Texas Caviar: Delicious, Healthy Summer Salad

 My husband is trying hard to be heart-healthy, so we have been modifying our meals to be much more plant based. I'm not a gourmet cook by any stretch, and I think I often under season our food. So trying to find yummy foods that avoid meat and dairy is daunting. And to be honest, I also want EASY. 

As a result, I was so excited when I discovered this recipe. Oddly enough, I found it in a monthly magazine that we receive from the electric company that provides power to our rural property. 

The salad lasts beautifully in the fridge for several days. In fact, it becomes even more flavorful as it marinates in the dressing. If I am serving it to a large group, I include the avocado. If we, just the two of us, eat it over a period of several days, I add the avocado as I serve it so that it doesn't turn brown and mushy. The recipe includes bacon, but I simply leave it out to make it vegan. This dish has become a menu staple; I make it almost every week.

RECIPE:

1 can (15 ounces) black eyed peas, rinsed and drained (I often use garbanzo beans or other white beans)

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup corn, canned or thawed from frozen (I don't want to waste any of the corn, so I use the entire can)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 cup diced red onion (if I don't have red, I use white instead)

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

2 slices crisp-cooked bacon, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, diced

The dressing:

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cummin

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Drain and rinse beans. Slice and seed red pepper. Peel and dice onion. Chop cilantro. Half tomatoes. Peel and dice avocado. Cook, drain, and chop bacon. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix dressing and toss with the salad. Chill and serve.

Enjoy!

Make delicious juice: It will taste grape!

Our concord grapes are ripe, and we have a bumper crop this year. So it is time to make juice and jelly.  I have a steamer that makes concentrated juice and is very easy to use. It is perfect for making jelly, but unfortunately, we don't really like the way the juice tastes. So this year, I have gone back to the tried and true recipe that my mother used while we were growing up. I have modified it a little to make it stronger and less sugary, and it is a hit. If you would like to give it a try. . . .

you will need sugar, measuring cups, a quart-sized canner, a second large pot, a canning funnel, a jar lifter, clean quart jars, lids and rings:

(funnel and jar lifter)

Pick and wash grapes thoroughly. Mine come in with lots of friendly bugs and spiders. It definitely makes the process more interesting:

Remove from stems:

Fill your canner about half full and turn on the heat so that the water can begin to warm up. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using the canning funnel to help you get the grapes easily into the jar, measure 1 1/2 cups prepared grapes into seven clean quart jars. (I run them through the dishwasher before I make the juice.) Add a scant 1/3 c. sugar. Carefully add boiling water to the jars leaving 1/2" at the top of the jars. Wipe off the jar rims with a clean cloth. Put on lids and screw on rings. Using your jar lifter, carefully put the jars into the canner. Add enough hot water to completely cover the jars.

Bring the canner water to a boil. Process (boil) the jars for 10 minutes at a rolling boil. Turn off the heat. Carefully remove the jars and allow to cool. Using a sharpie, mark the lids with the date.

96 quarts later. . .

Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup - The Perfect Beginning to Autumn and Winter Feasting

Does anyone else get excited for soup season? That is what I just now decided to call when it is cool enough to start making delicious, aromatic, savory soups.

I adapted this treasure of a recipe from one that my mother-in-law sent me last year. Basically, everything about this soup is healthy (you can take out the beef if you want to) and it freezes really well. You can freeze it into single portions and take it for lunch.

Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup

2 c. pearled barley--cook per pkg. instructions while preparing the rest of the soup.

2 Tbs. olive oil

1-2 lbs beef stew meat (you can usually find chunks of beef that are perfect for stew in the meat aisle)

2 c. chopped onion

6 carrots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 c. beef or vegetable broth

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 Tbs. tomato paste

1 Tbs. Worchestershire sauce

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

6 c. chopped baby spinach or 1 10-oz. pkg frozen spinach, OR 6 c. finely chopped kale (can substitute cabbage as well)

While barley cooks, brown the beef and saute onion and carrots in olive oil for 5 minutes (use a large stockpot--this recipe makes 8 three-cup servings).. Add garlic, sauteing 1 minute. Add broth, tomatoes, tom. paste, Worc. sauce, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to low boil, simmer 20-25 minutes until carrots are tender. Add greens and cooked barley, stir well. Remove from heat and serve.

