lemon and garlic quinoa salad

1 cup dry quinoa

1/2 t sea salt

13/4 cup water

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/3 cup minced parsley

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:

3 to 4 garlic cloves minced

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 to T tamari( soy sauce)

bring quiona, water, and salt to boil and let simmer for about 15 min. Let stand for 10 min. Add remainder of ingredients, and mixed dressing. Serve hot or cold.

I like to top with a little more soy sauce once on the plate.

Indian Curried Cauliflower with Potatoes and Peas

I had to be a bit creative with dinner last night as it was the end of the week. Curry is a great spur of the moment, thrown together, hodge podge of whatever you have. I usually make Thai curries with coconut milk, but a less spicy indian style curry sounded good. This smells so good cooking you want to jump in the pan...please refrain.

2T olive oil

2 yukon gold potatoes- peeled and chopped into 1/2" chunks

1 sm onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 T minced ginger

1T yellow curry paste- I used powder and added a tsp thai mussamen curry paste for spice

the amount of curry is really up to your liking

1/2 t cumin

2 t salt

11/2 cups water

1 sm cauliflower cut into flowerets

1 cup frozen peas

3 T chopped cilantro

Plain yogurt

-In a large skillet cook onion in oil until golden

-add potatoes, garlic, ginger, curry paste. cumin. Stir until coated and fragrant. 2-3 minutes

-add salt and water; bring to boil. cover and simmer for 10 min.

-add cauliflower; cover and simmer another 10 min or until cauliflower is tender.

-add peas, remove lid, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

-garnish with cilantro, and serve over rice with plain yogurt on the side.

Crab Manicotti

Oh this is good stuff! I found this recipe in a healthy cooking/ taste of home magazine. It's extremely easy, and I even changed it up a bit to use some of the things I had here at home. I'll give the original(which is low-fat) along with my twisted one. The recipe is for only two servings but you can double, triple ect. for however many people you are cooking for or for how hungry you might be.

4 uncooked manicotti shells

(I used lasagna noodles and rolled them up with the filling inside)

1 Tbsp butter

4tsp. all purpose flour

1 cup fat-free milk(I used whole milk)

1 Tbsp grated parmesan (I used the powder)

7oz crabmeat( fresh, canned, in pouches) I used the trader Joes canned crab meat which is slightly less than 7 oz but it worked

1/3 cup reduced fat ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)

1/4 cup shredded part skim milk mozzarella(I used an italian cheese blend)

1/4 tsp lemon pepper (I used grated lemon peel )

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp. Garlic powder( I grated garlic- the way to go!)

Minced fresh parsley

-cook noodles

-melt butter in a sauce pan. Gradually add flour; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes until thick. Stir in parmesan cheese.

-mix crab, ricotta, cheese, lemon, pepper, and garlic. Fill your noodles with the mixture.

-put a 1/4 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of a 8in baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with stuffed noodles then pouring remaining sauce over top.

-cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle parsley on top. Enjoy!

Garbanzo(chick pea) Burgers

I copied this recipe from a cook book my sister had that all the proceeds from sales went to Haiti. It was full of great some what unusual recipes. I'll try to find a link to where you can find the cook book forsale. I've been wanting to try my hand at making my own "veggie burgers" for a while now. Very simple and delicious enjoy!

15 oz can of gabanzo beans

1 sm carrot grated

2 garlic cloves

1 sm onoin chopped

2 eggs

blend the above ingredients in the food processer until beans are smooth

add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 tbsp oil

I cooked them on my non-stick griddle(saves me from having to add more oil by useing a pan) I cooked them at 250 for about 5 minutes each side

I dressed them up just like a regular burger.

lemonaid and blogs

Welcome Back to Me! I had pledged at the start of 2010 that I would join the ranks of millions of other people in this world and start blogging(or start again). As with most resolutions they get lost somewhere between the doctor appiontments, dinner, laundry, and what ever mandatories that consume our time. I was inspired to pick of my tiny little resolution and dust it(puff, puff) when I spent a week with my sister, who is an avid blog reader. She showed me some amazing blogs.(I think she should blog. She's an awesome mom, homemaker who rocks organic living like no other) My goal in doing this is not to meet Oprah when my blog gets a billion hits, I'm just hoping that I can lend a few readers the fun ideas and inspiration that I've enjoyed from other blogs.

I've been living on lemons lately. It's such a happy ball of juice. I've made three lemon pies in the past month. My husband also loves fresh lemonaid, so I had a brilliant idea and I made the usual lemonaid but added it to some celestial seasonings True Blueberry tea that I had iced from the day before. LOVE was born in my pitcher!!!!

The even more marvelous thing is that it comes in a Fruit Tea Sampler, so you can choose Raspberry, peach, Berry, or Cherry if you like.

I brew a tea pot with 3-4 tea packets. chill. Juice about 5 lemons. Add sugar and more water to taste.

YOSEMITE

I spent two days in the natural wonder of Yosemite with my husband. It was glorious and breathtaking. I could live there! Camping in a sense is not all that relaxing. While sitting by the campfire one night I thought I would kill just to have my bathroom here...not the whole house, just the bathroom. It was nice to get away, but stress seems to follow me in the most unlikely of places. Maybe two days wasnt enough to reenvent myself. Here are some of the awe-inspiring views.

This is for you Mary

Today I walked away from the security of a job to the open arms of the great unknown. Since I was seventeen I have spent only 5 days unemployed. Although I may have another job in a day or two the truth is I may not, and to a born and breed workaholic that is quit the feat. Right now I am dreaming of bike rides, camping, farmers market, baking and all the lazy little things I never seem to find the time to savor. Maybe I'll finish the 10 books I have started over the past couple of years. Maybe finally letting go and diving in to the unknown is my saving grace. I am not saying that everyone should up and quit their job, but sometimes holding on is all we have and other times letting go is all me need.

I'm not on an internal trans external quest for the higher meaning to life ( I already know what that is in the general sense) but I am closing a chapter in my life. We'll call it my early twenties. I'll be 27 in a couple months and I still can't knit so I know I'm not getting old, but I am sliding in to my skin a little better.

So here's to my late-twenties.... and those bright red juicy tomatoes I'll find at the farmers market tomorrow!