Quinoa Salad

I am such a great hostess. ~tap, tap~ (that's me patting myself on the back).  I cooked so many meals while my sister was visiting.  She wanted the recipe for this Quinoa Salad that I made while she was here, so I said I would post it to the blog so it looks like I haven't been slacking on my February posts.

Quinoa Salad:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 diced green pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup minced sun-dried tomatoes
2 T. feta

Dressing:
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil

1.  Rinse quinoa prior to cooking.  Combine water in quinoa in a saucepan and boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

2.  Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

3.  Combine quinoa with green pepper, carrots, and tomatoes in a bowl.  Stir in dressing.  Top individual servings with a bit of feta.

Tips:
*Red quinoa holds up better in the cooking process and is better for salads.

*Don't forget to rinse the quinoa quite well, even if the package says it's pre-rinsed.  This gets rid of the bitter-tasting saponins, which also cause sort of an unsightly soapy film when the quinoa is cooked.

*Use some oil from the sun-dried tomato jar for the dressing.

*I like to reduce the vinegar and add more mustard for the dressing; adjust it to your own preference.

A Recipe For You!

I made this soup last night and it was so good (and healthy!  and easy!)  I did not invent it, just adapted a recipe from a magazine.  It was even better today (the second day).  Yum yum.

Beef & Veggie Soup


3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 package of frozen corn (5 oz?  6 oz?)
3/4 lb. green beans, ends trimmed and cut into one inch pieces
2 tsp. dried oregano
4 cups beef broth
olive oil
ground black pepper

1. Warm a bit of olive oil in a dutch oven or another soup pan and brown the beef.  Drain it on a paper towel and dab the fat drippings out of the pan.

2.  Warm a bit more olive oil if needed and saute the green pepper and onion over medium heat.

3.  Add the corn, green beans, broth, oregano, and beef back into the pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to med-low for about 10-15 minutes, until the beans are cooked, yet still crisp.  Season with black pepper and eat!