Friday, July 6, 2012

Greetings & a Chili Lime Quinoa Salad

Hello! Welcome to our blog... and our first post! We hope that here and in coming posts, you will find something you enjoy both making and eating.

Have ideas or suggestions or any kind of two cents? Leave a comment or email us! We can't wait to hear from you, share with you, and be friends with you. :)

Anyway, to what you're really here for: the eats!



It's summer. It's 100ยบ+ outside. It's really easy to convince yourself that laying out is the same thing as working out. 

For summer days like these: salads. This one is perfect. It's full of cool, simple veggies and refreshing summer flavors. Plus, it's delicious after a few hours in the fridge or a few hours on that pool party food table.

The makings of something so inhale-able.
Fluffy quinoa.
Canned shortcuts and refrigerator staples give you more time to soak up this season. Or... eat ice cream.

So refreshing that you may even forget that you have an upper lip sweat goin' on.

Flavortown.


Chili Lime Quinoa Salad

Serves 10

1 cup quinoa
1 T butter
2 cups water
1 can (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15oz) yellow corn, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/3 cup lime juice
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil (lemon-flavored olive oil is a good move here)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
salt + pepper to taste

Rinse the quinoa with cool water in a fine mesh strainer. Add rinsed quinoa and butter to a medium saucepan and toast over medium heat for about 4 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated. Add the water and bring quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat and let quinoa simmer until all of the water has been absorbed. Add more water if the quinoa seems dry or undercooked. Stir the quinoa lightly with a fork and transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool for at least 10 minutes in the fridge.

In the meantime, combine black beans, corn, tomato, green pepper, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Add the cilantro, lime juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, chili powder, garlic salt, and paprika. Mix these ingredients well to make sure that all of the flavors are evenly distributed. Once quinoa is cooled, add quinoa to the other ingredients.  Fold int he quinoa lightly, just until incorporated and the quinoa takes on a pale red color (from the chili power and paprika). Chill for at least an hour before serving or store  in the fridge for several days.