Cheesy Quinoa Bowl

This is one of the easiest meals ever! And so uberly delicious. I am totally enamored with roasting veggies right now... because, well, almost anything tastes good when it's roasted. I guess the same concept that applies to frying food applies to roasting food, because it's worked for me! Seriously, any veggie roasted equals happy stomach for me, plus, I don't get why brussels sprouts get such a bad rap? They're so friggin' delicious, and they're so cute - like mini cabbages, which, basically they are!

Anyways, the quinoa is just a great base to any meal you'd want to cook. It's incredibly simple. All you do is cook the quinoa in your rice cooker, and it does all the work for you! No simmering over a pesky stove or stirring and all that jazz. After it's all cooked, just quickly sauté it up with some garlic and Parmesan and by gosh, it's so tasty. 

I top it with whatever I have at the moment, like above, I had some roasted brussels sprouts, I wilted down some spinach, and topped it with feta and pine nuts and it was so satisfying and so healthy! One of my favorite quick meals, honestly. But the possibilities are endless. As a side to some grilled salmon, or the base of a salad - use your imagination :)

Cheesy Quinoa Bowl
Yields: about 6 servings


For the quinoa:
2 cups cooked quinoa (I used 1/2 regular and 1/2 red quinoa)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled French feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsn. olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Optional toppings:
roasted veggies of any kind
sautéed spinach with garlic
poached egg
seared salmon
... the options are endless


In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the quinoa and heat until warmed and the garlic flavor is fragrant throughout. Once warmed through, add the Parmesan and heat until it starts to melt, about 1 - 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the feta cheese and pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve under anything you'd like!

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Remember the delicious 10-Grain milk bread that I shared with you last week? And remember how I told you that I made a yummy sandwich with that same bread and was gonna share it with you soon? Welp, here it is!

This is a riff on a sandwich I love eating from this particular restaurant. A bunch of grilled veggies, a slather of smoky hummus and tangy, creamy feta. You really should not skimp on grilling the veggies here because it really adds a distinct smoky flavor, but if you really do not want to grill, you could always roast them in the oven. On top of my hearty 10-grain bread, it makes for a wonderful lunch.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Yields: 4 sandwiches, 4 servings

8 slices of 10-grain milk bread, or any whole wheat bread
4 tbsn. roasted garlic hummus, or more to your taste
4 tbsn. crumbled French feta, or more to your taste
2 red peppers, roasted
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 box mushrooms, sliced
1 large eggplant, sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


To roast the eggplant, grill the peppers until their outer skin is charred and completely black. Place into a heatproof bowl and cover completely; allow them to steam for 4 - 5 minutes, then remove the charred skin (it should pinch off easily). Grill the zucchini and eggplant slices until cooked through and slightly charred (I grilled them dry, but if you prefer, you can use some olive oil on the veggies). In a medium saucepan, dry saute the mushrooms over high heat until browned and cooked through. Place all of the vegetables into a large bowl and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toast the bread slices, then spread a tbsn. of hummus on four slices of bread. Top with the crumbled feta, some roasted red pepper, grilled zucchini, mushroom and grilled eggplant. Finish it off with the other slice of bread and enjoy!

A Dinner to Remember, Plus Things I Want to Forget...

I think we all have this problem that I continually find myself having. Gift finding and gift giving. I love giving people meaningful gifts or at least gifts that someone will actually enjoy and actually use, but for someone like your father or mother, after 22 years of giving them gifts multiple times in the year, it gets well hard...

I cannot for the life of me think of what to get my dad anymore, so for the past couple years, it's become a tradition to just cook an extravagant, coursed meal. Anyways, isn't a great meal shared between loved ones the greatest gift of all?

First, we started off with appetizers. I looked no further than Smitten Kitchen for inspiration. She makes the best things, and I can always trust her when she tells me that I have to make something. Everything has always reached expectations. These eggplant salad toasts and creamed mushroom toasts were excellent in every way. Easy, simple to prepare and delicious. The eggplant was deliciously smokey from the roasting and the feta added this nice bit of zippy tang. The creamed mushroom was decadent and awesomely creamy, we could not get enough of either!

Eggplant Salad Toasts

Yields: about 8 toasts

Original recipe here.

