Fall Quinoa Pilaf

My diet is almost exclusively plant-based. I will eat meat from time to time, so I like to consider myself a semi-vegetarian. Eating mostly plants is a personal choice for me. I find it easier to digest veggies and grains then a huge piece of steak. When I started eating more fruit and veg, I noticed my energy increased. I wasn't stopping at Starbucks every couple of hours to fill up on caffeine and sugar just to have my blood sugar crash in thirty minutes. I realize that everyone's body needs protein, however protein doesn't always have to be in the form of meat. A little grain called Quinoa has a nice helping of protein in it. I particularly like this grain because it helps stabilize my blood sugar and I can eat a lot of it since it is low in calories. Even if you decide to just have one vegetarian meal a week, you are doing your body an enormous favor. Try it and you might just become a VIP (Vegan Intriguing Person).

Fall Quinoa Pilaf

1 cup Quinoa cooked according to the directions on package

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 pomegranate, seeds removed

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1/4 cup dried figs, chopped

1/4 cup toasted almonds

juice of 2 Meyer lemons

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine parsley, green onion, pomegranate seeds and dried figs. Add Quinoa in once it has cooled off after cooking it. In a small bowl combine lemon juice, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Drizzle over pilaf. Garnish with toasted almonds.

Enjoy!

Happy Food Day!

Mixed Green Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Lately I've been on a Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Sugar Free meal plan. Diet is such an ugly word. I'm doing this more for health reasons and not to lose wight. Hey, if I happen to drop some pounds that is great. There are so many "detox" diets out there. The problem in my opinion is that if you detox for two weeks and then go back to eating pizza and hamburgers you are not really accomplishing anything. Eating healthy has to be a lifestyle change. It is time consuming and can be expensive. If you do not eat all the veggies in your fridge within a week then mostly likely they will go bad. Processed food last longer, is easy and cheap. The bad thing is processed food is not living food. It is not full of vitamins and minerals. I have to be honest, I cheat on my meal plan. Sometimes I want to have a burger or a slice of pie. If I cheat, it better be good, like an Angus burger or a pizza cooked on a wood burning stove. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox.

Mixed Green Salad:

I head of red leaf lettuce, washed and shredded

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 avocado, sliced

Lemon Tahini Dressing:

1 tablespoon tahini

juice of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

 Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle over the salad. 

Tuna Salad in Avocado Shells

Since the temperatures are now in the high 90's and expected to climb into the 100's this coming week, I haven't wanted to venture near the stove. This tuna salad stuffed in avocado shells is the perfect meal for a hot summer day. Seems everybody has their favorite way of preparing tuna salad. Mine has celery for texture, some dill for flavor and a few capers for tartness. You could definitely substitute the tuna for chicken if you are not a tuna salad fan.

Tuna Salad:

1 5 oz. canned Albacore tuna packed in olive oil

2 celery stalks, diced

2 green onions, diced

2 tablespoons parsley, diced

1 tablespoon dried or fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon capers

salt and pepper 

 1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 large avocado 

To prepare, drain tuna and place in a large bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Cut the avocado in half, remove pit and peel. Spoon the salad in the avocado shells. 

Enjoy!

Wild Rice Pilaf

This is a wonderful, light and versatile dish that can be served as a side dish or main entree. Serve it inside a baked acorn squash, on the side of a pork tenderloin or make it the main dish by adding some baked chicken. The original recipe called for canned mandarin oranges, but since oranges were in season, I thought fresh would be so much better. I also substituted dried cranberries for fresh grapes. I just love the sweet and tart flavor of dried cranberries.


Recipe:

1 8 oz. package wild rice, cooked according to directions on package
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 small oranges peeled and sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt&pepper
  
Directions:
In a small bowl combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and salt and pepper. Stir together. In a large bowl, combine wild rice, green onions, walnuts, oranges and dried cranberries. Drizzle dressing over ingredients in the large bowl and mix well.


Enjoy!

Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad

This is my go-to dish when I don't have a lot of time to cook. It is easy to make and goes a long way. The day before my husband and I moved into our new home, I made a huge bowl of this salad. After a long day of moving and unpacking, it was the perfect dish. Since I had no idea where any of my dishes were, I served it in plastic bowls. I think we ate it for a couple of days. Of course, the bottle of wine was a a great accompaniment - I made sure that I did not pack the wine opener;)

Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad:

20 oz cheese filled tortellini, cooked according to the directions on package

  ( I used the three cheese tortellini from Buitoni )

6 oz can black olives (medium)

1 green bell pepper, diced

7.5 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

10.5 oz container cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 bottle of Greek, Italian or vinaigrette salad dressing (I used Kraft basil parmesan vinaigrette)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions: 

Drain pasta and let cool. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients, except for the pasta and cheese and dressing. After pasta has cooled, add it and the dressing and cheese to the bowl.

Enjoy!