Home of the Heart Recipe Blog

Quinoa Salad - Updated

7/25/2016

Quinoa Salad

"You should post this recipe on your blog," said my hubby as he took another mouthful of my Quinoa Salad. "It's really good!" So here it is. My doctor had encouraged me to incorporate fennel in my diet (it's good for your digestion), so I added a touch to this dish, and I have to say, it took the taste from good to really good. What I like best about quinoa, besides the fact that it's such a healthy grain, is that it's so fast and easy to prepare.

Like many dishes I prepare, I improve on them over time. Now I cook many of the ingredients along with the quinoa instead of adding them afterwards. Adding pesto when it's available is another change. Here's the updated version.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 or 3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin, fresh ground
2 teaspoons fennel seed, fresh ground
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
*1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
*I love the ease of pre-minced garlic in a jar.
Optional Ingredients
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1, 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions
1. Bring water, quinoa, oil, juice, and spices to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Add the parley or cilantro. If using the tomatoes and black beans, stir them into the cooked quinoa also.
(If the tomatoes are omitted, this dish is also good served warm. )

Tip: To learn more about the benefits of quinoa, check out this article: 7 Health Benefits of Quinoa.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Leave a post here to let me know if you've tried this dish and how it turns out. Good cooking to you,
Linda
Note: Would you like a printout of this and other recipes? These directions may help:
Use your mouse to select only the text you want to copy rather than the entire page. Then press Ctrl+C, open your Word program and press Ctrl+V to paste the semi-formatted text. Print it from there.

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Three Generation Oregon Potato Salad

7/15/2016

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Three Generation Oregon Potato Salad

My maternal grandmother, Margaret Kurth Schubring, was a terrific cook. She rarely used a recipe, and potato salad was one of her classics. James Beard, in his study of regional American cooking, identified Oregon potato salad as having it's own unique characteristics. His recipe calls for vinegar to make it tangy, but Grandma used sweet pickle juice as did my mom and now me. I've lightened the calorie load a little by replacing half of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. I also replaced the black pepper with white pepper and the paprika with dill weed.

Even though this recipe makes a large bowl of salad, it doesn't take long to disappear, it's so delicious. Make the basic salad the day before eating.

Servings: 8 Serving size: 1/2 cup Preparation time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients
4 medium potatoes boiled and peeled
4 large eggs, boiled
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup sweet pickles, chopped
*1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Dash white pepper
2 Tablespoons dill weed
1/2 cup curly or flat-leaf parsley sprigs
for decoration

*I like to use Trader Joe's Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

Directions
1. Coarsely dice cooked potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Slice eggs. Set aside enough nice looking slices with which to decorate the top.
3. Add chopped celery, onion, and pickles.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the mayo, yogurt, milk, sweet pickle juice, mustard, brown sugar, salt, white pepper to make a dressing.
5. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and stir until all the potato pieces are moist.
6. Chill the salad overnight as well as the sliced eggs and parsley.
7. The next day, adjust seasonings (I usually add more pickles juice and salt), and turn into a serving bowl. Decorate with the sliced eggs, sprinkling of dill weed, and sprigs of parsley.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you've tried it and how it turns out. Good cooking to you,
Linda
Note: Would you like a printout of this and other recipes? These directions may help:
Use your mouse to select only the text you want to copy rather than the entire page. Then press Ctrl+C, open your Word program and press Ctrl+V to paste the semi-formatted text. Print it from there.

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Strawberry Sweetcake

7/4/2016

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Strawberry Sweetcake

Strawberry season is nearing an end, but I wasn't read to say goodbye to them until I made Strawberry Sweetcake. I discovered this recipe in my grandmother's White House Cook Book published in 1900. It's denser and a little sweeter than the shortbread so many of us are used to. I've added a little vanilla and salt to the original.

The ovens in those days were heated with wood and had no control. In order for the cook to determine if the oven was at the correct temperature, she threw in some flour and watched to see how brown it got. We should be grateful our ovens today take out this guesswork.

You will notice in the photo that the cake is topped with meringue rather than whipping cream. That's your choice, of course.

Servings: 6 Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 20 minutes Assembly time: 10 minutes

Many shortbread recipes call for baking in one pan and splitting the cake afterwards. I prefer to bake in separate pans.
(See my favorite single layer pans here.)

Ingredients
Strawberries
3 pints strawberries, washed and hulled, preserving a few whole berries of the top
1 cup sugar
Cake
1 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Meringue
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon sifted confectioner sugar

Directions
1. Lightly mash strawberries and combine with sugar. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir the butter and sugar together.
3. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Sift together the flour. baking powder, and salt and add to the butter mixture, stirring until the dry ingredients are thoroughly integrated.
5. Butter cake pans and swish around a little flour.
6. Divide mixture evenly and pour into pans.
7. Bake about 20 minute or until tops of cakes begin to brown.
8. Remover from pans and cool a little before removing cakes.
Making Meringue
Whip egg whites to soft peaks, then slowly add confectioner's sugar while still beating. Continue to beat until peaks form again.

Assembly
1. Place one layer on serving plate. Spread with half of the crushed berries, letting the juice soak into the cake.
2. Place second cake layer on top of the first. Spread with crushed berries and top with meringue.
3. Place whole berries around in circles on top of the meringue. Present to guests before cutting into serving pieces.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you've tried it and how it turns out. Good cooking to you,
Linda
Note: Would you like a printout of this and other recipes? These directions may help:
Use your mouse to select only the text you want to copy rather than the entire page. Then press Ctrl+C, open your Word program and press Ctrl+V to paste the semi-formatted text. Print it from there.

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Quinoa Salad - Updated

Three Generation Oregon Potato Salad

Strawberry Sweetcake

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