Quinoa Crusted Chicken Parmesan

From Closet Cooking

Healthy baked, crispy quinoa crusted chicken parmesan topped with melted cheese and marinara sauce.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 (4-6 ounce) boneless, and skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (~1/2 cup dry cooked with 1 cup liquid)
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning blend
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup parmigiano regginao (parmesan), grated
• 2 cups marinara sauce, hot
• 2 tablespoons basil, torn

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, dip in egg and coat in the mixture of the quinoa and italian seasoning.
2. Place the chicken on a rack on a baking pan and bake in a preheated 400F oven until cooked and lightly golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish, top with the cheese and broil until it has melted, about 2-4 minutes.
4. Plate the chicken and top with hot marinara sauce and fresh torn basil and enjoy!

Warm Mushroom and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Asparagus and Feta

From Closet Cooking A warm sauteed mushroom, roasted asparagus and wild rice salad in a balsamic vinaigrette with crumbled feta. Servings: makes 4 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hours Ingredients 1/2 cup wild rice 1 1/4 cups broth, chicken or vegetable 1 tablespoon oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon oil salt and pepper to taste 1 pound asparagus, trimmed 1 handful dill, chopped 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette 4 cups salad greens 1/4 cup feta or goat cheese or blue cheese, crumbled Directions Bring the wild wild rice and broth to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered, until the rice is tender, about 50 minutes. About 30 minutes in, heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the mushrooms and saute until just caramelized, about 10-15 minutes, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, toss the asparagus in the oil along with some salt and pepper. Spread the asparagus out in a single layer on a baking dish and roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Mix the wild rice, mushrooms, dill and balsamic vinaigrette. Serve with the mushrooms and wild rice on a bed of salad greens, topped with roasted asparagus and garnished with crumbled feta.

Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad)

From Closet Cooking

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups corn (about 4 ears), cut from the cob
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 glove garlic, grated
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juice
• 2 tablespoons cotija (or feta), crumbled
• chili powder to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the corn, toss and let it sit cooking until charred, mix it up and let it char again, about 6-10 minutes.
3. Add the jalapeno, saute for a minute and remove from heat.
4. Mix everything and serve warm or at room temperature.

Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad

http://thediva-dish.com/uncategorized/healthy-living-class-green-drinks-sweet-eats-and-salads/

Ingredients:

1/2 C. dry quinoa

2 C. vegetable broth

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 avocados diced

2 C. spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 C. onion

2 small cloves garlic

For the dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons

zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. agave nectar

1/2 tsp. cumin

dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make your quinoa first. Soak the quinoa in a pot in the veggie broth for about 15 minutes. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium/low and let quinoa simmer. Stir every so often, and cook quinoa for about 20-25 minutes just until the liquid absorbs. You don’t want it completely dried out, so when there is just a TINY amount of liquid left in the pot, remove it from heat and put a lid on it. Set it aside, and make the rest of the salad.

2. In a food processor, add your spinach and cilantro. Make sure to wash you greens.

3. Process the greens until they are finely diced. You can do this by hand as well if you don’t have a food processor.

4. Add the greens to a bowl, and set aside. Next take your onion and garlic and finely dice those (I do this in the food processor to), and add to the greens mixture. Next add your chickpeas and stir until everything is combined and coated. If the quinoa is cooled, you can add it to the chickpea mixture next.

5. Make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and mix until combined. Add in tomatoes and avocado and mix. Set in fridge for about 10-15 minutes before serving so the flavors set.

Lobster and Potato Salad

Barely tweaked from Ina Garten (From Smitten Kitchen)

Serves 6, generously (or easily more if among many sides)

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled small Yukon gold (Ina’s suggestion) or fingerling (what I used) potatoes
Coarse, kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced or pressed garlic
1 large or extra-large egg yolk, ideally at room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (you can skip this, or use less, with little harm; I used 1 tablespoon vermouth instead)
3 tablespoons drained capers (I imagine minced cornichons would be a good alternative)
6 scallions, thinly sliced (yielding about 1 cup)
2 medium stalks celery, diced small (about 1/4 inch) (yielding about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat, cooked and cooled, in a 1-inch dice (from about 7 to 8 pounds fresh lobster; see post above for better budgeted suggestions)
1 lemon
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon (Ina’s suggestion) or flat-leaf parsley (what we used)

Cook the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with an inch or two over water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes, until just tender. (A bamboo skewer is ideal to test them.) Drain in a colander, and let potatoes cool for 5 minutes. Cut potatoes into quarters or halves (or fingerlings into 1/2- to 1-inch segments) and place them in a large bowl.

Make the vinaigrette: Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, 1 teaspoon salt, and many grinds of black pepper (Ina recommends you use a full teaspoon of pepper). Whisking constantly and vigorously, pour the oil in in a thin drizzle, ideally making an emulsion. Stir in the wine (if using) and capers.

Assemble the salad: While the potatoes are still very warm, pour half the vinaigrette on the potatoes and toss them gently, allowing them to soak up the vinaigrette. Stir in the scallions, celery, red onion, lobster, and add enough vinaigrette to moisten. Reserve any remaining vinaigrette for later. Add the zest and juice of the lemon, the tarragon or parsley, and more salt and pepper to taste (Ina calls for another 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, but this felt like overkill). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend. Taste for seasonings and add more vinaigrette, if necessary.

Serve: This salad is especially good served closer to room temperature. Don’t forget to share.

Vinegar Carrots With Toasted Sesame Seeds

INGREDIENTS

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled lengthwise into thin ribbons
1 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegars, honey, sesame oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the dressing over the carrots, add the cilantro, and toss well. Season to taste with salt, and serve.