#wewillneverforget
Run to Remember
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Herby
…fully loaded.
Ahh, that was a terrible reference. I’ve never even seen the LiLo flick.
Mooovin’ on.
Today was absolutely stunning – sunshine (which we haven’t seen in daaays) and warm (but not too warm) temps made for the perfect Saturday.
The bright, refreshing weather put me in the mood for something equally as bright and light.
In came Giada’s Herbed Quinoa. I had seen her make it just the other day (Food Network junkie – right here), and I had allll of the ingredients necessary.
I stepped outside and snipped some gorgeous parsley and basil – they were in pretty desperate need of a trim:
I only made a few changes to Giada’s original recipe (made 6 or 7 half cup servings):
Ingredients
Quinoa:
- 2 3/4 cups low-sodium
chicken stockI used veggie stock, simply because it’s what I had on hand1/4 cup fresh lemon juiceI eliminated this – reviews had stated that it was a bit to tart/lemony as it was written- 1 1/2 cups quinoa
Dressing:
1/4 cupextra-virgin olive oil – I used 2 Tbsp- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice – I didn’t measure and just juiced an entire lemon
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leavesDidn’t have- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, add the veggie stock and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.
For the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped basil and parsley, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.
This was light, refreshing – and filling. Yum!
It was the perfect amount of lemony tartness, for me, with the brightness of the basil and the parsley. Plus – the zest adds another dimension of lemony goodness that just pulled it together. Not gonna lie – I went back and added some extra pinches of zest to my own serving.
I don’t use lemon nearly enough in my cooking.
- What are some of your favorite ways to use lemon? or any citrus for that matter?
Knockoffs
No, no,no – this recipe isn’t about handbags…or sunglasses…watches… or anything purchased from a sketchy vendor.
However, this is alllll about knocking off products that you love.
Lately, I’ve been alllll about Nature Valley’s Dark Chocolate Granola Thins.
Like…seriously obsessed.
Some have had issues with the chocolate melting….and unfortunate staining of clothes and papers…or getting all over keyboards, etc. I definitely experienced that my first go-around with this beauties…but a new home in the fridge keeps them perrrfect. Oh – and they come in peanut butter, too – haven’t tried those yet….
Obsessed.
clickforsource
My biggest problem? Not enough in a box. 
Sooo – I took to attempting my own variety.
I’ll be very honest – these don’t taste like NV Granola Thins…but they do taste good. That’s all that matters. Plus, they calm my salty, sweet and crunchy cravings allll in one lil’ bite.
I started with a (low cal) granola recipe – I halved the recipe – but kept the 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey and omitted the cherries. I think next time around I’ve up the honey – just for the sticky-factor. Oh! almost forgot – I added 4 squares of honey graham crackers – crushed.
Once it is all mixed – I pressed it firmly into a lined pan and baked the granola at 275 for about 40 minutes….just kept an eye on it.
Once toasty – smother in dark chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt.
Stick that beauty into the fridge to firm up – and then…uhh, attempt to cut.
Okay…this part was messy. I would classify these as…shards…of granola thins.
….like snowflakes…they each took on their own unique shape.
However – each is beautiful…and oh-so-delicious… in its own, special way. haha
Oh, and I walked away with a tupperware container full of these little beauties – as well as a bag of honey-vanilla granola (once I successfully collected the granola shrapnel from my counters).
Two for one – score!
Nature Valley Granola Thins – don’t worry – even with this snack, I’ll still being picking up a box the next time I’m in the store…I’m sure of it.
Bakin’ Barley
So this morning I woke up and went about my usual routine.
Vitamin – check. Coffee – double check.
Then I sit down to peruse the blogs of those who are up late and those who wake up earlier than I do.
Jess writes such a great blog – and it is sooo dangerous to read first thing in the morning. It’ll have me craving bacon, cupcakes, pancakes or chocolate from 7am onward. Today was no different, but it was a recipe that I immediately started to think about doing for dinner:
Her White Bean and Parmesan Baked Orzo.
I had everything I needed to make it – sans the orzo. I was determined though…so I subbed in barley.
It reminded me a lot of my mom’s Green Rice – but with a lot more good stuff going on. The beans made this so, so satisfying.
Plus, I’m always a sucker for anything that has a cheesy crust.
I’ll definitely be making this again – and doing the original version, too.
- What have been some recipes that you’ve seen around the blogosphere lately that you absolutely had to make (or at least thought about it)?
Drenched
It’s official. I love running in the rain. It’s just sort of…freeing.
The child in me loves to splash in puddles.
My lungs appreciate the clean air and the cool temps and cloud cover are more than welcome.
The only “downside” is that your clothes end up soaked…but I can deal with that.
Yes, I realize I wore a white shirt to run in the rain… don’t worry I wasn’t going all “spring break” – multiple layers, multiple layers.
Needless to say, I walked away from my workout feeling refreshed from head to toe. :)
It’s been a busy one – so honestly, my dinner tonight is probably some tuna and some salad greens…nothing fancy. What’re YOU having?
Spicyyy
Hello, hello, loves! It’s been a rainy Tuesday – but I’m not complaining. The rain has washed away a lot of the crud that has been in the air. Yesterday, my head was just overwhelmed by whatever was airborn and I spent most of the day on in the couch with a cold press over my eyes.
Allergies. Lame.
Luckily, today I woke up feeling fully refreshed and got my butt moving with week 2 of my running schedule. I had a great run – and it feels fantastic to be constantly challenging myself physically.
The few little raindrops that fell during my run were more than welcome.
Now, though the weather was dreary, my mind was on a particularly spunky little treat:
Jalapeno Poppers.
Specifically, cream cheese poppers. Yum.
The only draw back of these little spicy nuggets is that they are usually fried LOADED with fat, calories… you know the drill.
I stumbled upon a Weight Watchers recipe for a more figure friendly version, and it didn’t take long for me to peruse my fridge and assemble my own popper recipe.
My recipe?
Filling (just mix ‘em all thoroughly):
- 1/4 cup neufchatel cheese, room temp
- 2.5 tablespoons grated Parmesan/Romano blend
- Cracked pepper to taste
Halve and take the seeds and veins out of 3 (that’s just the number I had) jalapenos. Fill the cavity of each pepper half with the cheese filling. Coat each stuffed pepper in egg white and then shake in a bag of crushed plain/non-sweet cereal (corn flakes, Total, Fiber One, etc).
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown.
Dive in.
Dare I say that I like these better than the deep fried version? Truth.
Roastin’
The other day, Jenna did a post on her honey barbecue chicken.
That was it. I was hooked. I had to make a roasted chicken.
I ran to the basement…yesss, a bird was just waiting to be massaged with spice rub goodness.
My spice rub of choice?
Dinosaur’s Cajun Foreplay.
My entire family is obsessed.We had Dinosaur Bar-B-Que years ago when my cousin got married at Colgate University and they catered the rehearsal dinner. The barbecue salmon was out of this worrrrrrrrld….
Back to the bird.
So – I didn’t have honey (used it all…here), but that’s okay.
I stuffed the cavity with an entire lemon (halved) and 3 cloves of garlic. Seasoned the thing with salt, pepper…smothered it in about a tablespoon of olive oil and then liberally rubbed the Cajun Foreplay allll ovahh.
375 and about 1.5 hours later….a crispy, spicy, smokey, & sweet bird emerged.
Wicked juicy.
Craving. Complete.
