Lobster Mac and Cheese with a shot of protein

There are few things in this world that I might crave more than Lobster Mac 'n Cheese. The simple creamy, cheesy decadence of macaroni and cheese is one thing, but then toss in chunks of lobster? Oh.Dear.Mama.

If I told you that this recipe is actually GOOD for you - and I mean really good for you - would you believe me? Thanks to the magic of quinoa pasta, I'm happy to bring you a reduced fat, super high in protein and fiber, yet still delicious meal. Yes, I know it sounds too good to be true, but I would never lead you astray. Already a cheerleader for quinoa, I couldn't believe my good fortune when I stumbled upon quinoa pasta at Henry's.

Made of corn flour and quinoa flour, you can rest assured that eventhough you're eating something absurdly delicious, you're also filling your body with a complete protein and all the essential amino acids you need. Amazing, huh?!

Oh, and the lobster and cheddar cheesiness is a nice touch as well.

Although the folks at Ancient Harvest boldly remind you not to overcook with an exclamation point, we have found that the pasta take a little longer than the box claims. In our household, we tend to stick to the "pick a noodle out of the pot to see if it's done" pasta cooking method.

We've also found quite the treasure in Trader Joe's Langostino Tails. A bag runs about 8-9 dollars, making lobster chunks an affordable and easy to make luxury while allowing our mac 'n cheese obsession to continue on a weekly basis.

Quinoa Lobster Mac 'n Cheese
2 8 oz. boxes quinoa pasta (available at health food stores like Henry's, Whole Foods), cooked according to package directions (plus a few minutes boiling time)
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 lb Velveeta, cut into cubes
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp coarse garlic salt
2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar
1/2 -1 cup frozen peas (we use the full cup as pea lovers!)
12 oz of frozen langostino tails (bought at Trader Joe's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Melt butter over medium heat until almost bubbling. Add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk & broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for about 2 minutes or until smooth & thickened. Reduce heat.

2. Add sour cream, Velveeta chunks, Parmesan, ground mustard, pepper & garlic salt. Continue stirring until smooth and cheese melts (this may take awhile). Once cheese is melted, add shredded cheddar and stir until melted. Stir in peas & lobster. Add drained pasta to pot and stir until combined with cheese sauce.

3. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer pasta to the dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Cumin Spiced Chicken with Green Tomatillo Sauce

I apologize for my MIA status from both my blog and your blog, but life has been overwhelming lately! I know there are many of you with kids, a job, a mortgage, a hobby, a dog, a cat, and a life. Seriously, I do not know how you do it!

This June, hubby is finishing his Masters degree and I'm throwing him a bash! I've been looking forward to planning and cooking for his party until I realized how quickly June is approaching. What am I making? I have no freakin' clue!

I'm hoping you could all help me. Send me you favorite party recipes & ideas to newlywedcook at gmail dot com! If I end up using of one of your recipes, I just might have a prize for you! I wish I were organized enough to tell you in advance, but I promise not to let you down.




Meanwhile, here's a fancy looking dinner I threw together when I could actually remember what day of the week it was. Chicken breasts are spiced with cumin and marinated in olive oil and garlic and then grilled & topped with a fresh tomatillo sauce. Though I love salsa verde, I've never made anything with tomatillos.


I guess I had never really seen a tomatillo before either, because I was pleasantly surprised at how cute they were. Leave it to me to think a fruit is cute.


We served the birds with one of our favorite side dishes - Summer Black Bean Quinoa Salad - which made for a nice and hearty protein filled dinner, perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Oh, too bad it's Cinco de Seis. Told you I didn't know what day it was.

I promise I will be back to my old self soon & sorry for this rambling post. I think we all get a freebie every now and again, right?!

Cumin Spiced Chicken with Green Tomatillo Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light 5/09

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless,boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 pound fresh tomatillos
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (I admit, we skipped this - we're wimps)

Cooking spray


1. Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

2. In a small bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Mix well and place chicken and marinade in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and let stand for 15 minutes.

