Kaitlin | I Can Cook That

Review of Birds Eye Chef’s Favorites

As much as I love cooking, there are some nights where whipping up an entire meal is a chore instead of a fun experience. It is so tempting to just order pizza or some other delivery on these nights, but I end up not enjoying it as much as a home cooked meal. So I was really excited when the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program gave me the chance to try Birds Eye’s new line of microwave-steamed veggies, which are ready to eat in minutes.

The vegetables steam right in the bag, and can go straight from the freezer into the microwave (they can also be cooked on the stove top). While cooking in the microwave, the bags puff up to steam the vegetables in about five minutes, depending on which bag you are cooking.

Products include:

Lightly Sauced Primavera Vegetable Risotto: a creamy risotto, with sweet green peas and tender carrots, with light notes of Parmesan cheese.
Lightly Sauced Mushroom & Green Bean Risotto: made with savory mushrooms and cut green beans.
Lightly Sauced Creamed Spinach
Lightly Sauced Roasted Red Potatoes & Green Beans with Parmesan Olive Oil Sauce: whole green beans and roasted baby red potatoes, lightly tossed in a Parmesan cheese and olive oil sauce.

I enjoyed all four, but my favorites were the risottos. I love risotto, and make it quite often. But it is a good half hour process, so it is pretty time consuming. In a pinch, these risottos are a yummy side dish, or even a complete meal.

The mushroom and green bean risotto was creamy and delicious. The green beans still maintained their crunch which worked well with the creaminess of the rice and mushrooms.

Mushroom & Green Bean Risotto

The Primavera Vegetable Risotto was also really creamy. The peas and carrots still had a wonderful fresh taste to them. I actually ended up adding a bit more Parmesan cheese (hey, it was the only thing in my fridge. I might as well use it!)

The creamed spinach was so yummy! It’s a versatile side dish and would be great with steak, pork chops, or (as I used to eat it as a kid), with macaroni and cheese.

Creamed Spinach

The Roasted Red Potatoes and Green Beans were another huge time saver. Making potatoes is another pretty long process, so it was so nice to have roasted red potatoes in just minutes. I think I would have enjoyed these more without the cheesy sauce, but they were still tasty. I ate this with a simple sauteed chicken, but would also work well with salmon, other fish, or honestly any kind of meat.

Each bag is retailed in a range of $2.69 – $3.09 per item, so they are also an affordable option for dinner. The timing I received these could not have been better. Coming off of vacation, I had literally nothing in my fridge (ok, I had some Parmesan cheese, but that doesn’t make a meal!) so the Chef Favorites were my go-to sides. I only had to worry about cooking up a quick protein to accompany the dish. I’d suggest purchasing a few of these bags at a time so that you always have some around for convenience. These four Chef’s Favorites will be in stores in September; look for them in the freezer section.

Broiled Salmon with Roasted Tomato Sauce

How I love August. Not for the heat or the never ending rain (not-so-fun fact: August is already the wettest August ever recorded in Philadelphia, what joy) but because it is tomato season! Fresh tomatoes are one of my favorite ingredients and I wait all year to enjoy about 6 weeks of perfectly ripe tomatoes. I realized I hadn’t posted a recipe using salmon recently so I went in search of a recipe that would combine both salmon and tomatoes (I honestly wasn’t even sure if that was a possibility). Naturally, Cooking Light once again saved the day with their recipe for Broiled Salmon with Roasted Tomato Sauce.

Ingredients (serves 2):
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preheat your broiler. Prepare your tomatoes, onion and garlic and spread on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.

Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Broil for 8 minutes.

Stir gently and broil for another 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to blacken.

Remove from the broiler, but keep the broiler on. Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, and tomato paste in a blender and process until smooth.

Place the mixture in a saute pan over medium heat. Stir in the broth. The original recipe had vegetable broth, but I only had chicken broth on hand. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. While the mixture is simmering, combine 2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon corn starch in a small bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into the tomato mixture after it has simmered for 10 minutes. Bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and strain to remove any solids.

Place salmon on a cookie sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper and broil for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

To serve, add 1/2 of the tomato mixture to each plate and top with a salmon fillet. Top with 1 tablespoon basil each.

