Quinoa Herbed Crab Salad, Mission: Perishable, and TGIF

I'm officially onto Mission: Eat All the Perishables before my epic trip of a lifetime ((quasi-redundant, don't care)) next week.  I suppose that isn't being terribly gracious to my house-sitter who will be here full time who is also an amateur boxer who adores my chow ((yes, that might be code for don't fuck with me in my absence)), but I'm guessing he doesn't eat a whole lot of bok choy anyway.  So, to that end, let's clean some more stuff out of the refrigerator into a crab quinoa salad.

  My original idea was to make something like crab salad that is typically served either on a croissant or stuffed into a bell pepper, but without the creamy, fatty goodness.  Mission accomplished.

What you need for 4 servings:

One cup of quinoa ((cooked according to package directions))

8 oz crab meat 

4 stalks of celery, chopped,

4 green onions, chopped

Fresh thyme 

Fresh basil

1 squeeze of lemon

1 tablespoon EVOO

Salt and pepper

Parmesan

What to do:

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly prior to cooking to remove the bitter coating.  ((FYI, Costco--the second circle of hell-- had a huge bag of quinoa when I was there a couple of weeks ago.  Target has been selling a small bag for 8 bucks.  This was at least 4 times the size, but not too big to store easily--I think 32 oz-- for about 14.  You're welcome.))  Cook according to the package instructions.

Chop the celery, onions, and herbs.  ((If I had red pepper, I would have put a little of that in as well.))  

For the crab meat, for the love of carbs, do not use that fake, imitation shit.  I won't be terribly offended if you use canned stuff, but just not that whitefish that they paint the edges pink.  That is disgusting.  We aren't going to be loading this up with dressing, so you want the actual ingredients to actually taste like something.  

Mix everything together with the olive oil and add a big old squeeze of lemon.  Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably longer and re-stir prior to serving.  Top with a little bit of parmesan, because, why not?

This was just fine all on it's own ((I ate the leftovers right out of the tupperware for lunch the next day)),  but would be good on a bed of lettuce, stuffed in a red pepper, or in a pita.

  

Nutritional Info:  Approximately 300 calories, 5 grams of fat per serving.  ((Let me give a disclaimer.  I haven't been running these all through my ingredient calorie calculator.  For one thing, I usually don't name brands and the amounts used really vary.  My idea of "top with parmesan" is pretty light as you can see.  Yours is likely way different.  I also don't actually measure anything unless I am baking.  However, my estimations are pretty damn close.))

*****

This week has been kind of a bitch.  I'm not really sure why, other than that I had an extremely unpleasant task Thursday morning which really reaffirmed a lot of things in my mind.  But, it is going to be a great weekend... drinks with friends tonight, giving a cooking class Saturday afternoon, and cooking for a small-ish party Sunday evening.   Happy Friday!

Black Bean Quinoa Salad, Non Sequiturs, and Blonde Moment Admissions

I spent an hour this morning strolling through Trader Joe's, shopping for an event tomorrow...  That's when I realized I hadn't yet publicly confessed to my love of quinoa.  Yes, I realize that is a non sequitur.  I had an explanation at the time, but well, now I forget what it was.  ANYWHO, quinoa ((pronounced keen-wa)) is technically an ancient cereal grain which is high in protein and other stuff that's good for you.   It's become much more popular recently and can now be found in places like Target.  It's kind of like rice, but not really.  I'm at a loss how to better describe it though for the uninitiated.  Just trust me on this one.

One of my favorite ways to make quinoa is in a Black Bean Quinoa Salad.

So pretty.

Yum.

Here's what you need: ((4 servings))

1 cup quinoa ((rinsed thoroughly under cold water))
2 cups of water
1 cup of black beans ((rinsed and drained))
1 tomato ((diced))
4 tablespoons green chiles ((roasted and diced or you can buy it prepared, no judging))
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Cilantro  ((the more the better))
Lime
EVOO which means extra virgin olive oil ((just a drizzle))
Sea salt
2 tablespoons feta cheese crumbles

To prepare the quinoa:  Measure out the desired amount and rinse it thoroughly using a very small mesh sieve/strainer.  These little bastards are *really* small, and you will lose all of them if you try to use a regular strainer.  ((No, I didn't do that the first time without thinking it through because I'm blonde.  Nope.))  Throw them in a small pot and add water according to the package directions.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until all of the water is absorbed and they are "sprouted."  About 10 or so minutes.  It should look like this when it is done.

See the little shoots?  That means it is done.

While that is cooking, chop up all of the fresh ingredients and rinse the black beans.

Tomatoes

Fresh cilantro

Key limes

Throw all of that into a plastic bowl.  Add the quinoa and then give it just a really, really, really light drizzle of olive oil.  Squeeze the limes into it and give it a few cracks of sea salt.  Put the lid on your bowl and shake the beejeezus out of it.  ((Yes, this is technical, I know.))  Top it with the feta and done!
 

Mmmmm.  Quinoa.  

There are tons of different ways to modify this...  Leave out the green chiles and use a diced jalapeno.  Add sliced avocado.  Add corn.  You can do it however your little heart desires or whatever you have in your fridge.  This is equally good hot or cold and is insanely good the following day.

Nutritional Info:  Solid.  Right around 300 calories, 5 grams of fat.

*****

I'm off to do some work and start my studying but tomorrow we are going off the calorie rails...  I'll be making a sunchoke risotto that is over 1,000 calories per serving and a much, much lighter sausage and roasted pepper dish.  Good lord, don't let me sample too much of the risotto.  Yikes.