Quinoa, the nutrient rich and heart-healthy grain, is also a terrific source of protein and contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. With its good source of RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) nutrients like folate, zinc and phosphorus, quinoa should find its way to more dinner tables.

I first tried quinoa at a small mountain cafe in Colorado. I had ordered a salad based on the little red heart next to the item on the menu. The heart signified heart-healthy and it fit with my resolution to eat well. I was surprised to find that quinoa is a small seed that when prepared seems to sprout since the germ ring breaks through the outer seed shell. I was intrigued and enjoyed the flavorful salad. Several times since then I’ve prepared quinoa for family dinners, but can’t seem to get David to accept it as a replacement for rice.

I tried again this weekend with a scrumptious stuffed pepper recipe. I thought it was fantastic. David ate the stuffed pepper but was noncommittal when it came to rating the dish. However, I won’t be easily put off, and intend to try more quinoa recipes this week.

Quinoa-stuffed Peppers
3 c. prepared quinoa*
4 large green peppers, cleaned, steamed, reserve tops
1 onion, diced
6-8 button mushrooms, diced
Green pepper tops, de-stemmed and diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
28-oz. canned stewed tomatoes, drain, reserve juice
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. chicken stock
10 oz. mozzarella cheese, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds. Then place the peppers in a microwave-safe bowl with about 1/4 c. of water. Covering tightly with plastic wrap, microwave for 5 minutes. (After testing to see if it was done, I covered it again and microwaved for 3 more minutes.) Set aside to cool.

Sauté onion, mushrooms and pepper tops in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add drained stewed tomatoes, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook until heated through and add chicken stock and about 1/2 c. of the reserved tomato juice. Remove from heat and stir in the prepared quinoa and half the mozzarella cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Fill the steamed green peppers with the mixture and stand them up in a casserole dish. I had about half a cup of the quinoa mixture left over, so I mixed it with about 1 c. of the reserved tomato juice and poured it into the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top of the peppers. Then bake in a 325-degree oven for 35 minutes.

Grapefruit and Quinoa Salad
1 grape fruit, peeled, reserve peels
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1/4 c. olive oil
3 Tbsp. grapefruit juice
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. honey
1 pinch salt and pepper, or to taste
1-1/2 c. prepared quinoa*
2 carrots, shredded
1 jalapeno, small diced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 orange, sectioned
1 grapefruit, sectioned

Infuse the olive oil with the grapefruit peels and ginger by cooking on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Whisk together the grapefruit juice, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. Remove grapefruit peels and ginger slices from the olive oil and pour the infused oil over the salad. Toss to coat well and serve.

*To prepare quinoa, use a 2-1 ratio of water to raw quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Last Saturday morning’s sunrise was amazingly beautiful. Then the clouds quickly gathered and the day grew cold and blustery. Thankfully Sunday morning’s fog cleared and it turned into a beautiful day. I worked outside all afternoon and didn’t really feel like coming inside to cook dinner, but I’m glad I did. David was so happy we were having calzones and that made it worth the effort.

I started the dough in the breadmaker while I pulled out leftover vegetables and other ingredients.

Pizza Dough
1-1/2 c. warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. yeast
4-1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil

I placed all the ingredients in the breadmaker and selected the Pizza Dough setting. That takes 55 minutes to mix, knead and raise the dough. The same results can be achieved by using an electric mixer and the dough-hook attachment for about 10 minutes. Then cover and let rise at least 30 minutes.

Calzone Filling
1 jar pasta sauce
1 onion, chopped
6 button mushrooms, chopped
2 c. Swiss chard, chopped
other leftover vegetables may be included.
6 oz. mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 small package pepperoni or other cooked sausage
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil for sauteing and spreading

I sauteed onions, mushrooms and Swiss chard until tender in olive oil. I then added other leftover vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc. are all good.

