Lemon Herb Quinoa with Green Peas and Basil

Emily and I made this for the first time last August. We took it with us when we went up to the raspberry festival at Bear Lake. It was so good! We had been walking around all day, we were hot, tired and hungry. This filled us up quick, was so refreshing, and easy to eat. The original recipe comes from the Food 52 website.

1 c quinoa
2 c water
1 c green peas
1/4 basil, finely chopped
1/4 c hemp seeds
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS lemon juice
2 teas lemon juice
1 teas maple syrup
1/4 salt
Pepper to taste

Bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed and quinoa is done. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
Combine quinoa, peas, basil and hemp seeds. In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over quinoa mixture, and stir to combine. Eat!

Buffalo Chip Cookies

Some years back when we made our first trip to SLC we visited with Sylvia as a family.  She shared this recipe with us as one she really enjoyed as a soft, chocolate drop cookie.  It's even better when the mint chocolate chips are available to purchase during the holidays and are used in place of the white ones!

1 C.  Butter

2/3 C. Brown sugar

3/4 C. White sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Soda

½ tsp. Salt

2/3 C. Cocoa

2 ¼ C. Flour

2 C. White or mint flavored chips

Cream together the first five ingredients

Add dry ingredients

fold in baking chips

Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes

Leave on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removing from oven

Place on cooling rack

Makes about 3 dozen

 

Daniel's Chili

We had this at Emily's parent's house when we went up a couple months ago. I think it might be one of my favorite meals eat. It takes a little prep work, but it makes a lot, and you feel really good about what you are eating. Plus, it fills you up really well. I've heard it's good with a baked potato or rice, but I think it is delicious on its own. Try it!

1 onion, chopped
3 zucchini, grated

Terrible picture. Delicious food.  

3 carrots grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
3 bell peppers (assorted colors)
2 Tbs better than bouillon
2 32 oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
2 c kidney beans
2 c black beans
2 c garbanzo beans
2 c corn
1-2 small can green chili peppers
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tbs cocoa powder
1/4 c chili powder

Combine onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers and chili peppers and 2 c water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, bouillon, and spices in blender. Blend smooth. Pour over vegetables. Add diced tomatoes. Cook on medium another 20 minutes. Add beans and corn and heat through. Serve.

Basic Macaroni & Cheese

I don't really like macaroni and cheese all that much. That is, except when I get sick or when I am really tired. When I get sick I start to crave processed foods more. Which is why it's weird that I wanted macaroni and cheese earlier this week. I wasn't sick. Well, I decided to make some from scratch and it turned out pretty well. Obviously there are tweaks that you can make to this recipe, but for a starting point, I think this makes a  pretty good recipe.





1/3 cup flour
3 tbs butter
2 cups milk (I used almond)
2-3 cups cheese 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 lb. macaroni or other type of pasta (cooked)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Whisk together flour and butter over medium heat to form a roux. Slowly whisk in the milk. (If lumps form, whisk until smooth.) Add cheese, salt, chili powder, pepper and nutmeg. Once cheese has melted, add cooked macaroni. Pour into a baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Simple Almond Cake

I pretty much love this recipe. I can't even guess how many times I have made this simple almond cake. It is so so easy and so good. The recipe for this almond cake is in the ward cookbook from the Woodruffs, but I've seen it a few other places as well. I like to serve it with berries and sometime ice cream. We made it for the missionaries last week and they loved it. To be fair though, they live at the MTC their whole mission so anything that is not cafeteria food is probably amazing. Elder Tucker who has been in the MTC for the past 23 months was so excited at the thought of fruits and vegetables not from a can. The cake was still good, regardless of whether or not your diet consists of cafeteria food.

1/2 C butter, melted and cooled

1 C flour

1 C sugar

2 tsp almond extract

2 eggs

Slivered almonds

Combine butter, flour, sugar, extract and eggs in a bowl. Pour into a pie tin. Sprinkle almonds over batter. You can also sprinkle a spoonful of sugar over the top if desired. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve with mixed berries and ice cream if desired.

Citrus Chicken with Soy Sauce

We had an impromptu celebration for Cinco De Mayo and one of our neighbors brought this amazing chicken. Last we had the missionaries over and we decided to try to recreate it. It was good the way we baked it, but I think it would be better if we had grilled it. Either way, try it! It is so so good!

1/3 C soy sauce (I used the Shoyu sauce)

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 orange 

1/2 an onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBS cilantro

1 teas cumin

1/3 C soy sauce

1 teas paprika

1/2 teas white pepper

Chicken (3--4 lbs)

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken, cover and marinate in fridge 2-4 hours.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Serve. (Could also grill.)