Lemon Corn Couscous Salad

As I listen to Dolly Parton in the kitchen, I can't help think how much I love cooking. And not just any cooking, but healthy dishes and using the freshest ingredients possible. Some days I think I was really meant to live the Southern Belle lifestyle. For now, I'll sip my ice tea, let my peaches ripen (future recipe coming!), and listen to Dolly while I blog. Enjoy the Couscous Salad!

So you should be prepared because this salad is DELICIOUS. I could eat the entire bowl, no joke. The outcome is so fresh, the perfect temperature, and the right amount of zesty lemon. Everything blends so well. I ate this salad all alone for dinner, but you could pair it with some type of leafy salad, or do I dare say, meat? Which ever you choose, this will take the stage, because it's so gosh darn yummy.

Found on pinterest, here's the recipe from the blog Just a Taste. Of course, I'll post below for ease of reading. The major change I made was instead of using quinoa, I used what we had here at home which created a fantastic substitution and one that I will always use: Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend - a savory blend of Israeli Style Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbanzo Beans, and Red Quinoa. Highly recommended!

Lemon Corn Couscous Salad:

4 ears corn, shucked 1 can of corn, no salt added (that's what we have in our pantry)1 Tablespoon grated fresh lemon zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted
(I used margarine, although if I had butter I would have used it)1 Tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups uncooked quinoa
(Substitute the Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend 1 3/4 cups = half a bag)4 scallions, chopped
(I used 5 green onions thinly chopped/sliced)

Directions:
1. Heat entire contents from can of corn in a small pot on stove top over medium heat (enough to heat all the way through).

2. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Rinse the uncooked grains in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear. (I read this as rinse after the grains were cooked, as long as it gets rinsed at some point, you're fine!)

4. Cook the grains according to package directions.

5. Add the grains, drained corn, and chopped scallions to the bowl with the dressing and toss until it's evenly coated.

6. You're going to love this salad as much as I do, the entire combination screams summertime! Enjoy!

01 02 18

Cocoa Banana Bread.

I'm back in the kitchen. I love the kitchen. Especially by myself, with music, and nothing but a counter full of ingredients.

I checked out two vegan cookbooks this week from the library. My curiosity led me to the cookbook aisle. I've always wondered how hard would it be to switch up my food choices even more from vegetarian, and I've never known what vegans do and do not eat. These two books answered my questions.

Today, I tried my first recipe. A little modification was done. I'm not becoming a vegan, but I am intrigued by a few recipes and ingredients that I want to try. Plus, I'm always looking for new recipes, whether it be to cook or bake.

From the book, Vegan Express, I started with the recipe Dense and Fruity Banana Bread on page 239. Mainly, because I knew we had a whole bunch of bananas in the fridge way past their prime. What become of this recipe is pure delicious-ness.

The original recipe:

Oil for the pan

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 natural granulated sugar

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of ground nutmeg

2 medium very ripe bananas, well mashed

1/2 cup applesauce or apple butter

2 tbsp safflower oil

1/3 cup rice milk or soymilk

3/4 cup finely chopped dates or dried apricots

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

My version:

1 cup whole wheat flour (we only had one cup of this flour left in the cupboard)

1 cup white flour

1/2 applesauce instead of apple butter

2 tbsp vegetable oil instead of safflower oil

1/3 soymilk (my mom only drinks this, so we always have soymilk on hand)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

No dates, fruit, or nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. I used vegetable spray and a glass loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cocoa, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and stir together. 3. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add the bananas, applesauce, oil, and enough soymilk to make a smooth slightly stiff batter. Stir until thoroughly mixed, then stir in the chocolate chips (or fruit or nuts as you wish).
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is firm and a knife inserted into the center tests clean. When cool enough to handle, carefully remove the bread from the pan, place it on a rack or platter, and allow to cool until just warm before slicing. I baked my loaf for a total of 41 minutes. The loaf sat for about 2-3 minutes to cool in the pan, then I ran the knife along the edges of pan and flipped over the loaf and set onto a wire rack to cool. Slice with a serrated bread knife for clean slices.

This loaf can easily be made vegan by not putting in chocolate chips or using dairy free chips. I just can't resist chocolate chips in banana bread. Enjoy!

01 02 18

Car Troubles.

