The Monster Mash

The boys will be celebrating their first Halloween this year and it was SO FUN to get them together for a photo shoot! And check out those beanies! Aren't they just the cutest?? And I promise this post relates to food eventually...the mash part of Monster Mash is a Mashed Butternut Squash recipe, stay tuned. I just had to show off the little men in my life!

Bat Boy! Owen is still a tinge nocturnal, thus for Halloween, we discussed it and he decided he'd like to be a bat. Obviously he won't be trick-or-treating (although Jeremy thought he'd take Owen out and get some candy for himself...), but he had to have a costume for his first Halloween!

Alright, now on to the food. Yes, I made the Arugula Salad with Fennel, Grapes and Gorgonzola - its hard to resist. I also made the most delectable Mashed Butternut Squash - seriously delish. And my dear friend Ina strips this squash of all of its nutritional value by adding copious amounts of butter, brown sugar and cream - oh my! SO GOOD.

Mashed Butternut Squash

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Ingredients

2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 lbs total) - I used 1 3 pounder and adjusted everything accordingly.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup half and half - I used heavy cream because that is what I had in the fridge.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400*.
2. Cut off and discard the ends of the squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. While roasting, turn the squash once to be sure that it cooks evenly. Do not let it brown.
3. Transfer the squash and the pan juices to a large mixing bowl, and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. It should have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
4. Season to taste and serve hot. If the squash is too thick, thin it with milk, orange juice or water.

Don't do what I did...

If you look closely at the bottom of the cake, you'll notice that a good 1/2" of the cake is embedded on the cooling rack - nice going Meg! I should have used my cooling rack that has squares. At least I think it wouldn't have caused such a problem of removing the cake to a cake plate. But maybe I'm wrong. Anyhow, when making this DELISH cake, just don't press down like I did...and don't use a cooling rack that only has horizontal bars!

YUMMY! This cake is SO GOOD, especially if you don't mess it up like I did :) Jeremy's grandfather, aunt and uncle and sister drove all the way from Michigan to meet Owen. Uncle Darrell drove for 10 hours on his birthday for the visit, so I made him a birthday cake! He loves German Chocolate Cake, so my mom suggested this gem: Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake from the now defunct Gourmet magazine. Now, as a new mom, I didn't have time to make this baby from scratch - I used a German Chocolate cake mix, split b/w 3 9" round pans. However, I'll provide the whole recipe in case you have more time than me! The best part of this cake is the filling - coconut (my new obsession, besides Owen) and pecans, AMAZING.

Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients:

For cake layers (or just use Betty Crocker German Chocolate Cake Mix)

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup boiling-hot water

For filling

• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
• 14-ounces can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

For glaze

• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 10 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Instructions:

Make cake layers: (again, if you are short on time, that cake mix is just as good!)
Preheat oven to 350°F and oil cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.

Make filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.

Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.

Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.

Make glaze while milk is baking:
Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.

Assemble cake:
Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.

Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.

Cooks' notes: ·Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
·For easier handling when assembling cake, place bottom layer on a cardboard round or the removable bottom of a tart or cake pan. Hmm...if I had read this part, maybe I wouldn't have had such a problem...

The fam spending time with the newest "William!"

Owen in the Kitchen

These days, if I want to cook, the little man wants to cook too...or maybe I am the type of mother who doesn't like to leave him alone for one minute because I'm addicted to him? Either way, I've been cooking with the little man either in the baby papasan or the Moby - as pictured above :) It is still fairly warm in Kansas, so the only way the Moby works in the kitch is if the little man is stripped down to his diaper, otherwise he sweats up a storm. And he LOVES his wubbanub! And so do I...it makes it way easy to find the foffy* when it inevitably drops in the Moby, or the infant car seat, or the swing, etc...and it is far less likely to fall out because the little puppy has beans in its paws, so it tends to stay put if he is reclined...

* "Foffy" is our family's name for pacifier. When I was young that is what I called it, and apparently all my cousins thereafter called it the foffy as well. Thus, the foffy is back.

