of orange juice
1 pack of 20 corn tortillas


Rinse cilantro well and let dry.


Mince well and add to chopped mangos.


Mix in black beans and diced onion.


Juice limes and add to bean mixture. (A helpful tip about juicing citrus fruit. If cold, warm up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, and then roll the fruit on the cutting board, this will loosen the juice and provide more for the salsa).

Sprinkle cumin, paprika and orange juice over beans.



Add diced tomatoes to bean mixture, preferably a few hours before eating, as it will turn starchy if left for a long time in the refrigerator. Add avocado just before serving, as the avocado will brown if it sits too long.

Preheat oven to 425.



Slice tortillas into 6 wedges and bake on cookie sheet until lightly golden.

Jicama, Avocado, Bell Pepper and Black Bean Salad

This recipe is quite healthy for you! It is high in protein, fiber and vitamins and low in fat.

Ingredients:
1 jicama
1 avocado
1 can black beans
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion
1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
Cumin
Paprika

Open beans and pour into colander. Rinse beans well and let dry. (Rinsing the beans removes the mysterious substance that makes people gassy. I know that isn't polite to talk about, but it's good to avoid being gassy).

Wash and peel onion. Dice as small as your patience allows. Mix with black beans in medium sized bowl. Rinse and mince cilantro, add to bean mixture. Add about 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 teaspoon paprika to beans. Wash bell peppers and cut into slender pieces about 1 1/2 inches long. Wash jicama and cut in half. Peel and cut into sticks that resemble french fries. Cut avocado into small chunks before serving.

Scoop bean mixture onto plates. Place jicama sticks and bell peppers and avocado on top of beans. Squeeze lime over salads.

*A grilled chicken breast would be a nice addition to this salad. I'd add a light splash of olive oil to add more moisture if using chicken.

Fruit Skewers with Vanilla-Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce

I like to jazz up my fruit salads by using wooden kebab skewers to make an individual portion party guests can pick up and eat without needing a plate or fork. Arranged around a dip of vanilla yogurt with mint, the finished product is appealing to the eye AND to your taste buds.

Ingredients: Wooden kebab skewers, cut in half
Small container vanilla yogurt
Fresh mint leaves
Pineapple, cut into small cubes
Strawberries
Bananas, thickly sliced
Watermelon, cut into cubes
Honeydew or Cantaloupe, cut into cubes

Rinse mint leaves and mince them finely. Scoop yogurt into small dipping bowl and mix in mint leaves. Cover and refrigerate until eating. Skewer fruit, alternating by color and type of fruit. Typically I use 3-4 pieces of fruit per skewer. Arrange skewers around dipping bowl placed on the center of large round serving plate. Stack them evenly so that the finished product resembles a flower.

*Fruit can be cut ahead of time (minus the bananas, as they tend to brown) and skewered before presenting. Feel free to substitute other fruits like kiwi, mango, papaya, apples, grapes, whatever you like and is in season!