Corn and Quinoa Salad with Chicken Sausage

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/4 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons olive oil

12 oz red pepper asiago chicken sausages, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 small zucchini, diced

2 1/2 cups corn kernels (about 4 ears)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt & pepper

6 oz feta, crumbled

parsley, chopped

Bring quinoa and chicken broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Fluff it. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and brown the sausages. Set them aside and add another drizzle of oil along with the onion and bell pepper. Saute until softened. Add the zucchini and corn and fry 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the sausages and quinoa to the veggies. Whisk together a tablespoon olive oil, the lemon juice, cumin and salt & pepper. Drizzle over the top and stir well. Pop into the fridge to chill. Before serving, stir in the feta and a handful of parsley.

Adapted from Fitness Magazine July/August 2011

Kimchi Fried Rice

The Rice:

5 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced into bite sized chunks

1 16-ounce jar kimchi

5 cups cooked rice - a day or two old*

butter

sesame oil

toasted sesame seeds

scallions

fresh eggs

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until most of the fat is rendered. Add a knob of butter, a drizzle or two of sesame oil, kimchi and fry until it's nicely browned in a few spots. Dump in the rice and stir and scrape your heart out until it's all heated through. Fry up some eggs. Spoon the rice onto a plate, top with some sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Plop the egg on top. Mmmmmmm.

*Or, if you're like me and too impatient to wait, cook it and spread it out on a piece of parchment and let sit at room temp a few hours.

Larb - Thai Chicken Salad

3 teaspoons grated lime peel

1.5 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.5 tablespoons fish sauce

3 teaspoons brown sugar

1 -2 teaspoons finely chopped serrano

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

coconut oil

16 oz ground chicken

1 chopped shalllot

handful chopped mint

Toppings:

lettuce leaves

chopped peanuts

cilantro

dried shrimp

toasted coconut

chopped ginger

thinly sliced and diced lime

Whisk together first 8. Set aside. Brown the ground chicken and shallot in a bit of coconut oil. Dump on the sauce and mint. Stir it up and let it meld while preparing the toppings.

Spoon the chicken mixture onto a lettuce leaf and pile high with fixin's. Shove in mouth. Lick the juice that runs down your arm. Sigh with contentment. My kids couldn't get enough of these. I even videoed it. Except, I didn't. There was a mishap and I ended up with an eight minute audio of our dinner conversation. I talk insanely fast. If I hadn't known what I'd said...I'd never have understood. Please make these. With all the fixin's. Especially the shrimp. My kid eats them for snack...plain. Honest. Oh, and use bottled lemon/lime juice and I'll hunt you down and slap your face.

Cardammmmm!

*very slightly adapted from Gesine at Confections of a (Closet) Master Baker

3 cups flour
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

powdered sugar and cardamom for dusting

Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla extract and honey and beat until well combined.
Sift together dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter/sugar mixture. Don't overbeat.
Chill while preheating oven to 350*.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Cool completely and coat with powered sugar/cardamom. I used maybe 1/2 teaspoon for 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk well.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

The Uptown Farmer's Market has an amazing taco cart. And a falafel cart. And a hippie bus with fantastic hotdogs. And the best chai tea this side of India. Anyway, back to the taco cart. This fall they had a black bean and sweet potato soft taco that was out of this world. I bring you a semi-copycat. I'm always a bit hesitant to give out favorite recipes because I'm afraid you'll make a substitution that's not okay and then not like the recipe...follow? You need to a)make homemade tortillas or b)buy fresh that you cook at home. The ones that come prepackaged with an ingredient list longer than your arm...not okay.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

tortillas

1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup shredded monterey jack

1 1/2 cups tightly packed spinach leaves

*cook onion and garlic in oil. stir in beans, lime juice, oregano and cumin. heat through. cook tortillas. fill with onions/beans, potatoes, cheese, spinach. wrap in foil and toss in a hot oven until cheese is melted. or, grill 'em.

Baked Oatmeal

This is a favorite in our house. I assemble it the night before and pop it in the oven in the morning. The additions are endless...a recent favorite was blueberry/banana/walnut.

3.5 cups oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup applesauce OR mashed banana

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped nuts and dried fruits as desired

*combine all and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Overnight Oatmeal Pancakes

Molly Wizenberg's Oatmeal Pancakes *slightly adapted*

2 cups oats

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup flour

*mix well and soak overnight. add the following:

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4-8 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs

*mix well and griddle away!