Bold Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

We've been addicted to this quinoa salad for the last several weeks. Every time I get myself a serving, my husband comes in and "borrows" the bowl.  It's totally amazing, and absolutely packed with bold flavor. Seriously. Just when I think there's not something else that I could adore more about quinoa, I find another great recipe. 

 Let's talk Quinoa. Quinoa has been around long enough now in the front lines of the natural food universe that it isn't new anymore. When I first started writing this blog, it was pretty new.

Organic Grains.Com Sprouted Quinoa Tabbouleh recipe inspired me to really crank up the herbs and use some bolder flavors in my quinoa salad. This recipe is what resulted from that inspiration. I used Organic Sprouted Quinoa along with Organic Black Quinoa in this one too. Sprouting the quinoa seeds removes the naturally occurring saponines (the bitter enzyme that causes a strong flavor if quinoa is not rinsed). Using the sprouted the seeds also removes the phytic acids and take the grain through the early stages of sprouting, rendering the grain more digestible and the vitamins more accessible.

Bold Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

1 cup sprouted quinoa
2 cups boiling water
¼  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3  cup Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil
1 ½  tsp kosher salt
1 bunch scallions, minced, white and green parts
1 ½  cup Atheno Low-fat feta cheese*
½  cup minced fresh herbs (dill, mint, parsley, oregano, flat-leaf parsley)
1 cup chopped bell peppers

1 cup Peppadew Peppers, chopped

1/2 cup roasted garlic, chopped

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a rice cooker, combine the sprouted quinoa and boiling water. Cook 20 minutes until tender.  Cool for at least 20 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients.  Chill. Serve. Yield 8 servings

Savory 10 grain, Quinoa and Herb French Onion Muffins

My friend Stephanie F. made some quinoa muffins for me to taste recently and I loved the idea of making a whole grain muffin using cooked quinoa in the batter so much! The little chewy pieces in the muffins add a great chewy texture as well as a great amount of complete protein and fiber. So. Thank you darling Stephanie's for the idea!  I decided to use some cooked quinoa (How to Cook Quinoa Tutorial) and some of my homemade French Onion Soup Mix to prepare some rather righteous muffins (If I do say so myself). They're lightly sweet but have just the right balance of hearty grain and onion. You get just a hint of French herbs when you make the soup mix with Herbs de Provence instead of parsley. I always make it that way. 

Serve them hot with crisp cool salad or a bowl of soup and you'll be happy. I promise. I can also promise that Ace ate 5 muffins in one sitting and had so much fiber that he...um...never-mind. 

Chef Tess 
Savory 10 Grain, Quinoa and Herb French Onion Muffins
3 cup Chef Tess 9 Grain All Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup granulated erythritol (zero calorie natural sweetener)
2 cup cooked quinoa (measure one cup after cooking)
1/4 cup homemade  French Onion Soup Mix 
1 1/3 cup water
2T garlic or lemon infused olive oil
1/2 tsp  Chef Tess Romantic Italian Seasoning

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine baking mix, erythritol, cooked quinoa and onion soup mix in a quart size bowl.  Add water and mix just until combined. Scoop into oiled muffin tins, each muffin 3/4 way. Bake in a hot even 20-25 minutes until golden brown and muffins spring back when touched gently. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and Chef Tess seasoning. Brush the tops of the muffins with the olive oil combination. Serve warm. Keep any left overs in the freezer for later use. 

There you go. Make some warm divine muffins of love and glory. Try not to pass out. 

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Honey Chile glazed Salmon with Blackberry Salsa

This was one of those rare nights when my husband wasn't home and I could make fish. I'm sure I CAN make fish any night, but Ace doesn't like the smell, or look, or idea of fish. Not a fish fan. I on the other hand, could eat salmon all day. I love the way it tastes. I fished endlessly every summer as a kid. My perfectly amazing dad is an avid fisherman. Oh dad. There are really no words wonderful enough to describe him...

Back to the Salmon. So we had this for dinner last night. Aside from tasting divine and taking me back to fishing with my dad, it was also very healthy. I wanted to share this with everyone. It seems like there is always a need for something new and different. The rice (notice it's green...) was mixed with a tasty tomatillo salsa. A recipe my dear friend Tara found and is wonderful. It came from: http://laylita.com/recipes/2009/01/05/quinoa-with-tomatillo-and-cilantro-sauce/ ...but we used rice. Laylita also made a version of salmon and pomegranate salsa. After searching 3 stores for a pomegranate... I went with my blackberry salsa. How I found blackberries for under a dollar in January I don't know. They where at a local farmers market. I only used a cup, because I ate the rest...I have an uncanny weakness for a good blackberry. Salmon Honey glaze is my recipe too. Here's the scoop...

Blackberry Salsa:
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 green onion, diced
2T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed
dash of salt, pepper
1/4 tsp ancho chile powder

Toss together lightly. Set aside.

Honey Chile Salmon glaze
1/4 cup honey ( I used a buckwheat wildflower honey from Arizona...oh yum)
3 cloves of pressed garlic
zest of 1 lemon or lime
2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp salt
Combine together and spread over salmon (I used 2 lbs, cut into 4 steaks without skin). Allow to marinate (fridge...2 hours).
Salmon should be on parchment paper. I also chopped a couple bell peppers and put them around the salmon before I baked it. (350 15-20 minutes...depending on the thickness of the steaks).

Once baked, transfer to a plate and serve with the tomatillo rice or quinoa. Enjoy!!