This week, I made mostly cooked dishes with good reviews, so far.
First and favorite, Quinoa Patties!
2 1/2 c cooked quinoa
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped chives
1 yellow or white onion, diced
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup breadcrumbs
water, if needed
1 tbsp olive oil
Combine quinoa, eggs, and salt in a bowl. Stir in chives, onion, cheese and garlic. Add breadcrumbs and let sit for a few minutes so they can absorb the moisture. Form patties with the mixture. In a heated skillet, add the olive oil and cook patties on medium low in the covered skillet for 7-10 minutes. Then flip, recover and cook 7 more minutes. I ate them with: Spinach and Arugula, walnuts, sweet cherries, basil and goat cheese.
Black Bean Salad
4 cups black beans
3/4 cup oven roasted tomatoes (recipe below)
3/4 cup raw peptias
sea salt
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve at room temperature.
Oven roasted Tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbsp natural cane sugar or maple syrup
sea salt
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place on a pan (I used a pyrex dish). Roast 45-60 minutes or until tomatoes shrink and carmelize. Can store in fridge for 1 week. These were scrumptious!
This one I made for Adam, because the Red Pepper flakes get super spicy.
Summer Linguine
2 medium zucchini, grated or chopped (I chopped, because I always seem to grate my finger instead of the vegetable)
sea salt
8 oz whole wheat pasta (I used rigatoni, not linguine, because that's what I had in the pantry)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
black pepper
Cook the pasta and drain. Heat the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper in a skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the zucchini to the skillet and cook until tender. Add the pasta and cheese and toss. Season with salt and pepper. I also added some chicken to this dish to add some protein and it was a-ok. :)
Now, the recipes below are ones I have planned for later in the week. But, I am so excited about them, I am going to post them now.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole
2 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dijon mustard
sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz cremini mushrooms (or, button, if you are cheap, like me)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 cups of cooked wild or brown rice (i am planning on using brown rice)
1/3 cup grated Gruyere Cheese
1 tsp fresh tarragon or thyme
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, mustard and 1/2 tsp salt. In a skillet over high heat combine olive oil and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are browned. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add rice to skillet and mix until combined. Add this mixture to the cottage cheese mix and stir until combines. Put in baking dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with foil and cook 30 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with tarragon (or thyme). I am serving this with kale chips (see below) and flank steak.
Kale Chips (a.k.a the easiest recipe ever!)
1 bunch of kale, ripped into bite size pieces
pam (or olive oil)
sea salt
*you could also add red pepper flakes or coconut flakes for a twist
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl mix the kale and salt (or red pepper and coconut flakes). Coat lightly with oil. Spread evenly in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Keep a close eye on these guys, they go from lightly browned to crispy black in 2.2 seconds. :)
Last meal of the week is:
Sweet Potato Ravioli with a light butter and sage sauce served with Roasted Asparagus
Now this ravioli is the best thing that ever hit earth (besides the kale chips, of course). There is a woman who has a booth at the Carrboro Farmers Market on Saturday mornings that makes homemade ravioli, pasta, family dinners, and sauce and her stuff is to die for! So, that is where the ravioli is from and the other stuff I am just going to wing and pray that it turns out.
Cross your fingers. :)
On a garden note, we planted 3 collard starts and 4 rainbow chard starts outside in our little garden a few days ago. Adam will not let me buy anything else, but we have extra soil, so I may sneak in some more fall starts in the near future. I am thinking arugula, spinach, more basil, and maybe some pumpkin or squash. What do you guys think? Do you have any other suggestions?
