Lemon Quinoa Tabouleh

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With both Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck in agreement that Spring will be here in short order, I am already looking forward to citrus, tomatoes, fresh herbs and leafy greens!

Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this naturally gluten-free gem of a recipe, bursting with color to the eye, and certainly as colorful to the palate:

Lemon Quinoa Tabouleh

courtesy of The Diva Dish

Ingredients:

1/2 c. dry quinoa
2 c. vegetable broth
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, diced
2 c. spinach, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro*, finely chopped
1/4 c. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. agave nectar
1/2 tsp. cumin
Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly. 

2. In a large saucepan, soak the quinoa in the vegetable broth for about 15 minutes off the heat. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium-low and let quinoa simmer. Stir every so often, and cook quinoa for about 20-25 minutes, just until the liquid absorbs. With a tiny amount of liquid remaining, remove the quinoa from heat and cover. Set aside to cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, cilantro, onion and garlic. Add the chickpeas and stir until everything is combined. Once the quinoa is cooled, add quinoa to the mixture.

5. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, olive oil, agave and spices together. Pour dressing over the salad mixture, and mix until well combined. Gently mix in the tomatoes and avocado. Allow flavors to set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

*For those who do not care for the taste of cilantro, flat-leaf parsley is a perfect substitute!

BLT Corn Salad Wraps

When I saw this recipe by Joy the Baker, I gasped ... pretty much all of my favorite foods in one bite, folks! Can we say "summer party" please? I cannot wait to whip these up! Make sure to get the full recipe here.

xx JN

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National Guacamole Day!

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I am convinced that avocados are the fruit of the gods.

To celebrate National Guacamole Day, I am happy to share my tried and true guacamole recipe which I can honestly say I have made over a hundred times.  Depending on the size of your crowd and their subsequent obsession with guacamole, you can easily double this recipe.

3-4 perfectly ripe avocados
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
Kosher salt & ground pepper
1/2 Serrano pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped OR several dashes of green Tabasco sauce
1 large handful of fresh cilantro, stems removed, and roughly chopped
1-2 fresh limes

Peel and pit the avocados and scoop them into a large bowl. With a large fork, begin to mash the avocados into large chunks. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the avocados, starting first with a half of a lime and adding more juice to get the desired consistency.

Add the fresh garlic, cilantro, Serrano pepper (or Tabasco) and continue to mash with a large fork. Add the kosher salt & pepper to taste.

Serve with corn chips and try not to eat the entire bowl at once.

Suffice to say, this can prove to be difficult.

xx JN

Eating my words ...

Just when I thought there would never be a day when store-bought guacamole would ever grace my table ...

Last night, in a hurry to get Taco Night ready in time for my Mom's arrival to NYC, I ran through C-Town to get ingredients for homemade guacamole. Trust me loves ... after growing up on fresh guacamole, the store-bought variety has always disgusted me at the mere smell, let alone taste. (Remember the days when you could only purchase store-bought guacamole in the freezer section?? Blech!)

Well. I stand corrected.

Although I will continue to make it fresh when perfectly ripe avocados are available, when in a pinch, I highly recommend Sabra's Classic Guacamole. Sabra is known for their many Hummus varieties and have branched out to include dips & salsas. I went out on a limb because I always buy their yummy, ready-made Hummus when I don't have time to make it from scratch.

For $3.99, it sure was a great alternative to over-ripe avocados at $2 a pop! Let me know when you try it.  

Avocado Wasabi Salad

The moment I spied this recipe for Avocado Wasabi Salad this morning, I have been salivating ever since! Avocado + Wasabi + Salad = Delish!

(Thank you, VeganYumYum!)

Avocado Wasabi Salad
Serves 4-6
Salad greens of your choice
1 Carrot, shredded
2 tsp Vegetable Oil, divided
1/2 to 3/4 Cup Broccoli, chopped small
1/3 Cup Toasted Slivered Almonds
Wasabi Chickpeas (recipe below)
Avocado Wasabi dressing, (recipe below)
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Wasabi-Tamari Chickpeas
1 tsp Oil
1 Cup Chickpeas
1 tsp Wasabi Powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbs Low Sodium Tamari/Soy Sauce

Avocado Wasabi Dressing
1 Ripe Avocado, diced
2 tsp White Wine Vinegar
3 Tbs Hummus, plain or garlic
1 tsp Stoneground Mustard
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Wasabi Powder
1/4 to 1/3 Cup Vegetable oil

Begin by whisking the dressing ingredients together, except for the oil. Whisk until smooth. If your avocado isn’t super ripe, you may wish to blend the dressing in a food processor. Slowly add oil until emulsified and the dressing is smooth, refrigerate until ready to use.

Toast your almonds in a dry pan over medium heat if they are not already toasted. Set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil and add broccoli. Sautee over high heat until the broccoli is beginning to color in spots and is bright green, but still tender-crisp. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.

Add the second teaspoon of oil to the same pan and add the chickpeas. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook the chickpeas until they are golden on all sides, using a spatula to loosen them as necessary, but don’t worry if they stick a little. Add the wasabi powder, sugar, and tamari and stir well. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, add your salad greens. Add the broccoli, 3/4 of the chickpeas, 3/4 of the almonds, and 3/4 of the carrots. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Plate the salad, and garnish the top with the remaining chickpeas, almonds and carrots. Crack fresh black pepper over the top. Serve immediately.

If you are serving the salad later, do not add the dressing until the last minute.