There are 60 recipes for the popular cake sandwiches, which seem to have become as ubiquitous as the cupcake. Like the cupcakes, I’ve eaten a few whoopie pies, and found many of them lacking. While I appreciate the need to make them quickly, using a boxed cake mix (or worse, canned icing, which I can barely force past my lips these days) does these tender little cakes a disservice. Once I narrowed in on which recipe I wanted to try first, I quickly knew this was THE way to make these wonderful little cakes.

My baby sister had a birthday coming, so I whipped up a batch in her honor. I chose the Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Marshmallow filling, which I knew she would like. Conveniently, I had the ingredients for these on hand! Sadly, she never got any of the whoopie pies, we ate them all.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

Recipes from The Whoopie Pie Book, copyright © Claire Ptak, 2011. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.

• 2 c (280g) all purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 9 T unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 c dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in measuring cup and add this to the mixture, beating until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients in two batches until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for thirty minutes. Try to avoid stuffing all the batter straight into your face.
3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I use a Silpat.
4. Using a small scoop (or two teaspoons) drop 18 large or 48 small scoops of batter about two inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes (large) or 8-10 minutes (small), until the cakes are left with a slight indent when touched with a finger. Do not over bake.
5. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Marshmallow Filling

• 4 oz dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 T light corn syrup
• pinch salt
• 1 t vanilla extract

Mothers are not hard people to please. I know this because they wear necklaces made of macaroni noodles as if they were of rarest gold, they exclaim over someone using the potty in the actual potty, and they will snuggle you even when you have the most fierce morning breath and have food stuck in your hair. They have an amazing capacity to make the best out of things and lift you up when you feel like you can’t possibly feel better. And yet, it seems that many mothers are let down on Mother’s Day. It need not be this way.

A small gift and a card

A small gift and a card goes a long way on Mother’s Day. No, a chocolate rose from 7-11 doesn’t count as a small gift. How do you know what Mom might like? Ask yourself, what would Mom do if she didn’t have to be Mom? Would she read a book? Garden? Go to dinner with her girlfriends? Take a walk? Go to the bathroom alone? What kind of gift can you get her that would help her pursue her pleasure? No, not toilet paper, but maybe a lock for the bathroom door and some earplugs. Fling back the shower curtain and sniff the bottles. What bottle smells most like Mom? Buy her more of that.

What she doesn’t want is something the folks on TV are pushing. If you see a commercial telling you how much Mom would love a vacuum, necklace, or deodorant, ask yourself, should I believe everything I see on TV? Unless Mom has asked specifically for the Jane Seymour Open Heart necklace, she probably doesn’t want one.

Mother’s Day doesn’t end at the small gift and card

This is where the wheels fall off the wagon. Picture it: Mom is awakened with breakfast made in her honor. She smiles, cuddles everyone, chokes down the coffee and over-done toast. But then what? Does she walk downstairs to find dishes, coffee grounds, and eggshells everywhere? Let’s hope not. What will make YOUR Mom’s day is this phrase, pay attention, this is the key: YOU DO IT. What?? I do it? What does this mean??? Here’s a decoder chart you can use.

