Saturday, January 31, 2015

Good Eats: January Round-Up

It's hard to believe it's almost February already!  Last month I shared my December Good Eats Round Up so I'm back with my January Good Eats Round Up. This month I'm including a well-known NYC bakery, a Mexican restaurant that has been my go to spot and a Chinese restaurant.

1) Breads Bakery

After seeing countless Instagram photos and reading reviews of the rugelach and babka I knew I had to check out Breads Bakery for my self. The bakery & coffee shop is located in the heart of union square. When you first enter you go into sensory overload with all of the delicious baked good. Then there is a bunch of tables and in the back of the space is a counter where you can order sandwiches, quiches, coffee etc. The atmosphere was low-key and casual and has a typical coffee shop vibe with some people on laptops and it was a nice place to grab a casual bite to eat on a sunday morning. I decided to get the onion and leak quiche and my friend and I shared the chocolate and nutella babka. I really enjoyed the quiche, but I was most excited to try the babka, which truly lived up to the hype. The babka not only looks beautiful, but the chocolate and nutella gives the babka a flavor boost. The Breads Bakery service was great and a staff member who was cleaning our table took the babka and cut it for us and put in to go bags so my friend and I could both bring some babka home with us. I
will definitely keep Breads Bakery in mind whenever I'm craving pastries.  

Han Dynasty is a chain chinese restaurant with locations throughout the east coast. I went with a friend for an early dinner on a friday night. We got to the restaurant around 6:30 PM and had about a 30 minute wait. We decided to order scallion pancakes as an appetizer, Dan Dan noodles and cumin style chicken. I always love scallion pancakes and these did not disappoint. They were light and not as greasy as most scallion pancakes. The Dan Dan noodles were outstanding as well. The noodles had a kick, but were extremely flavorful. I also enjoyed the cumin style chicken, which was a little spicy but the cumin, bell peppers and chicken worked extremely well to ether. The meal was very filling and also a great value for the money. The portions were so big that there was enough for me to bring home leftovers. The meal in total was $30 so we each paid $15. 

Photo Courtesy of: Glenwood
Photo Courtesy of: Dulce Bee NYC
In the few months since I moved to New York City El Mitote has quickly become my go-to spot when going out to eat with my family and friends. My mom and I first discovered El Mitote when I was moving into my apartment. We ended up deciding to grab lunch there. I got shrimp tacos that first visit. I have gone back to a few other times with various friends. Everything on the menu is affordable and delicious. They serve delicious margaritas in mason jars, which of course I adore. I love the bright and colorful decor and definitely recommend El Mitote to anyone looking for a fun and causal spot to get dinner with a group of friends, but just keep in mind the space is not that big so during the dinner rush it can be hard to get a table. I'm looking forward to when the weather is warmer and taking advantage of an the outdoor tables. Nothing is better than a cold margarita and guacamole on a warm summer night! 
             

Monday, January 26, 2015

Super Bowl Party Ideas

The Super Bowl is coming up on sunday so I thought I would share some decor and menu ideas for anyone hosting a Super Bowl party or looking for festive food to enjoy while watching the big game.

Decor ideas: 


My picture

For more ideas check out HGTV's design blog's article It's Game Day: Super Bowl Party Ideas.  You can also check out pictures from my Super Bowl party blog post from a few years ago.

Menu:

Michelada
Picture & Recipe Courtesy of: Food52

I first learned about michelada's during a cocktail class at Booker and Dax last year. The bartender teaching the class suggested rimming your glass with Siracha salt, which you create by adding some siracha hot sauce to salt and mixing together. Then you squeeze some lime juice around the rim of your glass and then add some of your Siracha salt to the rim. 

Buffalo Meatballs 
Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: ibreatheimhungry

These look delicious and a perfect Super Bowl appetizer. This is a fun way to get that delicious buffalo sauce on something a little different from chicken wings. 