I am happy to say that salmon and tomato do work well together. However, I think the recipe was missing something… maybe a bit of red pepper flakes to add some heat? Even without the unknown missing ingredient, I really liked this recipe. Definitely worth a try!

Vegan Chilled Corn Soup

I had a realization a few days ago that summer is almost over. And the end of summer means the winding down of fresh ingredients. So for the next few weeks, I am going to try to make meals that really highlight all of those in season vegetables (like my post about Fettuccine with Fresh Tomato Sauce). For seasonal recipes, Cooking Light continues to be my go-to magazine. Because it comes monthly, the recipes change with the seasons and freshness of produce. In the September issue, Cooking Light featured seven “Trailblazing Chefs” including recipes from some of the chefs. Chef Brandon Sharp, the executive chef of Solar located at the Solage Calistoga spa resort in the Napa Valley, has a recipe for Chilled Corn Soup that will make the most of summer corn. Plus, its also vegan and mostly fat free, win!

Ingredients (makes 6 servings):

4 large ears shucked corn

4 tablespoons canola oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in a bundle

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups water

1/2 cups diced peeled avocado

1/2 cup diced radish

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Begin by shucking your corn. You can buy already shucked corn in the supermarket which will work just fine, just don’t use frozen corn kernels for this recipe. Prepare some of your ingredients: chop the onion, mince the garlic and bundle the thyme.

Using a knife, cut the kernels from the ears of corn. Using the dull side of the knife blade, run the knife back over the cobs to remove the remaining pulp and corn starch from the cobs into a separate bowl.

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, tied thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. It’s best to tie the thyme for easy removal later.

Reduce the heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 8 minutes or until the onions have softened, stirring occasionally. Add the corn kernels and minced garlic, cover, and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the corn starch/pulp, water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and discard the thyme. Pour half of the corn mixture into a blender.

Remove the center piece of the blender lid so that the steam can escape. Place a clean towel or paper towel over the hole in the blender lid to avoid splatters, and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a large bowl.

Using a spoon, push the liquid through the sieve and discard the solids.

Repeat with the remaining half of the corn mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

When you are ready to serve the corn soup, dice the avocado and radishes, and chop the cilantro. Add to a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado and radishes. Be sure to get it on all pieces so that they don’t oxidize and turn colors. Add the ground red pepper and mix to combine.

To serve, ladle 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls, top with 2 tablespoons of the avocado mixture.

The soup was so creamy and smooth, it tasted like it was made with heavy cream. The corn starch/pulp thickens the broth which gives it that creamy quality. The radishes added a nice crunch to the dish, and the avocados add a bit more creaminess and a little bit of good fats to make the dish more filling. I loved the cilantro, it enhances the other flavors. What a delicious soup!

Fettuccine with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ever since the first week of my CSA share, I have anxiously awaited the arrival of fresh tomatoes. This week, I received my first batch! The share came with a bag of Roma tomatoes, a bag of Red tomatoes, and a pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes so expect quite a few tomato recipes to be posted in the coming days. Because this is my first real batch of in season tomatoes, I wanted to begin with a meal that would highlight how fresh these little guys are. Food & Wine’s Fusilli with Summer Tomato Sauce seemed like the perfect choice.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 4), chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

2/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil

1 pound fresh fettuccine pasta

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat a pasta pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.

Roughly chop your tomatoes and mince the garlic.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper to a food processor and puree.

Add the basil and pulse to mix.

Add salt to the pasta pot so that the pasta doesn’t stick together while cooking. Add the pasta. The original recipe used fusilli. If you use this, cook according to the directions on the box. I used a fresh fettuccine pasta I picked up at By George! in Reading Terminal because I thought it might soak up the sauce better.

Drain the pasta and toss with the tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Set aside for one minute so the pasta can absorb the liquid.

Top with additional Parmesan and serve.

Wow. I wish a quick batch of pasta always tasted this good. I was stunned with how delicious this was for so little work. (Honestly, the longest part of the process was waiting for the water to come to a boil). I really do believe that the fresh pasta is a way to go for this dish.

The tomato sauce is super thin, so if you prefer a chunky sauce, you might want to finely chop another tomato and put it to the side. Add the chopped tomato to the puree when you are mixing it with the pasta.

