Quinoa Salad 2

 For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the Salad:

• 2 cups cold cooked quinoa
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves chopped
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 large avocado pitted, peeled, and chopped
• 2 green onions sliced
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

• First, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, maple syrup or honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine quinoa, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, and green onions.
• Drizzle salad with dressing and gently stir until salad is coated with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.

Quinoa Salad 1

 

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• ¾ cup chopped red onion (from 1 small red onion)
• 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (from 1 large bunch)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, to give it time to fluff up.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
4. Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
5. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta

 

• -16 ounce penne pasta uncooked
• ▢-1 Pounds Ground Sausage
• ▢-4 cups heavy cream
• ▢-1 cup chicken broth
• ▢-2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢-2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• ▢-2 cup parmesan cheese
• ▢-4 cups spinach chopped
• ▢-1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 
  

• Bring a large pot to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
• In a large skillet add the sausage. Cook and crumble until it is no longer pink. Set aside on a plate.
• Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Whisk over medium high heat until it starts to thicken. Add the spinach and sundried tomatoes and let it simmer until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the sausage back to the pan and add the pasta and stir until heated throughout.

Crockpot Mongolian Beef

 

• -1 ½ pounds Flank Steak
• ▢-¼ cups cornstarch
• ▢-2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• ▢-½ teaspoons Garlic mince, Cloves
• ▢-¾ cups Soy Sauce 
• ▢-¾ cups Water
• ▢-¾ cups Brown Sugar
• ▢-1 cup Carrots grated
• ▢-green onions for garnish
• 
  

• Cut flank steak into thin strips. In a ziplock bag add flank steak pieces and cornstarch. Shake to coat.
• Add olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and carrots to slow cooker. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak and stir again until coated in the sauce.
• Cook in a slow cooker for high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours until cooked throughout and tender. Can serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing

 

• -6-to-10- ounces boxed stuffing mix
• -1/2 pound breakfast or Italian sausage
• ▢-1/2 small yellow onion diced
• ▢-2 stalks celery diced
• ▢-2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢-1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs such as sage, fresh thyme, or rosemary OR 1 teaspoon dried herbs
• ▢-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢-1 egg whisked
• ▢-1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock
• ▢-3 tablespoons melted butter
• 
  

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Add the sausage to a large skillet over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned, then remove the sausage from the skillet

• Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened, then remove from heat.
• Remove the seasoning pack from the stuffing mix, then add the stuffing croutons, sausage, cooked veggies, herbs, salt, egg, and stock to an 8×8 inch pan or other 3-quart baking dish and mix it all together. Press the stuffing into an even layer in the pan, then drizzle the top with butter.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top of the stuffing is browned and crisp. Let cool slightly, then enjoy.

Tuscan Chicken Mac & Cheese

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts pounded to 1-inch thickness (or 4 boneless and skinless chicken thigh fillets)

• Salt and pepper, to season
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (sweet or smokey)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon oil, divided (use olive or canola oil)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion chopped
• 6 cloves garlic finely diced
• 1/3 cup white wine OPTIONAL (use chicken broth instead if you wish)
• 9 oz (250g) jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil (reserve 2 tablespoons of oil and drain the rest)
• 3 level tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups milk OR light cream* or half and half, divided
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
• 10 ounces (300g) elbow macaroni uncooked (3 cups!)
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup grated cheese Cheddar or Gruyere
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

• Season chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, dried parsley and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Heat the remaining oil in a large (30cm or 12-inch) pot or pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown, cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Transfer chicken to a warm plate, tent with foil and set aside.
• To the same pan, add the butter and fry the onion and garlic until the onion becomes transparent, stirring occasionally (about 2 minutes). Pour in the white wine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, or until beginning to reduce down.
• Add the sun dried tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the sun dried tomato oil from the jar and cook for 1-2 minutes to release as much flavour as possible.
• Stir the flour into the pot and allow to cook for a further minute. Then, add the broth, 2 1/2 cups of milks (or cream/half and half), herbs, salt and pepper, and bring to a very low simmer (lower the heat if you need to). 
• Add the dry macaroni and stir occasionally as it comes to a simmer. Reduce heat down to medium low and stir regularly while it cooks (for about 9 - 10 minutes), or until the sauce thickens and the macaroni is just cooked (al dente: tender but still firm). Add the spinach and stir through until wilted. 
• Take the pot off the stove and stir all of the cheese in quickly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce it too thick, add the remaining 1/2 cup milk (or cream) in 1/4 cup increments, until reaching desired thickness. Keep in mind the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. 
• Slice the chicken into strips and stir through the pasta (pour in any juices left from the chicken). Sprinkle with parsley, and stir through. Serve immediately!

Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

 

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage, hot or mild
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• -1 teaspoon dried basil
• -½ teaspoon oregano
• -1 pinch cayenne, optional
• -1 teaspoon hot sauce
• -½ teaspoon mustard powder
• -¼ teaspoon pepper
• -1 cup heavy cream
• -5 cups chicken broth
• -2 cups kale, chopped
• -2 cups refrigerated tortellini, just under 10 oz.
• -Salt/ to taste
• -1 pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Note: The mustard powder and hot sauce are so subtle in this soup but help enhance the other flavors, so although you may be hesitant to add them, I highly recommend it!
• Remove the casings from the sausage if you purchased links. Cook and crumble the sausage and diced onions over medium-high heat until the onions are softened and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Drain grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
• Add 1 tsp dried basil, ½ tsp oregano, 1 pinch of cayenne, 1 tsp hot sauce, ½ tsp mustard powder, ¼ tsp pepper. Stir to combine.
• Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Add the cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
• Add the kale and tortellini and simmer for 3-5 minutes. (If your tortellini needs longer cooking time, add the tortellini first, then the kale during the last 5 minutes.)
• Taste the soup and add salt if desired. Start with ¼ tsp and add more after that if needed.
• Transfer to serving bowls and top with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Serve with Garlic Bread with Cheese.