Nutty Greek Quinoa Toss

It's amazing how easily one can gain a few pounds when your metabolism takes a nose dive in your late thirties. I mean honestly, can't a girl go on a nice relaxing cruise and sit around all day long on the back of a ship's deck looking out at the cold, serene Alaskan waters with her feet up on a wicker chair and be surrounded constantly with pastries, cheeses and berry filled crepes at all hours of the day without gaining 8 stupid pounds?

Apparently not. *Sigh.






Well, if that weren't a bad enough set back on my never ending fight against belly bulge then the 12 hour road trip we took this last weekend to Utah with 4 kids certainly put the nail on the diet coffin. While we did bring along apples and healthy trail mix, they went so well with Twizzlers and chocolate covered raisins that we decided to buy some cookies to top it off. Perfectly reasonable right?


Now, how to lose those 10 pounds gained in 2 short weeks after I've been fighting to lose 20 since who the hell knows when?    *Double sigh, big fat pout.

Here's the back of the ship where my sweetie and I  loved to sit and relax..... and snack.... a lot.

Can you blame us? I mean really. Look at the view. And the weather was just so unbelievably cool and perfect compared to the miserable heat we are used to here in Phoenix.

We didn't spend  ALL  of our time on our butts stuffing our mouths.
We had some pretty amazing adventures too.
Here we are zip lining through the 200 foot tall trees in Ketchikan, AK.  

Me and my baby sister Rachel.

Did I mention that due to the glaciers that swept over the land many years ago, the soil is only 4-6" deep?
Did you catch that? That's INCHES, not feet.


We were swinging from super tall trees that are hanging on for their dear lives in soil that is too shallow to plant carrots in!


Smart.

And we took one frieking amazing, hold onto your hats fast bike ride 32 mies from Canada back to Skagway, AK. This was by far the highlight of my trip! The scenery was breath taking. 

So, how to fit back into my pants?




It's a good thing I discovered quinoa some time ago and shortly after figured out how to make it unbelievable delicious.

It's the feta. No, it's the toasted pine nuts. NO! It's the white balsamic vinaigrette.

O.K., all of these things plus the squeeze of lemon, freshness of the parsley and zip of the sweet peppers make this quinoa toss very addictive and satisfyng. My tummy thanks me.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 big handful grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 big handful sweet peppers minced
1 big handful parsley, minced
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinaigrette
freshly cracked white pepper
squeeze fresh lemon juice



Put quinoa into a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly to remove natural 'soapy' film.  Cook according to package directions, usually 1:1 parts quinoa-water, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
If you please, toast pine nuts on a dry cast iron skillet until golden brown to bring out flavor.
Using a small food processor or knife, finely dice sweet peppers, garlic and parsley.
In a large bowl, toss together still warm quinoa, feta, peppers, parsley, pine nuts and tomatoes.
Drizzle in oil and vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Add lemon and pepper to taste.

Serve warm or chilled.

For dinner, we prefer the warm version where the feta is just slightly creamy and the flavors melt together.

Pineapple Carnitas Pizza

Happy Pizza Friday! 

One of my family's favorite foods is pizza and one of my favorites is home made pizza. You just can't beat a good home cooked pizza on a pizza stone. The fresh dough and fresh ingredients of your choosing. I like to get crazy with my pizza and put stuff like eggplant and goat cheese on it but the kids have a slightly less exotic palate. 

This pizza incorporated another of our family's favorite cuisines, Mexican food. The roast was slow cooked in pineapple juice making it sheer torture waiting for it to be done while whiffs of warm pineapple floated around the house. 

Serve with an ice cold tropical margarita if your feeling festive.

The meat is moist and will make your dough soggy if you don't pre-cook it, so pop the dough onto your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of good olive oil and bake at 400F for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and then put your toppings on.

Topped simply with shredded Jack cheese and slices of sweet peppers this pizza was very satisfying.