CBS Philly’s Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011

I woke up to a happy surprise this morning: I found out my blog is a finalist for CBS Philly’s “Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011”! I am so honored to be on the same page as the other blogs listed (go check them out for yourself!)

To vote for your favorite blogs, go to CBS Philly’s site. There are six separate categories: Dining Entertainment, Sports, Lifestyle, Local Affairs, Health/Fitness Medical, and Everything Else. (I am listed under the Lifestyle category). Voting is open until September 9, so if you have a moment, check out the site and vote for some of your favorite Philadelphia blogs! You can vote once in each category once a day, so you can really show your love for many local Philly blogs. I hope you take the time to check out the other blogs listed!

Baba Ghannouj

My CSA share came with eggplant this week. My mind went immediately to Baba Ghannouj, which is sort of like hummus with eggplant substituted for the chickpeas. The eggplant is grilled or baked before pureeing it to give it a smoky flavor. I have never worked with eggplant before, so I used Eating Well’s recipe as a base for my baba ghannouj.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
2 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest from the lemon
1 tablespoon tahini
3/4 teaspoons salt
Olive oil, as needed
Pine nuts, optional

Continue reading Baba Ghannouj

Strawberry Prosecco Pops

Coming back to the Philadelphia heat after nearly two weeks in Ireland was a bit of a shock to my system. I was in desperate need for a way to cool down, and what better way than through a cool dessert? Cooking Light‘s Sparkling Strawberry Pops seemed to be the perfect choice. (Please excuse the quality of these photos. I managed to lose the battery charger for my new camera, and am waiting for the replacement to be delivered so these were taken on a pretty crummy alternative.)

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries (1 pound) or a 1 lb mixture of berries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2/3 cups chilled Sparkling Wine (I used Prosecco)

I had to change the original recipe (linked above) a bit because I realized I didn’t have any corn syrup and was just too darn lazy to go out and buy some. This recipe is also halved from the original. You will need to have a Popsicle mold to make these. If you don’t have one, this might also work just as a “water ice” type treat; try just freezing the mixture in a bowl (if anyone tries this, please let me know how it turns out).

To make, combine the sugar and water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 3 minutes or until it begins to boil. Remove from the microwave and stir until the sugar dissolves. It will have almost a corn syrup-like texture. Let cool.

Chop your berries.

Combine the berries, lemon juice, and half of the sugar-water mixture in a food processor and process until smooth.

Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the mixture over a bowl.

Use a spoon to press down on the strainer to help push all the juices through.

This will remove all seeds and any parts of the strawberries that didn’t fully blend.

Discard the solids left behind.

Add the rest of the sugar syrup and the sparkling wine to the strawberry mixture. Mix to combine.

Divide among 4 ice-pop molds.

Cover with tin foil. Using a knife, carefully make a small slit in the tin foil on top of each Popsicle.

Insert a Popsicle stick into each slit (this helps to keep the sticks centered).

Freeze for 4 hours or until frozen.

To remove from the molds, run under hot water for a few seconds to loosen the pops.

These pops were really refreshing. I was never a fan of Popsicles growing up because of that fake fruit taste that they all seemed to have, so the fresh strawberries really added a nice natural taste that I appreciated. This recipe can be adapted to use any berries you prefer, or even a mixture of a few types of berries. I hope these help beat the heat!

Zucchini Fusilli

Zucchini is another one of my favorite summer vegetables. It always taste so fresh and light, and really brightens up a meal. I usually just saute zucchini and summer squash or grill it, so I was in search of a recipe that actually incorporated zucchini into the main meal versus it just being a side. Sunset magazine had this delicious sounding recipe for Zucchini Fusilli.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized zucchini
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pesto
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tbsp. salt, divided
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 box fusilli
1 cup fresh finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz.), divided

Corn Chowder

I have so much corn, it’s getting ridiculous. For the past three weeks my CSA share has come with 6 ears of corn and well, I’m corn-ed out. So I decided to make a corn chowder that I plan on freezing to enjoy when I’m craving corn in non-summer months. I’m hoping the texture of the chowder doesn’t change after freezing. I found this recipe on Simply Recipes, and chose to make it without the bacon. I also had green bell peppers from my CSA share, so I used that instead of buying a red pepper.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups), cobs reserved

1 bay leaf

3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced

1/4 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Prepare all your vegetables.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the carrot and celery and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes.

