There are few things in life that I feel better about eating than Costco's quinoa salad. Its healthy, full of flavor, with a delicious good for you crunch. In case you don't have a Costco near you, or GASP! don't have a membership, never fear. We have come up with our own recipe for this delicious quinoa goodness.
2 cups red and white quinoa (mixed)
1/3 cup tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cucumbers, diced
1 cup cooked mung bean
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons fresh kale, minced
salt and pepper
Rinse and boil your quinoa in 6 cups water with a spinkling of salt. Simmer on reduced heat for about 15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and toss with olive oil. Add vinegar and lemon juice & zest. Mix in vegetables, beans, and herbs. Season to taste. Serve immediatley.
2 cups red and white quinoa (mixed)
1/3 cup tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cucumbers, diced
1 cup cooked mung bean
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons fresh kale, minced
salt and pepper
Rinse and boil your quinoa in 6 cups water with a spinkling of salt. Simmer on reduced heat for about 15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and toss with olive oil. Add vinegar and lemon juice & zest. Mix in vegetables, beans, and herbs. Season to taste. Serve immediatley.
Ok, after all of these easy no fuss recipes this week, its time to get inspired to get off our easy livin' butts and cook something with lavender that is a little bit more involved than throwing something in a slow cooker. Check out these amazing madeleines from Donna Hay!
I love this blog for so many reasons. The international vibe of the cooking being my primary crush. But these lavender spiced honey madeleines are definatley not your average cookie, and they are so beautiful too. Since we eat with our eyes before we taste with our mouths, I can't wait to try these.
I love this blog for so many reasons. The international vibe of the cooking being my primary crush. But these lavender spiced honey madeleines are definatley not your average cookie, and they are so beautiful too. Since we eat with our eyes before we taste with our mouths, I can't wait to try these.
Give her blog some love and check out the recipe HERE.
Have a great weekend!
Rounding out this weeks recipe theme of easy week night meals for two, is this super simple slow cooker meal. When I am out of creativity at the end of a long day, or more importantly out of ingredients, The Lavender Apple's Herbs De Provence is a life saver. This little $5 bottle will last you several months and will save your dinner more times than you would like to admit. This herb blend has such amazing flavors, and will turn bland boring chicken into delicious morsels that will have you licking your lips for more. Whenever I'm throwing together a last minute meal, I usually am not hopeful for great results, but this herb saves me so often and has me thinking "Wow! This is amazing!"
Tonight's easy meal for two idea is a quick crock pot meal for herbed chicken and potatoes. Any time you have a free second during the day, throw in some frozen chicken breasts, pop in a few red potatoes. Coat the entire thing with olive oil, salt, pepper, and then add the Herbs de Provence. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Adjust seasoning as needed. There you have it, a delicious and filling meal that took you less than 5 minutes to put together. Hope these easy meal ideas are helpful to all you busy momma's out there!
This week I wanted to feature a couple of easy weeknight dinner ideas for two. Recently I've been cooking for just two of us. Its so easy to default to making the same go to familiar meals all week long. But there are plenty of delicious AND easy meals out there that can help you get out of your routine rut when you are only cooking for two. These meals can also easily be doubled or tripled for those busy moms out there with large families.
The first meal this week I wanted to highlight is a vegetable naan pizza. It's crispy, savory, and a cinch to throw together.
Buy pre-made stone fire naan breads. I prefer the full size, but if you are baking for children, the smaller personal size will work great too. The secret to a good home made pizza is the ingredients. Skip the preshredded mozzarella and go with fresh buffalo mozzarella, or in our case, we used goat cheese. Skip the premade hormel pepperoni, and use salami or proshutto to switch things up. Wash and coat some asparagus with olive oil and scatter across your pizza. Then, the finishing is also very important. Use a balsamic glaze to add acidity and sweetness. Top with fresh italian herbs and a sprinkle of lavender salt. Bake in an oven until your cheese bubbles and your naan is golden around the edges. This idea is simple, healthy, and most importantly delicious.
Hope this helps you busy moms get out of your culinary rut. Clean out your fridge, get creative, and make naan pizza's tonight!
Every week we try to highlight creative bloggers out on the cook books of the interweb that are doing a great job utilizing lavender in their cooking. Today we have a beauty for you. Behold!
We have made a lot of wonderful scone recipes on this blog of ours, but today, I've found one I can't wait to make. Look at how beautiful and delicious these lavender scones from Half Baked Harvest are? But they aren't just lavender scones - they are blackberry lavender white chocolate scones. I'll give you a moment to pick your jaw up from the floor. Yes, that sounds pretty darn delectable if you ask me. So what are you doing? Go check out their blog right now. You won't regret it.
We have made a lot of wonderful scone recipes on this blog of ours, but today, I've found one I can't wait to make. Look at how beautiful and delicious these lavender scones from Half Baked Harvest are? But they aren't just lavender scones - they are blackberry lavender white chocolate scones. I'll give you a moment to pick your jaw up from the floor. Yes, that sounds pretty darn delectable if you ask me. So what are you doing? Go check out their blog right now. You won't regret it.
Every once in awhile we like to introduced ourselves and our farm to our new readers. And for our old readers we have some great new to you photos to share on the blog today.
If you know Peggy, you know she is a fabulous cook. She became a trained chef in Paris during the time she lived there with her young family. Here she is in front of her home in Paris and with her husband and children there.
After their time in France, the Nelson family moved to Park City where Mike designed them this beautiful home over looking a golf course.
But this farm is not new to the Nelson family. John and Hanna Nelson immigrated from Sweden in the early 1900's and purchased a large plot of land at the mouth of a beautiful canyon in Cache Valley. The property has remained in the family for 3 generations. This farm and the story of John and Hanna Nelson served as inspiration for Mike and Peggy to begin their small apple and lavender farm once affectionately know as the “rocky patch.”
