What's for Dinner: Citrus Herb Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries and Kale & Broccoli Quinoa

Just wanted to share another great quinoa recipe with you as well as some of our staple seasoning recipes we use often. It's all delicious! (found here)

Kale & Broccoli Quinoa

1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken stock (for cooking quinoa)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated into pan
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 medium or large head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 bunch kale, leaves removed from stems, and broken into bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese, for garnish
lemon juice, if desired

Cook the quinoa in a medium pot to package directions, until tender and liquid is absorbed. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple minutes until translucent (don't let burn), and add the garlic grating it straight into the pan. Stir for a minute, not allowing to burn, and add in the broth. Rinse off the broccoli and kale and add them both to the pan with onions, garlic and broth. Reduce heat slightly and cover. Let cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is tender and kale has shrunk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add quinoa and veggie mix to a serving bowl and mix together. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

We make roasted chicken and homemade sweet potato fries often in our house. These are the seasonings I make in advance and keep on hand.  Drizzle chicken or sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with respective seasonings. Bake at 450 degrees. (23-25min chicken breast) (18-22min thin cut sweet potato fries) Sprinkle a little paprika on sweet potatoes in addition to the house seasoning.

Citrus Herb Seasoning (great on chicken or fish)

 

3/4 cup coarse salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest
4 teaspoons dried rosemary
3 teaspoons dried thyme
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

 

Mix all together and store in airtight container.

House Seasoning (for sweet potato fries)

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix all together and store in airtight container.

ENJOY!!

What's for Dinner: Cheesy Quinoa Vegetable Bites

These quinoa bites were a HUGE hit with the whole family! The kids begged me to make these again while they were eating them and I am more than happy to oblige to their request. This recipe is super easy to make and a healthy vegetarian option (not vegan as it does have cheese and egg). They would also be a great healthy finger food for a party. The kids loved that they could pick these up with their fingers to eat them. Great kid appeal!! And the hubby approved too!

Cheesy Quinoa Vegetable Bites

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2-1 cup chopped spinach
2 green onion stalks chopped
 2-3 garlic cloves diced
1-2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2 large eggs
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cheddar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spoon into greased muffin tins about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Yum!! You can dip these into a sauce of your choosing if you prefer (maybe a homemade marinara or ranch). We served with a simple side of roasted parmesan broccoli. (drizzle broccoli with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped garlic. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes and then add some grated Parmesan before serving. (I often heat an extra minute to melt it a bit)

Sorry for the instagram pic but the kids were ready to eat, the hubby was working 5 hours late and I didn't have time for regular photos. I love Instagram...total time saver ;)

What's for Dinner: Beef & Veggie Spaghetti

Last night I cooked using my first lb of meat from my grass-fed beef order...and it was delicious!! This recipe was a HUGE hit with everyone in the family! Even the girls who can sometimes be finicky were scarfing this one down!! Score!

 Beef and Veggie Spaghetti 

10oz cooked whole wheat spaghetti 

1 lb ground beef 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1/2 cup green bell pepper- diced 

1/2 cup red bell pepper- diced 

1/4 cup red onion- diced 

2 cloves garlic- diced 

1 (14.5oz) can organic diced fire-roasted tomatoes- drained 

1/2 tsp dried oregano 

1/2 tsp dried basil 

1/4 tsp sea salt 

1/4 tsp black pepper 

2 1/4 cups cheddar cheese 

 Cook Spaghetti according to package directions, drain and set aside covered. In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil, bell peppers, onion, and garlic and saute until veggies are tender. Remove veggies from heated skillet. In same skillet brown the ground beef until no longer pink, drain and add cooked veggies. If cooking with grass-fed beef be sure not to overcook since it tends to cook faster than conventional beef. Add tomatoes, cooked spaghetti and all spices to the beef mixture. Continue to cook briefly until all is heated thru. Mix in 2 cups of cheese and stir until melted. Transfer all to lightly greased casserole dish. Bake 15 min at 350 degrees. Remove and add remaining 1/4 cup cheese and continue to bake 5 min until cheese is melted. Serve hot!! YUM!!

