Summer Quinoa Salad

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School is out, or close, anyway. The days are longer and more relaxed, making it the perfect time to embrace the kitchen! Whether you’re packing for a picnic or just trying to keep cool as the mercury soars, this quick quinoa salad is the trick. If you’re new to quinoa, give it a try. It’s the ‘ancient Incan grain’ and heralded as super good for you. I love it because it’s delicious, versatile, and quick cooking. Prep the ingredients for the salad while the quinoa cooks, and toss it all together. Done.

Quinoa Salad

Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

Makes 4-6 servings

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 tablespoons light sesame oil (not the dark ‘toasted’ typee)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • zest, juice, and segments from 1 fresh orange*
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus additional for garnish

RINSE the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer.

COMBINE the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

REDUCE the heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes and remove from heat.

FLUFF the quinoa with a fork, add the raisins and cover for 5 inutes to plump them.

TRANSFER the quinoa to a large serving bowl and drizzle with the oil and lemon juice.

ADD the orange zest and the juice squeezed from the peels, plus the orange segments.

STIR in the green onions, almonds, and mint, topping with additional mint for garnish, if desired.

Enjoy!

*TRIM the top and bottom off of the orange, using a very sharp knife. SET the fruit on end, and carefully cut the skin from the flesh, beginning at the top and following the curves down. Rotate each fruit as you go, removing all of the peel with a bit of fruit clinging to it. CUT out each section of the fruit by inserting the blade of the knife between the flesh and the membranes on both sides. The wedges should come out easily, leaving only the membrane intact.

Fajita Fiesta + Homemade Guacamole

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Keep it simple or go all out. Why fight the crowds on Cinco de Mayo when you can celebrate at home? Pick your playlist and get ready for some festive kitchen fun! Here’s a sneak peek at a smart, delicious recipe from my family to yours. Smoky chicken fajitas in your cast iron skillet, no charcoal required. Squeeze on some fresh lime, dress them up the way you like. Easy enough for a weeknight, just be sure to recruit many hands to assemble the festive buffet! Ole!

All the fixings for a homemade fiesta.

All the fixings for a homemade fiesta.

Fajita Fiesta

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 pound boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced crosswise
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
  • 1 tablespoon Anc ho chile powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Chipotle chile powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ground pepper
  • juice of 1 lime

For serving:

Warm flour tortillas, shredded cheese, guacamole (recipe follows, here’s where the hands come in), jalapeno slices, lime wedges, sour cream,  ribbons of shredded colorful cabbage

HEAT oil in large skillet over medium heat.

ADD red and green bell peppers and onion and stir fry for 5 minutes until beginning to soften.

TRANSFER to a large bowl using tongs and return skillet to heat.

ADD chicken, garlic, ancho chile and optional chipotle powder, ground cumin and salt and pepper and stir-fry a few minutes until chicken is opaque.

ADD the cooked pepper mixture to the chicken and continue cooking until chicken is done, and peppers are heated through.

SQUEEEZE in the juice of 1 lime and toss to combine.

SERVE, buffet style, spooning chicken and peppers into tortillas, and topping as desired.

 

Classic Guacamole

No fiesta would be complete without the company of this wildly popular festive dip. Have the kids scoop the soft green goodness right from its shell and into a bowl and start smashing.  The hardest part of perfect guacamole is having your avocados ‘just right’ They are ripe when they are just softening when lightly pressed near the stem end and the skin begins to turn black-ish. They usually need a few days on the counter to ripen—to speed this up, place in a small paper bag along with a ripe banana and the process happens more quickly.

  • 2 medium avocados, ripened/soft
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • CUT the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again.

TWIST the halves in opposite directions to free the pit, and pull the halves apart.

DISLODGE the pit, then scoop the avocado out of the ‘shell’ into a medium bowl.

MASH the avocado with a large fork or potato masher, and stir in the lime juice and salt.

SERVE, or if not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Green Adobo Sauce

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Home sweet home, there’s no place like it. July has been a swirl of travel and as wonderful as it’s been, I long to see friends, hug the house, and cook for my family. Plus, there’s a new cookbook waiting for its inaugural staining.

Imagine my glee to say yes please when neighbors shouted ‘welcome back!’ and offered gorgeous summer bounty from their garden. I’ll play in the kitchen while my husband fires up the grill.

All the ingredients ready to go for a delicious adobo verde.

All the ingredients ready to go for a delicious adobo verde.

After unveiling the garden gifts–bunches of freshest cilantro and parsley, firm bulbs of garlic, and a handful of hot chiles–I cracked open our new Rick Bayless cookbook and whipped up a blender-full of green adobo.

A quick spin in the blender is all it takes!

A quick spin in the blender is all it takes!

As with all things Rick, the sauce is as tasty and versatile as promised. We slathered it on grilled chicken and dreamed up some fun things to pair with this vibrant spicy sauce.

Tomorrow night we’ll make a potato salad in the style of green and still have enough adobo to savor and share. I’ll send a jar across the street.

As you tumble in from vacation, be sure your neighbor’s know you made it home. They, too, might welcome you back with something good from the garden.

Green Chile Adobo(Adobo de Chile Verde)

Blend vibrant fresh herbs with sweet roasted garlic and spicy chile into a refrigerator staple. I strayed slightly from the recipe, exchanging one roasted and peeled poblano chile for 2 of the serranos. Deep chile flavor with a more subtle spice. Adapted from More Mexican Every Day by Rick Bayless

  • 1/2 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
  • 4 to 5 serrano chiles, stems removed
  • 1 bunch cilantro, thick bottom stems cut off, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, thick bottom stems cut off, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt

SET a large skillet over medium heat.

LAY in the garlic and chiles and roast, turning regularly, until soft and browned in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 for the garlic.

COOL until handleable, then slip off the garlic’s papery husks. Roughly chop the garlic and chiles and transfer to a blender or food processor.

ADD the cilantro, parsley, olive oil, and salt to the blender and process, scraping down the sides as needed, until nearly smooth (it will look a little like pesto).

TRANSFER to a pint-size jar and store, covered, in the refrigerator, where it will last a month or so.

Note:The oil will rise to the top which will preserve color and freshness. After removing a spoonful of the solids to stir into your eggs or toss with pasta, make sure to smear the oily part flat again to re-create that protective coating.