Quinoa Tabbouleh

This tabbouleh surprised me. We want to start eating more quinoa because they say it's so good for you, so I tried this for a side dish and I couldn't tell the difference between this or the couscous version. It was really fresh and nice. This would be a great lunch also.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup

There are two things that I decided I would do from now on after making this wonderful soup, I would always make my own vegetable broth and only use local Texas Olive Oil. That, with the pine nuts, made such a difference!

Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup

Viva La Fiesta Vegetarian Taco Salad

This was a great summer dish. Nice and light!

Viva La Fiesta Vegetarian Taco Salad

One Pot Pasta

I've learned by now never to underestimate Martha. I used to scoff at her perfect domestication persona in my youth, but not anymore. She is now a go-to for recipes and has really neat stuff in her magazines.  So, I saw this on Pinterest and in her latest magazine and made it the other night. You can do a lot with it and it is so easy. As usual, I had to season it up, but in a pinch this is a good one. We also substituted regular pasta for quinoa pasta for gluten free and it was just as good.

One Pot Pasta

Sauté Collard Greens with Tomatoes

I bought some collard greens from the community market. I think this guy grew them in his yard. He said they were "beyond organic". I have a sentimental spot for collard greens because they are a staple food in Africa and they know how to make them! I found this recipe I wanted to do because it is stir fry, so you won't lose so much of all the good nutrients in there. While we were eating, the hubby asked if I was going to add these to the blog. Score! They are blog worthy!

Sauté Collard Greens with Tomatoes

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with a Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

This meal would have been really successful if the shells hadn't overcooked a bit in the oven. The directions are brief, so they don't explain how to not let this happen, but maybe you know! I switched out ricotta for the vegan ricotta I found at the store, added some other veggies, along with chopped, toasted walnuts and this was really good. The crispy sage in the butter (margarine) was so good! I love having fresh herbs from our garden. This dinner ended up being about 70% local from our community market, so that felt nice also.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with a Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Baked Avocado Salsa

This was another quick and easy, but really delicious side. I didn't have any salsa, so I just cut up grape tomatoes and it worked fine!

Baked Avocado Salsa

Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Soup

I love this cookbook! So far everything I have made out of it has been really good. One of my favorite and easiest recipes out of here is the simple and flavorful Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Soup. The author has posted the recipe online here. Don't forget to heat the garlic and herbs first. I think this is what really makes that extra level of flavor.

Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Soup