Don't let my Dodge see this post, else she may get a bit mad. Yep. I said that, I can't let her know she may someday be replaced. I am convinced she is a sister of Herbie. If she knows you dislike how she is behaving (okay, well driving or handling) then she will continue to get worse or cause little hiccups along the way.

Here's the truth: she is a bucket of rust underneath the outer body. Unfortunate, but true. She will be getting another spa day to hopefully help her get even more miles than the 150,000+ she's got going on. Later this week: new brakes, turned rotors, new radiator, and alternator. Uffda. I sure hope this helps the car last, because I am not in any situation to get a new car right now.

One) Because I love my little four door car that zips around town like no other and fits into basically any parking spot available.

Two) This has been my only car. I know how to take care of her. And yet, because she is a '97 if the body gets a scratch I don't mind. All in building the cars character. Like the scratch on the top of the trunk? Yep, from my college laundry basket that had a pebble stuck to the bottom and I pushed the basket across the trunk when moving all my stuff back home last year. But you see, these little things are what I love about my car.

Three) Decent fuel mileage. Alright, around town I have only been getting about 23 mpg, but when I was going from school to home and had highway miles logged, I would get about 27 mpg. I shouldn't complain either way.

Four) Most importantly, my comfort level. I've got my mirrors adjusted, my seat pulled forward, and I am in charge. Other cars I don't always have such a strong grip on. I know this comes with time, as I remember my first time reversing in the Dodge. I complained I couldn't see anything. And look how far I've come.

My Dodge, well, I'm not ready to let go quite yet.




01 02 18

These are a few of my favorite things.

Hello, May 2012:

1. Country Music.
2. Tips from passengers. This seriously can make my day, yes a whopping dollar most times.
3. French pedicures.
4. Dove dark chocolate with caramel.
5. Crystal Light drink mixes.
6. Homemade Nail Whitener:
    -1 tablespoon Hydrogen Peroxide
    -2.5 tablespoons Baking Soda
  Mix into a paste and use a q-tip to apply under and over nails. Let sit for 3 minutes and wash away!
7. Homemade Makeup Brush Cleanser:
    -1/2 warm water
    -1/4 white distilled vinegar
   Swish brush in solution, let dry on a paper towel overnight. AMAZING.
8. Watching my gladiolas grow!
9. Gardening.
10. Walks to the Mississippi River.
11. Watching my bird feeder. Yes, I do this on a daily basis when I'm home. This is my retirement plan. Amateur bird watcher.
12. Life cereal with almond milk.
13. Tuna wraps.
14. Zesty Italian dressing.
15. Keurig Cafe Mocha and Apple Cider.
16. Yoga.
17. Cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes. Yes, cleaning.
18. Clipping coupons on Sunday.
19. Looking at the Rainbow ad for DOUBLE DAZE on Wednesdays. Yep. Not kidding here.
20. V-neck shirts with jeans.
21. Old Navy black flip flops.

Content. SO content with life right now.



01 02 18

Little things.

Today is May 1st. May day. I've always wondered what May Day really is, so today I googled it and found brief answers to my question. My interpretation: I will celebrate the beginning of Spring and have flowers planted, in vases, and everywhere possible. A new wreath on the front door (okay, when I have a front door to do so) and give away baskets or little terracotta pots of fresh flowers at work (okay, if my work isn't in a plane).

Last Friday was also Arbor Day. I also have never celebrated Arbor Day and don't know what it's all about it. So, yep, googled that one too. Basically, I am suppose to plant a tree. But my interpretation will be to plant in general and possible clean up things that weren't done on Earth Day (just the week prior, why do they make these holidays so close to one another?).

I love the outdoors. On Sunday I was able to walk by the Mississippi River near Hidden Falls, and it was SO nice. A little chilly, perfect cardigan weather, and plenty of puppies to watch splash around in the water and run around and tackle one another. The bottom of my shoes got sandy and I may have eaten a few grains of sand with my sandwich, but the time was so nice. Maybe spending the day with another person made a difference too, but regardless it was a great day. I love water. Never realized it so much as now, but I do. After visiting the beaches of Puerto Rico, listening to the waves at the edge of Scotland, and now taking in the murky water of the Mississippi, I don't mind what kind of water, just water. Noted.



01 02 18