Mediterranean Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

I had no intentions of making this salad until just beforehand. Maybe it was the beautiful weather in the 70s we've been having, but I was suddenly wanting to make something light. Something almost summery feeling. I browsed a few recipes first, not sure what I was looking for, but once I began looking through my fridge and pantry was when I really became inspired. The ingredients I had on hand begged to be made into a salad with Mediterranean flair- full of vegetables, herbs and chickpeas. The quinoa was one of the last elements I decided on, and a very smart addition, if I do say so.

I had plans for a lemony dressing for this, but when I cut open the big, beautiful lemon I had, I found it was...a lemon of a lemon. It had about a half inch thickness of pith and a not even a tablespoon of juice. In it's place, I used a good bit of red wine vinegar. If you'd rather not have the dressing too tangy, you could change the ratio for the dressing, using more oil and less vinegar, but Sage and I thought it was perfect as it was.

In fact, everything about this salad was perfect to us. We couldn't leave it alone and just absolutely loved it. It's as delightful hours later as it is freshly made, making it ideal for entertaining...such as those summer cookouts that aren't too far off in the future.

Mediterranean Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

serves 4-6

Getting the quinoa started first, and then prepping your other ingredients while it cools will help speed along the preparation of this salad.

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup vegetable stock (or water)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 (14 oz) can of quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1 (19 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced (I partially peeled mine)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Bring quinoa and stock to boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and grain has opened up. While quinoa is cooking, whisk together oil, vinegar, a few pinches of salt and a generous amount of pepper in a medium bowl. When quinoa is finished cooking, immediately toss with dressing and set aside to cool.

Sprinkle grape tomatoes with a little salt and drain in a collander for about 15 minutes.

Trim artichokes of their tougher ends, leaving only the most tender part of the heart. Discard tough parts, then coarsly chop hearts. (You can chop the entire thing if you wish, but for cold salads, I think it is so much better without the rubbery part.)

Add tomatoes and chopped artichokes to serving bowl, along with the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, feta and herbs. Once quinoa is cool, add to serving bowl and toss gently. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Mushroom Quiche with Quick and Easy Crust

Sage is always mentioning how much he likes quiche, so you'd think I'd have made him one before. But I never have. In fact, I've never made a quiche at all. I've thought about it many times, but I never have a pie crust on hand,or had the desire to make one from scratch. I know there's many crustless quiches out there, but I like the crust part.

Then I found a ridiculously quick and easy crust on RecipeZaar that left me with no excuse not to whip one up. It seemed almost too easy to be good, but it really was. Was it as perfectly flaky and light as the real deal? No, of course not. But you certainally would not think it was a press-in-pan-and-fill recipe that takes less than 5 minutes. I see many more quiches in our future, now that I can whip one up easily anytime I want.

Quick and Easy Quiche Crust, from RecipeZaar

1 cup flour (you can use a mix of all purpose and wheat, but I was out of wheat)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup ice water

1. In a medium bowl, stir flour and salt together.

2. In a seperate bowl, whisk together oil and ice water, to thicken. Pour water/oil into the bowl of flour, and mix with a fork. (I used my hands to mix it completely.)

3. Press into 9 inch pie pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

At this point you can fill it however you wish, but here is what I used and it was delicious!

1 tsp olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

4 oz. mushrooms, coarsely chopped (I would actually suggest using 8 oz.)

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained well and coarsely chopped

6 ready-to-eat sun dried tomato halves, chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or other cheese of your choice)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup 2% milk

Heat oil in small saute pan over medium heat. Saute shallot for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute until moisture is released. Set aside.

Fill unbaked crust with artichoke, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and shallot. Top with basil and cheese.

Beat eggs and milk together. Pour over vegetables.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until set in center and puffed and golden.

Artichoke Mushroom Chicken Picatta

This tasty dinner came about because I had some mushrooms to use up. I was thinking of just doing something like spaghetti, but then chicken picatta popped into my head and the idea of doing a variation of it sounded great. Plus I knew my chicken-loving husband would be happy, especially if it was served over rice.

