Breakfast Quinoa

 

This is the hot cereal I’ve been raving about for a while now. When I moved back home in October my mom surprised me with her variety of ingredients. Things she use to tell me “eww” to were now in her pantry. Like coconut milk, whole flaxseeds, almond milk etc. This breakfast quinoa cereal recipe came from a yoga instructor here in Las Vegas who is the founder of Whole Energy Lifestyle Living, Meg Landis. She feeds this cereal to her kids and they love it. In my opinion, if a kid loves something then you KNOW it is good! Meg is also an amazing yoga instructor.

The quinoa is cooked in the coconut milk, until slightly absorbed, then you add in the agave syrup and cinnamon. Once the quinoa has cooked through you add in a whole 1/2 cup of freshly ground flax. This cereal is packed with protein, healthy fats and fiber. To up the protein Meg recommends adding a poached egg on top. This is the BEST way to enjoy this cereal but since I’m lazy I make it a fried egg instead and it is just as good. I also add a little salt and pepper to counteract with the sweet of the dish. This is gluten free (yay) and will literally keep you full for hours! We like to make this cereal on Sunday and then during the week heat it up in the microwave and add toppings like fresh blueberries, walnuts, shredded coconut, almond butter etc.

Breakfast Quinoa
Adapted from Meg Landis

Ingredients
2 cups coconut milk (we used light and in the can)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup ground flaxseed

Directions

Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until three-quarters of the milk has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Stir in agave and cinnamon. Cook, covered, until most of the milk has been absorbed, about 8 minutes. Add in flaxseed. Top with fresh blueberries, almond or peanut butter, poached/fried egg, coconut, walnuts, almond, raisins.. the toppings are endless!

Oatmeal gets kind of boring. I like to change it up with this breakfast quinoa, super tasty and satisfying.

Fallon

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Quinoa and Grass-Fed Beef

 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sweet onion
2 yellow or green zucchini
1 large garlic clove
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1lb 100% ground grass fed beef (10% fat)
2 tablespoons red wine or tomato paste
Sea salt
Ground pepper
3 whole bell peppers, cut in half and seeded
2 cups of marinara sauce
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Prepare quinoa ahead of time by rinsing 1/4 cup in cold water. Place in a medium saucepan with water just covering the quinoa. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered until liquid is absorbed. In about 20-30 minutes quinoa will be cooked, allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a cast iron pan, sautéed the onion and zucchini in olive oil over medium-high heat. Season with 1/2 teaspoon oregano,1/4 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, then add in the garlic and cooked quinoa. Mix together and remove from heat. Place the quinoa mixture into a separate bowl. In the same pan add the ground beef and the remaining oregano and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add in 2 tablespoons of red wine. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and then add in 3/4 of the quinoa mixture. Mix well and remove from heat.

In a medium baking dish, place the 6 bell pepper halves and stuff each with the beef mixture. You will have leftovers of the beef, you can either stuff additional peppers or save for a different meal.

Cover the peppers with your favorite marinara sauce and place in the preheated oven covered for an hour. Once the peppers are soft, they are done. Top with your favorite cheese and serve.

  

I’m use to having stuffed peppers prepared with the meat raw and then baked. That is the mistake I made but in the end it still tasted delicious.The extra sauce help keep the meat moist.

I also forgot to buy tomato paste and saw an open bottle of red wine, I figured it won’t make the beef tomato-y but it will have a delicious wine flavor. It worked out perfectly. This is the perfect comfort meal if you are looking for something a bit healthier and gluten free!

Enjoy,
Fallon

Quinoa Salad Recipe + More Favorite Spring Recipes

How is everyone doing? I’m currently getting ready for my big road trip. I can’t believe how much stuff I actually own. Even with  items I’ve donated I still own a lot of stuff! Moving is hard work and this is already the second time this year I’ve had to move EVER! Crazy how life can just turn around but like I said I’m ready for the adventure.

I have a delicious quinoa salad recipe to share with you from Clean Food. This was a great side dish to have with BBQ. So much nutrition is packed into this side dish, that a green leafy salad is not necessary! My favorite part about this salad was the addition of fresh mint. I’ve never used fresh mint before because I was scared of it. I went lightly for my first time and next time I’d use the suggested amount. It was very refreshing!

 

Mangoes have been so delicious lately, and when I saw this salad I knew I had to make it. Make sure when you pick  your mangoes they are slightly firm and green. They are just about ripe at this point. This recipe makes 8 servings and can be easily doubled if you’re invited to a potluck BBQ this summer!

Don’t forget I’m posting some of my favorite spring recipes and I have more below to share with you!

PS: I slightly altered some measurements to my salad and that is what I have posted below.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Apricot Lime Vinaigrette

From Clean Food

Ingredients:

6 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 16oz can black beans, rinsed and drain

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced

1 cup peeled and diced jicama

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Vinaigrette:

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup apricot nectar

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

To make quinoa, follow the directions on the package. This site explains it perfectly on how to prep and cook your quinoa.

