Category Archives: Day to Day in the Kitchen

Picnic : Orzo & Melon Salad with Orange Poppyseed Dressing

Ingredients
Orzo & Melon Salad w Orange Poppyseed Dressing

2 cups dry orzo pasta, prepared to box directions 
1/2 cantaloupe
1 cucumber
2 Cups fresh greens from the garden –  (spinach from the store or other hearty green)  

Orange Poppyseed Dressing
3/4 grapseed oil 
1 orange, juiced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 white wine vinegar
1 -2 Tbs honey
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs of poppy seeds

Cook/Prep Instructions 
Halve a cantaloupe – diced in small pieces 
cucumber – seeded and diced small
put slivered almonds in at the last minute (have in a small container on the side)  

Servings:

Picnic : Mexican Quinoa Salad

Ingredients
Mexican Quinoa Salad:

1 cup of quinoa 
1 cup vegetable broth (or water if no broth available) 
1 can black beans -drained and rinsed in a colander 
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (prefer white shopeg corn if buying frozen) 
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, diced 
1 cup tomatoes or canned tomatoes, chopped

1-2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cummin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lime
half bunch of cilantro, diced for sauté and for garnish
1-2 jalepenos, sliced in circles and added as garnish 
1/2 jalepeno, diced and added to saute
salt and pepper to taste

Cook/Prep Instructions
prepare quinoa with 1:1 ratio water or broth – set aside 

saute garlic, onion, and diced jalapeño. add broth, tomatoes, qunioa, and spices to saute pan. add black beans, cilantro for flavor.
simmer everything for about 5 minutes
let cool just a bit and stir in garnish of cilantro and fresh jalapeño 

NOTE:   serve with sides of cilantro avocado dressing 

Picnic : Jalapeño Corn Salad

Recipe Ingredient List 
5 ears Fresh Corn, boil for 2 minutes in water with a little salt
Let cool and cut the corn off the corn 

2 cups cooked quinoa

Chopped veggies – 
Generous bunch of cilantro –  remove stems, chopped
1 package of small tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, chopped finely
3 cups arugula 

Optional :  blue cheese or feta cheese

Dressing
4 tb grapeseed oil
3 tb vinegar 
salt and pepper 
1 fresh jalapeno
rice vinegar 

Beginning of the year always requires a few smoothies. Where I live it’s cold in January, so I like to have them mid morning when I am already fired up and running warm from the inside. The sun was shining in through the kitchen window this morning and shining light in such a way that lifted my spirits. Thank you Sunshine!

#smoothies #morningvibes #divinelifekitchen #plantcentric #hibernation #newyear #sunlight #solarpoweredlife