Orange Honey Quinoa

As usual, I was poking around the internet for something different. I came across a recipe for "Sunshine Rice" and it sounded interesting. I decided to play around with the idea and use the same basic concept for quinoa. I did want it to be a little bit sweeter than the rice recipe sounded as thought it might be. So here is my rendition call "Orange Honey Quinao." I thought it turned out delicious!

2 tsps olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small to medium sweet onion, chopped
1 tsp bottled mince garlic (or fresh equivelant)
1 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tbls soy sauce
2 tbls honey
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
Scant 1 cup uncooked, rinsed quinoa
Slivered almonds to sprinkle on top (toasted optional)
Ornage slices for garnish (optional)

Combine water through honey in a 2-cup measuring cup. Stir to combine.

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan. Add celery and onion. Cook on medium high until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and red pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Add orange juice mixture. Turn heat to high and bring mixture to a simmer.

Stir in quinoa. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 munutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Once liquid is absorbed, remove from heat and stir. Let sit for a few minutes. Top with slivered (toasted) almonds. Serve with orange slices for garnish if desired.

This dish would be excellent with some grilled chicken and a large helping of steamed brocolli! Enjoy!

Lightened Up Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is a super tasty salad dressing! It's based on a recipe from About.com, but I've adjusted the proportions to make it lighter. The original recipe calls for a large amount of olive oil. That adds a lot of empty calories. So I tried it out with a lot less olive oil and guess what, it's still delicious!

Also, I washed out an old salad bottle dressing from a store bought dressing.  Then I increased the recipe (see picture for an idea of how much this makes). Now I have enough salad dressing to last a little while.

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2-3 tablespoons dijon mustard (depending on how much of a kick you want)

3 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 clove minced garlic (I use a garlic press)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Use a two cup glass measuring cup. Mix all ingredients except olive oil. Then wisk in olive oil. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients to taste. Pour into the clean empty salad dressing bottle. Give it a good shake. Pour it on your salad!! Yum!

I think you could really play around with this recipe. You could add fresh herbs or other seasonings. I'd love to hear from you on how you like it and and how you get creative with it!