Quinoa Garden Salad

I got this recipe off the internet the same time I found the avacado wraps but I can't remember where I found this one. . .sorry to whoever did this one, it's definately yum and a keeper.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup canned garbanzo beans (which I didn't add either but next time I plan to)

chopped peppers (yellow, green, orange, red. . .whatever you have, I used green and red-half of each)

tomatoes diced

chopped green onions

2 Tbs. parsley

2 Tbs. mint (I didn't have any so mine didn't have this in it)

Lemon juice

salt

pepper

3 cheese italian dressing (I added this for some flavor)

Directions:

I made the quinoa as directed, pretty much just like rice. Combine the water and the quinoa, bring to boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. I didn't really measure my mix ins. I just cut and chopped what looked good and tossed it in to my cooled quinoa. I cut a lemon and sqeezed in the juice salt and peppered and then tossed with the salad dressing (of which Dennis added more to his personal serving later, but I think less is sometimes more!) Then chilled it for about 2 hours. You can add whatever veggies you like and whatever you have on hand for this one. It's a great way to add some flare to your veggies and some protien too, especially if you're like me and don't eat a lot of meat protiens it's nice to add it this way! YUM and more YUM!! Light and fresh, perfect for summer.

Creamy Avacado and White Bean Wrap

I got this recipe from eatingwell.com the other day while looking for yummy healthy, easy and cool summer dishes. This one is totally yummy and I will most likely be adding white beans to my guacamole from now on. I loved the texture and substance it added. I used regular coleslaw mix instead of shredded cabbage and carrot and I used regular cheddar cheese. Turned out so yummy I could easily eat this every week.

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 4 8- to 10-inch whole-wheat wraps, or tortillas

Preparation
1. Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle chile and salt in a medium bowl. Add cabbage, carrot and cilantro; toss to combine.
2. Mash beans and avocado in another medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in cheese and onion.
3. To assemble the wraps, spread about 1/2 cup of the bean-avocado mixture onto a wrap (or tortilla) and top with about 2/3 cup of the cabbage-carrot slaw. Roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut the wraps in half to serve, if desired.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

This is a SUPER EASY and really yummy meal for summer. You don't use the oven at all and it's a complete and satisfying dish.

Pulled Chicken

Ingredients:

boneless skinless chicken breasts (as many as your family needs I do 3 to 4 and it provides left overs for the week - I have essentially 3 eaters)

b-b-q sauce any kind (I like the hickory smoked brown sugar kind)

Directions:

Pop ingredients in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours and switch to low for 1 hour.

Shread chicken and top on sandwich roll.

We just use mayo and more bbq sauce but you could get creative with your toppings, some people might add cheese or tomatoes or something that might be tasty too.

I served with fresh sliced fruit and pretzels but you could do potato salad and beans as a side or anything you like.

By the way, if you LOVE diet soda and dry flavors and want to try to drink less like I do, sparkling water is a yummy alternative.

Grandma Krause's Peanut Brittle

My Grandma used to make this every Christmas and was always one of my favorite treats. When I was twenty something I asked her to teach me how to make it. I will never forget that day cooking with my little grandma (literally, she is really a tiny person) as she told me the written directions but adding how she knew when the candy was ready by the smell and the color. I won't forget laughing with her and I will always think of her in her kitchen blessing me with her cooking knowledge and much advice she would always give me as we cooked together in her kitchen.

Recently I taught a lesson on heritage and made up batch of brittle to hand out. I figured I would add the recipe to the blog even though it isn't Christmas time, still it's coming soon and peanut brittle I found is good anytime of year!

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

4 Tbs. butter

2 1/2 cups raw peanuts

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix sugar, corn syrup, water, salt and butter in a large sauce pan. Cover and bring to boiling point. Remove cover and cook to soft ball stage on candy thermometer. Add peanuts. Cook to crack stage stirring frequently (my grandma says the candy will turn the color of a brown paper bag and smell will change). Remove quickly stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour onto prepared buttered baking sheets and spread as thin as possible. Cool completely and enjoy!! Yum Yummy!

Chicken Mango Salad

This recipe came from my friend Marissa Wall when we live on Guam. It is easily one of my favorites!! I have made this recipe for a family food contest and won, it is a perfect summer dish you just can go wrong with! LOVE it, so so yummy!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber peeled and diced

1/2 green pepper peeled and diced

1/2 red pepper peeled and diced

1 can white corn drained

4 chicken breasts cooked and diced (I cook mine in italian dressing marinade)

2 tomatoes diced

1 avacado diced

1 can of black beans drained

1-2 mangos peeled and diced

Directions:

Pour oil and vinegar over chopped ingredients and toss. Serve over Fritos and top with dressing.

Mac and Cheese for Grown Ups!

My kids love Mac and Cheese and honestly I do too. We have this for lunch at least once a week. However, I don't think it's all that exciting sometimes and so to make it more "grown up" so to speak I like to add crumbled bacon and diced tomatoes. Just dresses it up a bit don't you think? Yum!

Carrot Cake

It was Dennis' birthday this week and since I didn't have time to make his #1 favorite (cheesecake) I had to go with #2; Carrot Cake. I think he likes the frosting more than the cake but I love them both. I don't like raisins in cake so my carrot cake is always raisins free. I use my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook as always. . .I did try to make it a bit more fancy adding the nuts around the edges and my filling is always just more FROSTING!

Ingredients:
4 beaten eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cups cooking oil
chopped pecans and almonds

Directions:
Grease and flour 2 round pans (or one regular cake pan if you aren't doing layers). Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Set aside. In another bowl combine eggs, carrots and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Pour into pans.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

If you are doing layers, the cooling completely is neccessary. I frost a little on my cake plate to hold the cake in place and then add the frosting filling and then stack with 2nd layer and coat completely with frosting.
To get the nuts on, I don't know if there is an easier way, put I just palmed the nuts and pressed around the edges.
I ate about 1/4 of the cake my-self! Yum and more yum!