• At the first noise from kids, cat, or dog, YOU get up and handle it. Soothe the kid, feed the cat, let the dog out. DO NOT WAIT for Mom to roll over and give you the look or the elbow. Just LEAP out of bed at the first moment you notice something’s up.
• Meals are your gig today too, all three of them! Maybe you can’t cook an extravagant (or even mediocre) meal. Do you have fingers? Can you order a pizza? Can you pick up a bucket of chicken? YES! You CAN! So do it.
• YOU do the dishes. Yep, we don’t care if it’s paper plates every meal. Just don’t expect Mom to get up and do dishes on Mother’s Day.
• Let Mom shower in peace while YOU referee a fight between kids, choose Sunday clothes for church, and put Suzie’s hair up. YOU do it. And while you’re at it, no one under four feet tall should be banging on the bathroom door. YOU stop them.
• Is there vomit or poop between the bedroom and the coffee pot? Don’t step over it as if you don’t see it. YOU clean it up!
• Suggest Mom go take a nap or read a book in the afternoon. Then YOU play with the kids. No, not while watching the hockey game. YOU go out with them, YOU find the bubbles, YOU keep them from killing themselves on the swing set. And under NO circumstances should someone go and get Mom unless the house is on fire.
• Kill the Honey-Do list. Remember all the little tasks she’s mentioned? Knock them out. Likely as not, she does your laundry, cooks your meals, cleans your house, totes kids and pets, buys groceries, pays bills, and fights with the cable company on a daily basis. It won’t kill you to clean up the dog poop, fix a squeaky door, or put some windshield washer fluid in her car. Really it won’t.
• Yes, you MUST get your wife something for Mother’s Day even though she’s not your Mother. She gave birth to your children and hasn’t eaten them yet. She deserves a gift.

A note about single moms

I have spent my fair share of Mother’s Days as a single mother. And sometimes it’s one of the most painful days of the year. I can recall sitting in church listening to other Mom’s tell all about the fun things they were going to do with their families, while all I had to look forward to was a long day alone with a toddler. Many single Moms may have families of their own to visit. But some of them don’t. Some of them would LOVE to be invited to your cookout, or get a card or some flowers when her child is too young to be able to provide something for her. It’s not about the gift, it’s about her being equal to a Mom who has a spouse. Often, single Moms are treated like second-class citizens, as if they are contagious. Remember, it could happen to you in the blink of an eye. Most of us don’t set out to be single with kids. It’s not that it’s twice as hard, it’s exponentially more difficult to do it alone.

Don’t forget other mothers, too

Maybe you’ve got your Mom and Grandma covered, that’s great! Don’t forget that there may be other Mothers that are alone or lonely on Mother’s Day. Daughters who have lost their own Mother may be sad, older Mothers whose kids live far away may be alone. Please make a point to reach out and include these ladies. It could make their day! There may also be other women who mother your child in your absence. A daycare provider, a step-mother, the mother of your child’s friend. You are not in competition with these women. You will always be Mom. But don’t overlook the significance they have in your child’s life. They provide an important influence when you’re not around. Make sure they know how much you appreciate them. No child ever suffered from being loved too much by too many people.

I hope all the Moms out there have a great Mother’s Day. And if all else fails, they’ll go back to school and work Monday, you can go to the bathroom alone then. Happy Mother’s Day!

We have a little pastry shop in town that has stuffed croissants, one of my favorites is spinach and feta (my other favorite is chocolate stuffed, sooo good) and these are similar to those, also simpler than making your own croissants which could literally take days.

Spinach & Feta Tartlets

adapted from a recipe from Sweet Paul

• 1T olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 4 oz crumbled Feta cheese
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pkg phyllo dough
• 4T melted butter

Fry the shallots until soft. I used the mandolin to get thin slices. If you have one, great, use it and watch your fingers. If not, a sharp knife will work just fine.

Add the spinach a little at a time, letting it wilt, stirring the wilted spinach to the top and moving the firm leaves toward the heat.

This is what the wilted spinach and shallots will look like when they’re done.

Mix the feta, eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Then add the wilted spinach mixture. Mix well.

I have little tart pans (Wilton brand, from Walmart). I’m sure you could make one large tart if you have a regular tart pan. You could probably also make these pouches sans pans too. Just make sure to wrap them up well so the tops don’t pop open and leak.

Brush four small tart pans with butter and layer them with phyllo. Brush phyllo with butter between each layer, use 4-5 layers. Make sure you keep the phyllo covered with a wet towel while you’re working. It will be a hot mess if you don’t. Also, if it tears, don’t sweat it. By the time you finish piling the extra dough on top no one will ever know. I swear. And if you’re thinking about making your own phyllo, may the force be with you, you’ve obviously got a sadistic streak. Even I wouldn’t touch that job with a ten-foot-spatula.