Teriaki Chicken Wings
Photo & Recipe courtesy of: food2please

I had to share this recipe since chicken wings are a necessity at any Super Bowl party. 

Black Bean Chili
Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: A Night Owl Blog

Yum! I'm a big fan of chili and this recipe looks quick and easy so this is right up my alley. Serve along side some corn bread and you have the perfect meal to heat you up on a cold evening

Mini Brownie Football Pies
Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: Crazy For Crust
I absolutely love using sugar cookie dough as pie crusts, as evidenced in this previous blog post. These brownie football pies are absolutely adorable and would be the perfect addition to any super bowl party. 

What is your favorite food to eat during the Super Bowl? Share in the comment section below.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Good Eats Review: Skinnytaste.com

Top- Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps, Botton Left- Spinach and feta stuffed chicken, Bottom Right- Thai coconut curry shrimp


One of my favorite food blogs is Skinnytaste. Gina's blog has had tremendous success because all of her recipes use easy to find ingredients and are quick and easy to make. I really like that all the recipes are healthy and lightened up versions of classic dishes, such as chicken enchiladas, turkey chili and Shrimp pad thai. After looking at all of Gina's recipes for so long I was really excited to finally give a few recipes a try. 

1) Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps- I'm a big fan of lettuce wraps. I had only had asian lettuce wraps before trying this recipe so I was excited to try something new.  The different spices: garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and paprika made the ground turkey very flavorful. The recipe was very easy to make, I made this during a weeknight and start to finish this recipe took me around 30 minutes. I found the hardest part of this was separating the iceberg lettuce leaves. The lettuce leaves kept wanting to break on me, 

2) Spinach and feta stuffed chicken- This recipe is a cross between the Skinnytaste recipe and a Semi-Homemade Trader Joe's recipe. I followed the skinnytaste recipe instructions for the spinach and feta filling, but then instead of actually breading the chicken myself I used trader joe's breaded chicken breasts. I microwaved the chicken breasts for a few minutes  put some of the spinach and feta stuffing in the middle and rolled the chicken breasts. The Trader Joe's breaded chicken didn't roll as nicely as fresh skinless boneless chicken breasts would have, but in the end they still worked. After stuffing the chicken breasts I baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. I served with mashed potatoes. I had leftover filling, which I decided to combine with some of the leftover ground turkey from the lettuce wraps and some brown rice, which made a delicious lunch. 

3) Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp- This recipe is 3 for 1. This is also a semi-homemade trader joe's recipe, thai recipe and a Skinnytaste recipe. Instead of buying a bag of frozen shrimp I decided to get the trader joe's shrimp stir fry. I also got the trader joe's red curry sauce so I altered the skinny taste recipe a little bit and since the sauce included coconut milk I didn't add extra coconut milk. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly except I didn't have cilantro so that didn't get added at the end. I served along with some brown rice. I'm looking forward to using the extra red curry sauce with some veggies next week. 

Gina not only has a successful blog, but also a New York Times best selling cookbook, which I'm looking forward to purchasing this weekend. You can find the cookbook on amazon or Barnes & Noble


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Good Eats: Thai Food Edition

I absolutely love Thai food: curry sauces, vegetables, noodles and rice I could eat thai food all day, everyday! When my friend Anna and I were deciding where to get dinner last friday of course my first thought was thai food so we ended up choosing Pure Thai Cookshop.

