Fresh Quinoa Salad

I love this salad so much. It is delicious, nutritious and refreshing. I have made several variations of this over the years but today I am going to share my favorite variation. Even my husband (who is not a fan of quinoa) will eat this one. I am still working on the kids eating all of it- they will currently pick out the corn and the beans.... which is good I guess for 17 month olds!

Now that I have been trying to cook more from scratch this is going to be added to my monthly menus!!

Quinoa Salad

3 Cups cooked quinoa

1 diced red onion

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can sweet corn (drained)

1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 drop lemon essential oil or 1 tsp lemon juice (If using oil make sure it is of food grade quality)

1 drop lime essential oil or 1 tsp lime juice (If using oil make sure it is of food grade quality)

Mix all ingredients together and let set for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) to get the flavors mixed in.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do. It is perfect for taking to potlucks as well as for a side dish with a summery dinner!

Thanks for reading,

Zoe

March- Month of Menus for Gluten Free, Dairy Free Diet

There is no way to sugar coat it- food allergies suck. Especially when you first find out what you have to eliminate. But it does get easier.

Recently  I figured out that I was having an intolerance to gluten, dairy and soy. Or any one of the three- I eliminated them all at the same time and when I reintroduced them my symptoms got worse.

When I first started the elimination diet it wasn't too difficult- but I did eat a lot of the same things- mostly corn tortillas topped with re fried beans, lettuce, salsa and avocados.  But when I realized I was going to have to be on this diet at least semi-permanently I decided I better start menu planning again!

Here are some things to keep in mind about the following menu:

-There are a lot of gluten free convenience products you can buy out there- my goal with this menu is to cook from scratch as much as possible.

-This menu is just for me and my husband so I can rely on leftovers on 2-3 nights a week.

-We like to eat out on Friday nights so I don't ever plan a meal for that night.

-The recipes below that have links and sources are from other blogs. The recipes that have links without sources are from my blog.

-The recipes that don't have a hot link I use commonly but haven't posted to the blog- most of them are basic things that you know how to make or are very easy to find.

I am planning hoping to do this every month.  If you have any questions about the menu don't hesitate to contact me zoer110@gmail.com.

Week 1: March 1-3

March 1st: Salmon Patties (using cornmeal instead of breadcrumbs) with Green Beans

March 2nd: Eating Out

March 3rd: Breakfast Bowls for Dinner (forgoing the cheese) from Once a Mom... Always a Cook

Week 2: March 4-10

March 4th: Deer (Beef) Roast with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots

March 5th: Easy Burritos (Corn Tortillas)

March 6th: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (I usually make whole wheat noodles for my husband and gluten free noodles for myself)

March 7th: Leftovers

March 8th: Leftovers

March 9th: Eat Out

March 10th: Crunchy Tacos with Homemade Guacamole

Week 3: March 11-17

March 11th: Grilled Salmon and Roasted Vegetables

March 12th: Lentil Soup

March 13th: Almond Chicken (cornmeal instead of breadcrumbs and almond milk instead of buttermilk) and Brussels Sprouts

March 14th: Leftovers

March 15th: Leftovers

March 16th: Steak with Caramelized Onions, Baked Potatoes and Asparagus from White Lights on Wednesday

March 17th: Leftovers

Week 4: March 18-24

March 18th: Spinach "Chicken" Curry  (I will be adding real chicken) from Holy Cow! Vegan 

March 19th: Red Beans and Rice with Turkey Sausage

March 20th: Leftovers

March 21st: Stephanie's Goulash- I don't plan to put the beets in it though- I hate beets! from mama and baby love

March 22nd: Leftovers

March 23rd: Eat Out

March 24th: Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Peas

Week 5: March 25-31

March 25th: Ham and Bean Soup

March 26th: Chicken Fried Rice

March 27th: Turkey Sausage, Sauerkraut and Mashed Potatoes

March 28th: Leftovers

March 29th: Leftovers

March 30th: Eat Out

March 31st: Spicy Bean Skillet from Food.com

I hope this is helpful to you! Thanks for stopping by!
I will be linking up with some of these parties!