Here’s something I learned after my first tart. I was working with giganto sized phyllo sheets. For the first tart I ended up with a lot more phyllo than I thought would taste good. For the three ensuing tarts, I folded each phyllo sheet in half, brushed with butter and it worked wonderfully.

Spoon 1/4 of the spinach and egg mixture in to each of the tarts.

Fold the edges of the phyllo over the filling.

See? Cute! Repeat with the remaining tarts. Make sure to brush the tops with butter.

See the giganto tart? I told Mr. Bundt I made that one for him, special. Men will believe anything. Really.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the phyllo is crispy and golden brown.

Sorry for the lowlight [food] porn looking photos. It was late, I was tired. See paragraph one.

These are so quick and easy! I think they’d be perfect with a nice piece of salmon and a small salad. They would also be beautiful for a shower or luncheon!

The filling is no nice! The salty feta with the earthy spinach is a wonderful combination. I hope you’ll give it a try!

What do you like to cook on a lazy night? Do you have any go-to simple dinners?

This salad isn’t like that. All the ingredients are sturdy, easy-to-transport, tasty items that you’ll love for lunch. My only caution on this one, it has some rather pungent ingredients, so if you have co-workers you like, you might want to bring your toothbrush for after lunch. But you should keep one in your desk anyway, you never know. For those of you who work alone, tear it up, no toothbrush needed.

Chickpea Salad 

Recipe courtesy of Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• A few ribs celery and leafy tops, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated then grinded into a paste with salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped, a few sprigs
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse your beans. You should ALWAYS rinse canned beans. It helps decrease the sodium by like 50% or something, maybe more. Plus, that bean juice can be kind of gross. Get it off.

Add the onion, red pepper, and celery. Use the leafy green parts of the celery if you have them. They’re good for you.

Add the rosemary and crushed red pepper flakes. It’s not going to be hot, just has a little kick. But if you’re sending this with your kiddo for lunch, you can omit it if you like. Just make sure to adjust the black pepper accordingly.

I use a garlic press to smash my garlic. You can chop it, mash it with a fork, whatever. Just get it into small bits and then grind it with a little salt. Mash it up into a paste and blend it with the oil and red wine vinegar. Pour this over the mixture.

Use a spatula to mix well. Make sure everything gets coated with the red wine vinegar mixture. At this point Mr. Bundt came into the kitchen and said it smelled good and could he have it for breakfast. Um, no. And here’s why. This is one of those salads that needs to sit in the fridge, at least for a few hours. Let it meld. It’s worth the wait, I promise.

It’s soooo good! The creamy chickpeas with the crunchy vegetables is a great combination. A little feta on top might be nice too. Don’t mix it into the whole salad though, crumble a few pieces over your serving before you eat it.

If you love this kind of salad, check out this great quinoa salad here.

What kind of salad do you like? Do you take it for lunch at work or eat it at home?

I love sandwiches. Hot, cold, white bread, buns, whatever. I love them. This pita stuffed with goodness is no different. I’ve eaten this sandwich like it’s my JOB for about the last two months. It’s that good. And it’s meatless. Which is kind of just an added bonus. 

It’s super easy to assemble, I’d recommend doing a lot of chopping at once so you can just pull what you need each day. You’re going to want to eat this all week, so no reason not to.

Ingredients

recipe adapted from Cooking Light

• Whole Wheat Pita
• Red Onion
• Hummus
• Radish
• English Cucumber
• Salad Greens
• Feta
• Lemon zest (if desired)

If you have a mandoline type slicer this can go super fast. I have a cheapo one from Crate & Barrel so don’t feel like you have to spend a ton on one. And if you don’t have one at all, that’s cool too. Don’t sweat it.

Thinly slice the radish and cucumber. Chop the red onion into small pieces. I want to take a bite and not have stuff hanging out of my mouth. If you like, add a little lemon zest to the hummus, it adds a nice dimension. Slice your pita in two.

