Thai Quinoa Salad

This quinoa salad is the truth. // Instagram @kguymon

I eat a decent amount of quinoa, but that doesn't mean that I necessarily love it. Like, I don't wanna take quinoa back behind a middle school and get it pregnant. (Thank you, Tracy Jordan.) I just kind of endure it because I know it's healthy, and unfortunately, I can't sit around eating pasta salad all day. Carbs are perhaps my worst enemy.

There are approximately 42,000 cold quinoa salad recipes on Pinterest, and I've tried approximately 41, 567 of them. But, very few stand out as better tasting than, say, my flip flops. However, this particular Thai quinoa salad is something altogether different.

It's scrumptious. Yup, I just used that word. What of it?




Thai Quinoa Salad [adapted from Ambitious Kitchen]

-¾ cup uncooked quinoa
-1/2 head of red cabbage, diced
-1 red bell pepper, diced
-½ red onion, diced
-1 cup shredded carrots
-½ cup honey roasted cashews
-½ cup chopped cilantro
-¼ cup diced green onions
-¼ cup peanut butter
-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
-1 tablespoon of honey
-1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
-1 teaspoon of sesame oil
-1 teaspoon of olive oil
-3-4 tablespoons of water

1. Rinse the quinoa with cold water in a mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let cool until room temperature.

2. To make the dressing, mix the peanut butter and honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for twenty seconds. Add in the ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and olive oil. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Thin with water and whisk again.

3. Stir in the red pepper, red onion, cabbage, carrots, cashews, and cilantro into the quinoa. Add the dressing and mix thoroughly.

4. Garnish with green onions.

Tomato-Basil-Goat Cheese Quiche

Quiche is my new hobby. // Instagram @kguymon

Quiche is my new thang. It's just too easy to fill a store-bought pie crust, fill it with deliciousness, and pop it in the oven. This morning, I tried the tomato-basil-goat cheese quiche from The Joy of Cooking (taking it back to the old school!) cookbook my dear friend Alice gifted me many moons ago.

This post is my endorsement.

In case you are willing to jump on my quiche train, try my very favorite recipe, a caramelized onion and mushroom quiche (scroll dooooown the page).







Tomato-Basil-Goat Cheese Quiche [adapted from The Joy of Cooking]

-1 store-bought pie crust
-3 medium tomatoes, seeded and quartered
-3/4 cup of heavy cream
-1/2 cup of whole milk
-4 oz. chevre
-3 eggs
-3 tablespoons of chopped basil
-1 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-pepper to taste
-1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pie crust in a 9" pie plate and crimp the edges.

2. Place the quartered tomatoes around the outer edge of the pie plate, in a wagon wheel layout. Fill in the middle with the remaining tomatoes.

3. Combine the heavy cream, milk, and goat cheese and mix well with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the eggs, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper and whisk until well blended.

5. Pour the egg mixture on top of the tomatoes. Cover the top with the mozzarella.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the egg mixture has set, the crust is browned, and the top is golden. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Black Bean Burrito Bake

Burritos as big as your...foot? // Instagram @kguymon

God, how I love the fact that the sun is out an hour later than normal. Matt got home in time to take Aves on a quick walk around our 'hood, and that gave me just enough time to whip up tonight's dinner. Gotta say, I was feeling pretty proud of the fact that I was able to get our black bean burrito bake (say that five times fast) on the table so we could eat together. That doesn't happen around here very often. Granted, my daughter poked at her rice and only ate a few bites of banana, but we sat together, gosh darnit.

So, I took a risk and upped the number of chilis in the stuffing mixture from one to two, and unless both you and your dinner guests were born as fire breathing dragons (like me), I don't recommend that rebellious move. Matt had smoke coming out of his ears, but he assured me that this recipe is a keeper. I concur.


Black Bean Burrito Bake [adapted from My Recipes]

-1 7 oz. can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 
-1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt 
-1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided 
-1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
-4 8-inch whole wheat tortillas 
-1 cup salsa
-1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine Greek yogurt and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.

3. Place half of beans in a food processor with a little water; process until finely chopped. Add chopped beans, remaining beans, and corn to the Greek yogurt mixture.

4. Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread salsa over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese.

5. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Rigatoni with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Nummy, nummy funghi // Instragram @kguymon

Remember when I used to blog about my favorite recipes? Yeah, that seems like a distant memory to me, too. Let's pretend like we never took a break and dive right back in with this simple--yet, shockingly packed-with-flavor--pasta.  Or, as Giada would say: PAHSSSSS-ta.

I'm a sucker for sauteed mushrooms, in any form really (even if they are rollin' solo), but the combo of shallot, white wine, and creamy mascarpone is a trifecta that cannot be denied.

This is an impressive one-dish meal for a weeknight or a dinner party. You're welcome for the vetting.

Rigatoni with Creamy Mushroom Sauce [recipe by Giada De Laurentiis]

-1 lb. rigatoni pasta
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2 shallots, minced
-1 clove garlic, minced
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 pound assorted mushrooms, (such as cremini, shiitake and button), cleaned and sliced
-1/2 cup white wine
-1/2 cup vegetable stock
-8 oz. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan
-1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. 

3. Add the mushrooms to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes. 

4. Turn the heat to high. Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes until all the liquid evaporates. Add the stock and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat. 

5. Add the mascarpone cheese. Stir until creamy. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water, and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the mushroom mixture and the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well to coat pasta, adding the reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. 

6. Garnish with the chopped chives. Serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Apple-Cider Vinaigrette

All the colors of the rainbow.  // Instagram @kguymon

Man, I wish sometimes that I could make a living by being a food photographer. That way, I wouldn't have to resort to Instagram pics during instances of free-time famine. And, I'd get to lovingly handle food all day. And, then hopefully I'd get to devour said  food at the end of every shoot. That's how it works, right?

In any event, I made some highly addictive roasted squash not too long ago that I thought was pretty enough to capture with my old-ass iPhone 4.

Turns out, it's incredibly tasty, too. The apple-cider vinaigrette and shallots balance the sweetness of the squash, so all the ingredients hold hands and do that perfect sweet-savory dance. I served this with a very garlicky roasted pork tenderloin. All felt right with the world.


Roasted Butternut Squash with Apple-Cider Vinaigrette [adapted from Real Simple]
-1 3 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch thick half-moons
-8 shallots, cut into wedges
-4 tablespoons olive oil
-kosher salt and black pepper
-1 cup apple cider
-1 tablespoon cider vinegar
-1 tablespoon dijon or whole grain mustard
-1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Divide the squash and shallots among 2 large rimmed baking sheets.

2. Toss the vegetables with a total of 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with a total of 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast, turning once, until golden brown and tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, simmer the cider in a small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard, parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

4. Drizzle the squash and shallots with the vinaigrette when they are out of the oven, but still hot.