Tasty Tuesday – Quinoa Tabbouleh

Hello, hello!

Happy Tuesday!

Have you recovered from the long weekend?

Oh my, I could use another day off just to recupe!

Three day weekends AND birthdays have the tendency to be a bit much, as far as my tummy is concerned. But, you only turn 21 my age once so…..sometimes, you’ve just got to overindulge.

source

As much fun as I had, I’m really glad to get back to my regular eating habits. 🙂

I’m so stoked about this salad I made during my Sunday food prep!

And, I’m stoked that’s it’s Tasty Tuesday and I get to share it with you!

(Make sure you head over to visit Lena – she’s got an amazing sweet potato-squash soup recipe today! Can you believe Fall is just around the corner?!)

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern dish usually made with tomatoes, parsley or mint, onion, and seasoned with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

I’ve made couscous tabbouleh before and have had tabbouleh made with bulgur. This time, I found a recipe that uses quinoa!

For those not in the know, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is basically a superfood that’s jam-packed with protein.

It is also gluten-free and high in calcium and fiber, which makes it perfect for vegetarians and vegans, those who are lactose intolerant, and those who have a gluten sensitivity.

Plus, it’s delicious and works well with so many different flavors! #winning

I found the recipe in an old Cooking Light magazine (October 1999, to be precise) and knew I had to have it.

Garden fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet raisins, fresh lemon juice……can’t you hear it calling your name?

Quinoa Tabbouleh
serves 5 (1 cup servings)
adapted from Cooking Light magazine

1 3/4 cups water (or as dictated by package directions)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup coarsely chopped seeded tomato
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or mint or a combination, if you prefer
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped seedless cucumber (you can use seeded, I prefer the seedless)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 decent sized lemon)
2 tablespoons(ish) chopped red onion
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Let cool slightly.

2. Stir in tomato and remaining ingredients. Cover, let stand 1 hour (this allows the flavors to really come together). Serve chilled or at room temperature.

3. Fork, nom, dance!

Talk to me: Do you love Middle Eastern food? What’s your favorite quinoa recipe?

– jennifer

Quick and Easy Crockpot Roast

Hello, hello!

Happy Thursday! 🙂

So, our town has a really awesome farmer’s market on Saturdays.

In addition to local produce, cheeses, crafts, and other products, local meat farms (or ranches?) come out with various cuts of beef, pork, and chicken.

I’ve purchased eggs that have literally just been laid!

(that’s what she said)

Anyway, we have, in this super short amount of time that we’ve lived there, grown to LOVE our beef vendor – Lane Angus Beef Farm.

They’re so friendly and the beef is so stinkin’ good!

Anyway, we bought a chuck roast and 2 strip steaks on our first visit (on the first day it opened) just to test it out.

We did the steaks first and they were AMAZING!

Then, the chuck roast.

Now, pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before but … I’m kinda funny when it comes to cooking a chuck roast.

I LOVE to cook beef stew and I LOVE to cook pot roast but then, when it comes time for the eating part, I’m usually super unhappy. The meat is always dried out, super chewy, and just downright unpleasant. Well, to me, anyway because my sailor and the Things have never complained about any stew or roast recipe I ever made.

I don’t know what it is about me and my finicky taste buds.

Anyway, I wanted to do something simple with this chuck roast to allow the flavor of the meat to take center stage and not be overwhelmed by too many other things.

I also didn’t want to cook it for too long. That would totally bum me out.

So, I browsed around for ideas and I found a pretty decent looking recipe over at Wellness Mama.

I took some inspiration from that recipe and changed it up a little to fit what I had in my pantry and how I wanted to cook the meat.

Have you ever seen the Weber line of seasonings?

They’re pretty delicious and they’re not full of questionable ingredients.

They’re an excellent substitute for fresh, if you don’t have that.

So, I used the Roasted Garlic and Herb because, well, garlic is one of the greatest things on the planet. Om nom nom!

pretty fancy, huh?

So, anyway, here’s what you need to do.

Quick and Easy Crockpot Roast

serves a few depending on the size of the roast and the size of the appetite 😉

1 tbsp olive oil or fat of choice
1 2-3 pound bone-in chuck roast (the bone adds a whole new level of flavor. if you can’t find bone-in, it’s okay.)
seasoning of choice (amount is up to you)
1-2 onions
1 to 1 1/2 cups broth (I used organic chicken broth) or half broth/half red wine (haven’t done this yet but I know it will be awesome!)
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Season chuck roast liberally, both sides. Add roast to skillet and brown on both sides – about 5 minutes a side, just enough to sear the outside and lock in some of that flavor.

2. Slice your onions and place in the bottom of a 4-6 quart crockpot (depending on the size of your roast). Throw in garlic cloves. Place roast on top of onion and add liquid (more for a bigger roast, less for smaller).

3. Cook roast on HIGH 4 hours. (Okay, now remember, I’m super picky and afraid of it being dried out so I prepped the roast in the morning and had Thing 2 start it up at the 4 hours until dinner mark. If you don’t have that option, you can certainly cook it on low for probably 8-10 hours with the same result.)

4. Take roast out of crockpot and serve with a fork. 🙂

 

O. M. G.

Seriously, the best roast I’ve ever had.

I even brought leftovers for lunch.

That’s big.

Talk to me: Do you have a farmer’s market in your area? What’s your favorite find? Are you a fan of pot roast?

– jennifer

Roasted Veggie & Chicken Stew

Hello, hello!

Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner?!

I was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping and I came across this.

I just had to have it!

So, I bought it. 🙂

Hey, surely I’m not the only person in the world who’s done that?

I am?

Oh.  Well. Don’t judge me.

Anywho, it’s been a super busy physical week for me.

Raked 28 bags of leaves on Monday, smashed my fingers for good measure, 5 1/4 mile tempo/hill run on Tuesday, 9 miles on Thursday + a 3 mile walk through the park with Thing 2, and another 3 mile walk in the park with my sailor yesterday.

I was supposed to do 20 miles this morning.

Um, no.

I twisted my foot a little on Thursday and, after yesterday’s walk, there was no way my foot was going to hold up. It’s not swollen but it’s definitely stiff. It’s been healing pretty well since I did whatever to it back a few months ago but I don’t want to take any chances.

So, I’m resting it and I’ll jump back on the mileage on Monday.

I’m feeling more confident about being able to finish the marathon but I certainly can’t go into it with a hurt foot.

I’ve been so hungry this week!

And, really tired. Holy cow, am I getting a ton of sleep!

And totally craving veggies!

So, I made up a dish with some yummy roasted veggies, rotisserie chicken, and black beans.

Om nom nom!

Roasted Veggie & Chicken Stew

1 rotisserie chicken, pulled apart and bones discarded (or, roast your own chicken and shred that bad boy up)
1 sweet potato, cut into wedges
2 red bell peppers, cut into chunks
handful of baby carrots (as many as you want)
1 small red onion, cut into quarters
1 small yellow onion, cut into quarters
5-10 garlic cloves, NOT peeled (I love garlic so I used 10. You may not love garlic as much as me. Fine. Remove the papery coating but don’t peel the cloves)
Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
fresh rosemary, thyme and sage (aka the poultry blend)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potato, bell peppers, carrots, onions, and garlic on large, rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Shred rotisserie chicken into a large Dutch oven and add black beans.

3. Toss with roasted veggies and chopped herbs. Add broth (up to a cup) and heat over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until heated through and seasonings mesh. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

4. EAT!

Question: Sweet potatoes – yum or yuck?