Quinoa Avocado Salad, with Dried Fruit, Toasted Almonds, and Lemon-Cumin Dressing

• I've made this with white quinoa, but the red quinoa was SO good. Made this with a kale salad. 

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. raisins (preferably a mix of dark and golden)
• 2 Tbs. dried apricots, thinly sliced
• 1 cup red or white quinoa, rinsed well
• Kosher salt
• 1 large lemon
• 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
• 2 medium firm-ripe avocados (6 to 7 oz. each), pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 Tbs. coarsely chopped toasted almonds
• Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, soak the raisins and apricots in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the quinoa, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (The outer germ rings of the grain will remain chewy and white. Some germ rings may separate from the grain and will look like white squiggles.) Immediately fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn it out onto a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.

Finely grate the zest from the lemon and then squeeze 1 Tbs. juice. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 tsp. salt. In a large bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the quinoa, raisins, apricots, avocado, scallions, and almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

adapted from: www.finecooking.com

Buddha Bowl

I don't have a picture of this, but trust me, this was good! And I'm really only posting this to remind myself, that I made something that we really, really want to eat again.

In a bowl, layer

Kale Salad

then

Quinoa, Avocado Salad with Dried Fruit and Toasted Almonds

then

fresh slices of avocado

and maybe

a dollop of hummus

Romaine Salad with Bright Mediterranean Vinaigrette

This was a great dinner in itself. I never considered putting herbs into a salad (duh), but they add such a brightness and variation of flavor to a salad.

Ingredients

• 2 pitas

Dressing

• 1.5 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c EVOO
• 1 t brown rice vinegar
• 1/4 t ground cumin
• 1/4 sea salt

Salad

• 6-8 romaine hearts, roughly chopped
• 1 english cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3-4 oz organic feta cheese
• 1 c olives, pitted, halved lengthwise
• 1/4 fresh mint
• 1/4 c fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bake the pitas 8-10 minutes until golden. Cool. Break into small pieces.

Whisking all dressing ingredients and set aside.

Toss the romaine with the dressing. Top with rest of salad. Sprinkle mint, parsley, and broken pita chips on top.

Toss salad at the table and serve on individual plates.

Avocado Kale Slaw

My new favorite kale salad!

Salad

• 6 c chopped kale (stems removed and discarded)
• 1 c shredded carrots
• 1/2 c finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 c toasted sunflower seeds

Dressing

• 1/2 medium avocado, pitted
• 1/2 c unsweetened almond or hemp milk (or 1/3 c canned coconut milk and 1/2 c water)
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 2 T honey
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 T EVOO
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1/2 t granulated garlic powder
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine kale, carrots, onion, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. 

Blend dressing until creamy and smooth.

Toss dressing with salad and season with salt and pepper before serving. 

Keeps for days!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My girlfriend brought us the most delicious soup the other night, along with a great kale salad with this amazing dressing. Is it just because I didn't cook it that it tasted so good? Probably. But also, the soup recipe was courtesy the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. Of course it's going to be good.

Ingredients

• 1.5 t cumin
• 1.25 t chili powder
• .5 t garlic powder
• .5 t salt, plus more to taste
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 c diced onion
• 1/4 c diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 c diced red bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 - 10oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel
• 4 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 c hot water
• 3 T tomato paste
• 2 - 15oz cans black beans, drained
• 3 T cornmeal
• 5 small corn tortillas

Garnishes:

• diced avocado
• diced red onion
• sour cream
• chopped fresh cilantro
• monterey jack cheese, pico de gallo

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Start by mixing together the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the chilli powder, the garlic powder and salt. Drizzle the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Set the rest of the spice mixture aside. Bake until the chicken is cooked all the way through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Cut the chicken into cubes and set aside.

Next, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Throw in the onions, green and red bell peppers and garlic. Throw in a tablespoon of the spice mixture used to season the chicken. Add a little extra chilli powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) for heat. Stir to cook the vegetables until they begin to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the cubed chicken and diced tomatoes, juice and all. Add the chicken broth, hot water and tomato paste. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the drained black beans. Next, mix together the cornmeal with 1/2 cup water. Add the mixture to the pot, and then simmer the soup for 10 to 15 minutes. Give it a taste and add salt or seasonings as needed; be sure to not under salt it!

Cut the tortillas into uniform 2- to 3-inch strips. Stir most of them into the soup just before serving. This is what makes tortilla soup tortilla soup! Turn off the heat and get ready to serve it up. Ladle the soup into a bowl, then add avocado, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and extra tortilla strips to the top. The more toppings on tortilla soup, the merrier.

Homemade Almond Milk

When I buy almond milk from the grocery store, I get so frustrated because of all the added ingredients (that I don't even understand what they are). Natural flavors, preservatives - seriously what are these things and why do I need to ingest them? Especially, when - with a little bit of forethought I can just make my own. Easily. And it's so good. Soak about a cup of almonds in 3 cups of water overnight. The next day (when the almonds are all plump and nice), drain the water. Then combine in the Vitamix. It's that simple. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 c almonds soaked in water overnight and then drained
• 3 cups of water

      Optional:

• pinch of salt
• dash of cinnamon
• 1-3 dates 

Blend together well. Add a pinch of salt, a bit of cinnamon, and a couple dates (if you'd like) to sweeten it up. Strain through cheesecloth (or a mesh veggie bag works too).

Bam. Homemade almond milk. It keeps for about a week.

You're welcome.