Top Left- Outside of Pure Thai Cook House, Top Right- Pad Kee Moa with Calamari
Bottom Left- Steamed Vegetable Dumplings - photo courtesy of; Grub Hub blog,
Bottom Right- Pad Woon Sen With Vegetables
I had tried to go to go to Pure Thai Cookshop once before, but since there was a wait and my friend and I had play tickets we decided to go somewhere else. This time when we arrived at Pure Thai Cookshop we were told there would be a 1/2 hour wait. Anna gave the hostess her cell phone number and we went to the bar next door to get a beer while we waited. In 1/2 hour we got a phone call that our table was ready and we headed back over to the restaurant. We decided to get the steamed vegetable dumplings to share as appetizer. the dumplings were delicious and the perfect way to start out our meal. The filling was made of tofu, peanut and garlic chips and all of those flavors worked well together. For my entree I decided to go with the Pad Kee Moa with Calamari. This dish consisted of: flat rice noodles, tomato, bok choy, snow peas, chili puree, thai basil and of course calamari. The dish was good and the chili puree definitely gave the noodles some heat. I enjoyed my dinner, but definitely think I should have chosen something different and either had gone with the Pad Woon Sen with vegetables, which is what Anna ordered, or one of the Pure Thai noodle dishes, such as the Pa-Yao beef noodle soup. For dessert we got the mango and sticky rice, which was outstanding. Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Pure Thai Cookshop and would definitely go back to try some different dishes.

I thought I would also share with you some thai recipes you can try at home.

1) Baked Spring Rolls
Photo & Recipe courtesy of: Plant Eaters Plate

2) Pad See Ew
Photo & Recipe courtesy of: RecipeTin Eats

3) Coconut Curry Noodles

Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: Considering Campbell

4) Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup


Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: Taste, Love and Nourish

5) Coconut Rice with Mango
Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: Cooking with Trader Joe's

Can't find the ingredients listed in the recipes above?  click here to find out where to find thai ingredients in NYC

Monday, January 19, 2015

Three ways to use leftovers...

I'm sure a lot of you are like me and cook chicken, meat or seafood and then have leftovers that you don't know what to do with. I thought I would share with you today some of my favorite ways to spice up your leftovers. Using up leftovers is not only a good way to get the best value for your dollar, but it's also a great way to make a quick and delicious weeknight dinner.

1) Tacos-
Chipotle Shrimp Tacos- Recipe & Picture courtesy of: Heather Christo
Making tacos is a great way to use up anything and everything in your refrigerator. You simply heat up a flour or corn tortilla, add some guacamole, cabbage, cheese or whatever else you have lying around to your leftover  vegetables, poultry, meat or seafood and garnish with a little cilantro and you got yourself a delicious gourmet taco. To get a little fancier you could also make a fruit salsa by combining some cut up mango or pineapple, chopped onion and lime juice and then garnishing with a little cilantro. To get some more inspiration check out The Effortless Chic's "The Best Of Tacos" blog post


 2)Rice Bowls-



I took this picture: brown rice, leftover pulled pork, black bean and mango salsa
As I mentioned in my previous quinoa blog post, I'm a huge fan of rice bowls, which happen to a great way to use leftovers. To create a delicious rice bowl you cook rice/or quinoa or heat up any leftover rice or quinoa you have in your refrigerator. Then you top with any leftover vegetables, poultry, meat or seafood. You can also get creative and add guacamole and/or salsa.  I had some leftover pulled pork after making my version of Earl's Taco and my pulled pork nachos  so I put some brown rice and the leftover pulled pork into a tupperware container and brought to work for lunch. I put the black bean and mango salsa in a smaller separate container since I didn't want to microwave the salsa. When I was ready for lunch I microwaved the rice and pulled pork and then when it was done I added the mango and black bean salsa on top.

Click Here for some more rice bowl ideas


3)Salads/ Lettuce Wraps
Picture & Recipe courtesy of: Pinch of Yum
Making salads or lettuce wraps is another great way to use up leftovers. You can use leftover meat, poultry or seafood to create an asian influenced salad with a sesame vinaigrette or peanut dressing  or a Mexican influenced salad with a cilantro lime dressing and some tortilla chips.

Click Here for some more salad recipes

Similar to salads, lettuce wraps are another option for using leftovers. Lettuce wraps are a great option for anyone who is trying stick to a low-carb diet. Lettuce wraps are commonly associated with asian restaurants and ground turkey or chicken, but shrimp or any assortment of veggies work just as well as a filling for lettuce wraps.