Cut the corn cobs in half and add them to the saute pan.

Add the milk and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a light simmer (low heat, maybe even the “warm” setting).

Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Do not boil; make sure it is just at a light simmer. This is to prevent the milk from burning.

Remove the cobs and the bay leaf. Turn the heat up to medium. Add the potatoes, green pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Increase the heat again and add the corn kernels and thyme. Bring to a boil. (Last time) reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

I had a bit of this just to make sure it turned out alright, and it was really good! I wish I had cut the vegetables much much smaller, I found it to be a bit too chunky. This is a hearty colder weather dish, so I can’t wait to break this out when the leaves begin to change.

Cheesy Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas

I love corn, but after three weeks of having 6 ears of corn in my CSA share, I’m running out of ways to use all of it. I adapted this recipe from All You to use fresh corn kernels.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears of corn
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ounces pepper Jack, shredded
3 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 10-inch flour tortillas

Begin by cutting the kernels from the cob.

Prepare your garlic, onion, and jalapeño pepper.

Rinse and drain the black beans and add to a bowl.

Using a potato masher (or a fork), coarsely mash the beans.

Heat the corn over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally until the corn begins to brown.

Add corn to the bowl with the black beans. Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook for 2 minutes.

Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add to the beans and corn. Allow to cool, about 10 minutes.

While the mixture is cooling, shred your cheese. If you can find it, grab pre-shredded cheese from the supermarket to speed up the process.

Add the cheese to the mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Heat up a griddle or a saute pan if you don’t have a griddle. Place a 1/2-cup portion of the bean mixture on half of a side of a tortilla.

Fold the tortilla in half and place on the griddle or in the saute pan over medium-high heat.

Cook for 6 minutes (3 minutes on each side if using a saute pan) or until golden brown and crispy. Cut into wedges and serve. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Despite the jalapeno and the pepper Jack cheese, there really wasn’t much heat at all. If you want to turn it up a notch, either use another chopped jalapeno or use 1 serrano pepper instead.

This would be quite good with some fresh salsa if you have time, but this dish works well on its own as well.

Crab Corn and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

With a fridge full of beautiful ears of bi-sweet corn, I am on a bit of a corn kick. I am always in search of meals that I think can be made the night ahead and eaten for lunch the next day, and this one fit the bill. I modified the original recipe for this Crab Corn and Tomato Salad (from Cooking Light of course) to work as a lunch meal.

Ingredients:

Grated lemon rind from 2 lemons

Lemon juice from 2 lemons

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 ears)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

1/2 pound lump crab meat, shell pieces removed

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

To make the dressing, combine the zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well with a whisk until the olive oil is incorporated. To make the Crab Corn and Tomato Salad, add the corn, basil, bell pepper, red onion, crab meat, and tomatoes to the dressing. Toss gently to coat.

I love citrus with any kind of seafood. Lemon brightens the dish overall and works so well with the crab and tomatoes. Because I let it sit overnight, the citrus flavor really had time to soak in. This is really a great make-ahead meal!

“If you are lucky enough to be Irish, then you are lucky enough”

For the next week or so, my posting is going to be few and far between. Why you ask? Because I Can Cook That is going on vacation to Ireland and North Ireland! Which means I will temporarily be more appropriately named “I Can Eat That.” Tee.

After reading The Culinary Lens‘ about the changing food scene in Dublin, I am so excited to eat my way through the country. I don’t know if I’m prepared for the Irish breakfasts, but something tells me I will manage. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be inspired by traditional Irish food and will come back with great soda bread recipes and new ways in incorporate Guinness into everything I make. 🙂 The Culinary Lens also has wonderful photos from Ireland; it is such a beautiful country.

Source: https://www.my-secret-northern-ireland.com

I haven’t been to Ireland/North Ireland since I was a kid, so I am excited to actually remember everything I see and the people I meet. I will write a post when I return about my travels with some photos to go along with it. Until then, please forgive the minimal posting and enjoy my only kind of Irish-themed post: Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Icing .

