Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

I have made lots of different dishes with quinoa but this recipe is one of my favorites. It really incorporates all the yummy flavors you expect of buffalo chicken - the heat from hot sauce, nice chunks of chicken and to cool things off some goat cheese. Blue cheese would also be a great substitute if you don't like goat cheese and my friend Julie, who came over and ate this dinner with us said that slices of celery in it would also be a yummy addition and I agree. I am not sure it's the healthiest of quinoa recipes (loads of cheddar cheese) but it sure is delicious. 

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa
From Iowa Girl Eats 
Printable Version
Serves 4-6
Ingredients 
1 1/4 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 chicken breasts 
garlic powder
onion power
salt and pepper
smoked paprika
2 tablespoons of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk, dived
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chevre (goat cheese) crumbled

Directions
Preheat broiler. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside. SEason chicken breasts on both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Cook in a nonstick pan sprayed with cooking oil over medium heat until cooked all the way through. Chop into bite sized pieces. 
Whisk together flour and 1/2 cup of milk in a separate large pan over medium heat. Pour in the remaining milk and green onions. Using a spatula bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute while boiling. 
Remove from the heat and add in the hot sauce and cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is completely melted. Add in the quinoa and chicken and stir to combine. 
Pour into a non stick spayed casserole dish and top with the chevre. Broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbly. 

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I made this yummy salad full of fresh veggies and tossed with a unique vinaigrette for our Fourth of July get together with friends. It made a huge portion, perfect for potlucks. It can be made ahead of time and chilled - a bonus for this busy Mommy who's one year old is constantly keeping me on my toes!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
From Family Circle Magazine 
Makes 12 servings (more if using potluck sized portions)
Printable Version

Ingredients

1 box of your favorite pasta

8 ounces snow peas (I used regular frozen peas that I thawed)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 sweet orange pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1 ¼ inch strips

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

For the Vinaigrette

¼ cup distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions Cook noodles according to directions. Add snow peas during the last minute. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. Meanwhile place tomatoes, pepper strips, feta and onion in a large bowl. Whisk together all ingredients for the Vinaigrette and whisk. Place pasta and snow peas in a large bowl with the other ingredients with Vinaigrette. Toss gently to combine. Scatter sliced basil on top and gently stir. Refrigerate until serving.

Pumpkin Cashew Chicken Curry

This dish is by far the best thing I have made in a LONG time. My neighbor AnnMarie and her family just moved from Okinawa and gave me a bunch of canned pumpkin. I asked her how she used pumpkin and she shared with me this amazing recipe. I am so thankful she did because it was seriously delicious. You can't go wrong with the flavor combinations in this one pot meal - pumpkin, curry, coconut milk, red onion, cinnamon, cilantro, cashews. I added in carrots for additional flavor and veggie content and this dish could easily be adapted for vegetarians if you substituted more veggies for the chicken. After I made it I put it in my crock pot to hang out on warm for several hours and I think it really intensified the flavors.

This is my new favorite recipe and one I will put into our regular dinner rotation. 

Pumpkin Cashew Chicken Curry
Modified from PaleOMG and recommended by AnnMarie (thanks AM!)
Serves 4-5
Printable Version
Ingredients 
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons ginger 
1 red onion, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 can coconut milk 
1 large can of pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup cashews
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, for garnish 
3 cups of cooked rice (I used Jasmine)

Directions 
Heat large pot or Dutch Oven to medium and add in oil. Add minced garlic and ginger and once fragrant add in chicken and carrots. Cook until chicken is white on all sides. 

Pour in coconut milk, all spices, red onions and pumpkin. 

Raise heat until mixture becomes bubbly, stirring frequently.  Allow to cook until onions have softened, about three minutes. 

This is when I transferred everything to my crock pot but you can also serve it immediately. When ready to eat place on top of rice and garnish with cashews and chopped cilantro. 

Vegetarian Curry

Hooray I have a Meatless Monday recipe to share with you! I have made this vegetarian curry dish several times now. It's so easy and so good and so healthy! If you don't like a lot of heat be sure to leave the pepper out of this, as just with curry alone it has a little kick. 