What's for Dinner: Mahi Mahi with Corn & Cucumber Slaw

I've been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen this year in an effort to branch out with my cooking and try new things. I am crafty with many things but culinary art is not one of my talents. Since we are trying to eat healthier, eat local foods, and cut out processed "foods" as much as possible I have been cooking from scratch almost nightly, about 6 days a week. It has been a fun learning experience so far! Tonight's dinner was exceptionally yummy so I figured I'd share the recipe I found via pinterest. The original recipe is found here. Earthfare had a great deal on wild-caught Mahi Mahi this week so we picked up a couple pounds. We actually don't eat a lot of fish simply b/c I'm not a huge fish person...but like I said, I am branching out. Remember the portobello mushroom revelation from my Valentines Day dinner? Well, same thing happened tonight. I normally don't really like fish but this was delicious!! Super easy too! I guess the saying is true...Mahi Mahi, the fish so nice they named it twice!!

 Pan Cooked Mahi Mahi with Corn & Cucumber Salsa

• 1 inch thick Mahi filets (skin on)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chile powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon butter

 Combine spices and rub onto both sides of your Mahi Mahi (including skin side). Add butter to a cast iron grill pan on med to med-hi heat. Once butter melts and sizzles add your Mahi filets skin side down. Cook both sides about 4-5 min each until meat is flaky. The skin pulled away from the fish once mine was cooked through.

Corn & Cucumber Slaw

• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (or thawed from frozen)
• 1 cup cucumbers, peeled and small diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, small diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cilantro, minced
• 1 tablespoon jalapeno, minced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon cold pressed olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for 20 minutes so flavors can mingle and get to know each other :) Spoon slaw onto cooked Mahi and admire the prettiness! Then enjoy!!

And in case you want to make the roasted asparagus...

Roasted Asparagus

Line asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Bake at 425 for 20-22 min until they start to brown. If you have really thick asparagus you may need to blanch them prior to roasting so that they will cook entirely. Roasted asparagus is a staple in our home and is absolutely delicious!!

Valentine's Dinner Update (with Instagrams)

UPDATE: Dinner turned out super yummy!! I'm so glad I tried something new in the kitchen...although there was a very scary moment when I thought I might burn the house down. The olive oil caught fire in the pan and erupted in huge flames for about 20 seconds!! I was afraid it was going to burn the cabinets and microwave. Not to mention that we had to open every door and window in the house b/c the smoke alarm was going crazy from all the smoke. For those of you who don't know, olive oil has a very low smoking point and if you're gonna cook with it at high temperatures it's gonna smoke....a LOT....like huge white billowing smoke clouds. I expected smoke b/c I roast with it often in the oven...but nothing could prepare me for the smoke that comes from cooking with a cast iron pan (which I bought just for this meal) on the stove over high heat. Holy Smokes Batman!! Halle was crying she was so frightened by it, lol. But all crazy fire and smoke aside the meal turned out wonderful..even though I finished the steaks in the oven a little too long (per instructions I found online) and they were more cooked than we preferred but still yummy! I definitely plan to make this meal again..maybe cooking in just butter to avoid the smoking fire issue!! We got a super great deal on grass-fed filet mignon at Earthfare (as in 32 oz worth for $13...yeah...normally $18-$20/lb) so we have enough for another meal!! Oh and I like mushrooms now!! Who knew! I have always HATED mushrooms but I sauteed these portobellos in a little butter and red wine and "Oh my Yum!" they were so delicious! So yeah, I like mushrooms :)

 And just so we could actually eat a peaceful dinner together I cooked a separate meal for the kids and we let them eat in Hayden's room on tv trays while watching cartoons. It was perfect! They loved it, we loved it...might have to do this more often!

ETA: Oh..and look what just arrived on my doorstep...chocolate covered strawberries!! I was so surprised! My hubby did great this year...roses and chocolate strawberries!! I love how he scheduled them to be delivered on different days...so it feels like an extended Valentine's Day!! Yay! And that white bow fits Ella's head perfectly...so an added hair accessory to boot!

Chicken Spaghetti- a casserole

Need something new for dinner? Try this creamy and delicious Chicken Spaghetti! I made this yummy and easy dish for dinner last night and it was a huge hit with the kids and the DH! I loved it too! What's great, is that unlike a lot of meals, it's just as good when reheated for lunch the next day...assuming there is any leftover! Wanna make it? Go here and Pioneer Woman will guide you step by step with photos! You can't go wrong with this one...unless of course you're on the Atkins diet! In that case....run....run far far away and don't look back!