Click Here for some delicious lettuce wrap recipes.

Almond & Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps- Recipe &  Photo courtesy of: Cookin' Canuck

I hope you enjoy these ideas and will start using your leftovers in new and creative ways.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Semi-Homemade Trader Joe's Meals

I'm obsessed with Trader Joe's. Not only are Trader Joe's prices extremely competitive, but the selection and quality of the frozen food is outstanding as well. I personally have been having fun using the frozen food and adding a few ingredients to make a delicious gourmet meal. today I thought I was share some of my favorite "semi-homemade" recipes.
Top-Pulled pork nachos, Bottom Left-Chicken Francese, Bottom Right- Eggplant Parmesan

1) Pulled pork nachos- I was first introduced to pulled pork nachos during a trip to Boston.  I  never had been a big fan of nachos before, but I absolutely loved the pulled pork nachos and knew I would have to figure out an easy way to recreate that delicious combination of pulled pork, cheese and tortilla chips. I make my pulled pork nachos by first microwaving the pulled pork according to the directions on the packaging. I then create the nachos by putting a layer of tortilla chips on a plate. Next, I cover the tortilla chips with the pulled pork, lite mexican cheese blend and black beans. I microwave the nachos for one minute in order to get the cheese to melt. I then top the plate with a generous helping of guacamole

2) Chicken Francese-  Trader Joe's breaded chicken is great on it's own, but I decided to take those breaded chicken breasts and kick them up a notch by adding a francese sauce. I followed the directions from With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart, which entailed bringing some chicken broth and lemon juice to a boil. I then added a teaspoon of flour and 3 tablespoons of butter and let simmer until the sauce was reduced to a half. I added a little parsley to the sauce at the end. I  heated the breaded chicken in the microwave according to the directions on the packaging and served along with some sautéed zucchini, broccoli and mashed potatoes. I then poured the francese sauce over the chicken and added a few slices of lemon to garnish.  This Chicken Francese is perfect when you are in need of some comfort food and is also an easy weeknight dinner. 

3) Eggplant Parmesan- Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite italian dishes. Using Trader Joe's breaded eggplant cutlets it's super easy to make your own homemade version of eggplant parmesan. This can be made in the oven or you can use a microwave. If you use a oven, first pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Then you simply put the breaded eggplant cutlets in a oven proof pan,  add tomato sauce on top of the eggplant cutlets and then finally add shredded mozzarella on the very top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. You can tell the eggplant parmesan is cooked when the cheese is melted. If you use a microwave you add some tomato sauce and mozzarella on top of the eggplant cutlets and then microwave according to the directions on the eggplant cutlet box. 

Stay tuned for future posts because I will be including more great tips for different ways to use Trader Joe's frozen products. 



Monday, January 12, 2015

Let's talk about: soup recipes

During the freezing cold weather we have been having nothing is better or more satisfying than a warm bowl of soup. Soup is a perfect easy and filling lunch or side dish with dinner.   I enjoy making soup because with a few simple ingredients you can make a big batch of soup, which will last you a whole week.  Here are some great soup recipes:

1) Turkey, Kale and Brown Rice Soup

Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: People.com




















I love Giada De Laurentiis recipes and I'm looking forward trying this healthy soup recipe. This is a great soup to make if you have some leftover ground turkey meat from turkey burgers, chili or leftovers from thanksgiving dinner.

2) Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup with Shrimp
Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: Natasha's Kitchen




















Combining cauliflower and potatoes into one soup sounds like a winning combination to me. I also really like the addition of shrimp to give the soup some added protein.

3) Butternut Squash Soup
Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: Creme de la Crumb




















Butternut squash is my absolute favorite soup. It's sweet and creamy, my perfect combination. I like that recipe is very easy and simply requires microwaving the squash for a few minutes and then putting the squash and milk in a blender before heating up in pot with the remaining ingredients.

