Southwest Quinoa Burrito Bowl...Salad

Some of my gal pals are really into the no-salad-salad, as they call it. The no-salad-salad is basically a big bowl of salady stuff that isn't leafy green and lettuce-like. They throw in a whole bunch of veggies, beans, and baby corn. 

Ugh. Can I tell you something? I hate baby corn. It totally freaks me out. When I was a little kid I loved it...until one time, at a fancy restaurant (ahem, it was the O'Callahan's restaurant at the Shilo Inn in The Dalles, OR... which I thought was like, the fanciest of fancy...it wasn't) I yoinked a baby corn off of Mel's plate when she wasn't looking, and it was pickled or something, and it tasted awful, and I threw up. I've been super anti baby corn ever since that day. PS. this is totally not food-blog friendly, but I have a lot of stories that end with "and then I threw up." 

But I digress, this post really has nothing to do with baby corn or my wimpy stomach. It's all about no-salad-salad.

So anyway, whenever I try to make the standard no-salad-salad, I feel like it doesn't come out quite as good as when my friends do it. It feels like a big, jumbled, incoherent mess. That's why I like themed no-salad-salads. Like Greek-style salads loaded with chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives. Or, my favorite: a no-salad-salad with southwest flair. Otherwise known as a burrito bowl. Can we just call it a Southwest Quinoa Burrito Bowl…Salad? 

This one has so much goodness in it: sweet corn fresh off the cob (not the baby variety, thankyouverymuch), avocado, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, black beans, and cotija cheese, all doused with fresh squeezed lime juice. You could definitely eat this as is. Or you could make it even better by tossing it with quinoa and a creamy southwest sauce. I vote you do that. I vote you do that right now. 

Southwest Quinoa Burrito Bowl Salad

Serves 4

Creamy Southwest Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon of each: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano

Splash hot sauce (I use Tapatio) 

Juice from half a lime

Salt & pepper to taste

For sauce, whisk together sour cream through hot sauce, until smooth and creamy. Save the other lime half for salad. Salt & Pepper to taste. 

Salad 

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 large tomato, diced

1 avocado, diced

Fresh corn off the cob from 1 ear

2-3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Juice from half a lime

Creamy Southwest Sauce

Cook quinoa: Rinse until water runs clear, drain. Add to a medium pot with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and cool before mixing with salad. 

Stir together black beans through cotija cheese, and toss with lime juice. Add cooled quinoa, and stir until just combined (gently, so you don't moosh up the avocado). Salt and pepper to taste. To eat, either mix in the sauce, or add sauce to each serving. 

Wine Country or Bust: Sonoma

We went to wine country last weekend for Amanda's big dirty 30 birthday. Can I just move to Sonoma like, right now? 

It was so beautiful there, the people are super friendly, and the food and wine... yep. Loved it. A lot. 

The eight of us (Sonomaballin' Crew 2013...classy as always) rode bikes down little dusty backroads between vineyards, drank a ton of wine (maybe a little too much wine, but who's counting), tasted all kinds of cheese, ate a ton of good food, and went a little crazy in the swimming pool at our rental house. 

Highlights: riding bikes through the most beautiful country side ever, the wine and pizza at Benziger Family Winery, the scenery at Ravenswood, the artwork at Imagery, the picnic we had at Bartholomew Park Winery, the brunch at Girl and the Fig (seriously, get the fried green tomatoes, you won't regret it...and the chorizo, holy hell that chorizo...), Jim from Jacuzzi Winery (he asked if we have "YOLO" in Seattle), and the all around good timing friends I was there with. PS. A few photos here are from Dee, Evan, or Amanda, the rest are mine. 

Weeknight Pasta with Artichokes, Olives, and Sausage

On Friday, along with a bunch of total wackos, I'm going to get in a van, drive up to the Canadian border, and spend the next 24 hours and 200-ish miles competing in a relay race back toward Seattle. It's Ragnar time! This is my 5th year running in the Ragnar Relay! Team Chafin' the Dream, represent! 

If you don't know what Ragnar is, you're missing out. Or maybe you're just sane. Teams of 12 people tag team running for 24 hours straight, relay-style. So, one runner hits the road at a time, and the rest of the team hops along in the vans. Each runner runs three times, with each leg ranging between 3-8 miles. Total distance per person is anywhere from 12 miles to 20 miles. I'm somewhere in the middle. The low middle. 