You can add or subtract whatever veggies you like or have on hand. This time I forgot to get chickpeas so I substituted some small potatoes. I think sliced summer squash or zucchini would also be excellent in this! It also is a great recipe to make ahead and keep warm in the crock pot. My friend Jess shared this recipe with me after she got it from our friend Kelly. Thanks ladies! :)

Vegetarian Curry

Serves 4

Printable Version

Ingredients

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon ginger

1 thai or jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 can coconut milk

½ cup water

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup diced tomatoes

Directions

Warm oil in dutch oven at medium low. Add garlic, ginger, onion and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in curry and season with salt and pepper. Add sweet potatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk and water. 

Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for ten minutes. Add peas and tomatoes and cook until heated through. If you want to keep warm in a crock pot, this is time time to transfer everything over. Serve over rice.

Meatless Mondays: Vegetarian Tostadas

I have been hanging on to this Veggie Tostada recipe from one my former students' Mom for a few years now. Jody has shared several delicious recipes with me via email that I kept in a folder and recently I went back through them and decided it was time to finally make these. It contains flavors that my husband and I love and best of all is meatless! I am always on the hunt for good vegetarian recipes. We both gobbled these up, enjoying the southwestern flavors and all the vegetable goodness. It's a very filling, satisfying dinner that doesn't take much time or effort besides chopping. They even taste great as leftovers. I am going to put this one into the regular dinner rotation. Thank you Jody!!

Vegetarian Tostadas

From Jody

Printable Version

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery or bell peppers (I used a combination of these)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15 1/2 oz) red beans, drained (I used black beans instead!)

1 can (15 1/2 oz) Great Northern beans, drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes (do not drain)

2 t. mild chili pepper

1 t. cumin

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro (dried works fine too!)

6 corn tortillas, optional

Optional toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped fresh tomatoes, shredded cheeses, sliced avocado, sour cream

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and garlic.  Cook and stir 8 minutes or until softened.  Add beans and  tomatoes with juice.  Stir to blend.  Add chili powder, cumin and stir.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cover.  Simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

While bean mixture simmers, place tortillas in single layer directly on oven rack.  Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until crisp.  Place one tortilla on each plate.  Spoon bean mixture evenly over each one.  Sprinkle cilantro on top. Top with desired toppings.

Yakisoba

Before we lived in Okinawa I had never heard of yakisoba. It is a a type of stir fry with ramen style noodles and a sweet thick sauce that is very popular here in Okinawa. It's at basically every festival on the island, which is where we usually eat it. I decided I need to try making it at home in our final months here, while I can still get the noodles easily and while I still remember the taste. 
This recipe is based off my friend AnnMarie's recipe. It's one of those dishes that everyone has their own take on. I wanted to try it with shrimp but traditionally pork or chicken is used. I did stay true to the vegetable combination though, using cabbage, carrots, onion, and green onion as a garnish. 

Yakisoba
Printable Version
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil but olive or vegetable would work fine too)
Half a head of cabbage, chopped in about 1/2 inch pieces 
8 baby carrots (or 3 regular sized), thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 pound of shrimp, pork or chicken
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or mirin
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (if you don't have this just add in 2 minced cloves of garlic)
1 package of yakisoba noodles 
Sprinkle of sesame seeds (if desired)

Directions
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add in cabbage, onion and carrots and cook for several minuted until onions are translucent. While the vegetables are cooking whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic chili sauce (or garlic). Add the sauce to the wok with the meat and stir until heated through. 

Stir in the noodles and serve immediately with a garnish of green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I made my first batch of homemade chicken noodle soup when one of our good friends and her daughter was sick recently. There really is nothing better than a steaming hot bowl of good old fashioned chicken noodle soup when you aren't feeling well. This recipe made a huge batch so hubby and I also enjoyed it even though we weren't sick! And like most soup recipes, this soup tasted even better the next day. It will be hard to eat  chicken noodle soup from a can after discovering how easy and delicious it is to make myself!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Printable Version
Modified From Food Network.com
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch thick clices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock
8 ounces dried wide egg noodles
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups of cooked chicken, shredded
1 handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes until the vegetables are softened but not browned.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for five minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. 