Anyhow, during our little cooking school, I taught O how to make the above salad - Arugula Salad with Grapes, Fennel and Gorgonzola from Cooks Illustrated. I didn't make it exactly as it called for as I live in the Little Apple and I'm limited on ingredients...like arugula. And apricot jam. And celery root - but that is for a different recipe...

Arugula Salad with Grapes, Fennel and Gorgonzola

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients

4 teaspoons apricot jam (I used apricot preserves)

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons EVOO

1 small shallot, very finely minced, about 1 tablespoon (I used 1/2 of a large - O doesn't take kindly to onions and garlic so I've been trying to cut back!)

1/2 small bulb fennel, cored, trimmed of stalks, and sliced very thin, about 1 cup; fronds chopped coarse, about 1/4 cup (I forewent the fronds)

5 ounces lightly packed stemmed arugula, about 8 cups (I used mixed greens, and just enough for J and me for dinner and then me again for lunch today!)

6 oz red seedless grapes, halved (Again, I eyeball this, we love the grapes so I probs do more)

3 oz gorgonzola cheese crumbled, 3/4 cup (I forgot this last night, but I couldn't tell the diff)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. Instructions:

   Whisk jam, vinegar, oil, shallot, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Toss fennel with vinaigrette; let stand 15 minutes. Add arugula, fennel fronds, and grapes; toss and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Top with gorgonzola.

   
   

   Bon Appetit!

Look what I baked!

The Bun is Done! Little Owen surprised us with an early entry into the world - he was one week early! I am smitten. Look at that face! We fully expect him to be walking, reading and writing by month's end :) Love. Due to an emergency c-section, I have been camped out on my glider (the rule in our house is the one that breast feeds gets to sit in the glider :) while Grandma Di cooks (or bakes) up a storm!

She has made us about eight million meals which are all nicely stored in our garage freezer to be consumed in the months to come; she has made us lunch and dinner every night (and even cinnamon swirl french toast our first morning home - yum!!). And in her spare time she has done laundry, vacuumed, and dusted. How lucky are we?? I *might* have teared up when she scheduled her return flight home. Anyhow, as the perfect solution for some over ripe bananas, she baked these amazing Banana Crunch Muffins.

Banana Crunch Muffins

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Makes 18 large or 24 regular muffins

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled (Grandma Di used salted butter)

2 extra large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk (Grandma Di used 1%)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)

1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)

1 cup small-diced walnuts (Grandma Di used about 3/4 cup)

1 cup granola

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Dried banana chips, granola or shredded coconut (optional)

** Per the new mama's request, Grandma Di added 1 cup of raisins - if you like raisins, I'd highly recommend this step!! **

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Line 18 large (or 24 regular) muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

3) Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter in to the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Top each muffin with the dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. (Grandma Di used coconut and we didn't love it. We will try granola next time - and there will be a next time.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Thank you Grandma Di!

Prego Cravings

Have you ever tried Chocolate Cheerios?? Seriously? I am positive I will crave these after the bambino is born...these are fabulous as a late night alternative. I think I'll stock them for when I start breast feeding as well!

No joke. Golden Delicious Apples top my list. I have eaten so many of these puppies - the best part is that I cannot recall EVER having eaten them before I was pregnant. Then one random Saturday we were at a friend's house and she busted these out with the caramel dipping sauce and I was hooked - strangely, not hooked on the caramel though...

This same friend stocked caffeine free Coca Cola Classic. I LOVE this stuff. LOVE IT. So does the bambino :) I am a die hard Diet Coke fan - grew up with it, loathe regular Coke as it is too sweet. So it came as a HUGE surprise that I liked this sugar packed alternative...or is it?

LIME BARS!! OMG, I have one a night pretty much. I love them. They fill my margarita tooth :) I've also tried the blueberry, pomegranate, and strawberry - also delish, but not a craving like the lime bars!

