Cilantro Lime Quinoa and Bean Salad

I made this Curried Chicken and Barley Salad last week and added some red quinoa along with the barley, just because it sounded good.  But, since I had cooked a cup of quinoa - and only used 1/4 of it - I had 3 cups of quinoa left and wanted to find something to make with it.  I started searching for a simple salad and found a lovely cilantro lime black bean and quinoa salad.  While there may be no better flavor combination than black beans with cilantro and lime, my quinoa was red (and I had other plans for my last can of black beans), so I decided to switch up the beans and use some Cannellini beans.  I think it turned out great.

Cilantro Lime Quinoa and Bean Salad
adapted from Simply Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked red quinoa
• 1 (15 oz.) can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
•  drizzle of olive oil

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine.
2. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

This salad is simple to make, definitely yummy, and can be made ahead so it's ready when you want it.  I'd say it's definitely a winner!

Sesame Peanut Noodles

It's time again for Secret Recipe Club reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month was Trisha's blog My Hobbie Lobbie. Trisha loves to bake, and she's married to her best friend - we have that in common.  She's also into crafting and crocheting, and uses her blog to keep track of recipes and crochet patterns.  I never did learn to crochet, but I am amazed by people who can.

I started scrolling through Trisha's list of recipes and found a bunch I'd like to try - and I hadn't even made it down to the baked goods.  Here are just a few that sounded yummy:

• Cajun Chicken Wrap
• Sprouted Moong Salad
• Bean and Spinach Bake
• Oven  Baked Zucchini Fries
• Pickled Jalapenos

Trisha lives in Australia, where it's winter right now, so she's making soups and trying to stay warm.  I may have to go back and look at some of her soups when winter comes to our part of the world, but for now I thought something cool would be better.  Or something to use the produce that's coming out of the garden; I'm getting lots of jalapenos and zucchini.
 
I ended up choosing this Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad because it's both - cool, and it uses lots of veggies. As Trisha said - "You can pretty much alter this salad to accommodate the salad veggies that you have at hand."  Perfect!  The recipe reflects the veggies I used this time, but pretty much any combination or amount would work.

Sesame Peanut Noodles
adapted from My Hobbie Lobbie

 Ingredients:

• 8 oz. angel hair pasta
• a handful of bean sprouts (I forgot to put these in)
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (or more)
• 2 T chopped cilantro
• 1 T sesame seeds

for the dressing:

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T soy sauce
• 2 T lime juice
• 2 T sweet chili sauce
• 3 T peanut butter 

Directions:

1. Break pasta in half and cook according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Toss pasta and remaining salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Mix dressing; add to salad and toss well, making sure everything is coated.
4. Serve with additional cilantro and sesame seeds to garnish.  Refrigerate leftovers.

 My husband and I had this salad for lunch one day last week, and we both really enjoyed it.  The dressing has a really good flavor, and the combination of soft pasta and crunchy vegetables is excellent.  I will definitely be making this again.  I'm thinking some zucchini would be a nice addition...

An InLinkz Link-up

Southwestern Black Bean and Barley Salad

I've had a thing for barley recently, and really love this Curried Chicken and Barley Salad, though my husband mentioned that he isn't a huge fan, so I went looking for another kind.  I came across this one on Pinterest and just had to try it.  I'm a huge fan of all these flavors together, so I'm hoping he'll be liking it too.  Now that the weather has started to warm up, I need some good salads to serve for dinner - instead of the soups I rely on in the winter months.

I made this to take for a potluck, so I haven't done much more than just taste it - to adjust for seasonings, of course - but the couple bites I had were amazing.  So good!

Southwestern Black Bean and Barley Salad
adapted from BetterRecipes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked pearled barley
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn, rinsed
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced small
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded & finely chopped
• 1 handful cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Juice & zest of 1/2 Lime

Directions:

1. Toss cooked barley, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, red pepper, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in large bowl, 
2. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, cumin and chili powder. Add lime zest and juice and mix thoroughly.
3. Taste and add more salt as needed. Refrigerate.

I used more barley than the original recipe called for.  Did I mention that I'm a huge fan?  I also used garlic powder and salt instead of garlic salt - mainly because I couldn't find the garlic salt when I looked for it.  I didn't think it needed any additional salt when I tasted it, but it's still a good idea to taste it and adjust according to your tastes.  I'm thinking this will be really good served with some tortilla chips, for some crunch and a little added salt.  Also, I bet this would be great wrapped up in a tortilla. With avocado.

Serve with some grilled chicken - with taco seasoning - maybe?  So many options.  He better like this stuff.