The dough recipe makes 4 large calzones and may be frozen for later use. I rolled our 4 10-inch discs. Then assembled ingredients by layering sauce, vegetables, pepperoni and cheese on one half of each. Fold the empty half over while tucking and pinching the dough together.

Lay the calzones on a greased cookie sheet. Brush olive oil over the top of each and then cook in a 415-degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and rotate the calzones and return to the oven for 5 minutes more. The calzones should be golden brown and cooked through.

Serve with extra pasta sauce for dipping. Picante sauce is also good. The calzone filling, like a pizza’s toppings, is a good way to use up leftovers and is open to whatever ingredients you prefer.

I attended a few holiday parties around Christmas and was pleasantly surprised at the healthy party foods that were served. I was able to get recipes from some of the hostesses and their consent to share.

I attended the North Shore Landing party before Christmas. Joy Williams and her husband Darrell had a festive spread and plenty of options. I really enjoyed her broccoli and cauliflower salad.

Joy’s Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
1 small head of cauliflower
1 small bunch of broccoli
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 jar pimentos

Break cauliflower and broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Add chopped onion and pimentos. Make dressing by whisking together the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Joy served chopped cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon on the side. That was an excellent idea, because cheese and bacon make everything better, but the cheese and bacon don’t get too mushy from the dressing.

My sister-in-law is an excellent cook and she is always so thoughtful. When she comes to our house for dinner, she always brings an appetizer. She knows that I’ll be so busy making the dinner that I probably won’t give any thought to the hungry folks waiting for everything to get to the table.

Terri’s Broccoli Cheese Ball
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 c. cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. broccoli, chopped
1/2 c. small onion

Mix together the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Then fold in broccoli and onion. Spray cooking spray on your hands to help form the ingredients into a ball.

Terri’s Blue Cheese Ball
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. Gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Mix all the ingredients together and form a ball.
Before refrigerating, Terri always rolls the cheese balls in chopped parsley or crumbled bacon. Serve with chips.

While digging through the freezer in search of an elusive ham bone, I ran across a couple of skirt steaks left over from a bull butchered in 2014. I’m sure the meat is still good, but wanted to cook it sooner rather than later.

I haven’t used the cola marinade in a while, but decided that if ever phosphoric and/or carbonic acids were needed, it would be to marinate those steaks. Also, the sugars in the cola carmalize on the meat when grilled at high-heat making a deliciously crunchy crust or bark.

Beef Fajitas
2 lbs. beef skirt steak
2 onions, julienne sliced
2 green peppers, julienne sliced
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 cans cola
1 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
3 lemons, cut in half and juiced

Combine all ingredients, including the lemon halves, in a large sealable plastic bag. Refrigerate in a casserole pan over night or at least 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before grilling, remove the skirt steak, use a paper towel to dry it off and let it come to room temperature. Then grill at medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side. Remove and let rest.

Strain the onions and green peppers and discard the rest of the marinade. Saute the onions and green peppers in a cast iron skillet until lightly browned.

Thinly slice the steak across the grain. Serve with tortillas, grated cheese, sour cream, sliced avocados, etc.

I never did find a ham bone in the freezer, but a friend had a spare. Thank goodness for friends, because I can’t make black-eyed peas without that bone. I usually make a vegetable soup with the peas. This time I also reserved about 2 cups of the cooked peas to make a salad. The fried Kalamata olives really made it interesting.

Black-eyed Pea and Kalamata Olive Salad
2 cups or 2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. Kalamata olives, cut in halves
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
3 green onion tops, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet and fry the olives for about 3 minutes or until they blister. Pour the oil and olives over the black-eyed peas in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate and serve cold.

The unseasonally warm weather made me long for spending time on our back porch on Sunday. And why not smoke a brisket while enjoying the afternoon? This recipe is sufficient for a 10-12 lb. beef brisket.

Dry Rub for Beef Brisket
Mix together thoroughly the following:
1/2 c. paprika
1/4 c. Kosher salt
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cumin
1/4 c. chili powder
1/4 c. fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

Rub the mixture onto the brisket and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place on a baking sheet and let marinate refrigerated at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.