Garlic and Dill Smashed Potatoes

I love how purple viking potatoes look. They are so fun. There was no way I was willing to remove all of the skin to make mashed potatoes, so once again, here is a smashed potato recipe. The potatoes were another ingredient in my CSA share this week. The CSA share also came with dill so I incorporated that as well.

Ingredients:

1 bag of purple viking potatoes, washed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon chopped dill (plus more for garnish)

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pasta pot. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain and transfer to a medium sized bowl.

Using a potato masher or a whisk, firmly press down on each potato, smashing them.

In a saute pan, add a small amount of the butter and the minced garlic over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add to the potatoes. Stir in the buttermilk, remaining butter and dill. Pour in the buttermilk a little bit at a time, so that you don’t over pour. You don’t want soupy potatoes! Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

I can never get enough potatoes; I love how versatile they are. The dill and buttermilk add a lot of great flavor to the potatoes and the purple-ish skin adds beautiful color to the dish!

Fried Okra

Okra. I have never made anything with okra, nor have a really had a hankering to do so. But it was one of my vegetables in my CSA share so I thought I’d give it a try. If I had time this weekend, I would have preferred to attempt to make a gumbo, but I’m short on time so I did the second best thing: fried them. Now I have zero idea how to fry anything, especially okra. Thankfully, All You had an easy looking recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound okra

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 seeded and minced jalapeño chili

1/4 cup minced scallion

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 cups cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 inch of vegetable oil

Add 1 cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, 1 seeded and minced jalapeño chili and 1/4 cup minced scallions to a medium bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Prepare the okra. Trim off both ends.

Cut the pods into 1/2 inch pieces and place into the buttermilk mixture.

Mix together so that the okra is coated. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.

While the okra is marinating, mix 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon smoked paprika in a small bowl.

In another bowl, mix 2 cups cornmeal and 1 teaspoon salt.

Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a medium frying pan to 375 degrees. Take a few pieces of okra out of the buttermilk mixture at a time, shaking to remove excess mixture, and toss in the cornmeal. In batches, drop the okra into the oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden.

Drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with the paprika-salt mixture and serve.

This was my first time eating fried okra so I honestly don’t have anything to compare this to. But fried food tends to taste, well, fried. And this does, but has a lightness to it that really surprised me. The jalapeño and smoked paprika add a little hint of heat at the end which is really nice!

P.S. My photos will (hopefully) be getting better now. I just bought a new toy suggested to me by my friend Mikey who always manages to take the most fantastic photos, be it of food (usually fried, hence my post choice to try this out), the Philadelphia skyline, or people. I picked up a Portable Photo Studio which should help with some lighting issues I’ve been having in my kitchen (no natural light). Any comments or suggestions about how to best use the photo studio are appreciated. Thanks again Mikey!!

Quinoa Salad with Parsley. Or…. Tabbouleh.

Have you ever started creating a recipe, and thought to yourself “Wow! This is going to be awesome! Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?” Well, probably because they have. And you just didn’t know it. That is what happened to me this weekend. I was so proud of how my “Quinoa Salad” turned out, but then my boyfriend kindly pointed out that is was a take on Tabbouleh, without the mint. Whoops. Anyways, here is my mint-less Tabbouleh.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups chicken broth

1 large cucumber, or 3 small cucumbers, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Most quinoa you’ll find in the supermarket has already been soaked and rinsed. But another rise won’t hurt it if you prefer to do so. Measure out 1 cup quinoa and put it in a mesh strainer. Rinse under cool water allowing to drain out the bottom. This helps to remove the coating on quinoa, called saponin, that can taste soapy. Again, most quinoa is already pre-rinsed.

Begin by cooking the quinoa. Add the quinoa and chicken broth to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.

While the quinoa is cooking and cooling, chop your cucumber and tomatoes.

Prepare your onion and garlic.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.

Remove the garlic cloves. Allow the onions to cool. Combine the quinoa, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the chopped parsley. Zest the lemon over the mixture and squeeze lemon juice over the dish.

Serve cold. Garnish with additional parsley, optional.

This was a light-tasting but filling dish, perfect for a hot summer lunch or dinner. I feel kind of silly for essentially making a pretty common dish, but at least I’m beginning to understand which ingredients work well together!