Recipe of the Week: Fried Quinoa

I am so pleased with this recipe!  

One of my goals this year is to eat a wider variety of grains.  I'm also trying to learn to cook with what I have on hand.  This recipe fulfilled both those requirements. 

The really good news, though was that my husband approved and even had seconds!  

(I loved it too)

Adapted from The Arugula Files

FRIED QUINOA

1 cup quinoa

handful raisins or dried cranberries

Coconut oil

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup cooked chicken, chopped 

1 handful cilantro, chopped

1 cup pineapple tidbits

Cajun seasoning

Salt to taste

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. 
2. When it is almost done, add raisins. 
3. Saute vegetables and chicken in coconut oil until slightly soft. 
4. Add quinoa and pineapple to vegetables. 
5. Heat through.  Garnish with cilantro, add seasonings, and serve.  

Recipe of the Week: Pickles!

I am so excited! I've been wanting to try homemade pickles for a while now and have been scouting recipes online. I wanted to make "refrigerator pickles" that don't need to be canned. These last about a month in the fridge. Maybe someday I'll try to make ones for long term storage.

Dan and I had fun using this recipe. Now all we need to do is wait 48 hours and try them out!

Tea for Beauty?

Last week while visiting our local ritzy supermarket, (Cleverly named "The Store") I found a line of red teas boasting different health properties. Now, I love tea. I especially love Rooibos (Red Tea) which is from South Africa, is naturally caffeine, and full of antioxidants. Plus, the cool cans these teas come in totally win me over. I am a sucker for slick packaging.

Anyway, I picked this tea, "Get Gorgeous," which boasts to help improve your skin's appearance by virtue of the antioxidants. After I bought it I went on line and looked up some reviews on this amazing tea blog, The Tea Scoop. The author didn't like the taste because it was too fruity (good for me, that's the way I like my tea!), but there were multiple comments posted that verified the company's claims. So, I am looking forward to this little experiment and I'll let you know how it goes. So far I think this is a delicious tea that I would drink even if it does nothing for my poor skin.

The company that makes this, The Republic of Tea, is truly amazing with a vast array of different flavors. You should check them out!