4) Tuscan White Bean Soup
I took the picture, Recipe: Everyday Windshield



















I made this soup over the weekend. I forgot to buy tomatoes so I made the soup without them and while the soup still tasted fine without the tomatoes the red from the tomatoes would have provided a nice color contrast to the white beans. My soup had a lot of broth and the white beans ended up sinking to the bottom of the pot, but the flavors from the rosemary and the addition of olive oil and  parmesan cheese made the vegetable broth taste delicious and made the white beans just an added bonus.



Friday, January 9, 2015

Quick & Easy Spaghetti Squash Recipes

Happy Friday! Today I thought I would share some recipes using spaghetti squash, which is a healthy alternative to pasta. Spaghetti squash doesn't taste exactly the same as pasta it's actually a little sweeter, which I enjoy because in my opinion the sweeter the better. Spaghetti squash is extremely versatile and can be used in countless ways.  I thought I would start by sharing with you a technique for cooking spaghetti squash and then I'll share some quick and easy recipes.

I personally always roast my spaghetti squash whole. I preheat the oven to 375°F, poke some holes all around the spaghetti squash and then roast it in the oven for an hour or until a fork inserts easily through the skin. Then once the spaghetti squash has cooled off you cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and "guts" then you use a fork to separate the strands of spaghetti squash from the flesh of the shell. More tips for cooking spaghetti squash can be found here.

1) Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai- 
Recipe & picture courtesy of: A Couple Cooks




















I love pad thai so I really like the idea of making a healthier version.  I also think the combination of sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, green onions and cilantro will give the spaghetti squash a nice flavor boost. Another nice thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever leftover meat, poultry or seafood you have in your refrigerator to give your meal some added protein. 


2) Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs- 
Picture & recipe courtesy of: Eating Well




















In my opinion nothing beats spaghetti and meatballs on a cold or rainy night.  This spaghetti squash and turkey meatball recipe from Eating Well is a great way to make my favorite comfort food without eating a lot of calories. While homemade meatballs are always amazing if you don't have time to make homemade meatballs you can always simplify this recipe by using store bought meatballs.

3) Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi 
Photo & recipe courtesy of: Paleo Grubs




















Shrimp recipes are always great because they are always quick, which is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. Using spaghetti squash instead of pasta is a great way to make a classic dish such shrimp scampi healthier. I also like that this is a flavorful and filling meal, which demonstrates that eating healthy doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself of delicious food.

4) Spaghetti Squash Primavera
Photo & recipe courtesy of: Whole Yum


















Spaghetti squash, sautéd veggies and cheese, sounds like a winning combination to me! I love how colorful this dish is. This recipe is easily adaptable and a great way to use up any leftover veggies you have in your refrigerator. This dish would go nicely with some sausage, grilled chicken or shrimp and a salad. 

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Good Eats: NYC Mexican Food

I know just saying the words "east coast Mexican food" seems like a oxymoron. Everyone knows the west coast has the best Mexican food and the east coast, primarily NYC has the best bagels and pizza.  I decided to prove once and for all that New York City does have some respectable Mexican food establishments and try the "best tacos and taquitos" in NYC.

