APRICOT & ALMOND QUINOA SALAD with CITRUS DRESSING

About a week before Billy and I were set to visit with Billy’s parents (Miss Millie and the June Bug) the June Bug had a mini-stroke.  He underwent a myriad of tests, one of them being a nuclear stress test.

And then I had this story I wanted to share with you about how we drove through the Canadian border and that the June Bug got pulled over at Customs because they detected the radiation from the nuclear stress test and that detection of radiation is associated with terrorists!

And I was going to tell you how he convinced the agents that he wasn't a terrorist, but then I began to think, “What if a terrorist is reading this, and they get some ideas?”…“Do terrorists read my blog?”…”Maybe I just better not tell that story!”

Any hoo…The tests showed that the June Bug has a great deal of blockage in his carotid artery.  The June Bug has got to make serious changes in the way he eats in order to keep a more serious stroke at bay.

 “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” 1 Corinthians 8:13

So at least while we were on vacay (isn’t vacation license to eat anything you crave?), Billy and I took one for the team and decided we needed to lead by example so we only ordered healthy food when dining out; you don’t know what it took not to order the macaroni salad (the best macaroni salad ever) over the green salad at Bojangles' Diner… or to abstain from the funnel cakes at The Arts In The Park Festival.

When we ate at home I did the cooking, and I made a special effort to show Billy’s parents that heart healthy foods don’t have to be boring; that they can be packed with flavor and even be exciting! 

Yes, you heard right!  Healthy foods are exciting! 

Truthfully, if a healthy dish isn’t mighty tasty, I don’t wanna eat it; so how can I expect Billy’s parents to do so?

This colorful Apricot & Almond Quinoa Salad with Citrus dressing is super exciting!  It’s packed with protein rich quinoa, sweet apricots, plenty of crisp veggies for fiber as well as vitamins, and uses heart healthy oils in the dressing; it’s good for you and it's tasty.

Here’s how you make this exciting salad!

Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to the package directions, which in this case called for 2 cups of water.

Quinoa can be bitter and often needs to be rinsed in order to remove that bitterness.

The package of this quinoa stated that the quinoa did not need to be rinsed, if the package doesn't mention anything about rinsing, then assume that it needs to be rinsed!

 

Allow the quinoa to cool completely.

I actually made a big batch of quinoa the night before and used half of the quinoa for stuffed peppers and half for this salad; I’m all in for shortcuts.

 

Toss into the quinoa some diced cukes, bell pepper, cabbage, dice dried apricots, scallion and parsley.

I like to use a fork to gently toss everything together.

Although they’re in the photo, don't add the almonds yet as they will soften, add them at the time of service.

To make the dressing start with the juice of half of a lemon...

I like to use rice vinegar as it's nice and light.

I also used a mixture of oils; olive oil for fruitiness, canola oil because it's light and sesame oil for flavor.

You may choose to skip the olive oil, and use only canola oil, but I wouldn't recommend using straight olive oil as the flavor is too strong for the flavors used in this salad.

Also whisk in a little honey with some salt and pepper to balance everything out.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa and veggies use a fork to combine the ingredients.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and add the almonds right before service.

Quinoa salad is terrific served with chicken, pork or fish.

I also like to eat a big bowl of Apricot & Almond Quinoa Salad for lunch all on it's own, it's loaded with protein after all!

APRICOT & ALMOND QUINOA SALAD with CITRUS DRESSING

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

1              cup         Uncooked quinoa

¾             cup         Cucumber, medium dice

¾             cup         Red bell pepper, medium dice

3/4           cup         Red cabbage, thinly sliced

½             cup         Dried apricots, medium dice

3                            Scallions, thinly sliced

3              Tbsp.        Flat leaf parsley, chopped

½                           Lemon, juice of

3              Tbsp.       Rice vinegar

½             Tbsp.       Honey

2              Tbsp.       Olive oil

2              Tbsp.       Canola oil

½             tsp.         Sesame oil

1/8           tsp.         Garlic powder

                             Salt and Pepper to taste

½             cup         Slice almonds

   1.       Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.  Once the quinoa is cooked, allow it to cool completely.

   2.       Use a fork to lightly fold the cucumber, red bell pepper, red cabbage, dried apricots, scallions, and flat leaf parsley into the cooked & cooled quinoa.

