What better way to end the week then with a donut for breakfast and a statement ring!
peach + mango salsa
I’m a bit of a domestic late bloomer. So while making salsa without a recipe may seem like nothing to you, to me it was a MAJOR VICTORY in the kitchen!!!!! Poor Joe had to listen to me talk about all through dinner. (A dinner in which I served the salsa over fish with a side of rice and beans! I expect the cooking channel will be calling any day now.)
This recipe is even better if you can still track down fresh, local peaches and corn.
Peach and Mango Salsa:
1 tomato
1 peach
1 mango
1 ear of corn, pre-cooked and cut off the cob
1/4 of a red onion
handful of cilantro
Dice all ingredients and mix well in large bowl. Add juice from half a lime, plus salt and pepper to taste.
Great with chips, Mary’s crackers, or over fish.
cookbook inspiration: quinoa, asparagus, and mushrooms
I have a lot of cookbooks. (What can I say, it’s a symptom of my book addiction!) But I’m not always great at getting around to following the recipes from those cookbooks.
What I do love is thumbing through my cookbooks for inspiration.
Which is how I can up with last’s night easy (but delicious) dinner of salmon and quinoa with sauteed asparagus and mushrooms.
Looking at an omelette recipe in Quinoa 365
How about you? Do you follow recipes exactly, or do you use your cookbooks more for inspiration?
Recipe below:
Quinoa:
Bring 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. (Mine usually doesn’t take the full 20 minutes.) Add fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste.
Sauteed asparagus and mushrooms:
I used two big hand fulls of Cremini mushrooms and a bunch of asparagus.
Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Rinse and slice mushrooms and add to pan. Rinse asparagus, break off woody ends, and then break each stalk in half for more manageable pieces. Add to pan. Saute for 10 to 12 minutes (I put a lid on mine) stirring occasionally until asparagus reaches desired tenderness. Salt and pepper to taste.
I served mine alongside baked salmon, but the protein in quinoa would make this a perfect vegetarian or vegan dinner by itself.
a very happy accident
On Friday, I’m speaking at a conference in San Diego. I had planned on flying out Thursday with Tara and her family. I say had because when I got my confirmation email this week, I realized I had booked my flight for Wednesday, not Thursday! After learning that a change in flight would cost me $900, I resigned myself to the fact that I would be flying to San Diego a day early.
Turns out, it was the best mistake ever!
Yesterday was one of those rare lovely days where I just walked around, enjoying the sunshine, culture, and food of a different city!
For lunch, I went to Burger Lounge. I love that California “fast food” equals a vegetarian burger made with quinoa and lots of yummy veggies:
After returning to my hotel room for a little bit, I set off to explore downtown, eventually wandering around the waterfront:
Then, I stumbled onto this cute little shop called Frosted Robin:
How could I resist?
Then, I plopped down on the grass in a park by the water to lounge in the sun, read, people watch, and sip iced tea:
Dinner was fish tacos and Fat Tire (one of my favorite beers that is difficult to get on the East Coast):
All in all, one of the best mistakes I’ve ever made!