3. Discard husks and stems from tomatillos. Combine tomatillos and broth in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cover and cook 8 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Combine tomatillos, cilantro, green onions, lime juice, sugar, salt and jalapeño (if using) in a food processor; process until smooth.

4. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with a dash of salt. Place on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve with tomatillo sauce.

Asian Cucumber Quinoa Salad, attempt #2

Though I tend to be quite organized in most facets of my life, I am a little bit of a trainwreck when it comes to cooking. Like Leslie from Hungry Housewife, I lose recipes, omit ingredients (not on purpose) and leave the kitchen looking like a disaster zone once I've completed a meal.

I whipped up this salad one day after I decided I needed to eat healthier. One too many late night Papa John calls will do that to you. I blame the booze, not my good judgment.

Once I had thrown together a mish-mosh of veggies, grains and seasonings, gobbled down a spoonful and patted myself on the back for a job well done, I just as soon cursed myself, realizing that I hadn't written down a single thing that went into the bowl. Bad blogger!

After another somewhat unhealthy streak of meals, I recreated my quinoa salad and diligently noted each tablespoon, teaspoon and cup that went into this hearty and tasty salad. I love the taste of sesame oil, but if you're not a fan I'd suggest using a little bit less as sesame oil tends to dominate the flavors. Otherwise, dig in like you've been eating too many sweets, pizza, and bread (ahem, ahem...speaking to myself). Quinoa salad is good for you!

As I'm working on getting more organized, I decided I also need to start petitioning Santa Claus for a Lowel Ego light. I took these photos on an overcast day and I hope they don't look too gloomy!

Have a good side dish? Check out October's Monthly Mingle, Sensational Sides, hosted by Ruth and Meeta.

Asian Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (if you're not a huge fan of sesame oil, I'd suggest using 2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon hot chili paste with garlic
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

Salad:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
salt
1 tsp of olive oil
1.5 cups peeled, chopped cucumbers (seeds removed)
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Combine all ingredients for dressing in a medium sized bowl. Whisk well and allow to stand
2. Place rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Add a dash of salt and olive oil. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Allow quinoa to cool.
3. Combine vegetables in a large bowl. Drizzle with approximately 1/2 of the dressing.
4. Add quinoa and gently stir.
5. Drizzle salad with additional dressing to taste.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Turkey Adobo Quinoa Chili

Not to be confused with Summer Quinoa Black Bean Salad, today's chili has many of the same ingredients but is in chili form. Chili's perfect for these sweltering summer days, don't ya think? :)

Now that I've overcome my trepidation of cooking with quinoa, I wanted to try the protein powerhouse in something other than a salad or at a cold temperature. I browsed the web for awhile, and of course, remembered that Kevin of Closet Cooking had posted some tasty recipes using quinoa. If you haven't visited Closet Cooking yet, first you're a little crazy and second, you certainly should as Kevin posts tempting & creative recipes nearly everyday. Using his Black Bean and Quinoa Chili as an inspiration, I embarked on creating my first quinoa chili.

Trying to make Kevin's recipe by heart, I knew I would forget some essential ingredients, but I tend to like cooking soups/chili on the go. Well, I erroneously thought Kevin hadn't included water in his recipe. While mixing the ingredients, I couldn't get over how thick it was. Though he used 2 cups of water, I only used 3/4 cup so mine's pretty thick in comparison. I tend to like it a little thick so feel free to add water if you're more of a soup gal/guy. I also added in some extra ground turkey I had on hand and liked the heartiness it adds. If you omit the turkey, you have an easy vegetarian meal on your hands!

Hope you all have a great weekend! It's been a tough week for me in between work issues & condo flooding so I'm glad some rest is finally on the way!

