Holiday Quinoa Salad

 

2 cups water or chicken broth

1 cup uncooked quinoa

½ cup crumbled feta

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

½ cup chopped green onions

½ cup dried cranberries

zest of 1 orange

citrus dressing (recipe below)

 

Bring water or chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, allow to stand 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and chill.

Toss chilled quinoa, feta, pecans, green onions, cranberries and orange zest together.

Drizzle dressing over the mixture and then toss quickly to combine.  Serve cold.

 

Citrus Dressing

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. kosher salt

10 cracks black pepper

1 tsp. creole seasoning

Whisk ingredients together.  If possible refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

 

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake with Chcolate Icing

 

 

2 cups Flour

2 cups Sugar

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 sticks Butter

1 cup Boiling Water

1/2 cup Buttermilk

2 whole Beaten Eggs

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Vanilla

FOR FROSTING:

1 3/4 stick Butter

4 Tbsp. (heaping) Cocoa

6 Tbsp. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 lb. (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

 

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add peanut butter. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into peanut butter/flour mixture until combined. Pour into sheet cake pan  (I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan)  and bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off the heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best peanut butter sheet cake. Ever.

This recipe can be found here.

One Pot Moroccan Quinoa

 

2 tsp. unsalted butter or olive oil

1 lemon, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped shallots 

3 garlic cloves minced

2 Tbsp. mild harissa 

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

1 cup dry quinoa

1 (14.5-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

3 cups fresh baby spinach

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 cup sliced green olives 

 

Heat butter in a large skillet with a fitted lid over medium-high heat. Once melted, add lemon slices. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown; flip and cook 1 to 2 additional minutes. Transfer to a plate and reduce heat to medium.

Add oil, shallots, and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes, until softened. Stir in harissa, cumin, paprika, and quinoa; stir to coat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to lightly toast quinoa.

Stir in diced tomatoes, broth, and salt; increase heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa absorbs most liquid and plumps up about 15 to 20 minutes.

Uncover, and stir in spinach until greens wilt into the mixture, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almonds. Top with olives, fresh herbs, and caramelized lemon slices.

This recipe can be found here.