   3.       In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, rice vinegar, honey, olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

   4.       Pour the dressing over the quinoa and veggies and toss gently with a fork to combine the ingredients completely.

   5.       Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

   6.       Toss the almonds in the salad right before service.

Notes:  *The salad with keep for about 4 days.

           **You may use all canola oil in place of the olive oil, but I wouldn’t suggest using all olive oil in this salad.

           ***This is a great way to use leftover quinoa! 

 Some more healthy recipes:

Sweet Corn and Tomato Pasta

Stuffed Portabellas Stacked with Grilled Veggies

Shrimp and Soba Noodle Salad

This recipe was shared at:

The Weekend Potluck

CRISP THREE BEAN SALAD + GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, Our Annual Trip

One of mine and Billy’s favorite events each summer is our family visit up to Glacier National Park.  We only go for the day.  We drive to the summit on the Going to the Sun Road, and then we come back.  This year we took two vehicles up so Billy and I stayed and walked the trail at the top of the mountain.  I guess that since Billy and I became Floridians we’d forgotten that flip flops do not make for good hiking shoes.  Note to self: next time wear sneakers.

This Big Horn Sheep was roaming the parking lot.  I maintained a respectful distance (see the size of those horns) and snapped pics (with the zoom on) from my phone.  I couldn't see a thing in my screen, so this is the best picture I got.
I kept getting pics of the rear, that were quite obscene...I'll just say, he's definitely a he.                                                                                                                                  

The view speaks for itself.

                                                                                                                                                   

This Mountain Goat was just hangin' on the edge of the trail.

This was the end of the line and we weren't about to cross it.  

On our return trip down the trail we had several people ask us excitedly if we'd seen any bears, and we replied that thankfully we hadn't! 

We may be city folk now, but Billy and I grew up bear country, and we know that bears are nothing to be fooled with.

Baby goat came out for a stroll.  That's a piece of Hidden Lake in the back ground.

I suspect that this Yellow Bellied Marmot has been fed by tourists, because it came right up and posed for us and acted as if it were waiting for it's reward.

Billy and I usually just take a day trip because when we're in Montana it's to visit family; but every time we're at Glacier, we say that we need to spend more time there and explore.

Most times when we go up to The Park we take a picnic lunch, and what’s a picnic lunch without a bean salad? 

Isn’t it funny that most picnics must have a bean salad, yet it’s usually the salad that nobody wants to eat?  It will get packed up as dreaded leftovers and sit in the fridge for a month before it finally gets chucked out.

That’ because usually the salad is a combo of mushy and rubbery canned beans that squeak against your teeth as you chew; not to mention that the dressing is cloyingly sweet.

Crisp Three Bean Salad is crispy and the dressing is the perfect not too sweet nor to sour.  This salad uses garden fresh green beans as well as red bell pepper and sweet Walla Walla (Vidalia in the South) onions, which all stay nice and crisp.  The dressing is slightly sweet; it’s a nice balance of sugar, vinegar, oil and herbs.

Healthy, Crisp Three Bean Salad will have you coming back for seconds and hoping for leftovers to enjoy all over again!

Here's what you do.

Trim the stem end from the fresh green beans, and cut the beans into about 1 inch long pieces.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

What ever you do, don't watch the pot, or it will never boil!

When the water is boiling, add some salt and the green beans.  Blanch the beans for about 45 seconds.

Drain the beans, and then immediately plunge them into a large bowl that is filled with water and lots of ice.

This shocks the beans so that they retain their bright green color and their crispness; if this step is skipped the result is grey, limp beans...and nobody wants that!

Drain and rinse a couple of cans of beans, these are kidney and cannellini beans.

Sweet onion and red bell pepper have supporting roles in this dish, they add more sweetness and crispness to the salad.

When I'm in the Western part of the country I use Walla Walla onions, and in the Eastern part of the country I use Vidalia onions, the onions are sweet and lovely, even when raw.

I like to dice the onion and cut the bell pepper the same size and shape as the green beans.

Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.

Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Add all the veggies to a large bowl and pour the dressing over the top.

Mix until all the ingredients are combined, and then refrigerate for at least to hours so that the veggies have a chance to marinate.

Crisp Three Bean Salad keeps well, so it can be made a couple of days ahead of service if you so desire.

