Quinoa and Cilantro Salad

I have come to love quinoa, a high protein grain that can be flavored with many things. In this recipe, I begin with the Near East brand mix called Quinoa Blend, (a blend of quinoa and brown rice) Red Pepper & Basil. You can cook as the package directs, but this time I tried it in my 3cup rice cooker using the same amounts of water and oil as the package calls for. It worked great.
This is great as a side to baked meat or as a meal all by itself. You cam add pinenuts, chopped tomatoes, black beans, or all the above.

Quinoa and Cilantro Salad

1 box Near East Quinoa Blend, Red Pepper & Basil
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1Tbsp. lime juice

1. Cook quinoa as instructed on package, being sure to add the flavor package. Cool.

2. Add chopped onion, cilantro, olive oil and lime juice.

3. Mix all and chill.

For more protein, add 1/2 cup black bean. For crunch, add 1/2 cup pinenuts or almonds. For a lighter tasting salad add 1 fresh tomato chopped. Add all of the above for a really filling and 
beautiful dish.

Spicy Baked Eggplant

We are getting lots of jalapenos, eggplant and tomatoes from the garden now. I tried some recipes from Pintrest, one for Eggplant Fries. My granddaughters helped me make them and they were delicious. Tonight I made up a really recipe with my produce  similar to the Fries, but easier and very tasty. My husband Jerry even took seconds, and he is not usually much of a veggie eater. See if you like it.

Spicy Baked Eggplant

2 Japanese eggplant, peeled 
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
1cup Flour
1Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheese, any type
2-3 jalapenos, sliced thinly
8-10 grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1. Cut the peeled eggplant in half horizontally. Then I cut them into 3-4 inch segments.

2. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat lightly, turning over to get both sides.

3. Mix flour and Italian seasoning (about 1cup of flour to 1 tablespoon of seasoning, depending on how much eggplant you are preparing). Roll the eggplant pieces in this mixture. It will lightly coat them. Then lay the pieces in a greased casserole dish.

4. Sprinkle cheese on top of each eggplant segment.

5. Put 3 or 4 thin slices of jalapeno on each segment, then fit a few cherry tomato halves on each.

6. Sprinkle all with salt and black pepper to taste. Then drizzle each piece with a little more olive oil.

7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until fork tender and slightly browned on top.

We had these with baked chicken, quinoa salad (next blog) and sliced tomatoes.

Margaret Phillips Sweet Potato Pudding

Sweet potatoes and fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas all seem to go together. I love nothing better than a delicious baked sweet potato, even without the butter or sugar that are often on top. The following recipe was given to me by my good friend and fellow coworker in Sierra Leone in the 1970's, Margaret Phillips. I have been using it ever since for the holidays. The dish is very different than your usual sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows. It is made from raw, grated sweet potato and has pineapple in it. The recipe is for a side dish but is sweet enough to also be used for a dessert. I love it along side turkey and dressing with the other "fixin's". I usually double the recipe for family gatherings.

Sweet Potato Pudding

2 cups raw sweet potato, grated
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 tsp. salt

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix.

2. Add the flour and all other ingredients, except the sweet potatoes and mix well.

3. Add the grated sweet potatoes and mix.

4. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch greased pan or a 2 quart casserole. (I like it thinner in the 9 x 13 pan).

5. Cover and bake for one hour at 375 degrees.

6. Then uncover and bake another 30 minutes.

Serve with any meal as a side dish.

Mixed Vegetable Casserole X2

What do you do with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to make it more appealing and tasty as a side dish? Below are two recipes with basically the same ingredients and instructions for a Mixed Vegetable Casserole that will liven up a meal. Maybe even the kids will try it with all the Ritz on top. One came from my husband's cousin, Gayle Doak and the other from my sister, Annette Williams. They both use the same topping of crumbled Ritz and butter. Let me know which you like the best.

Gayle Doak’s Mixed Vegetable Casserole

2 packages frozen mixed vegetables
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
½ onion, chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Dash of hot sauce
Dash of worchestershire sauce
¼ c. lemon juice

Topping:
Ritz crackers, crumbled, to cover top
½ stick melted butter

Annette Williams’ Mixed Vegetable Casserole

2 packages frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ onion, chopped

Same topping as above.

For both recipes:
1. Mix all ingredients together except Topping. Pour into a 2 quart greased casserole dish.

2. Cover with Ritz cracker crumbs and then drizzle melted butter over entire top.

3. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Cleo Edward's Spicy Corn Pudding

Last week we did a recipe called Onion Cheese Cornbread. Corn Pudding is less of a bread and more of a side dish, but with alot of the same ingredients. I made it this weekend to go with smoked porkloin at a family get-together.
I understand that my sister Annette got this recipe from her friend, Cleo Edwards. It is delicious and makes a pan full. If you do not care for the chilies, just leave them out. I have also substituted a Jiffy Cornmeal Muffin Mix for the cornmeal and baking soda when I did not have cornmeal.

SPICY CORN PUDDING

4 eggs
1 can whole corn, drained (15 ounces)
1 can creamed corn (15 ounces)
1 ½ cups plain corn meal
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
1 cup melted butter
2 cans chopped green chilies (4 ounces each)
2 onions chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese- divide into two portions


1. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.

2. Mix all ingredients together except 1 cup of the cheese.

3. Place mixture into greased pan and cook, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

4. Sprinkle extra 1 cup of cheese on top when you take pan out of the oven.