1) Taquitoria 

First stop on my quest to trying the best Mexican food in NYC was Taquitoria on the Lower East Side. I found out about Taquitoria, though TimeOut New York's list The 50 best cheap eats in NYC. Have I mentioned this list enough yet?, lol. The menu is super simple and consists of strictly taquitos, which are rolled and fried tacos. You have the option of beef, pork, chicken or black bean taquitos. You have different topping choices, which include: classic (guacamole sauce, lettuce and cotija cheese), cheesy (nacho cheese, sour cream or pickled jalapeño relish) or you can get a combination of both classic and cheesy. You can get 3 taquitos for $6 or 5 taquitos for $9.  I got the chicken taquitos with the classic topping. I'm a big fan of taquitos so these definitely held up to my expectations and I enjoyed the addition of the guacamole sauce and cotija cheese.  I really liked the guacamole sauce and would love to try to replicate it so that I can kick the trader joe's taquitos I usually buy up a notch. I also really liked the graffiti on the wall, which was a little like deja vu after I just gone to Num Pang Sandwich Shop, which has similar graffiti.  Another unique coincidence was discovering from reading the Taquitoria website that one of the owners was a communications major at Ithaca College!  I went around 8:00 PM on a saturday night and it was pretty quiet at Taquitoria. The storefront is small and it's very casual so this is a great place to go for a quick bite for lunch or if you are alone and need a low key place to eat. This would also be a perfect option if you are looking for a late night meal after a night of bar hopping on the lower east side.

                                                                                   

 2) Los Tacos No.1
The second place I checked out was
 Los Tacos No.1, which is located in chelsea market.  When I saw a big line at Los Tacos No.1 I started to get really excited to try the tacos. Since Los Tacos No.1 is situated among numerous amazing food vendors their tacos have to be really good in order to attract attention and draw big crowds.

 The menu consists of: tacos, tostadas and quesadillas. Your choice of fillings include: carne asada, pollo asada, adobada (marinated pork) and nopal (grilled cactus). Ordering from Los Tacos No.1 is quite an experience. First, you go up to pay for your tacos. I got one adobada taco on a flour tortilla and one carne asada taco also on a flour tortilla. You also have the option of corn tortillas, which a lot of people behind me ordered and made me question my choice of flour tortillas.  I got my tacos with all the toppings: guacamole, onion, cilantro and salsa.  I also got one of their agues frescos. The day I went they had a hibiscus juice, which was what I ordered. the two tacos and drink cost me $11, which wasn't super cheap, but the tacos were very filling so in the end it was pretty good value for the money.  Once you pay for your tacos you walk a few more feet and are greeted by a line cook who takes your order and then you can watch into the open kitchen while the chef prepares your tacos.  When I was looking at pictures of Los Tacos No.1 on Instagram  I saw a lot of comments saying that Los Tacos No.1 had  the best tacos in NYC so I had very high expectations. The tacos definitely met my expectations and both the pork and carne asada were cooked perfectly and the toppings just accentuated the delicious tender and juicy meat.


3) Oaxaca Taqueria   
 The third place I went to was Oaxaca Taqueria, which is chain restaurant with 6 locations in New York City. Oaxaca's menu consists of tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, tortas, burritos and even salads. There are also a variety of different filling choices, which include: chicken, chorizo, al pastor (adobo marinated pork), carnitas (citrus marinated pork), roasted potato and poblano peppers and a few seafood options. I decided to try one al pastor taco and one carnitas taco because I was curious to taste the difference.  The two tacos cost $8, which I thought was average and you get a lot of meat and toppings in  each taco so the two tacos left me full and satisfied.  In both tacos the pork tasted exactly the same even though the pork had different marinades and  it was really just the toppings that differentiated the two tacos. The Al pastor taco had delicious fresh pineapple and cilantro and the carnitas taco had pickled red onion, which I really enjoyed, salsa roja, cotija cheese and cilantro. I really enjoyed both tacos and I would definitely go back to try something else, such as a potato and poblano pepper enchilada or one of their tortas.  I first heard of Oaxaca Taqueria when I went to smorgasburg last year, but this was my first time in one of Oaxaca Taqueria's storefront locations. I went to the upper west side location, which is small but has a nice low key atmosphere.  I also enjoyed that they had good music playing, which was a nice bonus to the delicious tacos.

I  thought I would also share an easy taco recipe so that you can enjoy some delicious homemade tacos in the comfort of your own house.

Grilled Chili-Lime Fish Tacos


Photo & recipe courtesy of: Ambitious Kitchen


Monday, January 5, 2015

Good Eats-Quinoa Recipe Suggestions...