My husband started a fire in the smoker and when the coals were ready, I placed the unwrapped brisket on the grill and closed the lid. I baby-sat the smoker all afternoon. Our smoker is not high tech, so I worked to keep the temperature somewhere between 150-200 degrees, by alternately stoking up the coals and cracking open the lid. I kept that up for about 6 hours until an instant-read thermometer registered an internal temperature of 185 degrees.

Remove the meat from the grill and let rest for 20 minutes before carving the meat against the grain.

What goes better with smoked brisket than potato salad and cole slaw? So I whipped up a batch of both.

Basic Potato Salad
2.5 lbs. red potatoes, cubed
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. pickle relish
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 c. green olives, sliced
4 eggs, boiled, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes, rosemary and garlic in a pot and cover with cold water and add a tsp. of salt. Bring potatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until done.

Drain potatoes and return to the pot, let sit while mixing together the remaining ingredients. Remove and discard the rosemary sprig. Fold the potatoes into the mixture. It’s great served warm or cold.

I purchased a bag of coleslaw mix and I picked a head of savoy cabbage from the garden. After cleaning and shredding it, I added it to the mix and tossed with dressing.

Here’s an easy recipe for the dressing or use one from the store.

Simple Coleslaw Dressing
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. celery salt
Whisk ingredients together.

Christmas decorations have replaced seven large pumpkins I used for fall. I only bought one, but a friend gave me six and they are huge. I hate to waste anything, but really don’t know what I’ll do with all of them. So, I began the way I do most challenges, I tackled a manageable chunk.

Starting with the pumpkin I purchased, I lobbed off the top, scooped out the seeds and cut it into four large pieces. I massaged a small amount of olive oil over all and roasted them in a 300-degree oven for an hour. Then I removed it from the oven. Once cool enough to handle, I easily sliced away the outer rind and cubed the pumpkin flesh. Freezing most of it, I reserved three cups for the follow recipe.

Chicken, Pumpkin and Rice Casserole
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
3 c. roasted pumpkin, cubed
2 c. beef broth
3 chicken breast halves, cubed
Salt, pepper and chili powder for seasoning
4 c. cooked rice
1/2 stick butter
1/4 c. flour
1-1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1/4 c. Panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Sauté onions in 1 Tbsp. olive oil with seasonings until translucent. Add pumpkin and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover.

Meanwhile, season cubed breast pieces with a pinch of salt, pepper and chili powder. Sauté in the remaining olive oil in another skillet until done.

Place in a large mixing bowl along with the cooked rice. Make a gravy by melting butter in the same skillet over medium heat and stir in flour. Cook for about a minute and slowly add milk, whisking until smooth. As it begins to thicken, add mozzarella cheese.
Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Temper the eggs with a couple of spoonfuls of the gravy. Then add to the skillet and stir. Tempering the eggs with a small amount of warm gravy will keep them from scrambling when they are added to the hot mixture. Stir gravy into the cooling pumpkin and onion mixture. Then add to the mixing bowl of chicken and rice.

Stir together all the ingredients and pour into a greased casserole dish – or two. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the top. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes until the sides are bubbly and the top is lightly browned.

I used cooked wild rice in that recipe, but white or brown would work as well. Italian sausage is a good substitute for the chicken and would help kick-up the flavors. Canned cream of mushroom soup may be used instead of making gravy.

Pumpkin Soup
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. flour
1-1/4 tsp. curry powder
2 c. cooked puréed pumpkin
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3-1/2 c. chicken stock
2 c. fat-free half-and-half cream
Minced fresh parsley for garnish

In a soup pot, melt butter and sauté onions until soft. Add flour and curry powder, and cook for about a minute. Add pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Slowly add stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Slowly add half-and-half and continue to stir while bringing the heat back up to a simmer. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.