Sunday's Salad/Ancient Grain Power Salad

It has been an interesting week, and I have missed checking in with you :(

You'll never guess what I will be doing bright and early tomorrow morning...I'm taking a hot air balloon ride!!!!!! I'm so excited :)))) 
Since this is the summer of the bucket list, the opportunity came up and I decided not to let it pass me by. I will take lots and lots of pictures, and share them on Tuesday.   

I was once asked what my favorite meal of the day is. Hands down, my favorite meal is lunch. When I was in school, I always ate breakfast before leaving home, but by 10:30 in the morning, my stomach would start to growl. Lunch could not come soon enough. Sometimes I was lucky enough to have a thermos of hot soup and a piece of cornbread in my lunchbox. That first bite was always just the best! All these years later, I still begin to get hungry around 10:30 in the morning, and the first bite of my lunch is still...just the best!

Along with soup, I love sandwiches and salads. At some point, I'll share some of my sandwich concoctions. They're pretty good if I say so myself ;) But today, I want to share a wonderful salad I made this past week. The grain is quinoa, love quinoa! The other ingredients consist of garbanzo beans, feta cheese, radishes, and arugula.   

Here's what really makes it special, the dressing. Fresh lemon juice is mixed with olive oil, oregano, and chopped kalamata olives. All of the ingredients are blended resulting in a lovely, earthy red dressing.

I placed a big scoop of the quinoa mixture on a bed of mixed greens.

Then drizzled the dressing over the salad. Delicious!!!

The quinoa salad mixture will last for a few days in the refrigerator, so great for repeated lunches.

Ancient Grain Power Salad
downloadable recipe

Ingredients

For the salad;
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups canned garbanzo beans rinsed
1 cup slightly chopped arugala
1/2 cup chopped red radishes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Mixed greens of your choice for serving

For the salad dressing;
6 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives(pits removed of course)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste

For the salad;
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool. Add the remainder of the ingredients, except for the mixed greens. Mix well and set aside.

For the salad dressing;
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust salt a black pepper to taste. 

To serve;
Place mixed greens on a plate. Place a large scoop of the quinoa mixture in the middle of the greens. Drizzle dressing over the quinoa and greens. Serve and enjoy! 

 The salad dressing will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator, so it can be enjoyed on other salads of your choice.

Wishing you many happy lunches!

Rhonda

Sunday's Soup/Hearty Curried Lentil and Garbanzo Bean Vegetable Soup

 YOU MUST MAKE THIS SOUP!

That is, if you like lentils and curry :)

A friend stopped by after having a difficult day. I asked, "would you like a bowl of soup?" The reply, "did you make it?" "Yes."
"Then I would LOVE a bowl of soup!" Such a nice compliment :)

If I say so myself, this is a fantastic soup.

Begin with a large chopped onion. Saute in a little oil until translucent. Add 3 ribs of chopped celery, and saute until tender. Add 3 chopped cloves of garlic and saute for just another minute to bring out the flavor but not burn the garlic. 

Meanwhile...
*cook 1 cup of dried lentils in 4 cups of vegetable broth until tender. About 20 minutes.  
*cook wild rice.

Once lentils are tender, add 2 cups of sliced carrots to the pot.
  

Then,
2 cups of chopped kale.
1 14 oz. can of garbanzo beans drained and rinsed.
1 cup of cooked wild rice.
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste

Add 4 additional cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until carrots and kale are tender.
  

Before serving, add juice of 1/2 lemon.

Ladle into bowls and top with fresh crumbled feta cheese. If you opt for a vegan version, then omit the cheese.

The soup is fantastic for leftover lunches. The recipe will make 8 hearty servings. The aroma will warm your soul :)

Hearty Curried Lentil and Garbanzo Bean Vegetable Soup

printable version

ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 large onion chopped
3 ribs celery chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 cup dried lentils
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups chopped kale
1 14 oz. can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked wild rice
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
Juice  1/2 lemon
Crumbled feta cheese to top

Begin by rinsing dried lentils. Place in a large post and add 4 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and cook until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil and saute onion until translucent. Add chopped celery and cook until tender. Add chopped garlic and saute another minute just bring out the flavor without burning.

Once lentils are tender, add chopped carrots, chopped kale, sauteed onion mixture, rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, cooked wild rice, curry powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook until vegetables are tender. 

Before serving, add fresh squeezed lemon juice. 

Ladle into bowls, and if you would like, top with crumbled feta cheese. Then savor the aroma and flavor!