Breakfast Hot Pockets- New Food Friday

I have said it before and I probably will say it again- finding a variety of breakfast recipes is the hardest for me (well especially because my husband doesn't really like breakfast). But I came up with something that he does like! Breakfast Hot Pockets.

I got the idea to try these last time I made Bierocks. Normally I would have made the dough from scratch like in the bierock recipe but I had leftover pizza crust in a tube from making the Stuffed Pizza Bites so I just used that.

Breakfast Hot Pockets

1 roll pizza dough (or dough made from scratch)

6 eggs

milk

salt and pepper

1 lb sausage

Vegetables of choice (I used onions, mushrooms and spinach)

grated cheddar cheese (2 cups should be enough)

Cook the breakfast sausage first, once browned drain and set aside.

Saute vegetables in small amount of olive oil.

Mix eggs and 1-2 Tbsp milk in a separate boil.

Add to skillet and scramble until fully cooked.

Add scrambled egg mixture to the sausage and combine well. 

Let cool until room temperature and while it is cooling preheat the oven to the temperature on the pizza dough- mine was 425 F.

Roll Pizza dough out onto floured surface and cut into about 24 squares.

Add cheese to each square and then add egg/sausage mixture. Pull up all corners of the dough to make a little pocket.

Place on greased cookie sheet with smooth side up.

Place in preheated oven and bake the amount of time it specifies on the pizza crust. About 10-12 minutes. You want the tops to be golden brown.

Enjoy!!

I made a whole batch and froze some to reheat later!

I will be linking up with some of These Parties!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Fish Foil Packets- From Zoe's Kitchen

When I am looking back at my blog I realize it looks like I eat really unhealthy! Most of the recipes I share are treats and appetizers that really aren't very good for you. But I do eat really healthy foods too (mostly actually!), so I have decided to make more of an effort to add healthy recipes to my blog too!

This recipe is one of my favorite ways to prepare fish in the winter. I definitely prefer it on the grill in the summer but I am not going to fire up the grill when it is this cold out! I got this recipe from the book Clueless in The Kitchen which my mother gave to me in college. It is a great cookbook for teens and young adults because it has simple, healthy, and inexpensive recipes to help young adults learn how to cook.

Fish Foil Packets

1 lb white fish

(I used catfish, but you can use tilapia or any white fish from the store)

1/2 onion

1 cup baby carrots

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

olive oil

salt

pepper

parsley

oregeno

garlic powder

Heavy Duty Foil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Thinly slice onions and chop carrots into coins.

Roll out about 6 pieces of aluminum foil- about 12" X 12" each.

Place in 3 piles, 2 layers of foil in each pile.

Divide fish fillets into 3 even piles, place fish fillets in one layer on Aluminum foil.

1 lb of fish will make 3 packets- if you have more fish you may want to do more packets.

Add onions to top of fish in all packets.

Add Carrots and cheddar cheese to each packet.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle each of the seasonings onto each packet.

Wrap top foil layer and fold in edges so it forms a flat, rectangular packet.

Then wrap the second layer of foil the same way.

Place packets in preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees.

Unwrap foil on largest packet to check if vegetables and fish are done. The vegetables should look cooked through and the fish should temp out to 145 degrees F.

Remove from Packet and place on plate- the best part is there are no messy pans to clean!

Enjoy!!

Linking up with Some of these parties!

Thanks for stopping by!

Red Beans and Rice- From Zoe's Kitchen

It has been getting chilly here these past few days. I am going to share with you a great cold weather dish that warms you up both temperature and spice wise!

I made this recipe up several years ago when I was a vegetarian and I needed a quick, cheap, dinner.. My husband added his spin to it by insisting I add meat- but I think it is just as good without the meat!
I sometimes use chicken and sometimes I use turkey smoked sausage- both are pretty good!

So here it is-

Zoe's Red Beans and Rice-
1 large chopped onion
1 large chopped green pepper
olive oil
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes (I have used both- I like the diced better)
2 cans Red Beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz. package of Smoked Turkey Sausage- chopped
4 cups cooked brown rice (I usually cook this the night before to cut down on prep time)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Tony Cacheres Creole Seasoning (to taste)

Add olive oil, to large stockpot. Saute onion and pepper over medium high heat.

