Still Crazy For Quinoa

Quinoa is one of my favorite grains, and being a complete protein, it's considered a super food by some. Shortly after being introduced to quinoa for the first time and loving it, I decided to try to make a salad with it. Mediterranean food is on my favorites list, so I headed in that direction. This easy salad has a simple dressing and is easily altered for personal preferences. See below for suggestions. It tastes delicious the next day, so it's great for a make ahead potluck or lunch.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2 c. water or vegetable broth
1 c. rinsed uncooked quinoa
1/3 c. chopped red onion
1 medium yellow pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. chopped kalamata olives
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. dried crushed basil or
     1 T. chopped fresh basil
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions using water with 1/4 t. salt or broth and quinoa. Scoop into a bowl and gently mix in onion, pepper, tomato, olives, parsley, basil and garlic. In a separate cup, combine lemon juice, oil and vinegar. Pour over salad and mix. Salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving to blend flavors. Serve on mixed greens if desired.

Variations:

1. Add chopped cooked chicken to the salad.
2. Add 1/2 c. cooked asparagus cut in 1 inch pieces.
3. If you eat dairy, add 1/4 - 1/2 c. feta cheese or use appropriate alternative.
4. Cucumber is a nice addition to this recipe also. I add it at the end and just to the part of the salad that will be eaten since it doesn't keep as well as the rest of the salad.

Enjoy!

Best Fish Sticks Ever

Around here the Friday Night Fish Fries are quite popular. Going out to eat isn't as easy as it used to be though. Last week the kids asked for fish sticks. Fish is not their most favorite food and they thought perhaps in sticks it would taste better. We had given up fish sticks years ago when trying to reduce processed food, before we were concerned about gluten. I decided to give it a try. I added a little starch and zanthan gum to brown rice flour and used GF bread crumbs and crushed Chex cereal for the coating. It took a couple of tries to get the proportions right, but I was told to always make fish this way.

Homemade Gluten-Free Fish Sticks

4-4oz. tilapia fillets (1 pound)
1/2 c. gluten-free flour blend (6 T. brown rice
     flour, 2 T. potato starch, 1/8 t. zanthan gum)
1/2 c. gluten-free bread crumbs
1 c. crushed rice/corn Chex
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
2 eggs, beaten



Remove excess moisture from fish as needed. Cut each fillet in 4 strips lengthwise. Prepare your flour blend and put on a large plate. Mix bread crumbs, Chex cereal and seasonings and put on another plate. Beat eggs in small bowl. Spray large cookie sheet with oil.

Roll each piece of fish in flour, then dip in egg and roll in crumb mixture.  Place in pan. Repeat with remaining pieces and arrange pieces so they are close but not touching.  I dip 2 - 3 pieces at a time. Spray tops of fish sticks with gluten-free canola oil spray.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 - 25 minutes until they are browned and the fish is flaky. The time will depend upon the thickness of your fillets. Fish sticks can be turned after 15 minutes if desired but is not really necessary. Serve with your favorite sauce.

Notes:
If gluten is not a concern, all-purpose flour and regular bread crumbs can easily be substituted for the non-gluten versions above. I make homemade bread crumbs by drying out bread scraps in a 250 degree F oven and crushing them. I was surprised to see that some store bought gluten-free "bread crumbs" appear to be flour based.

Easy Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad

When you are wondering what to do with leftover chicken or turkey, here is a tasty yet simple way to make chicken salad with a hint of citrus. This is a very easy recipe to adjust with more or less dressing, fruit, etc. to make it how you like it. Yum!

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad                                 Print Recipe

1/4 c. plus 1 T. mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. orange juice concentrate
1/4 t. basil
1 1/2 c. of cooked and diced chicken or turkey
2 T. chopped dried cherries
2 T. chopped pecans, toasted if desired
2 T. finely chopped celery
dash of salt as desired

In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, concentrate and basil. Mix until smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix. Pour dressing over and stir until all ingredients are covered.

Enjoy with greens as a salad or on a sandwich. If preferred, mix together all ingredients together except for the chicken and spread over slices of meat on a sandwich. Serves 3 - 4.