Okay, this is not a craving I have succumbed to - this is something to look forward too: a Kir Royale - thank you Ina. Champagne and a splash of Chambord with fresh raspberries. Cannot wait!

If you read my blog regularly, you already know this one: Lemon Bars. YUM. I only made them twice. May have to make them this week provided I don't go into labor. I thought there was a chance I would go into labor early, but the belly has settled down and we are just playing the waiting game now...

Be still my heart: Fried 3 Musketeer. Word to your mom. We went to the Riley County Fair on a whim; my back was hurting, the weather was nice, so we decided to walk over and see if they had anything fried...and they did. This might look like a corn dog with powered sugar. Trust me it is NOT. I want one right now. Too bad the fair was only in town for three days.

Okay, the only thing yummier than fried 3 Musketeers are fried OREOS!!! Holy COW! These suckers were SO GOOD. They dip them in funnel cake batter, fry them up, and then load on powdered sugar. YUM. And the Oreos are still a bit crispy underneath all that fried goodness. I should thank my lucky stars the fair left town when it did!

I moved from the ultimate in heart stopping deliciousness to this light weight treat: Angel Food Cake with fresh strawberries - yummy!! I use the box mix - so easy and quick and totally filled my desire for this craving!

I've told you my cravings, what were yours?

I'm melting...melting...melting...

More perfect words were never uttered by the Wicked Witch of the West - who, by the way is memorialized in the Oz Museum about 12 miles from where we now live. (There is also an Oz Winery - I will be checking it out, if only to get a bottle of wine with some striped stockings and ruby red slippers on the label - I totally buy wine by label...)

Anyhow, I fully grasp what the wise witch really meant when she said "I'm melting...melting...melting..." Since she was "born" in NE Kansas, likely in the dead middle of summer, she was melting from the combination of ridiculously high temperatures and humidity. Today's heat index: 110* - NEAT. Could it BE any hotter in the Midwest in the summer?!? Seriously, I've become a shut-in, refusing to leave my house in the middle of the day. I only go out under the cover of night or early in the morning when it is only the humidity that attacks. I cannot take it for much longer. It probably doesn't help that I am 38 weeks prego, and therefore running on high heat anyhow.

Alas, the ultimate cure for this insipid heat is Fudge Sundae Pie. No joke. We are having dinner at a friend's house tonight and she asked that I bring dessert - what better than an ice cream pie laced with fudge and peanut butter with a yummy Rice Krispy crust?! I've only made it a few times, but I can't for the life of me remember why I've not made it every week of this pregnancy. You better believe I am going to fit a few more in before this bambino makes his or her grand entrance! Thank you mammers for this tasty delight!

Fudge Sundae Pie

Crust:

1/4 cup corn syrup

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. butter

3 cups Rice Krispies

Spray a 10 inch pie plate with Pam, or grease with butter. In a batter bowl, combine syrup, sugar and butter. Microwave until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add Rice Krispies and mix to combine. Press mixture into a pie plate to form a crust.

Filling:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate fudge topping

3 Tbsp. corn syrup

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened (I've used peanut butter frozen yogurt and it is DELICIOUS!!)

Microwave peanut butter, chocolate fudge, and corn syrup until it can be mixed easily. Spread 1/2 of the chocolate/peanut butter mixture onto pie crust. Spread softened ice cream on top of chocolate/peanut butter layer. Top with remaining chocolate/peanut butter mixture. Freeze until firm. (You can also use a 9X13.)

Dairy Bar and Turkey Burgers

As you all know, the J man and I have recently relocated to the dead center of America and now reside in the heartland. We are fortunate enough to live in a college town, and not just any college - an agricultural college. Now I hail from UC Davis, also an agricultural college complete with a dairy farm on campus. My roommate couldn't major in business, she had to major in agricultural economics. Go Ags! But we did not have a Dairy Bar...maybe it was for the best as I would have gained a freshman 50 instead of the freshman 15. But I would like to point out we had a wine cellar on campus and I learned to wine taste in my Intro to Viticulture and Enology class. Anyhow, Kansas State has this amazing little shop called the "Dairy Bar." We found it with the Astors a few weeks ago, and I took my parents back to get more ice cream.

