I’m kind of a quinoa addict. If you’ve been following my recipes, you probably already know this. This Quinoa Avocado Spinach Salad with lemon and chickpeas is yet another version of a quinoa salad – this one is full of protein with garbanzo beans, avocado and the quinoa itself (did you know quinoa is high in protein? It is!).

I use a lot of fresh lemon juice in my recipes, I have something similar to this Progressive International Lemon Squeezer (Amazon).

Do you have a favorite soup or salad? 

Source: This recipe is from Diva Dish

 

Got mangos? This salad is so easy and it’s delicious. Oh and bright, and healthy and . . . well, let’s just say, I think you’ll like it!

What is your favorite mango or avocado recipe?

Recipe credit: Food Network

Here is a wonderful tip for keeping a bowl of guacamole from turning brown at your next party or football game. Top your guacamole with thinly sliced layer of limes for a pretty presentation, great flavor and keep the air from turning your guacamole brown! You can also add lime juice into the guacamole itself.

Here is our basic guacamole recipe:

What do you think? Do you do this? What tips do you have for keeping your guacamole from turning brown?

This Avocado and Grapefruit Salad is one of my favorite winter salads. The ingredients are all on sale this time of year and it’s a great salad for holiday meals – the right colors, easy to make and packed full of flavors.  It’s also good because it’s full of Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants – which is good to combat the sniffles that always seem to come around in December!

Trust me on this one. If you think the ingredients seem a little strange together – try it at least once. I was apprehensive at first, but I’m now in love.

I’d LOVE to hear what you think!

(Thanks, Linda B. of Battle Ground!)

Originally published last year, I wanted to republish this one because it’s so easy to make and it would add some great color to your meals this time of year.

If you are a fan of quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), you should give this black quinoa salad recipe a try! It’s incredibly refreshing and I love the colors!

Black quinoa has a nuttier and more of a roasted flavor than regular quinoa. It’s actually a seed. And it’s unique because quinoa is a complete protein! It expands like rice when it’s cooked and becomes a fluffier grain.

Recommended: Take it to a potluck. You will be a rockstar.

Have you cooked with black quinoa before? What’s your favorite black quinoa salad recipe?

I love the colors and flavors of this Roasted Carrot and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad. You have the spicy arugula, the tart goat cheese, the sweet flavor of the roasted carrots and the sourness of the balsamic vinegar. You could substitute spinach for the arugula, if you’d like.

This recipe was inspired by this Roasted Carrot Arugula salad from Patty’s Food.

What creative ingredients do you like to include in your salad?

Do you ever buy carrots at Costco? And then about three- to four-weeks later the bag seems like it’s regenerating itself because you just can’t get to the bottom of it, no matter how many carrots you eat? Don’t despair. Just roast ’em. Roast ’em like this and next time you go to Costco you’ll pick up TWO bags. If you turn orange from eating too many carrots, don’t blame me. You’ve been warned.

You could try this recipe on the grill. I would have done that – but we are out of propane, doh! So. . .the oven it was and lucky for us the weather has cooled off enough that roasting these in July in the house, wasn’t an issue.

AND if you like this recipe, you MUST try this: roasted root vegetables with balsamic vinegar recipe.

I had a few peppers, so I tossed those into the mix too. Next time I’ll just stick to the carrots and keep my peppers in my couscous. 

What’s your favorite way to eat carrots?

I haven’t been posting as many recipes lately because we’ve been doing a lot of grilling and simple salads – nothing too exciting or worth sharing. But last night we changed it up a little bit by grilling my discount peppers (yay!) and zucchini from my garden, and adding it to some couscous! Total cost was under $5!

Do you make a variation of this? What would you recommend we add or do to improve this? Here’s a variation of Grilled Vegetables with Couscous and Yogurt Sauce and I am a big fan of this Moroccan Chicken with Couscous which I posted in the past!

I first enjoyed Moroccan Chicken with couscous at a dinner at my church. I was hooked and I asked my friend Hilary, who made it, for her recipe. It’s become a staple in our house! It is a great freezer meal and I always think the leftovers the next day are the best.

Don’t be intimidated by all the spices – I recommend picking them up in the bulk spice section of your local Winco, Fred Meyer or co-op. A little bit goes a long way – and your house will smell AMAZING! You can also look for couscous in bulk – it’s much cheaper that way.

And although it seems like a complicated recipe, it’s totally worth it (I promise!). Next week I’ll go for simple.

You really can’t screw this recipe up. I know, because I’m the kind of person who would find a way, if it was possible.

Enjoy with couscous, rice or other starch!

A couple notes:

• For a vegetarian variety, exclude chicken, triple chick peas and use vegetable stock (instead of chicken stock)
• I’ve used fresh tomatoes instead of canned – it tasted great
• If you decide you like the recipe, you can make up a bunch of the Moroccan spice mix ahead of time.
• This recipe freezes beautifully. Just put in freezer bag or Seal-A-Meal packages and it’s a great last minute meal.

Let me know what you think!

(Thanks, Hilary!)

I never fancied myself a fan of tomato soup. My memories of tomato soup include watered down Campbell’s soup from the can. But I thought I’d give it try homemade style – and I’d say, it’s about thyme, ha! This recipe is really easy, you could make it in less than 30 minutes and it tastes amazing. I think this could easily become a staple at our house!

I think this soup would probably freeze really well. Make a double batch and freeze in Foodsaver bags (I have something similar to this – FoodSaver  Vertical Vacuum Sealer, White).

Thyme roasted croutons – Take a loaf of bread (we used a stale one from the freezer), cut into 1 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.

I’d love to hear what you think! How do you make your tomato soup?