I seem to have started quite a stir when I posted my shredded chicken tip  last year. I had several people asked me if it worked with beef and sure enough it does!  Again, just make sure you are using very warm or hot meat and trim as much fat from the roast as you can. If you use cold meat it can quite possibley harm your mixer, my Aunts Bosch mixer broke when we tried to shred a cold pork roast for tamales last year. 

Hot pineapple roast in......................................

shredded beef in seconds!

Serve with a side salad.

Rachel's Easy Pizza Dough Recipe(makes 2 pizzas or 1 pizza + bread sticks)

2 1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 Tbs. oil
2 tsp. dry yeast
5 2/3 cup flour
Mis salt, sugar, yeast and oil. Pour warm water over mix and stir. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well each time, then kneed. No rising necessary. Bake 425 degrees 15-20 minutes.

Pineapple Carnitas Pizza Recipe
 PREP TIME      30 MINUTES       COOK TIME      45
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3-4lbs. chuck roast

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 2 - 12oz. cans pineapple, papaya or mango juice    (I use leftover canned pineapple juice from our cottage cheese and pineapple snack) 

• 1 recipe for pizza dough

• olive oil, for brushing the dough

• 1 cup jarred tomatillo salsa, plus more for serving

• 12 ounces fresh jack cheese, shredded

• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced and sauteed until golden

• 1 cup of sliced sweet or bell pepper

• sour cream, for serving (optional)

• guacamole, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. Mix the chili powder, cumin and  salt in a small bowl.

1. Rub the spice mixture on both sides of the roast.

1. Heat the canola oil in a large pot over high heat, then sear both sides of the roast until nice and brown, about 2 minutes per side.

1. Pour the juice into the pot with the meat.

1. Cover and roast for about 4 hours, until falling apart.

1. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, put your pizza stone if you have one it the oven.

1. Put hot roast in your mixer with the cookie paddle attatched and blend on speed 4 till shredded. Or use 2 forks to shred the meat then return to the juices.

1. Add tomatillo salsa and onions to the shredded roast, mix to combine.

1. Turn up the heat in your oven to 400F

1. Roll out pizza dough into a circle

1. Fold dough in half and gently transfer to your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of olive oil.

1. Cook dough for 8-10 minutes so it will not soak up all of the juices from the meat. 

1. Remove from oven and spread the shredded roast all over pizza

1. Top with shredded Jack cheese and  peppers.

1. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Pesto is one of my favorite things to kick up a boring dish. It's simple and versatile and deliciously healthy. Typically basil is used but did you know you can use other greens like spinach, kale or even carrot tops? Basil is growing like crazy in my garden right now but I chose a big handful or two of baby spinach and then tossed in a few basil leaves to tone down the pungent flavor so that my kids would eat it.

It worked, score! My kids willingly ate a big bowl of spinach and were none the wiser.

I think it's important to serve a variety of colors and textures to your kids so that they get used to trying new things and have a balanced, healthy diet. Green is usually the hardest color to get my kids to eat, especially if it's not served in a typical fashion, like this pasta. They love salad and broccoli but will turn there noses up if I put collard greens in soup or kale in pasta. I keep at it though because I'm very attached to my leafy greens and am holding on to the hope that my kids will eventually get over there unwarranted loathing for them.

This pesto whips up in just a couple of minutes and can be used in pasta, as a dip on top of crusty bread 

layered with fresh tomatoes or on top of baked fish. The raw garlic is a healthy addition and adds a pop of spiciness to the pasta, I add several cloves but if you haven't built up a tolerance for loads of garlic like me, start with just one clove. Don't forget the Parmesan, it really goes well with pesto.

I like using rotini pasta because it holds the pesto well.

Ingredients:

1 box of rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions

2 big handfuls of baby spinach

1 small handful of fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts

1-3 cloves of garlic

2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt (preferably Himalayan pink sea salt)

Put spinach, basil, nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse till smooth while drizzling in olive oil. Add a bit of water if needed to desired consistency. Add salt and pulse till combined.