Once vegetables are tender add tomatoes and beans to the pot. Heat through, stiring occasionally.

Add sausage, rice, and all seasonings- stir well. Heat through. With the Creole seasoning you may want to add a little at a time and test to see how spicy it is. I like mine pretty spicy but the flavor is good even if you don't add too much spice.

Turn down heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Serve topped with cheese or just plain.

The best part about this meal is it gets better as leftovers- the flavors mix more and are delicious!

I will be linking up with some of these parties.


Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

Caramel Apple Treat- Improv Cooking Challenge

I am sooo excited to be taking part in The Improv Cooking Challenge at Lady Behind the Curtain.

This month's challenge was Caramel and Apples. We could make up a recipe, or try a new recipe using caramel and apples in the ingredients.

For mine I decided to make a quick, easy treat that I would eat for breakfast or an evening snack. I have fixed this twice and I love it!!

Individual Caramel Apple Treat:
Only four ingredients:
1 Apple- I used Fuji
1/2 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp Caramel sauce
Cinnamon

Cut the apple into bite size pieces and place in bowl. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.  Place in microwave for 3 minutes, or until apples are tender.

Take apples out of microwave and top with yogurt, cinnamon and caramel sauce.  If you don't like plain yogurt you can use vanilla, I am sure it would be good too. I love this snack because it tastes like a treat but it has a good amount of protein in it from the yogurt.

Make sure you check out all of the other entries from the Improv Cooking Challenge!!



Thanks for stopping by!

From Zoe's Kitchen- Meatless Monday Edition- Bean Burritos

Here is a recipe that is the three things I look for in a recipe- fast, easy and inexpensive. Oh yeah, and it tastes great so there is the fourth thing I look for in a recipe.

This is another staple of growing up in my parents home and another one that I make all the time in my home too.

Homemade Bean Burritos
Green Pepper
Yellow Onion
Olive Oil
2 cans cooked beans (you can use any- I prefer pinto)
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Cayenne powder
Salt
Pepper

Toppings:
Lettuce or spinach
Grated Cheese
Diced tomato
Salsa
Sour Cream
Guacamole (if you want to make it REALLY yummy, most of the time I don't go to the effort of making the guac)

Whole Wheat Tortillas


Put olive oil, diced green pepper and diced onion in skillet. Saute until tender.

Add 2 cans beans (drained) and all seasonings. There aren't specific amounts, I just do it to taste, but I usually go pretty heavy on the chili and garlic powder and light on the cayenne. If you like it spicy you can add more cayenne (my husband does this when he makes them).

Mash to the consistency of your liking while heating over medium heat- I like mine a little bit chunky but you can get them all the way down to a puree if you wish. You may need to add a little bit of water here to get a good consistency.

I like to prepare mine like a tostada nowadays but you can wrap it up like a burrito too (that is how I used to always do it!

Linking Up:

Thanks for stopping by and have a good day!!

New Food Friday #4- Double Oat Breakfast Cookies

This week for New Food Friday I did another breakfast food. Both me and my husband get sick of eating the same breakfast all the time, so I am trying to find some quick, easy recipes to switch things up. This is a breakfast cookie and although it has quite a bit of sugar and butter, it still has whole grains (whole wheat flour, oats, cheerios) and protein (peanut butter). These turned out great and I will definitely make them again!!

I clipped this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens about 3 years ago.

Double Oat Breakfast Cookies-

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips ( I used chocolate chips)
3 cups Cheerios

1. Preheat oven to 375. In large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter. Add sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined. Add water, egg and vanilla- beat until combined. Add in flour and oats, beat with mixer as long as possible. Stir in chocolate chips and Cheerios.

2. Drop dough by 1/4 cup about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until browned. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack. Makes 24 cookies.

These were AWESOME!! They are totally filling, delicious, and my husband will eat them for breakfast. I am keeping this one in my file for cook again!

Linking Up:

Thanks for stopping by!