1 medium eggplant, about 3/4 lb., cut into 1/2" cubes

2 tbsn. olive oil, plus more for oiling baking sheet

1/4 tsp. salt

hfreshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 scallion, thinly sliced

8 1/2" thick slices of baguette, brushed with olive oil

1 small clove garlic, peeled and halved

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet, set aside. toss the eggplant, olive oil, salt and a generous amount of black pepper together in a medium bowl until evenly coated. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, moving pieces around occasionally so they evenly brown. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and toss in the vinegar, feta and scallion. Broil or toast the baguette slices then rub them with a garlic clove, top with the warm eggplant salad and enjoy!

Creamed Mushrooms on Chive-Butter Toast

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe here.

1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms

2 tbsn. unsalted butter, more for toast

1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped

2 tbsn. dry white wine or white vermouth

1/4 cup heavy cream

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

slices brioche or good white bread, crusts cut off if desired

1 tbsn. fresh chopped chives

coarse sea salt, for garnish

Clean any excess dirt from the mushrooms, then slice in half lengthwise and brush away any grit. Chop into 1/4" pieces. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the shallots and saute until very limp, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the wine, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook, for about 5 minutes more. Uncover the pot and continue cooking, siring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, simmer until slightly thickened, 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toast the bread and spread with butter. Cut each slice diagonally and sprinkle lightly with chives. Top each toast with some of the mushroom mixture, sprinkle with additional chives, garnish with sea salt and enjoy!

For our main course, we decided to make lamb kabobs. Lamb isn't something we eat often, so when we eat it, you know it's a celebration! This lamb was easy to prepare, and although it is kind of a pain to heat up the grill to cook them, it's well worth the process. The stunner of this entree was definitely the couscous though. This couscous is something I will make over and over and over again because it's beyond simple and quick to prepare the and flavor is DIVINE. I wrote that in all caps because I was blown away by how delicious this couscous was! The sauce, simple though it looks, was really great too.

Lamb Kabobs with Couscous

Yields: 4 - 6 servings

Original recipe here.

For the kabobs:

lbs. top round lamb

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsn. minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves

good olive oil

1/4 cup dry red wine 

2 tbsn. red wine vinegar

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 - 3 small red onions

2 pints cherry tomatoes

For the sauce:

1/2 cup good chicken stock

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 tbsn. freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of minced fresh rosemary leaves

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the couscous with pine nuts:

4 tbsn. unsalted butter

3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 - 4 shallots)

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups couscous

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup dried currants

2 tbsn. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cut the lamb into 1 1/2" cubes - you should have about 20 cubes. Combine the garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1/4 cup olive oil, red wine, vinegar and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Add the lamb cubes, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for up to 2 days. Toss occasionally. Heat a grill with coals. Spread them out in one dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Cut the red onions in quarters and separate each quarter into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 - 4 pieces of lamb onto the skewers, alternately with sections of the onion. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb with salt and pepper. Next, place the cherry tomatoes on the skewers, threading them through the stems of the tomatoes. Brush the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Place the lamb skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, turning 2 - 3 times until the lamb is medium-rare. Approximately 5 minutes before the lamb is done, place the tomato skewers on the grill, turning once, until seared on the outside but still firm inside. For the sauce, bring the chicken stock, olive oil and lemon juice to a boil in a small pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper. 

To make the couscous, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook them over medium-low for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, stir in the couscous, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts, currants and parsley and fluff with a fork to combine. Serve the couscous alongside the lamb and tomato skewers, with the sauce on the side. 

On to things I want to forget... these lemon souffles. We wanted a stunner, but something light to finish the meal, what better than a souffle right? That was the plan anyway. Souffles are pretty tricky, they require love, patience and care. In the midst of chaos in which we were preparing dinner, the souffle process kind of got pushed to the side and I shouldn't have been surprised with the results I was faced with. Out of the oven, they showed such promise, they actually rose!  

When we digged in... oy vey. Something had definitely gone awry. They weren't lemony enough, they weren't cooked through, and near the bottom they actually tasted kind of like scrambled eggs. No, no, no. Definitely not what we had planned on ending our fabulous dinner with at all. In the end we just enjoyed our fabulous homemade blueberry compote with some vanilla bean ice cream and all was well again.

Lemon Souffles

Yields: 6 servings

Original recipe here.

