KWIN-wah

This recipe probably sounds hippy-dippy but just trust me on this one. Mama Goddess made this yesterday and I kept going back for more. Now, quinoa isn't an American diet staple. Although, it probably should be. It's originally from South America and is very healthy. It's a grain-like crop that is very high in protein (12-18%). It has a lot of fiber, is gluten-free, and easily digestible. (Shout out to Wikipedia for all of this info!)

Anyways, Mama Goddess found this recipe at our family's mecca. Enter Costco. Quinoa 365 is an amazing cookbook that has a ton of recipes using this healthy 'grain'. Just looking through it makes me want to try everything.

Fresh Cucumber and Toasted Almond Salad with Dill

From Quinoa 365

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 tablespoons EV olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or white rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped English cucumber
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread the almonds evenly on baking sheet and bake on the center rack for 5 to 7 minutes, until the almonds are fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Place the quinoa in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toast for 3 to 5 minutes until it is fragrant but not browned. Shake the saucepan from side to side occasionally to turn the quinoa and toast it evenly. (Note: if you use a saucepan with a larger bottom, it will toast faster)
4. Add the stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave the covered pan on the burner for an additional 4 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl to cool completely.
6. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl.
7. Add to the quinoa and mix thoroughly. Add the cucumber, green onion, and dill, tossing well.
8. Just before serving, sprinkle with the toasted almonds/

Best if enjoyed immediately but can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days

Happy Father's Day!

Today was a day of indulgence and fun. Knowing that my dad loves donuts, Graham and I headed down to Donut Plant in Chelsea to pick up some father's day treats. It's located next to the lobby of Hotel Chelsea, right off the 23rd Street 1/2 subway stop. It has a slight futuristic feel inside the shop which was our first tip that these were not going to be your average donuts.

Coconut Cream, my fave!

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They had racks and racks of fresh donuts of all different flavors. We settled with creme brulee, coconut cream, lavender flower, valrhona chocolate, peanut butter and blackberry jelly, tres leches, and a giant cinnamon roll. These were some damn good donuts. I can't even do them justice. They were doughy, flavorful, and the size of my hand. My favorite was the coconut cream. If and when in NYC and you want to cheat on your diet, don't walk....run to this place. (There is one on the Lower East Side too)

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Next up, we hit the Frying Pan. It's on the water, right near Chelsea Piers. It has a similar feel to the Boat Basin at 79th Street but you're actually ON the water. It's usually packed with people ordering buckets of beers and food. We naturally ordered a pitcher and enjoyed the warm breeze.

Ok so let's recap...we already had donuts and beer. What could possibly be next you ask? More beer. We walked on over to the new part of the Highline and had another cool beverage at the beer garden. It had a really cool ambiance and wasn't too crowded. Definitely unusual in this city. Gourmet food trucks lines the walls and the food looked delicious.

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Finally, we headed back to a homemade lunch of cabbage salad, pistachio-crusted chicken, quinoa salad, and huge beefsteak tomatoes. I'd say this was a pretty successful Father's Day. Only thing missing was my sister! (see you in a month Char!)

Anyways, now that you all know that I ate donuts and drank a few beers today....it's time to get my butt to the gym. Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there!

Fruit Pie

Summer is here in full swing which means I find myself devouring fresh fruit like it's nobody's business. Usually watermelon is my summer fruit of choice but today was different. Today, strawberries won my heart.

Growing up, my mom made these mini desserts with sugar cookies, strawberries, and vanilla pudding. She used mini muffin or cupcake tins to create these bite-sized treats. Anyways, I have a one-track mind (thanks Mom!) so I naturally had to make something that resembled them. Enter fruit pie. I totally cheated and used pre-made ingredients, not very 'goddess' like of me I know! As a result, I have included 2 options for the crust and filling. It's up to you which one to use.

Strawberry Vanilla Cookie Pie

 Pre-made Ingredients:
- Pillsbury refridgerated sugar cookie dough
- Jello instant vanilla pudding (regular or sugar-free)
- 1 3/4 milk

'From Scratch' Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
-1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter

And, most importantly, strawberries for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If making own crust, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mix and stir all ingredients together. Press into ungreased baking pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you are using pre-made ingredients, slide dough into discs. Grease baking pan and arrange in pan. Press dough together so that it resembles pie crust. Bake for 16 minutes.
2. If making your own pudding, heat milk over medium heat in saucepan. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in separate bowl. When bubbles form in milk, add sugar mixture a little at a time until it dissolves. Cook until it is thick but do not boil. Once thick, remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. Pour on crust. If using pre-made pudding, follow the directions on the box. If using instant jello vanilla pudding mix, add 1 3/4 cup of milk to mix and stir until dissolved. Pour on crust.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Cut strawberries and arrange as desired. (Note: you can glaze using 1/4 cup of apricot preserves and 1 tablespoon water. Melt and then brush fruit.)

Favorite Things

Get ready for a totally lame post. I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm drowning in work this week so I haven't seen the inside of the kitchen (thank god for seamlessweb.com!). Anyways, here are a few of my recent favorite things. Enjoy!

1. Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams. PB&Co actually has a restaurant in NYC that I have been wanting to try. PB and Chocolate are the best of friends so naturally this stuff tastes amazing. It's good on bananas, strawberries, oatmeal, etc. Try it and you won't be sorry! 2. Kinder's Happy Hippo Biscuits. These bad boys get me through 5 straight hours of lecture Tuesdays and Thursdays this summer session. Nothing goes better with genetics and developmental psychology like happy hippos!  3. POM's Pomegranate Blueberry Juice. Disclaimer: I like pomegranate juice but I always feels like it's missing something. Little did I know that missing element was blueberry! It is really refreshing and it also helps that I'm a sucker for cool packaging. 4. Rita's Italian Ice. Summer is here in full swing. Our A/C is about to be on full blast and sweating will happen as soon as I step out of the shower. Oh humidity. Ice cream is always nice on hot days but I don't really like its richness. Solution? Italian ice. It's cold, sugary, and d-elicious. Not exactly the healthiest thing in the world but it is well worth the calories when its 95 degrees out.