Quinoa Avocado Salad

If you get on Pinterest much or read many food blogs or magazines, you've probably noticed an abundance of quinoa recipes popping up over the last few years. I first tried quinoa several years ago when my family visited Cusco, Peru after one of our medical mission trips, and I loved it. At that time, it was very hard to find in the States, but in recent years it has really grown in popularity.  Now you can find it in almost any grocery store!

Quinoa has a unique flavor and texture, and it is so good for you! It's high in protein and fiber, and it's gluten free.  It makes a great side dish, salad ingredients, or you can even substitute it for meat in a soup or casserole.  What's not to love?!

Lately I've been pinning lots of quinoa salad recipes, and decided try my hand at creating my own. I actually used a quinoa/brown rice blend that I had, but I think any type of quinoa or quinoa blend would work well.  Make sure to read the package instructions, as some quinoa needs to be rinsed before cooking.  Mine was pre-rinsed, so I didn't have to worry about that.  To the quinoa, I added grape tomatoes, spinach, avocado, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and red onion.

Now a word about the onion...almost every quinoa salad recipe I saw called for some type of onion (red, green, or white).  I like the flavor onions give when they are cooked in a dish, but I am not a fan of raw onions.  Something about the strong taste and texture...ew!  When I use onions, I usually chop them with a food processor so finely that they are almost pureed.  I like to do several at once and freeze them in 1/2 cup portions that I can pull out whenever I need them. 

For this salad, I pulled out some frozen red onion and cooked it with the quinoa.  That way, I got a mild onion flavor without any big crunchy pieces. Perfect!

I wasn't really planning on posting this recipe, so I didn't take pictures of the whole process.  But the finished product was just so pretty and colorful, I decided to snap a few. Then we tasted it, and I knew I had to post it.  Feel free to add any other ingredients you like.  I think cucumber would be really good, and olives too if you like them.  I, however, deplore olives, so you will never find them in one of my recipes. :)  This summer, I might try it with fresh herbs.  I think basil and oregano would be delicious!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Quinoa Avocado Salad

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa or quinoa/brown rice blend
1 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped or pureed red onion
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup chopped spinach
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese, plus more for topping

Combine quinoa, onion, and water in a medium saucepan.  Cook according to quinoa package instructions, and allow to completely cool.  Mix together quinoa, tomatoes, and spinach.  In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  Add to quinoa mixture and mix well.   Gently fold in avocado and feta cheese.  Sprinkle with additional feta if desired when serving. 

Enjoy!

~Rachel

Salmon Patties

Here in the Conley household, we love us some salmon!  Jake and I have always eaten a lot of salmon, and when we introduced it to Luke a few months ago, he loved it too.  I try to fix salmon at least once a week so we can all get our omega-3 fix. :)

Of course living in land-locked Tennesee makes serving good quality, yet affordable salmon a bit of a challenge.  We LOVE the fresh salmon at Publix (they have some in a bourbon marinade that is do die for!), but it's a little too pricey for us to buy every week.  I've found some frozen salmon at Sam's Club that isn't half bad, so we eat that quite a bit. But I'm always on the lookout for new and creative ways to work salmon into our weeknight dinners.

Several months ago, I came across this recipe on Pinterest for Goat Cheese and Spinach Salmon Burgers.  Goat cheese, spinach, and salmon happen to be three of my favorite foods, so I was intrigued. When I looked at the recipe, I was surprised to see that it called for canned salmon.  I don't know why, but I've always avoided canned salmon.  Something about the bones and the skin and the smell have always grossed me out.  However, I must admit that it is very affordable.  And these burgers looked super yummy, so I decided to give them a try.

I am so glad I did!  Jake and I were both amazed by how good they were.  I think we were both expecting something kind of mediocre-edible but not outstanding.  I mean, it was canned salmon after all.  But we were blown away!  These burgers were moist, flavorful, and absolutely delicious.  They have now become one of our favorite ways to eat salmon. 

I've tweaked the recipe a bit and made it a little easier (and less gross!) by using pouches of salmon instead of cans.  No bones, skin, or draining required and still very affordable. The first time we ate these, we ate them without buns because I didn't have any. 

Since then we have tried them both ways, but we actually prefer them bunless (is that a word??).  So we call them salmon patties instead of burgers.  It just doesn't seem right to call something a burger if you don't eat it with a bun, ya know? 

Here's the recipe with my adaptations:

You'll need fresh spinach, pouches of salmon (or cans), goat cheese (feta also works), bread crumbs, eggs, garlic powder, and onion powder.  And salt and olive oil.  Forgot to put those in the photo.  Oops!