We left with the above cornucopia of dairy related products: two pints of the most delectable ice cream I have EVER, I mean EVER eaten; two types of cheese (Colby and White Sharp Cheddar); a gall on of fresh milk; and 2 1/2 dozen eggs (for $2, what a steal!) But let's get back to the ice cream. For serious. If you ever decide to visit us in the middle of America (I'd recommend NOT the summer as it is 90* at 8 PM - and ridiculously humid), I will treat you to the BEST ICE CREAM EVER. My current faves are the toffee crunch and the cookie dough. And its the type of cookie dough like my mom used to make at work (she worked in a test kitchen) and bring home to make cookies. Unfortunately, she'd get home so late that she'd pop it in the freezer. Fortunately for my sister and I, that frozen cookie dough was the BEST little treat ever - esp'lly in the summer. We always ended up eating it before my mom could bake it :) Anyhow, the giant chunks of cookie dough in this ice cream remind me of my mom's cookie dough.

While my parents were in town, not only did they help us settle into our nest, but they got us a grill as an early birthday/Christmas present! Thank you mom and dad! My parents and I (while the J man was cooling his heals at work) spent three full hours putting this sucker together. It was stinking hot - but totally worth it! Our first meal was burgers! (Please note that the pic is a little blurry due to the humidity causing the lens to fog up!)

This is the "advisor" - my dad. He advised the J man on when the burgers were done, but focused mainly on staying cool (nearly impossible) and enjoying a cold one!

It was a joint effort getting these turkey burgers made - my mom used the most amazing recipe that a friend of hers developed.

The finished product, complete with pepper jack cheese on top from, you guessed it, the Dairy Bar! I know Turkey Burgers are not the most popular burger on the menu, but you HAVE to try these!!

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs turkey (I prefer the 93% fat, otherwise the turkey is way too dry)

1 egg

1/3 c seasoned bread crumbs

1 6 oz package of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Cheddar cheese (I'd recommend pepper jack from the Dairy Bar...)

Instructions

Mix it all together, save the cheese. Unless, of course, you want to put the cheese in the middle of the burgers, yummy. And then grill until desired doneness. J man cooked his 5 and 5 (he thinks).

Thanks mom and dad for a great visit! Can't wait for you to come back and meet your second grand baby in about one month's time!!

Poor Little Piggy

No, not this lovely family! I'm referring to our amazing weekend of consuming copious amounts of pork product! This past weekend we had our first house guests! The Astor family took on heck of a road trip from California to Kansas with Manhattan (the Little Apple, not the Big Apple) being the Eastern most point of their adventure! We had so much fun spending time with life long friends and practicing parenthood with their 5, 3, and 1 year old! There were tons of hot dogs, cheerios, and mac'n'cheese consumed by the kidlets. For the adults, however, it was all about the poor little piggy. Every night. It was amazing.

Di got us matching Kansas shirts - NICE!

Di and I compared our piggy weekend it to the time my sister and I went to visit Di at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for Poly Royal (kind of like an open house for incoming students). Di and I called it the "Weekend of Meat" because we were able to eat as much meat as possible from tri-tip sandwiches to chorizo on a stick, it was a weekend to remember. My vegetarian sister stuck with corn on a cob - seriously. Em was super grossed out by our meat frenzy.

Any how, our first meal was Pasta Shells with Corn and Bacon that my cousin Jamie and I made way back when we were both living in San Francisco - I will save that recipe for later. My fave was the Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloins from, you guessed it, Ina! This recipe is in Back to Basics or on her Food Network website. I made the cookbook version and was disappointed - you grill it and it was SO DRY. But the web version directs you to brown it on the cooktop and throw it in the oven - AMAZING.

