Curried Chickpea Quinoa

Last night we had baked salmon in a soy and maple syrup glaze, as well as a leaf salad.  I needed a quick and nutritious side dish that would appeal to my kids as well as the adults.  Upon surfing www.allrecipes.com, I came upon this recipe which is excellent warm or cold!

CURRIED CHICKPEA QUINOA

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup orange juice

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 medium red onion, diced

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 cup of raisins

1 teaspoon of curry powder

Salt and black pepper to taste.

• In a large saucepan, bring the water and orange juice to a boil.  
• Add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, and stir.   Bring back to the boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes (or until the liquid is absorbed).
• Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for another 5 minutes.  Remove the lid, fluff quinoa with a fork, season with salt and pepper, and serve
• ENJOY!

Easy Carrot Salad

Lately I have had an abundance of carrots in my CSA boxes from Cooper's.  While I have been using quite a few in the slow cooker for roast suppers, there were still some hanging around in the crisper.  So I created this salad last night and it was delicious ~ it is a traditional carrot salad with the addition of tomato and cilantro!

EASY CARROT SALAD

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and grated

1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used goat yogurt)

1/2 cup sour cream (I just used goat yogurt)

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 tsp salt

Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

• In a small bowl combine the first seven ingredients (carrots to salt).
• Cover and refrigerate until chilled
• Remove from fridge and garnish with cilantro and pepper just before serving.
• ENJOY!         

Rhubarb-A-Rama!!!

There is nothing, for me, that signifies springtime more than the annual arrival of the rhubarb crop!!! After making a couple of pies (rhubarb meringue pie, and a sour cream and rhubarb pie), I turned me thoughts to my newfound obsession of preserving. I scoured my recipe collection and found a few I had torn out of a "Canadian Living" in the thoughts of one day tackling the scary job of canning....well that day has arrived! I decided to create a chutney that can be enjoyed in the height of wintertime either on a baked brie, or just alongside a ploughman's lunch. Although I have the jars in my cupboard, I have yet to crack the seal on one - but I tasted it just prior to canning and I believe it will quickly become a family fave!!

RHUBARB TOMATO CHUTNEY

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped rhubarb

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 cups chopped, seeded and peeled tomatoes

1 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

• In a large, shallow Dutch oven, combine rhubarb, sugar, tomatoes, vinegar, raisins, mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, salt and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 4 cups. Approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Ladle into hot 1 cup (250 mL) canning jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Cover with prepared lids; screw on bands fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 mins.
• Makes 4 cups (1L)
• Enjoy on top of a baked brie, with robust cheeses or meats, or on a sandwich!