Smear the hummus on the inside of the pita. Add the greens (baby lettuces, spinach, mache, whatever you like), cukes, radishes, and red onion. If you like, a little salt and pepper is also fine. But the feta is salty so you might want to try it without salt first. Then, sprinkle on the feta cheese. Presto! A magic and wonderful little lunch! Of course you could add meat if you like, but it’s perfectly satisfying without it. As the season provides them, I’m sure some tomatoes would also be great tucked inside.

I sliced up a little mango to go along with mine. You can choose whatever your normal lunch accoutrements are. Sweet potato chips are also tasty.

What do you think? Would you give it a try? I could definitely see serving these at a luncheon, they’re easy to make and perfect light eating for spring and summer. You just FEEL healthier eating them.

Do you have a favorite sandwich? Will you eat the same thing over and over, or do you always fix something new?

But, it’s almost Easter, a season of hope. And it’s spring, what could be more uplifting than little green shoots forcing themselves up out of the ground? The weather here has been beautiful. I’m trying to take a few minutes each morning to just soak in the spring air, the beautiful view of my backyard, and be grateful that God has given me another day, another chance.

Photo courtesy of JJ Harrison (http://www.noodlesnacks.com/)

I hope life is treating you well. And, if not, I hope you know that you’re not alone. That there is some peace to be had. I’m hoping that by the time we get to church on Sunday morning I can feel some of that peace in my bones, soak it up, and let it be the salve that my wounds need.

Photo courtesy pf CC-BY-SA-3.0/Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia

But enough sad blithering, you’re here for the food, right? So let’s talk about Easter food. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I’m pretty traditional in my holiday menus. I like to mix it up for parties, but I find that my family appreciates the more traditional foods at the holiday. Here’s the Easter menu.

• Ham
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Asparagus
• Peas or lima beans
• Potato Salad
• Deviled eggs
• Rolls
• Dessert (usually a springy cake)
• Tea

Um, starch much? Okay, so maybe it’s not that bad. It’s one meal. We have protein and vegetables, too.

I don’t have lots of prep photos for you today, but I will share my recipes with you. None of this is hard. You can easily make this meal, even if you’re headed to church. I still manage to get the whole meal on the table at noon, we go to the 8:30 am service.

The day before:

• Prep the ham – If you want to take the path of least resistance, get a spiral cut ham and prepare it according to the package directions. The key to making it awesome is garnishing. Once the ham is done (and they only require heating, not cooking) let it rest, then place it on your serving platter. Surround it by some dark (cheap) lettuces or herbs from your garden. If you have a few oranges or pineapples, slice those up and place them around the tray. Voila! No one will know Paula Deen isn’t in your kitchen.
• Make the tea. Set the table. Put out all the platters and serving pieces you’ll need for tomorrow. Label them with post-its in case people show up and want to “help”.
• Boil the macaroni noodles. It’s best to slightly undercook them because you want them to absorb the wonderful creamy sauce you’re going to make on the fly tomorrow.
• Snap the ends off the asparagus, but keep them in water just as you would cut flowers. You can also use a vegetable peeler to shave down the stems. Don’t throw away the ends and peels, save them for soup or stock. Or compost, that’s fine too.
• Make the potato salad. Oh, how I wish I cold share a recipe with you. But alas, I make it much the way my mom and grandma do, by taste and sight. Here’s a recipe that would be a good jumping off point. I would add a little sour cream and a tiny tiny bit of mustard to this. Most importantly, use a firm potato, fingerlings are my favorite. You don’t want a mushy potato for potato salad. And in our house, potato salad isn’t a garish yellow nor does it include pickles or pickle relish of any kind. If you like it that way, find your own recipe. :) Slice some hard-boiled eggs on top.
• Make the Deviled Eggs. There is nothing more wonderful than a perfect deviled egg. But again, no pickles or pickle relish here. And no paprika on top. Only things that add to the flavor. Hard boil your eggs, peel them, slice them in half and remove the yolk. Mix the yolk with good, full fat mayo, a tiny bit of mustard, and garlic salt to taste. I like to make it a little saltier the day before then let them sit overnight in the fridge. Like the potato salad, they taste better the next day.
• If you want to make homemade rolls, you want to start them today. Honey Butter Wheat Rolls would be awesome! But, because you might be rushing home from church, I’d recommend buying frozen roll dough from your grocery store and just thawing overnight in the fridge.
• Make your dessert. I love a beautiful coconut cake, white and fluffy, or some kind of fruit dessert. This is one of my FAVORITE spring desserts. This Bunny Butt Cake from Betty Crocker is all over Pinterest. Personally, I would make it with a real cake, not a cake mix cake, but again, don’t kill yourself over it. A cake out of a box isn’t the worst thing ever. Icing out of a can is. My Nana used to make this bunny cake.