 Bring this salad to any picnic, barbecue or potluck and it will be gobbled up in no time!

CRISP THREE BEAN SALAD

Serves 6 to 8

½            lb.              Fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1-15          oz. can       Red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1-15          oz. can      Cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed

1                              Red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch long strips

½                            Medium sweet onion, medium dice

1/3           cup           Brown sugar

2/3           cup           Apple cider vinegar

1               tsp.          Italian seasoning

¼             tsp.          Garlic powder

¼             tsp.          Salt

¼             tsp.          Pepper

¼             cup          canola oil

¼             cup          olive oil

¼             cup          Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

   1.        Bring a medium sauce pan of water to a boil, have a large bowl of ice water standing by.  Add salt to the water when it boils and add the green beans to blanch for about 45 seconds; drain the beans and immediately plunge them into the ice water to shock them (this will keep the beans crisp and bright green).  When the beans are completely cooled drain them and remove any ice.

   2.       To a large bowl add the blanched green beans, the kidney and cannellini beans, bell pepper and onions.

   3.       In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, canola oil, olive oil and the flat leaf parsley.  Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.

   4.       Pour the dressing over the beans, and toss so that the ingredients are combined.

   5.       Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

*Note, this bean salad can be made a day or two before serving, it will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

 Some other great picnic foods!

Tomato and Cheddar Pie

Chick Pea and Spinach Salad with Tahini Dressing

Corn Tomato and Avocado Salad

CITRUS MARINATED CHICKEN with FRESH CHERRY CHUTNEY plus CHERRY MARINATED STEAKS plus CHERRY BBQ SAUCE

Billy’s parents live in Northwest Montana and we just love visiting them in the summer.  The Northwest of Montana is mountainous with lots of lakes and rivers for playing, as well as plenty of agriculture in the valleys.  It’s a land where the cowboys, farmers and those of us there for recreation dwell in harmony.

This is how we are greeted by Swan River in the early morning.

The Flathead Lake is the largest lake west of the Mississpi River.  This is the view from Somers, which is on the northwest end of the lake.

And in Somers is Somers Bay Cafe one of our favorite places to go for breakfast after church.  Somers Bay Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch, year round.

A couple of our other favorite restaurants are; The Echo Lake Cafe for breakfast or lunch, and When in Rome for dinner (don't be scared that it's in a strip mall, the interior of the restaurant is sophisticated and the food is just darned good!)

This is how the Swan River says good night!

The Flathead Valley is known for producing juicy cherries and sweet huckleberries (a wild berry, similar to blueberries), while we were too early for hucks (they should be in season now), we got there just in time for the beginning of cherry season.  We just go gaga for the cherries. In the evening we stick a big ol’ bowl of cherries in the middle of the table to nibble while we play cards…the danger of that is that we lose track of how many cherries we’ve eaten; anyone who’s done the same thing knows what I’m sayin’.

With all the lovely, juicy, red, cherries around I just had to make something with them, so I decided to go savory with them and make a Fresh Cherry Chutney.  I sat out on the porch one afternoon with apron donned, a bowl of cherries and a paring knife.  Now if you have a cherry pitter, I would recommend using it, I thought my hands would be cherry stained for a week, but the reddish purple color washed off with little scrubbing.

Since I was going to the trouble of pitting fresh cherries, I made a big batch of the chutney.  The chutney goes great with Citrus Marinated Chicken or pork.  Add just a little balsamic vinegar to it to make a marinade for steak, and add just a little bottle barbecue sauce to it for cherry barbecue sauce.  It is also yummy to serve with cheese and crackers!

Here’s what you do.

Start with the aromatics; diced onions, sliced lemons and limes as well as chopped garlic.

I used bone in spit chicken breasts so I had to put two pieces of chicken into two bags and then added half of  the aromatics to each bag.  You may use boneless chicken breast or chicken thighs if you prefer. 

In a small bowl combine seasoned rice vinegar, canola oil, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, thyme, celery seed, seasoning salt, and pepper.

Add half of the marinade to each bag, squeeze the air out of the bags and seal them up.
I like to smush everything around to make sure the chicken is completely covered in marinade.
I also like to press on the citrus with my fingers to break up the little juice pods.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours, turning the bags half way through.

