Cheesy Baked Quinoa

So this recipe was billed as 'Cheesy Quinoa Mac & Cheese' and it had a lot of complaints that it wasn't quite as cheesy or creamy as Mac & Cheese. So a more apt name is Cheesy Baked Quinoa. Regardless of the name, it tastes good and is full of healthy ingredients. I also like that you can add pretty much whatever you want to it.

The ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
Sauteed veggies (optional, we used broccoli)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 large eggs
1 pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (reserve 1/2 cup for top)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Panko or regular bread crumbs for topping
Any other ingredients you think would be tasty or need to be used!

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
3. Saute any vegetables you would like to use.
4. Mix eggs, milk, garlic, and salt in large bowl. Fold in quinoa and vegetables and any other additives.
5. Place in greased 9" x 13" pan. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and bread crumbs.
6. Cook until top is golden brown and cheese has melted, approximately 30 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

Comments: As I mentioned before we added broccoli. We had about 1 cup of frozen broccoli that we sauteed with some seasoning salt. Next time I would add more. We also added some leftover tricolor couscous. I don't think this affected the taste or texture at all, it was just a way to use up some leftovers. Besides, we only had about a 1/2 cup.
 

Others really liked the 'crunch' of the panko bread crumbs. I may not have put enough on to notice, but I feel the quinoa gives it enough heartiness. Next time I might put more panko crumbs...I only put enough to lightly cover the top of the pan.

Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

So I just recently learned about Pinterest Fail blogs and pins...hilarious! Thankfully I have yet to succumb to such a fate. Actually I have been pleasantly surprised with how things have turned out. This next Pinterest copy cat is no different.

You can see I just served it with some salad. It was amazing, better than I had expected. 

*Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
Pork:
2 pounds boneless pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed (I use minced garlic and probably put a tablespoon in, we like garlic)
1/2 cup water

Glaze: 
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the roast. Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and pour in the 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Near the end of the cooking time for the roast, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker, shred and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve.

 

I only slightly adapted this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, so please give her the love.

Trip to NOLA

DH an I went to New Orleans several weeks back. We had such a fantastic time that I wanted to tell all about it. We stayed at the International House. It probably isn't my favorite place in New Orleans, but it was close to all the things we wanted to see and do and we got a pretty good deal. I still say it had an unusual odor, it was probably lemongrass which most would find appealing, but I didn't care for it.

We did many of the 'classic' NOLA stuff, breakfast at Cafe Du Monde, wandering around Jackson square and the French Quarter. We also went up to Tulane and the garden district and Audoban park. One of my favorite things though was exploring Magazine street. I loved it! It reminded me a lot of NW 23rd and the Pearl district of Portland. 

We at lunch at this restaurant which had this plaque outside the door. I thought it was very fitting for our family, he's got the bar (beer brewing), she's got the pharmacy (pharmacist.). Something to keep in mind if Don ever gets on that bar of his. I can't remember the name of this restaurant, but it was filled with other work from this artist which had a variety of sayings. The food was pretty good too!

However, one of the more exciting things we saw was at one of our impromptu stops. We were walking down the street, actually heading back to our car to leave Magazine street, and we passed by this bar, the Bulldog. It had the best fountain EVER so we had to stop in for a beer and cider.

This first picture is from the opposite side of the patio so you can see how impressive it is. However it contains about 80 taps all with water running through them to make a fountain.

This one shows the taps a little better. It was fun to see how many of the different beers we had tried and which we had never heard of. If Don ever gets a brewery some day WE WILL DO THIS!! How fun.

Another part of our trip we went to Frenchman Street and heard the guy/band who sings the theme song Treme TV show, John Boutte. That really helped make our trip.

Finally one of the restaurants we ate at was amazing. We were planning to go to the Red Fish Grill, which we really enjoy, however we couldn't get reservations. So instead we ate at Herbsaint. I highly recommend it. Every dish we had was amazing. It was pricey, but worth it.

Til next time NOLA...