Sprinkle with the chopped parsley before serving. 

Greek Quinoa Salad

Please forgive the poor lighting in these photos - they were taken during a typhoon! I made this yummy, healthy and very filling salad for hubby and I to enjoy during our last typhoon - we've had four in Okinawa this year and let me tell you, it's getting old. But this Greek Quinoa Salad made being stuck indoors listening to the howling wind and watching the torrential rain a whole lot better. I love the traditional Greek flavors in this dish - feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon, and olive oil. I wanted this to be a meal in itself so added in grilled chicken breasts. 

Greek Quinoa Salad
From With Style & Grace
Printable Version
1 1/2 cups quinoa 
2 cups water or chicken broth
1 heaping cup of cucumbers, quartered
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup Kalamata olives (I completely forgot these!)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions
In a medium pot bring water or chicken broth and quinoa to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for about 17 minutes. When all the water is absorbed remove and fluff with a fork. Allow to cool. 
In a large bowl combine cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and onions. 
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to make the dressing. 
Stir the vegetable combination into the quinoa then pour the dressing over everything and stir to combine. Add in feta and stir lightly. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Cream of Potato Soup

Here in Okinawa we've had a pretty crazy typhoon season. There have been three pretty large typhoons that swept across our small island in the past couple months and we are very thankful that no one we know sustained any damage from them. For some reason typhoons make me want to cook! I guess it's because we are stuck inside for a couple days while we wait out the storm. During Typhoon Bolaven I woke up wanting comfort food so set about making cream of potato soup. I browsed a couple different recipes before settling on this one from allrecipes.com. It was an excellent recipe that I tweaked a little and made even better by adding in bacon crumbles! It's a filling, belly warming one pot meal that is perfect for any dreary day!

Cream of Potato Soup
Modified from Allrecipes.com 
Printable Version 
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups whole milk or half and half (I used fat free half and half)
3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used six small potatoes)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions 
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven saute onion, carrots and garlic in the butter until soft but not browned. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add broth slowly, stirring as you add. Add milk, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, celery seed, seasoning salt, pepper, parsley, and chicken bouillon.

Allow to simmer and thicken, stirring frequently until the potatoes are cooked through, approximately 25 minutes. Serve warm with bacon crumbles and shredded cheese. 

Freezer to Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers

After the birth of my daughter my parents came to stay with us for ten days and during that time my Mom and I set about to making several freezer to crock pot meals that I could just throw in the crock pot and use for a quick, easy dinner. This sausage, peppers, and onion recipe was for my husband as it contains ingredients that he loves. It had really great flavor and was excellent over pasta. I loved this recipe because it made six servings so I froze it into two separate batches and we enjoyed it twice. 

Freezer to Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers
From Ring Around the Rosies
Makes two freezer bags, about three servings each
Printable Version
Ingredients
6 Italian sausages or chicken sausage
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves

 2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

Directions
Slice peppers and onions into thins slices. Mince the garlic. Split all ingredients into two gallon size freezer bags. Mix, lay flat, and freeze. Write on the bag: Add drizzle of olive oil and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over pasta or fresh french bread with mozzarella cheese.

Marinated Tomato and Cilantro Salad

Our wonderful neighbors brought us a bunch of farm fresh tomatoes that I decided were the perfect amount for a tomato salad. Since I also had a bunch of cilantro I wanted to use that up too. The marinated salad was super juicy and tangy. It was delicious sopped up with a fresh roll. Now that it's almost summer time and tomato time I know I'll be making this salad again!

Marinated Tomato and Cilantro Salad
An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original
Printable Version
Ingredients
6 medium sized tomatoes, sliced into fourths
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic salt, and pepper. Place tomatoes, cilantro, and onion in a medium sized resealable container.

Pour the marinade over the tomatoes and seal the container. 

Shake to coat and and leave at room temperature for at least two hours. Serve over cous cous, with crusty bread, or a fresh roll.