Quinoa and Currant Salad

I didn’t expect this to really be a standout so I never bothered to take a picture of it. My husband chided me as he wolfed the last bits of it. When will I ever learn?

3 cups of beef broth
1.5 cup uncooked quinoa
½ cup currants
2 tbs of minced mint
Juice of ½ a lime
A good bit of pepper
Salt to taste


Bring broth to broil and throw in qinoa and currants, let cook to package instructions (mine called for 12 minutes), let cool. Add mint, lime, salt and pepper. Let stand in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to an hour.

Beet and Blue Cheese Salad

I have gotten a bit behind on the blogging of late. If it gives you any clue this is something I made January 18th. This is a really simple salad and quite pretty. I used a simple olive oil and lemon dressing, but any vinaigrettes would work.

This made four salads:

1 large beet, boil until tender and pop the skin, let cool then grate
¾ c. blue cheese
½ c. toasted walnuts
4 cups lettuce or mixed greens
thinly sliced onion

On four plates put on cup of lettuce or greens. Top with ¼ (for each plate) blue cheese and walnuts. Add onion to taste. Put ¼ of the shredded beets and top with dressing. Do not toss.

Orange and Goat Cheese Salad

I hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed time with friends and family. This year for Christmas Eve dinner I did a seafood lasagna. I am quite sure some of you might desert me if I write up one more thing containing orange or orange zest. I love citrus though. I believe citrus is the most underutilized powerhouse of the kitchen. Don’t believe me? Next dish you make, sweet or savory either squeeze some fresh lemon, lime or orange unto it or use a little fresh zest from one of these beauties. It just picks up a dish. It adds a layer of flavor that makes all the difference in the world. The only key with citrus is to add it at the very end. It gets bitter if cooked too long.

This is just a simple salad. It contains only lettuce (your choice), onion, toasted walnuts (pine nuts would be great too), orange and goat cheese or feta. I made this salad twice. The first time I simply used a very good EVOO and a ton of fresh pepper. For Christmas Eve dinner I used a bit of vinegar, EVOO and again a ton of fresh pepper. It was the perfect salad for a seafood meal and pretty as well.

Mushroom Risotto

Believe or not this was the first time I made Risotto. You hear how complicated it is to make and honestly, it scared me off. Then the other day in the supermarket, I see the big container of risotto next to the basmati and I think, “Now honestly, how scary can a little bit of rice be?” So, I buy it and I make it, and I am utterly shocked. Shocked I tell you. It takes the skill level of rice- a- roni. I am not joking. At all. It has all been a lie! But now I know the truth…. I think we will be have a lot of risotto for a while!!
1.5 c. of risotto
4 tbs olive oil divided
1 cup of white wine
4-6 c. of chicken stock (it took me about 5)
1 packaged of mixed mushrooms chopped
1 large or two small shallots finely chopped
1 tbs porcini and truffle oil (optional, you can get at sur la table)
1 tsp tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook mushrooms and shallots. Once done set them aside.
Heat the other 2 tablespoons of oil. Add risotto to pan and cook for about 3 minutes stirring until rice starts to yellow/brown just a bit.
Add wine and tarragon. Cook over medium low heat until liquid is absorbed. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock. Cook, until that liquid is absorbed (the recipe on the canister indicates to stir constantly. You do want to stir it a bit, but constantly is a bit of an overstatement. However, you do want to stay close, this is not a dish you can leave and come back to check on.) At this point add liquid a cup at a time. Check doneness of rice after 3 cups of stock and check each cup after. Risotto should be firm but not hard. It will be a bit wet.
Once risotto is done add mushrooms back in, drizzle with oil and serve.
One thing I could use suggestions on is reheating the risotto. The next day I went to have some and it was terrible. It was gluey and pasty and the kids ended up getting it for lunch (they thought it was great). I just microwaved it. Any ideas on a better way to heat it?