Happy Fourth of July

Pink Saturday - Quinoa, Beet and Walnut Salad

Happy Pink Saturday!!! We're on an extended Fourth of July weekend trip. I will visit everyone's blogs when I return.

One of my favorite veggies from the Farmer's Market is beets. I never used to like beets but I think that's because I'd only eaten them pickled. A couple of summer's ago, I discovered roasted beets. They are so sweet and so easy to prepare. Just cut off the tops, rub in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, wrap in aluminum foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for an hour. Test for doneness, they should be fork tender. Once they have cooled, rub off skin. I use rubber gloves so I don't end up with beet colored hands. Slice and enjoy.

Most days, I come home for lunch. I am always looking for something different for lunch. I found this recipe. How perfect, I had leftover quinoa in the frig. I added black beans for protein. Not only is this a beautiful pink salad, it is delicious!!!

Quinoa, Roasted Beet and Walnut Salad

3-4 medium beets, washed and trimmed (do not peel)
1 c. (240 ml.) dry quinoa
2 cups (480 ml.) water
1/2 c. (120 ml.) walnuts, lightly roasted and cooled
2 cloves of garlic, minced
grated rind of one lemon
juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
2 T. (30 ml.) balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. (60 ml.) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. (10 ml.) dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1 can black beans
1/3 cup (80 ml.) fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wrap beets in foil and bake until extremely tender, about 45 minutes-1 hour. Let cool, then peel off the skins and dice into 3/4 inch (2-cm.) cubes. Set aside.

Bring water to boil in a small heavy saucepan. Rinse quinoa well and add to water. Return to boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Allow to simmer, untouched, for 25 minutes, then check to see if water has been absorbed. If not, continue simmering until all water is absorbed, then uncover and allow to cool. (If you are in a hurry, you can turn the hot quinoa into a glass bowl at this point and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes).

In a nonstick frypan, heat oil and add garlic and lemon rind. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, then add balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and stevia. Remove from heat.

Add beets to cooled quinoa. Break walnuts into pieces and add to the bowl. Pour dressing over and toss well until quinoa is tinted pink. Add cilantro and combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. This salad is even better the second day, after flavours meld. Makes 4 servings.

I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound!

Banana Oatmeal Bread

Do you have bananas in your freezer? There's always bananas in mine!! My favorite recipe for banana bread is this one! I am always looking for a recipe that's healthier but just as delicious. When I saw this recipe on The Cooking Chemist, I knew I had to give it a try. This one is a home run! It's healthier but still moist and delicious.

Banana-Oatmeal Bread
Courtesy of The Cooking Chemist

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 c. packed brown sugar
7 Tbsp. canola oil
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1-1/3 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large, defrosted if frozen)
1 c. regular oats
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, beat well at medium speed of a mixer. Combine banana, oats, and milk; add to the sugar mixture, beating well. Add vanilla and mix well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir with a whisk. Add to sugar mixture and beat until just moist.

Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Spoon in batter and bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool ten minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and cool completely before storing.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

In My Garden

Triple Berry Crisp

Tim requested a crisp for Father's Day dessert. With berries reasonable and plentiful, a crisp seemed like the perfect dessert. You can use any combination of berries, I used blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. I served this with my favorite homemade vanilla ice cream, Alton Brown's Serious Vanilla Ice Cream.

Triple Berry Crisp
Adapted from All Recipes

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups butter
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, gently toss together blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and white sugar; set aside.
3.In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
4.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.



I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday's, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday's and Tuesday's at the Table.

Gingersnaps - Sweet Melissa Sunday's

Today has been declared a day of prayer by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Let's all take a moment today to pause and reflect in whatever way you feel appropriate for our friends in the gulf.

Do you like your cookies chewy or crispy? I like mine soft and chewy! I think that's why I am not a Gingersnap fan. Since I am going to miss next week's SMS, I decided to bake these despite my feelings about Gingersnaps.

As with most SMS recipes, I cut the recipe in half. These were easy to make and use ingredients most of us have in our kitchens. Having read a few of the comments, I set the timer to pull these out a few minutes early. Not sure what happened but I missed hearing the timer. Don't you just love it when you do that? So my cookies were extra crispy. I tried one and they do have a traditional Gingersnap flavor. Since none of us are big Gingersnap fans, I may freeze these for a possible future cheesecake crust.



How about this? Our SMS recipe this week was chosen by The Ginger Snap Girl. You can find the links to the other SMS gals here.

Does anyone have a recipe for Sour Cream Raisin Pie? It's my brother in law's favorite and I want to suprise him with one when we visit next week.

Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday!

Last weekend Tim and I went to the antique show in Walnut, Iowa. It's a street fair of over 300 antique dealers from all over the United States. As we walked the streets in addition to lots of antiques, we saw beautiful gardens. Don't you just love these impatients in the old bathtub?




Couldn't resist sharing this one with you...there is a pair of pink pants on the back of the line :)





I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.