Morning Quinoa Bliss

Hello Busy Parents!!

Just wanted to share this awesome breakfast idea with you!  Maybe you are SO ready to venture out of your comfort zone and try something different.  Maybe you're bored with your Cheerios!  Are you in need of a breakfast that keeps you full till lunch?

I've written about the benefits of the superfood quinoa earlier this fall ... bottom line for those not interested in nutritional facts:  it tastes good, is great for you, and can work as a versatile grain with just about any additions thrown in! 

If you're a busy mom,  you really do not have time to make this in the morning before the school rush begins.  Maybe you will try it this weekend.  Maybe you are reading this now after everyone has gone to bed and you want to prep it for tomorrow ... maybe you're just about passed out on the couch after a very long day and the kids uniforms aren't finished washing yet!  Whatever your reasons, if you are ready to start the day off with a meal that sets the tone for a productive day, you really should try this grain out!  I cannot stress enough how many people skip breakfast ... myself included some days!  When you start the day off in a deficit it just snowballs from there!  You know what I'm talking about right?!

Quinoa Breakfast Bliss

1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
1 cup of cooked quinoa
1 chopped apple
2 chopped dried dates
1 Tablespoon of slivered raw almonds
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries (or both!)
a drizzle of honey
a dusting of cinnamon

1.  Heat your fry pan to medium heat.  Add coconut oil.  When melted, add the chopped apple.  Cook until softened.  Add the dates, almonds, cranberries and/or cherries.  Cook until warmed through.
2.  Add the mixture to the quinoa.  Dust with a bit of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.
3.  Enjoy! 


Here's to keeping your metabolic fire roaring and your energy blazing!!

Sorry, couldn't help myself from sharing!  This is Charlie.  He knows how to chill while I write!

Be Well,
Krista

Beef Provencal Stew

Good Morning Momma-birds!

Here is a really easy recipe for you to try this week as the weather is a little cloudy and rainy here in the Northeast.  I never thought I would be posting a beef stew recipe as the idea of stew brings back images of too much mushy stuff as a kid!  This one is just plain really good as my whole family agreed.  If you're like me,  the season is continuing to keep me busy with games, practices, more games, and homework, cooking is just too hard to fit into my afternoons lately.  I'm feeling the pull of the take-out menu!   But, if you are looking for a good one your kids will eat and you seriously don't have too much prep or clean up, check this one out. 

I start this recipe on the stove and then throw into the crock pot on low all day.  Serve over some medium buttered egg noodles and open a bag of salad and you're done!  Enjoy!

Beef Provencal Stew

Serves 6 (3/4 cup stew and 1/2 cup noodles)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of olive oil
12 garlic cloves (use at your discretion ... more or less)
1 (2 pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes  
               (I found already cubed Kosher beef at Trader Joe's)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup red wine
2 cups chopped carrot
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup lower-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Dash of ground cloves
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3 cups cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)

Preparation:

1.  Heat a small Dutch oven over low heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally.  Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside.  Increase the heat to medium-high.  Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.  Remove beef from pan.  Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bit.  Add reserved garlic, beef, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) and bring to a boil.

2.  Place mixture in a crock pot.  Cook for 5 hours on high or low all day if you start early in the day.  If you don't have a crock pot you can cook this in the oven at 300 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours.

Hope you add this one to your file!  It just helps to have a few of these slow cooker recipes!

Now you have more time to quiz them for their test tomorrow, run their uniforms through the wash for the games tomorrow and maybe, even maybe get to watch some shows you missed this season!

Have an awesome day!
Krista

Turkey Chili

Here is the chili recipe I was really happy with last night!

Surprisingly I thought I ruined it when I was trying to do too many things at once and forgot about the onions with the turkey at the start!  It was really smoking when I came back to the kitchen!  I'm not saying to overcook your onions, garlic and meat, just don't give up if you do!

I have made chili before with wine and dark chocolate.  I always take out my microplane and grate the chocolate into the chili.  I didn't have time yesterday so I just threw about 2-3 squares of what I had in my cabinet ... Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate with a Touch of Sea Salt.

Also, most recipes for chili with red wine use a fruity wine like Merlot.  I didn't have any Merlot.  Just Cabernet.  So that is what I used.  I think either would be fine.  Use what you have.

I use whole tomatoes for this recipe and pulse them in the blender a few seconds to give the tomatoes a smooth texture.  If you like them chunky just chop coarsely and you're set.


Turkey Chili

Yields:  8 servings
(Serving size 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients:
1T olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium sized onion chopped
2-4 garlic cloves minced
1 T chili powder (or more to taste)
2 T brown sugar
1 T ground cumin
3 T tomato paste
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t ground pepper
1/4 t sea salt
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, pulsed in blender depending on your family' preferences
2 (15 ounce) cans of kidney beans (I used two varieties:  white and red) rinsed well
Sharp shredded cheddar to top

Directions:
1.  Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add the olive oil and onions.  Cook a few minutes to soften.  Add turkey and garlic to pan and cook about 8 minutes until no longer pink.
2.  Add chili powder and next 6 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in wine, tomatoes, kidney beans and dark chocolate.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 45 minutes.  Remove cover and cook until desired consistency.  Discard bay leaves.
3.  Sprinkle with cheddar!  Add a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

That is it.

Enjoy with your family!
Krista

Quinoa Salad

 When I was first introduced to quinoa (keen-wah) a few years back, I was totally floored!  It is the most versatile grain around and has tons of benefits!  You've got your fiber, your protein (huge when you are eating a plant based diet), low in sugar, low in fat, contains iron (huge benefit for most women), no salt and the list goes on.  The Incas considered it sacred giving their warriors stamina!!

Oh yeah, it's gluten free as well!!  Yippee!

You can use quinoa as a breakfast porridge, a pilaf or a salad.  You can add whatever veggies you have in your fridge and start experimenting!  You really can't mess this up!  If I had tomatoes in the house I would have used them too!

This is what I came up with today ...

Veggie Quinoa Salad
(can you tell I just winged this?)

1 cup of quinoa cooked in broth
2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups of roasted corn kernels
1 avocado cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cucumber cut into cubes
1/2 small onion (if desired)
1 cup of canned chick peas, rinsed
feta cheese ... as much as you like
fresh mint ... to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice (I squeezed 2 medium sized)
1 tablespoon of olive oil 
1 fried egg (I love mine cooked all the way through ... not runny, but however you like it!)

Cook quinoa with broth according to package directions. Be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking.

While quinoa is cooking, combine corn, avocado, cucumber, onion (if desired), feta cheese, chick peas and fresh mint.  Juice lemons.  Add olive oil to the lemon juice.  Top with sea salt and ground fresh pepper.

Mix vegetables with lemon dressing.

Add to the quinoa and mix.

Top salad with fried egg.  Season as desired.

Yay!  A perfect avocado!

You can use red or yellow quinoa for this ...

 

Enjoy!

Krista