Place beans, onions, mango and jicama in large bowl. Fluff cooked quinoa with fork, add to bowl and gently fold to combine.

In small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Fold in tomatoes, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds just before serving.

 

Favorite Spring Recipes continue:

Light Tastes:

Cantaloupe Wrapped in Prosciutto

Curry Honey Hummus

Marshmallow Fruit Dip

White Bean Hummus with Fresh Thyme and Basil

Caprese Salad

Broccoli Salad (My FAVORITE!)

Shredded Cabbage Slaw with Radishes, Raisins and Dijon Dressing

Wheatberry Salad with Dried Cherries, Roasted Butternut Squash,
and Toasted Pecans (Another FAVORITE!)

Wheatberry Salad

Always,

Fallon

Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas

I don't know about you but Wholefoods is one of my favorite places to shop. I will go in this store with a list of what I need, and still end up walking out with items not on my list and a little less cash in my pocket! They don't call this place Wholepaycheck for nothing ;)! The picture you see above is one of their newest fliers. They give you tips, recipes and coupons!! The recipes usually aren't something I would make ,but this month I came across one of them that sounded really good! What I love even more is I had all ingredients on hand. Don't you just love when that happens?


This loaf makes good leftovers as in taking a slice and making it into a sandwich! Even better is adding it to a salad. This dish lasted me all week and I had fun turning it into different meals. It was very filling from the 6g fiber and 8g protein per serving. I also never needed to eat a full serving of this loaf, usually 3/4 serving was more then enough (I use a food scale to weigh my portions and the site tells you the weight in grams/ounces). It is very dense! No joke, I would be full for 5+ hours! It is a vegan recipe and I'm not fully vegan. I think there are some delicious vegan recipes like this one, but I still like my meat and poultry on occasion. The only thing un-vegan about my loaf is I used chicken broth to cook my quinoa for flavor! I could of easily used water or vegetable broth. Which I didn't have vegetable broth on hand and water is just too bland for my tastes! Other then that everything was followed exactly as the recipe was stated and it turned out to be a delicious. It took some prep work but once it was all mixed and in the oven baking, it was easy!

Curious on how to cook quinoa? Well Wholefoods has a great page on how to cook quinoa. Basically it just like cooking rice! Learn to Cook: Quinoa. The recipe I found in the flier is online as well at Wholefoods. Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas. Enjoy!

The oats, garbanzo beans, and water.

Smooth paste to bind ingredients. I tried this, tasted like oatmeal hummus ;)

Everything mixed up! Love the colors.

I don't own an 8-inch loaf pan (I should though),
so I used these 3 small ones. Worked just fine!

Finished product! Make sure to grease your loaf pan.
They will pop out beautifully like this!

I was so hungry after an hour of it baking, I couldn't wait for
it to cool off. Let rest and it will slice much better!

If you like vegetable burgers, you will love the quinoa loaf.
Click HERE for the Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas.

Have a wonderful and healthy weekend!
Fallon

Mexi- Italian Quinoa

Hey Bloggers. How is everything? I'm pretty happy right now because it is Friday! I have today and tomorrow off from work. How lucky am I? I have some cool things going on this weekend so I'm definitely happy about that. It is always nice to have somewhere to go. As I've mentioned a few posts ago, it time to get back on track! Get this holiday weight off and to feel good about myself once again. Well so far, it starting kind of slow. I'm still up 3 pounds and it is pretty frustrating. I should turn this blog into a daily blog and write about my daily eats! I always felt like I never ate enough and now I feel like I'm eating too much? My workouts have been pretty intense, and I can feel the burn the next day! So enough blabbering and maybe by this weekend I'll feel better about myself! Quinoa is on the menu for today. This is such a WONDERFUL grain and I really think if you haven't tried it yet, go buy some now! It cooks up so quickly and makes a great side dish, meal, or as a cold salad. You can do so many wonderful things with this grain, and as soon as the weather warms up, I can't wait to make some cold salads out of it. This grain also carries protein and fiber, that will fill you up and keep you satisfied! I love Italian and wanted to make a healthy dish without using pasta. I had yellow squash and zucchini that was looking lonely and thought they liked to meet quinoa. Although I wanted the Mexican flavor as well, so I added cumin for a little extra kick! 

 
Mexi- Italian Quinoa By Fallon 
Ingredients
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
1 16oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes
1/2 water
1 large zucchini, sliced in half and half again
1 large yellow squash, sliced in half and half again
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large red onion, chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small shallot
1/2 tsp cumin salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp extra virgin coconut oil (olive oil works too)

First, I rinsed my 1 cup of dried quinoa. This helps to rid of any bitter tasting residue left on the quinoa that it is known to have. I do this just to make sure I don't experience anything bitter. In a pot, I added the can of diced tomatoes. I used that can and filled it up half way with water to thin it out a little. Added the quinoa to the pot and brought to a boil.

