QUINOA SALAD WITH APRICOT AND ALMOND

Filed under Salads, Vegetarian
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
¼ cup green onions, finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions
Bring water to a boil and add quinoa. Cook for 15-20 minutes over medium low heat until water is evaporated and quinoa is tender.  Allow quinoa to cool, then combine with apricots, almonds and chives. Combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard and sugar in a small bowl. Stir dressing mixture into quinoa mixture.  Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

Let's Dish
If you haven't tried quinoa, you should!  This is one of my favorite quinoa salads.  Although quinoa isn't a grain,  you can use it to replace grains in many dishes.  It's actually the seed of the Goosefoot plant and is widely cultivated and used in South America.  The great thing about quinoa is that, unlike most grains, it's full of protein.  So it's also a great vegetarian option.  Besides making great salad, quinoa is also great as a side dish, as well as in soups. 

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right.

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NOT YOUR AVERAGE SLOPPY JOES

Filed under Main Dishes
Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium carrot, chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped
1 teaspoon teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
Hamburger Rolls

Directions
Heat saucepan over medium heat; add the butter.  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the onion and the garlic until finely chopped (or chop by hand).  Add to the melted butter and saute until very soft, about 5-10 minutes. Rough chop both the carrot and celery and add to the work bowl of the food processor. Process until finely diced. Add carrots and celery to sauteed onions with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until veggies are soft. Add drained tomatoes to the food processor and puree; set aside.

Once veggies are soft add the meat to the pan and brown, stirring to break up the lumps. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the chili powder, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the pureed tomatoes, wine or broth, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 6 minutes. Season, if needed, to taste and place meat mixture on buns.

Let's Dish
Sometimes, I'm just in a sloppy joe kind of mood.  And this is my favorite sloppy joe recipe. Besides being tasty, I like that there are some vegetables in the mix.  It's fun to add additional toppings too.  We like pickles and jalapenos (not necessarily together). And I highly recommend toasting the buns before adding the meat mixture.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from The Urban Baker.

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OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH COOKIES

Filed under Desserts
Ingredients
Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup quick cooking oats

Filling
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In another large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the egg and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the oatmeal. Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheets.  Press each cookie down with a fork to form 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies are a lightly browned.  Cool completely before filling.

Make the filling by beating 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup peanut butter until well blended.  Mix in the confectioner's sugar.  Stir in the cream, a bit at a time, until filling reaches desired consistency.  Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of filling (depending on how large your cookies are) onto a cooled cookie. Top with a second cookie to form a sandwich.

Let's Dish
The only thing better than a cookie, in my opinion, is a filled cookie.  And if you like peanut butter, these cookies are all about peanut butter.  I also like the oats in this recipe.  Oats make any cookie seem a little healthier to me.  I recommend making the cookies on the small side.  By the time you put two of these together with the peanut-buttery filling, it's going to be a mouthful!

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com.

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FROZEN LEMON DESSERT

Filed under Desserts
Ingredients
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar, divided
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Directions
Lightly grease an 8 inch square pan.  Mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press most of the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan, reserving 2 couple tablespoons for later. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 2 egg yolks and lemon juice.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in lemon zest. Cool completely.  Meanwhile, beat 2 egg whites to form stiff peaks; set aside. In a separate bowl, whip cream with remaining 1/2 cup sugar until soft peaks form.  Gently fold lemon mixture and meringue into whipped cream.  Spoon mixture over graham cracker crust.  Top with remaining graham cracker crumbs.  Freeze until firm.  Serve frozen.

Let's Dish
In my opinion, this is the perfect summer dessert!  It's light and refreshing, with just the right amount of citrus flavor.  It's also a great dessert to make ahead because it can be kept in the freezer until serving.  I highly recommend fresh lemon juice--it really does make a difference.  My family of five polished off the entire pan in one sitting.  Next time, I'm going to double the recipe and keep one pan in the freezer for later!

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from food.com.

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PULLED CHICKEN SUIZA SANDWICHES

Filed under Main Dishes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde
1/2 cup sour cream
1 rotisserie-style chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
4 crusty sandwich rolls, split
4 slices Monterrey Jack or cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the sour cream. Stir in the chicken to coat. Pile the chicken mixture on the roll bottoms. Top with the cheese and broil to melt. Set the roll tops in place and serve.

Let's Dish
This has to be one of the easiest, tastiest meals I've put together.  Once the chicken is shredded, it takes less than 15 minutes.  And everyone loves it!  The honey and lime add wonderful flavor.  If you have extra filling, it makes great burritos the next day.

Who Dished It Up First
This is a Rachael Ray recipe that I found over at Cassie Craves.

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COWBOY COOKIES

Filed under Desserts
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup crushed corn flakes
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions
Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla and eggs and beat well. Stir in cornflake crumbs and oatmeal. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix. Stir in the coconut, nuts, if using, and chocolate chips.  Place tablespoon-sized balls of dough on a lightly greased or lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.

Let's Dish
It's really hard to say which I love best, classic chocolate chip cookies, or these loaded-with-goodness cowboy cookies.  The secret ingredient?  The crushed Cornflake crumbs.  I've tried several cowboy cookie recipes, and it's the Cornflake crumbs that set these apart.  If you have regular oats handy, those will work fine in place of the quick version.  What are you waiting for?  Go bake up a batch ASAP!

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

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