I typically think of chicken picatta as having white wine, but I didn't have any, and I included artichokes as well as the mushrooms, so it wasn't quite traditional, but it was delicious. Sage loved how tender the chicken was. I intended on thickening the sauce up at the end, but as I was plating it, I realized I'd forgot. It was fine though because the rice soaked up the thin juice.

We ended up having my cousin and her son join us for dinner, and I wasn't sure how far 2 breasts would go, but with the additional of a big salad and having the chicken over rice, it was plenty of food for three adults and two toddlers. (Okay, the little guys didn't eat much, but there was still some leftover chicken.) This was an easy dinner to make and a nice one for deciding on last minute, as most of the ingredients were things I always have one hand.

2 chicken breasts
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp light butter substitute, divided
1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 small onion, choppped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz. sliced mushrooms (using the entire 8 oz. pkg would be good too)

1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained, tough parts removed and coarsely chopped

1 tbsp capers

juice of 1 lemon (around 3 tbsp)

3 cups cooked brown rice

Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut each breast into 3 fairly equal sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper

In a shallow bowl, mix flour and paprika together. Dredge each piece of chicken into flour mixture. Tap off excess. In a skillet over medium heat melt one tbsp of butter and the olive oil together. Add chicken to pan, and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove from pan.

Use a small amount of the broth to deglaze pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add remaining tbsp of butter to pan. When melted, add onions, and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms, cook for 3 more minutes. Add the rest of the broth, the artichokes, capers, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Artichoke Caprese Pasta Salad

I find it amusing that the dinner we had on the first night of Fall would be something appropriate for a summer cookout- burgers and a cold pasta salad. But then again, it is still 90 degrees here. Actually, this isn't wasn't what I was going to make, but I had a ball of fresh mozzarella in the cheese drawer, just waiting to be used.

For as long we've been together, Sage's favorite salad to order at restaurants is Insalata Caprese. Being the pasta salad lover I am, I decided to put a spin on it and add orzo, which we both really like. I also included artichokes, just because I think (almost) every pasta salad is better with them. This was a lovely, refreshing side dish. I kind of felt it was missing something- Sage disagreed- but I believe it just hadn't chilled long enough for the flavors to intensify to their full potential. But as with most pasta salads, after a night in the fridge, it was wonderful.

We enjoyed this with turkey burgers, and I have to share a delicious addition I discovered. I roasted a head of garlic and added it to the ground turkey with fresh chopped parsley, breadcrumbs and an egg. The burgers were so flavorful, we even skipped topping them with cheese. We tried the Arnold Sandwich Thins for the first time and I highly recommend them. They're a great substitute for a big bun.

2/3 cup uncooked orzo
6-8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed (I used 6 but should've used the whole 8 oz.)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
10 basil leaves, chopped or torn
1 (14 oz.) can of artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped*
2 tbsp olive oil
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to box. Drain and rinse with cold water. Once cool, transfer to serving dish. Add remaining ingredients, toss, and chill for at least a few hours or overnight.

*As I often do for pasta salads, I removed the tougher rubbery part of the artichokes, which reduces the amount by half. If you are using the whole thing, you might only want to use about half of the can.

Penne with Artichokes, Mushrooms and Olives

This recipe was created in an attempt to clean out the fridge and pantry. However, it was so good we decided it was worth sharing. I hadn't planned to put this one the blog, so my ingredients may be a little approximate and the directions might not be the most logical. I was just throwing something together. But it worked and was a really fast, delicious meal. In fact, the sauce and vegetables came together in less time than it took the pasta to cook.

I did make this vegetarian, but Sage had grilled chicken with his. I tried it with a few bites of the chicken, and it was just as good both ways. (Sage's words: Now this is what I'm talking about!) Normally I shy away from recipes that call for cream because I don't ever use or have it, but my mom brought over some perishables before going on vacation. She'd intended on making a pie for my grandma (who at 94 can eat whatever she wants in my opinion) but didn't get a chance, and I wound up with a pint of heavy cream. Not wanting to be wasteful won over my desire to keep things as healthy as I can. Sage and Beckett are both skinny so its not going to hurt them, and I'll just make sure to really suck my stomach in at the Labor Day pool party this weekend. But if you're opposed to the cream, I'm sure you could easily sub something less fattening or leave it out all together.

