Quinoa with Pesto and Roasted Beets

This great combo of quinoa, pesto and roasted beets is a healthy and filling meal. I made the pesto with fresh basil from the garden, walnuts, olive oil, Romano cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. It's a slightly modified version of Ina Garten's pesto recipe. I totally love pesto and will be experimenting using it with other grains.

The roasted beets are good, but let's face it, they are a big mess to deal with. I've tried the method of peeling and slicing before roasting, and the method I used this time of roasting first and then peeling. I enjoy beets more when I order them at a restaurant, and I like the flavor of golden beets more than red ones.

The quinoa and pesto combo would be really good with other roasted vegetables such as red peppers, mushrooms, or tomatoes.

Broccoli Salad with Cashews and Honey Vinaigrette

I made this salad for a light healthy lunch on the deck with my mom on a perfect sunny Sunday. To go with it, we had iced tea brewed in the sun from Murchies Tuscany Orange tea bags. And mom brought rich, delicious Oreo Cookie cheesecake cupcakes for dessert, mmm.

To make the Honey Vinaigrette:
Whisk together extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and salt flakes.

To make the Broccoli Salad:
Lightly steam broccoli and then blanch in very cold water.
Slice cashews and Brussels sprouts.
Put vegetables and nuts in a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette.
Slice a hard boiled egg and place it on top of the salad.

Asparagus Frittata

This light frittata is a nice addition to a spring brunch or Sunday morning breakfast. It was especially good this morning on a rainy, lazy Sunday when it's raining outside, and you want something warm right out of the oven.

I came up with this recipe by taking ideas from a couple of different recipes. One was from the wonderful restaurant in Seattle and their cookbook with the same name, Cafe Flora. The other was a recipe from the magazine, Health.

I hope you enjoy it,
Lori



Ingredients
1/2 pound asparagus, sliced diagonally in 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup minced onion
2 Tbs olive oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup grated cheese (such as Parmesan Regiano, jalapeno or asiago)
1/2 tsp dill
Salt and pepper

Blanch the asparagus:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 inch of water to boiling.
2. Add asparagus and boil for 1 minute.
3. Strain asparagus and run cool water over it until it's completely cool.
4. Let it drain and set aside.

Mix and cook the eggs:

1. Heat oven to broil.
2. In an over-proof non-stick skillet on the stove top, saute onion in 1 Tbs of the olive oil until slightly browned.
3. While onion is sauteeing, lightly whisk the eggs, dill, salt and pepper.
4. Add in remaining 1 Tbs olive oil and shake skillet to mix.
5. Pour egg mixture over onions evenly.
6. Add the asparagus over the eggs evenly.
7. Cook over medium heat until bottom is set, about 2 minutes.
8. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the eggs.
9. Move the pan to the top rack of the oven and cook until cheese is melted.
10. Serve hot out of the oven and slice like a pie.