Quinoa with Corn and Green Onions

For those that don't know what PINTEREST is you should consider yourself a lucky fool. Lucky cause you aren't wasting hours on end like the rest of us pinning things to boards (you'll get what I mean soon). Or a fool because it's a great site to get ideas and inspiration. As I stole the corn and green onion quinoa salad recipe right from someones food board.

The combination of the corn, green onion, and the lemon butter dressing totally brings it all together. We've been eating a lot of quinoa lately and I have to say this is by far my favorite combination for a side dish. This will now be my "go to" salad when people come over as it's easy to make and you can make it ahead of time!

Quinoa with Corn and Green Onion


Ingredients:
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 tablespoon of grated fresh lemon zest
- 2 table of fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 cups of uncooked quinoa
- 4 green onions, chopped


Directions:
1. Cook quinoa. 2 cups of uncooked quinoa to 4 cups of water. (Rinse before hand). Place into large pot and bring to a boil. After it reaches a boil, cover, and bring temp to a simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
2. Place corn in a glass microwaveable safe dish and cover with saran wrap and cook for 3:33 minutes.
3. Once the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob.
4. Cut up green onions
5. Prepare the dressing. Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, salt and pepper in large bowl.
6. Toss quinoa, corn, green onion, and dressing together and serve. Enjoy!

Quinoa chicken salad

This is easily the tastiest salads I've ever made! Did I also mention that this is healthy too???


You can make this salad ahead of time and it should hold for a few days ( 3 days max) as long as you don't dress it until you're ready to eat. Perfect for those that are trying to stay healthy and are tired of going out to lunch everyday. 

I came across this recipe when I couldn't figure out what to make for dinner and searched for qunioa, butter lettuce, goat cheese, chicken, and came across this recipe and decided to add my version of lemon pepper chicken to it. Just imagine the picture below with slices of chicken on it... YUM. 

Quinoa chicken salad with apples, goat cheese, and almonds

- 1 apple sliced or chopped

- 1/4 cup of chopped or sliced almonds ( I used the smoke almonds that we had in the pantry)

- 2 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled

- 2 chicken breast ( I butterflied the chicken so they would cook quicker)

- 3 cups of shredded butter lettuce (any lettuce will do)

- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa

Salad dressing:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon of lemon (half of a lemon)


Lemon pepper chicken recipe (approx 30 minutes):
- Preheat oven to 350
- Place butterflied chicken breast on lightly greased baking vessel (I drizzled some olive oil)
- Season with salt, pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon over the chicken. 
- Bake for 15 minutes, flip chicken over and bake for another 15 minutes
- Remove from baking vessel and set on cutting board to rest for a few minutes before slicing. 


Directions:
1. Bake chicken.
2. Cook quinoa (directions usually on package)
3. Whisk together salad dressing and set aside. 
4. Place lettuce, chopped almonds, crumbled goat cheese and cooled quinoa in serving bowl. 
5. Topped with baked chicken. 
6. Add desired amount of dressing to salad, mix, and enjoy!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

In our house leftovers typically find itself incorporated in a new meal sometime during the week. The leftover spicy corn and pepper quinoa salad made a great addition to the quinoa stuffed peppers that I made the other night. Surprisingly little Lucy even enjoyed the filling portion of the peppers and had it again for dinner the next day!


*If you don't have any left over quinoa, it's just as easy to make a fresh batch,
** I have made this with brown rice many times and it tastes great, just a little on the heavier/more filling side.
*** Cutting the peppers in half vs. cutting off the top works better portion wise.

Before.

After.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

- 2 red, yellow, or orange pepper (pick 2 that you prefer)

- 1 lb of ground beef

- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- salt and pepper

- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

- 1 teaspoon of cumin (optional)

- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley (optional)

- 1 teaspoon of oregano (optional)

- 1 cup of corn or hominy (optional)

- 2 cups of cooked quinoa

- sliced cheddar cheese (for the top)

- 1 bottle of pasta sauce of your choice (I typically only use 3/4 of the jar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. 

2. Add ground beef and break up into small chunks as it browns in the pan. 

3. Add seasoning (cayenne pepper, cumin, dried parsley, and oregano).

4. Mix in cooked quinoa, corn and/or hominy. 

5. Add pasta sauce (we used spicy basil tomato) until everything is nicely coated in the sauce.

6. Spoon mixture into halved peppers. Use the excess mixture as a bed for the peppers. Place filled peppers on mixture in a oven safe vessel. 

7. Bake for 45 minutes, top with sliced cheese halfway through. 

This recipe is filling and super satisfying, please feel free to add other ingredients to this like broccoli or black beans. We always have corn and hominy on hand so that is what we like to use! Enjoy.

Fan favorite side dishes: TRUFFLE asparagus and quinoa salad

This week we had the honor of gathering around the dining table to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday. The guest of honor brought his mother as his date, whom most of us will be meeting for the first time. Which meant I would be making my FAN FAVORITE: maple dill salmon, garlic herbed roasted potatoes, and this time I would be adding TWO new sides.... TRUFFLE oil asparagus and spicy corn pepper quinoa salad.

As a nanny I spend most of my days running around after a 2 year old toddler which leaves me with a small window of time before she gets into trouble. So keeping recipes simple without sacrificing the taste is really important. The truffle oil asparagus and quinoa salad were perfect additions as it took no time at all to prepare and it tastes amazing! 

*The truffle oil is not necessary, olive oil is perfectly fine. You can also add some grated parmesan cheese halfway through the baking time as well. 

** We got our truffle oil at Costco for about 15 dollars, it can almost be double that in specialty stores so if you see a deal, get it! 

Truffle Oil Asparagus - 20 minutes

- 1 lb of asparagus

- 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 tablespoons of truffle oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Wash and trim asparagus

2. Please on baking sheet, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, toss halfway through cooking time.

4. Place on serving platter and drizzle with truffle oil. 

Spicy Corn and Pepper Quinoa Salad

- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa

- 1 cup of fresh or canned corn

- 1 red pepper, diced

- 1 jalapeno, diced

- salt and pepper to taste

- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- fresh lemon juice, 1/2 of a lemon

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa. Bring 1 cup of uncooked quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan. Cover let it simmer on low for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Fluff with a fork. (this can all be done ahead of time and served at room temp)

2. Place cooked quinoa in serving bowl. Add corn, peppers, and jalapeno. 

3. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper. Make sure to give it a good mix before serving.