Pitted and chopped cherries, jalapenos, shallot, garlic and lime are the base of the sauce.
I made a double batch of this yummy chutney.

Add the ingredients to a medium sauce pan, but only add half of the dice jalapenos at this time.

Also add 1/4 cup of water, some honey, red wine vinegar, a bay leaf, a pinch each of cinnamon, allspice and salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat...

...Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium-low and cook at a low boil for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chutney has a jam like consistency.

Remove the cooked sauce from the heat and add the remaining diced jalapenos.

Serve the Fresh Cherry Chutney on the side; warm or room temperature

I had my grill to high, so the skin got a little (a lot) charred, but it was still gosh darned juicy and tasty.

Go ahead and make a double batch of Fresh Cherry Chutney, because you're so gonna wanna make these Cherry Marinated Steaks with Cherry BBQ Sauce.

CITRUS CHICKEN with FRESH CHERRY CHUTNEY

Serves 6

FOR THE CHICKEN

½          cup        Seasoned rice vinegar

2            Tbsp.      Honey

2            Tbsp.      Canola oil

2            Tbsp.      Olive oil

1 ½         Tbsp.      Dijon mustard

1 ½         tsp.        Italian seasoning

1             tsp.        Seasoning salt

½           tsp.        Pepper

½           tsp.        Dried thyme

¼           tsp.        Celery seed

4 ½         lbs.        Split chicken breasts (you may also use 3 lbs. of boneless chicken breasts, or 3 ½ lbs. of chicken thighs)

2                          Lemons, thinly sliced

1                          Lime, thinly sliced

1                          Large onion, diced

2              cloves   Garlic, chopped

   1.        In a small bowl combine the seasoned rice vinegar, honey, canola and olive oils, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, seasoning salt, pepper, thyme, and celery seed.

   2.       Divide the chicken between two zip top bags.  Add half of the sliced lemon, lime, onions and garlic to each bag.  Pour half of the marinade into each bag.  Remove any excess air from the bag and seal it.  Gently press on the citrus to break up the juice pods.  Move the bag around to cover all of the chicken evenly with marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours; turning the bag over after one hour.

   3.       Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before cooking.  If grilling split breasts, heat the grill and place the chicken skin side down, cook for about 10 minutes and then turn the chicken to finish cooking for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  To roast, cook the chicken, skin side up in a 400 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Citrus Chicken tastes yummy just as it is, but you may wish to kick it up by topping it with Fresh Cherry Chutney.

FOR THE CHUTNEY

1              cup         Fresh cherries that have been pitted and roughly chopped

1                            Small shallot, minced

1                            Jalapeno, minced; divided use

1              clove      Garlic, minced (small clove)

1                            Lime, juice of

¼            cup         Water

2              Tbsp.       Honey

½             Tbsp.      Red wine vinegar

1                            Bay leaf

1/8            tsp.       Salt

2               pinches  Cinnamon

1               pinch      Allspice

   1.       Combine all of the ingredients except half of the jalapeno in a medium sauce pan. 

   2.       Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then turn the heat to medium-low heat.  Cook at a low boil for 30 to 40 minutes until the sauce has a jam like consistency.

   3.       Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining minced jalapeno.

Serve the sauce warm, room temperature or cold with chicken, pork or beef.  Fresh Cherry Chutney also makes a great accompaniment to cheese and crackers.

FOR CHERRY MARINATED STEAKS with CHERRY BBQ SAUCE

Serves 4

2/3        cup       Cherry Chutney

1           Tbsp.    Balsamic vinegar

2           Tbsp.    Canola oil

1/2         tsp.       Salt

1/4         tsp.       Pepper

2            lbs.        Steak

1.  In a small bowl mix together all of the ingredients except for the steak.

2.  Add the steak to a zip top bag with the marinade.  Remove any excess air from the bag and seal it.  Move the marinade around so that the steak is completely covered.  Marinade in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to overnight, turning the bag over a few times.

3.  Remove the steak from the marinade and discard the marinade.  

4.  Grill the steak over medium-high heat to your desired temperature.

*Mix the remaining chutney with a little bottled barbecue sauce; mix 1 tbsp. of barbecue sauce to the chutney at a time until it tastes the way you like it, serve it with steak, pork of chicken.