Taco Seasoned Quinoa Zucchini Black Bean Corn Salad

I had some quinoa and zucchini to use and found this recipe on closetcooking website. I actually had all the ingredients on hand and this is a keeper - simple, quick and yummy - my kind of recipe!            I had a homemade flour tortilla on hand, so I made a taco with the filling and garnished with chopped tomato and avocado.

Serves 2 hungry people as a main dish, or 4 -6 normal side dish servings


1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cup water ( the recipe calls for 2 cups, but I feel this ratio makes quinoa mushy)
1 batch taco seasoning ( see recipe below)
1 ear corn, grilled, and kernels cut off the cob ( or 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed)
1 zucchini, grated with a box grater ( 1 small zucchini)
1 cup black beans
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cotija, or feta cheese, crumbled

Put rinsed quinoa in a medium sauce pan with taco seasoning and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl mix the cooked quinoa, corn, zucchini, black beans, jalapeno, green onions and cilantro.

Mix the olive oil and lime juice a little salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve garnished with the cheese.

One batch Taco Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt ( I only used 1/2 tsp)
1 teaspoon pepper

Mix spices together in a small bowl.

Carne Asada Steak Tacos

homemade flour tortillas really put these tacos over the top! recipe in the side bar

Spice rub:

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon EACH - garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix in a small bowl.

juice of one lime

1 and 1/2 pounds carne asada steak (skirt steak, flank steak, flap steak)

Squeeze, or brush the lime on top of the meat. Sprinkle with the spice mixture. Let sit for a few minutes while you heat the grill, or a grill pan that has been brushed with olive oil. Grill, or broil the steaks for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending how thick the meat is. You know it's ready to turn when the meat starts to sweat all over. Turn and cook another 3-5 minutes. Let steak rest for 10-15 minutes, so the juices will remain when you cut into it.Thinly slice meat against the grain at a 45 degree angle. 

Great with Chimichurri sauce drizzled on top. 

For the tacos in the picture I garnished with chimichurri sauce, red onion, tomatoes and feta cheese - darn it! I forgot the avocado! 

Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri sauce is a Argentinian Spanish condiment similar to pesto

                                      Use chimichurri sauce on top of carne asada tacos

                                                      drizzle it over grilled vegetables,

                   grilled french bread, grilled chicken, fish, or pasta - the possibilities are endless. 
                   Bring to room temperature before serving. Will keep refrigerated a couple days.



1 cup packed fresh cilantro
1 cup packed italian flat leaf parsley
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 jalapeño, seeded
1 teaspoon cumin


In a food processor pulse jalapeño, onion and garlic to chop. Add cilantro and parsley and pulse again. Add lime, vinegar, oil and cumin and pulse until you get desired consistency, but don't pulse too much, or you will make a paste.

Seared Fish with Green Gazpacho Sauce

moist and flaky..don't overcook it....

This recipe is from the Bon Appetit Magazine from 2009. Lots of flavor for such little work. If you like cucumbers, garlic, and cilantro you just found an easy yummy recipe! If you feel like making mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower they would work really well with this dish. Next time I think I will double the sauce ...I can just taste it drizzled on top of a green garden salad with grilled chicken, feta cheese and kalamata olives . You can make the sauce ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator so the flavors can meld.

Serves 2

1/2 of a large english cucumber, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup coarsely chopped green onion
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
5 1/2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil, divided
2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 jalapeño, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 - 6 oz each cod, mahi-mahi, or halibut ( I used wild caught cod) ( you can also use salmon)
ground cumin, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, to sprinkle on top of the fish before cooking
cherry tomatoes, halved, to scatter around the plate

Combine the cucumber, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño, 4 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil and vinegar in the bowl of a food processor and process until chunky like a pesto - you want some texture, so don't over process. Add salt and pepper to taste and more vinegar if you desire. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preferably in a cast iron skillet heat 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium - high heat. Sprinkle ground cumin, salt and pepper on the fish. When the oil shimmers in the pan add the fish and cook 4-5 minutes undisturbed. Carefully turn fish over,  and cook undisturbed 4-5 minutes until opaque, but firm.

Divide sauce among 2 plates. Top with fish. Scatter with cherry tomatoes. Garnish with some chopped cilantro, and or, chives. Enjoy!

Orzo Cucumber Tomato Salad

I had some orzo I wanted to use, and I had everything on hand to put together this refreshing salad. It's even better the next day. I like to serve this as a side with my grilled lemon garlic chicken - left overs make a great lunch the next day..

1 1/2 cups dry orzo pasta
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion ( to tone down the sharpness of an onion soak it in some water for about 10 minutes, drain, and pat dry with a paper towel)
kalamata olives, as many as you like
1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup good quality feta cheese ( I like Valbreso french feta sheep's milk - expensive, but I'm worth it!)
balsamic vinaigrette ( I like Newman's Own) or Greek salad dressing

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add dry orzo pasta and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients add 1/4 to a 1/2 cup dressing to taste. You don't want it swimming in dressing, just enough to flavor everything. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I like to pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

I found this recipe at skinnytaste.com. I use leftovers in a salad with ranch dressing,

Serves 4 -adjust recipe accordingly 

16oz (2 large) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 Tablespoons whole wheat italian breadcrumbs, or regular plain breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese ( yes, in the green can, or powdered)
olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Put the olive oil in a bowl and mix the bite size chicken pieces to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Put the breadcrumbs, panko bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese in another bowl.

Put a few of the chicken pieces in the bowl of breadcrumb mixture at a time tossing to coat. Then place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with the olive oil cooking spray. When all chicken pieces have been coated with the breadcrumb mixture - spray the tops of the chicken pieces with olive oil cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, turn over chicken pieces and spray with a little more olive oil cooking spray - cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Oven Baked Salmon with Jalapeño Garlic and Lime

I came across this recipe on Pinterest (originally by a spicy perspective) and had to try it - so simple! It didn't have any "heat" at all to it. It all depends on your jalapeno. Grate it and smell it to see if its super hot or not, so you add more or less. Garlic and lime - yummy. 

2 pounds wild caught salmon filet
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 lime zest and juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, grated
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the salmon on it and pat the salmon dry with a paper towel.

Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. (save the lime juice to squeeze over the top after cooked)  Pour over salmon and spread around liberally. Bake 10-14 minutes , just until cooked through. Squeeze lime juice over top - serve warm.

Cucumber & Dill Yogurt Dressing

Use this cucumber dill yogurt dressing with my  Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken with feta cheese and kalamata olives in a pita, or on top of grilled salmon or fish, as a dip with pita chips, or fresh pita bread

1 heaping cup chopped baby cucumbers, 1 small

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced, or pressed through a garlic press

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

3/4 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

1-2 Tablespoon  fresh dill - depending how dilly you like things

mix  all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate so flavors can meld. 

Broiled Eggplant with Feta and Parsley

I had to small eggplants to use, so I went looking online for ideas and came across this. 

Preheat the oven to broil.

Slice eggplant, sprinkle with kosher salt in a colander and let sit in the sink for about 30 minutes- this takes any bitterness and moisture. Rinse, drain, and pat dry.

On a foil lined baking sheet sprinkle liberally with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place eggplant slices on baking sheet and turn eggplant to coat both sides with the olive oil. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper if desired.

Broil until browned, about 8-10 minutes depending how thinly you sliced them. Turning once after one side is browned. Watch carefully, because they can go from a beautiful brown to charcoal color within a minute.

Drizzle with lemon juice, or your favorite vinegar and good quality olive oil and feta cheese. I sprinkled on some  Za'atar spice too.