Sweet and Tangy Quinoa Salad

I love quinoa salads. They're so healthy and when served cold they're perfect for the summer! I thought I'd whip one up off the top of my head today and holy moly, I have impressed myself!  The sweet and tangy dressing put this salad over the top!

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 orange pepper, chopped
1 can of black beans, drained
1 cup frozen white corn,  thawed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Cook the quinoa according to THESE directions. Then spread it out on a cutting board to cool. Mix all chopped veggies, herbs and beans in a large mixing bowl. Once the quinoa has cooled, add that. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for the dressing. Pour over the salad and toss! Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

I know there's  a ton of recipes out there for freezer burritos. I figured I'd share mine! My recipe makes 12 large burritos. Instead of having a line of ingredients to fill each burrito, I prefer to mix then all together and then just place one big scoop in each burrito. The batch I just photographed does not include wax paper which is an important step for freezer burritos since you can't microwave foil. You wrap the burrito in wax paper first, then in a piece of foil (this helps keep it's shape and protects it from freezer burn). I then place 4 burritos in a gallon zip lock back for extra protection against freezer burn. I also only use one pan for cooking, I cook each thing one at a time and then dump it in a large mixing bowl. Less dishes!

1 lb Ground breakfast sausage
1 package smoked sausage (12-14 Oz depending on the brand), diced
18 eggs
1 package tater tots
1 16 ox container Pico DE Gallo salsa (drain the excess juice, you only want the chunky stuff)
1 8 oz package shredded cheese
10 inch tortillas

I start with cooking the breakfast sausage and smoked sausage together then place on paper towels to drain. Next, I add a little oil to the pan and add my frozen tater tots . I cook them until they get slightly golden, breaking up the tater tots into those tiny little potato pieces they're made of. When done, add those to your large mixing bowl and the meat too. Dump the Pico DE Gallo in too. Now scramble up your 18 eggs, make sure they're cooked thoroughly.  Add the eggs and bag of cheese to the bowl too.

Now, set up your prep area. I use the previous cut foil sheets. For the perfect measurement, I use my large soup ladle, leveled off at the top. Lay down a piece of foil, a piece of wax paper, then your tortilla. Add one scoop of your breakfast fillings,  roll tightly,  then roll it in wax paper,  then the foil and you're done! Keep going until your filling is all gone. Place them in freezer bags and freeze!

I highly recommend letting your burrito defrost before microwaving for even cooking but that's not necessary. These are great to take camping! You can skip the wax paper step while assembling them. Don't bother freezing them either, or freeze but defrost first. You can put the burrito straight on your BBQ grill to heat it up!  Again,  do not use wax paper if that is how you will be heating them!

Enjoy!

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

I love suddenly salad, that bacon ranch kind.  However, it's so salty and full of junk! Here is a version not filled with that junk and packed with yummy veggies! Instead of using a package of ranch mix, I buy the container of hidden valley mix for about $7 a bottle at Costco, this saves a lot of money overtime!

1 lb pasta,  cooked, drained and cooled (I rinse with cold running water to speed up the process)
1/2-3/4 a package of cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
1 1/2 cups frozen peas,  defrosted
1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 package ranch dressing mix (or 3 tablespoons from the large jar)
1/2 cup imitation bacon bits

Toss the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the bottom 4 ingredients together in a separate bowl. Then add to the pasta mixture. Once it's mixed well, chill for at least an hour before serving!

Enjoy!

Shrimp Macaroni Salad

We had this salad at a good friend's house awhile ago. It was so good, I had to ask for the recipe!  I did make a couple of slight adjustments but I'm posting the original recipe so you can decide for yourself :-) my favorite part about this is it doesn't have a strong seafood taste to it  (which means even picky little kiddos will eat it).

1 lb. Macaroni noodles, cooked and drained (I prefer large elbow but you could use shells or those tiny circular macaroni salad noodles )
1 or 2 cans of tiny canned shrimp drained  (I prefer 1)
4-5 stalks of celery, diced
3-4 green onions,  sliced thin
1 can of olives,  drained and finely chopped
1 3/4 cup of mayo (I prefer 1 1/4 cup of mayo plus half a cup of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream)
Salt and pepper to taste

Simply toss everything together, mix well and chill for a couple of hours before serving!

Enjoy!

Mexican Macaroni Salad

I am on a serious pasta salad kick lately! Do they have a 12 step program for that? If so, I need to find myself a meeting. At least I've admitted my problem,  that's the first step, I think. Anyways, back to the pasta... This is a recipe from the Pioneer Woman that I changed very slightly and absolutely love! It's  fun and colorful too!

For the salad:
1 lb pasta cooked, drained and cooled (I prefer large macaroni noodles)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 Roma tomatoes,  diced
1/2 cup chopped olives (I use more )
3-4 green onions,  thinly sliced
Cilantro, about 1/3 cup chopped

For the dressing:
1 cup chunky salsa (feel free to make it spicy )
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin

Prep your ingredients  (that's the hardest part). Toss your salad ingredients together. Mix your dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss to combine. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese Salad

Fred Meyer sells this fantastic salad in their deli called mac and cheese salad. They don't have it in their deli case very often but when they do,  I'm in heaven! I thought I'd make an attempt at recreating it at home and I hit the nail on the head, first try!!

1 lb cavatappi pasta, cooked and drained and rinsed with cold water
1 very large handful of spinach leaves  (about 1/4-1/3 of  a 10oz bag), chopped into large pieces
3 green onions,  thinly sliced
2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

3/4 cup of mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss your cooked,  cooled pasta with the spinach, onions and feta. Mix the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper. Add that to the other ingredients and toss to coat. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Fried Rice

I love fried rice! I make it at home occasionally but I always use a seasoning packet for the flavor in my rice. Well, I went on a mission the other day to find a few fried rice recipes online and adapt them to make my own. I'd say my mission was successful! You could add pork, chicken or shrimp to this to suit your fancy but it really does rock all on it's own! Do not skip any of the ingredients, please... seriously.  Okay , maybe the green onion or swap some veggies out but don't mess with the butter, sauces or oil!

2 cups of uncooked rice (prepare then chill)
4 eggs scrambled (I just do mine in a bowl in the microwave and then chop them up a bit)
2 cups veggies (I like to use frozen peas,  carrots, and edamame)
3 cloves minced garlic
3-4 them sliced green onions
3 tablespoons of butter (this is the secret to good fried rice)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 tablespoons of soy sauce (more to taste)
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Heat your large pan up, just a bit higher than medium heat. Make sure it is completely hot. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. In the melted butter, saute your vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute or so. Remove vegetable and place aside. Give your pan another few minutes to hear back up again. Melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter. Add cold rice, oyster sauce,  soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir well and let rice brown slightly (hence the "fried " in the title). After it's done browning slightly (5 minutes or so) add egg, vegetables,  sliced green onion and sesame oil. Mix well and serve!!!

To make chicken fried rice, dice 2 chicken breasts up and marinate in a little sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook and add to the rice.

Enjoy!