Tomato & Black Bean Quinoa

Have you tried Quinoa? (pronounced keen-wah). It is such a tasty treat. I have tried a few recipes lately with Quinoa and have fallen in love with its nutty flavor and crunchy, interesting texture.
Ok, so Tomato and Black Bean Quinoa:
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest, juice, oil, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper to make the dressing. 
Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
(or if you buy it bulk from a local market like I do, first rinse your quinoa, and then cook one cup quinoa in 2 cups salted water for about 20 minutes. The water should be absorbed, and the germ ring will be visible when it is done.- you'll know what I mean when you see it.)
Put your quinoa into a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Add beans, tomatoes, cilantro and onions and toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Yum!
We ate this as a side dish to grilled pork chops for dinner last night, but I ate it on it's own for lunch today and it was perfect.

Summer Broccoli Salad

I got this recipe from my mom in law. It is one of my favorite summertime recipes.

2 crowns of broccoli, coarsely chopped

1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 to 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

shredded mozzarella cheese to taste

dressing:

3/4 cups mayonnaise (not miracle whip)

1/8-1/4 cup vinegar (i prefer apple cider, but white works ok, too)

1-3 tablespoons of white sugar

celery seed to taste

Toss dressing and salad together. It is best chilled for a little before you eat it. This recipe serves about 4-5 people.

Beans and Rice

This is Anne's fabulous recipe for Beans and Rice. She used to make this in college and I would try to keep myself from eating the whole pan before she got any!

(She's unable to post for some reason, so i'm posting for her. Also, she was scheduled to have her baby yesterday....)

Sofrito:
2 onions, chopped
3 green peppers,chopped
bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Make sofrito, then freeze 1/4 cup portions in Ziplock baggies.

In large frying pan, saute 1/4 c. sofrito in 2 T. hot oil
Add: 1/2 can tomato sauce
       1 can black beans (don't drain)
       3 c. cooked rice
       salt
       1 Sazon seasoning (available in Mexican foods sections of most grocery stores)

Can serve plain, or in burritos with salsa, lettuce, cheese, sour cream

Homemade Applesauce

My mom made this for us in the fall when I was growing up. I LOVE it. It doesn't even compare to store bought. She also couldn't give me a concrete recipe - just a general process. So here goes.

1. Peel a whole bunch of apples and slice them very thinly.
2. Put a very tiny amount of water in a large stock pot. By tiny, i mean 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
3. Put apples in pan.
4. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water is simmering. Keep them covered.
5. Check on apples every 5 minutes to make sure there is still water in the bottom. If there is not any, add more, 1 TBSP at a time.
6. Stir apples every 10 minutes.
7. Cook apples for anywhere from 25 - 40 minutes. They are done when you pierce them with a fork and they are very tender.
8. In batches, process apples in a blender.
9. When it is all done, season with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Go easy on the sugar, it doesn't need much.