Ingredients

1 lemon, zest grated

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)

Olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each - I only used 2 loins)

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight. I marinated it for about 6 hours and it was perfect. I also accidentally switched the amounts for rosemary and thyme - no noticeable difference.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. I would recommend flipping the meat halfway through - my thermometer did not read 137* on one side, but then I flipped it over and it read 140* on the other side. I used my dutch oven, so that might have had something to do with it.

Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine! - Ina's words, and I couldn't agree more!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

Bon Appetit!

To wrap up the visit, we had EXCELLENT BBQ at Jack Stack in Kansas City (thank you for the recommendation David!). I had the burnt ends - simply divine. Jeremy had Beef and Pork ribs.

And Kevin had prime rib, pork rib and brisket. SO MUCH MEAT. Are you gagging Em? It was fabulousness! And the sides, oh the sides. The cheesy potatoes were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. And don't forget the cheesy corn. OH MY. My parents are in town this weekend, we are SO going back.

Absent

So...it has been ages. In the last few months I've quit my job, packed up, moved to Kansas, jetted to California to meet my perfect little peanut (my first nephew!!), didn't have internet for two whole weeks, and now I am in the middle of boxes. It is not that I haven't been cooking, because I have. Its more that I've not had time to post anything OR I can't find my camera amongst the boxes OR I didn't have the internet! I am so tired of not being unpacked, but I'm so tired (literally) trying to get organized. 6 weeks to go with the bun growing in my oven. I'm SO excited to meet this wee one - especially after meeting my nephew, can't wait! Alas, we have so much sorting and organizing (and mold removal) to take care of first. Here's hoping he or she takes his or her time!! I will be posting this week a few little treats along with a restaurant review of Cracker Barrel - a weekly fave of my Grandfather-in-law!Our new house :) It would be perfect if not for the mold...I am praying our landlord understands the seriousness of this sitch and gets it fixed right quick!

Delicious and Nutritious

Seriously, this little salad is delish and nutrish!! I was just home for a week and collected quite a few recipes from my mammers - but this is the only one that didn't include several sticks of butter and or cream cheese...Don't worry, those will be posted soon as well! I made this Quinoa Taco Salad on a whim last night and CANNOT wait for lunch today!

My mom quilts with her friend Elaine quite regularly at Elaine's house (Elaine has all the fancy machines). And my mom has come home, not only with wonderful projects, but with a handsome collection of recipes from Elaine. This is one of the tasty little delights...she also has this amazing bread salad that I will have to add soon!

Quinoa Taco Salad

Elaine Miller and my mom ~ serves 4 to 6 depending on how hungry you are!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa (I buy my quinoa at Trader Joe's; I will have to find a new source when I move to Kansas...like the US Postal Service and my mom...I cooked 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup water and I had plenty. In fact, it made about 1 3/4 cup and I just added all of it)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder

dash cayenne pepper

1/2 each red, yellow and green bell pepper (I just used one full yellow and 1/2 red. Obviously you can go crazy and add as much pepper as you want!)

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup tomatoes, diced (I did about 1 package of cherry tomatoes)

2 limes (I ended up only using one)

Salt and pepper to taste

6-8 ounces baby spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/3 cup cheddar or feta

1 avocado, diced

Instructions

Add seasoning to water when cooking quinoa. (I'm not sure what seasoning the recipe is referring to - I didn't add a thing and I didn't think anything was missing. If I had an open can/container of chicken broth, I would have cooked the quinoa in chicken broth.)

Heat evoo in saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, cook for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers. Saute 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes and juice of 1 lime. Stir in quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill. (I didn't make it enough in advance, so ours was slightly warm and yummy!)

Roughly cut baby spinach into strips. (Okay, I thought this step wasn't necessary, until I tried to eat the quinoa mixture - it was a pain with the larger leaves. I'd recommend NOT skipping this step!) Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves, wash, dry and toss with spinach. (I chopped mine and just sprinkled it on top of the feta.) Divide mixture among 4 salad plates. Top with scoop of quinao salad. Top with cheese and diced avocado. Garnish with lime.

Bon Appetit!