Mexican Quinoa Skillet

I've been eating a lot of quinoa lately because it is a plant based complete protein. It is also a great source of fiber, iron, magnesium, and calcium. Plus it is pretty tasty! This recipe is simple and delicious, and it all cooks in one pan, so you have less dishes to wash! I added tomatoes, kale, black beans, and onions but you can really add any veggies you like!

First add your jalapeños and garlic to a skillet and cook for about a minute. Remember that the hottest part of a jalapeño is the seeds, so if you don't want it to be too spicy, make sure you remove the seeds!

Then add in your quinoa, water, black beans, tomatoes, kale, onions, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and let simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes until quinoa is tender.

Add in your chopped avocado, cilantro, and juice of one lime.

Stir it all up and serve! I bought some queso fresco to top it off with, but completely forgot to use it! But I bet it would be delicious on top!

Enjoy!

RECIPE

2 Jalapeño peppers (seeds removed and diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup Quinoa
1 cup Water
1 small Onion (diced)
2 medium Tomatoes (diced)
1 can Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup Kale (chopped)
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Avocado (chopped)
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 lime
Queso Freso (optional)

1.) Add jalapeños and garlic to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant (about 1 minute)
2.) Add quinoa, water, onion, tomatoes, black beans, kale, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper to skillet. Stir and cover. Simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes until quinoa is fully cooked.
3.) Remove skillet from heat. Stir in avocado, juice of one lime, and cilantro. Serve immediately. (Top with crumbled queso fresco if desired.)

Granola Bars with Toasted Quinoa

I've been making my own granola bars for a while now. I like being able to customize what is in my bars and I think they taste way better than anything you can buy in a store. However, this was the first time I decided to add quinoa to my granola bars. I eat a plant based diet and it can be hard to consume enough protein. Quinoa is a great option for vegetarians or people who are trying to eat less meat because it is a complete protein, which means it has all of the amino acids. It is also a great source of fiber, magnesium and iron! So if you are looking to try out quinoa, this is a great recipe for you!

First you need to soak you quinoa in water for about 5 minutes. Then strain it and toast it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 375F. This will result in a nice crunchy quinoa that will add great texture to you bars. 

I then add in oats, flax seed, and chopped almonds. You can add any type of nut that you like. Cashews work really well in this recipe too.  Toast it all for about 5-10 minutes, stirring a few times, until your oats are a nice golden brown color. 

In the mean time, melt your coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Once your dry ingredients are toasted, dump it all into a mixing bowl and pour in the honey/coconut oil mixture. Then stir in any additional ingredients you would like in your granola bars. I used craisins, dried cherries, and dark chocolate chips (adds antioxidants!). The chocolate chips will melt in with the honey. If you want your chocolate chips to stay solid chips, you will have to let your mixture cool before adding them. 

Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil and grease with a little bit of coconut oil (this step is critical unless you want to scrape sticky granola off the bottom of your pan). Refrigerate the granola for about 3 hours to harden. 

Then take it out and cut it into bars. Enjoy!

I keep my granola bars in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and they stay fresh for about a week.

RECIPE

1 cup Quinoa (dry)

2 cups Oats (not instant)

1/4 cup Flax seeds

1/2 cup Almonds (chopped)

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Honey

1 Tbsp Vanilla extract

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Dried fruit of your choice

1/3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

1.) Preheat oven to 375F. 

2.) Soak quinoa for 5 minutes. Then drain and spread into baking pan. Toast in oven for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

3.) Add oats, flaxseeds, and almonds to baking dish. Toast another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until oats are a golden brown. 

4.) In a small saucepan melt coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and brown sugar over medium heat. 

5.) Add toasted oat mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Stir in melted coconut oil/honey mixture until well combined.

6.) Stir in dried fruit and chocolate chips.

7.) Spread granola mixture into foil lined 9x9 baking pan and refrigerate for 3 hours

8.) Remove granola from pan. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Strawberry Kiwi Grapefruit Smoothie

INGREDIENTS
2 kiwi
1 half grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
5 ice cubes
1/4 cup coconut milk
1Tbsp honey (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Delicious Veggie Lasagna with Kale, Carrots, and Mushrooms

Today I picked up my first share from my CSA!

I love fruit, especially in smoothies so I know I will be able to eat all of this fruit without a problem. But I am not a huge vegetable eater. I came up with an idea to make vegetarian lasagna and utilize a lot of these vegetables.

First wash the kale and cut off the stems. Then roughly chop the kale leaves. Heat up a skillet over medium heat with about a Tbsp of olive oil. Add the kale to the skillet and allow it to cook. I also added 3 cloves of chopped garlic and salt and pepper to taste. The kale turns a rich deep green once it is fully cooked. 

While the kale is cooking, prepare your carrots and mushrooms. I used a vegetable peeler to shred the carrot and then chopped it into smaller pieces. This resulted in about 2/3 cup of shredded carrots. I would probably have used a little more if I had more carrots. Next wash and chop your mushrooms. I had crimini mushrooms in my share this week but you can use whatever kind you like. Add both the carrots and mushrooms to the skillet with the kale. 

Cook your veggies for about 5 minutes until tender. In the mean time, prepare you cheese mixture. I used a 15oz package of part skim ricotta and 3 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella. I also added a couple shakes of parmesan cheese. Mix up all the cheese in a mixing bowl, then add the cooked vegetables and stir it all up!

You are now ready to start assembling the lasagna!  I used a 9x13 pan and oven ready lasagna noodles that I found on sale at Target for $1.00! I also used two jars of store bought tomato basil pasta sauce, but if you have more time and ambition than me you could make your own sauce. 

Pour enough sauce in the pan to coat the bottom. Then make a layer of noodles. (Remember I used oven ready noodles. If you have regular lasagna noodles you need to cook them first!). Next layer half of the veggie cheese mixture and put a layer of sauce on top of that. I also added some chopped fresh tomato to my sauce layer because I had a tomato in my share this week and wasn't sure what else I would use it for.  

Repeat with another layer of noodles, veggie/cheese mixture and sauce. Layer more noodles on top. Then cover it all with a generous amount of sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella and parmesan cheese!

Cover it all in foil and bake it at 350 for about 60 minutes

When it comes out you have a delicious veggie loaded lasagna! Enjoy!

RECIPE- Veggie Lasagna with Kale, Carrots, and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups kale, chopped, stems removed

3/4 cup carrots, shredded

1 small package of mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

slat & pepper to taste

1 15oz package of part skim ricotta

3 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1/4 parmesan, grated

1 1/2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce

1 package of oven ready lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.) Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add kale, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until kale is a deep green. 

3.) Add carrots and mushrooms to skillet and cook about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

4.) In a medium mixing bowl combine 3 cups mozzarella, entire package of ricotta, and 1/4 parmesan. Add in cooked vegetables and stir to comine. 

5.) Coat the bottom of a 9x13" pan with a thin layer of pasta sauce. Align lasagna noodles in bottom of pan. Layer 1/2 cheese/vegetable mixture. Repeat layers ending with noodles on top. Cover the top with a generous amount of pasta sauce. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 mozzarella. 

6.) Cover with foil and bake for 60-65 minutes. 

My First Blog!

Welcome to RN in an Apron! 

When I am not busy saving lives as an ER nurse, I love cooking. I recently joined an organic CSA and am challenging myself to utilize fresh organic produce in my cooking on a weekly basis. This blog will chronicle my adventures in organic cooking and I may throw in some of my crazy ER stories along the way! I hope I will inspire you to try new recipes and eat healthy meals at home!