The other night I made something a little different. Instead of my usual salmon dinner, I came across this interesting recipe in Self’s May issue; salmon, red quinoa and arugula salad. This recipe was created by celebrity chef Mark Murphy so I was even more intrigued to try it.

This dish has a great mix of spices and textures. There are a lot of ingredients in this dish, but don’t worry they are all worth it. This recipes also introduced me to poaching. I have never done it myself so it was a new cooking adventure. It is was so easy, the fish was super moist and flavorful. I will be adding this to my favorites list. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white wine
• 4 skinless salmon fillets (3 oz each)
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 cup red quinoa
• 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup golden raisins 
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups arugula
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp harissa
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tbsp toasted slivered almonds

In a large pot, boil wine and 4 cups of water.

Add salmon, onion and thyme. Reduce heat to simmer, poach salmon until cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Remove salmon, cool. In another large pot, boil 4 cups of water. Add quinoa and cook until tender, about 11 minutes, drain.

In a bowl, mix quinoa, chickpeas, raisins and spices, cool.

Toss quinoa-chickpea mixture with arugula. Dress salad with lemon juice and oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Divide salad and poached salmon among 4 plates. Top each salmon fillet with 1 tbsp harissa. Garnish with cilantro and almonds. 

{photos by me, recipe from Self May 2013}

So last night, as usual I had a craving for Mexican food. I had a bunch of veggies I needed to use but didn’t want the usual tostada or taco. So I decided to whip up a spanish style red quinoa salad, oh man was it good

It is so easy just cut up everything and throw it together, how can you not make this dish. I basically eyeballed everything, since it’s a salad go nuts. I didn’t put a dressing on it, because the lime juice was enough. I wanted to add a little dollop of greek yogurt but didn’t have any, I think this would be a nice added touch. I also made some tortilla chips for some crunchy texture. 

INGREDIENTS

• Red quinoa
• avocado, cut into 1/2 pieces
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• black beans, rinsed and drained
• onion, diced
• roasted corn (I used frozen)
• salt & pepper
• cayenne (optional)
• lime juice

Cook the red quinoa as directed. While that’s cooking combine the avocado, cherry tomatoes, black beans, onion, roasted corn, salt, pepper and cayenne. Toss gentely to combine. Once quinoa is cooked and cooled add to veggies, add lime juice toss again and enjoy!   

{photos by me}

I like to consider myself a salad type of girl. I eat salads everyday for lunch, and I can even eat one for dinner if I am feeling lazy. So when I saw this salad in Women’s Health Magazine, I had to make it. My only warning is, this is not the type of salad you can just make that day, you have to soak the wheat berries over night. So just plan it out accordingly. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup wheat berries
• 1 lb tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and finely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, cut lengthwise into thirds and finely chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• Several dashes hot red pepper sauce

Soak wheat berries in a big bowl of cool water for at least 8 hours (up to 16 hours max). Drain them in a fine-mesh sieve or colander. Pour wheat berries into a large saucepan, fill about two-thirds of the way with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until grains are tender with some chew still left, about 1 hour. Drain, then run under cool water to bring wheat berries to room temperature. Drain thoroughly.

Put cooked wheat berries in a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

{photos by me, recipe from Women’s Health Magazine September 2012}

The other night I made a dish that is hands down AMAZING!! It is a recipe from my friend Jessica, steamed kale with roasted chickpeas, pico de gallo and guacamole. Now I know it is a bunch of components, but they are so easy to put together. I think the best part is the roasted chickpeas. I have already declared my love for roasted chickpeas in a past post. Once you make this dish you will wonder how you lived without it.

While putting together this post, it got me thinking about doing an in the kitchen with my friends section. I love sharing food, that is one of the reasons why I started this blog. So why not share what my amazing friends are cooking up in their kitchens. So stay tuned for some amazing recipes from my pals.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of kale, cut into small pieces

• 1 can of chickpeas (drained)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper (you can also use curry powder, garlic salt, or nothing)

PICO DE GALLO (this makes a good amount so you will have leftovers for chips and salsa)

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced 
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 lime juice
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• Dash of salt and pepper

GUACAMOLE  (this I made for one serving so you can just double if you want to make more)

• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Dash of garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Hot sauce

Chickpeas: Preheat oven to 450. Blot the chickpeas with a paper towel remove any excess moisture. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl combine the chickpeas, olive oil, salt and cayenne pepper (I just eyeball these ingredients, just make sure everything is coated evenly) toss to coat. Spread them evenly on the parchment paper and bake for 30-40 minutes until brown and crunchy. You will need to watch them around the last 5 minutes because they can start to burn.

Kale: Place the kale in a steamer and steam for a couple minutes, just to get rid of some of the bitterness about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Pico de gallo: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Guacamole: Mash up the avocado and combine all the other ingredients, set aside

Once the chickpeas have been cooled, combine all the ingredient except for the guacamole. Toss to coat everything, place it in a dish and put a nice amount of guacamole on top. Enjoy!

{photo by me}

For the past few weeks I have decided to ditch the recipes and start creating my own dishes. I have been pleasantly surprised with the results; I have a few creations I will be sharing in the coming weeks. 

For my first creation, I decided to make combine my favorite caprese salad with some quinoa. I treated the basil leaves as the lettuce, which gave it more texture. I am a big fan of quinoa in salads (I do eat that every single day for lunch) so it was a no brainer. Since I just eye ball when I cook, I did my best to figure out the measurements. I think next time I am going to make some yummy seasoned breadcrumbs for that added crunch.

INGREDIENTS

• Tomatoes, diced (depending on how much your making I figure one tomato per serving)
• Basil 1 cup per serving 
• Mozzarella 1/4 cup per serving, cut into bit size pieces 
• Anchovies for taste (optional), cut into small pieces
• Quinoa 1 cup per serving
• Fresh lemon juice 
• Olive oil
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper

Combine everything in a bowl toss and serve. Easy as pie! Enjoy

{photos by me}