This soup was a HUGE hit in my house. Hope you enjoy it too if you give it a try :)
Rhonda

Healthy Eating/Easy Pasta

Some years back, sundried tomatoes were everywhere. Regardless of the restaurant, it seems that every chef found some way to incorporate them into a recipe. Now it seems that they are no longer the hot item, and in fact, I rarely see them mentioned. But, I LOVE sun dried tomatoes. So, if you like them too, here's a super quick and easy pasta dish that not only makes up for a quick supper, I think guests would enjoy it as well. 

Sun Dried Tomato, Feta and Roasted Walnut Pasta 

1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

3 oz. package sun dried tomatoes (julienned)

2 tablespoons olive oil  

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup roasted chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 pound of fettuccine cooked to package directions (I used a spinach fettuccine) 

salt and black pepper to taste

While bringing water to boil for pasta, heat olive oil. Add chopped onions and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add julienned sun dried tomatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until pasta is ready.

Prior to draining pasta, add 3 tablespoons of pasta liquid to sun dried tomato and onion mixture. 

Place pasta in a serving dish and top with the sun dried tomato and onion mixture.

Top with crumbled feta cheese. Toss all together. Cheese will begin to melt and become creamy.

Top pasta with fresh chopped chives and roasted, chopped walnuts.

Dish up and enjoy!

There's little that I enjoy more than a satisfying dish of pasta, a lovely glass of red wine, all served and enjoyed in the garden. Just the loveliest ending to a day. 

Hope you enjoy if you give it a try!

Rhonda

Give The Tongue a Treat with This Lovely Appetizer

After a bit of a hiatus, I'm back! Last Wednesday, I flew down to Texas for a short whirlwind trip and I had a wonderful time. It was great to see friends and just do fun things for a few days. On Thursday night, I was invited to have dinner with friends. Her daughter had taken a cooking class at Sur La Table and made the most delightful appetizer. She made it for me and, oh my goodness was it ever good!!! In fact, I could have just had it as my dinner and been completely happy. It's super easy to make, just the perfect last minute appetizer. Since I enjoyed it so much, I thought I would share it with you as well. Sadly, the recipe is not on the Sur La Table recipe page, but it's simple enough, so you can just print it out and save it if you think you might like to give it a try.

Baked Feta

8 oz. Greek Feta sliced into 1/2" thick slabs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 jalapeno(or pepper of choice)sliced thin
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place sliced feta in oven proof serving dish. Crush herbs between fingers and sprinkle over feta. Season generously with black pepper. Top feta with sliced jalapeno and drizzle over the olive oil.
Place dish in preheated oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice and zest. Serve with crackers or toasted slices of french bread.

This isn't the healthiest dish, by no means, but it is so good, and appetizers are not something we eat on a daily basis, so it's good to allow the tongue to have some fun from time to time!!!!

Enjoy!!!
Rhonda

My Favorite Summer Salads

There is nothing better in my book than being able to go out my front door and pick fresh tomatoes and peppers. In fact, my husband has caught me standing in front of my tomatoes, eating the tomatoes right off the vine. Hey, they are good!! To me, they are better than candy. I don't have a large garden by no means, just a few tomatoes, banana peppers, a cayenne pepper bush, fresh basil, chives and sage. A rather eclectic mix I guess.

There are 2 salads that I love to make, so I thought I would share them with you. 

The ingredients for the first salad are;

Fresh Blueberries  

Cherry Tomatoes, I like a mixture of varieties. This year I grew the red and the orange.

1 Banana Pepper, I like the hot variety

Toasted Pine Nuts

Feta Cheese, I like Bulgarian Feta the best 

Romaine Lettuce

I simply tear up my lettuce, sprinkle on the tomatoes, then the peppers, blueberries, feta and finally the pine nuts and serve with fresh ground sea salt and ground black pepper. I love the mix of the sweet blueberries with the spicy peppers with the creamy feta. I serve the salad with a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. And shame on me, I do not make my own. For those of you here in America, try the Newman's Own brand. It's my favorite.  

The second salad that I love is beyond simple. A friend of mine grows heirloom tomatoes. They are so rich in flavor. She too has caught me in her garden eating a tomato like it was an apple.
For this salad, I simply slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a plate. Sprinkle the tomatoes with fresh ground sea salt, and a little red pepper. I then chop a small hand full of fresh basil and sprinkle it over the tomatoes. The next layer is crumbled feta and chopped fresh chives. I then sprinkle on a good quality olive oil and about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I top it off with a little fresh ground black pepper and I have lunch! I like to serve the salad with a piece of French bread as the sauce that is left on the plate is too good to leave behind and the French bread is perfect for sopping it up.

If you have a favorite salad concoction, let me know. I'd love to give it a try!