Monday, June 9, 2014

Long Time Gone...


I'm so, so, so sorry for neglecting you...
yes you...my ONE loyal
follower!  

Where have I been?  Loitering around here in my humble abode...
just not here, as in "at my desk".
Why not?  3 Reasons:  

#1:  We rearranged furniture here in my living room area
and I had this brilliant idea to move
my desk along with my desktop
over to this side of my living room...ya know, 
between my sofa and kitchen table (which I rarely eat at...yes, I
know...but that's a story for a different day ok), up against the wall, 
by the window...side window, that is.
My home isn't very big, so
space is a little tight!
Don't get me wrong, I liked this layout...just out of the way which
I must say, did seem to flow very nicely, but......
didn't work out well for my blogging.
So, I plan to rearrange my 
furniture...in the near future!!
(Shhhhh....my husband doesn't know that yet ;)

#2:  Things here in the Casa de Pullin (as we like to call it) have been 
"Cray-Cray" this past year.  My husband, who is a retired
firefighter, had some serious mobility issues
that resulted from an injury he 
sustained while on the job...
well they got worse!  Around the same 
time, there were some other
family health issues that also came to 
light...You know that saying:
"When it rains......."
Well, to put it simply...
that's a little thing we call Life!  Needless
to say, we are still here...for now ;)

#3:  Despite having a smartphone & tablet, I have
been unable to get in here and send 
you a little note.  Not because I can't access
my blog on either device...it's just that 
the keyboard is too tiny & that, my friend, frustrates me...
more than I care to admit.  I will inform you, 
though, that about 2 months
ago, I came in here and posted, but...
my internet glitched...BIG TIME
and everything...and I mean
EVERYTHING I had typed was lost!
You know how that goes...I 
gave up and figured I'd 
re-apologize at some later point in time....
(today ;)

Now, on to what I intended to share with you today...

I have a recipe to share with you today!
Yes...I'm sharing!!! 
Woo-hoo ;)

Well, hold on to your excitement...I know
deep down inside, you're at the edge of 
your seat! I'm just that interesting ;) 

I'm really excited to share this recipe with you
and I hope it's one you 
try out....and I encourage you to give me 
some feedback as to how it turned
out and what you thought 
of it. 

Quinoa Salad
(pronounced keen-wa)

What is it?  It is a tiny type of grain that is a great source
of iron and protein.  It is also a gluten-free seed.
(A word of caution:  If you're not too familiar with Quinoa,
then I suggest that you buy the one that has been pre-rinsed!  
It should say on the package if it is.  I bought some that wasn't and 
I guess I didn't rinse it long enough or something because
it had a bitter taste...not good!  Personally, I like to use
Bob's Red Mill brand.  One 26 oz bag
is good for a few recipes)



Ingredients:
1 cup Quinoa, uncooked seeds 
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 can Sweet Corn, drained
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Roasted Red Bell Pepper, diced (I use the jarred kind)
1/4 cup Red Onion, diced
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1/2 Olive Oil, extra virgin
Juice of 1-2 Lemons
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook the Quinoa:
In a medium sauce pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil.  
Add the quinoa and return to stove.  Once it begins boiling 
again, cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat
to medium.  Simmer for about 12 minutes, or until all
liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from heat and let it sit 
covered & undisturbed for about
10-15 minutes.  

In the meantime, while quinoa is resting, you
can begin working on the rest of the ingredients.
You will need a nice sized bowl for this ;)  Drain corn and place 
inside bowl.  Drain and rinse the black beans and place 
them in the bowl as well.  If you bought the roasted 
red bell peppers that come in a jar, just remove 
one, (making sure no seeds are present)
dice it up and place in the bowl.  Do the same 
with the red onion and cilantro.   By this time, your
quinoa should be ready.  Uncover and fluff it up with a 
fork and put it in the bowl as well.  Juice one lemon, being
careful to remove seeds....(don't want to break a tooth biting 
into one of those little suckers!) and pour it,
You guessed it, the bowl too!  Sprinkle salt and pepper 
according to what your taste buds prefer ;)
Then, pour in olive oil and give it all a nice stir, making
sure it's all combined nicely.
Taste & make adjustments if needed...adding more
oil, salt, pepper and/or lemon accordingly!

Then, enjoy immediately while it's still warm...
or cover and place in fridge to get cold!



I like it fresh and warm...my kids like it cold, so it's really up to 
what you prefer.  I will add that an excellent suggestion 
is to get yourself a heat proof plate, layer a handful
of tortilla chips (as pictured above),
 serve a nice amount of this mixture over them,
then top with shredded chicken,
and some shredded cheese (Mexican blend works nicely, but 
up to your personal buds ;) 
Put this plate in a toaster oven (or your regular oven) and 
broil for a couple of minutes or until your cheese is 
nice and melted...not burned, unless you like
it that way.....
and enjoy!

Easy peasy!! On a side note, this recipe is
so forgiving that you can adjust the amounts of the
ingredients according to what pleases you....
If you like more cilantro,  then add some
more...not a fan of it, swap it out
for parsley! I'm sure there's
a beautiful way to enjoy this tasty...
and healthy grain ;) 

Well, that's it!  It's a healthy and delicious salad that 
goes well all by it's lonesome self...
or as a side dish...
or as I suggested...under all that 
gooey cheese and chicken...
I tell you, those chips give it a nice crunch!
It's a win-win with this recipe,
well, in this home it is anyway!

I hope to get some feed back...
comments, questions, suggestions.........
they're all welcomed ;)

Thanks for using some of your precious time to let me bore you 
for a few minutes...
Let me do it again some time ;)

Love Ya,

Cori ;)