1 tbsn. unsalted butter, plus more, room temperature, for dishes

1/4 cup sugar, plus more for dishes

4 large egg yolks, room temperature

5 large egg whites, room temperature

1 tbsn. flour

3 tbsn. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsn. finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup whole milk

powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter 6 12-oz. souffle dishes, then dust with sugar. Whisk together the yolks, flour, zest and 2 tbsn. sugar. Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Slowly pour the milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent yolks from cooking. Return mixture to the pan and whisk until thick like a pudding, about 1 - 2 minutes. Strain through a sieve and whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Beat whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup + 2 tbsn. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whites into the yolk mixture and gently fold in. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula. Fill each prepared souffle dish to the top and smooth. Run your thumb around the edges to remove batter from the rims. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until the souffles rise and are golden, about 16 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.  

Blueberry Compote

Yields: about 1 1/2 cups

2 cups blueberries

2 tbsn. sugar

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup water

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the blueberries have opened and the sauce has reduced. It should be the consistency of maple syrup.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta & Cabbage Slaw

Gosh, I have so many back up posts it's insane. Things I've cooked months, possibly even years ago that I haven't had the time to post. And you know why? Because every time I cook something new, I fall in love with it, and find myself itching to post it before all the other ones waiting in line to be posted. Such is the life of these black bean tacos. Gosh I love 'em so. I literally just made these for lunch a couple hours ago after I got off work and found myself oo-ing and ahh-ing at their deliciousness. 

These are a vegetarian option that makes you totally forget that you used to love meat. It's healthy, crispy, tangy, a bit spicy... it goes on and on. I'm so in love with these tacos!! This is a perfect meal - cheap to make, easy to assemble, good for you and so freaking delicious. 

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta & Cabbage Slaw

Yields: 6 tacos, 2 servings

Adapted from here.

For the black beans:

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic clives, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the cabbage slaw:

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tbsn. lime juice

2 cups coleslaw mix

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tbsn. mayonnaise (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the tacos

2 tbsn. olive oil

6 corn or flour tortillas

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

hot sauce, for serving

In a medium pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the black beans, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Use a fork to slightly mash the beans and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. To make the cabbage slaw, mix 2 tsp. of olive oil and lime juice in a medium bowl. Add the coleslaw, green onions, cilantro and toss to coat. If desired, you can also add the mayonnaise for a creamier slaw. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat 1 tsp. of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add three tortillas in a single layer. Once golden brown, flip, then spoon 1/4 of the bean mixture onto each tortilla and cook for 1 minute or until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining tsp. of oil and tortillas. Fill the tacos with feta and slaw. Serve with hot sauce, lime wedges and sour cream.

How to Enjoy Mujaddara:

So… there's this thing I'm obsessed with. Most of the time, obsessions are unhealthy - riddled with heartbreak, non-sensical daydreams and horrible time management. Thankfully though, this time at least, I'm obsessed with something that's quite good for me… whew!

I'd like to introduce you to mujaddara aka moujadara aka mejadra aka megadarra aka it goes on and on! This little thing has a boat load of names but really, it's not as complicated as it makes itself seem. Mujaddara (the way I like to spell it) is a simple mixture of green lentils, rice and caramelized onions and it is, by far, one of the most delicious things I've come across. If you're unfamiliar with it, I can't stress enough how much I want you, wait, no - strike that - NEED you, to try this! I even left you here with three delicious ways to eat it - so you don't even have to think at all. Just let your body do all the work and your stomach do the enjoying!

{The recipe}

Mujaddara

Yields: about 8 - 10 servings

Original recipe from Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart.

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

5 3/4 cups water

2 cups dried green lentils

6 tbsn. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 cups long-grain white rice

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they are deep golden brown and caramelized, about 45 minutes; set aside. Combine the water and lentils in a heavy large saucepan. Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the lentils are almost tender, but still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, add the rice, salt and pepper. Cover and bring the cooking liquid to a boil again over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rice and lentils are tender and the cooking liquid is absorbed (do not stir the mixture as it cooks), about 20 minutes. If some water remains unabsorbed, rem the saucepan from the heat and let it stand uncovered for 5 minutes. Fold the caramelized onions into the pilaf. 