While waiting for the quinoa to boil, I chopped and diced up my vegetables, garlic and shallot. In a large skillet I heated up 2 tsp of coconut oil, once that was ready, I added my garlic and shallot first. Once I started to smell those flavors I added everything else to the skillet and cooked together. I season them with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Once the quinoa comes to a boil, make sure to lower the heat to simmer, put the lid on top and stir every so often until the liquid has cooked away. Since I added the diced tomatoes, the quinoa was a bit moister then usual. It reminded me of Mexican rice! When the quinoa was done and the vegetables were cooked but not mushy, I added them to the quinoa. I mixed until everything was incorporated and then tasted to make sure it was seasoned well. If you want more cumin or maybe some added spice, go ahead! It will only make it taste better. You can't taste the coconut oil at all! I like using this oil because it has a lower burning point then most oils, so the veggies can cook perfectly without burning.

I've been eating this dish for several days straight. It is so good. I especially like it paired with an egg on top for some added protein. I love when the yolk seeps through the quinoa, so good!


The other night I took it to work and ate it cold with hummus on top, which was really yummy because the garlic and lemon of the hummus, paired well with the flavors in the quinoa. Then after the gym one night, I was craving some eggs with my quinoa. I made a spinach omelet and stuffed it with herb goat cheese. THEN I topped it with a fire roasted mango papaya salsa... I was humming my whole way through the meal. It was absolutely fantastic. So many flavors that all went well together. You had the sweet from the salsa, the creaminess from the goat cheese, and the cumin tang in the quinoa! Too bad I didn't take a picture of it, I was just too hungry! This just goes to show you how versatile quinoa can be! Of course you can do it with any grain, but quinoa is something new and makes eating a little bit more interesting!

Time to get this weekend started!
Have a good one, I know I will!
Fallon

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

Chicken can get boring if you make it the same way all the time. There is just so much grilling, poaching, and baking of chicken that it time for a change! I've cut back on eating meat and poultry and started to incorporate more vegetables and other forms of protein from grains, nuts and seeds. This is something different for me, but I wanted to see if it would work for me. So far it couldn't be better and I feel great. I eat a little chicken or steak here and there but it nothing I need all the time! Anything to help the planet and be sustainable. As for my mom she needs protein all the time. Sometimes I tell her it is okay to eat vegetarian for 1 day, it won't hurt! She doesn't believe me. LOL. So I let her come into my kitchen recently so she could make up this great dinner. I've been way to busy with work and I haven't been able to cook! It is always fun to tell people what to do in the kitchen. =P

My mom recently purchased an Ellie Krieger cookbook, The Food You Crave. I've always wanted this cookbook but most of her recipes are found right on the Food Network website. My mom wanted some new dinner ideas since she is bored with the usual. She came upon a chicken recipe that caught her eye because it sounded delicious and it was really simple. It is called Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach. I must say it is absolutely delicious and has an explosion of flavors. You have the tomato and balsamic sauce, that is soaked up on a bed of couscous, or in my case I made quinoa. Then the garlicky baby spinach that was cooked in the same pan of the chicken to soak up those flavors. Yeah it is pretty amazing. It also a healthy meal that family's can enjoy and kids too! It is budget friendly and doesn't take much time to put together either. I say try this meal because it is a good change!

To get the recipe for Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach click HERE. The cookbook has some great recipes too. I really liked some of her breakfast recipes that I plan on testing out soon! Ellie Krieger also just came out with a new cookbook called So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week. If she doesn't pick it up, I may get this as a Christmas present! While mom was cooking I was snapping photos. She was excited I'd be featuring this on my blog. I'm sorry for the poor quality of photos, light just wasn't out much this day.

This is the first step to brown the chicken in the pan. 

Very proud of her. She had all her ingredients ready!

This literally cooked down to nothing! She added extra garlic to fight 
off the flu and it made the spinach taste even better! 

The sauce boiled and she added the chicken back in to get those flavors married.
I requested extra tomatoes on my plate! The balsamic gave the sauce this incredible taste. This is a great ingredient
when you are looking for a change to a typical dish like chicken.

Check out the garlic in my spinach. MMM!

I made the quinoa. I added in some no salt added seasoning Sun-dried Tomato and Garlic. We love quinoa!

My phone was OFF this morning like it usually is and low and behold my boyfriend called me. This is a first so early for me. So he said he'd call me back, I'm still waiting and I want to get to the gym already! I may just go and keep my phone out.

I still have turtles to share with you, maybe tomorrow! I must get going now.

Happy Sunday!!
Fallon