Turkey Adobo Quinoa Chili
Adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed thoroughly) + 2 cups water for boiling
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3/4 cups water
2 19 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped with 1 tbsp of sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)

Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve until water runs clear. Toast the quinoa in a dry skillet for approximately 2 minutes. Combine quinoa and and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ground turkey. Continue to saute until turkey is no longer pink, but not cooked through completely.
3. Add cinnamon, chili powder, cumin and continue to saute an additional 4 minutes.
4. Add 3/4 cup water, tomatoes, black beans, peppers, zucchini, chipotle chili & sauce, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add the quinoa and corn and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Protein Mania: Summer Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Since the temperatures were once again above the 90s, we spent our weekend as tourists, hopping from one air conditioned museum to the next. As you may know, Washington, D.C. has an amazing collection of sprawling & ornate buildings, war and presidential monuments and a museums for just about any topic you could think of. Probably most famous is the collection of 19 museums of the Smithsonian Institution.

{Photo Courtesy of Edweek.org}

One of my favorite museums of the day was the National Museum of the American Indian, housed in an absolutely stunning building pictured above. Among the exhibits portraying the past & present life of Indians (Northern and Southern American) I of course, was particularly interested in the lifestyle, food and cooking artifacts.

Though certainly trendy at the moment, I learned that tiny quinoa once served as a staple food for the Ancient Incas, powering their armies and sustaining their communities as one of the three food staples (along with potato and corn). Historians believe the Incas worshiped quinoa as a sacred plant and deemed it "the mother grain." In today's world, quinoa provides a nutritional bouquet of vitamins, protein and contains all of the essential amino acids the human body needs. In fact, quinoa provides up to 16.2% of the daily recommended protein and more calcium than a glass of milk! Paired with black beans, you have yourself quite a protein combo.

Inspired by our trip, I decided to make some quinoa and have a taste of this ancient grain (which technically is not a grain, but a seed). I know, I'm probably one of the last food bloggers to try quinoa, but now is better than never, right? Overwhelmed by the amount of recipes available, I followed a cooking technique outlined by Gourmet Magazine that calls for the quinoa grains to first be boiled, then steamed in a fine sieve. Note to all novices, um...if you have a plastic sieve, you might want to re-think this step before proceeding. Um, not that I did this or anything.


I added red peppers and cucumbers to the original recipe to make for a very colorful and hearty salad, perfect for the summertime. I also halved the amount of butter and oil to cut down on fat and still think this was delicious. Quinoa has a similarity to couscous and for its nutritional value & ease in cooking, I will definitely be making it again and again. Once I decide to like something, it'll be on our menu for quite awhile :)

For those of you who like to be in the know, quinoa is pronounced "KEEN-wah," not "Que-in-oahh" as some near and dear to my heart like to say.

Since this salad is a protein-rich, low fat 'superfood' I'm sending this recipe over to the Healthy Cooking event hosted by Fun and Food and also the One D (One Dish) Salads roundup hosted by Archana's Kitchen.

As a last note, if you do visit the National American Indian Museum or any of the museums in the Mall, take a pit stop at the Mitsitam Cafe where you can be treated to quinoa. The Cafe boasts native cuisine from the Northern Woodlands, South America, Meso America, the Great Plains, and the Northwest Coast and Columbia Plateau. The food is delicious and a unique treat!

Summer Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, July 2007
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
pat of butter, melted (use a tablespoon if you dare!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup seeded & diced cucumber
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve, rubbing grains and washing until water runs clear. Do not skip this step as unwashed quinoa is bitter.

2. Cook quinoa in a medium saucepan of salted boiling water, uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain quinoa in sieve. Place about 1-2 inches of water in sauce pan and heat until simmering. Place sieve over pot and cover with dish towel & lid. Steam for about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, covered with dish towel for about 5 minutes. Put pat of butter in pot and set aside to melt.

3. Whisk together lime zest, juice, olive oil & sugar. Add red peppers, black beans and tomato to warm pot. Drizzle with the lime mixture and toss gently. Add cilantro and drained quinoa. Fluff with a fork to combine. Cover with lid and allow to sit for 30 minutes.