Photo courtesy of Betty Crocker

Easter Sunday: I find it helpful to create a timeline of when things need to go on the stove or into the oven. Work back from the time you want to eat. For instance, if you want to eat at noon and the ham needs to cook and rest for a total of 75 minutes you’ll want to start it no later than 10:45, but I’d shoot for 10:30. The mac and cheese needs 20 minutes of oven time and about 10 minutes on the stove. So you’d need to start it no later than 11:30. See where I’m going here? It’s also helpful to have this plan in case someone offers to help. Then you can tell them exactly what needs to be done. Little kids can put ice in the glasses, set out the butter, remind folks to wash up. Grown ups can follow behind, pouring tea and placing pre-prepared items on the table. Everyone else can get the heck out of the kitchen. Oh, wait, did I say that?

• Heat the ham according to package directions. Let it rest. Garnish as mentioned above.
• Make the cheese sauce for the Macaroni and Cheese (recipe below), assemble, and bake.
• Boil water and steam asparagus.
• Heat milk and butter to cook peas or lima beans.
• Grease your muffin tin. Let the rolls rise. Put rolls in the oven and bake.
• Dish up the potato salad and Deviled Eggs, garnish the Deviled Eggs with chives if you like. Spring onions would also be fine.
• Pour the tea.
• Put out butter for the rolls.
• Done. Sit and enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

What does your family like to eat for Easter? Are you brunch, lunch, or dinner people? Do you eat out or does someone cook?

Hoppy Easter!

This tart comes from the wonderful Sweet Paul, Spring 2012 edition. Paul is a person, but it’s also the name of his beautiful e-magazine. It’s amazing! Take a minute to check out Paul on his blog or the magazine. This recipe and many others can be found there. But it’s not just about the food. There’s a lot of other stuff too. And it’s just beautiful to look at, I can’t overstate that!

Asparagus Tart with Ricotta

Recipe courtesy of Sweet Paul Magazine, Spring 2012

• 1 1/4 c flour
• 1 stick salted butter
• 2-3 T cold water
• 1 lg egg
• 7 oz ricotta (I used part skim)
• 1/4 c heavy cream
• 1/4 c milk
• 1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed

This crust is so good! And easy to make. It calls for salted butter, which I normally don’t use. If you don’t have any, toss a bit of salt into your flour mixture. This tart is not meant to be fussy, it’s fine if it’s a little rustic. That’s code for “not perfect.”

Put the flour in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add the butter to the flour.

Quickly work the butter into the flour using your hands. I use a snapping motion with my fingers to work in the butter. You can use a pastry cutter if you like, but clean fingers are God’s gift to cooks, use them.

You’re looking for a grainy or mealy texture. It doesn’t have to be consistent. You want some little butter globs in the dough. These melt in the oven and release steam which makes the crust light and flaky. And in case you think you don’t learn something every day, there you go, a bit of chemistry.

Add the water one tablespoon at a time and work the dough together quickly. Roll into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for an hour.

Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. My tart pan is nine inches, so I used the nine inch guide to roll out my crust. I also keep a metal ruler (dishwasher safe) in the kitchen to help me get my measurements correct. But this pastry mat is invaluable. Here’s a link to a bunch of different kinds if you want to check them out.

See? Not perfect. No sweat. Use the guides on the mat to cut the circle, or use the tart pan to cut the circle. Or, you can do what I do and just make the pan accommodate the dough. It depends on how perfect you want to be. It will all taste the same, I assure you.

Do you know this trick? To move the dough I roll it around my rolling pin and lay it gently in the pan. It’s easier than folding it or trying to drag it up over the lip of the tart pan. But you do it your way.

Place the dough in the tart pan and press to fit. Prick the bottom with a fork and put the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill it with beans or pie weights. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, remove from the oven, take out the foil and beans, then cool a bit. Turn down the oven to 350 degrees.

This method is called blind baking. See, again with the knowledge!

In a bowl, beat together the egg, ricotta, cream, milk, salt, and pepper.

Pour the mixture into the tart and nestle the asparagus spears on top. Scooch a few into the edges if your pan is round like mine. Put the filled shell back on the baking sheet and bake another 20 minutes (mine took closer to 30) until golden and set in the middle.

Serve hot or cold.

This was such a great supper! I hope you’ll give it a try! I also hope you’ll check out my Facebook page for other links and info!

What do you cook when it’s too hot to cook? Anything you crave when the weather gets warm? For me it’s Mexican and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Weird, huh?

Don’t be intimidated by the lemon curd. This recipe makes it simple, just follow the instructions.

Lemon Almond Tart

Recipe courtesy of Sweet Paul Magazine, Spring 2012

I also needed to serve up a gluten-free option. Since no one in my house has any dietary sensitivities, I’ll admit I don’t think much about these kinds of things. We eat pretty healthy most of the time, but I had been looking for some new options with quinoa anyway and this was a great opportunity to try something new. I should caution you though, normally I wouldn’t serve a new, untested recipe as such a major part of a meal. Since I was making the salad ahead, I felt like I had enough time to whip out something else if this didn’t work.

My menu:

• Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cutlets – pounded and reserved for last minute frying
• Quinoa Salad – made ahead
• Lemon Almond Tart – made ahead

I had some chicken breasts in the freezer, so I pounded them flat and used a standard recipe for Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cutlets. I started these about 20 minutes before I expected my colleagues. In that time I could fry up three cutlets, tent them with foil, and clean up the pan before anyone arrived. I make chicken cutlets all the time so I won’t bore you with the details. You can check out one of my favorite recipes for Crispy Parmesan Chicken from Cook’s Country.

I had some quinoa in the pantry waiting on me to do something with it. And this gluten-free meal was the perfect opportunity. So I trolled the interwebs for a few minutes before deciding on this Quinoa Salad recipe from the Food Network. It was light, cold, and had lots of things in it that I like to eat. It sounded like, with the chicken, it would be a full meal. Plus, it made a lot! Leftovers were a bonus! I made the salad the day before, but didn’t add the tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes, the only decent thing you can get before June) and the avocados until I was ready to serve.

Quinoa Salad

Recipe adapted from Food Network

• 12 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 container of grape tomatoes
• 1 bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 bunches mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced, for garnish

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the quinoa, stir once, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, over medium heat for 12 minutes. Strain and rinse well with cold water, shaking the sieve well to remove all moisture.

This isn’t really cooking. It’s assembling. Anyone can do it. And quinoa is cute and hairy, so give it a whirl!

Then stick it in the fridge overnight. It lets the flavors absorb and makes it nice and cold.

Plate it up on a nice platter, spreading the tomato halves and avocado slices over the top. I stuck a bunch of mint on top for garnish. Pretty AND tasty!

It is such a good salad! And my colleagues loved the lunch. Check out the dessert portion of the meal on Wednesday!

Have you tried quinoa? Do you have a favorite recipe? I think I’ll try it for breakfast next!