Lemon Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken and Spinach

I've been in a bit of a new recipe dearth. Does that happen to anyone else? Sometimes, I'm all about trying new recipes, and I love the fun and variety that brings! Yet lately, I've pretty much stuck to the usual fifteen or so recipes we have most frequently.

Luckily, that has some advantages, too. There's something comforting about making an old favorite, and it is usually prepped in half the time. So without further ado, here is one of our staples:

I'm kind of obsessed with lemon: lemon bars, lemonade, lemon cookies, lemon cake, lemon pie, and even lemon pasta. I feel like this is a light, summery recipe: the sauce isn't overwhelming but has a little kick, and the chicken is delicious.

Lemon Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken and Spinach

Recipe adapted from the Crayon Recipe Box

Ingredients:
"Perfect chicken" (2-3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked with this seasoning and cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/2 lbs angel hair pasta (Note: this is only half a box. Sneaky, right? But feel free to double everything, because this recipe is delicious.)
3 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
6 tbs lemon juice (or the juice of 2 medium lemons)
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
2-4 cups of baby spinach

Ahead of time, bake 2-3 chicken breasts in Perfect Chicken Seasoning. Cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions (typically 3 minutes in boiling water).

While the water is heating up, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook until the oil sizzles and the garlic is fragrant, stirring frequently. Stir in the lemon juice and half-and-half, heating the sauce until it just begins to bubble.

By now, the pasta should be finished! Go ahead and drain it. Next, add the chicken, spinach, pasta, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese to the cream sauce.

Toss and cover for a few minutes, allowing the spinach to wilt. Toss again and top with remaining cheese right before serving.

Fudgey Brownies with Coconut Whipped Cream (Dairy and Soy Free)

Were you aware that you can whip coconut milk and it tastes AMAZING and provides a delightful alternative to real whipped cream when you are dairy-free, like I am right now? My friend recently whipped up some coconut cream for me and I just had to try it on some brownies. Here is the recipe for the resulting deliciousness.

Fudgey Brownies (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free)
Adapted from the Watkins Brownie Recipe found here

2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted Earth Balance, Soy-free margarine
1/4 cup canola oil (or oil of your choice)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
4 tbl dutch cocoa
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix brown sugar, eggs, margarine, oil, and vanilla until combined. Add flour, cocoa and salt and stir until moistened. Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 20 minutes (until an inserted toothpick comes out pretty clean). Remove from oven and let cool in the pan a for a few minutes before you cut.

Whip up some coconut cream (Whipped Coconut Cream Instructions) and sit down and savor this delicious dairy-free dessert!

Quinoa Crusted Pork Chops

Has everyone officially heard and tried some random recipe with this new "super" grain called quinoa? (Which is not in any way, shape, or form pronounced the way it is spelled. Unless you speak a Latin-based language, I suppose.)

Cooked quinoa

I tried a couple recipes containing quinoa a year or so ago and thought they were "okay" but didn't love them. Then I stumbled across this idea while I was googling quinoa recipes: use quinoa as a crust or breading for meat rather than using breadcrumbs. I must say I was intrigued, especially since I am breast-feeding baby #2 and have to go easy on the gluten to keep his tummy happy. I tried it and am here to shout to the world that using quinoa in place of breadcrumbs is AMAZING! You must try it. Here is the recipe I used and recommend:

Quinoa Crusted Pork Chops
Adapted from this Rachael Ray recipe

3/4 cup cooked quinoa (cook according to directions on package)
4 pork chops
1/4 cup mustard (I just used the kind you slap on hot dogs)
pepper to taste
a little olive oil and/or cooking spray

1, Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, spray foil with cooking spray, and spread the cooked quinoa on the foil. Bake quinoa at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes or until it starts to lightly brown. 

2. Mix pork chops, mustard, and a few sprinkles of pepper in a medium bowl until pork chops are uniformly covered with the mustard. 

3. Roll pork chops in the quinoa until each pork chop is uniformly covered in the toasted quinoa. 

4. Drizzle a little olive oil in a 9''x 9'' pan or pie dish and put the quinoa-covered pork chops in the pan. 

5. Cook chops in 425 degree oven for 15-25 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the pork chops. You may have to cut one open at some point to make sure they are cooked all the way through. Do what you have to do. 

Yum, yum, yum! My husband was afraid this would taste too mustardy, but he was pleasantly surprised. The quinoa doesn't allow the mustard to take over the flavor. I have used quinoa on chicken too, but I really prefer how it complements a nice, fat pork chop. Enjoy!