Related articles

• Southwest Chicken Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
• Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili

Chile Lime Salmon Tacos

I pinned this several week ago because these tacos just looked so good.  Seriously - yum!

Mine didn't turn out looking nearly as nice as the ones in the picture, but they were definitely yummy.  And easy.  Gotta love an easy recipe that is also delicious.  I will definitely make these again.

Chile Lime Salmon Tacos
from BumbleBee

Ingredients:

• 1 can (14.75 oz) Salmon, drained and flaked (remove skin & bones as desired)
• Juice of 1 fresh lime
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning (or chile powder)
• salt to taste
• 8 soft corn tortillas or small flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• Cilantro
• Sliced green onions
• White Sauce
  1/2 cup sour cream
  1 tablespoon hot sauce

Directions:

1. Sauté salmon with lime juice and taco seasoning to warm through, about 2 minutes.  Add salt to taste.
2. Meanwhile, combine sour cream and hot sauce; stir well.
3. Fill warm tortillas with salmon mixture; top with cabbage, cilantro and green onions. Serve with your favorite salsa and the white sauce.

The original recipe said that the white sauce was optional, but don't skip it.  It really adds to the texture and flavor of the tacos.  I suppose you could use plain sour cream, but the hot sauce just gives it a little kick.  You could also probably stir about half a teaspoon or so of your taco seasoning or chile powder - whichever you use - into the sour cream for the sauce.

I used taco seasoning for my tacos, but I'm going to try the chile powder next time, just to see which one we like best.  Did I mention that these are super easy?  And super yummy? 

Spicy Avocado Chicken

My friend Ricki shared this recipe on Facebook about 5 years ago.  I tried it once before and really liked it, and then didn't make it again until tonight.  Why did I wait so long?  This stuff is so good!  It's like that other famous recipe I got from Ricki - Spicy Slaw.  Absolutely yummy!

Spicy Avocado Chicken
adapted from Ricki's recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 large ripe avocados
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup medium/hot Salsa (Pace Picante or equivalent favorite)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1.  Thoroughly mash the avocados into a paste, chop all vegetables, cut chicken into strips, cubes, or desired size, and measure out salsa.
2.  Put water and butter into a large skillet and set on Medium heat.  When butter starts to melt, add the vegetables, chicken, avocado, salsa and seasonings to the skillet, and cover.
3. Stir after 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick, 25 to 30 minutes. Add more water, if needed, for desired sauce consistency.
4. Add salt to taste, and serve.

Serves 4

Ricki's recipe called for chopped mushrooms and onion powder, but I didn't have any mushrooms, and my onion powder is hard as a rock.  So I just used more onion than in his recipe and added some chopped garlic.  I did not add any additional salt at the end because it did not need it, and we ate it with tortilla chips which have salt of their own.

Ingredients added to the skillet

Even though the word 'Spicy' is in the name of this recipe, it really isn't spicy - just flavorful.  My husband doesn't like hot foods, but he really like this.

add the mashed avocados and seasonings

Thanks for sharing, Ricki!  This is a really easy and flavorful recipe, and I really must make it more often.

Homemade Salsa

I have a couple other recipes for homemade salsa, but decided I better save this one too when I saw it on facebook today.  It looks really easy and good.

Homemade Salsa

Chop 5-6 Roma tomatoes,1 small onion and 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro. Mince 2 seeded Serrano or Jalapeño peppers and 1 clove of garlic. Add 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and let sit overnight for flavors to meld.

Related articles

• Homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Smooth Restaurant Style Salsa

Ricki's Spicy Slaw

My friend Ricki shared this recipe on facebook - and he just kept talking about it.  It seemed that he was making this stuff all the time and eating it just as quickly as he could make it.  Of course I had to try it, right?  I'm so glad I did.  This stuff is amazing!  I've made it several times so far...

Ricki's Spicy Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium head of Green Cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 large Tomato, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Red Onion, finely chopped
• 3 Green Onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle juice
• 1.5 Claussen Kosher Dill Pickles, finely chopped
• 2 - 4 Pickled Pepperoncinis, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of Ranch Dressing
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Salt
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 2 dashes (or more, to taste/burn) Cayenne Powder
• 1 - 2 Serrano Peppers, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl
2. After mixing thoroughly, let it sit for an hour or so (if you can!) and let the flavors blend.  Then mix it again, each time, before eating.

So many great flavors all blended together!