Leading up to the race is always a bit crazy, as I'm trying to pull my running clothes together, pack healthy snacks, get in a few last workouts, create some crazy costumes, and of course, carb UP! Ok, that last part is a bit of a joke, because I mean, c'mon…carb might as well be my middle name. I carb up to prep for carbing up. 

With all this running around, I've been a little stressed out about getting a blog post up here. Sometimes I get caught up in wild, fancy recipes, trying to think up something you've never seen before. So I forget that simple, easy, every day recipes can be pretty damn good. Like this one. Not only does it help me hit the ol' carb quota, but it's perfect for a busy weeknight (and tastes pretty great, too). It's also perfect for last minute dinners with friends, because it makes a big pot of pasta and comes together like that. Oh...picturing me snapping my fingers when I say "like that." 

My friend Bree threw this combo together one night, and I was blown away by the simplicity and awesomeness of it. Oh yeah...people like every day recipes, too! You can add pretty much whatever you want, but I start with a box of whole wheat pasta, a big can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes, a can of artichoke hearts and black olives, an onion, a bell pepper, and some pre-cooked sausage (I used smoked garlic chicken sausages here...sorry if they look a little...pale and weird). If you wanna spice it up, add garlic and basil, and maybe some red pepper flakes. And definitely top it with parmesan. 


Eat this, and wish me luck this weekend! 

Weeknight Pasta with Artichokes, Olives, and Sausage

Serves 4-6

1 box whole wheat penne pasta (about 13 ounces)

Olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 package pre-cooked sausage (about 4 links), sliced

1 bell pepper, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, diced

Handful of basil, slivered

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I like San Marzano) 

1 normal-size can artichoke hearts, drained

1 normal-size can large black olives, drainedOlive oil

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated 

Cook pasta according to package instructions. 

Meanwhile, heat a swig of olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté until starting to brown. Add sausage, and cook for a couple of minutes, add pepper, garlic, and basil, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Drain pasta, reserving about a half cup of pasta water. Add pasta and reserved water to pot with veggies, and stir in tomatoes, olives, and artichoke hearts. Serve with grated parmesan. 

Creamy Coffee Popsicles

Lets talk about coffee for a minute. 

I have a bit of a coffee problem. As in, I drink a ton of it and can't start my day without it. I'm also kind of a coffee snob. I'm not a fan of a certain coffee chain that my city prides itself on—I like small local roasters and shops, a good bold flavor, and no add ons. No sugar-vanilla-double-triple-mocha--latte-whip for me, please. Give it to me black. Hot or iced. 

I'll occasionally add a small splash of (unflavored) cream or half n half if I'm feeling frisky, but never sugar. I just like the flavor of the coffee, alright!? I'll make an exception to my no-sugar-in-my-coffee rule when it comes to desserts like coffee ice cream. Or Vietnamese coffee, with swirls of sticky sweetened condensed milk. 

That's what I was going for with these pops originally, Vietnamese coffee popsicles. But, once the coffee and condensed milk are stirred together and frozen, you lose that swirly separation that makes Vietnamese coffee its own special beast. Instead, they took on a coffee ice cream vibe, and I can dig that. Super strong coffee ice cream on a stick? Ok, now that will appease both my dessert obsession and my coffee snobbery. 

Creamy Coffee Pops
From this pop recipe and this coffee recipe

Makes 8-10 depending on size of popsicle mold

I used David Lebovitz's recipe/proportions, but rather than brewing espresso, I made a batch of cold brew. Seriously, strong, dark cold brew is one of life's greatest inventions. And it's so, SO easy (Make it just to have in the fridge...your life will change). Just plan ahead. The cold brew needs to sit overnight, then pops will take 4-6 hours (or more) to freeze through. Also, these are super strong...and caffeinated. If you're planning on having these in evening, consider decaf coffee grounds. 

2/3 cup of ground coffee 
2 3/4 cups water
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

Add ground coffee and water to a large container and stir until all the grounds are wet. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Strain through cheesecloth and a fine-mesh sieve.

To make pops, whisk together the strained coffee and condensed milk, and pour into popsicle molds. Freeze until solid.