{How to eat Mujaddara Pt. I}

This Moroccan salmon salad is divine. It's inspired by a salad from a restaurant called Zov's in Tustin and it's the most ingenious use of mujaddara I've seen to date. Take a moment to think about it: warm, comforting rice pilaf under a bed of fresh mixed greens in a tangy but sweet vinaigrette with bites of brine-y feta, juicy tomatoes and tender, spiced salmon. Yeah... I think that about sums that up.

The essential components:

Moroccan Salmon Salad

Yields: 4 servings

Inspired by a salad from Zov's: Cafe & Bakery in Tustin, California.

For the salad:

4 salmon filets, washed and patted dry

4 tsp. Moroccan spices (recipe below)*

10 cups of mixed baby greens

2 plum tomatoes, diced

3/4 cup crumbled French feta cheese

2 cups cooked mujaddarah (recipe above)

For the balsamic vinaigrette (this will make more than needed for the salad):

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsn. Dijon mustard

2 tbsn. finely chopped shallots

2 tbsn. pure maple syrup

1 tbsn. pomegranate molasses

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

To make the vinaigrette, blend the balsamic, vinegar, rice vinegar, garlic, mustard, shallots, maple syrup, molasses, salt and pepper in a blender until smooth. With the machine running, gradually pour the oil in a thin stream until emulsified. Should keep for 3 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Rub each salmon filet in 1 tsp. of Moroccan spice rub (or alternatively, you can do what I did below). Sear the filets on each side till cooked through, about 3 - 4 minutes on each side; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the mixed greens, feta cheese and diced tomato. Toss with just enough dressing to coat. Lay out 4 serving plates. Top each plate with 1/2 cup of warm mujaddara. Divide the salad among the four plates, then top each with a salmon filet. Enjoy!

* If you don't want to make the Moroccan spice mix, you can just sprinkle each salmon filet with a pinch of each spice listed below, which is what I did because I was too lazy to make the spice mix. 

Moroccan Spices

Yields: 3/4 cup

Original recipe from Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart.

3 tbsn. paprika

2 tbsn. dried thyme

2 tbsn. ground cumin

1 tbsn. ground nutmeg

1 tbsn. ground black pepper

1 tbsn. ground ginger

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground allspice

Stir all the ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Transfer to a jar and seal with a lid. 

{How to eat Mujaddara Pt. II}

When I saw this recipe, I wanted to make it immediately. Then I had this thought that popped into my head, it literally was one of those 'lightbulb' moments where you realize something so great your ego, not your head, seems to glow. I decided instead of stuffing the mushrooms with rice, such as in the recipe, I'd stuff it with mujaddara! Why not? Since it already is lovely with feta, I'd knew the combination would work and be even more lovely... and can I say, it was quite lovely. The perfect appetizer or it would make a great lunch on top of some baby greens.

Mujaddara & Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

Yields: 4 servings, as a side

Adapted from here.

12 large cremini mushrooms

olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

1 cup mujaddara (recipe above)

3 tbsn. feta

1 garlic clove

2 tbsn. parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the mujaddara, feta, garlic, parsley in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside. Remove all the stems from the mushrooms, discard and save and add to another meal some other day. Place the mushrooms, stem side down on  baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Place the mushrooms, stem side down in the oven about 4" from the top for 2 - 3 minutes. When they are done, flip them over, fill with the rice mixture and broil until the filling is hot, about 2 minutes. 

{How to eat Mujaddara Pt. III}

This recipe was inspired by one of my new favorite blogs, Cooking After Five. I stumbled upon it the other day, and I'm in love! The recipes, the photos, everything was right up my alley! Anyways I've been looking for new ways to eat my mujaddara and I had never seen it the way Nicole from Cooking After Five eats it here. Since I already had some herbed lebni in my fridge, I decided to play around with that and this is what I came up with. It's tangy, comforting and delicious, especially with the crunch from the slivered almonds. I simply love slivered almonds... add them to anything, and it will instantly be more delicious. Promise.

Mujaddara with Herb-Lebni Sauce

mujaddara (recipe above)

herbed lebni

1 lemon, juiced

slivered almonds, toasted

To make the herb-lebni sauce, add the lemon juice to the lebni sauce to thin it out. Add some water to thin it out some more, to the consistency of a hollandaise sauce. Serve drizzled on top of the mujaddarah with some toasted, slivered almonds.