Start by chopping your spinach.  I like to just throw it in a large bowl and use these awesome Pampered Chef Salad Choppers.  I use them all the time!  They're great for chopping chicken, veggies, pasta, and obviously salad.  Definitely recommend them!

If you don't have salad choppers, you can also just use a knife and cutting board.

Next add the salmon (drained with bones and skin removed if using canned), eggs, bread crumbs, lemon juice, and seasonings.

Now the original recipe calls for a chopped onion.  I am not a big fan of crunchy pieces of onion in things, so the first time I made this, I sauteed the onions on olive oil and that worked well.  The second time I was in a hurry and didn't have time to chop an onion, so I used onion powder.  Definitely a lot easier, and I think it still tasted great.  If you have the time and desire to chop an onion (something I always hate doing!), feel free.  Otherwise, I recommend the powder.

 
Stir all of these ingredients together well.  Feel free to use your hands.  You'll be getting them messy later anyway. :) 

Then add your goat or feta cheese and stir until just combined.

Now shape the mixture into patties.  This makes four large patties, but I like to separate out the last into two little ones for Luke. These freeze really well, so I usually freeze one of the extra big and little patties for us to have for lunch on another day.

Chill these in the fridge for 30 minutes.  I confess, I don't always have time to do this, but they do stick together better when you do.

When you're ready to cook them, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook the patties about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

And there you have it!  An easy, healthy, and delicious week night meal.  We like to eat them with a salad and bread or sometimes roasted sweet potatoes.

Luke loves them and so do we!

Salmon Patties with Goat Cheese & Spinach

Adapted from Hummusapien

2 small pouches of salmon (or a 14.5 oz can)
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 egg + 1 egg white
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder (or 1/2 cup chopped & sauteed onion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 oz crumbled goat or feta cheese
Olive oil

Combine chopped spinach, salmon, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Gently stir in cheese.

Shape into patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat about 1 Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook patties about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

~Rachel

Banana Bread Oatmeal

There's nothing better on a cold morning than a nice warm bowl of oatmeal!  I've experimented with all kinds of additions to my oatmeal, and this is one of my favorites.  I call it "Banana Bread Oatmeal." 

Now I'm not gonna lie and say it tastes just like banana bread because it doesn't.  It's oatmeal!  But it is quite delicious and healthy.  And, just like banana bread, it's a great way to use up ripe bananas. 

You can adapt this recipe to make as much as you want.  Jake's not a big oatmeal fan, so I usually just make enough for one, but you can easily double, triple, or even quadruple it to feed the whole fam!

Here's what you need:





 

• Oats: I like to use old fashioned oats.  I think they have a better texture and flavor, but you could also use instant.
• Banana: The riper the better!  Like I said, a great way to use up those brown bananas.  Use one banana per serving of oatmeal that you're making.
• Milk: I like to use almond milk for oatmeal...makes it nice and creamy.  But I've also used regular and soy milk, and they work well too.
• Flaxseed: This isn't essential, but it's so good for you!  Flaxseed is high in omega-3's and fiber, and you can't even taste it in the oatmeal.  I definitely recommend adding it!
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg
• Sweetener of choice:  I used maple syrup today, but brown sugar and honey are also delicious!

Pour your milk into a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil.  Be careful to watch so it doesn't boil over.  I speak from experience.

While the milk is heating, assemble your other ingredients in a bowl.  (I just use the same bowl I'm going to eat it out of.  Less to wash!)

Start with your oats...

Then add your banana.  I chopped it up into small pieces, but if it's really ripe you can mash it up.

Add your flaxseed, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  I don't really measure the spices, but I use quite a bit of cinnamon and just a dash of nutmeg.  A little goes a long way with nutmeg.

 

When your milk starts to boil, stir in oatmeal ingredients and turn the burner down to low.

 

 



Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches desired consistency.  For old-fashioned oats, I cook about 5-6 minutes. 

If you want it thicker, you can always cook a little longer.  Or if it gets too thick, you can add a little extra milk.  Once it has reached your desired consistency, pour it into a bowl and sweeten to taste.

Easy, yummy, and healthy!  What more could you ask for? :)

Banana Bread Oatmeal

2/3 cup milk of choice (almond, soy, and regular all work well)
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 ripe banana, chopped or mashed
1 Tbs flaxseed
Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste
Sweetener of choice (I recommend maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey)

Bring milk to over medium-high heat.  While milk is heating, combine all other ingredients except sweetener in a bowl.  When milk is boiling, stir in oatmeal ingredients and reduce heat to low.  Cook 5-6 minutes or until oatmeal reaches desired consistency.  Pour into bowl and sweeten to taste. 

~Rachel