vegetables | Vanderbilt Wife

I know I’ve been posting a whole lot of sweet stuff here lately. But I promise, I’m eating some healthy things, too! I’ve been scarfing down veggies with eggs and avocado for breakfast in an attempt to stay full. It works wonders for this nursing mama.

This quinoa salad was a big hit with my husband and my in-laws, much to my surprise! Usually my husband sticks with classic food. But I filled this with vegetables we both like, and he didn’t complain about the unpronouncable quinoa. He even suggested the salad would be great on spinach and proceeded to eat it like that the next day.

You can use any veggies you like in here. Crunchy ones like bell pepper give a nice contrast to the quinoa. The original recipe calls for tomatoes, which I’m sure would be fantastic if you like them. But I don’t.

Lemony Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Adapted from The Garden Grazer, who adapted it from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
15 oz. canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
2 sweet bell peppers, diced small
1/2 c. frozen corn, defrosted (in the summer, you can sub fresh corn ... yum!)
1/2 c. frozen peas, defrosted
2 green onions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

Dressing

2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil or 2 T fresh basil, cut in chiffonade

Instructions

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss well to combine. For best results, refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors meld.

Mr. V suggests serving this on baby spinach salad with a little extra dressing for optimum goodness. It's terrific by itself, though, too!

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Do you like quinoa? If so, what’s your favorite quinoa recipe? I’m always looking for a good one.

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegan … and altogether just good and healthy!

Added to Ultimate List of Mom Resources.

I simply couldn’t resist the gorgeous broccoli at the farmer’s market Saturday. It was the perfect day for outdoor shopping: the sky was nearly cloudless, it was about 65 degrees, and I was ALONE!

I visited my favorite vendor, who sells grassfed beef for an extraordinarily low price. I also found gorgeous parsley, butter lettuce, potatoes, and onions.

Anyway, the broccoli was calling my name even though I had no real intention for it. So it became my Secret Recipe Club dish for the month, taking the place of the recipe’s original cauliflower.

My assigned blog was Sustainable Eating for One, where Stephanie blogs about gardening and eating a plant-based diet. I wasn’t sure I would be able to get my husband to try one of her recipes, although many sound pretty good to me, like Chickpea Carrot Soup and Artichoke White Bean Spread. I had already settled on making Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon and Mustard when I brought home the broccoli, and the two became one.

Roasted Lemon-Mustard Broccoli

Yield: 4 servings as a side

Roasted Lemon-Mustard Broccoli

Adapted from Sustainable Cooking for One.

Ingredients

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1 T dijon mustard
1 lemon, juice and zest
2 T butter, melted
grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a bowl, toss broccoli florets with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and cook at 425F for about 10 minutes, until a fork can pierce the broccoli easily.

Meanwhile, whisk together mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, and melted butter. When broccoli is tender, drizzle with lemon mixture and toss to coat. Cook another 8 minutes or until broccoli is to your liking. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.