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.

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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

Fanciness, ice cream cones, and spinach, bacon & sweet tater salad

Hello, hello!

Happy Monday!

Did you have a fantastic weekend? Did you do anything fun?

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you probably know I had a decent weekend. 🙂

There was definitely not enough sleeping this weekend. 🙂

Although, honestly, I made up for it yesterday by sitting on my couch and watching CrossFit Regionals all day long. Like, literally, All. Day.

Plugged my sailor’s phone into the TV (mine, for some reason, does not have an HDMI out slot) and watched the live streaming action on the big screen.

It was awesome!

Two words – Julie. Foucher.

Badassery.

Anywho, we also ate pretty well this weekend. I promise there was more than just ice cream – um, hello, MOOSE TRACKS! – and coffee.

Thing 1 gave me the best gift ever for Mother’s Day – the Runner’s World Cookbook!

You know I was bookmarking recipes in there!

First up – spinach, bacon, and sweet potato salad.

Oh. Em. Gee.

I sauteed some shrimp in garlic and olive oil as an accompaniment. So delicious!

As you can tell by more than just spinach leaves in that picture, I changed up the recipe a little (hey, I can’t help it! It’s what I do.).

But honestly, it doesn’t really  need it. There’s not really anything more perfect than sweet potatoes and bacon and this recipe has them BOTH!

Spinach, Bacon, and Sweet Potato Salad
makes 4 servings

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 slices thick-cut bacon (or 3-4 slices regular bacon)
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice from 1 orange (or about 1/4-1/3 cup OJ)
1 pound fresh spinach (or use a spinach blend, if you prefer, which is what I did)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the taters on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Roast, turning occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until crisp and brown on the outside and tender inside. Remove from oven and keep on the pan until ready to use.

2. While the taters are roasting, place the bacon in a skillet (cast iron, if you got it!) over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. **Now, the recipe says to pour off the fat but I chose to keep it for the veggies. Do what you want.** When bacon is cooled, break into pieces.

3. Return the pan to medium heat and, if not using bacon fat, add remaining 2 tablespoons oil (I added a couple of teaspoons because there was only about a tablespoon of bacon fat). When it’s hot, add the bell pepper, onion, and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until just softened.

Stir in the cumin and the orange juice and turn off the heat. (The recipe can be made up to an hour or so ahead to this point. Gently warm the dressing again before proceeding.)

freshly ground cumin smells so amazing!

4. Put the spinach in a bowl large enough so you can toss the ingredients together without them ending up all over the counter or floor (although, 5 second rule on the bacon!). Add the sweet taters, bacon, and the warm dressing. Toss to combine. Try to remember that it makes 4 servings and you should share.

Nutrition per serving (according to the exact recipe):
262 calories, 22g carbs, 6g fiber, 8g protein, 18g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 409mg sodium

Talk to me: Did you watch any of the CrossFit Regionals this weekend? Were you lucky enough to actually BE there? Do you know anyone who’s never had a sweet potato?

– jennifer

Birthday … burpees??? Eat the Bowl Bean Salsa

Hello! It’s Wednesday!

Okay, honestly, that cat has way more energy than I do right now. You see, I went to CrossFit last night.

Brutal workout. The “filthy 40” in honor of one of the coaches’ 40th birthday. I prefer to celebrate my birthday with wine and cake. He clearly prefers to punish people. With burpees.

And other things. Like kettlebell swings.

Then, for some reason, I thought it was a good idea to get up before any sane person this morning and go to CrossFit AGAIN. 12 hours later. What’s wrong with me? #canyousayaddict

More burpees. Yay.

You’re probably wondering what an MU is. Muscle up.

Yeah.

*sigh* I miss running. But, you know what? I LOVE CrossFit! I really do! One day, I’ll post a video of me doing a muscle up. One day. It might be a while so don’t hold your breath waiting. You will definitely perish. That would be bad.

With all this extra CrossFit I’ve been doing, I need to make sure I’m getting plenty of protein to help repair my muscles. Plus, protein will help heal my muscle strain so I can get back out the door and run! And yes, CrossFit helps too because it’s building strength. Most muscle strains that derive from overuse injuries are usually caused by a strength imbalance and a lack of stretching. So, I’m building strength, making sure I stretch and gobbling up protein!

I found this recipe in my Abs Diet Cookbook. It’s essentially a salad/salsa that you eat out of a red pepper bowl. I. Love. Red. Pepper. LOVE. Super easy, yummy, healthy and a change-up in your lunchbox! Of course, you could serve this at dinner time, too so don’t feel like it’s only a lunch food. I’ve paired it with some additional protein – tuna – and some more veggies because, well, veggies are good. You could certainly add some avocado or guacamole to this dish if you have it. Om nom nom!

Guacamole – yay or nay?
Is it just me or is everyone tired today?

Eat the Bowl Bean Salsa
makes 2 servings

1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (you can certainly sub parsley if you’re not a cilantro fan)
salt
2 large red bell peppers

1. Mix the beans, tomatoes, orange juice concentrate, and cilantro in a small bowl. Season with salt. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

2. Slice the top off of the peppers and scoop out the core and the seeds. Fill with the bean mixture. Gobble it up.

Per serving:
Calories 282; Fat 2.4g (saturated .1g); Sodium 669mg; Protein 14.7g; Carbohydrates 49.4g

– jennifer