A few notes: I've never measured the cilantro; just washed and chopped up a bunch.  I used regular, ordinary, yellow onion, and I used the dill pickles I had on hand, in my case Vlasic, and I'm not sure if it is supposed to be 1.5 pickle spears or 1.5 whole dills - so I just used 1 really big whole dill pickle each time.  I, of course, used 2 peppers each time (sometimes jalapenos because that's what I had) and 4 Pepperoncinis.  Even with those the slaw isn't overly spicy, just very nice and flavorful.

With all the ingredients and chopping involved, I supposed you could use a food processor, but I love my knife and cutting board, so I just chop everything that way.  It really doesn't take too long, and you get to enjoy all the lovely aromas as you do it!

Did I say that I really love this stuff?  No wonder Ricki was making it and talking about it so much.  Try it - you'll talk too!

Related articles

• Spicy Jicama Slaw
• Sweet N' Tangy Cabbage Slaw
• Raw Butternut Squash Slaw

Israeli Cucumber and Tomato Salad

I found this recipe in the Food section of my newspaper.  I'm not sure why this is called Israeli salad - they probably told me in the article that the recipe came with, but I didn't read that.  What I do know is that I knew I had to try it the minute I read the recipe.  So many yummy flavors all in one salad!  So far I've made it twice.

Israeli Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, cut into small dice
• 4 to 5 Roma tomatoes, cut into small dice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, diced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Place cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro and avocado in a medium bowl.  Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.  Toss gently to combine.

To prepare ahead: You can prepare the salad early in the day.  cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Of course, it's salad - so feel free to vary the ingredients to suit your taste - more cucumber, more tomato - more avocado! 

So yummy.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

My friend Peggy posted this recipe for Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip on my facebook wall a few weeks ago.  She knows me well - anything cranberry, and I'm all over it!  I finally got a chance to make this last weekend, and it is amazing! All the flavors just combine to make your mouth happy...

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 12-oz package fresh cranberries (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 small jalapeno pepper
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 t cumin
• 2 T lemon juice (or lime)
• dash salt
• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop cranberries in Ninja or food processor and place in medium bowl
2. Chop onions, cilantro, and jalapeno and add to cranberries
3. Mix in sugar, cumin, lime juice, and salt
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight
5. When you're ready to serve: soften cream cheese and spread it on a plate, serving platter, or the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish; spread cranberry mixture evenly over the top.
6. Serve with Ritz (type) crackers, Wheat Thins, or tortilla chips

  I cut the sugar down significantly from the original recipe - from 1-1/4 cups to just 2/3 cup.  I think it could be cut down a tiny bit more, but then I like the tartness of the cranberries, so it's probably a good balance.  I used lime juice, because I had a lime I needed to use and no lemons.  It all worked together really well.

We tried it with Wheat Thins, tortilla chips, and the Ritz type crackers, and it tastes good with all of them - but the Ritz type are the best.  Everyone who tasted this thought it was great - my husband who does not like cilantro, my friend Peggy who sent me the recipe and doesn't even like cranberries, my son who - well, I expected him to like it!  I never would have thought to mix these particular ingredients together, but the combination really is magic.  I will be making this again!!  I don't expect it will last long...

Spinach and Cilantro Green Rice

Also from the What the Bible Says about Healthy Living Cookbook - I made this rice to go with the burritos last night.

Spinach and Cilantro Green Rice

Ingredients:

• 2/3 bunch cilantro (stems OK)
• 1 cup firmly packed fresh spinach
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 1-1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 T)
• 1-1/2 cups brown rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Several generous grindings pepper

Directions:

1. Trim the cilantro stems to 1 to 2 inches.
2. Add the cilantro, spinach, milk, broth and lime juice to a blender and puree the ingredients.
3. Combine the liquid mixture with the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid, and simmer fo r45 minutes.
5. After 45 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes, without removing the cover.  Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

1/3 bunch of cilantro for the burritos, 2/3 bunch for this rice - you'd think all my cilantro would be used, but those aren't really good measurements, and cilantro bunches vary - so I just used quite a bit of cilantro and called it enough, for both recipes.  I also used frozen spinach because I didn't have any fresh.  I'm not sure how much frozen spinach equals a cup of fresh, so I just threw some in.

I made half this recipe because we just didn't need that much rice.  I usually cook my brown rice 40 minutes so I thought the 45 minutes would be plenty long enough, but there was still liquid in the pan when I took the lid off, and the rice was a bit chewy.  It tasted really good though, so I'm either going to cook it at a higher temperature next time or do like it says and turn the heat off and let it sit - instead of removing it from the heat to let it sit.  The rice should continue to cook on the still-warm burner for a bit longer.

I put some of this on my Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito for lunch - along with the salsa, sour cream and guacamole.  Yum!