Cheesy Quinoa - total time 50 minutes

I have been hearing a lot about quinoa lately.  It is probably one of those 'superfoods' that will be popular for a year or so, and then slowly fade into the grain isle.  It is healthy though... full of protein, fiber, and even calcium... and smells good when it is cooking.  Here is a recipe (maybe not the healthiest quinoa recipe with all the cheese) which tastes like something between mac 'n cheese and cheesy potatoes.


1.5 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup milk (I used mostly soy milk with a splash or cream)
1.5 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tomato, diced
.25 cup grated parm
red pepper flakes, salt & pepper
panko bread crumbs


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse quiona, then cook according to package.
2. Saute tomato in olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Stir in a little of the cooked quinoa and the cheese together at a time.  Stir in tomatoes, minced garlic, milk, and egg.  Pour into casserole dish, sprinkle panko and parm on top.  Put in oven for 25 minutes and serve!

Weekly Menu

Trying to get back into selecting recipes at the beginning of the week.  This week is focused on using at least one thing from our CSA deliveries and making room in our freezer.  The garden is shaping up nicely so we will need to have lots of tomato and pepper recipes on deck for the next couple weeks.

chicken pesto lasagna rollups w/ salad
mexican stuffed shells w/ tomato gratin
cheesy quinoa casserole
CSA veggie pizza
sliders & roasted corn
zucchini enchiladas
roasted beet soup w/ fried green beans

Baked Ravioli - total time 25 minutes

A healthier option to fried ravioli and just as fast!  We get a bunch of the hand-made raviolis when we make a trip to Whole Foods... this kicks it up a notch from plain raviolis.

package of raviolis

.5 cup milk (i used soy milk)

.5 cup bread crumbs

1 cup marinara

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Dip each ravioli into milk, then coat in the bread crumbs.  Lay raviolis on baking sheet and spray with oil.

2. Put in oven for 10 minute.  Turn broiler on to add crispiness.  Top with marinara and serve!

CGTs (cheese guac and tomato) - total time 20 minutes

A quick, delicious summer lunch.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest and was surprised how much flavor it packed!

whole wheat english muffin

cheese

guacamole

tomato, sliced & roasted

1. Slice tomato, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on top, and put it in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, turn the broiler for last minute.

2.  Toast the english muffin with cheese on it (in toaster oven).

3.  Spread pre-made guac on the cheesy english muffin and top with the roasted tomato slices.  Enjoy!

Crash Potatoes - total time 45 minutes

The idea for these crash potatoes came from Pioneer Woman's blog.  Essentially they are the same as the crispy roast potatoes recipe.  However, this recipe is a bit more fun and kids could help in the kitchen smashing and 'painting' the potatoes.

2 lbs potatoes

2 tbsp butter, melted

rosemary, oregano, parsley, salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash potatoes and cut large potatoes into big chunks.  Cook in boiling water for 10-12 minutes.  Melt butter in a bowl and add herbs.

2.  (here's the fun part)  Smash... or crash... the potatoes with a potato masher on a baking sheet.  Then 'paint' the melted butter on to each smashed potatoes.

3.  Put the tray of potatoes in the oven for 25 minutes.

Baked Shrimp Scami - total time 30 minutes

1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined

3 tbsp white wine

3 tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

.5 cup onions, minced

2 tbsp lemon juice

.5 cup panko bread crumbs

parsley, rosemary, salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel and devein shrimp, put in mixing bowl with wine, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

2. Melt butter a bit in the microwave.  Then add herbs, garlic, onions, lemon juice, and panko bread crumbs.

3. Lay shrimp in a casserole dish with the tail up.  Pour any remaining wine/olive oil mixture on top, then add the butter mixture and spread evenly over top.

4. Put in oven for 12 minutes, then enjoy!

Can Your Own Pickles

Since dill pickles are stored in vinegar, and vinegar is acidic enough to kill bacteria, pickles are an easy, safe thing to can with very little equipment.

What you need to can...

large pot

mason jars, lids, bands

canning thongs (some way to get jars in and out of boiling water)

something to keep the jars off the very bottom of the pot

Ingredients for pickles...

pickling cucumbers

dill spice mix

vinegar

water

Sterilize your jars by putting them in boiling water for five minutes.  This will prevent them from cracking when you put them back in the water with the pickles in them (cold glass in boiling water = broken glass).  Create your brine; 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water, dill mix.

Prepare cucumbers in slices, spears, or whole.

Always buy new lids with sealing wax (you don't want to rely on a reused seal).  Turn the bands tight, then loosen just a bit.

Pickles need to be in a boiling bath for at least 15 minutes.  You should see little air bubbles being released from the jars (you may be able to see a few in the pictures).  

Remove jars from water, set on counter.  In the next 12 hours, every lid should 'pop' to seal.  If you can still 'click' the lid after 12 hours, put in the refrigerator and eat soon.  The jars that pop/seal will be safe in the pantry for about a year.

Enjoy your pickles!

Beer Braised Sausage - total time 30 minutes

Sausage is another one of those things I don't eat often.  These were chicken, so I made an exception.  Cooking with beer helps keep meat nice and juicy.  Depending on the beer you use, it could add a lot of flavor to the meal too.

2 sausages - I used chicken sausages

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp butter

4-6 oz. beer

a little flour

salt & pepper

1.  For freshly made sausage, cook in pan for a few minutes on both sides to firm everything up. Then melt the butter in the pan and add your veggies, onions, salt, and pepper.  Cook for about five minutes.

2.  Add sausage to the center of the veggies and add beer and let simmer for seven minutes, then flip everything and continue to simmer for another seven minutes.

3.  If the beer has not simmered down into a sauce, add a little flour and stir in until it thickens up and serve!

Zucchini Latkes - total time 30 minutes

Some gardeners get more zucchini than they can handle, I never feel like I have that problem.  We love zucchini at our house... simply sauteed to casseroles to zucchini bread.  Here's another way, in a latke... instead of shredded potatoes.

2 cups zucchini, grated

1 egg

.25 cup cheese, shredded (I used munster, original recipe had feta)

.25 cup parm, grated

.5 cup bread crumbs

pinch of flour

2 tbsp butter

sat & pepper

1.  Melt butter in pan.  Shred zucchini, squeeze extra liquid out of the zucchini, and add to a medium mixing bowl.  Add egg and combine.  Add cheeses, salt, pepper, flour, and bread crumbs.

2.  Pick up a palm full of the zucchini mixture and press together between your palms.  Place in pan and use a spatula to flatten and adjust the sides of the latke (in case they came apart a little).

3.  Flip latkes after about five minutes, cook the other side for five minutes, and serve.