Toss pesto with the cooked pasta. Serve warm, garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

What are you planning on making for dinner during the hot summer months?

Black Bean and Cranberry Burgers with Chipotle Hummus

Who needs meat when these sweet and spicy burgers are just minutes from your kitchen table? Made from everyday pantry staples these burgers can be thrown together in minutes and will satisfy meat eaters and picky kids alike. My kids loved them (minus the spicy chipotle sauce).  I think that the dried cranberries, sweet corn and grated carrots are to credit with the fact that my kids gobbled them up right before my eyes. 

I recreated this burger from one of my all time favorite places to eat, Pita Jungle. My husband won't go there with me so every so often I just so happen to find myself alone, stranded and starving  at the mall   in the middle of no where except for this lone Pita Jungle with a cute little patio and a fantastically healthy Mediterranean food selection, my fav.  Lucky me.

While I don't mind eating out by myself every once and a while, the bill even being solo can still add up. So in an effort to save money and because I realllllly crave these burgers quite often, I had to figure out how to make them for myself.  

And I did.

Score!

Big time.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, have a few naturally sweet strawberries with your dinner instead of sugar laden cakes 

or ice cream.

I honestly think I could give Pita Jungle a run for there money on these babies. They were totally right on the money..... even better IMHO, sorry Pita, no disrespect.



Paired with the chipotle hummus instead of fattening mayo and with a side of spring lettuce, bean sprouts and salt and pepper  Organic fingerling potatoes this is a perfect healthy meal. You will leave the table with your taste buds and belly satisfied, I promise!

Did You Know That Potatoes Can Help You Get A Good Nights Sleep?

When the sugars from potatoes enter the bloodstream, insulin surges, soaking up all amino acids except for tryptophan. This in turn becomes a fuel for serotonin, the neurotransmitter that produces melatonin. Melatonin is the amino acid that controls how drowsy we feel and regulates the sleep cycle.

For the best results, try eating potatoes 3 hours before bedtime.

Black Bean and Cranberry Burgers with Chipotle Hummus

These really are super easy! Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients, in fact, I don't measure anything, I just eye it but I listed some general measurements for your convenience. 

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained

1 cup home made bread crumbs ( I use sprouted bread and pulse in my coffee grinder)

1 free range egg

1 cup frozen petite sweet corn

1/2 cup finely chopped bell or sweet peppers

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup grated carrots

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I use Himalayan Pink or French Grey for the minerals)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon turmeric (optional. I use for health benefits, doesn't have much flavor)

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

6 whole grain Kaiser buns

Condiments:

sliced tomatoes

sliced purple onion

lettuce

sprouts

For Chipotle Hummus:

1 cup plain or garlic hummus (home made or store bought) 

1 6 oz. can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Mix the hummus with a tablespoon or so of the adobe sauce (not the chipotle peppers). Reserve chipotles for another use.

Putting it all together:

In your coffee grinder or mini food processor, finely grind 2-3 pieces of sprouted or whole grain bread. Set out on a plate to dry out a bit while you put everything else together. TIP: I make a big batch of bread crumbs and freeze in a mason jar for convenience.

Pre-heat oven to 425F

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, beans through turmeric.

Lightly oil a heavy baking pan such as a broiler pan. You can also fry these on a grill pan if you wish.

Using your hands, scoop a big handful of the bean mixture into a ball and then gently shape into a thick patty.

Place on oiled grill pan. Repeat until all of the mixture is gone.

Bake at 425F for 12-18 minutes until slightly crispy and hot.

Put burgers on kaiser buns spread with chipotle hummus and layered with freshly sliced tomatoes, onion, lettuce and sprouts. 

If you are making potatoes as a side dish, rinse and dry potatoes. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. Layer on a heavy baking dish {I use a stone baking dish} and bake with the burgers. You may need to put the potatoes in first depending on how big they are. Check with a fork for doneness.