As I mentioned in my new year's goal blog post I've made a commitment this year to eating healthier so I thought I would share with you some great quinoa recipe suggestions.

Quinoa is perfect accompaniment to your meat or seafood dishes, is a great source of protein and is easy to cook.  I love that Quinoa is extremely versatile so you can let your imagination go wild and come up with all different fun and creative ways to use it.

One of my favorite ways to use quinoa is "quinoa bowls'', a variation the chipotle rice bowls. I love Chipotle's brown rice bowl, when I was working in the city there was a Chipotle a block away from my office so I was getting rice bowls at least once a week so making quinoa bowls is great way for me to  satisfy my craving for chipotle rice bowl and is healthier and more cost effective, so basically a win-win.

Quinoa Bowl Ideas: 

1)Thai Chicken Coconut Quinoa Bowls- 
Recipe courtesy of: Fabtastic Eats




















When I first moved into my apartment I wanted to start trying out some of the  recipes I had accumulated on my pinterest boards so I decided to off with the Thai Chicken Coconut Quinoa Bowl from Fabtastic Eats blog. The coconut quinoa turned out perfectly and I loved the flavor that the light coconut milk gave the quinoa. While the recipe was pretty easy to follow and used basic ingredients found at any grocery store I struggled with step eight, which says to put the reserve marinade into a saucepan until liquid reduces and is thick and shiny. I don't know if I had the temperature set too high or left the sauce on the stove too long or both, but the sauce ended up burning a little bit and stuck to the bottom of the pot I was using. In the end I had a delicious home cooked meal and loved how the colors of the quinoa, chicken, pineapple and cilantro garnish looked all together.


2) Sesame Kale Glow Bowl


Recipe & Picture Courtesy of: The Glowing Fridge



















I found this recipe on Pinterest. I have never tried tempeh, but always been curious to try it and I think that this would be a good recipe to test it out. I also think the sauce seems very interesting. The recipe calls for combining: soy sauce, water, lime juice, ginger and red pepper flakes, which I think will create a unique flavor combination. This seems like a flavorful and very healthy recipe.

Quinoa Salad Ideas:

1) Kale & quinoa salad with dried cranberries, walnuts and feta


Picture & Recipe Courtesy of: Sweet Caroline's Cooking
















I love cranberry, walnut and feta salads so combined with a little crunch from the quinoa and kale this salad is right up my alley. I also like that this recipe uses a lot of the same ingredients as the sesame kale glow bowl, which means that making both recipes the same week is a good way to use up the ingredients.

2) Black Bean & Sweet Corn Quinoa Salad

Photo & Recipes Courtesy of: Mel's Kitchen Cafe














Corn and black bean salads are always a big hit so the addition of quinoa makes the salad more filling and the quinoa provides a nice color contrast to the colors of the yellow corn, black beans and cilantro garnish. This salad would be a great side dish to a simple fish dish or with a grilled chicken breast.

Additional Suggestions:

1) Quinoa, Avocado & shrimp 
Photo & Recipe Courtesy of: Iowa Girl Eats

This is similar to the black bean and corn salad above, but this recipe also includes: shrimp, pomegranate arils, oranges, avocado and a great homemade lemon vinaigrette. I like that this recipe incorporates fruit as well, which means you are getting veggies, fruit and protein all in one dish. 



2) Quinoa Burger
Photo & Recipe courtesy of: Eating Well Living Thin

















This sounds like a cross between a veggie burger and potato pancake, what could be better! the combination of cheese (cheddar cheese and cottage cheese) along with carrots, scallion and quinoa this recipe sounds like a delicious and very healthy burger option. I also like the recipe suggests tzatziki sauce on top of the burger, which I think would offer a nice compliment to the flavors of the burger. This would go nicely with some homemade sweet potato fries and maybe a green veggie such as broccoli or roasted brussels sprouts. 

What are your favorite quinoa recipes. Share with me in the comments section below.