Peas Give Me More Crab Quinoa

I know, it is a corny title...

Quinoa is my new obsession!  It is a highly-digestible, gluten-free grain and it is delicious!  I have spent a lot of time thinking (when I am supposed to do other things) of new recipes to make with quinoa.  Fortunately, I had a lot of time while I waited for the doctor to start a TEE.  Here is the first one I came up with!

What you need:

• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 c. quinoa
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 2 tbs. lemon juice
• 1 cloves garlic
• salt 
• pepper
• cayenne pepper
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1 can of crab or fresh lump crab
• 2 tbs. dill

Combine the veggie broth and the quinoa in a medium size sauce pan and bring to a boil. 

DON'T LET IT BOIL OVER!!  It makes a MESS!  Trust me...

Once you have it at a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and a couple dashes of cayenne pepper (depending on your spice preference).

I used my magic bullet to whip everything together, but an immersion blender or food processor would work well, too!  Blend until completely combined.

When the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork.

 

Add the peas, stir to combine and put the cover back on for another 3-5 minutes.

When the peas are warmed through, add in the dill and crab.  Stir to combine.

Finally add the dressing and give it one last good stir!

Plate and enjoy!

You can either have it as a side dish or an entree, hot or cold, inside or outside...

you get the idea!

I really enjoyed this dish!  It is light and fresh; perfect for a summertime dish!  I ate it warm the first day and then cold the next day for lunch.  Honestly, I can't tell you which one I enjoyed more! 

Enjoy!

xo

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

My sister-in-law Abby introduced me to a new blog a few months back and I fell in love with it!  This is the first time I have tried to make anything from detoxinista and I'll tell ya right now, it won't be the last.  It is a health blog that puts focus on being healthy while enjoying all the goodies of life!  On my day off, I got attacked by the sweet tooth monster and I had to put him at ease, so I turned to her flourless peanut butter cookies for a less-quilt option. 

What you need:

•  1 c. peanut butter
• 1/3 c. honey
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Mix together the peanut butter, honey, egg, salt and baking soda.

Mix until well combined.  At first, it'll look like a hot mess, but in no time, it'll come together!

Then mix in the oh so yummy chocolate chips!

I used a tablespoon and scooped the batter into 12 very generous blobs onto a Silpat lined cookie sheet (you can use parchment too).  I tried to keep them somewhat structured. 

Put the cookie sheet into your pre-heated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes and wait for the glorious smell that will fill your kitchen (and torture your pooch)!

When the cookies are lightly brown, pull out of the oven and let rest on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes.  I left them there until they cooled almost completely.

Well...almost completely...I couldn't wait, they smelled so good...

These cookies are soft and chewy.  They are the perfect snack for satifying both your sweet and salty cravings.  The best part is that they are natural, you don't have to feel guilty eating them.  Also, they are Mike approved!

WOW-ZA, it has been a long time!

WOW!  It has been a really long time and a lot has happened since I last wrote a post!  You may remember that I got engaged, but what you do not know is that Mike and I bought a house, got a puppy and GOT MARRIED!

Let's start from the top, our house!  We moved off the Main Line, which was a big adjustment!  We no longer have restaurants within two minutes, Wawa isn't walking distance anymore and the city is A LOT farther away!  One lucky thing is that we are still close to the train line to get into the city, but it is now a little under an hour.  What we gained is a beautiful single family home in an adorable sidewalk-lined neighborhood.  We are also minutes from my Mom and Mike's Dad and step-mom.

Move in day

With our house comes an all new kitchen, that I am obsessed with!  The only bummer about our new kitchen is the stove...it is electric...
It was the only disappointment of the house.

After living in our new home for two months, one of my biggest wishes came true...we got a puppy!!  Originally, we were going to wait longer, but I couldn't wait.  We started to research puppies and we did have a few stipulations.  It had to be hypoallergenic because my beloved father-in-law is allergic to dogs and since Mike has never had a dog before, he requested a smaller dog.  So, we narrowed it all the way down to a miniature Labradoodle!  I won't keep you waiting any more...this is our furry baby, ALPHIE!

Alphie and I the day she came home

 

 

She has grown up so fast!  We are currently taking her to puppy classes and working with her to stop her undesirable habits.

I was going to get into the wedding, but it is going to be LONG, so I'm going to be mean and make you wait (but not almost a year like before)!

Thank you for reading!  I hope to get my blog back on track now that life has settled down and also to get Kenny Bear off my back, he is stick of the french toast post!

xo

Colie