This made just the perfect amount for Sage and I for dinner (with a toddler sized portion as well.) So definitely double if you have a larger family or like leftovers.

1/3 of a 14.5 oz box of multi grain penne
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz. fresh sliced button mushrooms
1 can (14 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced black olives, drained
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
shredded parmesan for serving

1. Cook pasta according to package dirrections. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, artichokes and garlic. Stirring frequently, cook for about two minutes. Add broth, wine, tomatoes, lemon juice, olives, salt and a generous amount of pepper. Continue cooking on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally as liquid reduces. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3.Wisk in cream. Stir in cooked pasta and basil, mixing well. (I chose to cover and let set for about 10 minutes so pasta could absorb sauce. During this time Sage grilled up his chicken.)
4. Top with parmesan before serving.

Artichoke, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizza

The other night was a rarity- Sage and I actually went out on a Saturday night. For a quick and easy dinner, that wouldn't make us feel too full, I made a pizza. I used a Boboli crust, but next time we have pizza, I am going to attempt making my own.

This was delicious, light yet full of flavor. I would've put fresh basil on it, but I didn't go my usual grocery store and they were out. I also realized after it was in the oven, that I had fresh spinach that would've been great on this as well. Next time I will probably use a little heavier hand with the toppings, but I wasn't sure if it would be overwelming. I sauteed the mushrooms and garlic in wine, but I don't think it added much, and the mushrooms don't need to be pre-cooked, so I'd most likely skip it next time.

Whole Wheat Boboli Crust
olive oil
4 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp white wine
1 Roma tomato, sliced very thin
1/2 of a 6 oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
basalmic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried basil (or use fresh)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush crust with a light coat of olive oil.
2. Sautee mushrooms and garlic in wine, until liquid is cooked out, about 5 minutes.
3. Arrange tomato slices evenly over pizza crust. Next top with mushrooms and garlic, then artichoke pieces, then goat cheese. Drizzle basalmic vinegar all over pizza and spinkle with basil
4. Cook for 10 minutes.

Greek Pasta Salad

I love to make pasta salads for cookouts and parties. I like how you can make them different everytime. This time, I felt like having it Greek, and it was one of the best I've ever made. Typically, I use tri-colored pasta, such as rotini, so colorwise this one was a little dull with the orzo, but it was so flavorful! Even my young son, Beckett, loved it!

1 cup uncooked orzo

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and cut into bite size pieces

1 (2.25) can sliced black olives

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 6 oz. container of feta, crumbled

1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, halved

sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1. In a bottle with a tight sealing lid, combine dressing ingredients by shaking. Set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool under cold water.

3. In serving bowl, combine the remainder of salad ingredients and top with dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and cover and chill. Stir before serving. If chilling overnight, add some extra dressing before serving.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

I don't have a picture of this recipe because I forgot to take one. I was in a hurry, and then there wasn't any left over from the cookout I went to, but honestly it wasn't that beautiful anyhow. But it was really good! I didn't give myself proper time to make it, so it didn't get the chance to chill all the way. My goat cheese melted instead of staying crumbly, making it look messy, and the basalmic I used made it a little dingy. Who cares though?

It was so tasty and well received despite its aesthetic flaws. I will make this again for sure, but probably not all the time, because I think spending around $25 for a side dish (and I even had some ingredients already) is a bit too much. I've adapted a recipe I found on the terrific blog A Year in the Kitchen just a little. I think I may add a few dashes of hot sauce next time, and reduce the amount of bell peppers or leave out the green completely.


2 bags (1 lb. ea) frozen tri-colored tortellini
1 english cucumber, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 small (2.25 oz.) black olives
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

dressing:
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano leaves
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil leaves
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions.
2. Blend dressing ingredients, pour over tortellini while still warm. Refrigerate until chilled.
3. Add diced vegetables, olives and artichokes, toss, top with goat cheese and gently stir to combine. Serve chilled.